Theakston Brewery company acquired and closed down the Lightfoot Brewery, also in Masham. Theakston's expanded into Cumbria in 1974 buying the Carlisle State Management Brewery. The brewery had been owned and operated by the government since 1916. However, the site was a financial drain on Theakston's and led to the company being taken over in 1984 by Blackburn based brewer, Matthew Brown plc. Matthew Brown was itself taken over by Scottish & Newcastle in 1987. Paul Theakston (Managing Director since 1968) left Theakston's in 1988, and in 1992 established the Black Sheep Brewery in the old Lightfoot Brewery premises - located adjacent
Kent Town Brewery & Co. In March 1862 the brewery and the adjacent house, occupied by Logue and his family, was destroyed by fire. This was followed in August by a flood, which swept two of his men, who were working to protect the building, into the culvert under King William Street, and one was drowned. The brewery was back in action early in 1863. Sometime around 1860 he took E. T. Smith on as a partner. Logue died in 1865; his will would be the subject of a legal dispute. Smith continued operating the business, which he renamed Kent Town Brewery, and