The White Hart Inn and Beerhouse Woburn

Possible site of the White Hart in bedford Street - March 2007

White Hart Inn: Bedford Street, Woburn

Woburn had a number of different establishments called the White Hart at different times. The first White Hart is first mentioned in a survey of the properties owned by the former Woburn Abbey which was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539. At that time it is described as: "Thomas Taylor  - inn there called le White Harte with one garden and close and two tenements with one garden and barn there".

In 1635 two buildings next to the inn were leased by Sir Francis Staunton of Birchmoor to Robert Defrayne of Woburn, barber surgeon. In 1659 Robert Staunton enforced his title to a number of properties in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire including the inn by executing a common recovery, the tenant was then Stephen Smith. Two years later Sir Jonas Moore conducted his survey of the Duke of Bedford's property in Woburn and noted that between the Goat| in Bedford Street and another tenement of the Duke there were seven other tenements, including the White Hart, placing the White Hart in Bedford Street., possibly on the site of the modern 12 or 13.

White Hart Inn: Market Place Woburn [see Nag's Head|]

A White Hart occurs in a register of parochial dues from 1710 to 1764 after which time it is no longer mentioned. A series of manorial court rolls indicate the presence in the mid eighteenth century of another White Hart, in the Corn Market (i.e. the Market Place). This inn had been named the Nag's Head from the late seventeenth century and is noted in 1762 as "heretofore comonly [sic] called or known by the name or sign of the Nags head but now of the Whitehart [sic] indicating that the White Hart in Bedford Street must have closed a few years before 1762 and the Nags Head renamed at that time. In order to avoid confusion the history of this building is dealt with under its longest name - the Nags Head

White Hart Beerhouse: 32 George Street, Woburn

32 George Street (the three storey building) in February 2006

A White Hart is not mentioned again in any documents held by Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service until 1875 when it is clearly a different building. The document is an abstract of title of William Hipwell, the Olney brewer, to the premises, noting that he had owned it in partnership with Charles and John Thomas Coling since 1853 and that the partnership with John Thomas Coling was dissolved in 1860 and that with Charles Coling in 1868. This house was described as being part of two former tenements which had at one time been divided into four, in London Road. The establishment is not noted in Kelly's Directory and this indicates that it was a beerhouse| rather than a public house. The beerhouse was closed in 1917 and was purchased by the Duke of Bedford in 1920. In 1927 a rating survey was undertaken under the 1925 Valuation Act in which the modern No.32 George Street was noted as formerly being the White Hart. It was also noted as being the property of the Duke of Bedford, as being vacant and in bad repair and no further analysis was carried out.

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

- CRT100/32: survey of former properties of newly dissolved Woburn Abbey: 1539;
- X80/213: demised by Sir Francis Staunton to Robert Defrayne: 1635;
- R6/2/4/2 and R6/2/1/47: common recovery by Robert Staunton: 15-19 Mar 1659;
- X1/33/1-3: survey of Duke of Bedford's properties by Jonas Moore: 1661;
- P118/3/1: parochial dues: 1709-1796;
- GA2034: abstract of title of William Hipwell: 1875

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

White Hart, Bedford Street

1539: Thomas Taylor;
Peter Defrayne junior;
John Thompson;
1659: Stephen Smith;
1710-1713: William Weldale junior;
1714-1726: Henry Woolhead;
1727-1728: Widow Woolhead;
Public House closed mid C18

Nags Head/White Hart, Market Place

1761: Joseph Harris;
1764: Mrs.Clark 

White Hart, London Road

1881-1883: George Archer;
1883-1892: John Woods;
1892-1912: Robert Coleman;
1912-1917: Hannah Coleman
Public House closed 1917