By the time this map appeared, (see above) circa 1883, the Stonemasons was no more. Its last licensee passing away a few years earlier. The site on which it stood – no. 24 York Street is directly under letter E on the street name. It occupied a considerable plot (safe to assume it was a stonemason’s yard?). The Three Cups pub can be seen named at no. 40 on the same side.
Predates 1828, as the LC reported ‘Riot In Public House’, some men from Aylestone caused a disturbance by fighting a sergeant and artillery men in the Stonemasons Arms in October 1828.
In August 1831, the LJ filed the following theft report:
Hannah Briggs corroborated her husband James’ evidence at Aaron Kinds’ trial. Kind received three months imprisonment.
In 1835, John Glover, a cooper, moved to the Stonemasons, advertising his continuance of his trade there.
The pub was up for sale in October 1838, when Mr Bell gave up the licence to Mr Toon. Bell had been reprimanded for having fifty young men and women in the pub on a Sunday morning.
In February 1839, there was a railway systems dispute at the Stonemasons when police averted a disturbance between forty railway workers and their two ganger men over non payment of wages. The subcontractors had paid the ganger men over £6 to be shared between the men but the two ganger men claimed £4 of it had been spent on ale for the men, nothing else was owed. A near dust up was avoided when the police accompanied all the men to the station, with the mayor to mediate.
The following caution was made to publicans at the following sessions.
This same year the landlord was fined for ‘suffering tippling during divine service.’
Further licensees followed in quick succession. From Mr Toon, a Mr Woodward would offer for sale brewery, F&F and all household furniture in July 1840.
John Bonner offered the same at auction January 1842, recorded as late in the occupation of John Bonner. The licence wasn’t transferred until April to John Morton. Ann Page is recorded in 1843 as transferring her licence to Thomas Ward.
In 1846, a Mr Clayton held a meeting in the Stonemasons (Elizabeth Simpkin, victualler) to consider the best means of raising funds for the widows and poor freemen who, through shortage of work, were unable to pay their allotment fee to be called ‘The widows Allotment Fund’ (the allotments were crucial to feed families).
It was around this time that Benjamin Dudgeon purchased the Stonemasons. A carpenter, Dudgeon already owned property in York Street prior to him buying the Stonemasons plot.
He soon found himself breaking the licensing laws, twice being fined for out of hours drinking. Dudgeon also opened the Three Cups circa 1855 – also in York Street, according to the licence records.
Benjamin Dudgeon was obviously an entrepreneur as he embarked on purchasing other properties in York Street and further afield. He was sill recorded as publican here 1851 and 1861, but from here the existence of the Stonemasons is a little hazy. Dudgeon was still in the property until his death in 1880, but there was no record of it still being a beerhouse. Maybe he let the licence lapse or concentrated on the Three Cups (further research welcome).
What we do know is in Benjamin Dudgeon’s will he left over thirty properties and parcels of land etc. in Leicester, including the old Stonemasons and adjoining shop, plus others in York Street.
Circa 1960 photo (see above), of York Street, north side, corner Upper Brown Street. Depending which angle the photo was taken, the Stonemasons was next door to a shop.
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This map is york rd surely oxford st.to welford rd. Was it changed to rd later. Confused i am.
Hi Lydia, yes there was two York St the Oxford to Welford Rd was changed to York rd so as not to confuse the two (I dont know when that was) but it still confuses many, thanks for your interest