HITCHMOUGH’S BLACK COUNTRY PUBS WEDNESBURY (Inc. Kings Hill, Mesty Croft) 3rd. Edition - © 2014 Tony Hitchmough. All Rights Reserved www.longpull.co.uk INTRODUCTION Well over 40 years ago, I began to notice that the English public house was more than just a building in which people drank. The customers talked and played, held trips and meetings, the licensees had their own stories, and the buildings had experienced many changes. These thoughts spurred me on to find out more. Obviously I had to restrict my field; Black Country pubs became my theme, because that is where I lived and worked. Many of the pubs I remembered from the late 1960’s, when I was legally allowed to drink in them, had disappeared or were in the process of doing so. My plan was to collect any information I could from any sources available. Around that time the Black Country Bugle first appeared; I have never missed an issue, and have found the contents and letters invaluable. I then started to visit the archives of the Black Country boroughs. Directories were another invaluable source for licensees’ names, enabling me to build up lists. The censuses, church registers and licensing minutes for some areas, also were consulted. Newspaper articles provided many items of human interest (eg. inquests, crimes, civic matters, industrial relations), which would be of value not only to a pub historian, but to local and social historians and genealogists alike. With the advances in technology in mind, I decided the opportunity of releasing my entire archive digitally, rather than mere selections as magazine articles or as a book, was too good to miss. This would allow those people with interests, such as mentioned above, to search for relevant innformation. (sic) The files contain information about every pub that has been found to exist in each of the districts within the Black Country, along with a number of illustrations. Originally a series of 3 CDs was for sale, covering the Black Country boroughs. After 2 editions of each CD I am now producing individual files for each township sub-area. These files are available for free download by anyone interested. A number of years have passed since the first CD came out. In that time I have looked at a lot more sources of information (discovering some new old pubs), acquired many more photographs, and made many helpful friends. Thanks to the many people such as Denis Harper and Keith Hodgkins, who have allowed their own photographs to be used. In 2010 I was asked by the relatives of the late John V. Richards to sort through his own archive of material, in order to redistribute it to appropriate groups. This has been very useful in confirming, and providing new, information. I have also been asked to disseminate information gathered by Jim Laws, Wolverhampton CAMRA’s pub preservation officer/pub historian, who is unfortunately incapacitated. I hope you find this file useful. Please, if you can, show your appreciation by contributing information or photographs. If you feel so inclined you can even make a donation via the downloads page on the website to help defray our expenses. The work, as ever, continues. Tony Hitchmough August 2014 Hitchmough Appreciates With many thanks to the 'back office': Janet, Sam and Gavin. DISTRICTS The districts covered by the CDs were generally based on the modern places created in the 1970’s, ie, Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton. These are then subdivided into the old townships which had existed for many years previous, and are as follows:- SANDWELL Oldbury (inc. Causeway Green, Langley, Oakham, Rounds Green, Tividale) Rowley Regis (inc. Blackheath, Cradley Heath, Old Hill, Whiteheath) Smethwick (inc. Bearwood, Londonderry, Warley) Tipton (inc. Dudley Port, Great Bridge, Princes End, Toll End) Wednesbury (inc. Kings Hill, Leabrook, Mesty Croft) West Bromwich (inc. Golds Green, Greets Green, Hill Top, Lyndon) DUDLEY Brierley Hill (inc. Pensnett, Quarry Bank, Round Oak) Dudley (inc. Harts Hill, Kates Hill, Priory, Woodside) Halesowen (inc. Colley Gate, Cradley, Hasbury, Lapal) Kingswinford (inc. Himley, Wall Heath) Netherton (inc. Darby End, Dudley Wood, Saltwells, Windmill End) Sedgley (inc. Coseley, The Gornals, Woodsetton) Stourbridge (inc. Amblecote, Lye, Wollaston, Wollescote, Wordsley) WALSALL & WOLVERHAMPTON Bilston (inc. Bradley, Hallfields) Darlaston (inc. Butcroft, Moxley, Wood’s Bank) Walsall (inc. Bloxwich, Leamore, Palfrey, Pelsall, Rushall, Shelfield, Walsall Wood) Wednesfield (inc. Ashmore Park, Fallings Park, Heath Town, Moseley Village, Park Village, Wood End) Willenhall (inc. Bentley, New Invention, Portobello, Short Heath) Wolverhampton (inc. Blakenhall, Codsall, Oxley, Penn, Tettenhall, Whitmore Reans UPDATES I am planning to continue my researches, and will be producing updated versions of each file (for free download) as sufficient additional content is found. Hopefully new old pubs will continue to be discovered, as will some mysteries be cleared up. I maintain an Update service on the website to advise of pub discoveries made during the interim between releases. If anyone is able to provide extra, relevant information and / or pictures, about any of the pubs and people contained within this work, I would be grateful to hear from you, initially by e-mail at: [email protected] I look forward to hearing from you. Tony Hitchmough longpull.co.uk ABOUT THIS FILE It is a PDF file and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. This reference work is designed to be viewed on a computer but can be printed. It is text based so one can search and find within the contents. BOOKMARKS Clicking on the Bookmarks in the panel on the left will take you to the chosen location. If your computer uses Windows, Bookmarks with a + (a plus sign) on the left hand side have submenus and clicking on the plus sign (which will change to a minus sign) will reveal the contents. Clicking on the minus sign will hide the contents of the submenu. If your computer uses Apple, clicking on the right pointing arrow to the left of the Bookmark will display the submenu; it will turn to a downward pointing arrow which when clicked will hide the submenu. For more information please consult the Adobe Acrobat Reader help system. ACORN 68, Birmingham Street, (68, Back Street), Kings Hill Field, WEDNESBURY OWNERS William Butler and Co. Ltd. LICENSEES John Hammond [1871] William Woodhall [1891] – [1896] Thomas Corns [ ] George Plimley [1901] Harry Plimley [1904] William Smith [1912] Sam Horton [1921] NOTES 1871 Census Kings Hill Field, 68, Back Street – The ACORN [1] John Hammond (46), licensed victualler and bricklayer, born Dalbury, Shropshire; [2] Emma Hammond (41), wife, born Darlaston; [3] Hannah Hammond (17), daughter, born Darlaston; [4] Richard Hammond (14), son, born Darlaston; [5] William Hammond (12), son, scholar, born Darlaston; [6] Samuel Hammond (9), son, scholar, born Darlaston; [7] William Simcox (67), stepfather, bricklayer, born Dalbury, Shropshire; [8] Elizabeth Simcox (67), stepmother, born Holdgate, Shropshire: 1891 Census 68, Birmingham Street – The ACORN INN [1] William Woodhall (31), fitting maker, born West Bromwich; [2] Alice Woodhall (31), wife, born West Bromwich; [3] Lilian F. Woodhall (9), daughter, born Wednesbury; [4] Mary P. Woodhall (7), daughter, born Wednesbury; [5] Edwin J. Woodhall (5), son, born Wednesbury; [6] Anne Bloucher (14), general servant, born Ocker Hill: Wednesbury Herald 9/3/1895 “On Tuesday night a meeting of the Prince of Wales Lodge of the Staffordshire Conservative League was held at the ACORN INN, Birmingham Street. There was a large attendance…..” William Woodhall, beer retailer, 68, Birmingham Street. [1896] 1901 Census 68, Birmingham Street – The ACORN [1] George Plimley (25), fitter and publican, born Wednesbury; [2] Florence Plimley (23), wife, born Darlaston: Harry Plimley, beer retailer, 68, Birmingham Street, Kings Hill. [1904] William Smith, beer retailer, 68, Birmingham Street, Kings Hill. [1912] Closed It was delicensed in the 1960’s. c. 1970s ALBERT Albert Street, WEDNESBURY OWNERS LICENSEES NOTES Midland Counties Evening Express 14/4/1875 “On Monday afternoon and evening the half yearly meeting of delegates connected with the Greets Green and Wednesbury Districts of the Ancient Order of Foresters was held at the ALBERT INN, Albert Street, Wednesbury. Delegates representing 2,300 members were present…..” ANCHOR HOTEL 26, Holyhead Road, WEDNESBURY OWNERS Mitchells and Butlers Ltd. [1961] LICENSEES Joseph Watson [1870] William Watson [1870] – [1871] Henry Watson [1871] ? William Hardman [ ] – 1871); Joseph Gilbert (1871 – [ ] William Watson [1873]– [1881] Thomas Stayley (1882 – [ ] R Minett [ ] Henry Staley [1891] – [1892] R Flint [1895] George William Chamberlin [1896] E and H Clarke [1900] Miss Charlotte S Mundy [1901] Mrs. Gertrude Annie Bartlett [1911] – [1912] Major George Cox [1916] Thomas Atkins [1921] Clifford Harvey Dale [1954] – [1966] Kathleen Jeavons [1985] NOTES Commercial hotel and posting house [1892], [1896] The Court Leet met here every November. 1871 Census 26, Holyhead Road – ANCHOR INN [1] William Watson (40), innkeeper, born Stapenhill, Derbyshire; [2] Eliza Watson (45), wife, born Wednesbury; [3] Eliza Walker (21), domestic servant, born Dudley; [4] Mary Parker (20), domestic servant, born Wednesbury: William Watson was also described as a wine and spirit merchant and HOPE AND ANCHOR, 136, Darlaston Road, Kings Hill. [1873] Dudley Herald 4/4/1874 Meeting of striking miners held here “on Monday evening”. Midland Counties Evening Express 3/11/1874 “The Strike at the Wednesbury Globe Tube Works and the Great Bridge Victoria Tube Works. At a mass meeting of the men on strike at the above works, held at the ANCHOR HOTEL, Wednesbury, an offer was made from the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Globe Tube Works Company to forego the question of hours, and to allow the men still to work on at, the 9 hours so long as other firms in the same district continued the same practice. The question of 10 per cent reduction in welders’ and scalp turners’ wages, he also offered to modify – the future basis to be calculated upon the price list of one of the oldest and largest firms in the town.