Recorded during the 1830s-40s
In April 1834, Stephen Daft, landlord of a beer shop in Jewry Wall Street was informed on by Moses Pegg of being open after 10pm. Four witnesses contradicted Pegg. Stephen Daft produced a paper signed by neighbours purporting that the house was remarkable for order and regularity.
After a long deliberation the magistrates dismissed Moses Pegg’s information.
It was unlikely that Pegg would let that go, and sure enough the following March 1835 Pegg again informed on Daft that dominoes were being played for ale. This time Stephen Daft was fined £2. In newspaper reports Stephen Daft could be seen in his pub sat in the corner in a flannel jacket ( to be reported in the media must have been an unusual dress code for the time) The beer houses address is given as St Nicolas Church Yd-Jewry Wall Street.
In September 1838 the beerhouse was put up for sale:
Freehold property to be sold by auction the house of Mr Stephen Daft called the Leicester City <almost a hundred years before Leicester became one. All that messuage or Public House called the LEICESTER CITY situate in Jewry Wall St, with brew house yard & outbuildings.
In January 1840, tragedy struck the family when their seven-year-old daughter Elizabeth was left with her brother Stephen, ten, whilst mother Maria went to the bakers. Stephen had filled a kettle and set it by the fire, Elizabeth attempted to put the kettle onto the fire but her clothes caught alight, badly burning her, from which she died of shock.
The Leicester City beer house had obviously not previously been sold as later in 1840 it was again put up for sale together with four messuages adjoining.
Stephen Daft then seemed to move to the Fortune of War in Northgate. He died there in 1846 leaving a widow and eight children. He was thirty seven years of age.
There are no other references to the Leicester City beer house other than under Stephen Daft.