In the news

The guy is a grade A weirdo. I did a bit of research into them when they hit the news for kicking out a gay couple for kissing - in their Soho pub. Amongst other findings (which may be out of date):

He only employs someone as landlord if they're married - so he gets two workers and pays for one.
Everyone is on minimum wage at best, even in London.
He always wears wellies and an old Barbour jacket.
No photos of him exist.
He's the richest man in Yorkshire.

There was all manner of dodgy stuff about stock, notably out of date stock, but this was about ten years back and I can't remember it. There was an employees' whistleblowing forum (independent), and the general gist is that they were a terrible firm to work for, and the culture was entirely driven by this weird Victorian Puritan farmer.

Possibly yes, there were articles when the non swearing policy was introduced.

Smith’s eccentricity is the source of local legend and seems to know no bounds. Regulars inside Smith pubs claim he habitually dresses up as a tramp and poses as a customer to make sure his rules are being enforced. Punters in the Commercial Inn in Oldham claim Smith once sacked a bar worker for not handing him the correct change – another tale of summary sacking it has not been possible to confirm.

In January last year Smith famously went to battle with the people of his own Yorkshire town after floods destroyed their bridge. Tadcaster was split into two separate communities after the incident two days before New Year’s Eve. Smith opposed the construction of a temporary bridge over the river Wharfe, which would allow residents to cross the town. It would have to be built on his land but he refused, saying, at a cost of £300,000, the bridge was “a waste of public money”.

The guy has also banned card payments in his pubs.