Built in the seventeenth century as a coaching inn, “The Bugle Horn” first opened its 19 Lincoln Road doors in 1692 and is probably the first recorded ‘pub’ in the village, although part of the building may date back to 1654 when it was a “Towne House” standing in the middle of the road. Once it became an inn there were stabling facilities at the rear in what is now part of the car park. From 1696 to 1733 it was known as “Cragge House” after the landlord Thomas Cragge/Craggs and his wife Esther/Hester, occupants between 1697 and 1710. In their book, The Bassingham Story, Bill and Connie Wilson and Helen Ash explain that little is known about Cragge because he left no will. He had married Esther/Hester Hey on 6th May 1694 at Bassingham St Michael and their first child, Elizabeth, was baptised in November. Two further daughters, Hester (1696) and Mary (1698) were baptised in the village but died in infancy. Thomas Cragge himself died and was buried in March 1710/11.
The next tenant/publican that we know of was Richard Harrison who, when he died in 1720, left “Craggs House” to his wife for life, and then his son, William. The son was only 22 years old when he died, leaving the house to his friend Richard Sibsey. The next appearance of “Craggs House” is in the 1739 will of William Sibsey, leaving it to his wife, Mary, who subsequently re-married Samuel Rollinson, victualler, who died in 1767. The property was thus inherited by their niece, Rebeccah Marfleet after marrying William Rawlinson.
The first Alehouse Register in 1784 names Thomas Holsworth as resident publican, replaced by Henry Rogers from 1785 to 1812, and the name “Bugle Horn” first appears in 1825.
In the National Census on the evening of 6th June 1841 John Catton was the listed as the “publican”. He lived there with his wife Alice and their son George who was a bricklayer. Both well into their 60s, John and Alice would not be there much longer as by 1849 the licensee was now Wisbech-born Richard Copeland. He was still there in the 1851 census, aged 39 and with his 53-years-old wife Maria and their daughter Ann (15), daughter-in-law Mary Fieldsend (22) and Sarah Wingate, a 17-years-old servant.
But he had gone by the time of the 1855 Post Office Directory which instead lists Frederick William Cucksey as the publican running “The Bugle Horn“. He was also the owner of some agricultural machinery.
The swift turnover of licensees continued with the 1856 White’s Directoru which records yet another new publican, namely George Harmston who was still there in 1861. At this point he was 54 years old and had been born in Waddington. His wife, Mary A. Harmston was slightly older at 55 and was from Old Basford, Nottingham. Also in the building was Mary Harmston who was not their daughter but their niece; she had been born Willingham, Lincolnshire in 1844 and was employed as a barmaid. The Harmstons were still there in Morris’ Directory of 1863 but by 1868 they had been supplanted.
The next man to have his name over the door was Thomas Spencer who was there by the time of the 1868 Post Office Directory. But he wasn’t around for long because by the time of the 1871 census the new landlord was Alfred Burge, a 28-years-old Londoner along with his Nottingham-born wife Selina (23). They had evidently come from Waddington as their 4-years-old daughter Nellie had been born there. Alfred’s older sister, Emma Moore (30), had come north with him and was working as the barmaid whilst also looking after her 10-years-old daughter Polly, who had been born in Harmston.
It was all change again by the 1876 Kelly’s Directory as a new landlord was named, one John Gibson but I can find no details for him as he is gone by the next census. In 1881 the licensee was John Glover aged 46 from Market Harborough in Leicestershire. He was running the pub with his wife, Ann (45) from Grantham. But even their time at the pub must have been brief because just one year later in White’s Directory of 1882 they had been replaced by William Robert Elliott although, strangely, by 1885 John Glover was back! Glover was here for an extended stay now as he was still present in the 1889 Kelly’s Directory, the 1891 census, and the 1892 edition of Kelly . His final appearance was in the 1896 Kelly’s Directory and by 1900 he had gone.
Kelly’s Directory of 1900 lists Herbert Hill as the new licensee and we learn more details from the 1901 census wherein he was aged 30 and hailed from Woodhall, Lincolnshire whilst his 31-years-old wife, Martha, was from Newark, Notts. Their daughter Gladys had been born in Bassingham in 1900. The family was still at “The Bugle Horn” in the 1905 edition of Kelly and again in 1909. but that was to be Hill’s last appearance because by the 1911 National Census he had given up the trade and become a farmer, albeit still living in the village.
In that same 1911 census we find Fred Neesham recorded as the next “inn keeper”. Aged 32 and from just along the road in North Hykeham he lived with his wife Martha, 32, from North Carlton and Edward Henry Taylor who is oddly simply listed as a “Relative” rather than his actual link to Neesham being revealed as should have been the case. Taylor was a 25-years-old bricklayer from Haddington, Lincs. And here is the entry from that census, written in Fred’s own fair hand (or perhaps Martha’s!)
The above card was produced by CPC (Cotswold Publishing Company Ltd.) An identical example was postally used on 2nd November 1912 and explained the next change of management. The sad message on the back reported that the landlord of the pub “committed suicide this morning”. Neesham was buried in North Hykeham All Saints churchyard on 2nd December 1912.
Kelly’s Directory of 1913 delivers us the name of the new licensee, one John Cartwright, but he is gone by the publication of the 1919 edition, to be replaced in his turn by Arthur Berrisford. I have no access to the 1921 National Census so can confirm no details as to either of these gentlemen, although the 1939 Register lists a John J. Cartwright still in the village, born 30th November 1873 and now working as an “Iron grinder and finisher” – could this be our man? I rather think that it will be, but I could be wrong.
Berrisford himself was not present in the 1926 Kelly’s Directory where he was replaced by Mrs Titchener, who was, as far as I can tell, the first female licensee. And then in the 1930 edition of the Directory we have another new licensee, Mr Frederick G. Walker. There is no 1931 census as it was destroyed by fire during the war, so our next source of information is the 1933 Kelly’s Directory of Lincolnshire which shows that yet another licensee had his name over the door. This time we find Albert Dalton in charge. There were Daltons running “The Black Swan” on Water Lane between 1911 and 1926 for certain, so perhaps this was an offshoot from the family? He’s definitely not the same chap who ran “The Mucky Duck” though, as that was Arthur Harry Dalton. My educated guess is that this is either Arthur’s slightly older brother, or his nephew. In the 1871 census Arthur Harry (aged 4) and elder brother Albert (5) were living in the village with their parents David Dalton (farmer) and his wife Louisa, together with five other siblings; this would make Albert Snr. roughly 67/68 by 1933, which isn’t beyond the realms of possibility for a publican. On the other hand, his son, Albert Jun., might be a better proposition. Born in Welby, Lincolnshire in the December quarter of 1896, he would have been 37-ish by the time of the 1933 directory. Either way, I’m pretty certain that it’s one of those two Alberts!
And, finally, returning once more to the aforementioned 1939 Register we discover that William John Wesbrook [sic – I think that this should be Westbrook, by which name I shall refer to the family hereafter] was now the licensee (although there had probably been a few others in the interim). Born in Bassingham on 2nd May 1909, Westbrook was duly christened at St Michael & All Angels on 27th June 1909 by his parents Henry and Elizabeth Mary Westbrook. (Henry Westbrook had been Master at the Old School between 1907 and 1924). William’s widowed mother (born 11th July 1877) was still living at “The Bugle Horn” with him in October 1939, together with a retired farmer, Charles C. Cheyne Willis, born 23rd January 1863, who seems to have been lodging with them.
And that’s as far as I can go. If you can fill in any gaps since then, please get in touch.
This first postcard was franked 1907 and, in truth, it hasn’t changed that much since then.
The next two photographs are © Historic England and they are dated 1969. There are certainly a few changes since 1907.
And then bang up to date and the changes are very obvious.
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