The Roebuck Public House Eversholt
The former Roebuck February 2016
The first mention of the Roebuck is in the Post Office Directory of 1854 and Craven and Company’s Directory of 1853. It is not listed in the Post Office Directory for 1847 though Isaac Pepper is listed as a beer seller in Hills End, so it seems likely that at this date the Roebuck was a beerhouse which had become a fully-licensed public house by 1853. It is not mentioned in the countywide licensing register of 1828 and so the property must first have been licensed between 1828 and 1847.
In 1877 the Roebuck was conveyed by John Pepper to Newport Pagnell [Buckinghamshire] brewers Allfrey and Lovell, along with two roods of land, for £550 [R6/19/1/1]. The last we hear of the Roebuck is in Kelly’s Directory of 1894. Curiously the Roebuck is not listed in the Woburn petty sessional licensing register, despite the fact the Roebuck was in the Woburn district in 1891 and still open! The only possibility seems to be that the register was put together later than the closure of the Roebuck, with earlier years being transcribed from an older register which has not survived as, clearly, it would be pointless to trabscribe details for an a licensed property which was closed.
In April 1894 Allfrey and Lovell conveyed the property to the Duke of Bedford [R6/19/1/2]. It was here described as having been hitherto used as a public house. This, together with the fact that the property is still listed in Kelly’s Directory suggests that the Roebuck closed its doors for the last time early in 1894 or, perhaps, late in 1893.
The Rating and Valuation Act 1925 specified that every building and piece of land in the country was to be assessed to determine its rateable value. The valuer visiting the former Roebuck [DV1/C133/39] found it owned by the Duke of Bedford’s London and Devon Estates Company and tenanted by J Brithford “rent-free”.
The building contained two living rooms, a kitchen, a scullery, four bedrooms and a boxroom “plus half-basement room and cellar”. A coachhouse and stable stood outside along with a barn and earth closet.
In 2008 the former Roebuck was for sale. The particulars for this now private house, now called Roe Buck House [Z449/2/20] stated: "Roe Buck House was formerly a village inn and is rurally situated being close to the renowned Woburn deer park. It benefits from a prominent position with commanding views over the adjoining countryside. The property has in recent years undergone extensive refurbishment including a sympathetic oak framed garden room at the rear. Much of the original character remains as many period features are still evident". The ground floor comprised an entrance hall, a kitchen/breakfast room, a sitting room, a garden room, a utility room, a bathroom and a bedroom. The first floor contained a galleried family room, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a separate WC whilst the second floor had an en-suite bedroom and a dressing room.
Sources:
- PSW3/1: Register of Alehouse Licences - Woburn Petty Sessional Division: 1868-1949;
- R6/19/1/1: conveyance: 1877;
- R6/19/1/2: conveyance: 1894
- GK131/3: note on mortgage that conveyance of Roebuck would be returned: 1894;
- Z449/2/20: sale particulars: 2008.
List of Licensees: note that this is not a complete list. Italics indicate licensees whose beginning and/or end dates are not known:
1847-1869: Isaac Pepper
1876-1877: George Pepper;
1877-1894: Green Rayner.
Public house closed 1893 or 1894