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This is how the Lounge in the Talbot Hotel at Knightwick used to look like when I used to use it many years ago, this photo is ©1950.
This area of the Talbot was known as the Snuggery, and again is from ©1950. This would be for guests staying at the Hotel and other who arrived daily for meals.
Mark Armstrong, and the vicar, Rev. Oliver Davies, at the Talbot [22nd March, 1958] At the reception for Peter and Eileen Beresford.
The Talbot Hotel at Knightwick, dates back to the 14th century. It was built by the monks of Worcester-Cathedral, perhaps as an Inn, because it was by the ford in the river, but this fact is not known.
There are records that Queen Adelaide may have used the Talbot as a holiday resort, and that she may have given her name to the hill behind, which is called Ankerdine Hill. Suffering from chronic illness, she often moved her place of residence in a vain search for health, staying at the country houses of various British aristocracy. She became a tenant of William Ward and took up residence at his newly purchased house, Witley Court in Worcestershire, from 1842 until 1846. While at Witley Court she had two chaplains – Rev. John Ryle Wood, Canon of Worcester and Rev. Thomas Pearson, Rector of Great Witley. She financed the first village school in Great Witley.
• In 1690 the Inn belonged to a Mr Littletonclent, who also owned the farm behind, called Ankerdine Farm, a Mr Myrike then rented the Talbot from him.
• In 1701 Mr Littletonclent died and a Mrs Grace Letty and Ms. Dorothy Lane bought the Talbot, (we do not know if the farm was included or not), Both these people have a memorial in Knightwick Church, which is about a mile from the Talbot. Dorothy Lane had a cousin called Jane Lane, who was reputed to have helped King Charles II to flee to France and that King Charles spent the night at the Talbot disguised as a servant.
• In 1807 it was bought by Mr John Freeman of the Gains and in I877 it was rented to James Vernalls, who paid £210 a year for the Talbot and 46 acres of land.
• In 18**
Henry Joseph Browning Licensed Victualer - Talbot Hotel, Knightwick.
Born: December 14th, 1825 in Worcester.
Died: November 19th, 1892 - at Knightsford Bridge.See grave stone.
• In 1893 *Sarah Browning was the tenant for £237 a year.
• In 1901 it was sold to Mr T. Lawson Walk. Mr Lawson Walker later sold it to Courage Brewery.•1901 [from census]
*Sarah Browning - Licensed Victualer - Talbot Hotel, Knightwick.
Born: June 2nd, 1827 - London City.
Died: March 23rd, 1909 - Knightwick.
Lived at the Flying Horse, Knightwick.Children
Thomas A. Browning - [son] b. 1867 Lime House, London - Occupation: Farmer and Corn Merchant
Edward Albert Browning [son] - b. 1871 Stepney, London - Occupation: Postal Clerk
Alice Browning [nee Hardman] - b. 1867 Clifford, Herefordshire. [married Thomas Browning, 1888 Bethnal Green, London]
Dora Browning [nee Naylor] - b. 1870 Barnmouth, Devonshire. [married Edward Browning, 1893 Martley district]Also working for SarahBrowning, were:-
William Nott, aged 17, Servant and Hostler, born at Suckley.
Clara A. Wood, aged 18, Domestis Servant, born at St. Martin's, Hereford.
•1903
*Thomas Ross - Licensed Victualer - Talbot Hotel, Knightwick.
Daughter - Hilda Agnes Ross - b. 18/08/1895 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 16/02/1903 - Last school: Private, Worcester. - Date of Leaving: 31/01/1905
Son - Vincent Bede Ross - b. 29/11/1889 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 16/02/1903 - Last school: St. George's R.C. Worcester. - Date of Leaving: 01/04/1904
Son - Valentine Leo Ross - b. 22/08/1891 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 17/02/1903 - Last school: St. George's R.C. Worcester. - Date of Leaving: 31/01/1905More Information of this family
*Thomas Ross - b. 1849, Churchill, Worcestershire - d. 1941, Droitwich, Worcestershire. [1941 Occupation: Waiter]
Married: Mary Ann Perkes - b. 1852 - d. 1929 [June qtr., 1883, Pershore, Worcestershire.]Children
Harold J Ross - b 1886, Churchill, Worcestershire
Elizabeth E. Ross - b 1887, Churchill, Worcestershire
Mabel T. Ross - b. 1889
Vincent Bede Ross - b. 29/11/1889, London.
Valentine Leo Ross - b. 22/08/1891, Beverley, Yorkshire.
Hilda Agnes Ross - b. 18/08/1895, Spetchley, Worcestershire.•1905
John Gilbey - Licensed Victualer - Talbot Hotel, Knightwick. [1905 Doddenham Littleburys Directory John Gilbey]
Son - Ivor John Gilbey - b. 20/11/1892 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 13/02/1905 - Last school: [possibly born Pembroke, December qtr., 1892!]• 1908
William Cubberley - Inn Keeper - Talbot Hotel, Knightwick.
Son - Noel Cubberley - b. 07/01/1897 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 09/11/1908
Daughter - Mabel Emma Cubberley - b. 07/05/1901 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 09/11/1908 - Last school: Upton-on-Severn CH. - Date of Leaving: 28/07/1906More Information of this family
William Cubberley - b. 1859, Powick, Worcestershire. [1901 Occupation: Sergeant Inst. 2nd Worcestershire Regiment]
[1911 Occupation: Club Steward, Army Pensioner - Address: Walsall St. Matthew, Staffordshire.]Married: Sarah Done - b. 1861, Hadnall, Shropshire. [June qtr., 1888, Wem, Shropshire.]
Children
William C. Cubberley - b. 1889 Norton, Worcestershire.
Harold J. Cubberley - b. 1891, Norton, Worcestershire.
Walter H. Cubberley - b. 1892, Norton, Worcestershire.
Norah Jane Cubberley - b. 1895, Norton, Worcestershire.
Noel Cubberley - b. 07/01/1897, Norton, Worcestershire.
Edith G. Cubberley - b. 1901, Malvern, Worcestershire.
Mabel Emma Cubberley - b. 07/05/1901, Malvern, Worcestershire.• 1911 Census
George Knight - b. 1846, Beckesbourne, Kent. - Occupation: Talbot Hotel Manager [In 1901 he was an Inn Keeper at Martin Hussingtree, Worcestershire. - [Most likely The Swan]
Mary Knight - b. 1851, Crawley, Sussex. [Wife]
Ellen Mary Chillman - b. 1881, Pimlico, London. [Niece]
James Fitz James - b. 1888, County Meath. [Hotel Servant]• 1912
Edward Thomas Page - Licensed Victualer - Doddenham.
Daughter - Mary Margaret B. Page - b. 18/10/1901 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 28/10/1912 - Last school: Cradley B.S. - Date of Leaving: 27/11/1912More Information of this family
Edward Thomas Page - b. 1876, Linton, Herefordshire. [1901 Occupation: Farmer - Address Cradley, Herefordshire]
[1911 Occupation: Licensed Victualer - Address: The Lion Inn. Cradley, Herefordshire.]
Ellen Jane [Hill] Page - b. 1876, Stanford Bishop, Herefordshire. [1911 Occupation: Farmer]
They married 1894, Kidderminster, Worcestershire.Children
Thomas Edward Page - b. 1895, Kidderminster, Worcestershire. [Died of wounds at Rouen, France 18/12/1916]
Florence Semema Page - b. 1898, Avenbury, Herefordshire.
Mary Margaret B. Page - b. 18/10/1901, Cradley, Herefordshire.• 1919
Peter John Tully - b. 05/10/1914 - [address Talbot Hotel] at Knightwick School - Admission: 17/11/1919 - Last school:
[I've added this but he may not have been just staying at the Talbot, no information regards his parents.]• 1923
Elizabeth Raymont - Cook - The Talbot Hotel
Daughter - Bessie Eileen Raymont - b. 05./06/1915 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 09/04/1923 - Last school: Stratford Road, Birmingham. - Date of Leaving: 27/07/1923Eleanor Greeves - Cook - The Talbot Hotel
Son - Ronald Greeves - b. 20/06/1916 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 31/07/123 - Last school: Barnard Green School, Malvern. - Date of Leaving: 17/08/1923
[I've added this as they were both cooks at the Talbot.]• 1926
*Cecil and Alsie Parish - Hotel Proprietor - Talbot Hotel
Daughter - b. 13/01/1917 Honor Christine Parish - at Knightwick School - Admission: 07/01/1926 - Last school: Quinton, Warwickshire. Left District, 09/12/1927
Son - b. 23/04/1920 Derek St George Parish - at Knightwick School - Admission: 07/01/1926 - Last school: Quinton, Warwickshire. Left District, 09/12/1927
Son - b. 08/04/1918 Cecil Francis Jordan Parish - at Knightwick School - Admission: 18/01/1926 - Last school: Quinton, Warwickshire, Left to Grammar School, 13/08/1926More Information of this family
*Frank Cecil Parish - b. 10/01/1872 Upper Sapey, Herefordshire - d. 28/05/1956, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
Alsie [Jordan] Parish - b. 04/04/1875
They married 1911, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire.Children
Honor Christine Parish - b. 13/01/1917 Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
Cecil Francis Parish - b. 08/04/1918, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
Derek St George Parish - b. 23/04/1920, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. - d. 10/01/2004, Chiltern, Buckinghamshire.• 1938
Alfred James Brooks - Publican - Bank Farm Bungalow [I've added this as it may be the Talbot that he was publican of.]
Daughter - Betty Brooks - b. 11/02/1931 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 09/10/1938 - Last school: Gunns Lane, West Bromwich. - Left for West Bromwich 22/12/1939• 1939 Reg [I've added this as I guess that they both ran the Talbot Hotel.]
1] Guy T. Lee - b. 12/08/1902 - Hotel Proprietor - Mercantile Marine Navy, No. M.W.S. 33578 RSS
2] Florence M. Lee - b. 01/11/1897 - Hotel Proprietress
3] Leonard D. Sworn - b. 13/03/1920 N.K. - Barman [N.K. had line through]
4] Hilda V. A. Needs - b. 28/12/1903 - Unpaid Domestic Services• 1940
Archibald G. George - Hotel Proprietor - Talbot Hotel
Son - Geoffrey George - b. 15/08/1935 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 06/11/1940 - Last school: Kindergarten School, Hartley, Longfield, Kent. - Left 09/04/1941 to Boarding School.• 1945
Elsie Chaplin - Cook - The Talbot Hotel
Daughter - Geraldine M. Chaplin - b. 26/03/1941 - at Knightwick School - Admission: 25/06/1945 - Transferred to Sp, Aadm R. 01/09/1945 - Readmission: 06/05/1946 - Left 24/07/1952 for Christopher Whitehead Secondary Modern.
[I've added this as Elsie was a cook at the Talbot. She was also a friend of my mum, and her daughter Geraldine has been a friend of our family ever since.]• c. 1950 -1960
Mr and Mrs Armstrong were the publicans of the Talbot Hotel
Mark Armstrong, married Margaret Ogle, in March qtr., 1925, at Morpeth, Northumberland.
[Mark Armstrong was one of the landlords that I knew when I was a young boy]• c. 1960 -1969
Mr Bielecki was the Landlord of the Talbot Hotel
{He was a great chap and would give me Polish stamps for my stamp collection, when ever he came in to the Post Office. Unfortunately for him his wife was or became an alcoholic which couldn't have been much fun for him. Their daughter Maria was in the local girl guides which Mary Walker was in charge of at that time. I was at Bromyard Grammar School in those days.}• 1969 - 1972
Courage Brewery sold the Talbot Hotel to Wing Commander, Jack Hiams, as a Free House.
{I didn't use the pub much when Jack owned it, but one of the things he did, was lend Tony Parsons and myself his brand new camper van, which we used for a great birding trip to Scotland}• 1972 - 1983
* Kenneth Gordon Beckett - Landlord of the Talbot Hotel.
* Kenneth Gordon Beckett
Married: Doreen Margaret Fry – October qtr., 1954, Bromsgrove.Albert Edward Beckett - b. 19/05/1901 Whixall, Shropshire - d. 19/09/1969 Staffordshire.
Doreen May Magrath - b. 15/03/1900 - Port August, South Australia. - d. 1988 Malvern, Herefordshire.
Married: 1926 Atcham, Shropshire.
ChildrenAlan Magrath Beckett b. 1930 Atcham, Shropshire. - d. 18/02/2024 Worcestershire.
* Kenneth Gordon Beckett - b. 17/05/1933 Wellington, Shropshire. - d. 07/04/1995 Laurel Cottage, Collins Green, Worcestershire.
Wendy Florence Beckett - b. June 1938 Birmingham, Warwickshire. - d. 14/04/1961 Worcestershire .{I knew Ken and Doreen quite well, and I was captain of the darts team while they were running the Talbot. Ken's father was a dairy farmer, and his brother took over the business and made it into one of the biggest egg producers in Great Britain. I think Ken was still part of the business, but just wanted to have a pub of his own. It was definitely good in those days, and Ken was an exceptionally kind man.}
• 1983 - 2024
In 1983 Philip Clift bought the Talbot, after he had spotted that it was up for sale. Then his mother Jean, and his sisters Annie and Wiz carried on with the running of the establishment, after Philip left to sail around the world.
Philip eventually finished travelling and settled on St. Patrick, Grenada, where he and his sister Annie own, and run the Petite Anse (Little Cove) Hotel and Restaurant.
Jean Clift, died on the 5th October, 2022 and since then her children have been deciding about selling the Hotel.
In 2024 by direction of Annie Clift upon retirement, the Talbot Hotel went up for sale for £1.1 million, after being run by the Clift family for just over 40 years.
©peh
