Title
The Horne Lane Brewery
Site of the brewery
The site of what is now the brewery was, in the early 18th century,
largely in the hands of the Battisons, a leading Bedford family of coal
merchants, riverside sites being in demand for the coal-trade after the
opening of the river to navigation. It is curious that the first two
documents reveal a Wells connected with the neighbourhood at this time.
This Wells disappears from sight almost at once, as in 1744 the cottage
which while alive he had occupied was bought (no.9) by Robert Battison,
son of Thomas Battison. Robert Battison married Laetitia Durham, and
inherited from his mother-in-law two other cottages in Horne Lane (no.5).
He left no children, and the property eventually passed to his sisters,
Mary Cawne and Elizabeth Gregory. It included a malthouse to let John
Palmer (no.14), while the messuage and wharf which he himself had
occupied were apparently let, after his death, to William Theed, coal
merchant. This malthouse occupied by John Palmer is the first indication
we get of maltmaking in the neighbourhood; in 1762 it was said that
there was a malthouse, malt-kiln, cistern and chambers. Both Robert
Battison's former messuage and wharf, and the malthouse, were sold in
1762 to the occupying maltster, John Palmer (nos. 24-28); but he resold
the messuage and wharf to the coal merchant, William Theed (nos. 32-33)
The death of Robert Battison's widow, Laetitia, brought into the
market a further portion of Battison property which had been part of her
marriage settlement (nos. 37-38), and this was bought by another coal
merchant, William Watkins. He was already established nearby, sharing
Joseph Barnard a close and 9 cottages near Battison's Ford (no. 39). In
1789 and 1792 Watkins bought up most of what had been Battison property (nos. 37-38, 40-41, 44-47), and in 1798 the cottages and close which he shared with Barnard were divided between them (nos. 48-49). William Watkins was dead by 1811 (no. 50), and in 1818 the property was bought by Stephen Benson.
Though Stephen Benson is in 1818 described as a woolstapler, it was
he who built the brewhouse before 1836 (nos. 61-62, 70), and pulled down
the cottages. In 1836 the property passed to William Johnstone, a
brewer from Bishop's Stortford, and Charles Redden, a draper from Newport
Pagnell, who seem to have been acting for their respective sons,
W.J. Johnstone and F. Redden. These latter built the Harpur Arms public-
house (no. 71). W. J. Johnstone apparently died in 1848, leaving his
interest to his father, who conveyed it to Redden. Redden himself died
soon afterwards, leaving a widow (no. 69).
In 1851 Redden's widow sold her interest to J.A. Piggot and H.C. Wells,
formerly of Chelmsford (no. 71), but Piggot bought out Wells in 1862.
Piggot carried on until 1875, when the firm was put up for sale (no. 73),
described as having been 'for many years successfully conducted' by him.
It was then bought by Charles Wells. At this time the premises are
described as follows: a malthouse, residence, garden and paddock of
nearly 2 acres; brewery buildings comprising a loading-out store, vat or
beer store with loft over, yeast room, tun room and brewhouse with lean-to
sheds adjoining and mill track at end, with mill room over, and the
space occupied by the brweing plant (a 5-quarter mash tun; iron liquor
hop and under backs, coolers, refrigerator, working tuns, pumps, pipes
and cocks; horsewheel, machinery and gear).
Public-houses
At the time of the purchase by Charles Wells there were 35 public-houses
11 in Bedford (of which 6 were freehold), 20 in the county, 1 in Northants.
and 3 in Bucks. About half of these are accounted for by the extant deeds
in the collection; and information about the others is given by the
abstracts of title (nos. 77-79). They had been acquired as follows.
Johnstone and Redden bought the White Horse at Keysoe in 1840 (no. 99); the Blue Boar, afterwards the Gardeners' Arms, Bedford, in 1841 (no. 117); an unnamed public-house at Marston apparently in 1844 (no. 120); the Black Horse at Kempston by 1846 (no. 121); the Fox and Hounds at Clapham in the Golden Pheasant, copyhold, at Biggleswade in 1849 (no. 150); and the Plough at Cranfield (copyhold), at apparently about the same time (no. 159). The Sir John Barleycorn in Well Street, Bedford, was also acquired before 1851 (no. 78).
Piggot and Wells bought the Star at Clapham in 1851 (no. 86); the
Royal Oak at Lidlington in 1853 (no. 170); the leasehold of the Brickground
at Arlesey in 1854 (freehold acquired later; nos. 179-80); the Fleur-de-lis
in Bedford in 1855 (no. 216); the Two Brewers at Clifton, the Nag's Head
at Greenfield, and the Red Lion at Salford in 1858 (nos. 87-88).
Piggot bought a public-house in Water Lane (? the Bell - cf. 89)
Kempston in 1865 (no.236); the Steamer at Aspley Guise in 1866 (no.85);
the Half Moon at Sharnbrook in 1867 (no.255); the Sun, Bedford, in the
same year (no. 268); the Foresters' Arms, Bedford, in 1868 (no.270); and
the New Inn at Shefford in 1871 (no. 93); while no. 94 gives the date of
his leases as follows: 1866 Bedford, the Rifle; 1869 Barford, the Anchor;
1871 Marston, the Exhibition Ground; 1873 a public-house at Flitwick, and
the Locomotive at Wellingborough. With regard to the Bucks. property, he
had acquired the Red House at Wavendon in 1864 (no.287), the Plough at
Newport Pagnall in 1866 (no.340); and the Cock at North Crawley at some
date which does not appear.
Eventually William Belsham is found in possession of the brewery;
and after a brief interval, in which Samuel Whitbread seems to have
had some connection with it, it passed in 1800 to William Long (no.372).
Whittingstall and Long (c.1784-1803)
Since at least 1784 there had been a partnership between the
brothers Henry and James Whittingstall and William Long. Where they
did their brewing does not appear, but the Whittingstalls' new brick
malting in St Paul's parish is mentioned in 1783 (no. 367). During
this time they had steadily acquired public-houses: the White Horse at
Haynes in 1784 (no.449); the Sow and Pigs, Bedford (no.412) and the
Hearse and Horses, Bedford (no.433), and the Cock at Wootton in 1785 (no.465); the Swan with two Necks at Sharnbrook in 1786 (no.478); the Dog and Duck at Stagsden in 1788 (no.495); the Shoulder of Mutton in Well Street, Bedford, in 1789 (no.436); the Six Ringers at Felmersham in 1789 (no.498); the Castle, Bedford, in 1791 (no.437); the Black Swan at Shefford in 1791 (no. 514); the Quart Pot, formerly the Flowing Tankard, at
Kempston in 1800 (no. 530); and before 1803 the Wrestlers in Bedford
(no. 442). Others are mentioned in no. 533: the Red Lion, Bedford;
the Ship, in St. Paul's parish; the Red Lion in St. Loyes; the Black
Horse, Bedford; the Red Lion and Crown at Little Brickhill; and
the White Horse at Yelden.
(Sir) William Long (1803-41)
In 1803 Long (afterwards Sir William Long) bought out James
Whittingstall, Henry Whittingstall having already died. The purchase
deed (no. 533) lists 16 public-houses; and he already had the St. Paul's
Square brewery and the White Horse and adjoining property, which he had
bought in 1800; in both of these the Whittingstalls seem to have had no
share.
Long continued to go ahead. In 1804 he bought the Saracen's Head,
Bedford (no. 534); and the Swan at Radwell (no. 578); in 1818 the
Nag's Head in Well Street (no.544); in 1824 the New Inn at the corner
of Canning Street and Tavistock Street (no. 548); in 1833 a public-house
at Kempston Green End (no. 584; in the following year the Haycock in
Pilcroft Street (no.551); and the New Ship in Conduit Street (no. 555).
In 1837 he bought a public-house at Kempston Wood End (no. 590); and
in 1841 the Swan at Clapham (no. 597). Two others not accounted for
appear in the inventory made at his death (no. 626); the Horse and
Jockey at Ravensden, and the Swan at Goldington. The Swan at Barton
was copyhold (618). He left 28 public-houses.
After Long's death (1841-73)
After Sir William's death (he left three daughters), his son-in-law
Robert Newland seems to have carried on in partnership with a member of
the staff, William Pestell (no. 632), who died in 1856. Some further
additions were made. The Three Tuns in Castle Lane was added in 1849
(no. 557). The Woolpack in Commercial Road was acquired in 1866 by
Bingham Newland (no.604).
It should be noted that where public-houses were leased, it is not
always possible to establish the date of the first connection.
On 11 July 1873 the brewery estate of the late Sir William Long,
consisting of the brewhouse, 28 public-houses (25 freehold, 2 copyhold,
1 leasehold), and some other property, was put up for sale; and on the
same date other public-houses, the property of Captain Bingham Newland
deceased, was also put up; they were to be offered to the purchaser
of the brewery estate.
Other points of interest
The following additional points of interest emerge from the
collection.
Trinity Mill:
nos. 181-217 throw light on the history of the mill
which gave its name to Mill Street. This mill, a horse mill, was on
the south side of what in mediaeval times was called School Street
(B.H.R.S. xxv, 35), and it belonged to the Bedford Fraternity, or
religious guild, which, like others of its kind was dissolved in
the reign of Edward VI. The mill and 6 acres were then valued at
53s. 4d. p.a. (Edwardian Chantry Certificates, p.9). The history of
the property during the next century is given in no.181. It appears
from nos. 182-3 that the mill was still working in 1657; but nos.184-5
seem to indicate that it had ceased by 1697. By the latter date the
name Mill Lane had come into use (superseding the old name of School
Street, which had become a misnomer when the school was transferred
elsewhere by Sir William Harper's refoundation).
A later school:
curiously enough, the documents reveal another
and later school in this street between 1777 and 1836, kept by Thomas
and Samuel Woodward, and then by the Rev. John Whitehouse (nos.201-213).
In 1836 the premises are described as including a building formerly a
schoolhouse, now untenanted.