The Kings Arms Public House, Ampthill

The Kings Arms Public House: 9 Church Street, Ampthill [formerly The Crown]

The Crown Inn is first mentioned in Ampthill in any document deposited with Bedfordshire Archives in a survey of the Honour of Ampthill in 1542 when it is described as being in the High Street. A later deed of 1699 (in which the public house abuts the property conveyed) identifies this public house with that later called the Kings Arms.

The Kings Arms is first mentioned in about 1664 when the annual cattle market is described as occurring between the Kings Arms and Red Hart, putting the public house in Church Street. Whether this was the same building as the later public house at 9 Church Street is uncertain as the Department of Environment in its schedule of listed buildings reckoned this property as dating from the early 18^th century. However, it is possible that the older building was demolished and rebuilt or that the current building has older elements within it.

The inn was large enough to stage Quarter Sessions in the middle of the 18th century and, as the list below makes clear, was much favoured as a site of auctions (usually of furniture) in the mid to late 19th century. The first mention of an owner (notionally a tenant of the Honour) comes in 1786 when Thomas Carte left it in his will to his son Humphrey. Humphrey then left it, in his turn, to his son Humphrey in 1818 and by 1827 Humphrey was clearly leasing it to the Ampthill brewery run by John and Joseph Morris as in that year it appears in an inventory of the firm where it is described as a freehold coaching inn run by Robert Sexton with separate stables, two for six horses, one for five, one for three and one for two. It also has a coach house and “old materials of a malthouse” implying that this had been pulled down. The yard and gardens contained about half an acre in which was a small shop occupied by James Ellis, a hatter and a cottage occupied by a man named Goode. A later tenant was George Whitbread and he allowed the inn to be used by a Friendly Society which a mortgage of 1843 notes as lending money on a cottage at Maulden.

When this Humphrey Carte died in 1863 the Kings Arms was sold at auction to John Cook of Steppingley, farmer, for £900. It was then described as consisting of a 22 by 16 feet commercial and market room, a bar parlour, tap room and pantries on the ground floor; a 19 by 17 foot dining room and china closet, small ante-room and six bedrooms on the first floor; an arched ale cellar 36 feet by 12 feet and two smaller cellars as well as wine and spirit cellars. It had a large enclosed yard leading from the street about 40 feet by 30 feet of which was covered by a brewhouse with wash house, laundry, knife house, pump and well. It also had a range of brick and tile buildings around the yard comprising several stables (enough for about 50 horses!), six granaries, a coal house, hen house and piggeries together with an enclosed garden with summer house. It paid a quit rent to the Honour of Ampthill of 1/10 per annum.

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

• 1542: Thomas Vernam;
• 1587: William Jellis;
• 1656: Geoffrey Shortridge;
• 1727: Thomas Cooke;
• 1754: Daniel Wright;
• 1785 William Davis * will1786;
• 1811: P.Elliott;
• before 1815 William Elliott;
• 1822: Martha Elliott;
• 1827-1831: Robert Sexton - 1848 *will;
• 1839-1854: George Whitbread;
• 1861-1869: Joseph Jones;
• 1877-1882: Samuel Stanbridge;
• 1882-1899: Eliza Stanbridge;
• 1899-1908: Abbis Leonard Peel;
• 1908-1920: Arthur Letts;
• 1920-1930: John Anderson;
• 1930-1932: Henry Edwin Clabbon;
• 1931-1936: Edward Joseph Cooke;
• 1936-1942: Henry Bygrave Willmott;
• 1942-1953: George Alfred Dodd;
• 1953-1954: George Charles Cartwright;
• 1954-1956: Alexander Francis Barclay;
• 1956-1957: Richard James Gooch;

Public house closed 4 Feb 1957 and licence removed to Horseshoes, Sharpenhoe.

List of sources at Bedfordshire Archives: 

• CRT100/25 f.3: Survey of Honor of Ampthill Crown Inn "in the high street": 1542
• ABC3 fo.199: Juliana Knighte's lodging at: 1578
• R6/1/4/2: Weekly cattle market to be held between inn and Red Hart: c.1664-1685
• HSA1668.S.52-55: Thief apprehended at: 1668
• X168/59-60: Kings Arms described as formerly being the Crown noted as an abuttal in a conveyance 1699
• QSR1729/13: warrant to carry baggage of Lord Cobham's Regiment from inn: 1729
• RO2/127: Deed mentions Daniel Wright of: 1748
• BS818: Churchwarden's Levy: 1754
• WE1282: Devised in the will of Thomas Carte, innholder to his son Humphrey: 1786, proved 1795
• B563: Schedule of property approved at: 1797
• WE1283: Devised in the will of Humphrey Carte, maltster to his son Humphrey: 1818;
• Z1043/1: Morris brewery inventory: 1827
• X21/629: Conveyance and assignment of properties from Joseph Morris to devisees under the will of John Morris, deceased: 1828
• WB/M/4/1/VP1: Mortgage of brewery, public houses etc. by John Morris to Mary Ann, Jane and Catherine Morris: 1831
• WE464: Mortgage of a cottage in Maulden to a Friendly Society held at the Kings Arms: 1843
• WE1284: Sale catalogue of the public house, sold under the will of Humphrey Carte: 1863;
• WE1285: Conveyed by Hannah Cook and Humphrey Carte to Robert Furze and Martha Bright,
• WE1286: Leased by Hannah Cook, Humphrey Carte and William Daniels to Richard H.Hawkes: 1865
• WE 1287: Leased by Hannah Cook, Humphrey Carte and William Daniels to Frederick Archdale and Charles Samuel Lindsell: 1867
• WE1288: Leased by Thomas Cook to H.Whitebread: 1877
• WB/M/4/1/VP2: Mortgaged by John Thomas Green: 1882
• PSA5/1-2: Registers of licensees: 1882-1957
• Beds Mag iv.283: Photograph of gateway: C20
• Beds Mag vi.249: Photograph of yard: C20
• Z50/1/10: Photograph of Band Room in Kings Arms Yard: C20
• Z50/1/20: Photograph: c.1900
• WB/M/4/1/VP8: Abstract of title - Morris & Co Limited: 1900 – 1928
• UDA14/S5: Planning application for drainage development: 1901
• CCE5304/1: Conveyed to Morris & Co Limited: 1907
• HN10/372/Morris12: Lease of shop in Kings Arms Yard: 1919
• WB/M/4/2/1: List of Morris & Co Limited properties: c.1926
• WB/M/4/2/2: List of Morris & Co Limited properties: 1926
• WB/M/4/1/VP8: Abstract of title of Morris & Company Limited: 1926
• WB/Green4/2/4: Certificate of title of J.W.Green Limited: 1935 – 1952
• WB/Green6/4/1: J.W.Green trade analysis: 1936 – 1947
• WB/Green4/2/5: List of houses of J.W.Green Limited: c.1936
• WW2/AR/CA1/1/2: Use of premises in Yard at 7 Church Street as garage for Rescue Party car: 1940-1941
• WB/Green4/2/10: Schedule of deeds of J.W.Green Limited: c.1949
• WB/Green4/5/Am/KA1-3: Photographs: 1950s
• WB/Green4/2/16: Letter as to titles: 1952
• WB/Green4/2/17: Trust deed of J.W.Green Limited: 1952 – 1972
• WB/Green4/2/19: List of properties of J.W.Green Limited: 1954
• Z53/1/12: Photograph: c.1955;
• AU10/49/8: Ampthill parish magazine notes proposed conversion of three stores at Kings Arms into boutiques: c.1985;
• Z923/13/7: Garden open: 1996;
• Z923/6/14: Garden open: 1997;
• X905/1/1: Presentation of seat in Kings Arms Path Gardens: 2000