First recording of the Mitre and Keys c.1560, built on the old Roman part of Leicester, as an archaeological dig in 1939 found when a Roman St over 20ft wide was discovered about 4ft below the north of the Mitre and Keys yard. 1747, William Paul was licensee and during the 1770s the Mitre and Keys was ran by ‘Old Carter’ and his wife. Carter, who kept pigs, was the butt of a practical joke as told by William Gardiner in his diaries of the period. He claims during the 1770s Leicester had a famous tippler Lawrence Jee or Lee ‘Lal’ Lee, a wag and jester who would play tricks on many landlords in the Town. Once, in the Mitre & Keys, he persuaded Old Carter, who had a pigsty in the back yard, that if you did not cut off the pigs tails, the pigs would go mad, whereupon Old Carter- amongst much yelling and squeaking from the pigs – docked all their tails. William Gardiner claims that’s where the ritual of docking pig’s tails was formed.
By 1793 Thomas Nutt was proprietor. He had married the widow of the previous landlord Mr Stafford.
It is also claimed that a tunnel ran under the Mitre and Keys, from St Nicholas Church to the Castle.
John Flowers engraving of the Mitre & Keys c.1820.
1815 Henry Whiteman, licensee
1827 William Millson when the pub was up for auction. 1831 Samuel Wilkinson 1832 Joseph Briggs
1832-40 John Nokes, in a court case of 1837 George King an urchin who was frequently before the magistrates on felony charges was charged with being concealed in the Mitre & Keys, the boys father who had 16 children some in goal and one transported failed to control the boy, George King was therefore remanded.
The Mitre & Keys for Sale 1840 with John Nokes as proprietor.
John Nokes leaves the Mitre & Keys 1840 prior to the rebuild
The pub was rebuilt during.1840s as an advert in Leicester Mercury September 1848 offered to Let ‘the recently erected Mitre & Keys’
1841 George Medbree, 1846 Mary Bennett transferred the licence to Joseph Davis.
1849 George Blackwell 1854 Thomas Collier
c1859 William Whatton , Mary Whatton is listed as owner, Maria Drayton a maid at the Inn was sentenced to 6 months hard labour for stealing a petticoat, a brooch and half a yard of elastic valur of 1/6d (7p) from the Whattons. 1863 The Mitre & Keys was up for sale with the Whattons in occupation, They were still there as in 1864 The Whattons advertised a New lofty warehouse (58x17ft) to let in the Mitre & Keys yard. 1865 Wm Whatton was fined 20/- for being open after hours two years later he was fined 10/- for serving a women 1/2 pint of ale after time. Nov 1871 Wm Whattojn died, wife Mary took on the licence. Mary was caught selling underweight goods (her scales being 5oz out) she was fined 21/-. Mary handed over the licence to Henry Lapworth Jan 1873. Although Mary was still listed as owner.
1877 Charlotte Lapworth,
On 6 July 1879 the yard was partly gutted by fire. Up until this time the Mitre and Keys had been brewing its own ale. Thomas Dumelow was to follow in this year.
1880 Henry Jackson, 1881 Elizabeth Jackson. 1884 Richard Sharp, 1886 Edwin Turner? (hard to read)
1887 Richard Tansley, 1890 John James Bevans
1892 Joe Flavell. 1896 Edward Allsop
Everards Brewery was to purchase the pub c1896
Mitre & Keys looking from Bridge St c1899 shortly after Everards became owners.
William Huddlestone then took over c1911, 1927 Charles Talbot; 1935 Arthur Harding; 1939 James Kirkpatrick; 1946 William Mee; 1953 Stanley Callaghan. The Mitre and Keys was to close its doors in March 1957, when the local planners embarked on the controversial Holiday Inn scheme. The licence was transferred to the newly built Rocket on the New Parks Est.
“A view of the Mitre and Keys shortly before demolition, by then for its last few years in the early 1960s it was used as a café and it was here that Ray Gosling set up a venue for young people, somewhere for us to go after the pubs closed for a game of snooker. Although only sixteen myself, I would call in to Ray’s with ‘London Johnny’ we both wore white suits and thought we were the bee’s knees. Ray must have been only in his teens himself; he later became a journalist and media broadcaster.” – B.L
Further information on Ray Gosling who ran the Venture Youth Club after the Mitre & Keys closed can be found in two of his written works Personal Copy and Sum Total. Both relate to his time at the Mitre well worth a read, available in paperback. (There is also a you tube video of Ray talking to local ‘townies’ in the White Swan around the time he ran the Venture)
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