INNS AND PUBS |
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![]() In Victorian times the primary pub in the area was The Ring o’ Bells. This was closed and replaced some years later by the Rodd Arms.In 1840 The New Inn was recorded at Congdon’s Shop. In 1872, also at Congdon’s Shop, was The White Hart. Later, again at Congdon’s Shop, was The Temperance Inn. Were these all the same premises with changing names? The Farmer’s Inn was halfway up the hill from Berrio Bridge heading towards Way Cross. Coad's Green has never had a pub or an inn. |
The Racehorse Inn![]() The Racehorse Inn opened its doors for the first time in August 1966. Previously it had been the village school (see map below) but that had closed as the number of children in the village declined and the Church Commissioners decided that the school was no longer viable. Bill Budge, sadly no longer with us but a long term resident in the parish, acquired the premises and converted the school building to what we can see today. Bill’s father was a keen horseman and race-goer. He named Bill after a winning horse named ‘Billy’ and in turn Bill named the pub in memory of his father. At the end of June 2020 Ray and Flori announced that The Racehorse would not re-open under their control. The Racehorse is now closed and up for sale. |
The Ring o’ Bells and the old village school are shown on this 1883 map. |
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The Ring o’ BellsFrom David Coombe’s website we learn: |
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It would be interesting to find the evidence for the Ring o’ Bells starting in the 13th century. We do know that the first rector of St Torney’s was in place in 1269AD, evidencing the fact that North Hill was a settlement and may have had an inn, that the Ring o' Bells can trace its history that far back in time seems unlikely. There are some later stories which can be read in these cuttings (click on image to enlarge): |
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1846Robbery at the Ring o’ Bells. Local butcher, Dingle, displays remarkable powers. |
1867Auction of Timber held at the Ring o’ Bells. |
1869Accident at Ring o’ Bells. |
1908Occasional licence for the Botternell Races. |
1916Fatality and the Ring o’ Bells is implicated. |
The robbery in 1846 was perpetrated by Thomas Conboy, John Hogan and John Oram. They were all subsequently transported to Van Diemen’s land for their crimes. Click on their names to read the stories of their lives as researched by Trish Symons who has kindly agreed to share them with us. |
The White Hart![]() The White Hart was at Congdon’s Shop. From about 1817 to 1842 the White Hart Inn was run by Charles Jenkin. In 1872 an auction was held there and lands at Trewithey and Trefursdon were sold. Click on the cutting to read more. Could this have been the Temperance Inn, shown above under the section on The New Inn? |
The Farmer's Inn
The first known landlord was John Couch who was born in North Hill in 1795. His first wife, Ann, had died in 1838 leaving him with two children, Jane who was nine and Sampson who was seven. John married Ruth Whear in 1840 and the family lived in Trebartha Cottages. John was the butler at Trebartha Hall at the time. At some point in the 1840s he gave up his servant days and moved into the property which was to become known as the “The Farmer’s Inn”. The house and garden were part of the Trebartha Estate and were owned by Francis Rodd who was was John’s previous employer.
Ruth died in 1848 and in the 1851 census John was living at the Farmer’s Inn with his daughter Jane and his niece, Sally. Jane married a Callington man in 1854, Thomas Prout a mine agent who had previously been a tea dealer. At some point in the late 1850s Thomas became the licensee and John retired.
John Couch died in 1868 and the 1871 census shows that Thomas, Jane and their five children were still living in The Farmer’s Inn but Thomas earned his living as a miner. It seems, therefore that in the intervening period the business closed down. No further trace has been found of Thomas and Jane Prout or their children, namely John (b1854), Thomas (b1857), Ann (b1860), Goerge (b1862), Emily (b1865), William (b1867) and Herbert (b1870). It seems that they may have joined the many thousands who emigrated from Cornwall in the 1870s to seek a new life in Australia, the USA or another emerging nation. Jane’s brother, Sampson, had emigrated to Marquette in Michigan in the late 1850s and they may have followed him. Can you tell us any more about the Prout family? John Couch (1795-1868) had a brother Richard Couch and in the 1881 census the Farmers Inn was occupied by Richard’s son, also named John ran a grocery and drapery business from there. This was short lived, however, and by 1891 John had taken his grocery business to Boscastle. In 1901 The Farmer’s Inn was home to Charles Jones, a retired miller, and his wife Jessy (nee Buckingham) and their two daughters. |
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The Rodd ArmsThe Rodd Arms was in North Hill village and adjacent to the site of the former Ring o' Bells |
The image at the top of this page shows The New Inn at Congdon's Shop and the sign of the Racehorse Inn. The other two signs are not from the premises described on this page, but do offer an introduction. |