Berkshire publicans

The FROUD publicans of Harwell, Northmoor, Childrey, Charney Bassett, Blewbury and Challow

James FROUD [1661] was a nephew of William FROUD [1293] who is on our direct line. In 1844 he was working as a shoemaker from Ivy Cottage in Childrey his wife’s family home. They moved to The Crown where he was a shoemaker and beer retailer in 1871, a shoemaker and publican 1881 and was a bootmaker and barhouse keeper in 1891. James is listed among the landlords of The Crown which opened in 1709 and closed in 1966. Sylvia Lay said that he also had 2 cows and sold milk to the villagers and taught all his sons to make shoes.

James’ eldest son John FROUD [1666] started as a shoemaker but in 1891 was keeping The Sawyer’s Arms in Blewbury when he was a publican and general dealer. A description of Blewbury can be seen at www.blewbury.co.uk  where it is said The Sawyer’s Arms become a pub before 1864 it was demolished a long time ago and replaced with a house. The name was from the saw pit near the pub. It was little more than a Beer House where people stood drinking in the single small room where the beer was sold.

James’ daughter Mary FROUD [1669] married Thomas BOUCHER in 1873. He was described as an Innkeeper and Bootmaker in 1881 and a shoemaker and Publican in 1891 when they are at The Chequers, Charney Bassett. Charney Bassett is a small village with a church standing next to a Manor House suggesting it was an estate village or hamlet and perhaps the pub was named after a feature on the manorial arms

His second son Thomas FROUD [1677] was a shoemaker on the 1871 census then ten years later he was the publican of the Crispin, Brier St Harwell, an appropriately named pub as St Crispin is the patron saint of shoemakers. His son Frederick was with him. He remained as landlord only for three years before returning to farming in Childrey.

The Crispin is still in use and a photographs of the sign and interior can be seen on the web where there is a very short history of the pub during WW2.

The name The Dun Cow was first used for the establishment in 1793, although a beer house on the site . It was owned by a victualler and briefly licensed between 1677-1689 It was a very small house and never offered accommodation. It consisted of two public rooms neither fitted with a bar, the beer was served straight from the barrel which was kept in the kitchen. By 1861 groceries were also sold at the pub. It finally closed in 1990.

Thomas’s wife Ellen FROUD nee SMITH [1702] was the head of her household, an innkeeper’s wife with 4 of their children at the Dun Cow, Northmoor in 1881, it looks as if the family were in the process of moving from this pub to The Crispin. Possibly the Dun Cow was proving too small for their growing family and for Thomas to conduct his shoe making  business from there.

James’ youngest daughter Kate [1675] was a bar maid with her father in 1891.

Arthur Basil FROUD [1730] son of John [1666] married, in 1911. His bride was Nellie POINTER nee GREY who was the landlady of The Hatchet, Childrey. He then became the landlord. The Hatchet is shown in this photograph by Wendy Baldock in 2006

Wendy and Stu who took the photographs of The Dun Cow are both members of Roots Chat

William Henry FROUD [1707] was the son of Thomas and Ellen. After leaving the army he married Fanny SIMS nee VINE, the widowed landlady of  The Leather Bottle, Challow and became the landlord in 1902 but sadly he died in 1908. This pretty thatched inn is still open, a photograph can be seen at http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/2757 photo SU3590. It was twice badly damaged by fire.

We are very grateful to members of Rootschat for their invaluable help with information about the various Inns and would welcome any additional facts.

The IBEX, Chaddleworth

Joseph FROUD [1359] lived in a large farm in Chaddleworth, Berkshire. Revd. Edward Harding wrote of the farm house in his “Short Historical Notes of Chaddleworth” 1861, “Part of this house was pulled down and added to, in 1838 and 1839, and was first opened as an Inn, now The Ibex, on April 22nd 1839."

One of Joseph’s great grand son’s was Thomas MESSENGER [13008]. In 1841 Thomas was a baker in Chaddleworth, there was a bake house attached to the inn so possibly Thomas used yeast to brew beer to sell alongside the bread from the house. We know that the Beer act of 1830 made it possible to use ordinary houses for the sale of beer. Did Thomas converted the house for use as a pub? Several of our publicans considered the pub to be their secondary occupation in the early days so although he listed “Baker” as his occupation in 1841 he was quite likely to have been the innkeeper. The wives were probably the principal Inn keepers. Thomas was definitely listed at the Ibex in 1848 in Kelly’s Directory, on the 1851 census and in the 1854 Post Office Directory.

In 1861 Thomas was a farmer and a Henry LOVELL was at the Inn. Thomas died in 1864. The Inn was sold by auction on May 2nd 1876 on behalf of  Thomas’s estate.

Photograph 1 of the Inn and that of the sign by kind permission of Kevin Poile.

Photograph 2 of the Inn and that of the Auction poster are shown here by kind permission of the present landlord Andy Jones.