Photo above: Duke of Devonshire, at bottom of the street,1969 (photo Jack Graves)
George Greet was victualler c.1840 before handing over to John Pratt in 1843.
The Compton family (Richard) were millers and victuallers in the 1841 census, but were living in Frog Island. Richard was listed as owner of the Duke of Devonshire and Miller up to 1857. When in September a terrible accident befell him – he was on the upper deck of the mill oiling the cogs when his coat became trapped in the shaft whirling him around at about 120 times a minute, each time smashing his lower body against the stone floor, completely sheering off one of his legs and breaking the other. The miller working on the lower part of the mill heard a ‘bleating’ sound, shut down the engine, rushed to the upper deck where Richard had been working to find the grisly sight of poor Richard before him, together with another worker they cut Richard free, but it was too late. Richard was 52. Later the Mill was put up for sale together with gardens, yard and adjoining house.
The license passed to Richards widow Ann, who herself died there in 1864 aged 64. Thomas Compton, Ann’s and Richards’s second son who was an agent for the Commercial Union Assurance Co. of London then took on the roll of landlord. Unbelievingly Thomas died in 1869 aged only 33 leaving his wife Sarah Helen Compton to take over the reins. Sarah Helen died herself aged only 44 in 1877. The Duke of Devonshire had been a disaster for the Compton’s.
During the 1870s the Duke of Devonshire was a home-brew pub owned by one of Leicester’s major maltsters, George Harrison. He had maltings in Wanlip St., Syston St. and Gresham St. He supplied many of the breweries such as LBM as well as the small home brew pubs.
Other licensees:
1877 Charles Wilson, who would follow the Comptons
1881 John Hewitt
1884 David Heining
1885 James Bee
1893 Alfred Spence
1896 John Fisher, the ownership passing to Beeston Brewery.
1903 Thomas Wells
1921 William Collett
1928 Walter Barker
1938 Ada Robinson
1947 Thomas Hall
1956 Edward Potter
1968 Thomas Regan.
Bay St was at the rear of Lower Church Gate, St Margaret’s can just be seen, and now Bay St is industrial units split away from Church Gate by Vaughn Way.
Beeston Brewery who owned the Duke of Devonshire was acquired by Shipstone of Nottingham c.1922.
The beer was originally delivered by train from Nottingham, then by shire horse stabled in Leicester to the dozen or so of their pubs in the town.
The sad end of this popular back street local Feb 1969
