Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
North Wales Temperance Union.
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Welsh Sunday Closing Act 1881 required all public houses in Wales to close on Sunday; in 1921, it was extended to cover Monmouthshire. It was supported by nonconformists but the merits of its operation were widely debated. The Licensing Act 1961 gave Welsh districts the right to vote on whether they desired the Sunday opening of public houses, with subsequent polls to be taken in 'dry' areas every seven years. The North Wales Temperance Union was formed to uphold the closure of licensed premises on Sundays. The success of the campaigns was limited; eight of the fifteen counties and county boroughs remained 'dry' in 1961, with only five remaining 'dry' in 1968. The Rev. Alwyn Thomas, as well as being Secretary of the North Wales Temperance Union, served as the Honorary Secretary for the northern division of the Temperance Council of the Christian Churches of Wales.