Family Innkeepers in Whitby

The family is recorded as owning/landlord/landlady of a number of Inns in Whitby, it must be noted that typically the Inn was a second profession and as such it is important to note that the Licensee may have his partner and family running the establishment.

The other area to note is that the pub names changed, were referred to differently by the locals and one of the other mysteries was the based on the fact that people could not read, and the board often depicted grapes, therefore people called the pub the “Grapes” on ‘abc’ Street.

The next confusion to tidy up is there are two Tin Ghaut’s; therefore a phrase of ‘the Grapes at the top of Tin Ghaut’ has to be examined closely.

Tin Ghaut number one was at the Bridge Street end of Grope Lane, I have written Grope Lane on purpose as it was its real name, based on the closeness of the buildings and the style being similar to those on the Shambles in York, where the house stepped up on and out on the upper floors, such that people could shake hands on the utmost floors across the street. The impact of the building style was it blocked out all the light so you would grope your way along the street.

The first Tin Ghaut was situated beside the now Dolphin Public House, and beside it was the Raffled Anchor. Today a Gap exists where Tin Ghaut and the Raffled Anchor existed and the modern day Dolphin has a bar on that side called the Raffled Anchor.

The second Tin Ghaut was originally called Rudgate then Rippons Ghaut and latterly Tin Ghaut, and is at the opposite end of Grape Lane. It is assumed that the original Tin Ghaut was demolished on extending the Custom House Coffee Shop (The Dolphin) or the Raffled Anchor in the mid 1800’s. In most references the Tin Ghaut referred to is the Rudgate, as the period researched is after the demolition of the original street.

The first Tavern is the GRAPES, and this explains the ramble proceeding.

In 1822 the Landlord was recorded as Mr Usher, it is assumed that this is the RAFFLED ANCHOR, if we jump forward the landlord in 1849 is a Mr Thomas Shimmins, but with the wrong address. I have indicated because of the link with the Ushers and Shimmins and the fact William Shimmins Usher is born in 1820, mother Tamar Usher, and then records of his family at Rigg Mill. The address of the Grapes in 1849 is Cock Mill.

The second Tavern is the BRITTANIA INN, 15 Grape Lane (Top of Tin Ghaut), this been the second Tin Ghaut.

In 1869 until 1872 the Landlord was Thomas Hawksfield, and the Tavern was situated next to what is the Captain Cooks museum and had Tin Ghaut on the other side with Allan’s Tabacconists on the other corner of Tin Ghaut. As the GRAPES was referred to at the top of Tin Ghaut then the BRITTANIA INN could also have been to locals the GRAPES, yet the Landlord in 1849 is a William Sleightholm, so effectively ruling out the connections.

The third Tavern is the EAGLE TAVERN, address 101 Church Street – 105 Church Street – “Near Wesley Chapel Gates”. . The EAGLE TAVERN was originally known as the Alma Inn and the name was change when Robert Consitt became the landlord in 1869.

The above picture is from roughly the site of the third Wesley Chapel on the left, therefore the building part in and part out of picture was the Eagle Tavern. The EAGLE TAVERN was also known as the Spread Eagle Tavern and based on some of the incidents with drink it is apt.  Some of the newspaper articles are transcribed for the Eagle Tavern or Spread Eagle Tavern.

In 1879 the landlord was Thomas Hawksfield, then in 1881 the landlord was Francis Usher, a new landlord Shaftoe P. Richardson took over the licence in 1887. This ties in with the fact that William Usher was born in a Pub, yet it was not the RAFFLED ANCHOR.

In 1891 the premises were sold to John Ditchburn and in 1899, the premises were been used by R.Sherwood (Jet Manufacturer) until they were demolished to make way for the new (third) Wesley Chapel. The date of the Chapel is 1902.

The Fourth Tavern to look at is the OLD BUOY AT THE NORE, 186 Church Street – Cockpit Yard Church Street.

In 1876 the recorded Landlord is Captain J. Hawksfield, with the owner Mr. Linton. Thomas Hawksfield had an older brother, born in 1810, dies in 1883, recorded in the 1881 census as a Carpenter. If this is the same John Hawksfield it has to be assumed that he was a retired sea captain and latterly became a carpenter. The Landlord in 1879 is Charles Barton Mawer, therefore the dates are fine based on census and the date of death.

The fifth Tavern to look at is the LIGHTHOUSE TAVERN, 12 Baxtergate – Atkinsons Yard Baxtergate. The Tavern was also based on an entry the COMMERCIAL INN.

In 1855 the Landlady was a Miriam Usher, and potentially the landlady up to 1899 when the next recorded Landlord was J.W.Plane. The only record of a Miriam Usher is the wife of Henry Usher, son of Tamar Usher and twin brother of William Shimmins Usher. I do have a record in the 1881 census of Miriam Usher residing at 10 McCracklins aged 77.

The final Tavern is the RAFFLED ANCHOR, 24 – 28 Grape Lane. Although a believed connection to this establishment exists it is fair to say based on the documentation that confusion may have been introduced based on Tin Ghaut. At the start I explained the fact there were two Tin Ghaut’s. The RAFFLED ANCHOR, been at the top of the original. On the fact that this had been demolished when the Ushers and Hawksfield descendent lived on Tin Ghaut the pub in question must have been the previously documented BRITANIA INN, which pre dated the fact that Thomas Hawksfield was the Landlord of the EAGLE TAVERN and well before the family moved to Tin Ghaut.

The RAFFLED ANCHOR has a long association with Joseph Jackson Marsay who was born in 1830 and died in 1926 and was the landlord of the RAFFLED ANCHOR between 1885 and 1903, which overlaps with Francis Usher been the landlord of the EAGLE TAVERN. Joseph Jackson Marsay’s daughter Louisa Mary aged 24 hung herself in the pub in 1903.