THE BELL INN (BICESTER)

The Bell Inn, Bicester, was built circa the early 18th century.

Some previous landlords from the 19th century include:

William Gessey
George Elkington
Harry Ryly Jones
William Sheppard

In March 1873, the following advertisement appeared in the Bicester Herald:

"TO BE LET, with immediate possession - The Bell Inn, Bicester, now doing an excellent business. The present proprietor is retiring after carrying on a successful trade for twenty-seven years. For particulars, apply to Mr W. Gessey."

An inquest was held concerning the death of 65 year old Sarah White of Upper Heyford in 1883, "who met with an accident at a dance in The Bell, Bicester. The deceased had been dancing, and was sitting in the tap-room when, whether from giddiness or not is a matter of doubt, she fell off her seat, and her left temple coming into violent contact with the floor, she sustained concussion of the brain, from which death ensued the following evening."

The jury returned a verdict of 'accidental death'.

In 1908, the then landlord of The Bell, Frank Stapleton, accused a navvy called Frank Cox of Ardley of assaulting himself and his wife, Ellen Stapleton. Cox had apparently refused to leave the premises when asked to do so, then began to assault the couple, along with some of their customers. A warrant was issued for Cox's apprehension, as he didn't bother turning up to court when summoned!

(Photograph courtesy of British Listed Buildings).

THE GEORGE & DRAGON, CHARLTON-ON-OTMOOR

Now a private residence, The George & Dragon pub stands on High Street in the village of Charlton-on-Otmoor. The building dates from the 17th century.

This pub played an important part in Oxfordshire history, as it is where the 'Otmoor Association' was formed in 1830, comprising of a group of locals who opposed the enclosure of Otmoor; their meetings in The George & Dragon eventually led to the Otmoor Riots!

The pub was routinely used to hold inquests, such as the one into the death of George Shepherd in February 1853 - poor George had apparently walked from Oxford back to Charlton, complaining of shortness of breath upon his return. He settled in a chair, and at 9.30pm that evening, "fell from his chair, quite dead". The inquest concluded that he'd died due to 'disease of the heart'.

One former landlady appears to have been a Mrs Kirby, who was mentioned in a local newspaper in 1830 when she allowed the will of Mr Richard Neale to be read on the premises.

The pub ceased trading around 1980, and the only remaining operational public house in the village is The Crown, situated close by.

(Image courtesy of WikiPubs).

THE PLOUGH (WENDLEBURY)

The Plough pub was situated on Oxford Road in Wendlebury, and is now a private residence. Unfortunately, I've been unable to find out exactly when the building was constructed, but I have been able to ascertain that it was first issued with a license to be used as a public house in 1735. It may have comprised of ordinary dwellings prior to that date.

Some former 18th century landlords included:

George Coggins
James Munday
Edward Lapper
John Thornton
Peter Pettitt
Edmund Wheeler
John Kirtland
John Buckle

The pub was routinely used for inquests, as were many village pubs in days gone by; in 1863, one was held at The Plough concerning the sudden death of 74 year old widow named Martha Holton. The jury returned a verdict of 'death by the visitation of God' (natural causes).

In May 1875, four labourers called Benjamin Cox, George Parker, Thomas Reade and William Holton were charged with being in The Plough during prohibited hours (Sunday morning on 18th April). All four pleaded guilty, as did the then landlord, Mr James Munday. As they'd never been in trouble previously, they were each ordered to pay 4s 6d.

On 18th June 1886, the annual 'Wendlebury Feast' was held in the village, and included a dance in front of The Plough.

In 1888, an elderly unnamed man was thrown from his horse-drawn vehicle on the road between Wendlebury and Weston-on-the-Green. A carrier returning from Oxford Market managed to catch the loose horse, and took the man to The Plough, where the landlady attended to his injuries.

The picture below is the only one which came up when I typed in the address, so I hope it's the right place! (Courtesy of Wikipedia).

MARLAKE HOUSE/INN (MURCOTT)

Marlake House in the village of Murcott was built circa the early 18th century, and was operating as a pub from at least 1860, if not before. It is now a private residence.

In 1912, when it was still a public house, an inquest took place there, concerning the death of Alfred Honour - a 68 year old farm labourer. Alfred's body was identified by his son, William Honour, of nearby Fencott.

William told the jury that he'd been summoned to his father's house in Murcott at about 2.50pm, and had found his father in bed. He asked him how he was, and Alfred had complained of an agonising pain in his side. William sat with his father for a while, and about five minutes after their conversation, he heard a whistling sound eminating from Alfred's throat; William remained by his father's side until he expired shortly afterwards.

William said that he had visited his father the night before, when Alfred had mentioned that the pain had been present for a couple of weeks, although he hadn't seen a doctor about it.

The autopsy on Alfred Honour revealed that he had most likely died due to heart failure, and the jury gave a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.

Ironically, in 1871, the landlord of Marlake House was a Mr John Honour - perhaps an ancestor/relative of poor Alfred?

THE RAMPING CAT (FENCOTT)

Unfortunately, I can't find much information regarding this particular establishment; this is probably because it appears to have been an unofficial pub, ran from somebody's house!

It was apparently located near the village pond in Fencott (I'm not sure if the village still has a pond now!), and may have been near what was once known as Cat Lane (again, not 100% sure on the exact spot!). Cat Lane was known as such from at least 1848 onwards, and the first mention I can find of a drinking establishment known as either The Ramping Cat or simply The Cat is from about 1870.

A woman called Mrs Mary Tew appears to have been the landlady of The Cat, although she was often in trouble for allowing 'drunkenness'! In an age when any unofficial establishments were usually shut down, the authorities seemed to turn somewhat of a blind eye to Mrs Tew's enterprise, allowing it to continue and receive deliveries from local breweries, although Mrs Tew herself brewed up some booze from her home!

I can't find any information regarding when The Cat closed, so if anyone knows anything, please let me know!

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ROSE & CROWN PUB (BRILL) 

I am unsure as to when exactly the premises were built, but mentions of it as a public house confirm that it was definitely used as a public house from at least the 1840's.

Some previous landlords of The Rose & Crown include:

Mr Thomas Rhodes, Mr John Spencer (1870's/1880's), Mr F. C. East and Mr William Burrow (early 1900's). One landlord from the 1860's was Mr Benjamin Wakelin, who was involved in quite a scandal, as I mentioned earlier in my previous post, which can be read here: https://www.facebook.com/114272414498991/posts/156351570291075/

At some point between the aforementioned Mr Rhodes and Mr Spencer being landlords, a Mr Richard Allam held the position, as in 1874, it was reported that a carrier called Richard Powell had insulted Allam's wife (Mrs Mary Allam), by calling her amongst other things the marvellously-sounding "St Thomas' Cat" when she had asked him to leave the premises on account of being 'drunk and disorderly'! He was taken to court, and received a hefty fine. I've no idea what the insult was intended to mean, but I'll do my best to find out!

During the 1890's, the landlord was a Mr Henry William Chick, who took a George Claridge (labourer, of Brill) to court for a similar offence.

Back in 1842, Mr Goddard of The Rose & Crown participated in some type of sporting match, which involved driving a horse and cart across country from The Rose & Crown to The Mitre pub (Oxford) and back again - a distance of roughly 24 miles. He apparently managed to win by completing the distance to The Mitre in just 47 minutes, and after an hour's rest and refreshment for his horse, completed the final part of the journey in 49 minutes. He had won a bet which he himself had placed, by finishing 9 minutes under the time he'd wagered.

During Mr Goddard's time as landlord, "the body of a person of respectable appearance, understood to be a commercial traveller" was discovered in the brook which flowed near Brill. The body was later identified as being that of Mr William Broomhead, who hailed from Sheffield. He had slept at The Rose & Crown on 29th September 1841, and had apparently "met his death on account of the dilapidated and disgraceful state of the Blackthorn Bridge, the waters being much swollen at that time due to recent flooding and heavy rain". Mr Goddard was called upon to testify at the inquest, and the jury returned a verdict of 'accidental death'.

During the 1890's, yet another landlord called Mr James Hillsden was charged with selling liquor (namely rum) to a drunken person called James Fisher. Mr Hillsden was fined £2, but the jury took into account that it was first offense, so the outcome could have been much more severe!

The pub was routinely used for inquests, as with many other pubs in days gone by; one such example was the inquest into the death of 40 year old charwoman Emma Oakley in November 1875. She had been found dead in her bed by her daughter. It transpired that Emma had been ill for around four years with jaundice, and her doctor was of the opinion that her death was probably caused by either apoplexy (cerebral haemorrhage/stroke) or heart disease. The jury returned a verdict of 'death from natural causes'.

(Image courtesy of the Closed Pubs website).

THE WHITE HART INN, BICESTER

The White Hart Inn, located in Bicester, was built circa the late 17th/early 18th century.

In 1847, a local newspaper reported that the license of the pub had transferred from Mr John Bristow to Mr Edward Sheppard.

In the 1870's, Selina Elizabeth Harris - a barmaid working at The White Hart - took James Harris Junior (son of the then landlord) to court for 'breach of promise'; it transpired that Mr Harris had promised to marry Selina (who was his cousin, as the landlord was her uncle!), but had subsequently changed his mind. The judge ordered him to pay damages to the sum of £210 (a LOT of money back then!).

During the 1890's, the landlord was Mr Thomas Coles. Landlords mentioned during the previous decade were Mr Randell James Litten and Mr Lapper.

In 1900, Mr Thomas Bull - who was a soldier serving with the Royal Reserve - was summoned to court for being 'quarrelsome' on the premises; he had apparently assaulted Mr Coles, damaged a door, smashed a window with his fist, and used a lot of foul language. Although Bull pleaded 'not guilty', he was fined 11s, and if he had not paid it, he would've been committed to prison for 7 days with hard labour. The money was paid.

In 1915, it was reported that Mr Arthur R Webb - son of landlord Mr E. Webb of The White Hart Inn - was the only successful candidate out of seven who sat a Civil Service Male Learnership Examination in Aylesbury.

(Image courtesy of TripAdvisor).

THE FOX INN, BICESTER

The Fox Inn was situated in King's End, Bicester, and was probably built circa the early 18th century (although parts of the property may date back to even earlier). I believe it will soon be converted to flats.

During the 1840's, one former landlord was John Hodges.

In July 1885, William Botley - a labourer - was fined 12s 6d for being drunk and disorderly, and refusing to leave The Fox Inn when requested to.

It would appear that many auctions took place on the premises over the years, such as those organised by local auctioneer Jonas Paxton.

It later became the King's Antiques Centre.

(Image courtesy of British Listed Buildings).

THE TRIGGER POND (BUCKNELL)

The Trigger Pond pub in Bucknell was originally built in 1637, and extended in 1693. It initially comprised of a cluster of 3 cottages, before being converted into a butcher's shop.

During the early 1900's, the premises was owned by a butcher called Mr Golder; when he died, he was such a large man that a window had to be removed in order to carry out his body! Following his death, the butcher's shop became an off-license, with a dart board being hung on the wall outside. It quickly became a popular meeting place for locals, hence how it became a public house!

The building was known for centuries as 'The Twigger Pond', due to its location near to the village pond. The origins of this name are unclear, although 'twigger' was derived from the Old English word 'twige', meaning 'a person or animal who gives birth to many babies' - perhaps this indicates that the cottages were once occupied by a large family, or that maybe it was formerly the home of the village midwife? 🤔 I'll have to do some more digging in order to verify that! In any case, over time, the name changed to 'The Trigger Pond'.

Another more sinister possibility is that the pub's name stemmed from the pond potentially being used to drown or dispose of illegitimate/unwanted children... I have read about similar things happening in other parts of Oxfordshire, so sadly, we can't rule this out!

The photo below is borrowed from the 'Mapio' website.

THE PENNY BLACK (BICESTER) 

The Penny Black is now a Wetherspoon's pub; however, it was originally served as the town's Post Office!

It was officially opened in the early 1900's, and the following appeared in the Banbury Guardian newspaper in February of 1914:

"Tenders for the the new Post Office on the site of the east side of Sheep Street are invited. The proposed erection will be a substantial building of three storeys. The ground floor, raised by three steps, will contain the public counter, longer than the depth of the present Post Office, the Postmaster's room, etc. At the rear of the public hall will a sorting room of about 40ft. by 30ft.. and abutting on Victoria Road will be separate retiring rooms for postmen and clerks. A cycle shed, 10ft. by 25ft., has been provided for, and the depot for barrows abuts Victoria Road, from which entrance apparently the mails will be received and dispatched. The second floor will contain the telegram and telephone rooms, and the women’s retiring room, etc.. The top floor is for the caretaker operator. and contains three bedrooms, living room, usual offices, etc., being a self-contained flat. Speaking generally, the new office will much more elaborate than the public anticipate, and it will rank amongst the new offices much larger towns. The application for tenders, course, comes from the Commissioners H.M. Works and Public Buildings."

The pub took its name from 'the penny black' - the first stamp, which was introduced in 1840. However, due to the black ink allowing for the red cancellation mark to be wiped off (meaning that people were able to reuse them illegally), after only 9 months, a new type of red stamp was developed, called 'the penny red'.

(Image courtesy of 'British Post Office Buildings and their Architects').

THE KING'S ARMS HOTEL (BICESTER) 

According to the hotel's website:

"The King’s Arms Hotel & Restaurant is a beautifully refurbished and quintessentially English hotel set in the heart of the historic village of Bicester. Previously a 17th Century Coaching Inn, The Kings Arms is formed from three former buildings and outhouses from the post war years. As a three-story building of stucco, the Kings Arms is steeped in history and has many period features, sympathetically and tastefully renovated to be bring the hotel into the 21st century with a contemporary look and feel but remaining true to its heritage."

In November 1863, Bicester County Court held sessions at the hotel, including the following case:

"ELIZABETH TAYLOR V. JAMES WATSON
Claim: 10s, balance of wages.
Hannah Taylor, mother of the plaintiff, said that her daughter was hired by Mrs Watson last year at £4 10s, with service to commence on 25th October 1862. When she left at the end of the year, the defendant gave her £4. She went to Mrs Watson, and asked for the 10s, but the Watsons told her that the 10s was only hers on the condition that she did her work well and was a good girl. Mrs Watson had only mentioned the 10s as a sort of encouragement to her. She had forfeited the 10s by not giving satisfaction in her work. His Honour ordered the payment of the claim, together with the day's attendance, at the same time remarking that it was a mistake masters and mistresses often fell into, thinking that the 10s was their own. In Mrs Watson's case, it was evident that the girl did suit, else she would not have kept her on."

In 1914, the following advertisement appeared in the Bicester Herald:

"Owing to the scarcity of horses [due to the war effort], and the urgent need of breeding, Mr Harry Bonner of the King's Arms Hotel, Bicester, is prepared to reduce stud fees to half-price for a month to farmers and tradespeople, for the following stallions: Poor Beast, Blacon Sparrow and Bicester Professor."

In July 1866, Mr Arthur Davis, 'gentleman', was "summoned to answer a charge under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, for ill treating and torturing a dog by holding it out of the third storey window of the King's Arms by its hind legs, causing it to fall 20ft onto the pavement below." Amazingly, the poor pup survived, although his horrid owner was sadly allowed to keep him. He was found guilty, and ordered to pay a fine of £1, 7s.

I shall carry on digging to see if I can find any further information!

(Image below courtesy of Bicester Local History Society, although I'm unsure of an exact date).

THE SOW & PIGS (POUNDON)

I have been unable to pin down precisely when the village's only public house - The Sow & Pigs - was built; however, I do know that it was mentioned as early as 1866, and that one former landlord was Mr Fred Thorpe (who lived there during the 1920's, up until his death in 1933), and his wife Bertha Thorpe (née Allen).

The couple's son, Bernard, was born at The Sow & Pigs, and lived in the village all his life. As a young man, he would cycle from Poundon to nearby Twyford in all weathers, in order to get to his job working on the railways.

The biggest building in the village is Poundon House; this opulent residence was built in 1908 by Colonel John Heyward Lonsdale, who married a woman whose surname was Parker-Bowles (perhaps a relative of Camilla Parker-Bowles? I shall have to do a bit more digging in order to verify this!).

The house was constructed using sandstone sourced from a quarry at Eydon, near Banbury, and transported to Marsh Gibbon via train, before being hauled to Poundon by teams of horses.

(Images are courtesy of 'Twystory'; the two girls in the first photo - taken circa 1932 - are believed to have been Bertha Thorpe and her niece, Edna Allen. The second photo shows the pub as it is today.)

THE WHITE HART INN (LUDGERSHALL)

The White Hart Inn - now a private residence - is situated on the High Street in Ludgershall, and was originally built during the 17th century.

Perhaps the most famous event to take place in this former public house was the inquest into the death of John Edmonds, who was murdered by a local labourer called William Dumbleton in 1880.

From at least the 1840's, the local magistrate operated from the pub, dealing with neighbourly disputes and criminal matters.

In May 1864, a man called John Coles pleaded guilty to breaking the windows of The White Hart Inn, and also to throwing a pint mug into the grate of the fireplace, causing further damage. He stood accused by the then landlord, Mr John W. Mole. Coles was ordered to pay a fine, or be sent to prison if he defaulted; no further mention can be found in the newspaper archives, so presumably, he paid it.

In August 1839, a happier occasion was reported: Mr William Eaton of The White Hart Inn, Ludgershall, was married to Elizabeth - only daughter of Mr William Justice, also of Ludgershall.

Much earlier, in 1814, the following advertisement appeared in a local newspaper:

"TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION: at the house of Mr Lambourn, called The White Hart Inn, Ludgershall, in the county of Bucks, on Thursday next the 14th day of July instant, at four o'clock in the afternoon, under such conditions of sale as will then be produced - a compact and improvable freehold estate, tithe free, situate in the pleasant village of Ludgershall aforesaid; consisting of two good messuages or tenements, with a barn, stable, cow house and other suitable outbuildings in good repair, a farmyard, and garden; together with nine acres (more or less) of rich pasture and arable land, adjoining, and all the fine elm and other trees growing on the same, all inclosed. The estate is well supplied with excellent water, and in the occupation of Mr J. Lambourn, who has had notice to quit at Michaelmas next."

Image below shows The White Hart Inn, courtesy of British Listed Buildings.