THE RED LION, MIDDLE STREET, THRIPLOW
The first mention of this building as a public house appears in the Post Office
Directory of Cambridgeshire for 1847, which lists a John Sheldrick as being a
beer retailer . Again he is mentioned in 1851 in the History Gazetter of
Cambridgeshire as a beer retailer. In the same year the Census tells us that he
is the publican of the Red Lion and is 62 years old , with details of his wife,
Elizabeth who is 63 years old . In the house with them is godson Edward Travis
although his age is not mentioned .
The next time I find the Red Lion mentioned is in the Cambridge Chronicle on May
21st of 1853, which quotes the following:-
INQUEST An Inquest was held at the Red Lion Inn, Thriplow, on Thursday last,
before Mr J E Marshall. on the body of Alice the infant child of Mary Ann
Hayden. The deceased had been suffering from an affliction of the chest and
difficulty of the respiration, from the effects of which it expired on Wednesday
last . Verdict, died from natural causes, [aged 6 months] C.I.P.
In Kelly’s directory of 1858, Mrs Elizabeth Sheldrick is listed as being the
beer retailer. The next time I find Elizabeth Sheldrick’s name is in the 1861
Census which quotes her as the head of the household and is the publican, but is
a now a widow and is 73 years old.
Again her name is found in the Cassey’s directory of 1864 as being a beer
retailer with the last entry of her status being quoted in the Kelly’s directory
of 1867. This puts Elizabeth Sheldrick’s age at about 79 years old.
There is now a break of 9 years in which few beer retailers are quoted in the
Kelly’s directories of 1869 and 1873 and of these individuals none can be linked
to the Red Lion public house as there is no mention of the Red Lion in the 1871
Census.
In 1876 and 1879 the publican appears to be a person called William Smith who is
listed as being a beer retailer. The Red Lion is next mentioned in the same year
of 1879 in the Cambridge Chronicles and the Herts & Cambs Reporter quoted on the
same subject . The following quote was taken from the latter newspaper:-
INQUEST ‘Last Tuesday, C. W. Palmer, Esq , deputy county coroner, held an
inquest at the Red Lion public house, on the body of George Edmund infant son of
Richard Fuller , corprolite digger, who was suffocated whilst in bed with it’s
mother. The jury found that the death had been caused accidentally.’ (See
‘Researching the Registers’ Thriplow Journal Vol.1/3 1993)
The next landlord is a Benjamin Juniper. He is mentioned as being an occupation
voter in the Red Lion public house from the Harston polling district,(Parish of
Thriplow) records of 1885. By 1888 Benjamin Juniper is listed in the Kelly’s
Directory as a Blacksmith/Beer retailer. Back in 1879 Benjamin is quoted in the
Herts & Cambs Reporter under the Melbourn petty sessions as being appointed
constable for Thriplow, and again in the H & C Reporter of 1883 where he is
still a constable. In the 1891 Census he is quoted as still being a Blacksmith
of 40 years old, but his wife Caroline is now quoted as Landlady of the Red
Lion. He did have a large family which consisted of: William (son) 14 years,
George (son) 12 years, Sarah (dau) 10 years, Gurtie (dau) 5 years, Rebecca (dau)
3 years, and last Benjamin (son) of 8 months. The last entry I found for
Benjamin senior was in the Kelly’s Directory of 1892 still listed as a beer
retailer.
Alfred Purkiss is then listed in the Directories of 1896 and 1900 as being a
beer retailer. From the Arrington/Melbourn Petty Sessional Division records of
1903 under licensed houses, I can confirm that he is the Publican of the Red
Lion. The document I found in the Records Office states that it is a tied
beerhouse, the rateable value which was £13, the property had 5 bedrooms, 2
public rooms, 1 stable, 1 front entrance. 1 rear entrance and toilet. It also
tells us that it was mainly used by labourers. Various Brewers owned the pub the
first being J.Simpson who leased the property from J.I.Ellis in 1872, it was
later sold to Lacon & Company Brewery of Yarmouth, and then to Wells and Winch
of Biggleswade.
Alfred Purkiss is again mentioned in various Kelly’s Directories from 1904 to
1929, as being a beer retailer. In the 1933 Kelly’s Directory Mrs. Clara Anne
Purkiss is quoted as being a beer retailer .This is the last time I find the
name Purkiss mentioned in respect of the Red Lion. In the 1937 Kelly’s Directory
is the last mention of Mr. Christopher Smith as publican of the Red Lion. From
now on I can only find Christopher Smith’s name mentioned in the 1948 Civilian
Residence Register of the parish of Thriplow in which it quotes the address of
the Red Lion of Middle Street. The Records Office provided me with a letter
reporting from the Arrington/Melbourn Petty Sessional Division for licensed
houses which states the Brewery of Wells & Winch Limited of Biggleswade, Beds
will cease trading from these premises on the 10th of Jan 1956.
FOOTNOTE
As the photo shows the Red Lion was a lovely 17th century building. Geoffrey
Vinter’s papers note “This, as a public house, was an innovation of nearly a
hundred years ago. As a private house it dates back centuries. We mention it for
the very interesting carving. When we remember the years upon years that this
artistic piece of work has been exposed to the alternate buffeting of sun and
rain, it is indeed remarkable that it still remains. In fact the house can be
traced back to 1730 when Ambrose Benning, Lord of the Manor of Thriplow, in his
will, bequeathed it to his grand daughter Susan Cooper as part of an estate
which included Sawcers (The Murch’s), Savages (the School), Thoroughfare Close
(now Eunice Twiss) and a house (now No 5 Middle Street). It descended through
marriage to Elizabeth Clements widow who around 1811 remarried to Benjamin
Prime. He died in 1822 and in 1830 she sold the estate to Joseph Ellis..
Mr Vinter continues – “It has since burnt down. A load of straw was placed at
the side of the house for thatching. It was said that the children of the
innkeeper lighted it. As the roof was wired it was impossible to pull it off,
and the place was gutted c1941. It was opposite the Post Office, the jetty was
carved and hung over the road”.
Cuth Wenham recalls trying with other men to put the fire out with stirrup pumps
before the fire brigades came from Whittlesford and Cambridge. His partner
Herbert Parker offered a chicken shed that he had bought from St Dunstan’s
Poultry Farm, Kings Langley in 1938 as a temporary replacement on the condition
that it was returned when it was finished with! This shed had been offered him
when he bought a much larger one, and it had been dismantled in sections by Cuth
Wenham, Hodge Sheldrick, Arthur Flack, Frank Neeves and Harry Skillings and
brought back to Thriplow and was still piled up in its sections when the Red
Lion burnt down. In 1955 Wells and Winch obtained a demolition order for the
remains of the Red Lion and in 1958 sold the building to Thriplow Parish Council
for £250 for use as a Village Hall.
Geoff Axe
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