The "Merry Christmas" Pub

[Geoff]

Hi all, i've been trying to discover more information on the whereabouts of the pub called "The Merry Christmas" which used to be in Hastings. It seems there is nothing documented about it on the web. Anyone got any ideas?

[david_russell]

Back in Victorian times the Old Town was one of the poorer areas of the town. It had a very large number of public houses and beer houses. The latter were usually also cheap lodging houses used by tramping tradesmen, fishermen, hawkers, itinerents and others including a lot of women.

These lodging houses usually had a bar attached, sometimes two. Until 1869 anyone who paid rates could get a licence to sell beer for two guineas without applying to the local magistrates.

A lot of these beer/lodging houses didnt have a 'pub' name and were simply known by the landlords/ladies name. The 'Merry Christmas' was one beer house with a name and was located in All Saints Street in the 1840s and 50s. I havn't found the street number yet. If we do find it, we might discover that it become a fully licenced pub later and still exists. The landlord was Edward Paris.

[Geoff]

Hi David, that's very interesting. Not only had you heard of it but you even know the name of the landlord.

have been looking into the old town pre The Bourne and it sounds a very different place than we know today.

Geoff

[david_russell]

There's a local document called: 'Returns under the Common Lodging Houses Act 1851' which mentions the premises of Edward Paris. Someone has written '59 All Saints Street' in pencil against his name. All his lodgers slept two to a bed and he had twelve double beds to let.

In 1848 a Carpenter call Thomas Wright, 29, was charged with stealing a blanket from the Merry Christmas'. Eliza Paris wife of the landlord was a key witness. The prisoner was found guilty and given seven months in the 'Lewes House of Correction' including 14 days solitary.

[david_russell]

The doc mentioned above was probably written in 1852. So we know that the Merry Christmas existed for at least 4 years from 1848. I'm told that there was a major public health act around this time and that all towns were required to carry out a survey of drains, sewers etc which they recorded on a map.

Ive seen examples of these maps of other towns and they show all buildings and their facilities including pubs and beer houses like the Merry Christmas !!

Still looking for the Hastings map. Any ideas, anyone ?

[david_russell]

Wikipedia says it's the Public Health Act 1848. They were worried about Cholera and Typhus apparently.

Because of poor water quality, remember the Bourne stream was filthy, the Merry Christmas probably brewed it's own beer.

[david_russell]

There is another document relating to the Public Health Act 1848. It's called 'The Sanitary Battle of Hastings. The 1848 Public Health Act etc etc'. (See Sussex Archaeological Collections, 125 in ref library).

This doc shows that by the 1840s Old Town was a festering slum where the residents suffered awful conditions. Overflowing cesspools were being discharged onto the beach and only a third of houses had running water. Even this was contaminated by sewerage. Drainage was poor and many hundreds lived in overcrowded insanitary housing without 'privies' drainage or water. In 1849 there were at least 65 deaths from cholera in Old Town and many more unregistered. Some other parts of the town were equally as bad.

The town started to make the connection between the insanitary environment and bad health. The Council saw this as very bad news for tourism. It was not what they wanted visitors to read about.

As for as the Merry Christmas and other lodging houses, a major concern must have been drinking water. Those who sold beer were in a much better position than those who didn't. Beer was a safer and healthier drink. I think this was a major reason why there were so many beer houses and pubs in the Old Town at this time.

There were of course others elsewhere in the town but not like the glut in Old Town.

[david_russell]

And then of course there was the coming of the railways to Hastings. Hastings Station opened in 1851/2 ? and the town had to cope with an influx of 1500 railway builders or 'navvies' who were big drinkers. Swelled the population and the demand on the beer houses.

[terry_again]

The drinking habits of the navvies are a subject all on their own David. It was widespread practice for the foremen who built Britain's railways to make extra money by selling beer to their men in their charge, so it was in their interest to employ men who drank heavily.

[david_russell]

The 1851 Census confirms the Merry Xmas at 59 All Saints Street. It lists a total of 16 people in residence including four members of the Paris family:-

Edward Paris, 39, Licensee and Bricklayer
Robert Paris, 10, Son
Clare Paris, 6 Daughter.
Thomas Paris, 4 Son.

Eliza Paris, Wife, not listed.

The other twelve people (6 couples) are all listed as lodgers and travellers from various parts of the country: Hampshire, Kent, Wales, Scotland and Loughton ? Presumably there were tramping.

The Merry Xmas is not listed in the 1861 Census. There seems to have been a change of use but the copy is blurred.