Urlifestyle Magazine October 2016 May 2016 | Page 22

“Gin Made Me Do It: Inside London’s Gin Epidemic”

W

hen we talk about excessive drinking and debauchery on the streets, one may
think of Prohibition in the United
States. However, 200 years before
progressive thinking outlawed alcohol manufacturing and distribution
in America, London saw its own tale
of legislation gone awry.
When William III (the Dutch
prince of Orange) became King
of England in 1689 he helped to
increase production of gin by dismantling the London Guild of Distillers monopoly. This in conjunction
with high tariffs on imported spirits
(such as French brandy) led to an
increase in gin production. However in an effort to keep the price
of grain high, wealthy landowners
passed “An Act for the Encouraging of the Distillation of Brandy and
Spirits from Corn.” This law also
increased taxes on beer while lowering the cost for distillation permits
The demand was so high that a
distiller could apply for a permit and

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within ten days, have their product per berries needed for flavoring,
legally on the streets.
they experimented with other “artifiThe easy access and large sup- cial flavors.” Almond oil, turpentine
ply caused prices to be even cheap- and even sulfuric acid were used.
er, and finally a populace who were This often led to less than wanted
used to drinking beer, now had ac- effects, such as blindness and
cess to high
death. Docproof spirits.
tors
even
Naturally the In 1734 Judith Dufour strangled reported gin
unfamiliaraddicts burst
ity of such a her two year old daughter, stripped into flames
tipple would her new clothes, and sold them for in their chairs
lead to overone shilling and four pennies to and beds.
consumption.
Ironically
buy some gin. This story showed their furniture
Due to the
high demand
was
never
how far society had fallen and
for gin there
reported
moralists once again began
was a sharp
burned.
rise in large
In 1729
pounding their drum.
commercial,
came
the
home,
and
first in a seunderground distilling. Home and ries of laws aimed at curtailing the
underground distilling were unable consumption of liquor. By adding
to keep up with the demand and high fees to retailers the distributherefore cut corners. Rather than tion industry went underground and
properly dry and prepare the Juni(Continued on next page...)

consumption doubled. The Gin Act
of 1729 failed so miserably that in
1733 it was repealed. However, this
would not be the last time do-gooders would attempt to legislate vice.
In total there would be eight laws
with this purpose.
One year after the repeal of the
1729 Gin Act, Judith Dufour would
be executed for a heinous crime
she would commit for the sake of
gin. In 1734 Judith Dufour strangled
her two year old daughter, stripped
her new clothes, and sold them for
one shilling and four pennies to buy
some gin. This story showed how far
society had fallen and moralists once
again began pounding their drum.
In 1736 came another Gin Act. This
particular piece forced impossible
high fees on retailers (50 pounds).
This was met with immediate outrage. Gin shops began hanging
black clothes over their windows
and mock funerals were held in the
streets. Eventually riots ensue.
During this time women appear to
have been taken more under gin’s
spell. Throughout the course of the
Gin Epidemic, the death rate rose
above the birth rate. From 17231733 the death rate for children under 5 years old was 75%. This as
well as stories of child neglect from
drunken mothers and prostitution to
buy alcohol, led the term “Mother’s
Ruin,” which is still known today.
By 1738 most legal gin distillers
and distributors had gone underground due to informants. Previous
acts had granted rewards to informants and “guaranteed” their safety, however due to daily violence
against informants by the common
people, the Gin Act of 1738 practically outlawed gin and made attacking an informant a felony. The act
also gave individuals power of arrest in cases that officials refused to
arrest friends.
One of the most peculiar instances during all of the Gin Epidemic
was that of Dudley Bradstreet and
his “Old Tom” Scheme. Bradstreet
is a character who deserves more

16

mention, however very little is relative here. Bradstreet was an Irish
spy for the British crown during the
Scots revolt. When it came to gin
sales, he used his intellect in quite
a hilarious way.
Studying the Gin Acts, Bradstreet
found a loophole for distribution. In
order for officials to enter the premises, the name of the person selling the gin must be known. Bradstreet then rented some property
and purchased a sign of a cat. He
then placed a lead pipe and funnel
through the cats’ paw and made
a coin slot in the mouth. He purchased 13 British pounds of gin and
let it be known where and how to
buy it. Customers would knock on
the door and whisper, “puss, give
me two pennyworth of gin.” If gin
was available the reply would be
“mew”. The customer would then
place their money in the coin slot
and raise their glass or mouth to the
pipe and gin would pour out.
Bradstreet’s method of vending
machine style selling was so effective it was highly copied and even-

tually he moved on to other ventures. However, it wouldn’t be all
fun and games. Despite provisions
in the 1738 act, violence towards informants continued, there also saw
a rise in crooked informants and officials. By 1739 the officials in charge
of gin disruption were losing money.
With the harsher penalties towards
gin distillers and distributors the
industry went even further underground. Violence against informants
became an almost daily occurrence.
Consumption continued to rise and
by 1743 the average consumption
per person was 2.2 gallons a year.
With the signing of the Gin Act of
1751 consumption finally began to
decline, however this legislation had
very littl