Abstract of deeds for the Red Lion list in 1730 - "Admission of Samuel Wall". and in 1745- "Admission of Jeffrey French and Jonathan Ewer, upon surrender of Samuel Wall". Then in 18th May 1769 - "Admission of Robert Wood upon surrender of Jeffrey French and Johnathan Ewer". And in 26th May 1774 - "Admission of Thomas Offen upon surrender of Robert Wood.
On the 2nd June 1803 - "Admissiom of Stephen Fryer Gillmens and Mary Offin." By 18th Octoher 1803 - "Surrender by S.F.Gillman to Mr.Edward Ind (of the Ind brewery. Mr. Ind" was admitter on 24th May 1804)."Mr Edward Ind by direction of Mr John Fairchild to Mr.R.H. Crabb."
Absolute surrender of the Red Lion Inn in Billericay in Essex, 22nd September, 1814. "Edward Ind of Romford in the County of Essex brewer and Maria his wife did come before Thomas Frost, Deputy Steward of the same manor ... they the said Edward Ind and his wife Maria did out of court (at the request and by the direction of John Fairchild of the same county, Innholder) who had contracted for the purchase of the said tenement, and in consideration of £600 of lawful money .... the said Edward Ind in him well and truly paid by Mr. Richard Hartley Crabb of Great Baddow in the said County who hath contracted with the said John Fairchild for the purchase of "All that piece or parcel of the messuage or tenement formerly called Merchants and now the Red Lion situate, lying and being in Billericay comprising the Tap Room' with parts of the Bar in a direct line from the street under the principal timber or girder; the pantry or dairy at the end of the house and the passage leading thereto; the two Parlours opposite the tap room door together with the rooms over with staircases, passages etc., and the yard of the Inn at the back of the house, and the stables at the bottom of the yard, and the garden down the lane now enclosed with a pale fence, all now in the occupation of Francis Smith, and to be held distinct from that part to be held as a private house of John Fairchild." The deeds then deal in some detail with rights of way, but these are not particularly relevant, and I do not have space to deal with them here.
On the same date, Mr. Ind surrendered to Mr.Chas. George Parker a chase of land and part of the Red Lion. Apparently, this part of the property (the private house) was to be occupied by John Fairchild, who had been lent £500 by Parker to carry out the purchase. Until the loan was repaid (with 5% interest), the property would be nominally held by Parker. The description of this part of the property is; "Al1 that part or parcel of the Red Lion at Billericay comprising the several rooms and apartments following - the bar parlour including part of the tap room in a direct line from the street under the principal timber or girder, the further room, the kitchen, the wine cellar, the passage leading to the kitchen, the cellar, together with the several Chambers, Rooms, or Apartments situate and being immediately over any of the rooms before mentioned, also the yard, back yard, and 3 stables, and also that yard called the stack yard, and a build- ing called the Mill House in the aame yard, and the coach house situate in the same yard."
In December, 1814, Mr.R. H.Crabb leased the Inn portion of the building to Fairchild on the condition that he purchased all beer etc. from Crabb (proprietor of the Baddow Brewery).
All this information is important and significant because of the material it gives us about the division of the "Red Lion" into two separate portions. One further note although John Fairchild was occupier of the private house and lesee of the Inn, he was never at any time licensee of the Inn, various licensees occupying it.
Owners in 1615, were Matthew Fletcher & Thomas Monson; in 1706, Samuel Thresher; and circa 1728, Mary Thresher.
Alehouse Recognizances held by the Essex Record Office list Licensees as Abraham Thresher from 1765 to 1772; Mary Thresher from 1775 to 1787; William Hardy 1788 to 1790; Isaac Mazengarb in 1791; John Fletcher in 1792 and 1793: James Bowler from 1794 to 1809; Francis Smith from 1810 to 1814; John Johnson in 1815: Mary Greatex in 1816; Anthony Thompson in 1817; Sarah Thompson from 1818 to 1823; James Thompson from 1824 to 1837; and directories list John Cross in 1839; Richard Mumford from 1845 to 1859; Thomas Hunt in 1867; Thomas Sides from 1870 to 1890; Eliz. Ann Sides in 1895; Alfred Hedge long in 1899; William Francis Butcher from 1902 & 1896: Fras. Hy. Buckingham 1908 & 1914; William Garrett & Harold Medcar, 1922; Victor Fuller in 1926; Chas. Morris in 1929.
The Red Lion has a fragment of a fifteenth century house according to the Royal Commission on historic monuments. The eraliest mention is in the Aggas Survey of 1593, and before that it was a private house known as Merchants, possibly connected with Flemish merchants who lived in Billericay.
The Red Lion was the venue of the Court Leet held annually in Whitsun week, where the business of the Manor was dealt with. The Court Leet continued until 1912 when it was responsible for considerable merrymaking and banqueting in the town.
Up until the 19th century, what is now Nix's formed part of the Red Lion. The Midland Bank site was also owned by the innholder, and may have been staff accommodation.
In the early 18th Century, the Red Lion was the property of the Thresher family, a great family of innholders. In 1706, the owner of the Red Lion, Samuel Thresher, also owned the White Lyon and the Royal Oak, at South Green, as well as other property in the High street, at South Green and Great Burstead. Abraham Thresher owned the Hoe Inn.
During the 18th Century, the Red Lion was no doubt the premier Inn in Billericay, and the main Coaching Inn from which Coached departed every morning at 7am (except Sundays).
During the 19th century, the Crown and the Sun took a lot of this Coaching trade. The Red Lion was acquired by a firm of brewers in 1804, who were more interested in selling their product rather than accommodation for coach travellers. In 1814, the property was acquired by the Baddow Brewery, and divided into two, with the portion which is later Nix's being a private house. This portion also included three stables, a coach house and several bedrooms.
Later in the 19th century after the closure of the original Crown, the Red Lion became known as a Commercial Hotel. The Red LIon still stands today, and it is its concrete facia, which sadly conceals the original brickwork and timber.
Shown on the 1831 Greenwoods Billericay map .
Billericay pub history index
A listing of historical public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels in Essex.
Red Lion, High Street, Billericay - in 1932
11th August 2002
Taken by Stephen Parker
Red Lion, Billericay
Kindly provided by Terry
Residents at this address
The licensee in 1769 was recorded on the Alehouse Recognizances as Abraham Thresher, at the Red Lion.
The licensee in 1772 was also recorded on the Alehouse Recognizances as Abraham Thresher, at the Red Lion.
The licensee in 1806 was also recorded on the Alehouse Recognizances as James Bowles, at the Red Lion.
1822/Mary Thompson/../../../Pigots**
1823-4/Mary Thompson/../../../Pigots
1828/James Thompson/Licensee/../../Alehouse Recognizances*
1828-9/Susan Thompson/../../../Pigots
1832-3/James Thompson/../../../Pigots
1839/John Cross/Horse & Gig Owner/../../Pigots
1841/Richard Mumford/30/builder/Essex/Census ***
1841/Mary Mumford/wife/25/Essex/Census
1841/Betsy Alexander/female servant/20/Essex/Census
1841/Mary Cox/female servant/15/Essex/Census
1841/John Savill/male servant/15/Essex/Census
1841/Amaziah Abraham/tailor/20/not Essex/Census
1841/Enoch Boswell/carpenter/25/not Essex/Census
1841/Thomas Beal/soldier/25/not Essex/Census
1841/George Everett/gardener/20/Essex/Census
1845/Richard Mumford/../../../Post Office
1848/Richard Mumford/../../../Whites
1851/Richard Mumford/Builder/../../Post Office
1861/Richard Mumford/innkeeper and builder/49/Dunmow, Essex/Census ***
1861/Mary Ann Mumford/wife/47/Thaxted, Essex/Census
1861/Betsy Silversides/general servant/43/Mountnessing, Essex/Census
1861/Solomon Young/servant/15/Billericay, Essex/Census
1862/Richard Mumford/../../../Kellys
1867/Thomas Hunt/../../../Post Office
1870/Thomas Sides/../../../Kellys
1871/Thomas Sides/../../../Post Office
1871/Thomas Sides/innkeeper and land steward/50/Shropshire/Census ***
1871/Elizabeth A Sides/wife/41/Billericay, Essex/Census
1871/Mary Parker/stepdaughter/20/Wandsworth, Surrey/Census
1871/Mary Sides/daughter/15/Rochester, Kent/Census
1871/Ellen M Sides/daughter/10/Corringham, Essex/Census
1871/Ellen Hawkes/domestic servant/21/Springfield, Essex/Census
1871/Frederick J Davis/inn servant/16/Brentwood, Essex/Census
1874/Thomas Sides/../../../Kellys
1878/Thomas Sides/../../../Kellys
1881/Thomas Sides/Licensed Victualler/60/Alderbury, Shropshire/Census
1881/Elizabeth Ann Sides/Wife/50/Billericay, Essex/Census
1881/Elizabeth Barton/Daughter/30/Wandsworth, London/Census
1881/Mary Sides/Daughter/25/Rochester, Kent/Census
1881/Ellen Maria Sides/Daughter/20/Corringham, Essex/Census
1881/Montague Sides/Nephew/6/Bow, London/Census
1881/William Oakley/Domestic Servant/20/Great Burstead, Essex/Census
1881/Elizabeth Chapman/Servant/20/Norwich, Norfolk/Census
Note: Premises not named in 1881
1882/Thomas Sides/../../../Kellys
1886/Thomas Sides/../../../Kellys
1891/Elizabeth A Sides/widow, hotel keeper/60/Billericay, Essex/Census
***
1891/Mary Sides/daughter/35/Rochester, Kent/Census
1891/Hannah Barnes Peachey/visitor, dressmaker/45/Bermondsey, London/Census
1891/Harry Allen/visitor, traveller/23/Althorne, Essex/Census
1891/Emma Whistler/servant/34/Ingatestone, Essex/Census
1891/Alice Hicks/domestic servant/15/Great Burstead, Essex/Census
1891/John Nunn/inn servant/17/Peckham, London/Census
1894/Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Sides/../../../Kellys
1895/Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Sides/../../../Kellys
1898/Alfred Henry Hedgelong/Manager/../../Kellys
1899/Mrs. Alison Saltonstall/../../../Kellys
1901/William F Butcher/Hotel Proprietor/57/Colne Engaine, Essex/Census
1901/Lucy H Butcher/Wife/54/Gilsborough, Northamptonshire/Census
1901/Francis W Butcher/Son, Office Clerk/17/North Benfleet, Essex/Census
1901/William G Butcher/Son, Office Clerk/16/North Benfleet, Essex/Census
1901/Geo M Butcher/Son/13/North Benfleet, Essex/Census
1901/Alice Payne/Companion/40/Sheepreth, Cambridgeshire/Census
1901/Florence E Dockred/Barmaid/20/Hendon, London/Census
1901/Alice M Challis/General Servant/15/Roxwell, Essex/Census
1901/James Mortimer/General Labourer/53/Writtle, Essex/Census
1901/Herbert Bartlett/Ostler Groom/25/Wickford, Essex/Census
1901/Frederick M Baker/Boarder, General Workman/38/Hockley, Essex/Census
1902/William Francis Butcher/../../../Kellys
1908/Francis Henry Buckenham/../../../Kellys
1911/Francis Henry Buckenham/Farmer/30/Hadleigh, Essex/Census
1911/Florence Kate Buckenham/Wife/31/Courtenhill, Northamptonshire/Census
1911/Henry James Buckenham/Son/7/Crays Hill, Essex/Census
1911/Ethel Mary Buckenham/Daughter/6/Crays Hill, Essex/Census
1911/Victor Buckenham/Son/5/Billericay, Essex/Census
1911/Margaret Buckenham/Daughter/15 months/Billericay, Essex/Census
1911/Hugh Bramston Buckenham/Brother, Assistant/25/Hadleigh, Essex/Census
1911/Hilda Edith Buckenham/sister, Assistant/23/Hadleigh, Essex/Census
1911/Ethel Agnes Bridge/General Servant/23/Galleywood, Essex/Census
1912/Francis Henry Buckenham/../../../Kellys
1917/Leo Charles Ayling/Manager/../../Kellys
1925/Victor Fuller/../../../Kellys
1929 - 1932/Fripp/../../../Freehold
1933/Frederick Francis Fripp/../../../Kellys
1933 - 1934/Channer/../../../Freehold
1935 - 1961/Fletcher/../../../Freehold
1937/Tom Fletcher/../../../Kellys
In 1939 at the Red Lion, are
Tom Fletcher, Hotel Proprietor, born 8th December 1894
Lilian G Fletcher, born 19th March 1897
Doris A Bradley, later Puffett, born 25th March 1924
1962/A J Bevis/../../../Freehold
* Provided by Mike Smith
** Provided by the Pubs, Inns and Taverns Index for England, 1801-1900
*** Provided by John Mead