The Angel Inn, Alnwick: A History

This poster, announcing the auction of Alnwick properties, was one of several thousand items belong to an Alnwick firm of solicitors, Dickson, Archer and Thorp, which are now held at the Northumberland Archives. When I first saw the poster I was intrigued and decided to try and discover the history of the inn, as I knew that it no longer existed. Could the Angel Inn have been a coaching inn? If so, it could have an intriguing story.

 

Angel Inn Auction Poster. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT

Cockfights and Innkeepers

The starting point of my research was a search of local newspapers prior to the date of the auction. Each search took me further back in time, with the earliest being an announcement of lost property in the Newcastle Courant, published on the 22nd October 1726;

 “Lost in Newcastle, or upon the road between that place and Morpeth, last Tuesday afternoon, a sack with three Holland shirts in it, two of them ruffled, the other a plain one, all of them marked in the neck, with the letters ‘J.G.’ whoever brings them to Widdow Greys at the Angel in Alnwick, to Mrs Smith at the post house in Morpeth, or to the printer of this paper, shall be well rewarded for their trouble.”

 This announcement gave me the name of the innkeeper of the Angel Inn, a widowed lady called Grey. Another published issue of the Newcastle Courant, on the 3rd June 1727, confirmed the owner of the Angel Inn to be Mrs Grey when it ran an article about the forthcoming horse races that were due to be held on Alnwick Town Moor. After listing the details of each race it stated that, on the morning of each race day, there would be “cock fighting at Mrs. Margaret Grey’s at the sign of the Angel.” Prize money for each ‘battle’ was to be two guineas [£2 and 10 pence] and forty guineas [£42] for the main battle. Both of these articles, and my later findings, confirmed my thoughts that the Angel Inn was indeed a coaching inn. Margaret Grey died in December 1730 and was buried in St Michael’s churchyard, Alnwick on the 19th December.

After the death of Mrs Grey, the Angel was taken over by a Daniel Craster. The 22nd May 1731 publication of the Newcastle Courant announced details of the horse racing to be held and that entries for the ‘Sheriff’s Plate’ race were to be submitted at ‘Mr. Daniel Craster’s, at the sign of  the Angel, on Thursday 8th Day of July’. Daniel continued to run the inn until late 1734. The Newcastle Courant dated the 22nd November, advertised that the Angel Inn was to be let immediately or from May 1735. The offer was taken up instantly by a Mr. Cooper Wheeler who ran the following announcement in the next issue of the Courant:

This is to give Notice to all Gentlemen, and Others, traveling to and from North-Britain, that the Angel in Alnwick, a well accustomed Inn, formerly kept by Mr Craister, is not taken by Mr Cooper Wheeler, from the Bull and White Hart in Newcastle upon Tyne, where all Travellers may have suitable Conveniency, and good Usage.”

Cooper Wheeler continued to run the Angel, and hosting cockfights, until his death in July 1745. He was buried at St Michael’s on the 10th July.

After the death of Mr Wheeler, the inn was tenanted by Mr Charles Wilson who continued to provide the same services as previous innkeepers until his own death on the 2nd June 1749. He was buried at St Michael’s on the 4th June. The tenancy of the Angel was taken on by his widow Catherine Wilson, but ended when she died suddenly on the 30th September 1749. She was buried at St Michael’s on the 2nd October.

The next innkeeper of the Angel Inn was a Mr James Robertson who ran several announcements in the Newcastle Courant to inform travellers that he was continuing to provide hospitality and stabling. James was also a ‘surveyor of land’ and ran an announcement in the Newcastle Courant in July 1755:

A         L          N         W        I           C         K

JAMES ROBERTSON, SURVEYOR OF LAND

Having been brought up to that Business, and had much Experience therein, under his Father, and in his own Practice for himself, humbly begs Leave to acquaint all NOBLEMEN, GENTLEMEN &c. who have Lands to survey, lay out, or divide, that they may have such Business carefully and accurately done, and neatly planned, at very moderate Prices.

By their obedient Servant,                                      JAMES ROBERTSON

N.B. The said JAMES ROBERTSON keeps the ANGEL INN, in Alnwick aforesaid, where Noblemen, Gentlemen, &c. who please to make Use of his House, may be assured of good Accomodations

From their obedient Servant.

 As you can see, he also announced that he ‘keeps the Angel Inn in Alnwick’ as well.

Joseph Turnbull

Nothing more has been found on James, but it is known that he was no longer the innkeeper of the Angel Inn by November 1760 as the Courant yet again ran an announcement on the 22nd November to say that a Mr Joseph Turnbull was the new innkeeper. This announcement is shown below.

J    O      S        E       P         H         T          U         R         N         B         U        L          L

Late Servant to the Right Honourable the Earl and Countess of Northumberland;

Having fitted up the ANGEL INN, Alnwick, Northumberland, with new Furniture, &c. begs the Continuance of the former Customers; and all who are pleased to favour the said Inn, may depend upon being accommodated in the genteelest Manner, by

Their most obedient humble servant,

JOS TURNBULL

N.B Neat Four-wheel’d Post-chaifes, able Horses, and careful Drivers, on the least Notice.

As you can see in the announcement, he declares that he was ‘late servant to the Right Honourable Earl and Countess of Northumberland’. This statement was intriguing and after research it was found that Joseph was a noted player of the Northumbrian pipes and in 1756 had been appointed ‘Piper to the Countess of Northumberland’. A portrait of Joseph hangs in Alnwick Castle with a copy held by the Morpeth bagpipe museum. The Newcastle Courant dated the 16th October 1773 also reported that on Wednesday, 6th October 1773, ‘his Grace, the Duke of Northumberland, and Earl Percy, dined along with the Justices for the County of Northumberland, at the Angel Inn in Alnwick, and next day, the Justices, Grand Jury, Gentlemen of the Law, etc., dined at the castle with his Grace.’

In addition to providing hospitality to travellers Joseph carried on with the tradition of hosting cock fights, and announcing these in the Newcastle Courant:

To be  F         O         U         G         H         T          for,

At Mr Joseph Turnbull’s Pit, at the Angel Inn, at Alnwick, on Monday the third of May next; ONE HUNDRED POUNDS, by Stags, four Pounds, two OUNCES the highest.

On Tuesday the fourth of May, ONE HUNDRED POUNDS, by Cocks, four Pounds four Ounces the highest.

On Wednesday the fifth of May, ONE HUNDRED POUNDS, by Cocks, Stags, and Blenkards, four Pounds four Ounces the highest; to weigh and enter on the Saturday before.

On the 9th April 1775, Joseph died as a result of falling off his horse and fracturing his skull. He was buried at St Michael’s on the 12th April, the same day that his newly born daughter, Sarah, was baptised.

It isn’t known who looked after the running of the inn immediately after Joseph’s death, it may have been his widow, Elizabeth. What is known is that the next innkeeper of the Angel was a Mr John Dodd but this appears to have been a temporary appointment as the tenancy of the Angel was offered the following year. A description of the inn appeared in a ‘to let’ announcement in the Newcastle Courant of the 21st September 1776. The inn is described as “consisting of two large dining rooms, fifteen other fire rooms, two exceeding good cellars, a convenient brew-house, and brewing utensils, stabling for above thirty horses, a chaise-house, a garden, and other conveniences.”

In response to the vacancy announcement a local man, Thomas Bell, applied and was granted the tenancy of the Angel. He and his wife, Mary, carried on providing hospitality to travellers until he died on the 12th April 1784. He was laid to rest at St Michael’s on the 15th April. Mary, his widow, continued as innkeeper. By November 1787, a ‘to let’ announcement appeared in the Newcastle Courant for someone to take over the tenancy as from the 12th May 1788. Research has failed to find anything concerning who took over the tenancy in 1788 but an announcement in the Newcastle Courant dated the 5th June 1790 shows “The creditors of Mr Robert Smart ……. are requested to meet at the house of Andrew Henderson, known by the sign of the Angel, in Alnwick.” Mr Henderson may well have taken the tenancy as from May 1788 but research has failed to confirm this. Various announcements in the Courant record that he was still the innkeeper in July 1791.

The next known innkeeper was a Thomas Salkeld but the date when he took over isn’t known. Research has found an announcement in the Courant dated the 14th March 1795, which states that there will be a public auction “at the house of Mr Thomas Salkeld, the Angel Inn, Alnwick.” The Courant carried further announcements in the years to follow showing that Thomas was the Angel’s innkeeper until George Coxon took over in 1805. The Newcastle Courant dated the 6th July of that year announced that he had taken over the Angel Inn “lately occupied by Mr Thomas Salkeld.” The announcement went on to say “that he assures those who may favour him with their support that no endeavour shall be wanting on his part to render the accommodation agreeable.” George Coxon continued to be the licensee of the Angel until Whitsun, 1814 when he took over the nearby Star Inn. He placed an announcement in the 1st June 1814 issue of the London Courier and Evening Gazette in which he thanked clients and friends for their custom whilst he occupied the Angel Inn.

Edward Cummings

An auction announcement in the Tyne Mercury, Northumberland and Durham and Cumberland Gazette, published on the 16th May 1815, tells us the name of the owner of the Angel Inn at this time. He was an Alnwick merchant called James Elder who had earlier been declared bankrupt, hence the sale of his property and goods. The second sale lot was the Angel Inn and the announcement read; “Lot 2nd. All that well frequented inn adjoining Lot 1, called the Angel Inn, now in the occupation of Mr. Edward Cummings, under a lease for seven years from Whitsuntide 1814.” The inn was described as “consisting of three parlours, a kitchen and a bar on the ground floor, with a cellar below part of the same, a dining room, a large pantry, four lodging rooms on the first floor and five lodging rooms on the attic storey. Also a brew house, five stables with hay and corn lofts above, a yard and a large building formerly used as a cock pit and now partly fitted up as a stable.”

Edward Cummings purchased the inn for the sum of £1005. With the purchase he became the owner as well as the innkeeper of the Angel Inn. It is known from the Dickson Archer and Thorp collection that Edward Cummings had borrowed money to effect the purchase, including borrowing £600 by way of a mortgage from a Joseph Nicholson.

A town map of Alnwick by John Wood, published in 1827, clearly shows the location of the Angel Inn, Edward’s new property, on the town’s Fenkle Street. A portion of the map is shown below.

A map showing the location of the Angel Inn, 1827

In addition to the inn, Edward was also one of the proprietors of a coach service known as ‘The Wonder Coach’ which ran between Berwick and Newcastle on a daily basis.

Edward continued to own and run the Angel until his death in June 1838, he was buried in St Michael’s churchyard on the 19th June. William Gibb, one of Edward’s executors and also an agent for Edward’s bank, placed an announcement in the Newcastle Journal on the 21st July 1838 that the Angel Inn was to be let with immediate effect. Applications had to be submitted to Mr Gibb by the 24th July. The successful applicant was George Adcock who previously worked as a cook at the Queen’s Head Inn, Newcastle. George ran the Angel until May 1840. The Newcastle Journal, published on the 7th March, announced that the proprietor of the Angel Inn, Mr John Clark was seeking a new tenant to take over the inn at Whitsuntide.

The cover letter found with Mary Cummings’ Last Will and Testimony (wife of Edward Cummings) REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT

Auctions and Bids

This new tenant was a local man called William Archbold, as confirmed by both the 1841 and 1851 Census records. William continued to run the Angel until his death on the 10th January 1853. He was buried in St Michael’s churchyard on the 12th January. His widow, Elizabeth, continued as innkeeper until a William Elliott took over circa September 1855.

William Elliot was taken to court in March 1856, as the Alnwick Mercury dated 1st April records “William Elliott of the Angel Inn, Alnwick, was fined thirty shillings (£1 – 50 pence) for selling beer in his house before half past 12 o’clock in the forenoon of Sunday, the same not being as refreshment to travellers.” Looking at the 1861 Census, it is found that William was still the innkeeper of the Angel. Intense research has failed to find any further information between 1861 and 1869, it is possible that William Elliott continued as innkeeper of the Angel.

The Alnwick Mercury, published on the 15th May 1869, announced that John White, previous the innkeeper of the nearby Half Moon Inn, had taken over the tenancy of the Angel. In the following month the Angel Inn, the Angel Brewery and two other properties were put up for auction. The auction poster confirmed that John White was the innkeeper of the Angel. The auction was held on the 23rd June at the nearby Star Inn. The successful bidder for both the inn and the brewery was a local man called William Patterson. He paid £605 for the Angel Inn and £555 for the Angel Brewery. Mr Patterson retained John White as the innkeeper. December 1873 saw various newspapers announcing that the Angel Inn and brewery were to be let again and applications were to be submitted to his solicitors, Messrs Dickson of Dickson Archer and Thorp. The successful applicant was the current innkeeper, John White.

Landlords and Landladies

February 1876 saw the Angel Inn and Brewery once more put up for sale. The Alnwick Mercury published on the 12th February announced that both were to be sold by private contract. Offers in writing were to be received by W. & W. Dickson, Solicitors, by the 26th February. The new owner of the Angel was a Ralph Watson of Morpeth. By Whitsuntide, the Angel had a new innkeeper called Mary Ann Ross. She had replaced John White who had moved to the Blue Bell Inn. However, Mary Ann did not stay long, in May 1878, the licence was transferred from her to Charles Crawford, who had been the innkeeper of the Mason’s Arms.

On the 4th October 1879, Charles found himself in front of the Alnwick magistrates, the charge against him was “permitting drunkenness on his licensed premises on Wednesday, 3rd September last.” After hearing the evidence, the magistrates found the case proven and Charles was fined £5 and ordered to pay costs. Orders were also given that his licence should be endorsed.

Ralph Watson, the owner of the Angel, died on the 12th May 1879. His two sons, Ralph and George William Watson were his executors and eventually they put the Angel up for auction once more. The Alnwick Mercury published on the 8th January 1881 carried an announcement that the Angel was to be sold by public auction on the 13th January. The inn was described as “consists of a large bar, two rooms, two kitchens and other conveniences on ground floor, with six good rooms above. Connected therewith is very extensive cellarage and ample stabling.” The successful bidder and new owner of the Angel was George Stott Smart, a master brewer and wines and spirits merchant who had premises on Clayport Street.

By the 12th May 1881, the Angel had yet another change of innkeeper, his name was James Gowenlock and his tenure was for four years. In the 21st March 1885 issue of the Alnwick Mercury, George Smart announced that he was seeking a new innkeeper.

The successful applicant and new innkeeper was John Forster who took over on the 12th May. The first mention of John Forster as the Angel’s licensee was in the Alnwick Mercury dated the 11th July 1885 which reported on a court case against a Thomas Wakenshaw who had refused to leave the Angel when asked to do so by John Forster. It was alleged that Wakenshaw had drunk twenty five glasses of ale. Wakenshaw was found guilty and fined twenty shillings (£1). If he failed to pay his fine he was to serve fourteen days in prison.

Watered Whiskey

It is not known how long John Forster remained at the Angel but at some stage a Robert Wilson became the landlord and remained as such until William Anderson took over. The transfer of licence between Wilson and Anderson was granted by the magistrates on the 3rd August 1889.

The Morpeth Herald newspaper dated the 25th October 1890 revealed that William Anderson had been in front of the Alnwick magistrates on the 18th October. The charge against him was that on the 23rd September 1890, he sold watered down whisky. Reading the report, it would appear that there had been some concerns that this had being going on for some time. The report states ‘William Anderson, innkeeper, Angel Inn, Alnwick, was summoned for selling one pint of whisky which was adulterated with 30.3% underproof of water to Police Superintendent Rutherford’. The report goes on to say that Anderson offered the whisky from a bottle but the superintendent requested that it was to be sold from the barrel. When given the whisky, for which he paid two shillings for (10 pence), Superintendent Rutherford told Anderson that it was going to be sent for analysis. He then divided the whisky into three, one part was given to Anderson, one part retained by Rutherford and the third part was sent to the county analyst. The analysis proved that the whisky had been watered down by 30.7%. The charge was proven with Anderson fined twenty shillings (£1) and ordered to pay costs of ten shillings and sixpence (521/2 pence) and the analyst’s fee, also ten shillings and sixpence. During his appearance in court, Anderson told the magistrates “I have not taken over £3 pound a week, so I cannot do a very big trade. In fact, I am leaving the house through that.”

It would appear that Anderson left the Angel soon after with his replacement being a Robert Anderson. The 1891 Census confirms that Robert was indeed the Angel’s innkeeper as does an entry in the 1894 edition of Kelly’s Directory for Northumberland.

At an unknown date a John Wright became the landlord of the Angel and at the Alnwick Petty Sessions held on the 2nd May 1896, the licence was transferred to a James Armstrong who was described as a miner from Radcliffe.

A Final Chapter

When George Smart, the Angel’s owner, died on the 23rd January 1895 his widow, Jane Ann, became the owner. In addition to the Angel Inn, Jane Ann Smart also owned the Robin Hood Inn which was also on Fenkle Street. In September 1899, she applied to the Alnwick Brewster Sessions for the licences of the Angel Inn and the Robin Hood Inn to be removed and merged into one and to be granted to the premises immediately adjoining the Robin Hood. The reasons that she gave was that she wished to provide a small hotel to cyclists and tourists to Alnwick who could not afford to stay at the better class hotels in Alnwick. Despite objections from a number of people, including the owners of the nearby Nag’s Head Hotel and the Star Hotel, the magistrates granted Jane Ann’s application.

Due to Jane Ann’s plans, the Angel Inn closed its doors for the very last time sometime in 1900 and ended over 200 years as a coaching inn.

 

This piece has been researched and produced by a volunteer working on the Dickson, Archer and Thorp Project. We would like to thank him for his work.

Ann Wilson – Widow, Pauper and Eloping Lover

The Poor and the Law

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries local parishes were made responsible for the care of paupers within their jurisdiction. This care was given in the form of poor relief legislated by a series of ‘Poor Laws;’ the most notable being the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act. The concept of poor relief was a controversial one, attracting numerous critics. One its major flaws related to the notion of ‘settlement.’ Parishes naturally resented paying for paupers whom had originated beyond their jurisdiction, and would often try to forcibly return them to their ‘home’ parishes. Yet the fluid nature of society, especially during the industrial revolution, made it increasingly hard to prove where a “pauper” should be placed. Thus solicitors, such as the Dickson, Archer and Thorp firm, were often called upon to resolve settlement disputes.

This exact issue arose in September 1853 when two Overseers of the Poor from the parish of Saint Nicholas, situated within Newcastle Upon Tyne, began legal proceedings to forcibly remove two “paupers” from their jurisdiction. These Overseers signed themselves in the removal order as Sir John Fife and William Armstrong. The order directed the “paupers” to be moved into the northern parish of Bamburgh. Although it is not clear from archival documents as to why Bamburgh was chosen it is perhaps telling that Bamburgh’s own Overseers of the Poor fiercely disputed the removal order and so employed the legal aid of Dickson, Archer and Thorp.

Widowed Paupers

The two “paupers” facing removal from the parish of Saint Nicholas in September 1853 were the widow Ann Wilson, aged just 25, and her daughter Elizabeth, aged about two years. Sending widows away from a parish of settlement, previously adopted by their deceased spouses, was a common occurrence in nineteenth century Northumberland. The process often caused heart-breaking social and economic turmoil, as vulnerable women were removed from established networks of friends and family and placed in often unfamiliar areas without obvious employment or emotional support.

 

Order to remove Ann Wilson to Bamburgh 1853. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT

 

It is therefore unsurprising that the potential move was also sternly opposed by Ann herself. Ann had already faced the stigma of possibly welcoming a child out of wedlock, braved her employer’s wrath to elope with her lover and tragically endured early widowhood – clearly she was not a woman who would be moved easily. Thus, whilst her experience of parish poor relief could be deemed atypical of a nineteenth century Northumbrian widow, her situation was far more complex and it made fighting the order a matter of survival and reputation.

Young Lovers

Ann was the daughter of a sailor, named in legal documents as Henry Pryle Gibson. He was recorded in ejectment proceedings as living near Forth Banks, close to Newcastle’s Quayside, but in Ann’s personal testimony he seems to have had little to do with her life.

Instead Ann had spent the majority of her youth working as a domestic servant. In this occupation she had spent almost 3 years living in Newton on the Moor whilst working for the publican-come-blacksmith Mr Wall. In her testimony, given to prove she had been legally married to her deceased husband, she tenderly recalled how it was during her first few weeks in Newton on the Moor that she met the colliery engine-man James Wilson.

 

Copy of James Wilson’s baptism certificate, produced as evidence of his existence. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT

 

The young couple began a three year courtship which reached a decisive point when Ann became pregnant in the beginning of 1851. To have maintained a child out of wedlock would have put great financial pressure and reputational shame upon Ann; probably forcing her to give up domestic employment and seek the support of parish organisations. Thus, probably to avoid moral judgement, the young couple decided to elope to the Scottish borders and resolve their situation legally.

The Legality of Love

Marriages conducted by eloping couples on the border were clandestine in the eyes of the Church, this made them notoriously hard to prove in retrospect. Ann’s account of her elopement is lengthy, witty and fast-paced. It was recorded verbatim by the solicitors and had been carefully crafted to prove the legality of her marriage and, in turn, the legitimacy of Elizabeth – two facts which the Newcastle Overseers had questioned. Being a legal widow, and having a legitimate child, would have put Ann in a much stronger position to fight the parish removal order and lift the reputational slur the men of Saint Nicholas’ parish had placed on her. Ann’s account was also verified by a number of witnesses including her mother-in-law (even though her testimony infers that she may not have wholly approved of her new daughter-in-law.)

 

A letter containing extracts of Ann Wilson’s statement. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT

 

According to these accounts Ann and James eloped to the Scottish border on the 6th June 1851, travelling via train from Newcastle to Berwick. Once at Tweedmouth Station they met with the man who was to marry them; Anderson Sommerville. Sommerville first took the lovers by horse drawn carriage to a public house in search of witnesses; here they met George Dobson and George Davison. The latter was a soldier tasked with recruiting in Berwick that day. The group then moved onto the Lamberton toll booth to conduct the ceremony.

The Lamberton toll house was a popular place for clandestine marriages. One of Lamberton’s previous toll keepers, John Foster, had even received lifetime banishment from Scotland for conducting clandestine marriages on his land in 1818. This punishment had little effect though, as Foster primarily lived in England and he would often ignore the notice anyway.

Within the toll house the Wilson’s were taken to a room with a table, bottle of whiskey and a prayer book. It was in this room where they exchanged their vows and signed the relevant documentation. After the brief ceremony all five drank a toast of whiskey to the marriage’s prosperity which was, unfortunately, to be short-lived.

Hanover Street and a New Start

Ann clearly thought she had embarked upon a whole new, exciting life following her elopement. When the couple returned to Northumberland it would appear James returned to Newton on the Moor, to tie up the loose ends left behind by their hasty departure, he then followed Ann down to Newcastle where she had found them a home in the city’s Hanover Street.

It was here that Ann gave birth to their daughter Elizabeth, on the 28th September 1851. But sadly, around the same time, James died following a short illness.

James’ death left Ann with a young child to feed and care for. It was during this painful, and probably traumatic, experience she found herself seeking poor relief from parish officials. Evidence also suggests she was possibly forced out of her new home. These circumstances therefore assembled to bring her to the attention of senior parish officials, whom questioned her marriage and associated right to remain in the area, and set in motion the removal order.

A Legal Success

Proving Ann Wilson’s right to settle in Saint Nicholas’ parish was dependent upon her having been legally married to her husband, however this was difficult to evidence due to the secret nature of their union. Nonetheless, through tireless county and cross-border investigation, solicitors at the Dickson, Archer and Thorp practice were able to successfully evidence an appeal against the removal order on behalf of Bamburgh’s Overseers of the Poor and prove the authenticity of a small marriage certificate, given to Ann on her wedding day. Officials from the parish of Saint Nicholas eventually revoked their removal order and Ann and Elizabeth appear to have found somewhere within Newcastle to stay.

 

Letter adjoining the Appeal notice accepted by all parties. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT

 

Ann had asserted her right to remain within the Newcastle Parish, but it is unlikely she would have had the tools to fight the removal order on her own had she not also had the support of Bamburgh’s parish officials. Hence this is a story of two parties working simultaneously with the solicitors – if only for their own gains.

A final triumph for the unyielding Ann, and an appropriate end to this blog, potentially occurred on the 7th October 1854. When an Elizabeth Wilson, recorded as being the daughter of an ‘Ann Wilson” and born towards the end of 1851, was christened at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle.