Horse Shoe Beerhouse

Liverpool Mercury 6th April 1863

Liverpool Mercury 7th August 1863

Irish-born Michael McCaffrey was shown as a Wheelwright on his 1841 marriage licence and as a Butter Merchant on the 1851 census. By the time of the 1861 census, in which he stated that he was a Joiner, he had moved his family from Liverpool to Greasby. His wife’s name was Elizabeth though she later called herself Betsey. Her father, Benjamin Jones, owned the Greasby smithy. By 1863 McCaffrey was the keeper of the Horse Shoe beerhouse which was on the same site as the smithy. Tragedy struck on 4^th April 1863 when the 48 year old attempted to break up a fight between two customers. One, Thomas Gibbs (or Gibb), struck McCaffrey causing him to fall. He died of a head injury.

Gibbs was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to a fortnight's imprisonment.

The headstone of Michael & Betsey McCaffrey stands in the graveyard of St John The Divine in Frankby.

Michael's widow Betsey took over the Horse Shoe but died a year later, aged 43.

At the age of 21 their eldest daughter Mary took over the beerhouse, as the 1864 Morris directory shows. She later married David Skillen.

In 1869, control of beerhouse licensing was given to magistrates and obtaining or renewing that licence became a lot more difficult. Many beerhouses closed.

David Skillen became the beerhouse keeper and the census of 1871 (below) shows David, Mary and Mary's siblings, Ann, 22, Elizabeth, 9, and Michael, 20, all living at the Horse Shoe.

Although the census shows the business as a 'public house' (i.e. could sell wines and spirits) it was, in fact, a beerhouse.