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Newton Solney | Homepage > Derbyshire > Newton Solney |
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A small parish and village, Newton Solney is located three miles
north-east of
Burton-on-Trent on the east bank of
the River Trent close to the confluence where it is joined by the
River Dove. These rivers form the boundary with the country of
Staffordshire. The settlement was
in the hundred of
Repton and Gresley,
Repton petty sessional
division, and the
Burton-on-Trent union and county court district. The village was
settled by Saxon times and the church of St.Mary the Virgin, though
much altered through several restorations, was founded in the 12th
century. During the reign of Henry III, the manor was held by Sir
Norman de Solney, under Robert de Ferrers. It was during the reign
of Henry VIII that the manor was acquired by the Leighs, from which
family it descended by marriage with the heiress to Sir Simon Every
during the reign of James I. A trade directory of 1912 describes the church as a
"picturesque building of stone, consisting of chancel, clerestoreyed
nave, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower, with
octagonal spire, containing 3 bells, the first and third cast
respectively in 1615 and 1638, the second being a 15th century bell.
A blocked-up doorway in the north aisle and some fragments of the
original chancel arch are of Norman date. The Early English period
is illustrated by several lancet windows in the same aisle, but the
greater part of the church belongs to the Decorated period,
including the arcades of the nave, the east window and the tower and
spire. During the Perpendicular period, the walls of the nave were
raised and a clerestory constructed, the roof being flattened; there
is a small piscina niche in the south wall of the chancel, and an
octagonal font of the 14th century. Placed in an erect position
against the wall of the south aisle is the mutilated stone effigy of
a knight in armour, probably of the 13th century; another knightly
effigy, headless, and now placed on a substructure or brick, dates
from about 1375; in the chancel is the recumbent alabaster effigy,
in good preservation, of a knight in armour, on an altar tomb of the
same material and dating from the last quarter or the 14th century.
These three monuments are supposed to represent members of the
Solney family who resided here in the 13th and 14th centuries. In
the chancel is a large marble monument to Sir Henry Every in 1709."
The church was restored in the early 1880's and re-opened for divine
service on Easter Monday in April 1882. Directed by the Derby
architect F. J. Robinson, the restoration, which included the
extension of the south aisle, took 18 months to complete. When the
foundations were excavated several monumental slabs were discovered.
These were cleaned, restored and placed in the floor of the tower,
the arch of which was restored as it was an important piece of
Norman architecture. The mansion built at Newton Park has a number of brewery
connections. Designed by Francis Bernasconi, the house was built
around 1800 by the solicitor Abraham Hoskins. Rising to the post of
High Bailiff of
Burton-on-Trent, he had
acquired land at Newton Solney from the Every family in 1795. His
daughter Sarah married Michael Bass, son of William Bass the founder
of the famous brewery in Burton. However, his son Abraham squandered
the Hoskins' family fortune on Bladon Castle, initially built as a
folly close to Newton Park, along with his gambling habit. In 1836
he was forced to sell Newton Park to Lord Chesterfield who rented
the property to William Worthington, another brewing magnate of
Burton-on-Trent. Following his death, Newton Park was acquired
by Richard Ratcliff of Bass, Ratcliff and Gretton - the combined
might behind the brewery giant. Indeed, at one time his business partner John
Gretton became the resident of Bladon Castle. In the early 1860's
this property was occupied by another brewer John Hill, and later,
Francis Holbrook - yes, another brewer. The Ratcliff family
improved and extended Newton Park and it became noted for being one
of the first country mansions to be serviced by electricity. The
estate remained in the Ratcliff family until the death of Peter
Ratcliff in 1955. Following its sale, the property was converted
into a hotel.
Another large house to be occupied by brewers was down by the
church. Edward Salt lived there in the Rock House in 1871. On the
corner
of Church Lane there is an usual property called
Beehive Cottage. Dating from the 19th century, the octagonal
buildings are thought to have once served as the lodge for Rock
House. There are a number of large houses in Newton Solney, a village that
seemingly became a popular 19th century satellite settlement
for those who made their fortunes in neighbouring
Burton-on-Trent. Not that it was all one-way traffic - many villagers found employment across the river working in a number
of the breweries and they may have taken the short cut into Burton
via the ford at the bottom of Trent Lane.
As recently as the Second World War, the river crossing here was
considered strategically important enough to warrant the
construction of a pillbox on the opposite bank in case defence was
necessary during an invasion. |
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Brickmakers'-Arms | |
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The Brickmakers'
Arms stands next to a terrace of cottages that once housed the
labourers who worked in the brickyard and works once located behind the
pub. Only fragments of the old works remains though it is possible to
trace some of the buildings in the grass and earth. In a trade directory of Derbyshire for 1829 it was recorded that the
draining tiles and bricks made at
Newton Solney sold
for 20 shillings per hundred for the former and 4 pennies each to 35
shillings per thousand for the latter. John Hopkins operated the
brickyard in the early 19th century; he supplied
most of the bricks with which many of the houses of the village were
constructed. William Hopkins signed a 27 year lease in 1824 for "two
messuages, a brickyard and a close of land, with liberty to dig for
clay" in the ownership of Sir Henry Every of Egginton. I believe it was through the marriage of his daughter
that the business was later conducted by the Marbrow family. In 1855
John Marbrow was documented as a maltster, farmer and brickmaker.
Following the decline of the brickmaking enterprise, William Hopkin
Marbrow concentrated on the farming side of the family business.
Despite the long tradition of brick-making behind the pub and the
fact that many of the customers probably earned their living in this
industry, the Brickmakers' Arms was actually run by a cordwainer for
much of the mid-19th century. The Brickmakers' Arms was originally a
beer house
and in 1855 Henry Coxon was recorded as a beer retailer and
shoemaker here. In fact the Unicorn Inn, the village's other
surviving pub, was also kept by a cordwainer at this time. Born in
Cauldwell around 1823, Henry Coxon kept the Brickmakers' Arms with
his wife Sarah who hailed from nearby
Repton. Indeed, the couple had earlier lived in Repton whilst
Henry worked as a cordwainer. He had earlier plied his trade at
Sudbury. It was a full house at the Brickmakers' Arms at the
time of the 1861 census. Henry and Sarah had two sons, William and
Thomas, plus daughter Mariam living on the premises. The couple also
took in lodgers; brothers John and Francis Chadwick had rooms here
whilst working as gamekeeper and gardener respectively. As a master
cordwainer, Henry employed two men to assist with his shoemaking
business. Consequently, Francis Woodward and Thomas Chapman both
resided at the pub as part of their remuneration package. By 1874 Henry Coxon was documented as a boot maker, rate
collector and victualler; the pub had seemingly been given a full
licence by this time. Eldest son William had moved to nearby
Burton-on-Trent where he worked as an apprentice for the joiner
and victualler Matthew Roberts, licensee of the
Trafalgar Inn in Waterloo Street. His younger brother Thomas
also moved to Waterloo Street where he established a home with his
wife Annie whilst working as a brewer's clerk. Like the Unicorn Inn, the
Brickmaker's Arms was used for many auctions of property and goods.
The pub was used as a Coroner's Court in 1871 when the local
gamekeeper for Newton Park found the body a girl called Stringer in
the river Trent. She had jumped from the Burton Recreation Ground
into the river on October 31st. She had been seen jumping into the
river but the body was not found for some time. When the inquest was
held at the Brickmakers' Arms the jury returned the verdict that
"the deceased threw herself into the Trent, but no evidence had been
brought to show in what state of mind she was in at the time."
In June 1877 a sale was held for land to the rear of the butcher's
shop in order for new properties to be erected. The butcher's shop
itself was up for grabs too. The freehold was being auctioned with
two dwellings that were occupied by Messrs Brearley and Simmonds.
In April 1878 the
Derby Mercury reported that, during the Repton Petty Sessions,
publican Henry Coxon had been appointed an overseer of the poor for the parish of
Newton Solney. Having enjoyed a
successful career at the Brickmakers' Arms and as a master
shoemaker, he died in 1880. Thomas Coxon took over at the
Brickmaker's Arms for a short spell. The difficult task of
succeeding the Coxon family went to
Charles Soar, who was granted the licence in the Spring of 1881. He
also traded as a baker - hardly a surprise
really as his parents had combined brewing, baking and serving ale
at
Ticknall for generations. Charles Soar was himself born in
Ticknall in 1855 and he kept the Brickmakers' Arms with his wife
Elizabeth who hailed from Bretby. The couple later moved back to
Ticknall where, living next door to his mother's pub, he
continued to work as a baker before working on a farm as a herdsman. The Brickmakers' Arms
became embroiled in a local scandal in April 1884. When questioned
by the police, Charles Soar reported that he served Sidney Rees, a
local labourer, who was acting very freely with his money, standing
other people drinks and consuming eight or nine best pints of ale
himself. When he flaunted a five pound note, he claimed that it was
a gift from his mother. It later transpired that he had robbed the
Reverend William Furneaux, headmaster of Repton School. After
forcing entry into Repton Hall through a window, he had used a hot
poker to break into a cash box containing £53.10s.0d. which he later
buried in the garden of his parent's home. Rees became the main
suspect following an ostentatious spending spree, including
travelling with his father from
Derby to
Willington in a first class
carriage. Police constable Cholerton, the Repton bobby, searched the
Rees household where he found sufficient evidence to place the
labourer in the lock-up. On returning to the house he discovered the
booty in a handkerchief underneath a gooseberry bush in the garden.
Both Sidney Rees and his father John were committed for trial at the
Assizes.
By 1889, the Brickmaker's Arms had become a tied house of the
Burton Brewery Company.
Repton-born George Wright was the licensee in the early 1890's. The former brewer's clerk had earlier
lived in
Repton with his wife Elizabeth. He returned to this line of work
when the couple later moved to a property in Horninglow Road at
Burton-on-Trent. Licensee George Meakin may have been the
publican who served John Taylor with three or four pints of ale in
1896. The customer was later summoned for being drunk and disorderly
in Newton Solney. When he faced the magistrates he told them that
"he was not in the habit of having much drink, but he had three or
four pints which seemed to take hold of him." Mr Gascoyne, the
magistrate, remarked "I should think three or four pints would knock
anyone over. I know it would me" to which the courtroom burst into
laughter. When the proceedings had settled down, John Taylor was
fined two shillings and six pence. Mr Gascoyne told him: "Don't come
here again or it will be more next time" to which Taylor replied
"I'll watch that I don't come here again." |
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Plough Inn | |
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Luke Gaskin was the licensee of this
beer house
in the late 1860's and early 1870's. Born in
Willington around 1824, he kept the pub with his wife Harriet, a
local woman. The daughter of John and Mary Adams, she was probably
running the place during daylight hours as Luke Gaskin also worked
as a bricklayer. The couple had earlier lived in Smedley's Lane, a
road leading from the Unicorn Inn down the the River Trent. In October 1880 Luke Gaskin was brought before
the magistrates at the Repton Petty Sessions, during which he was
charged with keeping the Plough Inn open during prohibited hours on
a Sunday. The Derby Mercury reported that "from the evidence of
William Towle, who lodged in the house, it appeared that about ten
o'clock in the morning, on the day in question, a man named Taylor
was supplied with a pint of ale; another was also taken into the
cellar." Luke Gaskin was fined 40 shillings and cost so one assumes
that William Towle was no longer welcome at the Plough Inn. The man
named Taylor was indeed Thomas Taylor, a labourer of Newton Solney.
He was also charged by the police and was fined. Whether this incident acted as a catalyst is
not known but in the following month the licence of the Plough Inn
was transferred from Luke Gaskin to John Langford. The new publican
wasted little time in getting into the magistrate's bad books. In
March 1881 he was "charged with keeping his house open for the sale
of intoxicating liquors" on Sunday March 6th. Like his predecessor,
he was fined 40 shillings and costs. And similarly, the customer
William Adams was fined for consuming the ale. In his case he had to
pay five shillings and costs for the pint of beer. Serving ale
during divine service was one of the rules that was strictly
enforced during Victorian times and the village policeman was always
vigilant in ensuring that the taverns were orderly houses. A
publican found running a disorderly or boisterous house was almost
certainly guaranteed to find themselves hauled before the bench.
Consequently, John Langford was obliged to attend the Repton Petty
Sessions in July of the same year, this time on a charge of
"permitting drunkenness to take place on his premises." Appearing
before the bench twice in the same year resulted in his licence
being endorsed - a serious matter when it came to the renewal during
the Brewster's Sessions. In the census conducted in the same year John
Langford was recorded as a gardener and publican. Born in Hopesay,
Shropshire
around 1837, he kept the Plough Inn with his
Herefordshire-born
wife Elizabeth. The record compiled by the census enumerator suggest
that the Plough Inn was located on the other side of Smedley's Lane
next to the Blacksmith's forge. It would appear that Luke Gaskin's
troubles weren't over after leaving the pub trade. In 1882 he and
Charles Shepherd were summoned for stealing twelve pounds of lead,
the property of John Greenwood, their employer at Newtown Solney.
The case of Luke Gaskin was deemed to be more serious and,
consequently, he was jailed for a month. Charles Shepherd didn't get
off lightly - he was sentenced to 21 days' hard labour. Shepherd was
clearly no angel; he had earlier faced the local magistrate's on a
charge of being drunk and riotous in the village. |
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Shoulder-of-Mutton Inn | |
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This sale notice for the Shoulder of Mutton was published in
1837 and details the property, thus affording a glimpse of
what the pub was like - with the a liberal use of the
imagination of course. The property was being sold by the
Trustees named in the Will of the late William Eyre and the
auction was held at the
Boot Inn at
Repton. In addition to the Shoulder of
Mutton, eight 'recently erected' houses were also being sold
on the same date, along with adjoining land. The Shoulder of
Mutton, whose tenant was Samuel Bull, was described as a
house fronting the road to Repton with oven and bakehouse,
along with an attached shoemaker's shop. The adjoining land
measured some four acres and was planted with choice fruit
trees - perhaps the source of the pub's cider. However, the
advertisement stressed the valuable nature of the subsoil
containing clay and stone and indicated that it was a "very
short distance from the well-known and long-established
Newton Brick Yard. So, we know from this that the Shoulder
of Mutton was trading by 1837 and that it was probably owned
by William Eyre before his death. However, an 1829 trade
directory for Newtown Solney records William Eyre as a
shoemaker and shopkeeper. Perhaps a
beer house
was obtained for the shop premises, though the name suggests
that meat was sold from the premises. Samuel Bull was later
recorded as a shoemaker rather than publican and cordwainer
so his stay may have been brief. The census conducted in
1841 records William Shepherd as publican. A sale notice
published in September 1845 suggests that the Shoulder of
Mutton was a
homebrew house. The sale followed the death of William
Shepherd and included all the household furniture and
equipment used at the pub, including brewing vessels,
coppers and iron-bound casks. The auction was held at the
Shoulder of Mutton and lots offered included glass, linen,
beds, a quantity of cheese, cheese-press, farming
implements, a rick of hay, two stirks, sow and pigs, manure
and various other effects. |
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Unicorn-Inn | |
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The
Unicorn Inn is a pub of some antiquity though the building was
remodelled around the turn of the 20th century. It would appear that
this was the period in which the stable block was erected to the
rear of the building. These are next to a dwelling named Rose Cottage, a building
that may have some connection to the pub. The photograph here shows
the pub not long after the work was completed at the pub on the
corner of Blacksmith's Lane. Everything looks very new though,
judging by the brickwork on the main building itself, the shell of
an older pub maybe lurking in there somewhere. There is a fine sign for
the Unicorn to attract passing trade.
The word Unicorn incidentally was also
used for a Scottish gold coin in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries but the use of the word for a pub is generally regarded to
be a heraldic reference.
Across the other side of Blacksmith's Lane is the Old Forge where, in the late Victorian era
Arthur Leedham, the village blacksmith, toiled over his anvil
offering services to locals and travellers passing through Newton
Solney. The road in front of the forge that also leads down to the
river was once called Smedley's Lane, named after the farmer who
once lived close to the Trent. The Eaton family were running the
Unicorn Inn during the early years of the 18th century. Licensed
victualler William Eaton died here in 1806 so it is clear that a pub
has been on this site for more than 200 years. The executor of his
will was his wife Elizabeth, the beneficiaries were his five
daughters: Frances, Elizabeth, Martha and Jane all received £50.
Sarah who had married received £30. The Unicorn Inn was
recorded in Pigot's trade directory published in 1821 when William
Eaton, a descendent, was the licensee. The census of 1841 suggests
that he also worked as a farmer. He kept the pub with his wife
Maria. He later handed over the running of the Unicorn Inn to
William Smithard in order that he could concentrate on his business
as a cattle dealer. William Eaton was killed in
a tragic accident on May 12th 1836. He had returned from Burton
cattle fair and it was reported that he "was in the act of turning
to descend from a ladder, which he had imprudently mounted." The
farmer lost his balance and fells backwards on his head which
dislocated his neck and killed him instantly. A Coroner's jury
returned a verdict of accidental death. The pub had been the scene
of a Coroner's Court in the previous year following the death of
William Hunt. He was employed by Mr Doxey of Hilton and, in July
1835, was returning home from Swadlincote with a waggon load of
coals along with a work colleague named Hickling. On descending the
hill between Bretby and Newtown Solney, Hickling proposed locking
the wheel but William Hunt opposed this action. He told Hickling to
"take care of the fore-horse and I will attend to the shafter."
However, midway down the hill Hickling looked back and saw William
Hunt, who had hold of the chains, dragging along the ground under
the waggon shafts. Hickling told the court that he "ran to his
assistance and endeavoured to draw him from under the waggon." He
added that "his efforts were unsuccessful, and both wheels passed
over the unfortunate man's body, killing him on the spot." The jury
returned a verdict of accidental death. Hailing from
Repton, William Smithard, who had succeeded William Eaton as
licensee, also traded as a
cordwainer. Whilst he was making shoes, the pub was being run by his
wife Maria who hailed from Linton. William had earlier worked as an
ostler at the
Mitre Inn at
Repton. Following their spell at the Unicorn Inn,
William and his family moved to a house in Horninglow Street at
Burton-on-Trent where he found work as a brewery labourer. On a
bitterly cold day in January 1881 a terrible misfortune was
witnessed inside the Unicorn Inn. Thomas Orme, a newspaper seller
from Derby who was working in the locality, stumbled into a ditch
that was covered in a snow drift. Unable to escape from his
predicament, he was not discovered until the following morning, by
which time he was suffering from exposure. Alerted by a young lad
called Allen Adams, a group of local farm workers hauled the
stricken man out of the ditch and carried him to the Unicorn Inn.
Sadly, despite the attention of a local doctor and before his wife
could reach him, Thomas Orme died in the pub. The Pearsall family
were running the
Unicorn Inn at this time. They would remain in charge
of the pub for the rest of the 19th century.
Birmingham-born
James Pearsall had earlier worked as an engineer when living in
Litchurch with his wife Elizabeth who hailed from
Duffield.
He was hauled before the magistrates in 1883 when serving beer to a
group of labourers from Winshill during prohibited hours on Sunday.
Bizarrely, the publican's case was dismissed but George Greaves,
James Whieldon and Herbert Mercer, the men who had enjoyed their
ale, were each fined ten shillings and costs. Another customer that
ended up paying more for his ale was Amos Adams, a local labourer
who, in 1890, was summoned for being drunk on the premises.
Elizabeth Pearsall took over the licence of the Unicorn Inn following her husband's death.
The couple's
son, Arthur, would eventually become the publican in charge of the
Unicorn Inn. He kept the place with his Lincolnshire-born wife Livina.
The couple had two sons living above the pub in 1901. They also
employed their niece Beatrice as a domestic servant. Also in service
at the Unicorn Inn was Isaac Tomlinson, though this was in the
fields as Arthur Pearsall was recorded as both victualler and farmer. This is
conjecture on my part but I would think that Arthur Pearsall is
pictured outside the pub here and that those are his two young sons
along with their grandmother. |
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“Whoever serves beer or wine watered down, he
himself deserves in them to drown.”
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History and Information on the Public Houses of Derbyshire with Licensees and Newspaper Articles PLUS Genealogy Connections |
