WHITE HORSE Pub of Edenbridge

DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Page Updated:- Tuesday, 29 October, 2024.

PUB LIST

PUBLIC HOUSES

Paul Skelton

Earliest 1826-

White Horse Inn

Closed ????

High Street

Edenbridge

https://whatpub.com/white-horse-inn

Above photo, 1917, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above postcard 1955.

Above photo 2009 by Stacey Harris Creative Commons Licence.

Above photo, September 2010.

Sign above, June 1993.

With thanks from Brian Curtis www.innsignsociety.com.

From the Maidstone Journal. 16 October, 1841.

November 2nd. Detained at the "White Horse" in Edenbridge on suspicion of being stolen, an 8 Day Dial, in mahogany case; if not legally claimed in 28 days after this notice the same will be sold to pay the expense of advertising etc. If by letter, prepaid, to Mr, West, "White Horse Inn" Edenbridge or to Mr. A. Corke, constable of the same place.

Kentish Gazette, 3 February 1852.

Edenbridge. Melancholy Death.

An inquest was held at the "White Horse Inn," on Thursday, on the body of Mr. James Golding, who was found drowned in a mote, near his residence, on Tuesday morning, the 20th instant; the deceased has for many years been in the employ of T. Alexander, Esq., as bailiff, and was much respected. The jury, after hearing the witnesses, returned a verdict of "Found Drowned." The deceased was 42 years of age, and has left a wife and large family.

Southeastern Gazette, 5 July 1853.

Mary Welch, 43, for stealing a table-cloth, the property of Stephen Burbary, at Westerham.

The prosecutor is landlord of the "Grassshopper" public-house and the cloth was used in his tap-room on the 5th May, on which day the prisoner was at his house. On the 6th the prisoner offered the cloth for sale at the "White Horse," Edenbridge, for 4d., and it was purchased by the ostler, who, suspecting it to be stolen property, gave information to Superintendent Handley, gave the cloth up to him, and the prisoner was taken into custody. Prisoner said she bought the cloth of a man named Smith, who had formerly lodged at prosecutor’s house. Previous convictions of felony were proved against her, and she was sentenced to fifteen years’ transportation.

Kentish Gazette, 17 March 1857.

GREGORY v. MILLS

This was an interpleader action to try the right to certain goods now in the possession of the plaintiff

It appeared from the opening of counsel that a man named West had kept for some years the "White Horse," at Edenbridge, and having become very much in arrears for rent, owing no less than £295 for rent and £37 for goods to his landlord, Messrs. Day, brewers, they put in a distress. At this time, Gregory, the preset plaintiff, and formerly a waiter at the "Bull Inn," Dartford applied to Messrs. Day in February last, and asked whether they had a public-house to dispose of, as he was anxious to purchase one. They told him they had the "White Horse" at Edenbridge, and he deposited £50 before he went to look at it. Gregory offered to purchase the goods from Crafter, the officer in charge. The inventory of the goods and a receipt for £269 4s. for them was put in. West was told to give up the premises to Gregory, which he did, and Gregory took possession of the house and the goods in the inventory. Gregory has continued to keep the house ever since. West had a wife and daughter, and Gregory kept the daughter in his service. West has had nothing to do with the business since Gregory bought these goods. Mr. Mills, a creditor of West, put in an execution on the 14th of February.

Mr. Jeremiah Crafter, an auctioneer and appraiser, of London, received a warrant to distrain, and went on the 3rd of February to Edenbridge to the "White Horse," and levied the distress. He then made a regular valuation of the whole of the fixtures and furniture. Mr. West then signed such documents as he thought necessary.

Cross-examined.:— There was an understanding that Gregory was to go out at the end of three months at a valuation if he did not approve of it.

Mr. West said he had kept the "White Horse" for some years, and had never known Gregory until the day he came down. When Mr. Crafter went away Gregory remained there and took possession.

Cross-examined by Mr. James.:— Witness owed Mills, the defendant, a balance of £50. Owed £295 for rent. At the time Gregory came in, Mills was pressing for the money.

On the 7th February witness offered 2s. 6d. in the pound, but had paid nothing, as this had taken all he had.

Mr. James, at the conclusion of plaintiff’s case, submitted to his Lordship that it was a suspicious transaction.

The Judge.:— No; the landlord had a right to secure himself. After he had put in the distress he would take care to leave nothing for the execution; and if he thought an execution was coming, he would be the more likely to act promptly.

Verdict for plaintiff; less certain of the goods which were admitted to belong to a third party.

Kent Times, 15 February 1862.

THE LATE CASE OF NEGLECT. THE INQUEST.

An inquest was held at the "White Horse Inn" yesterday (Friday) on the body of Elizabeth Goldsmith (the particulars of whose death will be found in another column). A highly-respectably jury was sworn, of which Mr. C. O. Evans was foreman.

William Goldsmith, the husband of the deceased, detailed the facts of the case as stated by us in another portion of this day's Kent Times, and in the course of his evidence was asked by Mr. Geere, the surgeon, if he (witness) did not distinctly tell him (Mr. G.) he could not pay him, to which the witness replied, "I told you I would sell anything off my back to pay you, but you would not come."

Anne Jeffrey said:- I attended the deceased on Tuesday evening, she sent for me, and I found her very near her confinement. I have had 13 children of my own, and have successfully attended several women in their confinement. I did the best I could for the deceased, but I was anxious for Mr. Geere to come, as I apprehended there was danger. He came and did what he could. I believe if a medical man had been there earlier her life would have been spared. I cannot say such would have been the case; when I first sent for Mr. Geere I was not apprehensive of danger.

By Mr. Evans:- Was not the deceased a woman of weak constitution and had she not been very badly fed?

Witness:- yes, she had been living on bread and swedes.

Ann Heaysman and Ann Charlton gave similar evidence, the latter stating that she had been with deceased during 6 out of 8 of her confinements and that she was quite as well in this case as usual. This witness also said she believed if medical attendance had been available everything would have gone well.

John Wallis, Relieving Officer, was then called, but he objected to being sworn, stating that he had not been summoned; he was reminded that Mr. Weaire had ordered him to be there in his capacity of Parish Constable, the police officer having gone to meet the coroner. He then asked what he was to be sworn for, and the coroner told him "to speak the truth and answer any questions the jury thought it their duty to put to him, for the purpose of eliciting the truth: if he refused, the jury and the public would certainly draw unpleasant inferences from his refusal." He was then sworn, and stated that he was asked for an order by the witness Goldsmith, that he laid the matter before the Board, and the application was refused on the ground that Goldsmith was able to support himself and family: that Goldsmith told him he was earning fourteen shillings per week and one of his boys five shillings, that he again saw Goldsmith the next week and told him the order was refused. Goldsmith then said, "I want an order for my wife, and if they do not give me one, I’m d----d if I don't take all my family into the workhouse:" that witness saw no more of him until last Tuesday, when he came again and applied for an order, as his wife was in labour; that witness gave him one by way of loan for him to repay, and that he left witness within ten minutes from the time he came to witness’s house (Mr. Weaire here asked if it was usual to require repayment in such eases, as it was evident to the jury, who had been into Goldsmith’s house, that he was in the most abject poverty. Witness stated that it was usual to require a bond for repayment, but in this case the money would not have to be repaid).

Goldsmith was recalled, and said he had told Walliss that his earnings were 12s. per week, occasionally 14s. in the summer, and that the 5s. his boy earned was left to pay the landlord (Mr. Alexander, for whom the boy worked, some back rent.

Mr. Geere stated that when Goldsmith came to him with the order, he was just going to Four Elms, to a ease of confinement, but that he got back as soon as he could, and he had seen Mr. Young, one of the guardians during the evening, who said the woman should not suffer, whether her husband got an order or not; witness was obliged to go to Four Elms, but was not gone more than three-quarters-of-an-hour — the cause of death was excessive haemorrhage.

At this stage of the proceedings the Coroner very carefully summed up the evidence, and the room was then cleared for the jury to consider their verdict.

In a very short time the following verdict was agreed to:- That the deceased died in child-birth from want of medical attendance, and the Jury think Goldsmith’s application and distress were not properly represented to the Board by the Relieving-officer, Wallis."

Each of the jury gave the poor man, Goldsmith, one shilling, and several other gentlemen in the room did the same.

[We shall certainly return to this matter next week. In the meantime it would be well to consider whether the above verdict does not, in law, amount to one of Manslaughter against Messrs. Geere and Wallis, Ed. K.T.]

I am informed that this is now (2017) a Costa Coffee shop.

LICENSEE LIST

TAYLOR William 1828+