The London, Essex, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Suffolk & Herts Directory - including Historical Pubs, in the South East of England

Do you want to purchase the londonpublichouse.com web site name? All my business is moving to deadpubs.co.uk and the OLD site name is FOR SALE. This is because lunarpages.com have deleted my site three times in as many months, so I am moving the sites to an UK provider.

Search Census Records Today , Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes 1837-2004 , Build your family tree at Genes Reunited.co.uk , Search over 500 million names at Genes Reunited.co.uk , Find Long-Lost Relations , Discover your family story at Genes Reunited.co.uk , We Know Who You Are! www.GenesReunited.co.uk , 1901 Census
Search the London, Essex, Middlesex, Surrey, Suffolk & Herts Directory sites for surnames & addresses powered by FreeFind

Bull, Crouch Street, Colchester

Dating from the early 15th century, the Bull is the oldest pub in Colchester and reputedly haunted.

Bull, Crouch Street, Colchester 2001

6th August 2001

Known Residents

The Bull probably dates back to 1400, as borough records show that tithes in the form of three groats were paid to the Abbot in 1461; tithes were not usually paid until a building was at least 50 years old. In the early reign of Henry Tudor, all the chief citizens of Colchester gathered in the Bull with armed archers and pikemen ready to fight for their King, despite the fact that many Colcestrians were against the King.

 In the 1660's the tap room at the Bull was used by the Market Sergeant, who sat to receive his dues when foreign traders brought their fine silks from Lombardy to Colchester. The 1700's proved to be very interesting years in the Bull's history and in 1741 Parson Palgrave, 'in holy indignation' sought out the witches of Colchester, and actually found two in the cellar of the Bull. The women were burned and the ashes of their bodies cast out of the town.

 In 1791, William Coke, the son of the landlord of the Bull, was accused and convicted of murder. He was transported for life to Botany Bay where he became a respected citizen and in 1832 he returned to a full pardon and probably called back at the Bull to visit old friends.

During the period 1600 to 1850, the Bull was a very busy place, as the stage wagons called there. The speedier coaches arrived at the Red Lion but the more cumbersome stage wagons called at the Bull. (A journey to London from Colchester was a three day trip for the stage wagons.)  ***

The following entries are in this format:

Year/Publican or other Resident/Relationship to Head and or Occupation/Age/Where Born/Source.

1822/Thomas Phillips/../../../Pigot's*

1823-4/Thomas Phillips/../../../Pigot's

1828-9/Thomas Phillips/../../../Pigot's

1832-3/Samuel Phillips/../../../Pigot's

1839/Thomas Phillips/../../../Pigot's

1845/Hannah Phillips/../../../Post Office

1848/Thomas Phillips/../../../White's

1851/Jeremiah Hamblion/innkeeper/34/Woodbridge, Suffolk/Census
1851/Mary Hamblion/wife/39/Thorrington, Essex/Census
1851/Emma Whitemore/cook/23/Salcot, Essex/Census
1851/Eliza Grainger/house servant/19/Great Clacton, Essex/Census
1851/William Cowles/ostler/21/Wetheringsett, Suffolk/Census
1851/Elizabeth Holland/barmaid/11/Thorrington, Essex/Census
1851/George Ratford/’boots’/18/Berechurch, Essex/Census

1851/Jeremiah Hamblion/../../../Post Office

1852/J. Hamblion/../../../Kelly's*

1855/J. Hamblion/../../../Kelly's*

1861/John Abbott/Inn Keeper/50/Tendring Hundred, Essex/Census ****
1861/Elizabeth Kate Abbott/Wife/26/Colchester, Essex/Census
1861/Alice Mary Abbott/Daughter/7 weeks/Colchester, Essex/Census
1861/Emily Polley/Visitor, Harness makers daughter/19/Messing, Essex/Census
1861/Caroline Abbott/Visitor, Grocer/40/Tendring Hundred, Essex/Census
1861/Ann Hurrell/House Servant/24/Great Bromley, Essex/Census
1861/Ann Griggs/Servant, Cook/19/Nowton, Suffolk/Census
1861/Michael Simpson/Servant, Waiter/21/Birmingham, Warwick/Census
1861/Phoebe Gale/Nurse/54/Colchester, Essex/Census  

1862/John Abbott/../../../Kelly's

1867/John Abbott/../../../Post Office

1870/John Abbott/../../../Kelly's

1871/John Abbott/../../../Post Office

1871/John Abbott/Inn keeper/60/Clacton, Essex/Census
 1871/Elizabeth Abbott/Innkeepers Wife/36/Colchester, Essex/Census
 1871/Alice Mary Abbott/daughter/10/Colchester, Essex/Census
 1871/Helen Mary Abbott/daughter/7/Colchester, Essex/Census
1871/Maud Mary Abbott/daughter/5/Colchester, Essex/Census
 1871/Elizabeth Mary Abbott/daughter/3/Colchester, Essex/Census
1871/John Thomas Abbott/son/1/Colchester, Essex/Census
 1871/Charles Fitch/brother in law , former butcher/28/Birch, Essex/Census
 1871/John Andrews/Lodger, 2nd class assistant Excise Officer/23/Ireland/Census
 1871/Walter Harvey/servant, pot boy/18/Layer Marney, Essex/Census
 1871/Eliza Harvey/servant, cook/22/Dedham, Essex/Census
 1871/Louisa Bransom/servant, housemaid/18/Colchester, EssexCensus
 1871/Maria Rowland/servant, nurse/15/Colchester, Essex/Census

1874/Mrs. Elizabeth Cato Abbott/../../../Kelly's

1878/Frederick Rokes/../../../Kelly's

1881/George Allen/Licensed Victualler/25/Stanway, Essex/Census
 1881/Alice Allen/Wife/20/Colchester, Essex/Census
 1881/Emma Bird/General Domestic Servant/18/Dedham, Essex/Census
 1881/Julia Layton/Cook/20/Fordham, Essex/Census
 1881/Henry Biddy/Boots/17/Great Horkesley, Essex/Census

Note: Premises not named in 1881

1882/George Allen/../../../Kelly's

1886/Joshua Street/../../../Kelly's

1894/Thomas Ivory/../../../Kelly's

1895/Thomas Ivory/../../../Kelly's

1898/Thomas Ivory/../../../Kelly's

1899/Thomas Ivory/../../../Kelly's

1902/Robert Meadows/../../../Kelly's

1907/H. Kemble/../../../Benham's

1908/Mrs. Harriet Browne/../../../Kelly's

1912/Thomas Ivory/../../../Kelly's

1917/Frederick James Wells/../../../Kelly's

1919/Arthur Green/Licensee/../London/Petty Sessions**

1925/Arthur Green/../../../Kelly's

1933/Arthur Green/../../../Kelly's

* Provided by the Pubs, Inns and Taverns Index for England, 1801-1900

** Provided by Brian & Jill Fleming

*** Information kindly provided by Jess Jephcott at http://www.camulos.com

**** Provided by Kevan

Email Essex Pubs at: EssexPubmail

Ancestry search - 14 Day FREE trial   ,   1841 England Census   ,   1851 England Census   ,   1861 England Census
  1871 England Census   ,   1891 England Census   ,   Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes 1837-2004 ,

Search this site powered by FreeFind

Find your ancestors today with a FREE 14 day trial to Ancestry.co.uk - Click here

I get hundreds of emails every day, fortunately most 'spam mails' are deleted by my mail scan settings. The final emails are delivered to various email addresses, and replying to these are not always successful. If you do not hear from me in a timely fashion, please feel free to email again, I do not mind! This is a pure PUBS history site, I doubt if I know where the PUBS are NOW, but try the site for where they were a hundred years ago, again enjoy!
Once you have discovered enough history of Essex; why not study to undergraduate or postgraduate level in Computer Science or Electronics Engineering at the Department of Computing and Electronic Systems, Essex University in Colchester, Essex? It is not only a great place to study, but also a foreleader in technology at an UK leading University with courses and doctoral research in Robotics, Natural Engineering, Intelligent Systems, Embedded Systems, Networking and Photonics, Laser Technology etc.
Updated in April 2008 by Kevan.
And Last updated on: Wednesday, 27-Jun-2007 14:26:21 PDT