The following is a report copied from the "Southend Standard" newspaper dated Thursday 14th May 1903

Death of an old Southend Licensee --------------- On Sunday morning at "The Bungalow" St. John's Road, Southend,  there passed away,  in the person of Mrs. Ann Douglas, one of the oldest Licence holders in Southend.  She was sixty years of age and had been married three times. She had been confined to the house since shortly after Christmas, and the cause of death was diabetes.  Her father (Mr. Williams) opened " The Cricketers" as a licensed house in 1866, it being originally built for two cottages.  She became Licensee in 1878, and held the licence till her death, though retired from management for about ten years, In the old days the "Cricketers" was a great place for beanfeasts, and a visit there was the termination of many a little "country walk" from Southend.  Standing outside the house when first licenced one could look across the fields and see the passengers leaving the Tilbury station at Southend.     Mrs. Douglas' first husband was Mr. Francis White, engineer;  her second Mr. John Lilly, engineer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade ; and her third Mr. John Douglas, engineer, who died four years ago.   She leaves four children, Mr. Francis White (" The Lion") Mr. Alec White (" The Cricketers"),  Mr. Edgar White (" The Park"), and Miss Ethel White.   The funeral takes place at Prittlewell Cemetery on Friday afternoon. --------------------------------------------- Email Essex Pubs at: Essexpubmail