Crown Inn: Entrance between 58 & 59 Cornmarket Street
The original Crown Inn (now demolished)
The Crown Inn used to stand on the site of 59, 60, and 61 Cornmarket Street.
On 7 September 1811 James Clarke announced in Jackson's Oxford Journal that he had established a Cart to travel from the Crown Inn to Northampton on Fridays, and back on Thursdays, and that this Northampton Cart met the Newbury, Salisbury, Wantage, Lambourn, Marlborough, Swindon, and Devizes carriers at the inn every week, and parcels could be booked there and forwarded.
On 11 July 1818 George Allen announced that he had taken over this inn, where he would provide “Liquors and Wines of the best quality, together with good beds and excellent stabling”. See list of other landlords below.
The present Crown pub (shown below)
This pub is at the end of a passageway between 58 and 59 Cornmarket, is the only surviving pub in Cornmarket. It was originally numbered 58A (or 58½), but later settled on the number 59A. It was created from the stables behind the old inn, which explains why it is so far back from the line of the road.
The Crown Inn/pub should not be confused
with the Crown Tavern that until the 1830s
was at 3 Cornmarket on the other side of the road and has connections with Shakespeare
On 20 March 1830 Mr Hester's Office was described as being at the Crown Inn Gateway at Cornmarket
Left: This extract from the 1876 map of Cornmarket Street shows the Crown Inn (marked Inn) and its long yard behind. (The P.H. a short distance to the south marks the Wellington public house at No. 61.)
The Crown at 59A Cornmarket Street listed in directories etc. |
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Date |
The Crown |
Crown Yard |
|
1839–present |
Subject to university wine licences 1757–1775: Simon Kennedy or Kennady 1775: Thomas Morton 1791, 1793: James Lister 1802: William Wakelin moved here 1814: Sarah Wakelin took over from 1818–1825: George Allen 1830: Mr Browning/John Bradley 1832–1845: Barrington Buggins 1846–1848: William Noyes 1850–1867:
William Peter Walker Hebborn 1880: Mrs Betts 1881–1890: Henry Taylor 1895–1905: James Alfred Whiting 1911, 1914: John Taylor 1907: Mrs Ivins 1921–1928: George Gardner) 1930–1954: Benjamin Percy Bolt 1956–1960: Alfred James William Smith 1962 onwards: listed simply as “Crown Inn” |
Richard Sanders |
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Crown Inn, 59A Cornmarket Street in the censuses
1851
William P. W. Hebborn (25), innkeeper, lived here at the Crown Inn with his wife Sarah (27) and their baby Mary (six months). Also living on the premises were an ostler and two female servants.
1861
William P. W. Hebborn (35) was still here with his wife Sarah (38) and their children Mary (1), Fred (9), Harry (8), Frank (3), William (1), and Charles (9 months). They had three servants (two female and one male) and one visitor staying.
1871
Sarah Hebborn (48), now widowed, was herself the innkeeper and lived at the Crown Inn with her children Mary (20), Fred (19), who was a keeper in the stable, Harry (18), who was a fly driver, and Frank (13), William (11), Edwin (9), and Alice (6), who were at school. They had one domestic servant.
1881
Henry Taylor (42), licensed victualler, lived here at the Crown Inn with his wife Maria (40) and daughter (8). They had two boarders (an inn ostler and a college servant) and two visitors (a grocer’s assistant and a general labourer).
1891
George Moore (38), innkeeper, lived here at the Crown Inn with his wife Mary (47). A second household at the inn was headed by Thomas Johnson (42), a waterman: the five young people living with him are described as his sons and daughters, but as they all have different surnames from him and the eldest was aged 26, it seems more likely that they were lodgers.
Charles Townsend (38), a rent collector, lived at Crown Cottage: this is the only census in which it is mentioned. With him was his wife Emily (41), who was a caretaker, and their boarder.
1901
James Whiting (63), licensed victualler, lived here at the Crown Inn with his wife Mary (57), plus a boarder and two servants.
1911
John Taylor (52), licensed victualler, lived in ten rooms at the Crown Inn with his wife Johanna (49) and their niece Kate Tredwell (17), who both assisted in the business. Two servants lived with them (a general servant and an ostler).