1881 CENSUS
Cross Guns Spring 2023 (now private houses)
Crows Nest 1908
OWNERS of CROSS GUNS PUB, CROWS NEST, SNAILBEACH;
SUPPOSEDLY BUILT IN 1838 ( I can’t find a census for it until 1871 ? )
1851-; N/A on census.
1861-; N/A census
1871-; Martha ROWSON and her son, JOHN ROWSON OWNED CROSS GUNS.
1881-; JOHN ROWSON took over from his Mother.
1891-;JOHN ROWSON at pub.
1911-; WILLIAM/ ELIZABETH MANSELL owned it.
1913 William Mansell on Kelly’s Directory living there ( names as CROWSNEST INN !)
1913-1918 ; ANNIE BISHOP( nee BRADDICK)owned it and was killed in 1918 outside pub.Niece of ANNIE SALTER.
1917 JOHN BISHOP, think that’s Annie Bishops Dad father in law ? Owned it, called it CROWS NEST INN.
1922 -MY GRANDDAD OWNED IT until at least 1930 as his Mother ELIZABETH ( nee POTTER) died at Cross Guns) ( 1921 he was living at Gattens Hay, Ratlinghope. )
1925- Aunty Berta daughter was born at CROSS GUNS
1928- Gran left him and went to her Dad in Trelewis, Wales. He threatened to murder her! She was awarded court costs and my Mum being the youngest was paid maintenance by him.
1930 ELIZABETH POTTER, Grandads Mother died at CROSS GUNS this year.
2nd Oct 1931: Grandad / Southall Brewery were compensated for revoked pub licences. £568.1s…..!
1939 records ; CEDRIC HOUSE (back of Cross Guns Inn) WILLIAM CLAYTON WITH WIFE AGNES ( Tanya ancestors) lived there. CROSS GUNS had been converted into cottages by Mrs HUMPHREYS by then .
According to 1939 records ESTHER HUMPHREYS owned STIPERSTONES INN with brother WILLIAM HUMPHRIES b. 1 Sept 1883 listed as ESTATE AGENT OF OWNER. Walton Humphries was at school at time.
MRS ESTHER HUMPHRIES OWNED IT WITH HER SON, WALTON, BUT DON’T KNOW WHEN.The club house behind the pub allowed for a wider range of social activities,& after it had closed. FROM ONCE UPON A HILL From Doris Hewitt;”There were Whist Drives at the Crowsnest .Mrs Humphreys from the Stiperstones Inn bought the Cross Guns Inn & divided it up into cottages to stop anycompetition. She bought an old bus & it was parked on the front,she was converting it into a living space, we played in it,made a grand playhouse.”From MARY CHAILLINOR; ( b. 1926) I remember doing concerts & plays in the club room, then Mrs Humphrey let it out as a flat & 5 girls came from Birmingham. They were glamorous & the chaps were queuing up.They had backless tops-well nobody had ever seen anything like it around here before”
Above research by Angela Bolton who is related to the Salters who owned the inn
Comments taken from the book ; NEVER ON A SUNDAY – Memories of the Stiperstones Mining Communities. Compiled by Peter Francis, Jane Price and Kim Yapp.
Walton Humphrey and the STIPERSTONES PUBLIC HOUSE: Walton Humphrey 1925-1999 was head barman at 12 years of age at the Stiperstones. The ROWSONS ( Don and Norman) used to go in. Esther, his Mum used to go to St Luke’s church . The Rowsons used to get him drunk while she was there! His Mother used to take in visitors and it was always full, she used to advertise in the Liverpool Echo. There was a hugh dining room table with a white cloth on it and it was Walton’s job to brush the crumbs off it after toast.
Esther HUMPHRIES is in the 1934 Kelly’s Directory of Shropshire for owning the Stiperstones Inn.
Many thanks to VAL JONES for providing this in ( FB) 23rd Feb 1944 mrs esther humphrey sold it to mrs w c sorenson, on the 29th april 1947, mrs sorenson gave it back to mrs humphrey as deed of gift. When mrs humphrey died, it was left to her son walton chidley humphrey
The club house behind the pub allowed for a wider range of social activities and, after it had closed, a degree of excitement in Crowsnest; EXTRACT FROM ONCE UPON A HILL From Doris Hewitt; “There were Whist Drives at the Crowsnest . Mrs Humphreys from the Stiperstones Inn bought the Cross Guns Inn and divided it up into cottages to stop any competition. She bought an old bus and it was parked on the front, she was converting it into a living space, we played in it- it made a grand playhouse ! ” . From MARY CHAILLINOR; ( b. 1926) I remember doing concerts and plays in the club room, then Mrs Humphrey let it out as a flat and 5 girls came from Birmingham. They were glamorous and the chaps were queuing up! They had backless tops- well nobody had ever seen anything like it around here before ! “
31 July 1918
ANNIE RAN THE PUB KNOWN AS THE CROSS GUNS AT THE CROWS NEST SNAILBEACH – SHE HAD ASKED ONE OF HER DAUGHTERS TO PREPARE THE PONY AND TRAP FOR HER TO GO OUT BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE WRONG PONY WAS HARNESSED TO THE TRAP IT WAS NOT FULLY TRAINED AND BECAME FRIGHTENED AND BOLTED THROWING ANNIE FROM THE TRAP AND THEN RUNNING OVER HER. SHE DIED FOUR DAYS LATER FROM A HEART ATTACK AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT. MOST ACCOUNTS OMIT THE PART HER DAUGHTER PLAYED IN THIS INCIDENT BUT I HAVE PUT IT IN THE KEEP THE FACTS STRAIGHT NOT TO APPORTION ANY BLAME
