HITCHMOUGH’S BLACK COUNTRY PUBS WEST BROMWICH (Inc. Golds Green, Greets Green, Hill Top, Lyndon) 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 December 2014 With many thanks to the 'back office': Janet, Sam and Gavin. Hitchmough Reflects 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. Lye, Wollaston, Wollescote) 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 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 107, New Street, WEST BROMWICH OWNERS Joseph Simcox Joseph McKenley [1899] Charles J. Thompson, Churchfield, West Bromwich Charles Darby, Bush Inn, West Bromwich [1914] Darby’s Brewery Ltd. LICENSEES Joseph Simcox [1871] – [1873] Joseph Silvester [ ] – 1872); William Foley (1872 – [ ] Joseph McKenley [1880] – [1904] John Glover [ ] – 1906); George Heath (1906 – 1909); Samuel Richard Brett (1909 – 1911); Frank James Adams (1911 – 1912); Francis George Fletcher (1912 – [1921] Edward Perry [1924] – 1948); Leslie Perry (1948 – 1949); George Edward Harris (1949 – 1953); Norman Simcox (1953 – 1956); Frank William Corbett (1956 – 1957); John George Frederick Kightley (1957 – 1958); George William Healey (1958); Alan Peniket (1958 – [ ] NOTES 1871 Census New Street – The ACORN [1] Joseph Simcox (51), licensed victualler, born West Bromwich; [2] Sarah Simcox (54), wife, born Bromley, Staffordshire; [3] Joseph Simcox (21), son, house painter, born West Bromwich; [4] Elizabeth Simcox (18), daughter, born West Bromwich: Joseph McKenley = Joseph McKentley He married Elizabeth Simcox in 1876, and Annie Meakin in 1889. 1881 Census 107, New Street – ACORN INN [1] Joseph McKenley (33), licensed victualler, born Oldbury; [2] Elizabeth McKenley (28), wife, born West Bromwich; [3] Joseph Simcox McKenley (3), son, born West Bromwich; [4] George Frank McKenley (2), son, born West Bromwich; [5] Maria Hadley (21), domestic servant, born West Bromwich: 1891 Census 107, New Street – ACORN INN [1] Joseph McKenley (43), publican, born Oldbury; [2] Annie McKenley (25), wife, born Birmingham; [3] May McKenley (1), daughter, born West Bromwich; [4] Mary Millard (18), servant, born West Bromwich; [5] Matilda Wootton (18), servant, born West Bromwich: 1901 Census 197, New Street – ACORN INN [1] Joseph McKenley (53), publican, born Oldbury; [2] Annie McKenley (36), wife, born Saltley, Birmingham; [3] Joseph S. McKenley (23), son, publican’s assistant, born West Bromwich; [4] George F. McKenley (22), son, tailor, cutter, born West Bromwich; [5] May McKenley (10), daughter, born West Bromwich; [6] Louisa McKenley (7), daughter, born West Bromwich; [7] Florrie Hemmings (20), general servant, born Finley: Joseph McKentley was a committee member of West Bromwich and District Licensed Victuallers’ Association. [1902] On 10th March 1904 the Licensing Justices consented to certain structural alterations of the licensed premises, upon the express condition that the gateway at the rear of the premises is used for domestic purposes only. 1911 Census 107, New Street [1] Samuel Richard Brett (31), publican, born Chester; [2] Ann Brett (29), wife, married 10 years, born West Bromwich; [3] Lester Ralph George Brett (9), son, born West Bromwich; [4] Annie Allen (17), niece, servant, born Chester: [Ann Brett may have been a Spittle.] A team from here took part in the Darby’s Domino League. [1951] F. W. Corbett died in 1957. ALBION TAVERN 108, Bull Lane, Greets Green, WEST BROMWICH OWNERS David Duffield William Duffield George Duffield Darby’s Brewery Ltd. [1947] LICENSEES David Duffield (1868 – 1879); William Duffield (1879 – 1928); George Duffield (1928 – 1947); Arthur Knowles (1947 – 1951); James Henry Iliffe (1951 – 1953); Frederick Joseph Willetts (1953 – 1955); Dan Lawrence (1955 – 1968) NOTES It had a beerhouse license. It was known locally as “Duffield’s”. David Duffield = David Duffell David Duffield married Susannah Hill in 1849. David Duffield, beer retailer, Bull Lane. [1868], [1870] 1871 Census Bull Lane [1] David Duffell