Earliest listing so far found is 1838, with John Haddon as victualler. He used the name of his father, Thomas Haddon, on the sign, conducting the business with suppliers also in his fathers name. When the son got into financial difficulties he ran away, leaving his seventy five year old father to answer his liabilities.
The old man was sent to prison for the debts, and later in 1840 he found himself in the bankruptcy court with no assets, as the son had previously sold the considerable brewing equipment, f&f and goodwill to one Christopher Compton. This smacked of fraud and at the insistence of the creditors the case was adjourned to give the old man time to produce his son and also the deeds of sale. On resumption the court was told that the old man had been artfully and cruelly used by his son by leaving all the debts in the old man’s name, which in reality benefited the son, the court found the case a strange one and difficult to apportion blame: Thomas the father was technically guilty, but was through thoughtlessness and not intentionally so. He was dismissed whilst the case still stood against the son.
The outcome of the case is unclear, but in September 1843 John Haddon turned up again as a beerhouse keeper, when he is charged with having a disorderly house. Unfortunately the name of the beerhouse is not given (possibly a beerhouse in Fleet St), as John Haddon failed to turn up, being fined £2 in his absence. The Lord Durham was at this time run by James Fox, licensee until 1846,
Fox was followed by William Buzzard until 1846; Thomas Nutt until 1855. Thomas was on more than one occasion charged with licensing offences.
One directory gives the pub name as the Earl of Durham at this time. Ann Norton ran the pub until for a short period, before Ronald Gray, c.1876, Richard Gray, c.1879, Job Clarke, c.1887, Thomas Rowe, c.1892, William Dawson, c.1895, Alexander McLeod c.1902, William Foster c.1904, John Mellors and 1911-12 Reuben Taylor.
Cardington Brewery owned the Lord Durham during the1890s; they were acquired by Nottingham Brewery 1897.
The Lord Durham beerhouse together with seven others was ordered to close under the compensation scheme in April 1913 £1280-16 paid to the brewery and £200 to William Gold- the last tenant.