An old form of the address is 5 High Street, Spitalfields. The pub was established by 1760, was still present in 1968, but was gone before 1983. **
Spitalfields index
A listing of historical public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels in Spitalfields, London.
![Blue Coat Boy, 5 High Street, Spitalfields [Norton Folgate] - rebuilt about 1958](BlueCoatBoy.gif)
Blue Coat Boy, 5 High Street, Spitalfields [Norton Folgate] - rebuilt about 1958
Kindly provided by Vivian
Residents at this address
1764/James Wood/../../../Survey of London **
1806/Mr Skagg, Bluecoat Boy, Norton Falgate/../../London Brewery 1806 customer for supplying the public with genuine malt liquor
1827/Joseph Battey/../../../Licensed Victuallers Association
1833-34/Joseph Pegrum Batty/../../../Pigots Directory
1839/Richard Edwards/../../../Pigots Directory **
1841/Rd Edwards/../../../Post Office Directory
1842/Charles B Widgery/../../../Robsons Directory **
1843/John Bailey/../../../Post Office Directory
May 1852/George Tarbath/ Outgoing Licensee /../../The Era
May 1852/William Lloyd/ Incoming Licensee /../../The Era
1855/Henry Ely / Outgoing Licensee /../../The Era, Sunday 15 July 1855 **
1855/Edward Austin / Incoming Licensee /../../The Era, Sunday 15 July 1855
**
1861/Edward Austin/Victualler/62/Canterbury, Kent/Census
1861/Sarah Austin/Wife/58/Canterbury, Kent/Census
1861/Henry Pain/Barman/27/Hackney, Middlesex/Census
1861/Louisa Mann/Barmaid/20/London/Census
1861/Hannah Carroly/General Servant/28/Ireland/Census
March 1862/Edwin Austin/ Outgoing Licensee /../../Era
March 1862/George Davies/ Incoming Licensee /../../Era
May 1862/Edward Austin/Outgoing Licensee/../../East London Observer +
May 1862/James Davies/Incoming Licensee/../../East London Observer +
May 1863/George Davies/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era
May 1863/John James Crellin/Incoming Licensee/../../Era
1869/John James Crellin/../../../Post Office Directory
September 1870/John James Crellin/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era Newspaper
September 1870/Elizabeth Crellin, administratrix of John James Crellin, late
occupier/Incoming Licensee/../../Era Newspaper
1872/Mrs Elizabeth Crellin/../../../P.O. Directory **
1874/Elizabeth Crellin/../../../H.D. Miles London & Suburban Licensed
Victuallers' Directory **
1881/Elizabeth Crellin/Licensed Victualler, Widow/44/St Dominick,
Cornwall/Census
1881/A C W Crellin/Son, Licensed Victualler/28/St Dominick, Cornwall/Census
1881/Elizabeth Crellin/Daughter/26/St Lukes, London, Middlesex/Census
1881/Sarah M Crellin/Daughter/22/Hackney, Middlesex/Census
1881/Josephine Crellin/Daughter/17/Norton Folgate, Middlesex/Census
1881/Alfred T Crellin/Son, Clerk/15/Norton Folgate, Middlesex/Census
1881/Joseph R Crellin/Son/13/Norton Folgate, Middlesex/Census
1881/James Crellin/Son/11/Norton Folgate, Middlesex/Census
1884/Elizabeth Crellin/../../../Post Office Directory
1886/Elizabeth Crellin/../../../Business Directory of London **
1891/Charles Pratt/../../../Post Office Directory
1910/Edward Washington Roe/../../../Post Office Directory
1912/Charles White/../../../P.O. Directory **
1914/Hy Geo Gill/../../../Post Office Directory
1921/Herres Lux/../../../Post Office Directory
My Grandfather was Samuel Webb who came over from the Isle of Man after the Great War with his wife May Webb and three sons, Sam, Eric and Denis.
The pub was sold by him in 1947. Sometime after this it was demolished and rebuilt. It now no longer exists. In the war when it was propped up with flying shores, I was told this was because the excavation for the
tube before the Second World War had caused subsidence. ***
1923/S Webb/../../../BT Telephone Directory [Bishopsgate 1545]
1924/S Webb/../../../BT Telephone Directory [Bishopsgate 1545]
1926/S Webb/../../../BT Telephone Directory [Bishopsgate 1545]
1934/Samuel Webb/../../../Kellys Directory
1935/S Webb/../../../BT Telephone Directory [Bishopsgate 1545]
At 5 Norton Folgate, Spitalfields in the 1939 register are :
Samuel Webb, Licensed Victualler, born 08 Sep 1883
May Webb, Assistant Licensed Victualler, born 06 Jul 1890
Denis Buckly Webb, Assistant Licensed Victualler, born 30 May 1920
Evelyn Boyne, Domestic Servant, born 27 Feb 1891
1940/Samuel Webb/../../../P.O. Directory **
1944/Samuel Webb/../../../Post Office Directory
My cousin, Samuel Webb, added some detail about both of our father's occupancy of the Bluecoat Boy pub when young, whilst their father - also Samuel Webb - was the owner/ licensee from 1923 (ish) to 1947. Both our fathers worked there for the family before the Second World War. ***
The street of Norton Folgate has undergone some changes of name and extent over time, but one thing I do remember my father talking about is that they had different licensing hours to those of The Primrose across the road on the corner of Primrose Street.
This was because The Primrose was in London E1, but The Bluecoat Boy, even though at 5 Norton Folgate, was across the boundary in the City, EC2. The Primrose could therefore call time 30 minutes after the Bluecoat Boy.
So, each night when time was called in the family's pub, our Bluecoat clients had a tendency to decant across to the Primrose to continue to sup!
For which reason our lot hated the Primrose! ***
+ Provided by Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park
** Provided By Stephen Harris
*** Provided By Sam Webb and Peter Webb