In this season's first two-part episode, we digging into the fascinating and disturbing history of the Gin Craze. Spanning roughly half a century, gin drinking seemed to hold London's poorer residents in an unrelenting grip. This decades long drinking binge did not happen by accident, however; this occurred as the result of legislation passed by members of Parliament who directly benefitted from the increase in domestic distillation.

For part one, we cover the origins and initial responses to the Gin Craze, including a series of laws passed by Parliament in an effort to correct the mess that they had made. Attempts to take gin away from the laboring poor only succeed in increasing open mockery of the government, subtle means of subverting the law, and even acts of violence directed toward government-funded informants. We cover all of this, as well as what the heck a "puss and mew" is and what it has to do with gin this week - check it out!

Primary Sources:

John Clayton, Friendly Advice to the Poor (Manchester: 1755).

Isaac Maddox, Sermon (London: 1750).

Thomas Wilson, Distilled Spirituous Liquors the Bane of the Nation (London: 1736).

Secondary Sources:

Richard Barnett, The Book of Gin (New York: Grove Press, 2011).

Simon Difford, “History of gin (1728-1794) - London’s gin craze,” Difford’s Guide.

Elizabeth Gilboy, Wages in Eighteenth Century England (Harvard University Press, 1934).

Andrew A. Hanham, “The Gin Acts, 1729-51,” The History of Parliament.

Alice Loxton, “What was the Gin Craze?” History Hit (January 18, 2021).

James Nicholls, The Politics of Alcohol: A History of the Drink Question in England (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2011).

Katelyn Stieva, “‘Drunk for a Penny, Dead Drunk for Two Pence’: Drink and Culture in London’s Eighteenth Century Gin Craze,” The Mirror 36, 1 (March 1, 2016).

Jessica Warner, Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason (New York: Random House, 2003).

Jessica Warner and Frank Ivis, “‘Damn You, You Informing Bitch.’ Vox Populi and the Unmaking of the Gin Act of 1736,” Journal of Social History 33, 2 (Winter, 1999): 299-330.

UK National Archives Currency Converter (1270-2017).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“The Silence,” Tunetank

“Victorian London,” Table Top Audio

“Baroque Classical Meets Underground Hip Hop Fusion,” nickpanek620

“Legacy of Passacaglia,” White_Records

“Dark Fear,” AUDIOREZOUT

“Clockwork Adventure (Steampunk),” Luis_Humanoide

“One Thousand Years Ago,” JoelFazhari

“Chance Meeting,” White_Records

“Cinematic Dramatic Tense,” Lexin_Music

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