The Cottage pub stood on the opposite corner to the Weavers Arms.
March 1833 informer Moses Pegg entered the Cottage with two followers Arms & Bradley to lay charge of open illegal hours, this time however Pegg and cohorts failed to provide any evidence so the case was dismissed. We know the beerhouse was there later in the 1840s as it was mentioned in an electoral fraud case in 1848.
It had its own brewhouse, with Wm Wells followed by George Atkinson as brewers, eventually being taken over by Welch Brothers followed by LBM in 1920
Various members of the Wells family would keep the house for over thirty years. William Wells, aged seventy three, dropped down dead in the pub yard whilst working with his son on clearing a drain in July 1874. Wife Sarah took on the licence. Only a few weeks after his death William’s trousers, which Sarah had been sorting, went missing. They were eventually traced to Thomas Starkey and Thomas Smith, regulars at the Cottage. who had tried to pawn them. The pawnbroker’s suspicions was aroused as the trousers were far too big for the two men who had claimed they were theirs. This was verified in court by Sarah Wells as well as the tailor who had made them especially for the deceased. Starkey was found not guilty but Smith – for whom even the prosecutor had recommended mercy – was sentenced to two months hard labour for the theft of the trousers.
According to the justice licensing records the Cottage was owned by Sarah Wells in 1841. she also was licensee at periods such as after husband Willams death c1864.
List of licensees from 1860s William Wells licensee 1864. George Clay Wells 1876, George Atkinson 1897. John Tom Hudson also 1897. (deceased c1907) In 1902 Hudson was taken to court for allegedly serving two constables Arthur Corner and William Blockley with ale without authorization from a senior officer, after much deliberation Hudson was cleared after the constables version was contradictory, and the chairman accused the constables of lying.
Alfred Edward Fielding 1907,Isaac Springthorp 1912, John William Cox 1914, John Henry Williamson 1926. Williamson was there for quite a few years in 1940 the Cottage licence was objected to due to redundancy but after consideration the licence was granted. c 1949 Ambrose Edward Barratt Richards was landlord in 1952 when the licence was again objected to regardless of the money spent over £1000 on involvements the committee was told the Cottage was originally built prior to any planning regulations. so the Cottage was referred for compensation.
