Who sold Beer first in
the village ?
Before the 1900`s there
were very few licensed Public Houses in villages and towns. They were
instead called Beerhouses or Brewhouses.
They could be located in shops and private houses where beer was brewed
and sold. Beer was brewed on the premises stored in barrels and dispensed
by a stone jug.
Beerhouses were so prolific, that it`s very doubtful if they were ever
fully recorded.
(a) Original site of
the Thatchers Arms:
The land on which it stands was known as the "Rumpes".
It can be dated back to 1501 when it was owned by John Intelsham.
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During this time "The
Rumpes" consisted of a cottage and 5 acres of land.
In 1840 it was subsequently owned by Thomas Newman, Miller of
Boxted and his wife Rebecca.
NB:- the map indicates the position
of "Rumpes" and the cottage, however the "Inn"
did not exist at this time.
Before Thomas died in 1851, he sold in 1843 to his son
John Newman for £7.10.00, a plot of land amounting to 15
rods on which he built a pair of semi-detached cottages.
Apparently John Newman built some
of the walls of flint for it has been reported, it`s nearly
impossible to knock in nails for hanging fitments etc. We
can only presume some of the material may have come from the railway.
NB:- The property on the map
known as "Solliers" - this
was the local Workhouse. In 1841 it was closed and sold to Mrs
Mary Newman, wife of our John Newman, the miller.
In 1863 it is recorded that James Deal incorporated a shop
and it was occupied by William Birch (labourer) and Samuel Grimwood
a school teacher. Whether the shop was ever a Beerhouse, is unknown.
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(b) Yocklettes Cottage
In 1857 Yocklettes Cottage was put up for Sale. The catalogue
described it as a "Beerhouse and General Shop with cottage and
5 acres of land situated near the crossing of the Stour Valley Railway"
(c) Records indicate
that in 1601, Mary Wood was licensed to keep a Beerhouse in Mount
Bures. The "Woods" family owned land somewhere in the region
of Peartree Lane.
So there we have it, the
first Beerhouse was in 1601 ! (ref Mt Bures Its Lands and People, page
107)
However, the construction of the railway
in 1848/9 resulted in:-
(a) Purchase of land throughout the Parish, including strips of land
owned by the Newman family (Rumpes) by the Stour Valley Railway Company
(b) The
need for an substantial Beerhouse to accommodate the thirsty workers.
The railway workers along the Mount Bures stretch of line had to walk
into Bures to quench their thirst. It was downhill when heading for
the Beerhouses and a refreshing drink, but the return journey uphill
must have been a bit of a struggle. In any case this distance was a
mere step compared to the miles some men had to walk from home each
morning.
However we know for certain
in 1869, the the building (we now
know as the Thatchers) was sold at auction at the Three Cups Hotel in
Colchester as the "Thatchers Public House" with Charles Eley
as the Licensee. This was the time it obtained its first full licence.
Some of the registered landlords or Licensees (they may not all have
been the owners):-
1869 Charles
Eley (Licensee)
1874/Charles Eley
1877/Jeremiah Pettitts (Licensee)
1881/Henry Bull (Licensee)
1881/Harriet Bull (Wife)
1881/Florence Bull (Daughter)
1881/Ellen Bull (Daughter)
1881/Alfred Smith
1881/Martha Smith
1881/Henry Smith
1882/Henry Bull (Licensee)
Until 1884,
the premises was actually located in the Parish of Bures Hamlet. In
those days, Hamlet owned parcels of land all around Mount Bures including
the site the Thatchers stands on and the field behind. The change came
about on 24th March 1884, when the land was transferred into the parish
of Mount Bures.
At some unknown
date John Newman sold the Beerhouse to Mr Downes.
1886/Henry Bull
1892/
it`s
presence in the village was assured, when Mrs Ann Downes (now widow)
the current owner, conveyed the property over to Greene King, Brewers
of Bury St Edmunds. The conveyance also included the two fields known
as the "Rumps" (5 acres) and "Backhouse" (5 acres)
Commercial brewers like Greene King established in
1887, started to supply properly managed "Inns" and brought
some form of standardisation and hygene to the drinking community.
1893/ Henry Bull (Henry
Bull was landlord form 1881 until 1893)
1893/Sam Adcock (Licensee)
1895/Sam Adcock
1898/Sam Adcock
1899/Sam Adcock
1902/Sam Adcock
1908/Sam Adcock
1909/Charles Newcombe Warner (Licensee)
1917/Harry Jaggs (Licensee)
1925/Harry Jaggs
1926/Cyril Cook (Licensee)
1960/Cyril
Cook died and
the Licensee passed to
his daughter Corrie
(and husband Gerald Lock)
1961 Rumpes cottage was purchased from
Greene King by Ernest Chaplin, back into private ownership.
Ida McMaster
local Historian recorded in 1967:-
An outstanding
festive occasion was arranged by the present landlord and his wife,
Mr and Mrs Gerald Lock. A whole ox was roasted in the traditional manner
on a large mechanical home made spit outdoors and tended by relays of
willing helpers from early morning until the first revelers arrived
in the evening. Dancing was provided in the nearby marquee with a specially
prepared floor with refreshments of all choices. Cars the bugbear of
the twentieth century, stretched each side of the road for an amazing
distance in spite of the fact the "Rumps" field had been hurriedly
baled to provide parking space. Two fatherly policemen eventually arrived
to speed up the parting throng.
1977
Corrie and
Gerald Lock
purchased the Thatchers from Greene King Brewery. Stangely enough the
beer on sale continued to be IPA and GK Abbott.
Around this time the Thatchers was the HQ of the Mount Bures Morris
Men with the level crossing gates as their logo
The Thatchers was very popular
it even had its own helicopter pad for visitors.
A "Major Striker" who worked for a Scottish Distilliary(Queen
Anne Whisky) used the pad when he visited the Lowdon-Shands who owned
"The Hall" adjacent to the Church.
On another occasion a Chris Clark flew by helicopter from London to
visit the pub, returning by taxi.
A restaurant extension was
built and named "Garners Tye" after the field of the same
name to the rear of the pub.(see map above)
"Tye" means green and in the early 1800`s it would have been
used by the community for grazing animals.
1986
Gerald Lock
died
1992 Corrie
Lock retired.
Considering her father Cyril started in 1926, "The Thatchers had
been run by the same family for 66 years.
Everyone in the area knew 'The Thatchers'
and it was a sad day when Corrie decided to retire. At one of her leaving
parties, 18 draymen from Greene King, hired a minibus from Bury St Edmunds
to come and say 'goodbye'.
1992
After
a short closedown period, Terry & Frances
Martin (Licensee) of The Swan at Chappel, re-opened
the pub in time for the 9th April, General Election. They were the ninth
Full Licensees of the Thatchers since 1869.
Various people managed the pub on behalf of Terry
& Frances Martin between 1992 and 2006 (see below)
October 2006:-
Enquiries made with Greene King Brewery Museum at Bury St Edmunds to
see if they held any surviving records on the property. Unfortunately
they disposed of this portfolio many years go (1961) and all the records
were subsequently lost.
November 2006 - Mitch, Tony and
Janet Adams(Licensee)
now the owners of a new leasehold agreement from Terry Martin.
Re-furbished and supported by Adnams
Brewery of Southwold.
137 years after it was first
opened as a Brewhouse, the "Thatchers" is still thriving and
well supported.
Historical data supplied
by- Ida McMaster,Ian Stratford, Corrie Lock & Kelly`s Directory
Researched and written
by Alan Beales.
Updated 01.06.07
