The Nags Head Inn Woburn

The former Nag's Head in March 2007

Nag's Head Inn (later White Hart): 21-22 Market Place, Woburn

This inn is known from a succession of copy court rolls and in the register of dues owed to the Vicar of Woburn for premises in the parish. In 1693 John Edmunds and Mary, his wife, surrendered the inn to the use of his will. Copyhold property was property owned by a Manor (in this case the Manor of Woburn Abbotts, of which the Duke of Bedford was Lord) and the effective owners of the individual properties were tenants of the manor. This did not prevent these tenants selling their property or buying other copyhold property. In many ways the system, at this date, operated like a modern leasehold with the Manor being the ground landlord.

The Nag's Head was on a constant 21 year lease, updated as it fell due by means of a fine paid to the Manor and a rent was paid to the manor annually. When a tenant wished to mortgage his property he "conditionally surrendered" it, when he wished to sell he "absolutely surrendered" it. Thus in 1710 John Edmunds conditionally surrendered the Nag's Head to John Ashwell, absolutely surrendering it in 1717. Ashwell did not keep the inn for very long, absolutely surrendering it in 1718 to the man living there (in effect the sub tenant!) this Smith the younger of Eversholt. In 1722 Smith did something rather unusual, he conditionally surrendered the inn to John Wells and John Gregory and absolutely surrendered it on the same day to Jane Edwin also recorded as Edens. In effect Smith mortgaged the property then sold it with the mortgage in place.

Jane Edwin/Edens paid off the mortgage in 1733 and kept the inn until her death some time in or before 1748, having mortgaged it once again in 1742, to a Mary Keene. Her son William Ray (a child from a previous marriage or born out of wedlock) was admitted to the inn in 1748 and immediately absolutely surrendered it to Charles Pyne. The mortgage continued to run until 1762 when Mary Keene transferred it to Elizabeth Clarke, who two years later, bought the inn from Charles Pyne. In 1762 the inn is referred to as "heretofore known as the Nag's Head now the White Hart".

It is still referred to as the White Hart in 1764 but by 1777 when Elizabeth Clarke was readmitted at the start of another 21 year lease it is simply referred to as the messuage in which she dwelt. This shows either that Elizabeth Clarke closed the inn on her purchase of it in 1762 and the 1764 description is out of date (as frequently happens in deeds and manorial documents) or that she closed it sometime after 1764, the former seems more likely. Elizabeth Clarke absolutely surrendered the former inn to Woburn lace buyer Henry Broughton in 1783 who left it to his trustees in his will, giving the instructions to sell it and use the money to fund legacies. Broughton was buried at Woburn on 29 Dec 1796 and his copyhold property, including the former inn, sold at auction in Aug 1798, all his property being bought by the Lord of the Manor, the Duke of Bedford. The former inn is described in the sale poster as:

Lot 3: "genteel well-built house" being 11 Market Place, Woburn comprising: hall; three parlours; kitchen; brewhouse; cellar; barn; stable; six sleeping rooms; "large and pleasant garden well fenced and planted with fine Fruit Trees"; pump in kitchen.

It fetched £375. A study of various maps including that which accompanies Thomas Evans' 1821 survey seems to indicate that 21-22 Market Place is the modern number for this ancient building. At the time of the listing of buildings in Woburn by Department of Environment in the 1960s 21 formed one property and 22-23 another. 21 was noted as being of 16th century date reworked in the early 19th century (perhaps soon after its acquisition by the Duke of Bedford); 22 and 23 were described as two houses, then a single property of 18th century date reworking an earlier 17th century building. In 1927 the two premises were valued under the 1925 Rating Valuation Act.

 Number 21 was described as brick, slate and tile, was owned and occupied by Richard Thomas Boughton, a saddler and harness maker. The premises comprised two shops (14¼ by 15ft and 14¼ by 10ft), a living room (11 by 14½ft), kitchen and larder downstairs, three bedrooms on the first floor and a further two bedrooms and a box room on the second floor. Outside was a barn and wc. the property had mains water, gas and drainage but was, the valuer noted, "poor". Number 22 was owned by the Duke of Bedford and occupied by Frank Tompkins, a corn merchant, by contrast with next door this house was "good". It consisted of a two shops (11 by 15 and 11 by 2(!)ft), a grain store (9¼ by 15ft), living room (10 by 15ft) and kitchen (12¼ by 12¾ft) downstairs with, on the first floor five bedrooms and a store room and reception room (19¼ by 15ft) and on the second floor two attics. Outside were a garage, stable for two mounts and three stores. A note says "Copy page 149") which is the description for Number 21 implying that this property, too had mains gas, water and drainage.

List of Sources Held at Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service:

- P118/3/1: parochial dues: 1709-1796 [1722-1756];
- R6/63/28/2: conditional surrender by John Edmunds to John Ashwell: 1710;
- R6/63/28/3: absolute surrender by John Edmunds to John Ashwell: 1717;
- R6/63/28/4: admission of John Ashwell: 1717;
- R6/63/28/5: absolute surrender by John Ashwell to Thomas Smith: 1718;
- R6/63/28/6: conditional surrender by Thomas Smith to John Wells and John Gregory: 1722;
- R6/63/28/7: absolute surrender by Thomas Smith to Jane Edwin or Edens: 1722;
- R6/63/28/8: admission of John Gregory and John Wells: 1731;
- R6/63/28/9: conditional surrender by John Wells and John Gregory to Jane Edwin or Edens: 1733;
- R6/63/28/10: admission of Jane Edwin or Edens: 1739;
- R6/63/28/11: conditional surrender of Jane Edwin or Edens to Mary Keene: 1742;
- R6/63/28/13: bond from Jane Edwin or Edens to Mary Keene: 1745;
- R6/63/28/16-17: admission of William Ray and absolute surrender to Charles Pyne: 1748;
- R6/63/28/19: surrender by Mary Keene to Elizabeth Clarke: 1762;
- R6/63/28/20: memorandum of satisfaction by Mary Keene: 1762;
- R6/63/28/22: admission of Charles Pyne and immediate absolute surrender to Elizabeth Clarke: 1764;
- R6/63/28/24: admission of Elizabeth Clarke: 1777;
- R6/63/28/25: absolute surrender by Elizabeth Clarke to Henry Broughton: 1783;
- R6/63/28/31: surrender by Henry Broughton to the use of his will: 1792;
- R6/63/28/32: abstract of title of trustees of Henry Broughton including his will of 1794: 1798;
- R6/63/28/33: auction sale particulars - property bought by the Duke of Bedford: 1798;
- R6/63/28/34-39: correspondence regarding purchase: 1798-1799;
- R6/63/28/40: draft absolute surrender by William Wallis and William Wootton to Duke of Bedford: 1799;
- R6/63/28/42: draft absolute surrender by William Wallis to Duke of Bedford: 1799;
- R1/78: Thomas Evans' map accompanying R2/69: 1821;
- R2/69: Detailed survey of Woburn made by Thomas Evans for the Duke of Bedford: 1822

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

C17: John Hick;
1693: John Edmunds;
1714: John Edmunds;
1722: Thomas Smith;
1722-1723: William Ray;
1723-1724: Thomas Cave;
1725: William Ray;
1726-1728: John Burrows;
1728-1732: Henry Causting;
1733: Jane Edwin or Edens;
1733-1734: Freeman;
1735-1737: John Geary;
1738-1740: Richard Merry or Henry Merry;
1745-1746: Joseph Eaton;
1748-1751: Stephen Perrin;
1752-1756: Joseph Harris