Now known as the Olive Branch
Maid's Head, Thorpe Street, Thorpe-le-Soken, 15th August 2000
WILLIAM HAWKINS mid to late 1840's was the landlord of The Maids Head Pub, Thorpe le Soken, now known as the Olive Branch. His wife was ANNE ASHMEAD from Wells next the Sea Norfolk.
WILLIAM LANKASTER [see 1848] and WILLIAM HAWKINS are the same man. It has taken my husband fifty years to solve some of this mystery. When he was about fifteen his grandmother said to him well actually our name is not LANKASTER it was changed by my grandfather. She did not tell him what it really was or why it was changed. Three years ago we were contacted via the net by a lady who said the name your looking for is HAWKINS she was a distant cousin and had found a copy of WILLIAM's will and in it he clearly states that he is WILLIAM HAWKINS aka LANCASTER. We then contacted the Ipswich Cemtery where he is buried and it has both names on his burial records. Armed with this information we did a search for his father and found that he was born THOMAS HAWKINS in 1790 in Southwark. but he also changed his name in the early 1840's to LANCASTER. WILLIAM baptised his first child in the name of HAWKINS but all other children as LANCASTER. Father and son were both publican's and so far we have traced pubs in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of London ran by one or the other of them. In his will WILLIAM left a huge some of money for those days and refers to properties in Suffolk and Middlesex, the Suffolk one's we think we have traced the Middlesex ones we have not even started on. ***
Residents at this address.
1769/John Cross/Licensee/../../Alehouse Recognizances
The licensee in 1776 was recorded on the Alehouse Recognizances as John Cross, at the Maid Head, Thorpe.
1839/Sarah Tungatt/../../../Pigots
1840/Sarah Tungatt/../../../Pigots*
1845/John Field/../../../Post Office
1848/William Lancaster/Victualler/../../Whites
1851/William Stowers/../../../Post Office
1851/William Stowers/innkeeper/51/Tillingham, Essex/Census **
1851/Eliza Stowers/wife/42/Suffolk/Census
1851/Emily Stowers/daughter, scholar/10/Bradwell, Essex/Census
1851/Thomas Stowers/son, scholar/07/Bradwell, Essex/Census
1851/Mary Hill/barmaid/17/Surrey/Census
1851/Robert Debenham/visitor, commercial traveller/47/Ixworth Thorpe, Suffolk/Census
1851/Eliza Fisk/house servant/27/Thorpe le Soken, Essex/Census
1851/John Almond/house servant/32/Great Bentley, Essex/Census
1851/William Smith/lodger/20/Beaumont cum Moze, Essex/Census
1855/Mrs. M. A. Richardson/../../../Kellys*
1862/Mrs. Mary Ann Richardson/../../../Kellys
1867/William Cutts Brightwell/Carpenter/../../Post Office
1870/William Carter/../../../Kellys
1871/William Carter/../../../Post Office
1874/William Hall Norris/../../../Kellys
1878/Mrs. Sarah Norris/../../../Kellys
1881/Charles Keeble/Builder & Innkeeper/32/Thorp, Essex/Census
1881/Anna Keeble/Wife/25/Thorp, Essex/Census
1881/Philip Wagstaff/Ostler/22/Manningtree, Essex/Census
1882/Charles Keeble/Builder/../../Kellys
1886/Charles Keeble/Builder/../../Kellys
1890/Alfred Deal/G. E. Railway Agent/../../Kellys
1891/Alfred Deal/Innkeeper/46/Foxearth, Essex/Census
1891/Charlotte Deal/Wife/36/Little Clacton, Essex/Census
1891/Alfred Deal/Son/10/St. Johns Wood, London/Census
1891/Clara Barnes/Stepdaughter/14/Elstree, Herts/Census
1891/George F. Barnes/Son/13/Elstree, Herts/Census
1891/? Gooch/General Servant/14/Tendring, Essex/Census
1891/Walter F. ?/Ostler/56/Tendring, Essex/Census
1894/Alfred Deal/../../../Kellys
1895/Alfred Deal/../../../Kellys
1898/Alfred Deal/../../../Kellys
1899/Alfred Deal/../../../Kellys
1902/Alfred Deal/../../../Kellys
1906/Alfred Deal/../../../Kellys
1908/Robert Samuel Wilson/../../../Kellys
1910/Robert Samuel Wilson/../../../Kellys
1912/Alex. A. N. Sealey/../../../Kellys
1914/Alex. A. N. Sealey/../../../Kellys
1917/Alex. A. N. Sealey/../../../Kellys
1922/Frederick Whitby/../../../Kellys
1925/Henry A. Pemberton/../../../Kellys
1929/Lionel Charles Denniss/.Proprietor/../../Kellys
1933/Lionel Charles Denniss/Proprietor/../../Kellys
1937/H. S. Knowler/Proprietor/../../Kellys
* Provided
by the Pubs, Inns and Taverns Index for England, 1801-1900
** Provided by John Mead
*** Provided by Carole Clarke