Parish News; October 2022 - Inns and Alehouses of Sutton Benger

Inns and Alehouses of Sutton Benger

Sutton Benger’s population was about 500 – 550 people in the early 1800s, living in about 100 houses. Like everywhere else, there was no water on tap, so it was much safer to drink beer. Fortunately, there were plenty of pubs.

The Census shows that James Heath was a Publican in 1841, at the unnamed hostelry in what is now called Gate Cottage. Not too far away was David Collins, at the Tylney Long Arms Inn. This had been an Inn since the 1700s, and was named in honour of the Lord of the Manor; it was re-named The Wellesley Arms at the end of the 1840s after Lady Catherine Tylney-Long married into the Wellesley family.

Thomas Ferris was the landlord at The Bell Inn in 1841; however, it would cease to be an inn by 1848, when Thomas seems to have replaced David Collins as the landlord at the re-named Wellesley. The village had benefited from the fact that it was on the ‘main road’ from Bath to Oxford, which is why there was a coaching inn at each end of the High Street. However, there was undoubtedly a reduction in trade following the opening of the GWR railway, extended to Chippenham in 1841.

In fact, there had been at least three Inns at one time. James Heath’s brother, Matthew, was a Tailor; his shop was referred to as ‘the former Cross Keys, no longer an Inn’. This was probably in a building that was demolished around 1880 to make way for 32/34 High Street.

The building that was to become The Vintage, and is now La Flambé, was a grocery in 1841; the proprietor, Richard Hull, advertised as a ‘Grocer, Spirit Merchant and Cheese Factor’. So it was the nineteenth century equivalent of the off-licence and delicatessen. There was also Mary Ann Ellery, who was a ‘Beer retailer’ in 1855, possibly at 41 High Street.

Villagers would have brewed their own beer, and would have got their ingredients from John Franklin, who was a maltster; but he was also certainly brewing beer on the premises as well, and selling it, possibly at 24 High Street (Bell Hatch). There had also been Thomas Riley’s malthouse on the High Street, but it had been destroyed in the Great Fire of 1802.

Finally, there is also one 1788 documentary reference to ‘the White Lion’ – but this was probably an error by a solicitor’s clerk, who meant to write ‘Cross Keys’. He might have been thirsty, and desperate to get to Chippenham’s White Lion (now Sarah Jayne’s Café).

If you want to help in any way, either by researching the parish history or by testing the walking / cycling routes on foot or by cycle, please get in touch at: hello@bengertrails.co.uk