IT used to be claimed that Dalton had one of the highest numbers of pubs per head of population – but like most towns it has lost a few of them through the decades. 

There would have been inns and taverns in the medieval Dalton when it was the commercial base for the monks of Furness Abbey. 

Places such as the Brown Cow, White Horse, Cavendish Arms and Red Lion would have been a feature of town life for centuries. 

In 1809 Dalton’s White Horse Inn was offered for sale at auction. 

It was described as having its own brew-house – the Georgian equivalent of a micro-brewery. 

There was also stabling for 10 horses, a garden and an acre of land at Mary Bank Parrock. 

A trade directory published by William Parson and William White shows us what pubs existed and paid to advertise in 1829. 

The full title of the book is the History, Directory and Gazetteer of the Counties of Cumberland and Westmorland with that part of the Lake District in Lancashire by. 

The Dalton inns and taverns, with their landlords, were: Cavendish Arms, William Danson

George and Dragon, Robert Woodend 

King’s Arms, Richard Robinson 

Plough, Richard Butler 

Red Lion, Thomas Barwick 

White Horse, John Gardner – who was also a spirit merchant.

In 1829 Dalton also had six tailors: Edward Charnock, John Goad, Stephen Monrow, James Park, Samuel Todd and William Todd. 

Thomas Towers was a sadler and ironmonger, the town blacksmiths were James Gibson, Isaac Helm and Reginald Tyson. 

Boot and shoe makers in 1829 were William Parker, Thomas Thompson, Thomas Turner and Thomas Wardley. 

There were 11 grocers, the Dalton postman was John Reed, John Addison was a weaver and manufacturer and George Cockerton was an iron ore merchant. 

Discoveries of iron ore brought hundreds of miners to Dalton from the mid-19th century and this saw an increase in the number of drinking establishments. 

By the 1882 History and Directory of Furness and West Cumberland we can add some extra hotels, inns and taverns, with their landlords and addresses: 

Black Bull, James Thompson, Tudor Square 

Bridge Inn, Arthur Barrow, Broughton Road 

Britannia Hotel, James Spence, Ann Street 

Clarence Hotel, R. Clark, Ulverston Road 

Mason’s Arms, J. Holmes, Market Street 

Prince of Wales, George Wilson, Broughton Road 

Railway Arms, William Hodgson, Station Road 

Ship Inn, Thomas Turner, Market Place 

Wellington Hotel, Fred Bell, Market Street. 

Dalton in 1882 also had a number of drinking establishments described as beerhouses. 

They were the Bow Bridge, Devonshire Arms, Farmer’s Arms, Fountain Head, Golden Ball, Horse and Jockey, Joiners’ Arms, Melton Hotel, Miners’ Arms, Old House at Home and the Sun Inn.