Photo above: Delivering beer in Church Gate. The Sun is on the right, just out of the picture. The draymen seem oblivious to the lad cadging a ride.
Mike Brown claims the Sun pub dates back to at least 1763 when it was kept by Ed Worrall. The Sun brewed its own ale and was owned by the Trustees of the Trinity Hospital.
We have records of a Mr Joseph Pegg keeping the Sun 1810-22. Into the 1820s-30s it was kept by a Mr William Barnes, many inquests were held here including a distressing tale of the death of 5 year old Frances Branson who burnt to death when her clothes caught fire whilst her mother was out to work, she lingered for 24 hours before passing. Mr Barnes seemed to have a monopoly on inquests at the time. An Inquest with Juries meant good trade, inquests were usually held at a PH close to the death or incident, it became obvious to other publicans who were nearer to any fatality that some favoritism was occurring, so much so that the local press reported a suggestion of ‘wheels within wheels’ regarding the Sun, Mr Barnes and the appointing of inquests and auctions, records of auction May 1839. By 1840 John Stringer had become licensee, Ann Stringer followed.
1850 Wm Ellis took the reigns,
By 1855 Thomas & Catherine Allsop had moved from the Cherry Tree in East Bond St to the Sun, Thomas would die 1865, widow Catherine married again the next year to Thomas Handford, Catherine became a widow for the second time in 1876 when Thomas Handford died. Catherine carried on running the Sun until 1885 when she too died, her son from her first marriage James Samuel Allsop followed as licensee of the Sun, so the Allsop family kept the Sun for around 40 years, by the late 1890’s Edwin H Wortley became landlord.
Harry Gilbert licensee 1906
By 1900, local brewer, Everards owned the Sun, John E Spencer with wife Emma moved from the Vine Devonshire St after the Vine had closed under compensation act 1912. July 1915 John Spencer was charged by Elizabeth Walker of assault, the court heard that Elizabeth Walker was aggrieved at Spencer as her husband had been reduced to the ranks after Spencer reported Sergeant Walker to his regiment for bad behavior in the Sun Inn. Walker had remonstrated with the landlord who then she claimed struck her, the case was dismissed against Spencer due to conflicting evidence. Again in 1919 landlord Spencer was in court again charged with assault on Ed Filbey, Filbeys wife had fainted in the tap room and the landlord threw them both out. In court Filbey admitted that both he and his wife were a little drunk, also that he had tried to come to a moneytree arrangement with the landlord so as not to drop the charge, due to this evidence landlord Spencer again had the charge dismissed.
John E Spencer was sill at the Sun 1920.
The Sun closed c1927 (MB)