Illustration of British Victorian drinking restrictions

In an effort to discourage alcohol consumption in the late 19th century, British temperance groups created and distributed “drink maps” that showed where people in certain towns could buy booze. This counterintuitive strategy reflected the belief that easy access to alcohol was clearly scandalous—a threat to public morals and health that could be mitigated by local licensing authorities once they learned exactly how easy it was to get drunk.

As Chris Butler explains in his richly illustrated Drinks cards in Victorian Britainthese judges were empowered to rule that pubs and other alcohol sellers had no legally recognized interest in continuing to do business. Courts have also held that magistrates, when deciding whether to issue or renew annual licences, can take into account local needs as they see them. The maps were intended to show that the available options exceed these needs.

Butler finds little evidence that officials made use of these indefinite powers. Temperance activists argued that “the people” should decide how many liquor sellers could serve a particular area. But it is clear that these traders felt that this test had already been passed due to their ability to profit in the crowded market shown on the activist charts.

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