The owner of the Samuel Smith’s brewing and pub business, who banned mobile phones, music, televisions and swearing from his pubs, has died aged 81.
Humphrey Smith had run the family brewery, established in 1758, since the 1980s. The firm, based in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, owns about 200 pubs across the UK, many known for their eccentric rules. Its website describes its pubs as “havens from the digital world”.
“Samuel Smith's brewery owner Humphrey Smith, known for banning phones and swearing in his pubs, has died aged 81.”
Smith introduced changes when he took control as chairman, turning tenants into managers directly employed by the brewery. That allowed him to dictate the policies for which the business became famous.
Tadcaster’s mayor, Richard Sweeting, said Smith was a “true gentleman” and a “man of principle”. The mayor told the BBC: “He hadn’t been well for a little while but Mr Smith was a private man and it was kept quiet. But it always is a shock when something actually happens and Tadcaster is in mourning.”
The flag on the town centre brewery was flown at half-mast in tribute. Sweeting added: “The one thing people are saying is that it is the end of an era and it’s true because you often saw him walking through the town. I’ve known him all my life and he’s a respected person. He’s a true gentleman and he had Tadcaster at heart. He’s done many things in Tadcaster unseen that people don’t know about. There’s a lot of amenities in Tadcaster that, if it wasn’t for Mr Smith and the brewery, we wouldn’t have. We’ve got a lot to thank him for.”
Smith was notoriously publicity-shy and the smallest of Tadcaster’s three breweries is an unlimited company, allowing it to maintain financial privacy.
Councillor Kirsty Poskitt, who represents Tadcaster on North Yorkshire Council, said her family had close ties with the brewery and that she found Smith passionate about local history. “He was very well-known, not just in Tadcaster, but across the country and probably throughout the world. It’s impacted lots of people. It’s a sad day,” she said.
Sweeting acknowledged Smith’s strict rules: “Mr Smith had his standards, Mr Smith had his reasons and a lot of people understood. Mr Smith was also a man of principle and there would have been a reason for regulations in the pubs. A lot of people were quite happy for those regulations because we respected him.”