The former Ragged Staff or Queen's Head in March 2007

The Queen's Head Beerhouse: 5-7 High Street, Blunham [earlier called Ragged Staff]

The history of licensed premises in Blunham is complicated by the fact that there have been two separate pubs which both started life as the Ragged Staff and later became the Salutation, the respective histories seem to be as follows:
- the present day Salutation seems to have been a public house| by 1646 under the name of the Ragged Staff. It closed at some point in the 18th century and became a simple cottage, later reopening as a public house called Salutation, changing to the Old Salutation when the other Salutation opened and reverting when the other Salutation closed in the early 19th century;
- the other Ragged Staff seems to have opened at some point after the previous one closed (quite possibly the public house simply moved properties). By 1786 it had been named the Salutation and remained as such until closing at some point before 1846. In 1848 the house was let to a brewer and it is at this point that it presumably reopened as the Queens Head. The public house closed before 1926.

The detailed history of the Queens Head can be seen from the documents below. It seems to have been a beerhouse| rather than a public house. The first mention of it in any document held by Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service is in 1767 when Richard Orlebar (who also held the other Salutation!) sold it to butcher Henry Dennis. Like the other Salutation, this premises was copyhold|.

Henry Dennis mortgaged the premises to Matthias West in 1786 at which point it was described as formerly the Ragged Staff, now the Salutation. Dennis devised the property in his will of 1795, proved in1796, to his wife Ann for her life, then to his son Thomas. Thomas subsequently, in 1798, mortgaged it to Joseph Fossey and, in his will of 1802 (proved in the same year) devised it to his wife, Elizabeth. The beerhouse was still known as the Salutation in 1819 when Elizabeth surrendered it to her son, Henry, who subsequently mortgaged it on a number of occasions.

At some point Henry Dennis must have sold the beerhouse as in 1846 Henry Usher sold it to Joseph Lovell for £345. Lovell sold the inn to Herbert Allbury Dunnage in 1865 and Dunnage sold it to Baldock brewer Oliver Steed in 1885. Steed enfranchised the property (i.e. made it into freehold) in 1887 at which point the premises was known as the Queen Head (perhaps renamed by Steed). Steed died in 1888 and his firm was taken over by William Pickering and known as Morley & Company, later renamed Wilson & Company. This beerhouse was sold to Charles Wells in 1895. The premises was sold, interestingly to a father and son, both called Harry Thomas Dennis  in 1926, by which time it is referred to as being formerly the Queens Head beerhouse.

References

- CRT130/Blunham10/2: photocopied précis of surrender by Richard Orlebar to Henry Dennis, butcher: 1767;
- CRT130/Blunham10/2: photocopied précis of surrender by way of mortgage by Henry Dennis, butcher, of Ragged Staff, now Salutation and land in Blunham to Matthias West: 1786 (redeemed 1798);
- CRT130/Blunham10/2: photocopied précis of will of Henry Dennis devising all copyhold land to his wife Ann, then to son Thomas: 1795, proved 1796;
- CRT130/Blunham10/2: photocopied précis of mortgage by Thomas Dennis to Joseph Fossey: 1798 (redeemed 1817);
- CRT130/Blunham10/2: photocopied précis of will of Thomas Dennis devising all land to his wife Elizabeth: 1802, proved 1802;
- CRT130/Blunham10/2: photocopied précis of admission of Elizabeth Dennis on death of Thomas: 1811;
- CRT130/Blunham10/2: photocopied précis of surrender by Elizabeth Dennis to Henry, her son of Salutation and land: 1819;
- CRT130/Blunham10/2: photocopied précis of surrender by way of mortgage by Henry Dennis to Edward Augustine Worley: 1829 (redeemed 1831);
- CRT130/Blunham10/2: photocopied précis of surrender by way of mortgage by Henry Dennis to Rev.John Rolleston and Rev.Joseph Pratt: 1831;
- CRT130/Blunham10/2: photocopied précis of surrender by way of mortgage by Henry Dennis to Sarah Hedding: 1831;
- CRT130/Blunham10/1: photocopied précis of contract in which Henry Usher agreed to sell a dwellinghouse to Joseph Lovell for £345: 1846;
- CRT130/Blunham10/3: photocopied précis of surrender by John Rolleston and Joseph Pratt to Joseph Lovell: 1847;
- CRT130/Blunham10/6: photocopied précis of surrender by way of mortgage from Joseph Lovell to Joseph Oliver: 1848 (redeemed 1864);
- CRT130/Blunham10/8: photocopied précis of surrender by Joseph Lovell to Herbert Allbury Dunnage: 1865;
- CRT130/Blunham10/10 and 13: photocopied précis of conveyance by Herbery Allbury Dunnage to Oliver Steed of Baldock, brewer: 1885;
- CRT130/Blunham10/12: photocopied précis of enfranchisement of former Ragged Staff, then Salutation afterwards a private house and now called Queens Head: 1887;   
- GK165/4: conveyed, with other properties by widow of Oliver Steed of Baldock to William Pickering of Baldock: 1889;
- CRT130/Blunham10/14: photocopied precis of conveyance for £750 of Queens Head from William Pickering to Charles Wells: 1895;
- CRT130/Blunham10/15: photocopied precis of sale particulars of dwellinghouse, formerly Queens Head beerhouse: 1926;
- CRT130/Blunham10/17: photocopied precis of  conveyance by Mabel Mary Wells, George Hayward Wells, Charles Franklin and Charles Wells Limited to Harry Thomas Dennis senior and junior: 1927;
- CRT130/Blunham10/18: photocopied précis of conveyance by Harry Thomas Dennis to Henry Stanley Green: 1943;
- CRT130/Blunham10/19: photocopied précis of mortgage of 5-7 High Street by Henry Stanley Green to Sandy & District Permanent Mutual Benefit Building Society: 1943;
- CRT130/Blunham10/20: photocopied précis of conveyance by Henry Stanley Green to Peter Maxwell Davis and Rosalie Kathleen, his wife: 1954

List of Licensees: note that this is not a complete list. Italics indicate licensees whose beginning and/or end dates are not known:

1869-1889: James Boness or Bonus;
1891: Robert Beadle;
1891-1893: Elizabeth White;
1893-1894: William John Wright;
1894: James John Kither;
1894: Arthur Jane;
1894-1897: William James Phipper;
1897-1904: William Giggle;
1904-1908: Hannah Giggle;
1908-1914: John Burton;
1914-1920: Herbert Currant
Beerhouse closed before 1926