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Scars, eyepatches and missing teeth: The Edwardian female drunks barred from pubs in early 1900s

The 'Black List' - similar to modern 'Pubwatch' schemes - shows female drunkards shows sozzled regulars who were banned from their locals for anti-social behavior in the early 20th century.

They were the drunken female louts who were barred from pubs in the early 1900s - and now their mugshots have emerged more than a century later.

The rogues gallery of female drunkards shows sozzled regulars who were banned from their locals for anti-social behavior in the early 20th century.

The 'Black List' - similar to modern 'Pubwatch' schemes - shows women with scars, missing teeth, crooked fingers and even eyepatches.

Authorities in Birmingham drew up a Black List of 83 'habitual drunkards' which included 37 women.

Each notice bore a mugshot of the convict and a distinctly politically incorrect physical description - including references to 'stout' builds, 'oval' faces and 'ordinary' noses.


The local council teamed up with the city's Holt Brewery to circulate its list to local landlords - forbidden from serving known drunks across the city under Edwardian Law.

The historical find was unearthed by teams from family tree website ancestry.co.uk.



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A spokeswoman said: 'In order to enforce the 1902 Sale of Liquor to Habitual Drunkard’s Licensing Act, the Watch Committee of the City of Birmingham provided licensed liquor sellers and clubs with photos and descriptions of people deemed “habitual drunkards,” who were not to be sold liquor.

'The 82 persons in the book were convicted of drunkenness between 1903 and 1906, typically at the Birmingham City Police Court.


'If you find a member of your family here, you’ll discover a marvellous snapshot of an individual at a moment in time — albeit a difficult moment.'

Many of the women on the Black List had scars, missing teeth or other deformities, including Kate Kibble, 50, with her eyepatch and crooked fingers.

Surprisingly, most of the women on the list held down jobs, working as charwomen (cleaners), woodchoppers, polishers or grease merchants.

One street performer 'played tin whistle outside licensed premises', while some also worked as prostitutes to bolster their income.



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However, unlike modern women, none made a spectacle of themselves in high-heels and skimpy dresses, and can be seen in more modest period dress.

But some of the arrested women even sported tattoos - similar to female nightclub goers today.

One, Alice Tatlow, 25, had four, including a 'Prince of Wales Feathers' inking on the back of her right hand.

Most of the women in the gallery were aged between 30 and 40 and had one or two aliases - suggesting criminal activity.

Just two names on the list were under 25 while five trouble drinkers were over 50.