Publicans, Pint Pullers, Patrons, and Punters
Publicans & Pint Pullers
These were the often heroic men and women who ran and served in the pubs and inns on a day to day basis. Here are just a few of amazing characters we will be looking at:
Black Joan of the Dolphin (c.1495-c1519) Barmaid at the Dolphin (Bridge Street), wife of Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury
Thomas Hobson (1544-1631) Inn owner (George, Trumpington Street), carrier, best known as the origin of the expression Hobson’s choice.
Barkeeper of the Mitre (early 18th century) The subject of the poet Christopher Smart’s 1741 poem entitled ‘The Pretty Bar-Keeper of the Mitre’
Barnett Leach (1764 – 1814) Master cook at Trinity College, Bacon Dealer & Publican of the Pickerel (Magdalene Street) part of the famous Cambridge Leach family and sometimes referred to as Barnett Leach IV.
Israel Haggis (1811-1849) Licensed victualler of the Six Bells (Covent Garden), Salmon (Fair Street), New Inn (Parker’s Piece), cricketer, boothkeeper, cricket bat dealer.
Sheriff Warrell (1819 -1896) Cambridge publican, gunmaker, champion sparrow shot of England. Provided the cartridges for the gun of Queen Victoria’s would-be assassin.
John Beeton (1837-1890) Landlord of the Zebra (Maids Causeway), naval seaman, custodian of the University Bathing Sheds
Thomas Askham (1840-1912) landlord of the Woodman’s Arms (Newmarket Road), coachmaker, proprietor of Tudor’s New Circus of Varieties at the Hippodrome, Auckland-road.
Charles Rowell (1853-1909) Landlord of the Maypole (Park Street), known as ‘The Cambridge Wonder’, world champion runner and celebrated race-walker, world record holder (still standing) for 300-miles (58:17:06).
Frederick Leavis (1859-1905) Landlord of Six Bells (Covent Garden), pianoforte dealer, uncle of the famous literary critic F.R. Leavis.
Bob Wass (1926-2006) Landlord of the Baron of Beef (Bridge Street), army CSM, SAS commando and confidant to regulars Griff Rhys Jones, Clive Anderson, and other Footlights personnel.
Terry ‘Bunter’ Kavanagh (1937-2012) Landlord of the St Radegund (King Street), founder of the Vera Lynn Appreciation Society, patron of the Hash House Harriers and the St Radegund cricket tour to Croatia.
John Halsey (b.1945) Landlord of the Castle Inn public house, rock drummer, aka Barrington Womble (“Barry Wom”) in The Rutles, played for Lou Reed (Transformer), Joan Armatrading, Maddy Prior etc
Patrons
Cambridge has educated and played host to many notables, including eminent mathematicians, scientists, politicians, lawyers, philosophers, writers, actors, monarchs and other heads of state. Most pubs in Cambridge in the 19th century seemed to claim that Dick Turpin stayed there. A common claim of many late 20th century pubs is that Syd Barrett (of Pink Floyd fame) had some connection to their establishment – as a watering hole, rehearsal space or performance venue. More recently the stand-up comedian Rory McGrath is claimed as a regular by a large numbers of the extant pubs.
Rose Inn (Rose Crescent) Patrons included: King Christian VII of Denmark-Norway (1749 –1808), King Louis XVIII of France, Cosimo de’ Medici (1642 – 1723), Prince of Wales – King George IV (1762-1830), William V Prince of Orange (1748-1806)
Ram Inn, Ram Yard Queen Elizabeth I is thought to have stayed at this inn when she visited Cambridge. Lord Byron, poet, peer and politician (1788 – 1824) whilst banned from keeping dogs in his college bought a Bear and kept it at the pub.
Bull, Trumpington Street Patrons included: Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (1825-91); Charles Darwin, English naturalist (1809 – 1882); Woodrow Wyatt, 28th President of USA (1856 – 1924), Sterndale Bennett, composer (1816 – 1875); and Joseph Joachim, Hungarian violinist (1831 – 1907).
Dolphin, All Saints Passage Patrons included: King Charles I (1600-1649; Frederick V Elector Palatine of the Rhine (1596-1632); King William III of England (1650-1702).
Falcon, Petty Cury Patrons included: Elizabeth 1 (1533-1603), Mary I “Bloody Mary” Mary Tudor (1516 – 1558). Writers Ted Hughes (1930 – 1998) and Sylvia Plath (1932 – 1963) met at a party in Falcon Yard.
Red Lion, Petty Cury Patrons included: King George VI of England, the entire Yeomen of the Guard (as part of King William III’s visit in 1689), and at least 5 British Prime Ministers (Balfour, Asquith, Lloyd George, Baldwin and Churchill).
University Arms, Regent Street Patrons included: Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanagar (1872 – 1933), King Farouk of Egypt (1920 – 1965), Oswald Mosley British politician, MP and leader of the British Union of Fascists (1896 – 1980), William Lord Haw-Haw, Joyce (1906 – 1946)
Punters
A wonderful cast of criminally-minded, colourfully-named characters leap out of the otherwise dark and dingy pub-related crime reports of the time. ‘Young Barndoor Jack’, ‘The Lincoln Flat’, ‘Jew Harry’, ‘Doddy Shedd’ and ‘Billy-go-fast’ – all feature.
Tambourine Sam Tales abound around ‘Tambourine Sam’ (real name Samuel Fisher), a notorious thief. He eventually died in 1848 in the same pub he frequented in life – the Racehorse on Newmarket Rd.
Pickle Police eventually picked up the infamous housebreaker John Bell, alias ‘Pickle’ in 1855 while he was attempting to break into the Golden Rose pub on Emmanuel Road.
Little Black Jemmy an inveterate thief, came all the way to Cambridge from Whitechapel to commit robberies in Chesterton in the mid-19th century
Bangalore and Hornsey Rough were two oft-arrested 19th century ‘dashing nymphs of the pave’ who frequented city centre pubs in the mid 19th century.
Fuzzey George Long, alias ‘Fuzzey’, despite his gentle-sounding nickname was a wife-beater