Public Houses in Newbold Verdon

Public Houses in the Parish of Newbold Verdon Newbold Verdon has had few claims to fame over time but perhaps one of them, certainly in the early 20th century, was the number of public houses it had for its size of population. Even today (2014) it hosts four establishments serving alcohol. So how far back does this tradition of drinking houses go and what do we know of the establishments and the people who ran them? Records do not tell us of when the first public house was established in the parish. We know that there were at least two at the turn of the beginning of the 19th. Century. The Sun Inn on Main Street (opposite today’s Swan Pub) was put up for sale in 1812 and was converted into two houses, so it must have been around for some time before this period. We also know that during the deliberations of 1811 when the final enclosure of the parish’s lands was taking place, the Commissioners appointed to oversee the enclosure met at the George and Dragon Inn sited at the end of what we now know as Dragon Lane and on to Barlestone Road. The highway at this time was known as the Foston Lane (Blaby) to Osbaston Turnpike Road and had opened in the late 1780’s. Opposite where the George and Dragon stood was the toll gate cottage and the inn would have made a very convenient stopping point for travellers travelling along the road and those joining it from the village itself as well as Bosworth and Bagworth. Thomas Carter the headmaster of Newbold Verdon Church of England School wrote a set of historical notes about the village during the 1900s. He noted the demise of the Sun Inn (1812) and wrote of the Mill Inn (today’s Windmill Inn) that its windmill had been pulled down in 1901 after nearly one-hundred years of use - it had been brought from Syston in 1812. He did not say the Mill Inn stopped operating. His description of the Swan Inn noted that it was the only fully licensed house in the village and had an ‘old, long club room’ which had been rebuilt. Thomas Carter failed to mention three other public houses that were also operating at the turn of the 19th. Century. The Red Lion Inn stood on the southern corner of today’s Red Lion Lane and Main Street. The Jubilee Inn still stands and was built in 1877 and so named to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. The Engine Inn stood on Main Street next to Cob Cottage, in later years becoming a butchers shop. Ale Houses, Beer Houses, Public Houses The table below records the landlords of the various drinking establishments in the village over the period when the national census data was available and at its height six public houses were servicing the village. Some of the pubs (probably the Windmill, Engine and Red Lion) were only licensed to sell beer and could best be described as ale or beer houses. The Beer Act of 1830 had led to an explosion in the number of beer houses in the country. They allowed for individuals to brew and sell their own beers (often in their own home) but they were forbidden to sell fortified wines and spirits.

A Record of the Public Houses in Newbold Verdon Pre 1840 The Swan

1841

1851

1871

1881

Nathaniel Blakesley Mr Wilkinson (63)

‘Old Swan’ B. Jordan Butcher/Inn Keeper

Benjamin Jordan Butcher/Inn Keeper

‘Old Swan Inn’ Thomas Jordan

J. Gardener

‘The Swan Inn’ J. Gardener

John Barrs (miller)

John Barrs (miller)

John Barrs (miller)

‘Mill House’ John Barrs Miller/publican

‘Mill Inn’ Joseph Poole

‘Mill Inn’ Beer House Mr Herbert

Richard Herrick (1854 Trade Dr)

Robert Freeman (1863 Trade Dr)

‘The Dragon’ Thomas Richards

Thomas Howgill

‘G&D Inn’ Henry Culverwell

Robert Pruden

Mr Starbuck

Unable to identify in census

Unable to identify in census

Mary Preston (1876 Trade Dir)

‘Engine Inn’ William Statham

‘Engine Inn’ William Statham

William Statham Inn Keeper

John Raven

Thomas Cope

Thomas Smith

Thomas Smith

Unable to identify in census

James Bates

Frank Gilliver Beer House

Mr Wakefield

Very likely to be early 19th Century

Nathaniel Blakesley

Nathaniel Blakesley

Unable to identify

Unable to identify in census

Unable to identify in census

Mentioned in 1812 Enclosure Minutes Unable to identify

James Topley (1846 Trade Dir)

Unable to identify in census

The Windmill

George and Dragon The Engine

The Jubilee Inn The Sun Inn The Red Lion Inn Landlords and Landladies mentioned in Trade Directories and sometimes censuses but unable to match with public houses

Sold in 1812 Unable to identify

1861

Unable to identify in census

Unable to identify in census

Unable to identify in census

Unable to identify in census

Joseph Gilbert

Ann Cramp (Butcher and Beer Seller)

Ann Cramp

John Raven (1876 Dir)

John Raven

John Raven Joseph Moore

Robert Leader (1846 Trade Dir)

Thomas Riley (1863 Trade Dir)

1891

1901

1911

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The Swan – The exact date of its opening is not known but is likely to be about the early 1800s. At one time it housed a butchery as well as an inn. George and Dragon – Certainly around in 1812 and possibly earlier. The Engine Inn – The first time it was named was in 1876 in a Leicestershire Trade Directory but this does not mean it was not around before then. It would appear that in the early censuses and Trade Directories, only the George and Dragon and Swan warranted mention by name. This may have been because the other ‘pubs’ were in fact Ale or Beer Houses and did not qualify to be named as full public houses. (see above) The Jubilee Inn – purpose built and up and running in 1877 and still going today. The Sun Inn – The only record is of its closure in 1812. We can only assume that it had been around sometime before then. The Red Lion Inn – Though it only appear in the census in 1891 it is quite possible that it operated before this time but trade directories do not always identify the public houses with which the publicans are associated.

Public Houses in the 20th Century The records of ownership and occupation of the public houses in Newbold in the 20th century is very hazy, even for those in living memory. The first pub to go was The Engine and this would be some time before 1911 because it does not appear in the census of that year or any trade directories. The Red Lion would have been the next to go but exactly when the author does not know. The George and Dragon hung on in its third incarnation until the 1990s before being knocked down and being replaced by the Newbold Verdon Medical Practice and St George’s Close. Fortunately, we can still visit The Swan, The Windmill and The Jubilee and we also have the Newbold Verdon Sports and Social Club.