Cap & Feathers, Tillingham - tied to Trumans
Kindly provided by Colleen
Provided by Barry Hilliard
"The Cap and Feathers stands on some of the oldest ecclesiastical property in the land. It was in the Sixteenth Century that the tithes of Tillingham were given to the Cathedral of St. Paul.
As a place of hostelry its history can be traced back to the Twelfth
Century when if was a pilgrim's lodging house..
In the Sixteenth Centuryit became the village inn though how the Cap and
Feathers came to be its name is a matter of pure conjecture..
The old part of the inn fronts Vicarage Lane and it here that the plaster
structure may be suspect, for certainly this section has an odd
bulbous look, with the appearance of sagging being emphasised by a
curving chimney stack!
The Cap and Feathers retains a great deal of the past but caters very
much for the present. Its fame for miles is the "ploughman's snack".
Where once the land worker chewed a loaf of bread and a chunk of cheese
before taking nourishment from a pint pot, now stand duffle-coated
engineers from Bradwell power station, sales representatives and
insurance agents consuming thick slices of bread, ham, cheese,
sausages, pies and hot dogs.
Licensee Mr. Anthony Hilliard has been well rewarded for the pains he took to
build up a suitable lunch-time snack service.
Mr. Hiliard has also done a great deal to improve the decor of his bars
where the dominant feature is the old oak beams.
The "regulars" say it is impossible to knock a nail into the
beams. One beam in the saloon was bevelled so that a farmer could
walk through the passage there at the time without having his hat
knocked off!
There is a large collection of brasses and curios in the saloon where the
somewhat unusual corner-piece is a stuffed bear, the knife that cut
him open, and a photograph of his heart!
Old lamps, now electrically operated, can be found all over he place. The
biggest, of moulded brass, came from the Dengie Church
Above the saloon is a very old clubroom used evry month by the local Odd
Fellows. At one time Tillingham Football Club used to change at the inn.
Known by the locals as "The Feathers" and by some of the
newcomers from Bradwell as "The Camp," Tillingham's oldest
inn is still very much the focal point for village wisdom.
No doubt what he heard in "The Feathers" provided much in the
way of material for the late Mr. S. L. Bensusan, writer of the Essex
marshland, who used Tillingham folk and the village in so many of his stories."
From the Maldon and Burnham Standard, November 24, 1960. Provided by Barry Hilliard.
Residents at this address
The licensee in 1806 was recorded on the Alehouse Recognizances as Robert Willsmer, at the Feathers.
1839/Robert Willsmer/../../../Pigots
1841/Robert Willsmer/Publican/25/Essex/Census*
1841/Sarah (nee Coster) Willsmer/../20/Essex/Census
1841/Harriet Coster/../15/Essex/Census
1841/Joseph Gover/Commercial Traveller/30/../Census
1841/George Pile/Commercial Traveller/35/../Census
1841/Rebecca Pile/../20+/../Census
1841/Hannah Read/../15/Essex/Census
1841/Henry Hunicks/Colt Buster(?)/20/Essex/Census
1841/Samuel Griggs/Agricultural Labourer/15/../Census
1841/William Headborn/Hairdresser/15/Essex/Census
Note: Robert Willsmer died shortly after the 1841 census. Sarah remarried George Vinson 4 years later*
1845/George Vinson/../../../Post Office
1848/George Vinson/../../../Whites
1851/Mrs. Sarah Ann Vinson/../../../Post Office
1851/John Moss/innkeeper/53/Great Totham, Essex/Census ***
1851/Mary Ann Moss/wife/53/Brentwood, Essex/Census
1851/Mary Ann Moss/daughter/23/West Ham, Essex/Census
1851/Nancy Ellen Moss/daughter/17/West Ham, Essex/Census
1851/John Moss/son, scholar/11/East Horndon, Essex/Census
1851/James Nunn/groom/25/Glemsford, Essex/Census
1851/Sarah Pamplin/house servant/20/Asheldham, Essex/Census
1851/William Heard/lodger (infirm), late ag lab/79/Tolleshunt D’Arcy, Essex/Census
1851/George Death/lodger, thatcher/22/Wormingford, Essex/Census
1855/W. Dixey/../../../Kellys**
1861/John H. Turner/Farmer & Innkeeper/38/St. Lawrence, Essex/Census*
1861/Charlotte Turner/Wife/30/Tudbury, Suffolk/Census
1861/Richard H. Turner/Son/4/Tillingham, Essex/Census
1861/John H. Turner/Son/3/Tillingham, Essex/Census
1861/Charlotte Turner/Daughter/4m/Tillingham, Essex/Census
1861/Hannah Hitchin/Nurse/42/Maldon, Essex/Census
1861/George Turner/Groom/22/Ash, Bocking, Essex/Census
1861/Sarah Carter/House Servant/14/Tillingham, Essex/Census
1861/Isaac Spurgin/Lodger, Bricklayer/44/Tollesbury, Essex/Census
1862/John Harrison Turner/Farmer/../../Kellys
1867/John Harrison Turner/Farmer/../../Post Office
1870/John Harrison Turner/Farmer/../../Kellys
1871/John Harrison Turner/Farmer/../../Post Office
1874/Arthur George Rayner/../../../Kellys
1878/Arthur George Rayner/../../../Kellys
1881/Charles Everett/Licensed Victualler/53/Tolleshunt DArcy, Essex/Census
1881/Sarah Everett/Wife/54/Cold Norton, Essex/Census
1881/Emily Everett/Daughter, Barmaid/21/Tolleshunt DArcy, Essex/Census
1881/Mary Ann Everett/Daughter, Barmaid/16/Tolleshunt DArcy, Essex/Census
1881/Emma Everett/Daughter/14/Tolleshunt DArcy, Essex/Census
1881/Henry Filbery/Ostler/19/Burnham, Essex/Census
1882/Charles Everitt/../../../Kellys
1886/Charles Everitt/../../../Kellys
1890/Charles Everitt/../../../Kellys
1894/Charles Everitt/../../../Kellys
1895/Charles Everitt/../../../Kellys
1898/William F. Cook/../../../Kellys
1899/William F. Cook/../../../Kellys
1902/William F. Cook/../../../Kellys
1906/William F. Cook/../../../Kellys
1908/William Frederick Allen Cook/../../../Kellys
1910/William Frederick Allen Cook/../../../Kellys
1912/William Frederick Allen Cook/../../../Kellys
1914/William Ladd/../../../Kellys
1917/William Ladd/../../../Kellys
1922/William Ladd/../../../Kellys
1925/William Ladd/../../../Kellys
1929/William Ladd/../../../Kellys
1933/William Ladd/../../../Kellys
1937/Harry Nicholls/../../../Kellys
Mr H S Nicholls, licensee of the Star
and Garter, Chelmsford (death recorded). Mr Nicholls prior to taking
over the Star and Garter in 1945 was licensee of the Cap and Feathers,
Tillingham, for ten years.
1945/Mr H S Nicholls/../../../Black Eagle Journal
1960/Anthony Hilliard/../../../Local Newspaper
* Provided by Caroline Graham
** Provided by the Pubs, Inns and Taverns Index for England, 1801-1900
*** Provided by John Mead
Provided by Alex Wilkinson