Address: Towngate, Eccleston
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| Baines 1825 Directory |
It first appears on Census records in 1841 when William Brinton was the Inn Keeper.
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| 1841 Census |
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| 1851 Census |
The 1851 census saw a new landlord behind the bar at the Blue Anchor Inn, John Rigby who had been running the business since as early as 1845.
John Rigby, licensee in 1851, died in June of that year. He had been a gamekeeper in Bispham until at least 1843 and the first mention of him back in Eccleston is the baptism of twin sons Henry and James in 1845, when he is Innkeeper. John's great great grandsons now own the car dealership 200 yards away opposite the Farmer's Arms. (courtesy of Andrew Alston 2018).
Indication from the will of Seth Rigby (purported brother of John) suggests the Inn was actually owned by the Rigby family and parish records from the 18th century would tend to support this, as follows, dating the Inn back to the very early 1700s.
Baptism: 13 Sep 1726 St Mary the Virgin, Eccleston, Lancashire
John Rigby - Son of Seth Rigby & Alice
Abode: Eccleston
Occupation: Innkeeper
Register: Baptisms 1701 - 1734, Page 25, Entry 9
Burial: 29 Apr 1729 St Mary the Virgin, Eccleston, Lancashire
Seth Rigby - Abode: Eccleston
Occupation: Jukespar? (sic.Innkeeper)
Register: Burials 1701 - 1734, Page 54, Entry 12
Marriage: 27 Dec 1742 St Mary the Virgin, Eccleston, Lancashire
Seth Rigby - Inn Ceepar [Inn keeper], Bachelor, Eccleston
Margret Foster - Spinster, Eccleston
Married by Banns by: Mr. Walker Curate
Register: Marriages 1735 - 1753, Page 8, Entry 3
Baptism: 12 Apr 1748 St Mary the Virgin, Eccleston, Lancashire
Seth Rigby - Son of Seth Rigby & Margaret
Abode: Eccleston
Occupation: Inn Ceeper
Register: Baptisms 1735 - 1759, Page 22, Entry 9
Burial: 2 May 1766 St Mary the Virgin, Eccleston, Lancashire
Seth Rigby -
Abode: Eccleston
Occupation: Innkeeper
Register: Burials 1760 - 1781, Page 23, Entry 20
Baptism: 21 Mar 1779 St Mary the Virgin, Eccleston, Lancashire
Seth Rigby - son of Seth Rigby & Jane
Abode: Eccleston
Occupation: Inn Keeper
Register: Baptisms 1760 - 1781, Page 75, Entry 7
In 1855 electoral registers confirm the landlord had changed again and was now an Aaron Parr, who later went on to run his own beerhouse on Towngate, Parr's Beerhouse.
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| 1861 Census |
William Highfield was then listed as landlord from 1861 all the way through to his death in the Autumn of 1881. 1891 saw a Thomas Ellison behind the bar followed by John Danson in 1901, William Hayes in 1911 and Robert Alexander in 1921. The pub was closed and demolished c.1999 and there are now houses on the site, which is called Anchor Fields.
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| 1871 Census |
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| 1881 Census |
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| 1891 Census |
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| 1901 Census |
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| 1911 Census |
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| 1921 Census Robert Alexander |
The Blue Anchor appears in the 1825 Baines Directory of Lancashire (available on Google books) with Joshua Christopher as licensee. He also appears as an innkeeper in the 1821 census, transcribed on Lan-OPC, which is, of course, lacking his address, but he is close by Rev. William Yates (on Lydiate Lane) and James Marsden, parish clerk, who I know lived just north of the bridge over the Yarrow, so the Blue Anchor seems almost certain then too.
ReplyDeleteJohn Rigby, licensee in 1851, died in June of that year. He had been a gamekeeper in Bispham until at least 1843 and the first mention of him back in Eccleston is the baptism of twin sons Henry and James in 1845, when he is Inn Keeper. John's great great grandsons now own the car dealership 200 yards away opposite the Farmer's Arms.
Many thanks for the additional information Andrew. I will have a look on the Baines Directory and update my information.
ReplyDeleteJust came across a snippet in the Preston Chronicle of 21 June 1851. It seems that John Rigby was not just the tenant, but joint owner with Seth Rigby and others not named. There was some ill feeling, resulting in a court case. It may be that this precipitated John's death a couple of days later. The only likely Seth would be John's older brother. He was in various labouring jobs, but inherited an equal share of his grandfather Seth's estate on the death of their father. By the following census, though still an Ag Lab, Seth is living at Bannister House, which I think was by the sharp bend on Bannister Lane.
ReplyDeleteGrandfather Seth's will, made in 1819, is online at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6SG9-Q16?i=23&cat=126866
It doesn't give actual addresses, but does mention that he owned brewing vessels.
Thanks Andrew. It appears that the Blue Anchor was in the Rigby family for far longer than I'd first realised and whilst not always running the Inn they were the landlords/owners. Further parish records confirm links to the family going back to the early part of the 18th century.
ReplyDelete