Hebden Township Historical Data

The Village Inns

The Earliest Inns / Alehouses

We have our first tantalising glimpse of evidence for an inn in Hebden as early as 1745, when Thomas Rathmell is referred to as "Inkeeper of Hebden Green" in the baptism records for Linton Parish. A few years later, William Ridley is referred to as "of Hebden, innholder" in the transcript of a deed dated 1761 held in Wakefield (ref. AU-201-276). William Ridley also appears in the burial records. In the following year, 1762, another deed held in Wakefield (ref. AX-264-2321) refers to a certain John Graham as being "of Hebden, Innholder"

We get more solid evidence from the West Yorkshire Alehouse Licences register. An Act of 1551 required alehouse-keepers to be licensed annually by two justices and to enter into recognisances 'against the using of unlawful games, as also for the using and maintenance of good order and rule'. By an Act of 1753, the clerk of the peace was to keep a register of these recognisances, and some of which have survived for the Staincliffe wapentake. In 1771, 1773, and 1778 these indicate that two licences were awarded in Hebden - one to Ralph Robinson and one to John Peacock.

Extract from the 1771 alehouse licences
Extract from the 1771 alehouse licences
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Finally, in 1786 Thomas Craven is referred to as "innkeeper Hebden" in the baptism records.

New Inn / Odd Fellows / Clarendon

It is suspected, however, that none of the references above apply to what we now know as 'The Clarendon', and was originally known as the 'New Inn'. Evidence, mainly from the Land Tax records, indicates that this was built about 1795.

The Land Tax records list land holdings, their nominal rental values, their owners, and their tenant for every year (although there are gaps in the records). Because the nominal values do not change from year to year, it is sometimes possible to identify a property by correlating an owner-tenancy pair in the land tax records with an entry in the 1846 Tithe Map register.

The 1846 Tithe Map indicates that the New Inn was owned by Thomas Wall, and that the tenant was Leonard Lister. The 1849 Land Tax records show that Thomas Wall and Leonard Lister were associated with a 'house' (as opposed to land), that uniquely had a nominal rental value of 1s 6d. Having identified the property in the Land Tax records, it can be then traced back through time.

The first appearance of this property in the Land Tax records was in 1795, when unusually, it was referred to by name: "Lee Toft Gate". It was owned by William Minikin, and rented by William Thompson. The following year, again unusually as no other properties had any description at all, it was described as 'house and premises', and was owned by John Birch. The existence of the description implies that it was a new build. A manorial document of 1796 refers to "J Birch, Innkeeper".

Birch was a common family name in the area at the time, but there are sufficient clues to identify the builder with a fair degree of certainty. The first clue is that the ownership was transferred to Joseph Birch in about 1813, which implies that John Birch had died. A John Birch, then farmer of Skyrethornes, was buried in 1812. The other is that a second John Birch was owner at the time of the 1841 census, aged 45, so born about 1796. In December 1795 a John Birch, son of John Birch, was baptised in Burnsall. His father was a miner at Greenhow. This was in the days of small-scale entrepreneurial mining, and it is quite possible that he become wealthier enough to purchase some land and build an inn. It was probably a good time to build a inn. The Pateley Bridge - Grassington turnpike had been built in the 1760s, and there would have been trade from passing traffic.

John Birch senior appears to have run the establishment until 1802, when he leased it to George Whitaker. This is confirmed by George Whitaker appearing in the 1803 West Yorkshire Alehouse register. In 1813 ownership was transferred to Joseph Birch, presumably following the death of John. Joseph was an elder son of John, having been baptised in Burnsall in 1783. In the 1803 Muster Role Joseph Birch referred to himself as a miner. He owned the establishment until his death in 1825, when his younger brother, John, took possession. Recognisances were registered for 1822 and 1826. John Birch junior owned the property until between 1841 and 1845. He was actually the landlord at the time of the 1841 census, living there with his family.

Photograph of the Clarendon Inn in the 1900s.
The Clarendon Inn in the 1900s.
Click image for larger resolution

The first known reference to the name "The New Inn" is found in Edward Baines's Directory and Gazetteer of 1822, and in a recognisance registered in the same year. Its name was changed to "The Oddfellows Inn" soon after Hebden's "Star of Hope Lodge" of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows was established in 1851, and made the New Inn the centre of its activities. It is marked as such on the 1853 6" survey.

"The Oddfellows" was renamed "The Clarendon" in about 1888, and The Star of Hope Lodge dissolved in 1893.

John Longthorne's copy of 'The Licensing Act 1872' from 1885
John Longthorne's copy of 'The Licensing Act 1872' from 1885.
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The facade of the existing building is obviously of Victorian build, and so must have replaced John Birch's original. The footprint of the building is significantly different between its representations on the 1853 and the 1894 editions of 6" Ordnance Survey, and it is reasonable to conclude that a total rebuild took place between those dates.

Photograph of the Clarendon Inn in the 1900s.
The Oddfellows Inn on the 1853 Ordnance Survey.
Click image for larger resolution
Photograph of the Clarendon Inn in the 1900s.
The Clarendon Inn on the 1894 Ordnance Survey.
Click image for larger resolution

According to B. J. Harker in his guide book "The Buxton of the Yorkshire" published in 1890, "Hebden used to have two inns - the Odd Fellows and the Clarendon. The former, however, has been pulled down, and a much larger and more respectable-looking house built in its place; and the latter, from which the name has been transferred to the new premises, has for the present been closed by the owner of both - Mr. Ralph Bowden." The new name first appears in the 1889 edition of the Craven Almanac, but these are published at the beginning of the year.

All things considered, one can conclude with a fair degree of confidence that the rebuild took place in 1888. John Longthorne was the innkeeper during the transition period.

The following is an incomplete list of the licensees and owners of the New Inn / Odd Fellows / Clarendon over the past 225 years. It also lists some of the significant events associated with it, and the sources of the information.

Key:

  • 1950:  A date by itself indicates that this is the only date we know for that licensee, although he may have held the licence both before that date, and after.
  • ?1950:  A date with a preceding or proceeding question mark indicates that it is part of a range, and it is the earliest / latest date found for that licensee.
  • c.1950:  The 'c' indicates that the date is correct to within a year. These dates are usually derived from the electoral registers or a commercial almanac, where there is a time lapse between registration and publication. It can be used in conjunction with '?' above, as "c.?1950".
Date Tenant Owner Sources Notes
1796-1801 Birch, John Birch, John A 1797 Trust Lords document
Land tax records
John Birch is referred to as an "innkeeper". This is the first reference which can be definitively linked to the New Inn.
1802 - 1809 Whitaker, George Birch, John West Yorkshire Alehouse Licences
Land tax records
1810 - 1813 Whalley, Joshua Birch, John Baptism records and Land tax records
Barmaster records
Joshua Walley is referred to as "Inkeper of Hebden"
Joshia Whalley was the second burial in the churchyard.
1814 - 1814 Whalley, Joshua Birch, Joseph
Land tax records
Change of owner. John Birch died in 1812
1815-?1815 Hardesty, Joseph Birch, Joseph Land tax records Change of tenant
?1815 - ?1822 Brayshaw, Thomas Birch, Joseph Land tax records and Baptism records
Barmaster records
First reference to the 'New Inn' in Edward Baines's Directory.
?1825 - 1829 Brayshaw, Thomas Birch, John Land tax records and newspaper cutting Change of owner. Joseph Birch died in 1824.
1830 Hudson, Robert Birch, John Land tax records
1831 - ?1833 Joy, Thomas Birch, John Baptism records
Land tax records
1841 Birch, John Census
?1846 - ?1849 Lister, Leonard Wall, Thomas Tithe map
?1851 - ?1857 Robinson, John Wall, Thomas Census, Kelly's Almanac, 1856 Mining Lease Named changed from 'New Inn' to 'The Oddfellows' circa 1851.
John Robinson died June 1860
1861 Robinson, Jane Census Succeeded her husband John above
1871 Anderson, Henry Census Father ran The Angel at Hetton
1877 Worden, ? Newspaper report Probably Andrew Worden who ran The Catchall Inn in Linton in 1881
?1881 - c.1882 Anderson, John and George Census, Kelly's Directory and Craven Almanac Brothers of Henry Anderson above
c.1883 - c.1884 Wilson, J. Craven Almanacs and baptism records.
c.1885 - c.1890 Longthorne, John Bowdin, Ralph Craven Almanacs The Oddfellows rebuilt and renamed The Clarendon c. 1888 by Ralph Bowdin.
c.1891 - 1894 Sedgwick, Thomas Census & Craven Almanacs died September 1894
1894 - 1895 Sedgwick, Hannah Craven Almanac Succeeded her husband, but died March 1895
c.1896 Wight, A. Craven Almanac Possibly Andrew Wight, 1829-1907
c.1900 - c.1902 Ibbotson, Benjamin Census & electoral registers
c.1902 - c.1907 Lund, Elizabeth electoral registers
c. 1907 - c.1913 Townson, William H. Census & electoral registers Married Martha Lund, previous joint licensee. Died in WW1 in March 1918.
c.1915 Dinsdale, Matthew electoral registers
c.1918 - c.1926 Love, James Census & electoral registers
c. 1926 - 1931 Simpson, William, snr. Electoral registers Ian Simpson's grandfather. 1867-1931
1931 - c.1938 Simpson, Laura Ann Electoral registers Took over from her husband - died in 1938
c.1938 - c.1945 Gill, Sam Gill, Sam 1939 Register and electoral registers Died in 1945. Memorial in churchyard
?1947 - ?1949 Johnson, Bernard electoral registers
c.1949 - c.1951 Evans, Robert and Winifred May Electoral register
c.1952 - c.1955 Hodgson, Eric C. Electoral register
c.1956 Taylor, Charles S. Electoral register
c.?1958 - c.?1961 Bevington, Dennis E. Electoral register
1960s Breedon, Wynn Local memories
1970s Jones, Jim Local memories
c.1981 - c.1983 Whalley, Pam Local memories
c.1983 - c.1983 Dundass, Rita Dundass, Rita Local memories
c.1983 - 2002 Lakin, Kenneth Lakin, Kenneth
2002 - c.2009 Younger, John and Rachael Longthorne, Kenneth
c.2009 - 2015 Crampton, Hayley and Ashley Longthorne, Kenneth
2016 - Strub, Lionel Longhorne, Kenneth

The Clarendon / Jolly Miners

Some time between 1832 and 1841, a rival to the New Inn was established - the Clarendon. The first hint we have of it is in the 1841 census, when one Thomas Joy lists his profession as a "retailer of beer". The 1849 Land Tax records John Bentley as the owner, and Thomas Joy the tenant of a property which can, with a high degree of probability, be identified as the building adjoining Bridge House, which we know from later evidence was the location of the Clarendon.

It is known that Thomas Joy was the tenant of the New Inn in the very early 1830s, but some time before 1841, the owner, John Birch, took over the licence and moved in with his family. It is possible that Thomas Joy established the Clarendon when he left the New Inn. Thomas Joy was born in 1797, son of Anthony Joy of Rams Close. He married a young Elizabeth Bowden, from Holebottom, in 1820, and worked as a labourer and farmer before taking on the licence at the New Inn. In 1851, he was farming 17 acres in addition to running the Clarendon with the help of his wife and two of their children. Elizabeth died in 1852.

The first time we see the name "Clarendon" in print is in a newspaper advertisement in 1846, which declares that a copy of the document detailing the rent-charges to be paid in lieu of tithes was available for inspection at the "house of Thomas Joy, the Clarendon Inn, in Hebden". The meetings associated with the Enclosures held between 1848 and 1853 were also held in the Clarendon. The origin of the name is unknown.

Thomas Joy was still the licensee in 1857, but by 1861, he had retired, and the tenant was Richard Hawley. Richard was born in Appletreewick, and was a widower. According to the 1861 census, he was also farming seventeen acres in addition to fulfilling his duties as a publican,so he presumably took over Thomas Joy's farming business, as well as the Clarendon. He died in 1867, just 39 years old. About the same time that Richard Hawley took over the lease, Thomas Hurtley, a master butcher in Leeds, acquired the freehold from John Bentley, which he retained until the inn finally closed.

Sketch of the Clarendon Inn in about the 1870s
Sketch of the Clarendon Inn in about the 1870s
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John Daykin probably took over the lease from Richard Hawley - he was certainly there four years later in 1871. For him, it seems to have been a full-time job.

He was succeeded in about 1879 by John William and Elizabeth Rogers, a young couple from Grassington, who renamed it "The Jolly Miners". They probably had high hopes, but it didn't go well. One traveller described their experiences at the establishment thus:

"the lugubrious girl who waited upon us evidently had a keen eye for business, for she charged us sixteen pence for two bottles of ginger ale and a very small loaf of bread with an infinitesimal piece of butter. She must have had a shrewd notion that they wouldn't lose much when they lost our custom and consequently determined to take as much out of us as possible."

The "lugrubious girl" was probably Elizabeth, then aged about 23. This family business didn't last - it closed down in 1881, and Ralph Bowdin bought the freehold of the premises from Hurtley, and converted it into a warehouse for his thriving general stores business. John Rogers died in Grassington in 1940 at the ripe age of 89.

The following is a list of the licensees and owners of the Clarendon / Jolly Miners during its 40 years or so of existence. It also lists some of the significant events associated with it, and the sources of the information.

Key:

  • 1950:  A date by itself indicates that this is the only date we know for that licensee, although he may have held the licence both before that date, and after.
  • ?1950:  A date with a preceding or proceeding question mark indicates that it is pasrt of a range, and it is the earliest / latest date found for that licensee.
  • c.1950:  The 'c' indicates that the date is correct to within a year. These dates are usually derived from the electoral registers or a commercial almanac, where there is a time lapse between registration and publication. It can be used in conjunction with '?' above, as "c.?1950".
Date Tenant Owner Sources Notes
?1846 - ?1857 Joy, Thomas Bentley, Robert Tithe map, 1851 Census, Kelly's 1857 Directory, and 1857 Hebden Manor royalties distribution Thomas Joy (1797-1868) was the tenant at the New Inn in 1831. He had retired by 1861.
1857 Fry, ? Bentley, Robert Burials Susannah Fry, resident of the Clarendon was buried on 11th January 1857. Relevance unknown, but she may been a guest.
?1860 - 1867 Hawley, Richard Hurtley, Thomas 1871 Census, electoral registers, and baptisms Thomas Hurtley first appears as the owner in 1860, although Robert Bentley didn't die until 1861. Richard Hawley died in 1867
1871 Daykin, John Hurtley, Thomas 1871 Census, and electoral registers
?1879 - 1881 Roger, John William Hurtley, Thomas 1881 Census electoral registers, and almanacs. Named changed to Jolly Miners. Closed in 1881