Photo above: Court B of Bishop Blaze Yard in the map is indicated as Parish workhouse. The buildings in the 1839 sale states ‘premises leading on to Vine Street’, which is on extreme left.
A Bishops Blaise was recorded in 1725, but no address was given. Named after the patron saint of Woolcombers (a promiment Leicester trade), Bishop Blasius was martyred after he had his flesh scored with iron combs before he was beheaded.
Bishops Blaise, recorded in Causeway Lane early in the 19th century, became a popular venue for property auctions under Mr. Bradley. During inclement weather in the 1830s, he gave 5 cwt of coal each to between forty and fifty tenants, which indicates a man of means and/or the master of the workhouse: the properties with the pub included all the premises used as the Parish Workhouse. Bradley auctioned this in 1839.
Licensees included: 1840s, Thomas Atkins, who put the pub for auction 1853 complete with brew house etc. together with eleven ‘neat and comfortable’ tenements and yard. Presumably this was part of the old workhouse.
1855, Mrs A .Tebbs. In that year she sent Thomas Clayton to fetch some coal. Mrs Tebbs’ suspicions re the weight were aroused on his return and on checking she was nearly 9cwt short. Thomas was charged with stealing the coal for which he received two months hard labour.
1864, Edward Butt. 1870, John Sparrow, then Obadiah Terry. Circa 1872, William Green. 1877, John Dalrymple, who moved from the Brewers Arms, Belgrave Gate. 1883, Cornelius Broughton, who was fined three guineas or one month in prison for allowing gaming on the premises.
1884, William (?). 1886, Mary Griffin. 1887, William Headley. 1891, Harry King. 1894, Mary King. 1896, Thomas Cooper. 1898, John Marvin. 1901, Fred Neal. 1901, Sidney Hubbard. 1906, William Gardiner. 1912, Fred Humberstone. 1925, Albert Hammond.
The Bishop Blaise closed on the 1st of February 1939, when Offilers Brewery removed the licence to the new pub, the Blue Moon on Carlise Street.
The Causeway Lane entrance to Court Btenements (workhouse?) showing the covered entry, from front of Bishop Blaise. These pics can be seen in conjunction with the street map and are taken from Ned Newit’s brilliant work Slums of Leicester (DB Publishing, 2009).