HUMPHREY SMITH, SAMUEL SMITH'S BREWERY OWNER, DIES AGED 81

Humphrey Smith, owner of Samuel Smith's brewing and pub business, has died aged 81. Smith ran the Samuel Smith Old Brewery, established by his family in 1758, since the 1980s. The company operates approximately 200 pubs across the United Kingdom and is based in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. The business became known among customers for enforcing rules that banned mobile phones, music, televisions and swearing at its venues.

When Smith assumed control as chairman, he converted pub tenants into directly employed managers, a change that enabled the brewery to enforce its distinctive policies. Samuel Smith's is the smallest of three breweries operating in Tadcaster and operates as an unlimited company, allowing it to maintain financial privacy. The brewery's website describes its pubs as "havens from the digital world". Reports over the years documented instances of pub managers being dismissed, often for alleged breaches of the brewery's regulations.

Tadcaster's mayor Ricard Sweeting described Smith as a "true gentleman" and "a man of principle". Sweeting stated that Smith had been unwell for some time, though the matter remained private. The flag at the town centre brewery was flown at half-mast in tribute. Sweeting noted that Smith had undertaken various unacknowledged contributions to Tadcaster, saying the town possessed amenities that would not exist without Smith and the brewery's support.