There is a reference to Mrs Dann of the Tanners Arms 1832 but no address. The 1835 directory list the pub as Tanners Arms on Frog Island Poss due to the nearby Tanning, Dyers and fellmongers factory
In 1840, it became the Foresters Arms after it was used by the Foresters Insurance Society, one of many sick clubs that were ran from pubs before the introduction of National Insurance. George Kimber its licensee, Samuel Grace had the licence transferred to him 1845. Two years later passed the licence to Henry Windham. Windham I believe also ran a Dyers & Trimmers factory.
In 1854, the pub came up for auction including brewery vessels, 160, 80, & 16 gallon coppers, mash tuns, coolers, pumping and working vats. 8/56 gallon barrels, 1/66, 1/46, 2/36 and one 10 gallon. Henry Windram licensee. Henry transferred the licence to Daniel Reed cow-keeper, but two years later 1856 Daniel had died, his widow Mrs Read would transfer the licence to Thomas Cooper. (various newspapers spell Reed differently)
The Barber family ran the Foresters from 1862, 1865 James Barber fined £5 for having 47 people drinking in the pub during Sunday divine service, 1867 James Norton 44 alias ‘Doephin’ charged with stealing 2/4 from the till whilst landlord Barber was distracted, having had previous Norton was found guilty sentenced to 7 years penal servitude. 1869 Charles Riley sentenced to six weeks imprisonment for stealing a beer mug from the Foresters, James Barber, also listed as owner, followed by wife Elizabeth when James died, after Elizabeth followed Thomas then Joseph Barber, they brewed their own beer for over thirty years until Everards bought the pub in 1895.
But in 1877 Brewing was halted when beer was contaminated, sewer water rising and flooding the cellar, the cellar had been flooded on many occasions during the past couple of years, Elizabeth had complained to the town surveyor but nothing was done, the well water stank and became blue and violet in colour, this being her only drinking water supply, her son and servant became ill drinking the putrid water, Elizabeth pleaded for something to be done, she was ignored, men had to pump water out day and night, exasperated Elizabeth sued the Mayor and Corporation for the loss of trade and damage and ruined 300 galls of beer she claimed £528 which in 1877 was quite a lot to lose, The corporation eventually scraped out the sewers where cotton waste was found. Elizabeth was eventually awarded only £150
Many inquests were held here, due to the proximity of the canal with numinous drownings occurring.
1895 John Allsop became licensee. Hannah Allsop 1903.
Oliver Smith 1906 licensee, Albert Edwin Boulter 1909, Frederick Fretson 1912, Ernest Kilby 1915, William Thorpe 1933. William married Anne Orton in 1939 by special licence a month after his son also William married.
Albert, son of Albert James Hawker, the champion penny farthing cyclist and grandson son of the famous ‘Victorian poacher’, kept the Foresters from 1945-1956. Lewis Wm Hawker became licensee in 1956 for only a few days when he failed to bank the breweries takings the brewery took him to court where he was fined £10. Harry Robinson then took over, followed by William Crooks 1958, in 1961 Crooks was sacked for receiving and buying stolen beer from Everards drayman, Harry Hartshorne became licensee..
This 1960s colourised photo by Rob Hubble shows a more sedate Frog Island with Foresters behind tree and North Bridge Tavern right foreground. Jack Taylor landlord c1965, Albert Smith 1968, Arthur Davis 1970, David Murfitt 1974, Ray Thornley 1976, Martin Brennan 1983. Dean Wragg 1987. Paul Mills 1988, Glyn Pearson 1991, Mary Warne 1993.
Everards sold the pub to Banks Brewery, circa 1989, and a few years later Banks passed it on to a pub group Pubmaster in 1993. The fine Victorian building in the background was burnt to the ground by an arsonist c 2003.
Foresters by Paul Smith.
