This is a family history story not for the faint-hearted. It tells of the courage of one Welsh woman: how as a pub landlady she fought personal adversity and the establishment to protect her livelihood and family. For the genealogist, it demonstrates how understanding social history can help us solve puzzles. For her ancestors, it reveals much about her character as a strong Edwardian, Welsh woman.
Who was 'Floss' Padfield?
Floss became the landlady of the Queen’s Hotel, Blaina, Monmouthshire, Wales in 1899 at the age of 26. She had already faced much hardship.
She was born in 1873 as Elizabeth Flora Baker, the daughter of a well-off tenant farmer in rural Monmouthshire, Wales. However, by the age of 9, she was orphaned. Her father abandoned the family in 1880, never to be seen again, and her mother died in 1883. Floss clearly had no choice but to find work and the 1891 census recorded Floss as 3rd housemaid in large country house in Leyland, Lancashire.
Floss returned to Monmouthshire, but to Blaina and the booming coalfields in the north of the county. There she married Alfred James, a collier, in 1897. They had a daughter, Dorothy, a year later but tragedy struck again soon after when Alfred died in 1899. The licence for the Queen’s Hotel transferred to Floss and she continued to run it with the aid of Alfred’s friend James Padfield.
In 1902, Floss and James were married. Sadly, their first child, Christian, died as an infant. They gave up the Queen’s Hotel and moved to Six Bells, where James worked as a collier.
Rebuilding lives at the Crown Inn, Nelson
However, by 1906 Floss had begun to find her feet again. She had remarried, had four small children and was the landlady of a pub again. On 27 March 1906, James PADFIELD became the new licensee of the Crown Inn, Nelson, Glamorgan. The Crown was owned by Giles and Harrap, the same brewery company that had owned the Queen’s Hotel in Blaina.
James and Floss continued to run the Crown Inn and had no more troubles than the various brushes with officialdom that were occupational hazards of pub landlords. For example, on 24 January 1907 James was prosecuted for having an unstamped measure in his pub. All equipment used to measure out alcohol needed a government stamp; clearly some of his did not. His argument that they were ornaments did not convince the magistrate. He was fined 5 shillings plus costs. His case was one of several heard on the same day relating to similar offences.
Whilst all appeared to be going well, more tragedy loomed on the horizon.
Twice in Flames - 'Nelson Woman's Agonies'
Late in the night of 03 August 1907, Floss retired to her room upstairs in the Crown Inn. Shortly after midnight, piercing screams were heard by their neighbour, Mrs Jones. She ran in to the street to be greeted by the terrible sight of a frantic James carrying Floss whose clothes were in flames. He rushed her into Mrs Jones’ house where police, neighbours and a nearby doctor did everything they could to relieve the agony of the now delirious Floss. She was later carried back to her house, but her whole body had been shockingly burned.
The fire’s cause added to the tragedy. It was thought that, exhausted by caring for her sick baby, she had fallen asleep whilst reading a newspaper by candlelight. The candle set the newspaper alight and then Floss’ dress. The local press reported that ‘very little hope is entertained for her recovery.’ To add to the tale of woe their child died a few days later.
Just when you think it could not get worse
In the early hours of 29 May 1908, about 8 months after her first shocking accident, Floss was lighting her gas stove at her home in the Crown. It seems she did not light the match quickly enough. When she did, there was a small explosion. Flames leapt out and caught the greasy wadding with which her still-healing arms were bandaged. She was instantly enveloped in flames and again sustained shocking burns to her arms and face. Floss was sent to the Cardiff Infirmary in a critical condition.she
Survival, Struggles & a Significant Census Return
Amazingly, Floss survived. She returned to work very quickly, given her injuries. Everyday trials and tribulations continued, and on 23 Oct 1908, she and James were summoned to Hengoed Police Court for permitting drunkenness at their pub. Floss admitted that the man she had served was drunk but not very drunk and “had not lost the power of locomotion”. They were fined £1 and costs.
James & Floss remained at the Crown Inn but by the 1911 census something minor but significant had changed. Their address appeared to be the ‘Old Crown Inn’.
It seems that James and Floss had got caught up in an ideological war. This war, between the drinks industry and the temperance movement, would bring down governments. But it had other casualties as well, as we shall see …
An Ideological War
The issue of alcohol has always been a political issue and a tricky balancing act for governments. Increasing drink consumption brought in revenue from its sale but was also believed to be the cause of public disorder. In Victorian times a powerful temperance movement arose which tried to prohibit the ‘Demon Drink’. By about 1890 drink had become a key question of social reform.
Sharp v Wakefield (1891)
Things came to a head in 1891 with a landmark case (Sharp v. Wakefield). This meant that licensing committees could refuse an alcohol license if they believed that there were simply more pubs than required in the area. Up to this point, alcohol licenses could be refused only if there was a proven record of misconduct by the licensee. Brewers were concerned for their future. They had invested heavily in property through the system of tied houses, and this had led to a big increase in the number of pubs. Now the future of these pubs was dependent on the whims of licensing boards, many of which contained temperance campaigners.
The Balfour Licensing Act (1904)
The drinks industry fought back, and a series of protests and political action led to the 1904 Licensing Act which introduced a compensation scheme. The scheme was funded by the pubs themselves via an annual levy ranging from £1 for the lowliest pub to £150 on the grandest hotels. So now pubs could still be closed but the owner could claim compensation. This was not popular with either side. Then in 1906 a landslide victory in the general election put the Liberal party in power. This was the same year that James and Floss took over the license of the Crown Inn.
'Fight for Your Rights'
In 1908 the Liberals pushed even harder for control of the drinks industry. Their response to bitter party politics and the ideological war between the drinks trade and the temperance movement, was to launch a bill for the 1908 Licensing Act. This aimed to accelerate the reduction in licenses and close a third of all pubs in England and Wales. The bill also proposed a reduction in compensation for closure, shorter Sunday opening hours, and a ban on the employment of women working in pubs.
The Hyde Park Rally of 1908
The trade was horrified and argued that this was a class war. The rich could still drink champagne in grand hotels whilst the working man was to be deprived of his beer. Barmaids were heard asking customers to help save their jobs. Petitions were signed, and protests culminated in a mass rally in London. 750,000 people converged on Hyde Park on 28 September 1908 carrying banners and wearing sprigs of hops. Special trains had been laid on to bring people from all corners of the country. The proposed bill was defeated but the pressure on the drinks industry was clear to see. And the effect was felt in South Wales.
Just Too Many Pubs?
On 09 March 1909 the license for the Crown Inn was due for renewal at the Caerphilly Brewster Sessions. Police Inspector Canton objected to the awarding of 7 licenses in Nelson. Two of his objections were because of structural defects but the remainder were because ‘they were not needed’. Licenses for the Crown Inn and the General Picton were refused and referred for compensation. At the stroke of his pen, James and Floss had lost their livelihoods.
Compensation
Did James & Floss receive compensation? The Glamorgan Licensing Committee met at Cardiff Law Courts on 04 August 1909. Compensation claims from pubs from all over Glamorgan were considered. Values were of the order of £100’s of pounds but typically only 10’s of pounds for the licensee. However, no award was made for the Crown. Instead the case was referred to the Inland Revenue. It is not clear why this happened. This normally occurred if no claim was submitted, or sufficient details had not been provided, or the amount of compensation was disputed. In such cases, the tenant received only one-tenth of the amount allotted. We do not know the outcome of their case, but it seems likely that Floss and James would have received little or no compensation. What we do know is that Floss had a four-day old daughter at the time of the hearing and so is highly unlikely to have attended.
Fighting Back - A Clever Reincarnation
James and Floss pushed back at authority again a year later. At the end of July 1910, in an act of creative defiance, the Crown was transformed into a workmen’s club. Local Councillor Tom Evans struck a deal with the brewery for the Crown Inn. The pub now included a reading room, refreshment room, lecture room, billiard room and committee room ‘for the purpose of social intercourse, mental and moral improvement and rational recreation’.
Between the 1880s and 1930 a large number of Workmen’s institutes or ‘Stutes’ were created in the South Wales coalfields, aimed at helping the working-class man ‘better himself’. By 1901 there was an institute in most towns and villages. They often had small libraries and reading rooms with books that leaned towards history and politics.
The Nelson Institute and Workmen’s Club is born
On 27th July, the club’s committee appointed Floss ‘as the stewardess of the club on terms to be arranged.’ and James as the licensee. At the same meeting the committee agreed to order 3 barrels of beer, half a barrel of pale ale, 4 quarts of Irish whiskey, 3 bottles of scotch, 2 quarts of rum, 2 quarts of port, a quart of sherry, and various other mixers. Floss was asked to source glasses, dusters and other necessary items. On 13 August 1910, a local newspaper report announced the club’s opening as follows:
‘What was formerly known as the Crown Inn has been transformed into a working-men’s club and institute. Extensive alterations have taken place, under the direction of Councillor T. Evans, chairman, and the new venture promises to be a success. The new club was formally opened last week by Councillor John Williams, Treforest, and a large number have already joined. The steward is Mr. James Padfield, former licencee of the Crown Inn’.
This did not go down well with the local authorities and police. They had managed to close the Crown pub as part of the attempt to reduce alcohol consumption in the area, but it had reopened in another guise. At 10:30 pm on the day this reincarnation was reported the club was raided by police. Thirty-nine people were found drinking there, some ‘in a state of drunkenness’. One of these was James himself! The case eventually came to court at Hengoed Magistrates’ Court on 04 November.
Defiance in Court - But Only 3 Books in the 'Library'
The case for the prosecution was that the Institute was not conducted in good faith as a proper club, that there was poor control over membership and that ‘the supply of intoxicating liquor was not under the control of the members of the committee’.
The prosecution interrogated the club’s chairman, secretary and Floss, looking for any breaking of the club rules. They were grilled about membership access, visitors to the club, and opening hours on Sundays. Keen to challenge the purpose of the club, the court questioned the chairman about whether he had done anything to arrange interesting lectures for members – he had not.
Floss gives evidence
Floss was questioned about how she controlled membership and the state of drunkenness of her husband on the night of the raid. Her answers suggest she was clearly able to stand up to the authorities:
“If anyone came to claim the privileges of membership, she asked them to show their card; if they had not one she looked at the register. She supplied no one with drink whom she had any doubt about. None but bona fide members presented themselves. Possibly there was a little more drinking on Sundays. The club had never been uncomfortably crowded. She had never heard the suggestion of members being the worse for drink until that day. If anyone had been under the influence of drink she would have known.”
The authorities also disliked a club policy regarding ‘tick’, by which members were entitled to 1s 6d of credit if they were in their working clothes. This made alcohol too easily available in their eyes. In practice, this policy proved so effective that the credit was increased to 3s. When Floss was questioned about this, she simply replied “workmen rarely took money to work and on coming home might like to have some refreshment”.
What the policemen saw
Undeterred, the prosecution highlighted that when police entered the ‘library’ in the club that they found only 3 books, and these belonged to James. The only newspapers were those acting as a tablecloth on which sat a bagatelle table. There were no refreshments available ‘other than liquids’. The committee room was upstairs but, according to the police, showed little signs of use. However, they found barrels and bottles in every room.
The magistrates were not satisfied with what they heard. The Crown Inn had lost its alcohol license but had been reinvented by some local councillors and Floss as a workmen’s club. Clearly unconvinced, they decided the Institute had ‘not been carried on in good faith as a club’. They ordered that it be struck off the register and that the premises could not be used as a club for twelve months.
Floss' Final Fightback
Floss’ fight did not end there. The club’s solicitors advised them to remain open whilst they lodged an appeal. However, the authorities disagreed and the club was again raided by police on Sunday 30th October. James and Floss were charged with serving alcohol in an unregistered club. During the raid, the chairman was reminded of the order to close, to which he replied – “We will keep open as long as we like, and you can do what you like”.
The case was heard at the Hengoed Police Court on 22 November 1910. Defence solicitors argued that the appeal had been lodged and that the club was entitled to stay open, but the court decided that the case had been proved. James and Floss were fined £10 and costs or 1 month in prison. The penalties would not be enforced until the appeal had been completed, but – the club had to remain closed.
So, it seems that despite Floss’ fighting spirit, the authorities won in the end.
Aftermath
Floss and James remained in Nelson but moved within a year to a terraced house in Springfield Terrace. James worked as a collier in Penallta. They had 2 more children.
Floss died suddenly at her home in Llanfabon on Sunday 11 November 1934, aged 61. She was found lying unconscious on her kitchen floor by her husband James. Her funeral took place at Llanfabon Churchyard the following Thursday. Floss left an estate valued at £257 to her husband James. He died at 15 Springfield Terrace on 01 March 1946, aged 74.
Uncover Your Own Welsh Family Stories
Floss Padfield’s remarkable story of resilience and defiance might have been lost forever if not for careful genealogical detective work. How many incredible ancestors are waiting to be discovered in your own Welsh family tree?
Like Floss, your Welsh ancestors lived through dramatic social changes, faced personal tragedies, and showed extraordinary courage in ways that may surprise you. The key is knowing where to look and how to piece together the clues from newspapers, court records, licensing documents, and census returns.
Bibliography
Fahey, David M. (2022) The politics of drink in England, from Gladstone to Lloyd George. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. https://www.cambridgescholars.com/resources/pdfs/978-1-5275-7818-0-sample.pdf : accessed March 2022.
Holt, Tim. (2005) Demanding the right to drink: the two great Hyde Park demonstrations. Brewery History. 118. p. 26. http://www.breweryhistory.com/journal/archive : accessed January 2022.
National Brewing Library, Oxford Brookes University Library. https://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/collections/special-collections/food-and-drink/the-national-brewing-library/ : accessed March 2022
