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Photographs by Rootschat member M. King Sep 2007
Photographs with grateful thanks to “Sarah” of Rootschat
November 2008
Publican Families in Oxfordshire
The YOUNG family of Butcher Publicans
William YOUNG [4663] was described in 1861 as a victualler and at 87 was living in Kirtlington. From the enumerators district description and the position of the entry in the 1861 census it is clear that William was at The Three Pigeons. The house no longer exists but was outside the village standing between the Oxford Canal and the river Cherwell. There is still a lock called The Pigeons on the canal at the site of the pub. Roger Wickson describes the pub which was kept by his mother during WW2 at the BBC People’s War site
He tells how boatmen could stable their horses while they took refreshmet at the Inn. At that time the house had no gas or electric supply and water was collected from a pump in the kitchen which delivered a pint at each pull .
William was first a butcher he had five sons, one became a stone mason, another a farmer and butcher, and the remaining three all became butchers and publicans.
In 1774 the license is granted to Thomas AYRES for The Dog. So although the house is still known as The Jesus House in the 1779 mortgage it was trading as The Dog during Thomas AYRES’ occupancy. John, Elizabeth and James WATTS all had licences for The Anchor but James’s widow Ann nee Davis had her licence for The Dog which raises the question when did the WATTS family move to The Jesus House and did it ever trade as The Anchor? There is no mention of The Dog in the License recognisance book for 1812 nor of The Anchor after 1814.
Richard YOUNG married Mary WATTS the youngest daughter of James and Ann. Richard kept the pub after Ann’s death in 1847 until his death in 1896. During Richard’s time there the Inn was known as the Dog and shortly as The Dog and Anchor as listed in P.O. Directory 1864 Dog and Anchor R. YOUNG Kidlington which may indicate the previous use of both names. Richard YOUNG had a daughter Fanny who married Abraham Taylor NEWPORT [10026] who was landlord of The Six bells, Kidlington 1891-1908 having taken over from Joseph GILES [1048]. The Dog closed in 1934 and is now a thatched cottage opposite an old school which is now used as a care home.
Richard’s son James YOUNG [10022] kept the Butcher’s Arms, Headington from 1876 until his death in 1903. His wife Sarah Ann nee GOLDING [10027] remained there until her death in 1905. James had moved into the beer house and gave it the name. An inquest was held in the pub ion 3 August 1895 and was reported in the Jacksons Oxford Journal. Photographs can be seen here
William YOUNG [4668] kept The Crown in Abingdon between 1854 and 1881 when Abington was in Berkshire. The Crown is mentioned in 1854, Billings Directory.as follows ”Closed pre 1897. Tenant in 1854 William Young victualler and butcher.” He is also mentioned as Innkeeper at the Crown, Bath Road in J.G. Harrod & Co.'s Royal County Directory of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Northamptonshire.in 1876. The address on the 1871 census is Bury Lane with another pub The Black Swan on the next schedule. It appears that Bury Lane became Bury Road before 1910 when two unnamed public houses are shown on a map in Bury Road. One on the end as Bury Road turns into Bath Road. However this conflicts with the Billings Directory entry which has the Crown closed before 1897. Did it reopen before 1910? William retired sometime between 1876 and 1881 when he was “late Butcher and Publican” living in the Alms Houses in Abingdon and listed as deaf.
Richard YOUNG [4665] had a daughter Ann [9800] who married George Perkin SODEN [10025] the son of James and Elizabeth SODEN of Yarnton. James SODEN [10064] appears in Dutton, Allen & Co’s Directory & Gazetteer of the Counties of Oxon, Bucks.. for 1863 Yarnton Sodden James, Red Lion and Blacksmith. James died in 1864 and Elizabeth is shown as the publican at The Red Lion, Yarnton in the 1871 census .Elizabeth’s daughter Sarah was married to George WAGSTAFF who took the Red Lion over and id listed in Harrod’s Directory for 1876 as Shopkeeper and Vict. Red Lion..The Red Lion from British History on line “The Red Lion, on the Cassington road, was recorded from the 1750s. It comprised a long thatched block, possibly 17th-century, running back from the road, with a smaller, stoneslated building with a three-sided bay fronting the road. It was rebuilt on a new site just to the west in 1957.
Peter SODEN [10797] son of James and Elizabeth was a licensed victualler and blacksmith master employing 1 man in Kidlington on the 1871 census. This was The Black Horse, Banbury Road. The Black Horse dates from at least 1753 and is thought to have developed from three cottages of about 1690. There have been SODEN blacksmiths working in Banbury Road from at least 1780 but as yet we have not connected James to the Kidlington family.
There has been a long family association with this Inn starting with the first Land lady Anstis FAULKNER [10087] found in the Victuallers Recognizance Record Book of 1753-1759. It is not known if her husband Henry had been the publican before his death in 1733. Anstis died in 1759 when the licence passed to John WATTS. John WATTS [10049] was the publican here between 1760 and his death in 1784. His wife Elizabeth [10050], who was the youngest daughter of Henry and Anstis FAULKNER, continued as landlady until her death in 1793 when their son James [10030] took over. James was born in the pub in 1764 and died there in 1814. Some time between his death and the Enclosure Awards 1818 James’s widow Ann moved to The Dog. She probably took the anchor that had stood outside with her as Dog had become The Dog and Anchor in 1891.
John and Elizabeth nee FAULKNER had 10 children while they kept the pub. James WATTS and Ann added 9 brothers and sisters for Thomas, who was born in 1788, while they were the publicans.of The Anchor.
The Anchor was close to the canal and later when the railway was built close by it changed its name to reflect the modern form of transport to The Railway Hotel there was a signal box near the pub in which a Frank Wise was to work many years later. Frank Wise became a well respected Alderman and the pub was renamed in his honour in 1967 so it is now known as The Wise Alderman, or simply as “The Wise”. In the summer of 2009 it was once again renamed this time to The Highwayman.
The Love story
John YOUNG [4658], son of William and Frances nee BAYLISS, and Eliza GILES nee RUSSELL had a daughter in 1858 and named her Frances Elizabeth Young GILES [1042] after his mother but did not marry until his widowed mother died 18 years later! John took over the Bell, Hampton Poyle after the death of Mary GILES[1061].
There had been an Inn on the site in School Road from medieval times. it is described on a web site as “The Old Dog - .. once known as the Dog & Duck and in mediaeval times `The House of Jesus' or `Jesus House' an inn probably run by monks for travellers passing over Kidlington Green. Parts of the present building thought to date from early 16th century.” The name The Dog and Duck only lasted between 1792 an 1802.
Documents at the Oxford Record Office show that The Jesus House was owned by Thomas AYRES in 1766 and 1767, he had inherited it from his father James AYRES. He must have sold it as a later document dated 1771 shows that it belonged to a maltster named Richard BRADFORD. This document gave John WATTS [10049] the option of buying the House with a brew house 2 gardens and a Stable. Although documentary evidence has yet to be found he must have taken the option up. In 1779 his son James WATTS [10030] takes out a mortgage on the house with his brother in law Jonathan ROUSE. In this mortgage it says James was a devisee in John’s will. The will dated 1778 does mention a house with gardens and outbuildings but it is not named. Through out all this Thomas Ayres is granted a license annually between 1756 and 1774 and the Mortgage stated that he resident in the Jesus House.
Photograph taken 24 July 2009 by Rootschat member OzSat gratfully used with Kind permission. This was before the new “Highwayman “ signs had been put in place but after the removal of “The Wise Alderman” signs.
Frances Elizabeth Young GILES married David ELLARD [983] whose cousin Thomas ELLARD [997] kept the Three Horseshoes, Kidlington
Thomas ELLARD and Joseph GILES [1048] of the Six Bells, Kidlington were cousins although David ELLARD and Joseph GILES were not.
Intertwining families
As shown on the family publican chart the FAULKNER,GILES, WATTS, YOUNG and BAYLIS families intertwine.
Mary DUNSBY [975] wife of Thomas GILES of the Bell, Hampton Poyle was related to Thomas DUNSBY [8570] who kept the Bell in Cassington. His son Edward married Mary TAUNT the daughter of Joseph TAUNT [10099] who had owned the Six Bells, Kidlington.
Hannah BAYLIS [1126] was born in Broughton, Oxfordshire and strangely the next pub we have connections with was run by William and Susanna BAYLIS in that village. This William however was born in Banbury and connects to our family through the MOREBY’s on our PRATT line but as yet no connection has been found with Hannah, who is on our MARSHALL line. It is thought that William was the son of Thomas BAYLIS and Nancey nee MOREBY
William BAYLIS [9272] is believed to have been the publican of the Twistledon between 1826 and his death in 1842 when his wife Susanna took over. She was still there in 1851 (she may have remarried in June quarter 1852 the absence of the 1861 census makes it hard to prove).
The Twistledon Arms has over the years also been known as the Saye and Sele Arms the name honouring the residents of the nearby castle. Before William, an Edward MOORBY had been the Innkeeper between 1812 and 1826 again we have as yet not connected him with our MOR(E)BYs. This Edward had a daughter Susanna who married a James BUSBY, who died as a result of an attack on him at the Inn in 1848.
At the murder trial William HARRIS, a carpenter and wheelwright who lived in Tadmarton, was a witness. He said Mrs BAYLIS was the innkeeper at the time of the murder “I was with him on Friday last, the 24th of March; he was at Mrs. Bayliss', the Twistleton Arms”. While trying to recall an event John SKELCHER another witness stated “...I cannot tell how long it is ago; but since the death of William Bayliss, the landlord.”
A full account of the trial can be read at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/OXFORDSHIRE/1998-07/0899925086 .
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