Public houses as we now know them have been around for centuries, many started life as ale houses or beer shops.
They were popular for travellers and residents alike.
The water at the time may have been cotaminated, the process to brew the beer and wine removed the contamination.
Many pubs and ale houses were run as a side line to other professions, it was not uncommon to find a butcher, baker, or farmer was also an Inn keeper.
Harlow parish:
Taking all the parishes that make up Harlow as we know it today, in 1769 there were 21 inns and taverns listed, these being:
Harlow parish: The Kings Head, The George, (known as the George 1V, Harlow Common) Little George,Great George,Green Dragon, (also known as the Black Bull) Black Lyon, White Hart, Three Horse Shoes, Marquis of Granby, Green Man, White Horse, Crown, Queens Head and Red Lion.
Latton parish: The Sun and Whalebone, and Bush Fair House
Netteswell parish:The Chequers and White Horse
Great Parndon parish:Three Horse Shoes and The Cock
Omitted from this list was the Hare which was probably a Beer Shop at the time. The first mention of the Hare is in the Trade Signs of Essex 1887
By the end of the eighteenth century several taverns ceased trading, these being: The Little George 1722, The Green Dragon 1779, The White Hart 1785, The Bull 1789 and the Black Lyon 1791
In 1802 the White Horse at Netteswell ceased trading, The Hare and Hounds started trading in 1803, it's possible that it's the same pub trading under a different name, the Hare and Hounds ceased trading in 1810.
The Greyhound first appears in the registers in 1810 again it's possible that it is the same pub trading under a different name.
Bush Fair House, served the patrons attending the fair at Latton Common, when the fair ceased in 1879 it must have affected trade and closed.
The White Horse Potter Street was a shop until the middle of the nineteenth century, when in 1859 the Post office is listed as the White Horse, the licensee being Boaz Battell.
Possibly the oldest Inn in Harlow is the Green Man, Mulberry Green, there is a tale that dates it around 1444.
There were several coaching Inns operating in the early 1800's, The Green Man, The Queens Head and The George.
Piggots & Co directory of 1839 lists the Royal mail, Magnet and Telegraph coaches,on route between Norwich and London stopping at the George. The time table for the mail coach c, 1800,: Leaves Norwich 4.30pm, stops at the George at 3.50am, reaching London by 7am.
The George was once the largest pub in Harlow,(sometimes called the Great George). It is noted in deeds as an Inn as far back as 1662. It closed in 1948 and is currently an estate agents, you can still see the George Hotel name on the side of the building in Old Harlow.
The Horn and Horseshoes in the old parish of Harlow, but now outside Harlow's new town boundaries, is mentioned in 1768 though it could have been an ale house from at least 1745. James Baker, a farmer, miller and publican changed it's name from the Three Horse Shoes to the Horn and Horseshoes.
The Crown, was also known as Little George. It was mentioned in deeds 1701, when it was sold nearly a century later it was described as "The Crown, and lately known by the name of Little George."
The Marquis of Granby, started life as the Wheatsheaf, mentioned in deeds of 1722 when a tavern called the Wheatsheaf was granted to Jolly Stone of Harlow. The change of name occurred between 1722 and 1769.
The Queens Head Churchgate Street, it became an Inn between 1715 and 1736.
The Red Lion, Potter Street, mentioned in 1721 in the will of Susannah Lake where Richard Lake became tenant to one seventh of the Red Lion, by 1747 Richard Lake was in possession of the whole of the property. It remained in the Lake family until 1822 when it was sold to a brewery.
The Kings Head, Potter Street in 1740 it was given by Elizabeth Wright to her grandson Joseph Wright. It was demolished in 1957, but the playing field where it stood still bears it's name.
I've worked together with Ian Hunter of the Public Houses Inns and Taverns of Essex web site to try and locate the pubs in the old parishes.
There are five ancient parishes that make up Harlow New Town.
To see a map of the parishes that made up Harlow district in the 1800's click here,
The links below relate to the parish pages at The Inns and Taverns site:
Great Parndon,
Little Parndon,
Netteswell,
Latton
Harlow.
The "Hundreds" of Essex on The Inns and Taverns site This lists all of the parishes and villages as we know them today, togeather with
Although I worked with Ian the auther of Essex Inns and Taverns we did have some disagrement as to the locations of pubs in relation to the old Parishes, I'm sorry if we confuse you.
Over the years pubs have closed, others have changed their names, I hope I have managed to find them all.
Links to Inns and Taverns.
It has been quite difficult as many of the pubs and roads didn't exist, some pubs changed Parishes, i.e. the Sun and Whale Bone was listed under Potter Street parish, then Latton then Harlow and back to Latton.
The Sun and Whale Bone has been demolished on it's site in Hastingwood is Miller & Carter pub, often known by it's former name The Gate Keeper.Inns and Taverns
In it's hey day the Essex Hunt used to meet at The Sun and Whale Bone, the kennels are still standing although now used for boarding kennels next to the new housing estate of New Hall.
Bush House, Latton, Inns and Taverns
Bull and Horseshoes, Latton, Inns and Taverns,Hastingwood,
It had been derelict for many years, it’s now a McDonald’s restaurant, next to the M11 roundabout at junction 7.
Chequers, Netteswell,Commonside Road,Inns and Taverns,
Closed late forties early fifties, relocated next door.
Kings Head, Harlow Inns and Taverns
George Hotel, Harlow Inn and Taverns
Orange Foot Man, Great Parndon, Staple Tye
Demolished, when Staple Tye shopping centre was redeveloped
Willow Beauty, Little Parndon,Hodings Road, next to the cricket pitch,
changed name to Pavilion and back again to Willow Beauty.
Now houses are being built on the cricket pitch where Essex County Cricket Club played, I wonder if there will be another name change?
From the Villages around Harlow:
The Dusty Miller, When the new town called it's pubs after butterflies and Moths the brewery decided to change the name from the Railway Inn to the Dusty Miller after the fishing fly. Prior to the Railway Inn it was known as The Bakers Arms.
Rainbow and Dove,Originally a farmhouse and staging post.
Became a pub when Oliver Cromwell stationed his new model army on the common in 1645.
Foot Note:
I don't know what the population of the area was at the time of the register of 1769 there were 21 pubs, I do know that in 1947 the population was 4,500.
Just think of how many pubs we should have now, in relation to the population with 85,000 people.
The future of pubs in the UK looks bleak, excessive taxes prompted "booze cruses" to France and Belgium to buy beer, wine and spirits, where the tax was much lower.
People were encouraged away from pubs because of this practice.
The smoking ban in pubs meant there was more people outside the pubs than inside, possibly a better laugh outside than in.
Recently along came another wave of taxes supposedly to stop excessive drinking, in reality just another tax rise.
Nowadays people don't have to travel abroad for booze, the supermarkets have discounted beer.
For example; last year I attended a wedding at a local Hotel, the price of a bottle of Budwiser was £3.50p, in the supermarkets the same bottle was around 54p!
You could have a very good argument that it is government policy to close as many community pubs as possible with their excessive taxes, then encourage people to watch TV, making control easier.
The TV soap opera community pubs could be the only ones left.
