The Cross Keys Public House, Ampthill

The Cross Keys Public House: Bedford Street, near Market Place, Ampthill [earlier called The Unicorn]

This public house is first mentioned in any document in Bedfordshire Archives in 1728 when Thomas Bedcott devised it in his will to his daughter Sarah Patch, when it was called the Unicorn [ref: ABP/W1728/7]. Sarah duly devised it to trustees in her will of 1747 (proved in 1748) to sell and divide the proceeds between her children. Thus in 1748 it was sold to Richard Hawkins of Ampthill, tailor, who devised it in his will of 1764 (proved in 1765) to his wife Rebecca, she devising it in 1771, (following her daughter Mary’s eventual death) to Mary’s illegitimate son Thomas (clearly then still very young as it contains a clause that if he “turn out to be an idiot” money be used to maintain him. A Thomas Hawkins was baptised in Ampthill in 1770).

As it turned out Thomas died when he was still an infant in his mother’s lifetime (no burial entry in Ampthill parish registers exists for him). His mother died in 1799 and the public house now called the Cross Keys was sold at auction in that year by Rebecca’s surviving trustee to William Cook of Ampthill, victualler, who straight away mortgaged it to William Croson of Eversholt, the mortgage being redeemed in 1813. In 1832 William Cook leased the public house to his son-in-law Evan Jones [ref: X168/66] and in his will of the same year [ref: PUAW1/13] devised the public house to his wife Elizabeth for life, remainder to their son John.

This is the last reference to this public house in documents held by Bedfordshire Archives other than directories, where it is last mentioned in 1854 when Francis Green was landlord. He was buried on 10 Aug 1856, aged 65, and presumably the public house closed at or around that date as by the directory for 1861 it is no longer listed.

List of Licensees: note that this is not a complete list. Italics indicate licensees whose beginning and/or end dates are not known:

• 1728: Samuel Wright;
• 1748: William Flowers;
• 1764: Thomas Pratt;
• 1771-1799: Sarah Rees;
• 1832: Evan Jones;
• 1839: John Webb;
• 1847-1854: Francis Green

List of sources at Bedfordshire Archives: 

• ABP/W1728/7: Proof will of Thomas Bedcott: 1728
• X168/62: Conveyed by Thomas Wyles to Richard Hawkins: 1748
• R6/1/6/2: Auction sale held at: 1818
• X21/629: Conveyance of properties from Joseph Morris to devisees under the will of John Morris, deceased: 1828
• WJ193: Auction sale held at 1829
• X168/66: Lease from William Cook to Evan Jones: 1832
• PUAE1/13: Will of William Cook devising in to Elizabeth then son John: 1832
• ABP/W1833/36: Proof of will of William Cook: 1833