Catalogue description Licensed Victuallers

A number of Acts starting with that of 5-6 Edw.VI, c.25 (1552) required the taking of recognizances for good behaviour by victuallers. In 1753 a further Act required the clerk of the peace to 'keep a register or calendar' of recognizances. Very few records of this type are extant for Berkshire and no register has been reserved in official custody.

The documents will contain the name and parish of the person applying for the licence and thus entering into the recognisance (the recognisor), usually the name of the premises, and the name, parish and occupation or status of the surety. In this calendar the information is summarised as follows :

Parish; Name of premises. (This does not appear on any recognisances from the Forest Division), Name of recognisor, Name(s) of surety or sureties, Date, Magistrates before whom entered.

[Note : the recognisances in this bundle bear an original enumeration running from 3 to 49. BRO numbering starts at Q/RLV 1/3].

Numbers 1 and 2 do not survive

A recognisance is a bond or obligation by which a person engages himself to perform an act or keep a condition. It may also refer to a sum of money pledged as a surety for such performance and rendered forfeit by neglect of it. Various Acts, starting with that of 5-6 Edw VI, c.25 (1552) required persons applying for a licence to keep ale-houses to enter a recognisance to keep the peace and prevent disorder on the premises, and to find another person or persons who would act as surety. In the event of the premises becoming disorderly both they and their surety would be liable to forfeit the sum pledged as surety.

Recognisances were entered into before a magistrate, and the documents associated with the process are normally found among the Quarter Sessions records. In Berkshire, however, only a very small number survives amongst the County Sessions records : a total of four bundles comprising a mere 144 documents, all from the years 1814-1815.