Gloucester Citizen, Thursday 20th June 1907 – Gloucestershire Licensing Committee, Coleford District: The Bell, Pillowell, West Dean, an ante-1869 beerhouse (owners Thomas Hill James, licensee Thomas Guest) was first considered.. Mr Stamford Hutton represented the Coleford Licensing Authority, and called Supt. Griffin, who said the house was in the open forest and was very difficult of police supervision. It had poor sanitary accommodation, no water supply, and was, in his opinion, not necessary. Cross examined by Mr J. corner (instructed by Messrs. Williams and Son) for the licensee: It is a free house and had as good an approach as the other nearest house, the Royal Forester. Other police evidence was given – Mr Corner and Mr Berthon, for the owner, having addresed the Court, Elizabeth Guest, the licensee’s wife, gave evidence that the last three years’ payments for liquor, exluding minerals, were respectively £323.8s.4d, £326.3s.6d., and £373.0s.10d. They had eleven of the fourteen years on the lease to run.
The Justices retired, and on returning announced the refusal of the licence of the Bell, Pillowell.
