The original hotel idea was first mooted in 1791, at a meeting in the Three Crowns, when the discussion of a new hotel, assembly rooms and coffee house was debated. This eventually resulted in the Assemby Rooms Hotel Street, as the hotel part hadn’t materialised in the original idea, one was built
adjoining the Assembly Rooms fronting Horsefair Street, August 7th 1801.
Capital Inn and Hotel to be Let with or without a Tap House adjoining. There are 18 commodious beds, plus other beds for servants, stabling now being erected, also have the advantage of adjoining theatre.
By July 1803, we now have:
To Inn keepers – To be Let and to be entered upon immediately.
THE HOTEL, INN, ALE and VICTUALING HOUSE
Now in full business.
1808 John Roberts victular.
1810 The Hotel Inn is advertised for Auction all F &F Brewing Vessels , Coppers etc.
Over the next few years many auctions were held here, property, stocking frames land etc. Bankruptcy and insolvency cases are heard also, presumably legal papers lodged with the adjoining Assembly rooms.
AUCTION 1814
May 1814
All that newly erected Inn called Hotel Inn Horsefair Street, adjoining the Assembly rooms, stabling for 30 horses occupied by John Roberts.
September 1817. Auction of land at Wigson at the Hotel Inn Horsefair Street the house of William Wadds (Wadds appears later in the Hotels history).
From circa 1820, we find the Hotel Inn & Tap renamed – The Rutland Arms.
The Rutland Arms now listed as 23 Horsefair Street, corner of Hotel Street in front of the Assembly Rooms (now known as the City Rooms).
The Assembly Rooms, original intended as a hotel but ran out of funds before public conscription led by the Duke of Rutland completed the project. Finally opened 1800 as Judges quarters , housing public records.
Circa 1820, is the first record we can find of the former Hotel Inn now called the Rutland Arms where insolvency and bankrupt cases were held. Presumably the name associated with the Dukes involvement in the adjoining Assembly Rooms.
John Johnson Adams (a legal Clerk) was the licensee during c 1820-1829.
Where at the Rutland Arms up until the 1860s we find numerous accounts of insolvency cases, solicitor representation, land surveyors attend most Saturdays, partnerships dissolved, and dividends are to be agreed, weekly accounts in the Leicester Journal, Leicester Chronicle and Leicester Herald are reported of cases from all over the country and held at the Rutland Arms.
It must have been of considerable size and influence, also listed as a hotel with stabling for 30 horses.
1827. The Rutland Arms landlord was called to accompany a corporal in the 7th Dragoon Guards to arrest a deserter John Leggett who was lodging at the Wellington Inn Granby Street.
Mary Pycock landlady of the Wellington pointed out to Leggetts room where on being recognised he had fled, on entering the Corporal found Leggett on his knees holding his throat, he was dying having cut his throat from ear to ear. He was laid upon a table, an inquest and jury was called, the jury were presented with a dreadful spectacle, the room being deluged in blood, a razor by the body.
Rutland Arms landlord, John Joseph Adams was again called although again not directly involved, when a libel case against the proprietor of the Leicester Herald. “KING V HENRY JOSEPH WILKINSON” where it was alleged, that a libel had been made against Thomas Cave Brown, who was brother of Baronet Sir William Cave. The article in the Herald pointed the finger at Cave Brown as one of the men that tried to influence the bare knuckle fight between Jem Ward (the Black Diamond) and Simon Byrne (the Emerald Gem).
Bare knuckle fighting was illegal so the fight couldn’t take place in the town, so a venue was made just outside the town at Billesdon.
The Fight That Never Was
Although outlawed, bare knuckle fighting attracted many of the aristocracy, including Royalty, it also attracted, according to the Herald atrocious Blacklegs and Blackguards, vast sums of money was invariably involved betting on the outcome. The inference was that Jem Ward was visited at training by a group of these men, Ward eventually fiend illness and pulled out of the fight, not for the first time previously Ward had been banned for fixing a fight.
Rutland Arms Landlord, John Joseph J Adams was called in court to support Thomas Cave Brown’s claim of libel, by confirming that Cave Brown had been living at the Rutland Arms for months. Also the defamed article in the Herald inferred Cave Brown had a hand in the affair.
The Herald and Wilkinson was found guilty and fined £30.
There is a postscript to the story, Jem Ward who had a controversial career was eventually rematched with Simon Byrne, Ward won, although some observers wondered why neither man had a mark on them. Jem Ward later became Champion of England.
On retiring Ward became a licensed victular, also an accomplished musician and painter, having painted the above scene, which he presented to ‘his friend’ Simon Byrne.
Simon Byrne on the other hand, met a sad end, once having being charged with manslaughter after badly beating Scotish champion McKay who died from his injurers. Byrne was eventually acquitted. The same fate as McKay was to befall Byrne, he was fatally injured in an infamous bare knuckle fight with James Burke the fight lasting 99 rounds, the longest in fight history.
1825, John Joseph Adams had agreed to sell Rutland Arms to fishmonger William Wadds, (who had been victular of the Hotel Inn 1817 ) before Wadds was due to enter the pub he unfortunately died, which started off a long litigation. Below the notice to pursue any contract Adams had with Wadds should be passed on to Wadds son, the claim was contested with the outcome coming to a surprising conclusion.
The notice is self explanatory.
July 1828, the Rutland Arms housed a cock fight between the Gentlemen of Leicester and Northampton.
The same year landlord Johnson was brought before the courts for assaulting a customer. As previously reports show Johnson was still landlord until 1828, so the Wadds legal notice had not yet been resolved.
30th October 1829, the Rutland Arms came to be let and entered upon immediately.
In November, John Johnson Adams filed for bankrupt.
Dec 4th John Johnson Adams assigned all his personnel Estate & effects to Thomas Davis Grocer of Leicester, and Charles Hewitt Wine Merchant of Lichfield in trust for the equal benefit of his creditors.
What happens next is that William, the younger Wadds, becomes landlord of the Rutland Arms.
What happened to Wadds is unclear but in September 1830, landlord Wadds is charged with assault at the Leicester Races.
Wadds wasn’t to last long by at least 1834, Isaac Townsend was victular, the legal hearings continued at the Rutland Arms weekly.
1851, Richard Johnson followed as landlord then by his wife Elizabeth after he died. She was still here into the 1860s.
May 1865, the Rutland Arms was up for sale.
This was followed on November 28th with an announcement in Leicester Journal:
Auction of Building Materials at the house and Premise late the Rutland Arms Horsefair St Leicester
Did this mean the Rutland Arms was being demolished?
This part of an old 1820s map shows Rutland Arms in front of Assembly Rooms.
This 1880s shows an empty area where the Rutland Arms had been.
The demise of the Rutland Arms Hotel left us with a couple of questions: Why was this 18 bed hotel with grounds and stabling for 30 horse demolished after only 60 years? Did the impending new Town Hall development have any part to play?
What was the connection between the Derby Arms in Millstone Lane, which at the time of Rutland Arms demise, the Derby Arms prefixed the Rutland name to theirs to call it the Rutland and Derby.
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