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.

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.