Nags Head Public House: Nags Head Lane/Great North Road

The first reference to the Nags Head comes in 1735 when it was simply a cottage and lay on the north of nags Head lane where it met the Great North Road. In 1735 half of it it was assured to Richard Kefford in that year, nephew of Elizabeth, a daughter of William Staplo, deceased, who had purchased it from William Wildman years earlier.

It is first referred to as the Nags Head in 1782 when Richard Kefford mortgaged his share in it, he conveyed that share four years later to another Richard Kefford, of Elstow, for £143. That same year this second William Kefford sold the premises to William Fowler of St.Neots [Huntingdonshire], brewer. Fowler's brewery was sold by the trustees of his will to John Day of Bedford in 1814 and the brewery and its tied houses eventually became Day & Son. The brewery sold of a number of licensed premises in 1840, one of which was the Nags Head. It was purchased by Biggleswade brewers William Hogg and Robert Burton Lindsell, pencil annotation tells us for £540, their firm would later be known as Wells & Company who were bought out by Kent businessman George Winch in 1899 for his son Edward Bluett Winch, the company name changing to Wells & Winch. The Nags Head closed in 1917 and became a private house called The Croft.  It has since been demolished as the phorograph below shows.

site of the former Nag's Head in March 2007

References:

- WG29: deed to lead to the uses of a fine of half the cottage to Richard Kefford: 1735;
- WG32: mortgage of Nags Head: 1782;
- WG34-35: conveyance of  half share by Richard Kefford of Wyboston to Richard Kefford of Elstow: 1786;
- WG37-39: conveyance from Richard Kefford to William Fowler: 1786;
- LS37: conveyance of Fowler's brewery to trustees: 1800;
- WG331-332: conveyance of Fowler's brewery to John Day of Bedford: 1814;
- CLP13: register of alehouse licences: 1822-1828;
- PSB1/1: register of licences: 1829-1834;
- WG2526: sale catalogue of St.neots Brewery premises: 1840;
- HF40/2/22/1-2: conveyed from day to Hogg and Lindsell: 1840;
- GK1/36: three sales catalogues bound together: Wells & Company of Biggleswade 1898; Henlow Brewery 1899; Baldock Brewery Limited 1903;
- PSB9/1: register of licences: c.1903-1932 

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

C18: Robert George;
C18: Henry Coy;
1822-1833: John Neale;
1834-1871: William Neal(e) (gardener);
1877-1890: James P.Wayman (market gardener)
1894-1915: Jane Wayman;
1915-1916: Stanley Harold Franks;
1916-1917: Albert Whitney
Public house closed 25 Dec 1917