DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Sort file:- Herne, May, 2023.

Page Updated:- Wednesday, 10 May, 2023.

PUB LIST PUBLIC HOUSES Paul Skelton

Earliest 1845

Druid's Head

Open 2020+

182 High Street / 8-9 William Street

Herne Bay

01227 372751

https://www.druidsheadhernebay.co.uk/

https://whatpub.com/druids-head

Druid's Head 1906

Above postcard, circa 1906, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Druid's Head 2012

Photo taken 27 September 2012 from http://www.flickr.com by Dunstabelle.

Druid's Head sign 1990

Above sign, 1990.

With thanks from Brian Curtis www.innsignsociety.com.

Druid's Head sign 1991Druid's Head sign 1992

Above sign left, July 1991, sign right, June 1992.

With thanks from Brian Curtis www.innsignsociety.com.

Druids Head signDruids Head sign 2016

Above sign left, date unknown, sign right 2016.

With thanks from Roger Pester www.innsignsociety.com

 

From the Whitstable Times, 23 August, 1902.

HERNE BAY. A DETERMINED POTMAN.

Richard Godfrey, a young man, was charged with embezzling £1 6s. 9d. the monies of Ernest Browning, it Herne Bay, on the 13th August.

The prisoner, who was represented by Mr. E. G. Walthew, pleaded guilty.

Prosecutor, landlord of the “Druid’s Head,” Herne Bay, stated that prisoner was in his employ as potman. He came from Whitstable and prosecutor agreed to give him 10s. a week with everything found. Witness’s suspicions were aroused because prisoner sought articles that he did not require and was generally extravagant. That caused him to visit his bedroom. There he found prisoner’s Post Office Bank book which showed that on July 23rd he banked £2, on July 30th £1, and in August £1 10s. Witness laid a trap for prisoner. He marked a number of coins and got people to spend them at the house on a certain afternoon when prisoner alone was in the bar. Witness looked in the till afterwards and the marked money was not there. When accused prisoner at first denied it but afterwards admitted taking the money.

In cross-examination prosecutor said he had no desire to press the charge. The prisoner had made restitution to him of £4 10s., the money that he admitted banking.

Mr. Walthew, is addressing the Bench, said it was a very sad case, for hitherto the prisoner had borne a very good character. Unfortunately the lad commenced life very badly, for he never knew his father nor his mother. From the time he first went out into a situation the prisoner had always been in good employment. There was a gentleman at Whitstable willing to take prisoner back into his service if the Bench would deal with the case under the First Offenders’ Act and discharge him. Mr. Walthew asked the Magistrates to look upon the case as one of sudden temptation.

Prosecutor asked the Bench to deal leniently with the prisoner, as he had lacked that attention and cars that he would have received from anxious parents.

The Bench took this view of the case and bound the prisoner over in £20 to come up for judgment if called upon.

 

Canterbury Journal, Kentish Times and Farmers' Gazette, Saturday 14 February 1903.

Herne Bay Temporary Transfer.

Mr. Horace Browning applied for the licence he held of the "Druids Head," Herne Bay, to be transferred to Mr. Henry Charlesworth.

In reply to questions by the chairman, Mr. Browning said he was applying to have the licence transfer to Mr. Charlesworth, the reason being that he was anxious to get out of the business for the time being. Eventually he should go to a larger and more commercial town. He had held the licence of the "Druids Head" for a little over 3 years.

Mr. Charlesworth said he had had experience of the trade. He had kept the "Railway Hotel" at Faversham. The evaluation of the "Druids Head" was just under £600.

Mr. Browning said the £600 valuation was for the whole of the furniture and fixtures. It did not include anything for goodwill at all. The house was a large one and well furnished.

The Chairman asked Mr. Charlesworth whether he was aware that the licence was only for one year, and that it might be withdrawn at any time.

Mr. Charlesworth said he understood that.

The Chairman said under these circumstances and knowing that Mr. Charlesworth still wished to invest the money (Mr. Charlesworth said he did), the transfer would be granted then.

 

From the Canterbury Journal and Farmers’ Gazette, Saturday, 21 February, 1903.

ST. AUGUSTINE’S ADJOURNED LICENSING SESSIONS.

HERNE BAY.—TRANSFERS.

The licence of the "Druid’s Head," Herne Bay, was transferred from Horace Browning to William Henry Charlesworth.

 

From the Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald, 8 December, 1906.

OBSTRUCTING FOODS AND DRUGS INSPRCTOR.

William Henry Charlesworth, landlord of the "Druid's Head," Herne Bay, was summoned at St Augustine's Petty Sessions, at Canterbury on Saturday, for unlawfully obstructing Superintendent Jacobs as Inspector under the Foods and Drugs Act, by taking possession and refusing to deliver up half a pint of whiskey and half a pint of rum which had been purchased for analyses, also with refusing to serve the Inspector with half a pint of gin for the same purpose on October 29th.

Defendant, who pleaded guilty, was represented by Mr. A. K. Mowll.

P.C. Hopkins gave evidence to purchasing from the barmaid of the "Druid's Head" half a pint of whiskey, half a pint of brandy, and half a pint of rum. Witness then asked for half a pint of gin from a stone vessel that had "gin" inscribed thereon, but the landlord came in and took the gin from her hand and poured it into another measure. Witness told him they were policemen, and wanted the spirits for analysing and he said, "I know who you are and what you want it for." Witness again demanded a half a pint of gin from the stone vessel from which the young lady had taken the first lot, and the landlord said "You won't get it. You can have it from this bottle" taking down a bottle from the top shelf. Defendant then made an effort to take away the samples already purchased and lying on the counter, and he succeeded in taking two of them — the whiskey and the rum. Witness demanded them back, telling the landlord they were not his as they had been paid for. He refused to give them up and Superintendent Jacobs was then called in. The Superintendent demanded the bottles back and also the half pint of gin from the stone vessel, but declined to accede to the request, and also refused the names of the barmaids, saying he did not know what they were.

Superintendent Jacobs gave similar evidence, and said he could make nothing of defendant. The man was very excited and he had never seen him like it before or since.

In reply to Mr. Mowll, witness said Hopkins laid two shillings on the counter to pay for the gin.

Mr. Mowll then raised the technical objection that as the Superintendent had not personally laid down the correct amount for the gin the second charge was bad in law.

The Bench, however, overruled the objection.

Mr. Mowll, for the defence, drew attention to the unusual nature of the case, and said that without doubt the defendant had made a mistake. He was under the wrong impression that, whoever the authority might be, be had the legal right to say he declined to serve them out of a particular bottle. The defendant had taken a mistaken view of the law, and had no intention of defeating the ends of justice Mr. Mowll went on to allude to defendant’s previous good character.

The Superintendent said that with the exception of one complaint that was dismissed, defendant had nothing against him during the four years he had been at Herne Bay. He otherwise conducted the house very well.

The Bench, taking defendants previous good character into account, only fined him 10s. and £1 0s. 6d. costs.

 

From the Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald, 2 March 1907.

THE DRUIDS’ HEAD, HERNE BAY.

The police formally objected to the “Druids’ Head” Herne Bay, on account of the tenant having been convicted under the Foods and Drugs Act. Superintendent Jacobs said since that conviction, however, the house had been well conducted.

The Chairman announced that the licence would be renewed.

Mr. R. M. Mercer then applied for the licence to be transferred from W. H. Charlesworth to J. A Forge, but as there was a dispute as to the valuation the application stood adjourned.

 

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Paul Hooper, 9 March 2016.

Herne Bay thugs Russell Marchant, Daniel Turner and Ercan Kosar jailed for vicious attack.

Three thugs who hunted down a man like “an animal” before launching a vicious attack have all been jailed.

A judge told them that their victim had been pursued “through the streets of Herne Bay by a marauding mob” and, as he cowered in a garden, was then punched and kicked.

Two of the thugs, Russell Marchant and Daniel Turner, were convicted of unlawfully wounding Stephen King in the incident in Douglas Road, Herne Bay in August 2014.

Russell MarchantDaniel Turner

Russell Marchant (left) and Daniel Turner (right). Both were jailed for two-and-a-half years.

The jury at Canterbury Crown Court also found Ercan Kosar guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm and he was jailed for six months.

Recorder James Mulholland QC told them: “This was an appalling incident of violence. Mr King was pursued from garden to garden to garden like an animal.”

The jury heard how Mr King went home after the attack and was later taken to hospital for treatment for his injuries.

Turner, 30, of Town Court; Marchant, 31, of Sea View Road and Kosar, 25, of Downs Park, all Herne Bay, had denied the offences, and were acquitted by the jury of the more serious charge of wounding with intent.

The court heard how there had been friction between Mr King’s family and the family of Marchant.

And as Mr King was walking past the Druids Head pub in the High Street he was summoned by a group of people.

Ercan Kosar

Ercan Kosar was jailed for his part in a vicious attack.

Prosecutor Simon Sandford told how Mr King became fearful and attempted to headbutt one of the men before running away along Canterbury Road.

He then hid in nearby gardens after being pursued by a group of people, including Marchant, Turner and Kosar.

When he thought the group had gone he made his way home but was spotted by the group and caught in Douglas Road.

 

LICENSEE LIST

LEADBETTER William 1858-61+ (also Carpenter age 35 in 1861Census)

ELLS John Steven 1874-82+ (also Mail Contractor age 37 in 1881Census)

HILL Charles 1899+

BROWNING Horace 1900-Feb/03 (age 35 in 1901Census) Kelly's 1903

Last pub licensee had CHARLSWORTH William Henry Feb/1903-Mar/07

FORGE John Alma Mar/1907-17+

PEARSON Ernest A 1930-38+

https://pubwiki.co.uk/DruidsArms.shtml

 

CensusCensus

Kelly's 1903From the Kelly's Directory 1903

 

If anyone should have any further information, or indeed any pictures or photographs of the above licensed premises, please email:-

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