A History of Pubs and Brewing in Great Linford
Exactly how many public houses there might have been in the history of Great Linford is unclear; pubs come and go, or their signs might be renamed, perhaps upon the whim of a landlord, but sometimes under the influence of local or even national political and religious events. In Great Linford, there is of course The Nags Head, the oldest surviving public house in the village at 231 years old and counting as of 2023, followed closely by the canal-side Black Horse Inn, established in 1800 and still in operation to this day. Then there was The Wharf Inn, also by the canal, which called last orders in 1963 after 161 years of dispensing good cheer, but two other older drinking establishments are known to have existed in the village, The White Horse and The Six Bells. However, we do not know if these were entirely different establishments, or if it were perhaps a single public house whose sign had changed over time. The Six Bells for instance was undoubtedly named (or an earlier pub perhaps renamed) in tribute to the 1756 installation of a sixth bell at St. Andrew’s church. In addition, there are also beer houses to consider, an entirely distinct class of drinking establishment that leave behind even fewer clues.
The broader national history of public houses is a complex one, and largely outside the scope of this website, but the very earliest record of a publican in Great Linford is dated 1577, found in a return of vintners, innholders and alehouse keepers in the county of Buckinghamshire (Buckinghamshire Archives D-X_423/9.) This provides only that Thomas Roe was an alehouse keeper in the village and does not provide the sign of his establishment, if indeed it had one. Unfortunately, the name Roe otherwise draws a blank in the history of the village. Of passing interest, the 1577 survey was carried out nationwide, and counted 24,000 alehouses, the number more than doubling to 50,000 by the 1630s.
Types of public house
As can be seen from the survey of 1577, a distinction was being made between inns, establishments typically offering accommodation as well as food and drink to weary travellers, and alehouses, (also known as beer houses) which in the fulness of time would evolve into our modern concept of the public house, shortened commonly of course to pub. In their early form, beer houses generally limited themselves (as the name obviously implies) to the selling of beer and perhaps cider. We can presume from their names that the Black Horse Inn and The Wharf Inn offered accommodation, but there is no indication that The Nags Head was ever anything more than a place to slake thirsts. A vintner was a person concerned with the sale of wine, though the closest we can come to this in Great Linford is a Thomas Pinkard, whose burial record dated July 29th, 1776, describes him as a brandy merchant.
In 1830, a Beerhouse Act was passed by parliament, which permitted anyone to brew and sell beer from their home for a fee of two guineas paid to an excise officer. It was hoped that an expansion of establishments selling cheap beer would encourage drinkers to move away from strong liquors such as gin, which was having a calamitous effect on public health. The act certainly resulted in an explosive growth in beerhouses, from 400 in 1830 to 46,000 just eight years later. There were probably many people in the parish who took advantage of this apparently profitable trade, but only two specific examples have thus far come to light.
In 1840, Thomas Hawley was running a “beer shop” from a property on the High Street, on land now occupied by the house known as The Old Post Office, though the 1841 census (and subsequent ten yearly surveys) make no further reference to this, with his profession named as grocer and butcher. As an important distinction to note, a beer shop was licensed to sell beer for consumption off the premises, while in comparison, Thomas Kemp had a “beer house” located as the “Wharf Bridge” in 1871, which would have been licensed to allow beer to be drank on the premises. However, both would have been extremely rudimentary enterprises, probably serving beer from a jug or tapped barrel.
In 1870 the rules were tightened up, with the control of licenses returned from the excise to local magistrates, a change we find clearly illustrated in the Bucks Advertiser & Aylesbury News of August 26th, 1871. The paper reports on the annual licensing day, which collates a tally of licensed premises in the district: 125 public houses, 22 beerhouses (to be drunk on the premises) and seven beerhouses (to be drunk off the premises.) As can be observed from this list, public houses, in which category would be included The Nags Head, Wharf Inn and Black Horse Inn, now far outnumbered beerhouses.
A Return of Public Houses and Beer Houses dated 29th September 1872 for the Northern and North Western Divisions of Buckinghamshire provides some further useful information. As expected, included are the three known public houses of the parish, but also two establishments with “no sign.” One is in the tenure of the aforementioned Thomas Kemp, with the property in the ownership of the Reverend William Andrewes Uthwatt, while the other is occupied by Thomas William Brooks. The owner of this property is Hannah Hawley, the widow of the aforementioned Thomas Hawley, who had died in 1862; the 1871 census describes her as a retired grocer. This document also confirms that Thomas Kemp was licensed to sell beer to be consumed on the premises, whilst Thomas Brooks was selling beer to be consumed off the premises.
A type of establishment not yet mentioned is a Tavern, which was an altogether posher kind of watering hole predominantly selling wine. The word derives from the Roman Tabernae, but there is no evidence for such a thing in Great Linford’s antiquity, though no doubt wine (and spirits) would have been available at all the public houses in the parish, for those able to afford a more expensive tipple.
In 1830, a Beerhouse Act was passed by parliament, which permitted anyone to brew and sell beer from their home for a fee of two guineas paid to an excise officer. It was hoped that an expansion of establishments selling cheap beer would encourage drinkers to move away from strong liquors such as gin, which was having a calamitous effect on public health. The act certainly resulted in an explosive growth in beerhouses, from 400 in 1830 to 46,000 just eight years later. There were probably many people in the parish who took advantage of this apparently profitable trade, but only two specific examples have thus far come to light.
In 1840, Thomas Hawley was running a “beer shop” from a property on the High Street, on land now occupied by the house known as The Old Post Office, though the 1841 census (and subsequent ten yearly surveys) make no further reference to this, with his profession named as grocer and butcher. As an important distinction to note, a beer shop was licensed to sell beer for consumption off the premises, while in comparison, Thomas Kemp had a “beer house” located as the “Wharf Bridge” in 1871, which would have been licensed to allow beer to be drank on the premises. However, both would have been extremely rudimentary enterprises, probably serving beer from a jug or tapped barrel.
In 1870 the rules were tightened up, with the control of licenses returned from the excise to local magistrates, a change we find clearly illustrated in the Bucks Advertiser & Aylesbury News of August 26th, 1871. The paper reports on the annual licensing day, which collates a tally of licensed premises in the district: 125 public houses, 22 beerhouses (to be drunk on the premises) and seven beerhouses (to be drunk off the premises.) As can be observed from this list, public houses, in which category would be included The Nags Head, Wharf Inn and Black Horse Inn, now far outnumbered beerhouses.
A Return of Public Houses and Beer Houses dated 29th September 1872 for the Northern and North Western Divisions of Buckinghamshire provides some further useful information. As expected, included are the three known public houses of the parish, but also two establishments with “no sign.” One is in the tenure of the aforementioned Thomas Kemp, with the property in the ownership of the Reverend William Andrewes Uthwatt, while the other is occupied by Thomas William Brooks. The owner of this property is Hannah Hawley, the widow of the aforementioned Thomas Hawley, who had died in 1862; the 1871 census describes her as a retired grocer. This document also confirms that Thomas Kemp was licensed to sell beer to be consumed on the premises, whilst Thomas Brooks was selling beer to be consumed off the premises.
A type of establishment not yet mentioned is a Tavern, which was an altogether posher kind of watering hole predominantly selling wine. The word derives from the Roman Tabernae, but there is no evidence for such a thing in Great Linford’s antiquity, though no doubt wine (and spirits) would have been available at all the public houses in the parish, for those able to afford a more expensive tipple.
Pub Signs
An old sign for the Nags Head.
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It is thought that the origin of pub signs can be traced back to Roman Tabernae, outside which would be hung vine leaves outside to attract business. This was also a nod to the Roman god of wine, Bacchus, though given the obvious paucity of vine leaves in Britain, a local substitute was found in small evergreen bushes. As the idea of pub signs began to take root, you might also find outside a drinking establishment a long pole known as an ale stick. This was likely used to stir the brew, but it also made a handy sign, and if you chanced across both stick and bush, you knew the establishment served both beer and wine.
In 1393, King Richard II passed an Act making it compulsory for pubs to have a sign so that the official ale taster could easily identify these establishments and carry out his duties, hence a proliferation of pubs with the sign of The White Hart, which was a personal emblem of the king. As most people were illiterate, signs tended to be illustrative, drawing on a variety of themes such as professions, religious and historical events, personalities, and of course beer and brewing in general. In Great Linford, we can plausibly draw a royal connection to The White Horse and the accension in 1714 of George I to the throne, as one of his symbols was a white horse on a red background. |
The Six Bells was undoubtedly named in homage to the installation of a sixth bell to the tower of St. Andrew’s church in 1756, while The Black Horse Inn might (as is generally believed for pubs of this name) have been named after the infamous horse of highwayman Dick Turpin. The origins of The Nags Head are even more opaque, with a school of thought suggesting that pubs are thus named in reference to the practice of hanging a lantern on a horse for the purpose of signaling an all clear to pirates coming ashore. The Wharf Inn of course requires no elaboration.
Landlords, publicans and licensed victuallers
Any history of the pub trade inevitably throws up a variety of specialised terms, notably the profession of victualler, an old word for someone licensed to sell alcohol. In modern times, we would use the term landlord or publican, but no matter what we call such a person (and they really all mean much the same thing), the authorities have long held a desire to maintain some control over the trade, principally with the aim of ensuring that publicans were maintaining good order, with no gambling, excessive drinking or noise, and limits on opening hours.
So it came to pass that publicans were required to present themselves to a magistrate to apply for a license. Luckily some records of licenses in Buckinghamshire have been preserved in the bound Registers of Alehouse Keepers (Buckinghamshire Archives Q/RLV/1-8) compiled at a yearly special sitting of the Petty Sessions. Dated between 1754 and 1823, these volumes provide the names of publicans, and sometimes the signs of their public houses in each “hundred." These were the administrative areas into which the county was divided, including the Newport Hundred that contained Great Linford. However, this was known more commonly as the Newport 300 as it combined three administrative areas.
Alongside the name of publicans and their establishments, some of these records also provide the name of the person providing a recognisance to the applicant. A recognisance was a guarantee backed up by a monetary pledge that the applicant would maintain good order and abide by the licensing rules then in force. Interestingly, the established method was for neighbouring landlords to vouch for each other. Hence in 1823, we find James Hawley of the Wharf Inn vouching for Richard Bachuss of the Nags Head for the sum of £20, and Richard duly returning the favour to James for the same sum.
So it came to pass that publicans were required to present themselves to a magistrate to apply for a license. Luckily some records of licenses in Buckinghamshire have been preserved in the bound Registers of Alehouse Keepers (Buckinghamshire Archives Q/RLV/1-8) compiled at a yearly special sitting of the Petty Sessions. Dated between 1754 and 1823, these volumes provide the names of publicans, and sometimes the signs of their public houses in each “hundred." These were the administrative areas into which the county was divided, including the Newport Hundred that contained Great Linford. However, this was known more commonly as the Newport 300 as it combined three administrative areas.
Alongside the name of publicans and their establishments, some of these records also provide the name of the person providing a recognisance to the applicant. A recognisance was a guarantee backed up by a monetary pledge that the applicant would maintain good order and abide by the licensing rules then in force. Interestingly, the established method was for neighbouring landlords to vouch for each other. Hence in 1823, we find James Hawley of the Wharf Inn vouching for Richard Bachuss of the Nags Head for the sum of £20, and Richard duly returning the favour to James for the same sum.
Brewing
It is entirely certain that beer would have been brewed in the village since time immemorial, both for personal consumption and sale, especially given that beer (much weaker than we have today) was by far the safest way to imbibe the body’s required intake of liquids, such that even children would drink a still weaker brew called “small beer.”
In the medieval period, brewing was predominantly a female occupation, with its practitioners known as ale-wives or brewsters. The terms were first used in Anglo-Saxon times, circa the 5th century onwards, with the dominance of women in the trade evolving gradually from their role in brewing beer solely for the family. Having occasionally extra to sell and finding a ready market, many women discovered that they could earn an income separate to their husbands, or in the case of widows, even without a husband. This was especially the case if they were known for particularly fine brews.
We have no direct evidence for ale-wives in the parish, but they must have existed, though by the 14th century, women brewers were in marked decline, a victim of laws that made it difficult to operate as cottage industries and a shift to larger enterprises that favoured men as the owner operators. We do have evidence for brewing in the village in the 14th century, thanks to archaeological digs conducted in and around the village between 1974 and 1977. Amongst the sites excavated was the 14th century medieval manor house now hidden beneath the Arts Centre carpark. This confirmed the existence of a malting kiln, used to dry malt, the germinated cereal grain used in the brewing process. There were several other such kilns found within the village, such as one within the boundaries of a croft (a fenced area of land usually containing a dwelling) located to the north side of Willen Lane (now Harpers Lane.) This was dated to the 13th to the early 15th century, though brewing was undoubtedly a cottage industry that endured for centuries. A newspaper report carried in the Northampton Mercury of April 2nd, 1770, illustrates nicely that the brewing of beer was still going strong within the village, and notably the brewer was a woman.
In the medieval period, brewing was predominantly a female occupation, with its practitioners known as ale-wives or brewsters. The terms were first used in Anglo-Saxon times, circa the 5th century onwards, with the dominance of women in the trade evolving gradually from their role in brewing beer solely for the family. Having occasionally extra to sell and finding a ready market, many women discovered that they could earn an income separate to their husbands, or in the case of widows, even without a husband. This was especially the case if they were known for particularly fine brews.
We have no direct evidence for ale-wives in the parish, but they must have existed, though by the 14th century, women brewers were in marked decline, a victim of laws that made it difficult to operate as cottage industries and a shift to larger enterprises that favoured men as the owner operators. We do have evidence for brewing in the village in the 14th century, thanks to archaeological digs conducted in and around the village between 1974 and 1977. Amongst the sites excavated was the 14th century medieval manor house now hidden beneath the Arts Centre carpark. This confirmed the existence of a malting kiln, used to dry malt, the germinated cereal grain used in the brewing process. There were several other such kilns found within the village, such as one within the boundaries of a croft (a fenced area of land usually containing a dwelling) located to the north side of Willen Lane (now Harpers Lane.) This was dated to the 13th to the early 15th century, though brewing was undoubtedly a cottage industry that endured for centuries. A newspaper report carried in the Northampton Mercury of April 2nd, 1770, illustrates nicely that the brewing of beer was still going strong within the village, and notably the brewer was a woman.
Burglariously Stolen (some time in February last, in the absence of the Family) out of the Kitchen belonging to Miss Wilcocks, of Great-Linford, near Newport-Pagnel, Bucks, a Brass Brewing-Boiler (commonly called a copper) supposed to contain about 3 quarters of an Hogshead. If offered to be pawned, sold or otherwise discovered, please to secure it and the Party, for the apprehending of whom a Reward of FIVE GUINEAS will be paid, on Conviction, by Miss Willcocks aforesaid, or Mr Forster, Of Newport-Pagnel, Bucks.
A hogshead is a unit of measure relating to barrel size; a hogshead of beer would have contained 54 gallons, suggesting that a sizeable gang of thieves would have been required to haul away Mrs. Wilcock's property. Sadly, we have no record to tell us that the miscreants were apprehended, and her purloined copper returned.
Farms are places we find reference to brewing, such as a sale held on April 6th, 1836, at the Grounds Farm, where amongst the accoutrements on offer was a superior four hogshead iron-bound cask and a 40-gallon copper. Attesting to the potential scale of brewing on farms, A Guide to the Historic Buildings of Milton Keynes (1986, Paul Woodfield, Milton Keynes Development Corporation) , observes that the rear wing of Lodge farm contained a kitchen and a brewhouse. Another farmer we know to have been brewing was Valentine Dunkley of Wood Farm, who vacated the tenancy in 1860 and disposed of his brewing utensils in his leaving sale.
It seems reasonable to presume that any farmer worth his salt would have been brewing his own, which would likely have been in part largely related to the long-established practice that agricultural labourers were entitled to a copious supply of beer from their employers, especially at harvest time. The Museum of Rural life website states that, “it was not unknown for farmers to allocate a gallon of cider per labourer, with possibly ale in addition.”
But not only beer was being brewed by farmers. Eli Elkins of the Grange Farm was someone we can judge to be a gentleman farmer, and while he was certainly brewing beer, a sales notice of 1877 published on the event of his death reveals some interesting details as to his rather expensive tastes. Alongside three hogsheads of ale and brewing equipment, also offered for sale was 18 gallons of home-made wine in a cask and a further 360 bottles of home-made wine. Far too much surely to drink himself, so perhaps he was selling to the local pubs. He had also accumulated several dozen bottles of “very choice old port wine.”
Pubs too were engaged in brewing. Writing in his book Beer, the story of the pint, Martyn Cornell gives a figure for the year 1701 of 41,000 “brewing victuallers” in the country, which is to say inns and alehouses with their own brewhouses attached. Though we have little firm evidence that all the pubs within the village were similarly engaged, it seems highly likely they would have been. The best evidence we have for brewing at a pub is for The Black Horse Inn. When its publican William Warren passed away in 1882, he was described in his probate record as a brewer, and his widow (who then moved to Stantonbury) was also then described as a brewer. As an additional piece of evidence, an account of a fire at The Black Horse Inn on the night of January 26th, 1890, mentions that a quantity of hops (an important ingredient in the beer making process) were consumed in the flames. This certainly suggests that The Black Horse may have had the facilities on hand to brew their own beer.
As a rather tangential piece of evidence, the 1840 tithe map for the village (Buckinghamshire Archives Tithe/255) records that a William Thomas Tomkins was occupying the farmstead known as Windmill Hill Farm to the rear of the house on the High Street now known as The Cow Shed. It may be of some significance that William was living in such proximity to The Nags Head, as a man of the same name can be found a few years later in Stony Stratford, where he is described as a brewer and maltster.
We know that William Tomkins has interests in Great Linford from at least 1837, though he was recorded at Filgrave, Buckinghamshire on the 1841 census, with his occupation stated as farmer. However, several newspaper accounts, including an agricultural sale reported in the Northampton Mercury of March 15th, 1845, point toward him operating as a farmer in Great Linford. Additionally, in 1850 he acquired by sub-let a brewery in Newport Pagnell, so it would hardly be surprising if beer he had brewed was finding its way into The Nags Head and the other pubs in the parish.
The indexes accompanying a valuation office survey map drawn up in 1910 (Buckinghamshire Archives DVD/2/X/5) to determine the taxable value of land and properties makes reference to a brew house located within the manor park, alongside stables and the kennels for the Bucks otter hound. The exact location is not made entirely clear, but it must have been within the courtyard of the present day arts centre, likely in arow of buildings now replaced by the present-day Radcliffe building. If the brew was for the personal consumption of the manor house residents or for wider sale or even for farm workers in unknown, as are the likely volumes produced.
There are a few men described as brewers to be found living in the village at various times, but they were likely commuting to Newport Pagnell to work in its brewing industry. One such person was brewery labourer William Townsend, who at a Petty Sessions held on December 2nd, 1914, was fined 25 shillings for the theft of a sack of barley from his employer, the Newport Pagnell Brewery Co.
Farms are places we find reference to brewing, such as a sale held on April 6th, 1836, at the Grounds Farm, where amongst the accoutrements on offer was a superior four hogshead iron-bound cask and a 40-gallon copper. Attesting to the potential scale of brewing on farms, A Guide to the Historic Buildings of Milton Keynes (1986, Paul Woodfield, Milton Keynes Development Corporation) , observes that the rear wing of Lodge farm contained a kitchen and a brewhouse. Another farmer we know to have been brewing was Valentine Dunkley of Wood Farm, who vacated the tenancy in 1860 and disposed of his brewing utensils in his leaving sale.
It seems reasonable to presume that any farmer worth his salt would have been brewing his own, which would likely have been in part largely related to the long-established practice that agricultural labourers were entitled to a copious supply of beer from their employers, especially at harvest time. The Museum of Rural life website states that, “it was not unknown for farmers to allocate a gallon of cider per labourer, with possibly ale in addition.”
But not only beer was being brewed by farmers. Eli Elkins of the Grange Farm was someone we can judge to be a gentleman farmer, and while he was certainly brewing beer, a sales notice of 1877 published on the event of his death reveals some interesting details as to his rather expensive tastes. Alongside three hogsheads of ale and brewing equipment, also offered for sale was 18 gallons of home-made wine in a cask and a further 360 bottles of home-made wine. Far too much surely to drink himself, so perhaps he was selling to the local pubs. He had also accumulated several dozen bottles of “very choice old port wine.”
Pubs too were engaged in brewing. Writing in his book Beer, the story of the pint, Martyn Cornell gives a figure for the year 1701 of 41,000 “brewing victuallers” in the country, which is to say inns and alehouses with their own brewhouses attached. Though we have little firm evidence that all the pubs within the village were similarly engaged, it seems highly likely they would have been. The best evidence we have for brewing at a pub is for The Black Horse Inn. When its publican William Warren passed away in 1882, he was described in his probate record as a brewer, and his widow (who then moved to Stantonbury) was also then described as a brewer. As an additional piece of evidence, an account of a fire at The Black Horse Inn on the night of January 26th, 1890, mentions that a quantity of hops (an important ingredient in the beer making process) were consumed in the flames. This certainly suggests that The Black Horse may have had the facilities on hand to brew their own beer.
As a rather tangential piece of evidence, the 1840 tithe map for the village (Buckinghamshire Archives Tithe/255) records that a William Thomas Tomkins was occupying the farmstead known as Windmill Hill Farm to the rear of the house on the High Street now known as The Cow Shed. It may be of some significance that William was living in such proximity to The Nags Head, as a man of the same name can be found a few years later in Stony Stratford, where he is described as a brewer and maltster.
We know that William Tomkins has interests in Great Linford from at least 1837, though he was recorded at Filgrave, Buckinghamshire on the 1841 census, with his occupation stated as farmer. However, several newspaper accounts, including an agricultural sale reported in the Northampton Mercury of March 15th, 1845, point toward him operating as a farmer in Great Linford. Additionally, in 1850 he acquired by sub-let a brewery in Newport Pagnell, so it would hardly be surprising if beer he had brewed was finding its way into The Nags Head and the other pubs in the parish.
The indexes accompanying a valuation office survey map drawn up in 1910 (Buckinghamshire Archives DVD/2/X/5) to determine the taxable value of land and properties makes reference to a brew house located within the manor park, alongside stables and the kennels for the Bucks otter hound. The exact location is not made entirely clear, but it must have been within the courtyard of the present day arts centre, likely in arow of buildings now replaced by the present-day Radcliffe building. If the brew was for the personal consumption of the manor house residents or for wider sale or even for farm workers in unknown, as are the likely volumes produced.
There are a few men described as brewers to be found living in the village at various times, but they were likely commuting to Newport Pagnell to work in its brewing industry. One such person was brewery labourer William Townsend, who at a Petty Sessions held on December 2nd, 1914, was fined 25 shillings for the theft of a sack of barley from his employer, the Newport Pagnell Brewery Co.
Ownership of pubs in the village
As brewing increasingly became a large-scale industrial process, so this new class of brewers began to see the business sense in acquiring estates of so-called tied pubs, whose publicans were obliged as part of the tenancy agreement to purchase their beer and spirits from their landlord. Given Newport Pagnell was the nearest large town to Great Linford, it can no surprise that the largest brewery located in the town spread its tentacles throughout the neighbourhood in this fashion, with connections apparent over the years to The Nags Head and The Wharf Inn. In later years we can also see evidence of a relationship between The Nags Head and the Aylesbury Brewing Company.
But not surprisingly given their immense influence locally, the Uthwatt family of Great Linford Manor also had long running interests in pubs within the village. A Deed of Appointment to Uses, dated 30 September 1808 (Buckinghamshire Archives D-X_2228) drawn up by Henry Uthwatt includes the Nags Head, The Black Horse Inn and The Wharf Inn, proving that the family had a pecuniary interest in all three pubs. It is not unreasonable to suppose that this state of affairs had endured for many years previously, with successive lords of the manor having recognised that there was good money in ale. That Henry Uthwatt was also a reverend of the Church of England did not alter this calculation.
However, the Uthwatts seem to have periodically lost interest in retaining pubs (doubtless with all their attendant management complexities) in their business portfolios, such that in 1815 we find them selling The Wharf Inn to the Newport Pagnell Canal Company (Buckinghamshire Archives D-U/1/64) The Nags Head also seems to have been disposed of, as just a year later, the brewery in Newport Pagnell owned by Thomas Warriner Baseley and William Stapleton was up for sale, along with 16 pubs in their estate, one of which was the leasehold Nags Head, reportedly with 2 years to run on the lease.
The origins of the brewery can be traced back to the 1780s, but it seems to have struggled as a going concern, with the first of several bankruptcies occurring in 1810. If by this point the Nags Head was amongst their assets, is unknown, though it may be telling that the aforementioned 1808 deed of appointment shows the Nags Head to be unoccupied. The new owners of the brewery, Basely and Stapleton, had been unable to turn things around, having themselves gone bankrupt, but after several years fruitlessly searching for a buyer, eventually sold up in 1817 to a John Rogers and Jesse Parsons. Rogers and Parson also had an apparent interest in the Wharf at Great Linford, so it seems reasonable to suppose that they were supplying the inn's beer.
The ownership of The Nags Head becomes somewhat uncertain in this period, as referring to a survey carried out for the Clerk of the Peace in 1872, the pub was noted to have then been in the possession of the Uthwatts for “over 50 years”, so at least from 1822. This might then imply that the Uthwatts had seized the opportunity of the sale in 1817 to snap up The Nags Head; the pubs were offered as individual lots, so they could certainly have done so. The 1840 tithe map tells us categorically that the pub was then in the ownership of the Uthwatt family, so the theory holds water. The same document ascribes the continued ownership of The Wharf Inn to the Newport Pagnell Canal Company, but the ownership of The Black Horse is literally and figuratively a blank on the form.
A brief advertisement in Croydon’s Weekly Standard of February 19th, 1870, announces that The Nags Head is to be let, with enquiries to Rogers and Co, Brewery, Newport Pagnell, so though it is certain that the pub was still then in the hands of the Uthwatts, they were likely leasing it out the Rogers and Co, who were then securing tenants.
A list of holdings of the Aylesbury Brewing Company on the breweryhistory.com website confirms that the Nags Head had been leased to this company circa 1897, but the valuation office survey map of 1910 confirms that the Uthwatts then owned the building. The map in fact clarifies matters considerably, as it proves categorically that at this point in their history, all three pubs in Great Linford, The Nags Head, Black Horse and Wharf Inn were owned by William Uthwatt, though we might suppose that some arrangements were in place with local breweries to manage their day to day running.
We lack any firm information on the ownership of the pubs after 1910, but there was a continuing relationship between The Nags Head and the Aylesbury Brewing Company. A newspaper story (Wolverton Express of March 15th, 1958) concerning license renewals notes that a representative of the Aylesbury Brewing Company had attended the court and confirmed that while they did not own The Nags Head, they had negotiated a new lease, though with whom is not stated.
The Wharf Inn and Black Horse were added to the portfolio of the Aylesbury Brewing Company much later, in 1963, though The Wharf Inn had closed in 1962 and never re-opened. In the case of The Black Horse, a photograph purported to be dated circa 1974, clearly shows the signage of the pub referencing the Aylesbury Brewing Company.
But not surprisingly given their immense influence locally, the Uthwatt family of Great Linford Manor also had long running interests in pubs within the village. A Deed of Appointment to Uses, dated 30 September 1808 (Buckinghamshire Archives D-X_2228) drawn up by Henry Uthwatt includes the Nags Head, The Black Horse Inn and The Wharf Inn, proving that the family had a pecuniary interest in all three pubs. It is not unreasonable to suppose that this state of affairs had endured for many years previously, with successive lords of the manor having recognised that there was good money in ale. That Henry Uthwatt was also a reverend of the Church of England did not alter this calculation.
However, the Uthwatts seem to have periodically lost interest in retaining pubs (doubtless with all their attendant management complexities) in their business portfolios, such that in 1815 we find them selling The Wharf Inn to the Newport Pagnell Canal Company (Buckinghamshire Archives D-U/1/64) The Nags Head also seems to have been disposed of, as just a year later, the brewery in Newport Pagnell owned by Thomas Warriner Baseley and William Stapleton was up for sale, along with 16 pubs in their estate, one of which was the leasehold Nags Head, reportedly with 2 years to run on the lease.
The origins of the brewery can be traced back to the 1780s, but it seems to have struggled as a going concern, with the first of several bankruptcies occurring in 1810. If by this point the Nags Head was amongst their assets, is unknown, though it may be telling that the aforementioned 1808 deed of appointment shows the Nags Head to be unoccupied. The new owners of the brewery, Basely and Stapleton, had been unable to turn things around, having themselves gone bankrupt, but after several years fruitlessly searching for a buyer, eventually sold up in 1817 to a John Rogers and Jesse Parsons. Rogers and Parson also had an apparent interest in the Wharf at Great Linford, so it seems reasonable to suppose that they were supplying the inn's beer.
The ownership of The Nags Head becomes somewhat uncertain in this period, as referring to a survey carried out for the Clerk of the Peace in 1872, the pub was noted to have then been in the possession of the Uthwatts for “over 50 years”, so at least from 1822. This might then imply that the Uthwatts had seized the opportunity of the sale in 1817 to snap up The Nags Head; the pubs were offered as individual lots, so they could certainly have done so. The 1840 tithe map tells us categorically that the pub was then in the ownership of the Uthwatt family, so the theory holds water. The same document ascribes the continued ownership of The Wharf Inn to the Newport Pagnell Canal Company, but the ownership of The Black Horse is literally and figuratively a blank on the form.
A brief advertisement in Croydon’s Weekly Standard of February 19th, 1870, announces that The Nags Head is to be let, with enquiries to Rogers and Co, Brewery, Newport Pagnell, so though it is certain that the pub was still then in the hands of the Uthwatts, they were likely leasing it out the Rogers and Co, who were then securing tenants.
A list of holdings of the Aylesbury Brewing Company on the breweryhistory.com website confirms that the Nags Head had been leased to this company circa 1897, but the valuation office survey map of 1910 confirms that the Uthwatts then owned the building. The map in fact clarifies matters considerably, as it proves categorically that at this point in their history, all three pubs in Great Linford, The Nags Head, Black Horse and Wharf Inn were owned by William Uthwatt, though we might suppose that some arrangements were in place with local breweries to manage their day to day running.
We lack any firm information on the ownership of the pubs after 1910, but there was a continuing relationship between The Nags Head and the Aylesbury Brewing Company. A newspaper story (Wolverton Express of March 15th, 1958) concerning license renewals notes that a representative of the Aylesbury Brewing Company had attended the court and confirmed that while they did not own The Nags Head, they had negotiated a new lease, though with whom is not stated.
The Wharf Inn and Black Horse were added to the portfolio of the Aylesbury Brewing Company much later, in 1963, though The Wharf Inn had closed in 1962 and never re-opened. In the case of The Black Horse, a photograph purported to be dated circa 1974, clearly shows the signage of the pub referencing the Aylesbury Brewing Company.
The life of a publican
There are a number of different ways a publican can run a pub, principally hinging on their relationship, if any, with a brewery. Broadly the options are known as freehold, tenancy or leasehold. A freehold pub is one that has been purchased in its entirety by the publican, so there are no obligations to a brewery and therefore they are free to run the establishment as they see fit. There is little evidence to suggest that historically any of the pubs in the parish were run in this manner, though the Wharf Inn was described as a "free-house" in 1841.
A tenancy, usually in the region of two to five years, means that the publican has a limited financial exposure, but if they are a tenant of a brewery, they would be expected to buy all or much of their trading stock from that brewery as a tied house. A leasehold pub is essentially the same as a tenancy, but with a longer-term agreement, in the region of 20-25 years. The reality, going by the very high turnover of publicans evidenced by newspaper reports, is that a year or two (but sometimes much less) was the average length of a tenancy in Great Linford. Exactly what drove this high turnover of tenants is unclear, but it seems likely that it was very hard to break even, with the Wharf Inn proving a particularly harsh mistress to it's landlords.
Certainly, publicans seemed to have not enjoyed a particularly large or reliable income, as evidenced by the frequent examples in the village of victuallers who were carrying out other trades alongside their barkeeping. Examples over the centuries of these trades include dairy farming, tailoring, baking, carpentry and in the case of a William Ward in 1732, blacksmithing. We know this as his burial record, dated July 31st, 1733, describes him as blacksmith and victualler. This is the only record we have that describes William as being involved in the trade, but was he blacksmith or a victualler? The answer is that he was likely both, toiling at his forge during the day while the family ran a beer house, after which he switched to victualling in the evening. We do know he was married twice, first to a Mary Fountaine, with whom he had four children, and then upon her death in 1729, to a Rebekah Judge. Certainly the oddest example of a victualler with a side-lone must be the case of William Syer, who in the mid 1700s was mixing victualling with a parallel career as a gingerbread maker!
Landlords, and as it happens, landladies, were not averse to finding ways to increase their profits, notoriously by the use of unjust measures, essentially selling their customers short. An Edwin Hackett was caught with unjust measures in December of 1856, likely then the publican of The Wharf Inn, while the Newport Pagnell petty sessions of February 9th, 1859, saw two Great Linford publicans brought before the court to answer for the use of unjust measures. Sarah Bacchus of the Nags Head was fined 14 shillings and six pence, while a John Bradley (likely The Wharf Inn) was fined 16 shillings and six pence for the same offence. It seems it was difficult to find an honest measure in Great Linford in 1859.
The authorities were always on the look-out for infractions of the rules, which were many and doubtless vexatious to the landlord trying to turn a profit. A punctilious landlord would always make an application to extend their licensing hours should some special occasion warrant it, but it was not always granted by magistrates. A landlord took a significant risk in allowing drinking after hours, as magistrates might take this into account when next they applied to renew their license, as happened to Charles Agutters Draper of The Wharf Inn in 1887, his suitability having been called into question on the basis of a past conviction.
One fascinating aspect of pub history is that it appears to be one of the few businesses that tolerated and even embraced the idea of women in charge. Generally speaking, the advancement of women in the trade seemed to hinge on the death of a husband, whereupon they were able to claim the right to hold the lease by copyhold. Equally, remarrying would then inevitably result in the new husband becoming the licensee, though Sarah Bacchus of The Nags Head never remarried, and redoubtably remained the publican until her death.
A tenancy, usually in the region of two to five years, means that the publican has a limited financial exposure, but if they are a tenant of a brewery, they would be expected to buy all or much of their trading stock from that brewery as a tied house. A leasehold pub is essentially the same as a tenancy, but with a longer-term agreement, in the region of 20-25 years. The reality, going by the very high turnover of publicans evidenced by newspaper reports, is that a year or two (but sometimes much less) was the average length of a tenancy in Great Linford. Exactly what drove this high turnover of tenants is unclear, but it seems likely that it was very hard to break even, with the Wharf Inn proving a particularly harsh mistress to it's landlords.
Certainly, publicans seemed to have not enjoyed a particularly large or reliable income, as evidenced by the frequent examples in the village of victuallers who were carrying out other trades alongside their barkeeping. Examples over the centuries of these trades include dairy farming, tailoring, baking, carpentry and in the case of a William Ward in 1732, blacksmithing. We know this as his burial record, dated July 31st, 1733, describes him as blacksmith and victualler. This is the only record we have that describes William as being involved in the trade, but was he blacksmith or a victualler? The answer is that he was likely both, toiling at his forge during the day while the family ran a beer house, after which he switched to victualling in the evening. We do know he was married twice, first to a Mary Fountaine, with whom he had four children, and then upon her death in 1729, to a Rebekah Judge. Certainly the oddest example of a victualler with a side-lone must be the case of William Syer, who in the mid 1700s was mixing victualling with a parallel career as a gingerbread maker!
Landlords, and as it happens, landladies, were not averse to finding ways to increase their profits, notoriously by the use of unjust measures, essentially selling their customers short. An Edwin Hackett was caught with unjust measures in December of 1856, likely then the publican of The Wharf Inn, while the Newport Pagnell petty sessions of February 9th, 1859, saw two Great Linford publicans brought before the court to answer for the use of unjust measures. Sarah Bacchus of the Nags Head was fined 14 shillings and six pence, while a John Bradley (likely The Wharf Inn) was fined 16 shillings and six pence for the same offence. It seems it was difficult to find an honest measure in Great Linford in 1859.
The authorities were always on the look-out for infractions of the rules, which were many and doubtless vexatious to the landlord trying to turn a profit. A punctilious landlord would always make an application to extend their licensing hours should some special occasion warrant it, but it was not always granted by magistrates. A landlord took a significant risk in allowing drinking after hours, as magistrates might take this into account when next they applied to renew their license, as happened to Charles Agutters Draper of The Wharf Inn in 1887, his suitability having been called into question on the basis of a past conviction.
One fascinating aspect of pub history is that it appears to be one of the few businesses that tolerated and even embraced the idea of women in charge. Generally speaking, the advancement of women in the trade seemed to hinge on the death of a husband, whereupon they were able to claim the right to hold the lease by copyhold. Equally, remarrying would then inevitably result in the new husband becoming the licensee, though Sarah Bacchus of The Nags Head never remarried, and redoubtably remained the publican until her death.
Riotous behaviour
Perhaps surprisingly there are very few accounts of specific trouble at Great Linford with drunken, or, as it was often described in the press, “riotous behaviour.” Illustrating that Great Linford was perhaps a rather genteel village, we can look to the tallies provided to magistrates when they met each year to consider license applications. In 1888, Great Linford records not a single case of drunkenness, and the same laudable record was repeated in 1894. It was nearby Newport Pagnell that was the centre of drunken behaviour in the district that year, with 21 cases recorded. The same report also celebrates the fact that no pub in the court's jurisdiction had fallen afoul of the licensing laws in the previous year.
We can of course find a few instances of bad behaviour, such as Samuel Walters, who was convicted of drunkenness in the village on February 8th, 1860, but there have been several incorrigible characters for whom drink was clearly a problem. James Conquest makes frequent appearances in the press for his behaviour, including one particularly scandalous occasion on Sunday June 6th, 1847, when he presented himself at the church drunk, and for which he was fined eight shillings. Another colourful character in the village was Harry “Doggy” Robinson, who for many years worked for the Uthwatts as a kennelman for the Bucks otter hounds. On one occasion in May of 1913, Harry was ejected by a policeman from The Nags Head after he became quarrelsome with other drinkers.
We can of course find a few instances of bad behaviour, such as Samuel Walters, who was convicted of drunkenness in the village on February 8th, 1860, but there have been several incorrigible characters for whom drink was clearly a problem. James Conquest makes frequent appearances in the press for his behaviour, including one particularly scandalous occasion on Sunday June 6th, 1847, when he presented himself at the church drunk, and for which he was fined eight shillings. Another colourful character in the village was Harry “Doggy” Robinson, who for many years worked for the Uthwatts as a kennelman for the Bucks otter hounds. On one occasion in May of 1913, Harry was ejected by a policeman from The Nags Head after he became quarrelsome with other drinkers.
Temperance
Drunkenness and the undoubted damage it did to society had inspired a national temperance movement, dedicated to eradicating the demon drink, be it beer, gin or wine. Its earliest origins can be traced back to the late 1830s, and it certainly gained its adherents in Great Linford. Croydon’s Weekly Standard of August 11th, 1866, carried a report on a Temperance Festival held in the village, attended by about 200 persons, who sat down in a large barn, tastefully decorated for the occasion, which had been lent by a Mrs Hutchinson. Speeches were made and outdoor entertainments laid on earlier in the day.
A further event was held at the Independent Chapel on the High Street in December the same year, and in later years we find further evidence of the movement continuing to lobby the villagers to embrace abstinence from alcohol. A temperance organisation called The Band of Hope is also to be found preaching in the village, with a meeting conducted on May 4th, 1880, at the Independent Chapel. One can only wonder as to the reaction of the publicans and others in the village whose income relied on a steady supply of willing drinkers.
That there were adherents to the pledge of sobriety is clear, whether it was a matter of their personal conviction against drink, or in one case, because it made good business sense. In this latter regard, the owners of Windmill Hill Farm advertised for a milkman (Luton Times and Advertiser, January 31st, 1913) who would preferably be an abstainer.
A further event was held at the Independent Chapel on the High Street in December the same year, and in later years we find further evidence of the movement continuing to lobby the villagers to embrace abstinence from alcohol. A temperance organisation called The Band of Hope is also to be found preaching in the village, with a meeting conducted on May 4th, 1880, at the Independent Chapel. One can only wonder as to the reaction of the publicans and others in the village whose income relied on a steady supply of willing drinkers.
That there were adherents to the pledge of sobriety is clear, whether it was a matter of their personal conviction against drink, or in one case, because it made good business sense. In this latter regard, the owners of Windmill Hill Farm advertised for a milkman (Luton Times and Advertiser, January 31st, 1913) who would preferably be an abstainer.
Retailers and off licenses
The earliest reference we have to someone in the retail trade (as opposed to a publican) is a burial record for a Thomas Pinkard, dated July 29th, 1776, which describes him as a brandy merchant. His place of birth is unknown, but a Thomas Pinkard married a Mary Ward at Great Linford in 1732. We can infer that he was a newcomer to Great Linford, as the marriage record represents the first instance of this surname to appear in the parish records.
The Clodes of Lodge Farm and Great Linford House had a family background in the wine and spirits trade in Windsor, but of all the children born in Great Linford, only William John Edward Clode is known to have continued the tradition, though not while resident in the parish. There would certainly have been a demand for finer wines and spirits in the village for those who could afford it, most notably of course from the Uthwatts of the manor house. We can even tentatively name one of the firms supplying the manor, as Buckinghamshire Archives hold an undated trade card (D-U/11/7) in their collection of Uthwatt papers for a B Bellchambers, a wine importer located in London. A number of records for a firm of this name can be found in the early 1800s.
The 1853 Musson and Craven's trade directory entry for the village reveals that Thomas Hawley was in business as a "Beer retailer, butcher and shopkeeper”, but on April 3rd, 1856, catastrophe struck, when a fire took hold in the house, razing his home and business to the ground and destroying much of the family’s property, as well as causing damage to an adjoining property. He seems to have recovered however (the house was insured) and we find Thomas and his wife Hannah still on the High Street in 1861, where the census records him as a butcher and grocer.
Newspapers can be a useful source of information on the price of alcohol and its distribution, such as a large advertisement placed by the Aylesbury Brewing Company in Croydon's Weekly Standard of December 2nd,1905, which also makes specific reference to a daily delivery by cart to Great Linford. Ale is offered at two shillings six pence for a dozen large bottles and Guinness at two shillings and three pence for a dozen half pint bottles. The advertisement also contains the questionable claim that they have for sale “nourishing stout for invalids.”
The existence of an off-licence in the village was never likely to be a popular thing with the local landlords, and indeed toward the end of the 1960s there was a protracted dispute between the Buckinghamshire Licensed Victuallers association and the Cooperative Society who had purchased the village shop on the High Street (known now as The Old Post Office) over concern at the likely impact on pub trade in the village. William Hartland, landlord of The Nags Head was one of those named as objecting to the Co-op application for a license.
As it happened, the shop had been trading at this location for some time and had previously sold beer. For many years it was run by George Rose; on the 1901 census his profession is described as grocer and beer retailer. A photograph likely taken in the early 1900s clearly shows a sign over the door stating that alcoholic drinks could be purchased for consumption off the premises.
The Clodes of Lodge Farm and Great Linford House had a family background in the wine and spirits trade in Windsor, but of all the children born in Great Linford, only William John Edward Clode is known to have continued the tradition, though not while resident in the parish. There would certainly have been a demand for finer wines and spirits in the village for those who could afford it, most notably of course from the Uthwatts of the manor house. We can even tentatively name one of the firms supplying the manor, as Buckinghamshire Archives hold an undated trade card (D-U/11/7) in their collection of Uthwatt papers for a B Bellchambers, a wine importer located in London. A number of records for a firm of this name can be found in the early 1800s.
The 1853 Musson and Craven's trade directory entry for the village reveals that Thomas Hawley was in business as a "Beer retailer, butcher and shopkeeper”, but on April 3rd, 1856, catastrophe struck, when a fire took hold in the house, razing his home and business to the ground and destroying much of the family’s property, as well as causing damage to an adjoining property. He seems to have recovered however (the house was insured) and we find Thomas and his wife Hannah still on the High Street in 1861, where the census records him as a butcher and grocer.
Newspapers can be a useful source of information on the price of alcohol and its distribution, such as a large advertisement placed by the Aylesbury Brewing Company in Croydon's Weekly Standard of December 2nd,1905, which also makes specific reference to a daily delivery by cart to Great Linford. Ale is offered at two shillings six pence for a dozen large bottles and Guinness at two shillings and three pence for a dozen half pint bottles. The advertisement also contains the questionable claim that they have for sale “nourishing stout for invalids.”
The existence of an off-licence in the village was never likely to be a popular thing with the local landlords, and indeed toward the end of the 1960s there was a protracted dispute between the Buckinghamshire Licensed Victuallers association and the Cooperative Society who had purchased the village shop on the High Street (known now as The Old Post Office) over concern at the likely impact on pub trade in the village. William Hartland, landlord of The Nags Head was one of those named as objecting to the Co-op application for a license.
As it happened, the shop had been trading at this location for some time and had previously sold beer. For many years it was run by George Rose; on the 1901 census his profession is described as grocer and beer retailer. A photograph likely taken in the early 1900s clearly shows a sign over the door stating that alcoholic drinks could be purchased for consumption off the premises.
The beating heart of village life
Pubs have always been important places in the community, not only somewhere for people to gather in comradery to rejoice, lament or debate, but also centres of trade, business and even justice. The pub was for a long time the place for coroner’s juries to gather; usually chosen on the basis of their proximity to the event under investigation, generally a death that occurred in uncertain or suspicious circumstances. It is believed that the outbuilding attached to The Nags Head also served for a time as the village mortuary, and certainly there are accounts of bodies being transported to the pub and viewed there by juries, such as the case of Jane Nichols, whose body had been discovered in the canal in April of 1873. As the extensive report into her death reveals, her body was transported by cart to The Nags Head. To read some accounts of coroner’s juries held in Great Linford, click here.
The Nags Head, Black Horse and Wharf Inn were all centres of sporting activities, and either by chance or design tended to become associated with specific disciplines. The Nags Head regularly hosted winning darts teams, and does so to this very day, while the Wharf Inn attracted the cricketers of the village. As for The Black Horse, this was the centre of the hunting fraternities, including hosting from around 1953 the Bucks otter hound kennels. For a history of sport in the village, including the Bucks otter hounds, click here.
Business was also conducted at pubs, with sales often convened to sell things like local produce such as wood and even auctions for houses, so for instance we find a notice in the Northampton Mercury of November 28th, 1829, announcing the sale of a substantial stone-built dwelling house, with pigsties newly erected, on the street and in the occupation of Mr C. Penn. This would be Charles Penn and the house in question number 14 on the High Street. The auction was to take place on Thursday December 3rd, between 5pm and 6pm at The Nags Head. It is fascinating to imagine bids being shouted out as the house went under the hammer. More mundanely, an advertisement placed in the Bucks Herald of January 23rd, 1858, announced a sale of Elm, Ash and Popular timber trees, also to be held at The Nags Head. The Nags Head seems to have been the pub of choice to host business transactions, but we do find examples at The Black Horse and Wharf Inn, such as a sale of “two ricks of well-gotten meadow hay” offered for auction at the former in April 1888 and two boats for sale, moored by The Wharf Inn in 1803.
We also find many examples of special events being held in the pubs of Great Linford, frequently meetings of local organisations, such as a “Conservative smoking concert” held at The Nags Head in May 1904 in connection with the North Bucks Conservative Association. Smoking concerts were usually live performances of music, to a men-only audience, who would puff away at pipe, cigarette, and cigar, while talking politics. It certainly paints an evocative picture of a night at The Nags Head, especially compared to the modern-day prohibition against smoking in public places. Other examples include a fishing association dinner at The Wharf Inn in October 1910, and a Whist drive held at The Black Horse in August 1946 in aid of the Buckinghamshire Association of the Blind. Pubs of course continue to be important focal points for the community, a tradition that The Nags Head and The Black horse Inn continue to observe until this very day. To explore the individual history of the pubs in Great Linford, click here.
The Nags Head, Black Horse and Wharf Inn were all centres of sporting activities, and either by chance or design tended to become associated with specific disciplines. The Nags Head regularly hosted winning darts teams, and does so to this very day, while the Wharf Inn attracted the cricketers of the village. As for The Black Horse, this was the centre of the hunting fraternities, including hosting from around 1953 the Bucks otter hound kennels. For a history of sport in the village, including the Bucks otter hounds, click here.
Business was also conducted at pubs, with sales often convened to sell things like local produce such as wood and even auctions for houses, so for instance we find a notice in the Northampton Mercury of November 28th, 1829, announcing the sale of a substantial stone-built dwelling house, with pigsties newly erected, on the street and in the occupation of Mr C. Penn. This would be Charles Penn and the house in question number 14 on the High Street. The auction was to take place on Thursday December 3rd, between 5pm and 6pm at The Nags Head. It is fascinating to imagine bids being shouted out as the house went under the hammer. More mundanely, an advertisement placed in the Bucks Herald of January 23rd, 1858, announced a sale of Elm, Ash and Popular timber trees, also to be held at The Nags Head. The Nags Head seems to have been the pub of choice to host business transactions, but we do find examples at The Black Horse and Wharf Inn, such as a sale of “two ricks of well-gotten meadow hay” offered for auction at the former in April 1888 and two boats for sale, moored by The Wharf Inn in 1803.
We also find many examples of special events being held in the pubs of Great Linford, frequently meetings of local organisations, such as a “Conservative smoking concert” held at The Nags Head in May 1904 in connection with the North Bucks Conservative Association. Smoking concerts were usually live performances of music, to a men-only audience, who would puff away at pipe, cigarette, and cigar, while talking politics. It certainly paints an evocative picture of a night at The Nags Head, especially compared to the modern-day prohibition against smoking in public places. Other examples include a fishing association dinner at The Wharf Inn in October 1910, and a Whist drive held at The Black Horse in August 1946 in aid of the Buckinghamshire Association of the Blind. Pubs of course continue to be important focal points for the community, a tradition that The Nags Head and The Black horse Inn continue to observe until this very day. To explore the individual history of the pubs in Great Linford, click here.
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