John Gorevan

Mr William Glendenning, the creator of the once famous ‘Beevinalt’, spent a very long time researching the concept of combining Beef and wine together to make a ‘Wonderful Tonic’. I can imagine you are pulling the same disgusted face I did when I read of this… lovely beverage.

William Glendenning’s creation was made possible with his life-long experience in the wine trade as well as a deep study of the chemical value of foods. William perfected a process of combining a special type of Alto Douro port with beef jelly and malt extract and called it Beevinalt.

Why Would Anyone Drink This?

I know what you are thinking… Not for me thank you, but thankfully it was mostly aimed at the less fortunate to drink as it was said to help with epilepsy in children, anaemia and patients convalescent from severe illness. A doctor quoted:

I have much pleasure in testifying to the highly gratifying results obtained by the use of your Beer and Malt Wine. Having recommended it in my practice for some time now, I can safely assert that it is a highly nutritious and excellent combination – most useful in many cases of wasting disease and exhaustion. I can confidently recommend it to the medical profession”

The Competition of Beef Wine

As a result of the raving reviews for Beevinalt, cheap alternatives were popping up all over the country to try and get a cut of the trend. The major winning feature of Beevinalt was that they used high quality ingredients and only the best wines.

Now, how did Beevinalt make sure it was the leader in the market and continuted to grow? The best move that the company made was to appoint Mr Friend as Glendenning’s Manager and Agent for Scotland. Mr Friend had been associated with the company for around 17 years and knew the market very well.

At first, Mr Friend has a premises on Commercial Street in Dundee, but because of the growth of the company, the premises were moved to Glasgow.

The secret to the growth of the company was to have a personal touch with their customers. Mr Friend would contact EVERY customer regularly to check up on them and use that as a way to get more orders in, in a non-pushy way!

What do you think this drink would taste like? What would the consistency have been? I don’t imagine they would have masked the taste very much to make it more pleasurable to drink back then…

To read other stories from the past, check out our other articles here

In this article from the National Guardian in 1912, the author writes about his belief that animals are fond of alcoholic beverages, using the subheader was ‘Some Four-Legged Drunkards.’.

“Some people are apt to hold up the lower animals as virtuous examples of temperance and the total abstinence from intoxicating liquors; but they are apparently ignorant of the fact that the epithet “drunken beast” is by no means a figure of speech.
Very many animals are not only fond of alcoholic drinks, but so devoted to them as to go through dangers and severe trials, exercising all their cunning to obtain the desired treat.”

This article is (In my opinion) taking aim at the Temperance activists that were trying to get rid of the alcohol in the country. The article continues to give us some examples of that animals are fond of what beverage… Although I’m not quite sure that this person would have the experience with these animals to state this ‘fact’… but he does anyway!

“The monkeys of Darfur, in Africa, are exceedingly fond of beer, and seize every opportunity of obtaining it. They become intoxicated with it in precisely the same way as men do.”

“Rats acquire a love of strong drink from accidentally broaching casks of beer, wine, or spirits”

“Many monkeys and parrots are fond of rum, while the elephant prefers the still more fiery native liquid, Barack. The liking of horses and donkeys for beer is probably due to the fact that it is, from its comparative cheapness, the drink most frequently put in their way.”

The author then goes on to give more details examples from ‘people he knew’…

“A French Poodle of my acquaintance used to take “a glass of rum and water with a slice of lemon in it” every night before going to bed”

“A pet Malay sun-bear belonging to Sir Stamford Raffles would drink no wine but champagne, and his master says of him: “The only time I ever knew him to be out of humour was on one occasion when no champagne was forthcoming.””

“Romanes, who experimented with alcohol on the medusa, says; “A tipsy jelly-fish rolled about in the water just like the staggering of a drunken man, and this was followed by torpidity, or a state of complete drunkenness, from which nothing could arouse it.”

Now, to me, these stories are mostly the animals being used by their owners to amuse themselves and don’t represent animals enjoying alcohol, but I suppose the water was still not 100% clean back in those times so the beer to the horses makes sense. What are your thoughts?

To read other stories from the past, check out our other articles here

In recent times we have seen some subtle tongue-in-cheek pub signs and chalkboards popping up around the country, but funnily enough, this isn’t a new trend. I have written out some of the signs that caught my eye while researching, that I hope you will like.

A signboard of a public house at Ale Nooke, Stalmine

“Cherry Dick, he does live here;
He sells a pot of wholesome beer;
His beer is good, his measure is just,
He is so poor he cannot trust.”

The Hive

Within this Hive we’re all alive;
Good Liquor makes us funny.
If you are dry step in and try
The flavour of our Honey.

This is the original verse under the sign of the “Hive”pub. The background of this verse makes it a little funnier as the publican’s name was Honey.

A Sign from publican John Frew

I John Frew, does live here;
I sells good porter, ale and beer;
To make my sign a little wider,
I lets you know I sell good cider.

No doubt Mr Frew, when writing the third line, had more regard to rhyme than to reason, but funny nonetheless.

On the sign from the Dragon pub

I am the Dragon; fear me not
If you have money to pay your shot;
When money’s scarce and credit bad,
That’s what makes the Dragon mad.

Duke of Cumberland

This sign had two rhymes, one on the front and one on the back of the swinging sign.

Stop Traveller, you are welcome, sit at your ease;
Pay what you call for, drink what you please.

Stop Traveller; do not be in haste,
But call and of my liquor taste.

Garden Date Pub

This gate hangs well, and hinders none;
Refresh, and pay, and then pass on.

Don’t forget to share some of your favourite pub signs with us too!

To read other stories from the past, check out our other articles here

Once upon a time every working man in the country would visit the pub on their lunch breaks, straight after work and spend all of their days in the pub on their days off at the weekend. I thought it would be interesting to see just now much we used to drink back in the day in comparison to these days.

The Statistics

I came across an article in the National Guardian in May of 1912 that was discussing what the Temperance movement has done to drinking from 1890 – 1910 and it got me thinking about just how much of a difference there would be from. The article showed that the peak of that time period was in 1899 when the statistics were 32.53 gallons per head in the UK and 8.72 pints of Spirits per head.

I compared these statistics to some that the World Health Organisation (WHO) released in 2016. The statistics in their report shows that we consume 14.89 gallons of beer per head and 21.11 pints of pure alcohol in the UK.

Why Do We Drink More Now?

If I am honest, I thought that we wouldn’t even be close to what the country used to be when pubs were always full and the alcohol was always flowing and in most cases a lot safer to drink that water!

I think one of the main reason that we drink more now is that the prices in pubs are very expensive in comparison to what they used to be because of the taxes that they need to pay, whereas it is a lot cheaper for you to go into a supermarket and purchase a bottle of vodka or crate of beers.

What are your thoughts on these findings? Are you shocked that we drink a lot more now? What do you think the reason is?

To read other stories from the past, check out our other articles here

Serious Assault on a Glasgow Publican

Two men named Andrew Phillips and Robert Usherwood were on Monday charged before Bailie Morrin, at the Glasgow Northern Police office, with theft from the till of a public house in Garscube Road, and also with assaulting the owner of the shop. It is alleged that when their money was exhausted the men asked more liquor, and on being refused knocked down the proprietor and helped themselves to the contents of the till. They were remitted to the Sheriff.

Weak Whisky at Rutherglen – A Spirit Merchant Fined

On Saturday, in the County Buildings, Glasgow, George Gemmel, spirit merchant, 1 Cathcart Street, Rutherglen was charged with having, on 10th February sold to James Cruikshanks Stobo, sanitary inspector, one quart of whisky which had been reduced to the extent of 31 degrees under proof whereby he was liable to a penalty not exceeding £20. He pleaded guilty, but stated that he had sold the whisky by mistake, his eyesight not being very good. Sheriff Lees said that as the sale originated in a mistake he would only impose the modified penalty of £2. The money was paid.

THE LIBEL ACTION AGAINST A GLASGOW NEWSPAPER

Yesterday the Second Division of the Court of Session gave judgment in the application of the proprietors of the Glasgow Herald for a new trial in the action at the instance of Wright & Greig, wholesale wine merchants, Glasgow, who were recently awarded £500 damages for libel. Their Lordships decided by a majority that the rule should be discharged, and the verdict applied with the damages restricted to £250, on the ground that the sum awarded by the jury was excessive. Mr Graham Murray, for the pursuers, accepted the restricted damages, and stated that their object in raising the action was to re-establish their commercial credit.

THE ACTION OF DAMAGES AGAINST A BARRHEAD SPIRIT MERCHANT

Sheriff Cheyne has given judgment in an appeal from the decision of Sheriff Cowan in the action by Mrs Annie Hughes or McGhee, residing at Storie Street, Paisley, against Matthew Sproul, wine and spirit merchant, Barrhead, and the Barrhead Co-operative Society, in which pursuer claimed damages for the death of her son, aged 16, resulting from injuries alleged to have been caused by a collision between defenders’ vehicles- a buggy and a bread van respectively. Sheriff Cowan held that the accident resulted from the manner in which the buggy was driven, and found for pursuer for £50. Sheriff Cheyne has dismissed the appeal, and affirmed his substitute’s decision, granting additional expenses.

SHEBEENING IN GLASGOW

Charlotte McCreadie or Paton, for trafficking in whisky on Sunday, the 2nd inst., at 57 King Street, was on Thursday last at the Glasgow Southern Police Court fined a couple of guineas by Bailie Martin, the alternative being thirty days.’

LARKHALL SHEBEENER’S CONVICTED

At a J. P. Court held at Hamilton on Monday, Jane Clark or Bruce, widow, Larkhall, and William Monteith, miner there, were each fined £3, or thirty days’ imprisonment, for keeping liquor for illegal trafficking in their houses.

A GREENOCK MALA-FIDE TRAVELLER CONVICTED

A young man named Francis Sands was at the Greenock Police Court on Saturday fined 21s, with the option of ‘ten days’ imprisonment, for falsely representing at the Royal Hotel, Dock Breast, that he was a traveller from Kilmalcolm, whereby he was supplied with a pint of beer.

GLASGOW MALA-FIDE TRAVELLERS CONVICTED

Gordon Gibb, 12 McAslin Street; John Sharp, 65 Hawthorn Street, Possilpark; and Wm. Bowie, 75 Mansion Street, Possilpark, were charged at the Glasgow Northern Police Court on Friday with having falsely represented themselves to be travellers, and obtained liquor in the Albany Hotel, in Sauchiehall Street, on Sunday, 2nd inst Sharp and Bowie appeared, and pleading guilty, were fined 10s 6d, with the option of seven days’ imprisonment. Gibb failed to appear, and was fined a guinea, with the option of 14 days.

ALLEGED EMBEZZLEMENT BY A PUBLICAN’S ASSISTANT

At Monday’s Greenock Police Court a young man named Robert Trainer was remitted to the sheriff on a charge of embezzlement. He was engaged by Mr John McCormick, spirit merchant, 1 Ropework Street, and it is alleged that since August last he embezzled over £49, the property of his employer.

PROSECUTION OF A HOTEL – KEEPER IN GLASGOW- AN INTERESTING POINT

Hugh Colquhoun, proprietor of the London Hotel, 288 Buchanan Street, was on Saturday morning charged, before Bailie Morrin at the Northern Police Court, with supplying liquor within his premise to two men on the 1st inst. after eleven o’clock P.M., in contravention of the Glasgow Police Act. The defence was that the men had gone there to visit a friend who had that evening been apprehended, and was being kept in the hotel over Sunday in custody of a sheriff-officer; that the liquor had been supplied to them as the guests of the sheriff-officer and that they had also arranged to remain overnight in the hotel. After a considerable amount of evidence had been led, the Magistrate was of opinion that the charge was proved. He thought it had been shown that the men went there for the purpose of having a drink, and with no decided intention of arranging for the liberation of their friend, which the sheriff-officer subsequently suggested to them. He sentenced accused to pay a fine of 25s., or suffer 14 days’ imprisonment. Mr Angus Campbell intimated an appeal against the decision of the Magistrate.

A GREENOCK PUBLICAN FINED FOR BREACH OF THE PEACE

At the Greenock Police Court yesterday, Robert Duncan, spirit merchant, Baker Street, was convicted of shouting and bawling and kicking at the door of a spirit dealer’s shop at 10 Baker Street, whereby a crowd was caused to assemble. Bailie McOnie, in respect that the breach of the peace had not been of a serious nature, limited the sentence to a fine of 10s., or four days’ imprisonment.

To read other stories from the past, check out our other articles here