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The following information has been taken from
http://www.cliffehistory.co.uk/pubs.html The "Compasses"
once stood as a local beer house towards the end of Reed Street in Marsh
Lane and is now a private dwelling. Although now quite faded the beer
house name can still be seen on its northern wall and on the south face
can be made out the name of the brewery. The first recorded landlord
of the "Compasses" was a Mr. Samuel Rumbel who, in 1851, was 73 years
old and lived at Cuckolds Green in Reed Street with his daughter Sarah
Seamark and granddaughter Julia Seamark. At that time a nearby
neighbour, also living in Reed Street, were William and Sarah Seamark
who were soon to move to Salt Lane. Mr. William Seamark, a local
shepherd who ran the beer house in the 1860's with his wife Sarah.
William and Sarah lived in Salt Lane and were next door neighbours to
George and Mary Cloake who, at the time, were in charge of the "Royal
Albert" beer house in Salt Lane. It was Julia Seamark, William's
cousin, who took over the running of the establishment in 1869 and she
married shortly afterwards, in the late summer of 1870 on the Isle of
Sheppey, to George Laws who then became the licensee. After George's
death Julia was once more left with the running of the beer house but it
would appear that help was at hand from her cousin Thomas, a market
gardener by trade, who lodged with Julia and her daughter Agnes at the
"Compasses." Thomas took up the reins for a short time in 1888.
The following year the name was changed to the "Iron
Compass." |
Census