Stapletons - Brewers of Market Deeping

Sibling rivalry, squabbles, bankruptcy and enormous wealth all could be found vested in one family in 19th-century Deeping.

It had begun in 1804 when Valentine Stapleton from Holborn married Sarah Ann Harvey, daughter of local surgeon, James Harvey in Market Deeping. They were 34 and 39 respectively. Living at 72 Church Street, Valentine set up business as a wine and spirit merchant with a shop adjoining the house. The couple had two sons, Valentine (b.1806) and Harvey (b.1807).

Valentine Senior died at the age of 54 leaving his sons aged 17 and 16. He left his residence and business to his wife and directed that, after payment of household and business expenses, profits should be applied to reduce the mortgage. He left his freehold estates in Linchfield and Frampton to his older son and his freehold estate in Towngate to Harvey. Sarah and Harvey were to continue the family business but half of the value of the inventory and the book debts should be paid to brother Valentine.

Valentine Jnr farmed the estates in Deeping St James and Frampton, in 1832 marrying Mary Ann Thimbleby, from a well-established family in East Kirby, near Boston. The couple settled at Towngate Farm and had their first six children here. On the death of his mother in 1849 Valentine received half the value of the family business from his brother Harvey. Two years later he moved his family to Skirbeck, Boston, and Valentine was recorded as a farmer (at present out of business). The couple had two more children there, both of whom died in infancy, sold their interest in the two farms and moved to London prior to emigration. They embarked on the ship Walmer Castle in 1853. On arrival In Australia, Valentine purchased a farm at Macquarie Fields near Sydney, and died after a stroke ten years later.

Meanwhile Sarah ran the White Horse Inn and in 1836 announced in the Stamford Mercury that she had started a brewing business from the premises.

‘Private families and others not having the opportunity of brewing their own beer may rely on being supplied with the genuine article at a moderate price. Those who prefer sending their own barrels will have them returned carriage paid – Best London Porter, Stout and Double Stout by the dozen, a kilderkin (half a barrel holding 18 gallons of beer) or a barrel.’

In December of the same year Sarah handed the business over to her son Harvey. In turn Harvey advertised the inn, which had originally belonged to his grandfather, James Harvey, to let – ‘A pubic house to which is attached a very commodious brew house, cellar, excellent stabling with a large yard, garden and two closes of pasture land adjoining – the premises from their central location and contiguity of the road leading from Lincoln to London command a considerable share of business at the usual cattle meetings and also during the Lincoln and Horncastle Horse Fairs.’

In October 1837 Harvey married Ann Cussons at Beverley Manor, Yorkshire, and set up home in the house that his mother had remodelled at 70 Church St, Market Deeping. He and Ann had two children in quick succession, Valentine (b.1839) and Sarah (b.1840). His mother lived in the house next door until her death in 1849 aged 85. Harvey prospered as a wine and spirit merchant, and a brewer. The couple added another two children to their brood and in 1851 were employing two servants while their eldest son was educated at Wick Hall in Hackney.

Harvey was in Court in Bourne in 1851 for having articles prohibited by the excise laws and was given a fine of 50 guineas, and in 1857 was in Court trying to get payment from farmers who he supplied with beer for the 1856 harvest. The Court ruled that they must pay him four shillings a month if they wished to be supplied for the harvest in the current year. In 1859 he let out another of his public houses, The Plough and a private house near Market Deeping bridge. In 1859 it was reported that a ‘very severe tempest’ hit the area with a thunderstorm followed by a very heavy hailstorm, with pieces of ice measuring five to six inches. Harvey had 80 panes of glass in his house demolished.

In 1861 Harvey employed three men, a clerk and two house servants. While his three daughters lived at home, his eldest son, now 22, was in Leeds articled to become a lawyer. The three younger sons, Harvey (16), George (13) Thomas (12) lived at their uncle Thomas Cussons’ home in Beverley. Thomas was a Master Tanner employing 33 men and 5 boys. A decade later the eldest son, Valentine, had become a solicitor and lived in Stamford with his wife Sarah and two children. Second son Harvey was also married and a Peterborough corn merchant, and the two younger sons, George and Thomas, lived at the family home and worked in the brewery. Daughter Mary (28) also lived at home where there were two servants. In 1874, Harvey took William Green to Court as he owed him £1.11s.6d – the price of a barrel of beer. As the defendant did not appear the court found in favour of Harvey Stapleton.

When George married Louisa Bland of Obthorpe in October 1876, The White Horse Inn was the location of a celebratory dinner hosted by Ann Stapleton for 40 employees and friends. The Chairman, Mr Buzzard, hailed George as a highly regarded citizen. Musical entertainment commenced and at the end of the evening George thanked all who had contributed to the silver tankard he had been presented with by Mr Mottram, which was beautifully inscribed and supplied by Mr Ryan of Stamford.

Harvey Stapleton died on 1 June 1880. As well as the Church Street Brewery he owned The Glazier Arms at Corby Glen, The Railway Tavern, Austerby, Bourne, The Walnut Tree, The Wagon & Horses, Langtoft, The Wheel, The Black Swan, The Black Horse, The White Horse and The Plough, Market Deeping, while retaining an interest in The Railway Tavern, Station Road, Deeping St James. The funeral was befitting of ‘one of the old standards and a merchant of long experience who took a lively and active interest in everything that tended to benefit the town.’ Local shops were partially closed out of respect and their blinds were lowered during the solemn ceremony which was impressively performed by Harvey’s son-in-law, Revd. P. E Curtis of Hemingford Grey. The remains were interred in the new burial ground at St Guthlac’s Church and the coffin was followed by his widow, four sons, three daughters and numerous friends and neighbours.

Harvey left the bulk of his estate in trust for his wife Ann, appointing Ann and son Valentine as executors. At this point there was a dispute between Valentine and George, who had assumed that as he had been living next to the brewery at number 70 and running the business that he would eventually own it. He would have felt that this had been given some endorsement with his mother Ann living in the brewery premises with his sisters Mary and Annie. Valentine, though, had other ideas; he was the eldest son and he considered that under the laws of primogeniture he would inherit the business.

George left the family brewery and set up in Welby House in the High Street in competition with his brother. However, the business was not successful and in 1887 George Stapleton made a petition for bankruptcy. In 1888 he was summoned to Bourne Petty Sessions for making brandy and selling it at his residence without a licence – he was fined £10. George and Louisa remained at Welby House with their three children and two servants, a reduction in the status they once enjoyed when a decade earlier they had employed seven men and a nurse, a cook and a housemaid. Eventually the couple left Deeping altogether and in 1901 were recorded in Lambeth where George had set up business as a potato merchant.

Valentine and his wife moved back to Market Deeping from Stamford in 1898, having become a much-vaunted personality in the town, elected Mayor in 1888 and 1889. He now took over the running of the brewery while still practising as a solicitor. His three adult children came with their parents and the eldest son Harvey (b.1877) took over as the Brewery Manager. There were two female servants in the household. Valentine’s mother Ann remained in the house until her death in 1907 aged 92, and we can only wonder at how she felt at this turn of events.

Harvey Senior’s youngest son Thomas set up as a corn merchant in the Market Place between Balcony House and the Police Station but eventually, after the death of his wife, he lost his business and in 1892 he is recorded in the Peterborough Directory as Secretary of the City & Counties Club. In 1894 Thomas remarried and in 1896 he became an accountant in Peterborough. His elder brother, Harvey, had by this time emigrated to Australia.

In 1899 boring operations had been carried out on the brewery premises and a spring was found at a depth of 100ft. The following year, Valentine purchased The Carrington Free Arms public House in Tongue End (pictured above) along with a large acreage. He then went on to purchase a major interest in the Mineral Water Co, Smith & Co, Bourne, and by 1906 Stapleton’s Brewery produced only mineral water, becoming Smith & Co with Harvey Stapleton remaining as Manager. Walter Patchett was one of his long-serving draymen, living in a small cottage behind number 60 Church St which had previously been occupied by William Lawson, who also worked at the brewery as a labourer.

In 1904 new licensing laws were introduced and Valentine sold the public houses he owned, some de-licensed and sold as private houses. The more profitable premises; The White Horse Inn, the Railway Tavern and the Walnut Tree were sold to Soames Brewery.

In 1911 Valentine died, leaving at the family home in Church Street his wife Sarah, daughter Ellen (43) son Harvey (34) and two domestic servants. The Stamford Mercury reported ‘Alderman Valentine Stapleton of Stamford and Market Deeping Solicitor, head of firm, Stapleton & Sons of Stamford , interested in the business of Smith & Co mineral water manufacturers of Bourne, chairman of Martin Cultivator Co and associated with many other private and public organisations in South Lincolnshire who died on 16th July 1911, left estate £8,115 gross. Probate has been granted to Mrs Sarah Ellen Stapleton and his son Valentine George Stapleton, Solicitor. The Testator left £800 each to his wife and children; Ellen, Valentine, Arthur, Leslie and Harvey giving son Valentine the option to take over his interest in Stapleton & Son and Harvey to take over his interest in Smith & Co. The residue of his estate in trust for his wife for life and the remainder to his children.’

According to the 1913 Kelly’s Directory both Smith & Co factories in Market Deeping and Abbey Road, Bourne, were thriving but in 1915 Harvey volunteered for the First World War and was sent to work at Lincoln. It is believed that Smith & Co ceased operating at this time. On leaving the Army, Harvey retuned to Market Deeping but moved to Stamford, where he died in 1926.