Kings Head Beerhouse

King's Head Beerhouse: 4 Bull Street, Potton

former King's Head Mar 2007

The first reference to this beerhouse| in Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service is in 1682 when William Woodley, a Potton butcher sold it to John Pedley. The Pedley family also owned the Cock, Kings Arms, Maidenhead (later Queens Head) and White Lion (later Green Man) in the town. It remained with this family until 1760 when it was sold by the executors of George Pedley to Francis Stonebridge, he, in turn selling it to William Fowler, a brewer of St.Neots [Huntingdonshire] in 1781. Fowler's business was bought by another St.Neots brewery firm, that of John Day in 1814. In 1840 the brewery sold off 50 public houses, 4 beer shops and a farm - one of the properties was the Kings Head, then described as containing a bar, parlour, kitchen, cellar, front shop, store room and five bedrooms with a detached slaughter house with lofts over, stabling for 16 horses with lofts over, a yard, a well and a right of cart way "as at present enjoyed". Annotations on the sale particulars reveal it was purchased by a Mr.W.Smith for £714. It was later owned by Royston [Hertfordshire] brewers J & J.E.Phillips. There are no further records relating to the public house in Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service other than entries in the licensing registers which reveal that the house was officially closed in 1904, having been shut up, unused "for some time and was not required".

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

1682: William Woodley;
1696: Amos Walker;
1756-1795: Frances Stonebridge, widow;
1814: Robert Fowler;
1824: William Savage;
1840: John Keeling;
1850-1861: William Rose (also cooper and brewer);
1864-1869: Edmund Dear
1872: Edith Shearman;
1872-1884: George Lunniss;[convicted on 29 Oct 1879 for opening on  Sunday 12 Oct 1879 - fined £1 with 8/6 costs]
1884: Thomas Warrell;
1884-1889: Charles Meacock;
1889: Alfred Few;
1890: Henry John Wills;
1900: Frederick Sambrook;
1901-1902: Rebecca Barringer;
1902-1903: George Pearson
Beerhouse closed before 1903

 References:
- M15/17: sold by William Woodley of Potton, butcher to John Pedley: 1682;
- WG86: Kings Head (recently purchased from William Woodly, late of Potton, butcher) in settlement on marriage of George Pedly, son of John Pedly of Potton, maltster and Helen Smith: 1696;
- WG87: recited mortgage from George Pedly to Matthew Lee: 1698;
- WG87: assignment of mortgage from Matthew Lee to John Pedly: 1701;
- WG88: probate of will of George Pedly devising Kings Head to his son John and Cock, Maidenhead, Kings Arms and White Lion to his son George: 1720;
- WG89: mortgage from John Pedly, maltster (grandson of George Pedly), to George Rugely: 1756;
- WG90-93: conveyed by John and Thomas Rugely (executors of George) and John Pedly to Frances Stonebridge: 1760;
- WG94-95: conveyed by Frances Stonebridge to William Fowler of St.Neots, brewer: 1781;
- LS37: conveyance of licensed premises by St.Neots brewers William Fowler and his sons William and George to trustees: 1800;
- P64/5/1-4: bills from inn: C19;
- WG331-333: reconveyed by mortgagee to trustees of wills of William and George Fowler, then conveyed by trustees of will of William Fowler to John Day of Bedford: 1814;
- WG2526: sale particulars of licensed premises of St.Neots Brewery 1840.