History
The Royal Exchange has seen many landlords over the years. The list below shows who these were and the additional information below explains how the pub came into being and some of the key individuals in the pub’s history.
Many thanks to Mike Payne, one of the pub’s locals and a keen historian for the landlord listing and to Humphrey Chamberlayne for compiling the additional information.
1856 – Joseph Hickson
1869 – William Evans
1901 – Robert Marmon
1906 – John Gibbons
1919 – Henry Andrews
1923 – Dennis Marmon
1935 – Benjamin Lee
1939 – Harold Merriman
1977 – William Norris
1978 – Paul Lottinga (also at the Full Moon, Cheltenham)
1984 – Nicholas Dutton
1998 – Richard Sullivan
2000 – Philip Lawless
2006 – Judith & Suzanne Jenkins
2011 – Martin & Julie Crane
2012 – Rob Chamberlayne
How the pub came to be
In 1784 there was a “Plan of the Wooldridge Common, “Situate in the Several Parishes of Hartpury and Masemore in the County of Gloucester” drawn by W. Williams. It is a coloured map showing that most of the Common was at that time open ground, but also showed some 26 plots that had been occupied by named individuals. The site of the Royal Exchange was open ground.
In 1809, Woolridge Common was enclosed and divided into over 60 separate holdings. 1 acre, 0 roods and 26 perches (the site of the pub) was “allotted and awarded to William Roberts (of Ashleworth) in respect of his right of common” by the commissioners under an Act of Inclosure of “a certain tract of waste land called Woolridge in the parish of St Mary de Lode in the 49th year of George III.”
On the 22nd September 1822, 1 acre, 0 roods and 26 perches of land, bounded on the North by an allotment awarded to the Overseers of the Poor, on the East by the Turnpike Road, on the South by old inclosures then in the possession of Nathaniel Jennings and on the West by an allotment awarded to the Vicar of Brookthorp was conveyed from William Roberts, farmer of Ashleworth, to Thomas Hickson, yeoman of Hartpury for the consideration of £130.
On 7th September 1847, “In consideration of the natural love and affection that Thomas Hickson had for his brother Joseph Hickson”, 1 acre, 0 roods and 26 perches, “together with the message, tenement or dwelling house and the barn, stable and outbuildings lately erected thereon” was conveyed to Joseph. There were 2 other nearby areas, of about 1 acre each, conveyed at the same time. However, there were strings attached! “Joseph Hickson does hereby declare that no woman who may become his widow shall be entitled to dower out of the said hereditaments” and that “Joseph Hickson provide for Thomas Hickson sufficient meat, drink, clothing, washing and lodging fitting to the degree and quality of the said Thomas Hickson”. From this it could be inferred that the main part of the Royal Exchange was built by Thomas Hickson some time between 1822 and 1847.
Joseph Hickson died in 1869, and on 25th June of that year, his Executor, John Millard, conveyed the house and land to William Evans, the highest bidder at a public auction, for the sum of £465. The next day, William Evans took a mortgage for £350 with Mrs. Jane Smith and Mr. George Pick Smith, shopkeeper, of Gloucester. This seems to have started a chain of events leading to the pub falling into the hands of a brewery. In January 1879 a second mortgage was taken with James Bretherton, solicitor of Gloucester, for £40, and in January 1882 a third mortgage for £110 with Miss Anne Hatton, spinster of London Road, Gloucester until her death 3 years later when it passed to Albert James Hatton, gent of Brighton and Arthur Vincent Hatton brewer of Gloucester. Then in April 1886, Jane Smith having died, the first and second mortgage was transferred to Mr Fred Middleton, baker of Brockworth, and on 8th May 1888 it was transferred again, to the same Arthur Vincent Hatton. By this time William Evans must have given up all hope of making a go of it! On 16th May 1889 the property was conveyed to A. V. Hatton of the Northgate Brewery for £95 9s 6d and the writing off of the 3 loans of £350, £40 and £110 together with any interest.
By 1896 Ind Coope Co Ltd had taken over the Northgate Brewery, which included the Royal Exchange. Ind Coope themselves at that time took a £12,000 loan from William Charles Grew of Mosely, Worcs at 4.5% interest, with securities including the Royal Exchange, at least 7 other pubs and the Northgate Brewery. This loan was not repaid until 1943.
In April 1960 a small parcel of land to enlarge the car park was conveyed from Mr. J. Charles (Charlie) Smart to Ind Coope (Oxford and West) Ltd.
Ind Coope merged with the likes of Ansells and Tetleys, and presumably developed into the Pubmaster chain, which was bought out by Punch Taverns in 2003.
Now for the first time for 123 years, the Royal Exchange is a freehouse again, having been bought by the Chamberlayne family in August 2012.
The Hicksons
The name Hickson is unusual in this part of the world, and we know from the 1851 census that Thomas and his brothers William and Joseph were born in Wall, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire. It is probable that their parents were Thomas Hickson who was buried in Hartpury on 9th January 1791 and Mary who was also buried in Hartpury on 1st January 1830 aged 84. If this is the case, then the 3 brothers would have been quite young when they came to Gloucestershire, as they were born between 1767 and 1787. Their mother Mary remarried after 1791 to John Ferris a farmer of 156 acres at Yew Tree Farm, Hartpury.
In 1841, the earliest census, Joseph, aged 50 was described as an Agricultural labourer living in Forge Lane with Mary Hickson also aged 50 (but his wife was Charlotte?), Mary Anne Hickson aged 15 and Thomas Hickson aged 70, Independent. William Hickson aged 50, also Independent was living nearby in a different house.
10 Years later Joseph, now aged 64 is described as a freeholder (he was given the property by his brother in 1847) and is living with his wife “Sharlot” aged 70, born in Bromsberrow and Thomas, now aged 81 is an annuitant in the same household.
By 1861, Charlotte had died and Joseph, aged 75 is for the first time described as Publican (Beer House Keeper). He is being helped by his daughter Sophia Charles, 42, Housekeeper born in Hartpury, and her 3 little daughters, Fanny, 11, Eliza, 8 and Maria, 3.
William Evans
Joseph died in 1869, and in 1871 for the first time the pub is referred to as The Royal Exchange.The head of the family is William Evans aged 33, Beershopkeeper born in Hartpury with his wife Hannah, 29, born in Maisemore, his little daughter Frances, aged 2 and 3 stepchildren aged 5 to 9, Annie, Samuel and William Salsbury.
In 1881 there is a large family living at the Royal Exchange. William, 45, Innkeeper. Hannah 39, his wife.William Salsbury, 19, Grocer’s assistant, Samuel Salsbury, 17, Carpenter, Annie Salsbury, 15, Domestic Nurse, and his own 5 daughters, Frances Jane, Laura Elizabeth, Beatrice Minnie, Agnes Hannah and Florence. There can’t have been a lot of room for the customers!
Although William Evans had sold the pub to the Hattons in 1889, he must have remained as he is there in 1891 aged 55, Shopkeeper and Innkeeper with Hannah and four children, the youngest a son at last, Gilbert aged 9.
But by 1901 he has moved to Foley Villas nearby and is described as a Small Farmer on his Own Account living with his wife Hannah, daughter Florence and son Francis Gilbert who is now a carpenter.
Robert Henry Marmon
The Marmon family had been in Hartpury for many years, and most of them were “Poulterers.” So in 1901 the Royal Exchange is occupied by Robert Henry Marmon, single aged 36, Innkeeper and Poulterer working on his own account. He has Eliza Ferris, 55 as Housekeeper.