The Queens Head

Wedding of Sidney Henfrey with Clarice and her parents Charles and Eliza Morton.

The imposing house which sits right at the top of Eastgate where it joins Church Street, opposite the Cross does not give up its secrets of its former life easily. But Billy Crowson would let his neighbour’s son, Christopher Abel, dig in the garden for treasure and he unearthed these stone balls (pictured) which it was thought were used in games when the pub, known as the Queen’s Head occupied the spot.

Billy Crowson had been the builder tasked to demolish the old building which had fallen into disrepair and stood empty in 1931. And he was the one who built the handsome new house in its place. The building had been a long, low cottage with a deep thatch and dormer windows with a door that opened directly onto the pavement. The location next to the Boat House meant that the lighter and river-boat men would not have far to come and to slake their thirst. A good fire would roar in the inglenook and the light from the flames and an oil lamp would be the only illumination. There would be a large scrubbed table and a settle or two, an armchair by the fire and wooden benches to sit on. No floor covering but sawdust spread fresh on the stone slabs daily.

In 1788 there are records of Herbert Day of Swadeston, Norfolk, selling the property described as a cottage to William Crowson of Deeping St James. In 1811 it was then sold to George Boordman and Robert Brown, victuallers both from Deeping St James. They in turn sold the property to Thomas Henry Sharpe, the Market Deeping Brewer who in 1856 sold it to John Taylor Marston, along with the brewery. In 1899 it was then sold to Soames & Co of Spalding, who were the pub’s final owners.

In 1812 the licensee was Thomas Wiles. Early in January 1824, Charles Durham, the then occupier, advertised the premises in the Stamford Mercury ‘A well accustomed Inn with stabling for eight horses and other outbuildings, yard, garden and orchard, the premises adjoin the turnpike road leading from Peterborough to Spalding abut on the river Welland and are well adapted for any trade or mercantile business. The furniture and stock in trade to be taken at valuation.’ The inventory was about £100.

In 1826, William Tansley had taken over as the landlord. He came from a family of rope makers and the premises by the river were the perfect spot to carry out his trade. Hemp and flax were grown locally and he would lay this out on the long garden leading down to the river, sometimes paying a small fee to use his neighbours’ gardens as well. Eventually, for more space, he moved farther down Eastgate to the George & Dragon. The Queen’s Head was then let again, this time to John Stockman. Following John was George Harris and his wife Mary. At the time of the 1841 census the couple with their six children and three boarders, agricultural labourers, are all residing at the property. George was 40 at this time; he had served in the Kesteven Militia and married Mary (née Ward) at the Priory Church in 1829. After George’s death in 1845, Mary carried on at the pub. In 1851 just three of her children were still at home but they had left by 1861 and her death is recorded in 1870 – she is buried in the churchyard in Deeping St James. Billy Crowson

The next licensee, John Baker, was a fish and rabbit dealer with a stall on Spalding Market. he ran the pub with his wife, Elizabeth. In April 1877 he was fined £3 for allowing James and Edward Fowler and George Plowright to get drunk at the inn. His licence was endorsed and the three defendants were fined ten shillings each at Bourne Petty Sessions.

Local man Dean Swift was the next behind the bar. He was born in 1835, the eldest son of butcher Daniel Swift and his wife Mary. Initially he had followed his father’s trade but by 1881 he had taken over as landlord with his wife Betsy (née Stimpson) whom he had married in 1875. They had a son, also called Dean. The pub had been extended on the west side of the building where Pig Club meetings were held. At this time the beer was just tuppence a pint. He was the great-uncle of local centenarian Nancy Titman, and she recalls that her aunts, just little girls at the time, would run a long way to meet Dean and Betsy as they strolled down Back Lane in the evenings as he always carried sugar lumps in his pocket. He appeared an old man to the girls but was only 54 when he died in 1890. Dean Jnr became a pupil teacher, but continued to help Betsy run the pub until in 1896 she retired, living in Eastgate. She died in 1914 in Stamford.

Robert Humphreys and his wife Alice Elizabeth (née Reynolds) moved to the pub from their home in Lincoln with their two sons, one of whom, Robert, was a blacksmith. In 1913 successful farmer Charles Morton became the licensee; he owned a house and land in Eastgate. He and his wife Eliza Annie (née Abbott) had four children. In March 1921 the Rural Council would not renew their licence unless sanitary conditions were improved; a fortnight later this was done and the license was renewed. In January 1915 John Scotney was summoned at Bourne for being drunk on licensed premises. Charles gave evidence on the defendant’s behalf, saying that he did not consider him sufficiently under the influence of drink not to be served. Nevertheless a fine of two shillings and six pence was imposed and John Scotney protested that this was not justice!

There was a furore in the industry in 1917 when David Lloyd George wanted to tax beer to pay for the war effort. It was proposed that beer would be a shilling a pint. Due to the uproar beer was still selling at sixpence a pint in 1920.

At the pub, Walter Brewin had left his bicycle in the yard while he went in for a drink, and returning half an hour later found that his lamp had been stolen. He had a long walk home on a dark night! A couple of years later in 1923 the pub was the scene of a much happier event when the eldest daughter of Charles and Eliza, Clarice Morton married Sidney Henfrey. The couple had both been involved with the work of the church and that is where the ceremony was held with the Revd Pain officiating and Mr Tomlin playing the organ. The bride was attended by her sister Norah and Margaret Henfrey, niece of the groom, who later became a midwife (I’d rather be in Deeping magazine issue 046) Norah carried a bouquet of chrysanthemums and Margaret wore a white dress and held her aunt’s hand as she went to the reception which, of course , was held at the Queens’ Head. In 1925, at just 55 years of age, Eliza died following a seizure while going about her household duties. Heartbroken, Charles let his licence lapse and went back to his farm.

There followed three licensees in quick succession: Mr Huddlestone, Mr Wyebrow and George Lambert, originally from Thurlby. The new owners of the pub, Messrs Soames & Co were unsuccessful in having the licence renewed as the Queen’s Head was considered to be too close to the Rose & Crown (adjacent to The Cross) which was in better repair with a slate roof; the Queen’s Head had a thatched roof with zinc over the thatch on some parts.

And this is when Billy Crowson bought the property. He also took over the plot next door which had been tended by market gardener Henry Horton. Billy divided the land into allotments, one of the occupants of which grew standard roses and won first prizes at the Rose & Sweet Pea Show for many years.