One of Scotland's first 'licensing' laws was issued in 1498 when the plague caused the council to deliver a statute demanding that all taverns and alehouses be closed by 10 p.m.

At the end of 16th Century, an act was introduced which aimed to control the pricing of ale in taverns - a subject of concern to the authorities and public alike! After 1535, yearly price levels were introduced, and in 1561 a further act was passed in an effort to stop overcharging.

After the Union of the Crowns in 1603, English laws relating to public houses were introduced. The Kinghouse on Rannoch Moor, the Crook Inn in Tweedsmuir, and the Spread Eagle at Jedburgh were among the first Scottish Inns to be licensed in 1604.

A step forward
In many places, local authorities used national licensing statutes as an excuse to clamp down on 'dram' or 'tippling' houses which sold only hard liquor. To this end, licensing laws were tightened under the first ‘All-Scotland’ licensing legislation of 1759, forcing innkeepers to apply to a magistrate or Justice of the Peace for licenses. Previously the number of drinking outlets had been indirectly controlled by local government bias, surprisingly this new act orchestrated a startling increase in the number of license holders throughout Scotland.