The Free and Easy was mentioned in a court case of April 1832, when three men met to divide out stolen goods (see Sow & Pig Bond Street case).
One other reference so far is from December 1834, when Job West, landlord of the Free and Easy beer shop was fined 40/- plus costs, for serving after time. Deposition by no other than Moses Pegg.
The 1830 Beer Act allowed anyone to serve beer in their house on the payment of two guineas, either on or off the premises. Accordingly, many grocers’ shops acted as beer houses as well. A few years later, owing to the amount of beer houses that had sprung up, amendments were made, altering the law to increase the sales on the premises to three guineas and off sales to one guinea. One of the reasons some beer houses were short lived, therefore, was that they then became off licences.
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