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The Bull Hotel went by different names over the year—Black Bull, Great Bull, Great Black Bull. *
Wakefield Index
A listing of historical public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels in Wakefield, Yorkshire.
Residents at this address
In researching my Hargrave/Hargreave family genealogy, I ran across some distant relations who were innkeepers in Westgate and proprietors of the Black Bull Inn. *
In the book Yorkshire Pedigrees, by John W. Walker, page 210-211, I found the following:
Nathaniel Hargrave(1659-1711); Innkeeper, Westgate, Wakefield
Joseph Hargrave (1692-1754); of The Black Bull Inn, Westgate, Wakefield
Jonathan Hargrave (1723- ????); Innkeeper, Westgate, Wakefield.
Jonathan Hargrave’s brother Joseph and Joseph’s son and grandson were all wool staplers
Joseph Hargrave (1715-1795); Wool stapler, Wakefield
Joseph Hargrave (1743-1812); Wool stapler, Wakefield
Joseph Hargrave(1788-1824); Wool stapler, Wakefield
After this Yorkshire Pedigrees veers off into another branch of the Hargrave line, but the wool stapler Hargraves may have continued to be involved with the inn.
From Wakefield, its History and People, by John W. Walker, page 448:
The Bull Inn in Westgate was well spoken of by Sir William Brereton in 1635, who says, “We lodged at the Bull, where we paid 5s. for supper and breakfast (and presumably his bed): it is an honest and excellent house.” Thomas Rishton, an assessor for raising money to maintain the forces against the Parliament, held the Bull worth £20, and was sentenced by the Commissioners to pay £90. This old hostelry was pulled down in 1772, when “an elegant house with stabling for nearly 100 horses and very large bedroom accommodation was erected on its site” by Mr. Hargreaves, wool-stapler; 184,000 bricks, made in the Ings, were used in its construction. A large figure of a black bull stood out as the sign of the house. A Theatre was constructed in its yard, to which Tate Wilkinson brought his company in 1774 and again in 1775; in the latter year he pleased his Wakefield patrons by performing in this probably temporarily contrived theatre the play of George a' Green, the Pinder of Wakefield. At the newly erected inn he gave a dinner to his whole company and a few friends. Unfortunately, one of the company, a Mr. Murray, caused such a disturbance at the bar that Mr. Wilkinson was cited to appear the next day before Mr. Justice Zouch at the White Hart Inn to answer for his colleague’s misbehaviour. About 1825 it was divided into three residences, which were bought from Mr. Hargreaves by Mr. Sweeting in 1865, and converted into a very good hotel.”
Hargreaves is a common spelling variation of Hargrave. It seems likely that the same Hargrave family was probably involved in one way or another with The Bull from the late 1600s until the 1800s.
1822/Bull Inn, William Wright, Westgate/../Baines Directory
1829/Bull, William Bywater, Westgate/../Pigots Directory
1834/Great Black Bull, Sarah Bywater, Westgate/../Pigots Directory
1857/Miss Sarah Bywater, Great Bull Inn, Fair Ground road, & Westgate/../../../Kellys Directory
In 1871 census at Great Bull Hotel, Westgate
John Tuting Sweeting, Innkeeper, aged 41, and born in Ripon, Yorkshire
Catherine Sweeting, Wife, aged 39, and born in Studley Royal, Yorkshire
Annie Sweeting, Daughter, aged 11, and born in Wakefield, Yorkshire
Amy Sweeting, Daughter, aged 7, and born in Wakefield, Yorkshire
Catherine Sweeting, Daughter, aged 2, and born in Wakefield, Yorkshire
Beatrice Sweeting, Daughter, aged 8 months, and born in Wakefield, Yorkshire
Catherine Humble, Niece, aged 18, and born in Wensleydale, Yorkshire
William Lee, Wine Merchant, aged 55, and born in Guildford, Surrey
Lucy Walton, Cook and Widow, aged 63, and born in Wakefield, Yorkshire
Eliza Perkins, Housemaid, aged 40, and born in Leeds, Yorkshire
Annie Smith, Laundrymaid, aged 25, and born in Wakefield, Yorkshire
Jane Cartridge, Nursemaid, aged 20, and born in Wragby, Yorkshire
Frances Woffendale, Nursemaid, aged 16, and born in Walton, Yorkshire
Mary Wild, Housemaid, aged 23, and born in Wakefield, Yorkshire
Nancy Wharton, Housemaid, aged 25, and born in Chester, Cheshire
Sarah Whartone, Kitchenmaid, aged 18, and born in Chester, Cheshire
Sarah Ann Rushton, Kitchenmaid, aged 22, and born in Pensett, Staffordshire
Esther Longbottom, Kitchenmaid, aged 24, and born in Leeds, Yorkshire
Barbara Henshaw, Housemaid, aged 21, and born in Chester, Cheshire
Thomas Medd, Hotel Waiter aged 26, and born in Malton, Yorkshire
George Curzon, Hotel Waiter aged 24, and born in Derby, Derbyshire
James Stewart, Hotel Waiter aged 19, and born in Aberdeen, Scotland
Charles Jaques, Ostler, aged 20, and born in Wakefield, Yorkshire
Wakefield 1886 Alehouse licences
Great Bull Hotel, Westgate
West Riding Alehouse Licences has Jno James Martin
1891/John James Martin/Hotel Proprietor/52/Hendon, Middlesex/Census
1891/Jane Martin/Wife/33/Wakefield, Yorkshire/Census
1891/John Martin/Son/16/Wentworth, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Fanny Martin/Daughter/18/Wentworth, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Edith Ellen Martin/Daughter/14/Wakefield, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Cecil V W Martin/Son/13/Wakefield, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Eveline Martin/Daughter/10/Wakefield, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Dora C Martin/Daughter/8/Wakefield, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Kathleen Martin/Daughter/4 months/Wakefield, Yorkshire/Census
1891/John E Keshuck/Visitor, Commercial Traveller/55//Census
1891/Chrissie A Marshal/Barmaid/28/Boston, Lincolnshire/Census
1891/Annie Harrison/Chambermaid/29/Alkhongh, Lincolnshire/Census
1891/Martha Owen/Housemaid/25/Genge Abengeldig, Wales/Census
1891/Layra L Lumb/Housemaid/21/Mulberry Duffield, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Elizabeth Binbridge/Housemaid/18/Normanton, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Mary Wilks/Scullerymaid/17/Shathang, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Elizabeth Jewitt/Housemaid/19/Crigglestone, Yorkshir/Census
1891/John William Haselgrave/Waiter/15/Wakefield, Yorkshire/Census
1891/John Sterndale/Boots/33/Sanday, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Ann M Barratt/Cook/36/Wallsall, Staffordshire/Census
1891/Harold Thomas/Visitor, Barrister/44/Sheffield, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Margaretta Wagner/Kitchenmaid/21/South Horkton, Durham/Census
1891/Bertha Goulden/Nurse/22/Howden, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Elizabeth J Ward/Servant/22/Pontefract, Yorkshire/Census
1893/Westgate, Great Bull Hotel, John James Martin/../../Kellys Directory
Wakefield 1910 Alehouse licences
Great Bull Hotel, Westgate - owned by Charles Herbert Salmon, followed by Prudential Assurance Co Ltd, Holborn Bars
West Riding Alehouse Licences has Maria Louisa Salmon
West Riding Alehouse Licences has Fred Redhead 4 Jan 1922
West Riding Alehouse Licences has Rowland White 6 May 1925
West Riding Alehouse Licences has Joseph Charles Rushforth 1 July 1931
West Riding Alehouse Licences has Cyrus John Syred 6 Jan 1937
West Riding Alehouse Licences has George Harold Williams 5 Jul 1937
West Riding Alehouse Licences has James Anderson 5 Jan 1938
West Riding Alehouse Licences has Lily Chrishop Coupland 5 Jul 1939
West Riding Alehouse Licences has Percy Jacques Cliff 7 Aug 1940
West Riding Alehouse Licences has Henrietta Sherratt 1 Jan 1941
West Riding Alehouse Licences has Percy Jacques Cliff 7 July 1943
2018, Boomerangs, 55 Westgate, Wakefield WF1 1BW
* Provided by Steve Compton