The Waggon and Horses

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John George Overton was born in 1831 at Tumby Woodside, just south of Horncastle. He later married Ann Rollinson from Skellingthorpe and the couple moved to East Barkwith, where in 1856 John was working as a carrier and shopkeeper/grocer, although his commercial ventures were set to broaden.

The couple had at least six children, George (b. 1855), Fanny (b.1857), Eliza (b.1860), Hannah (b. 1862), James (b.1867) and John (b.1870), all born in East Barkwith. 

Census and directory records show that John ran a beer house in Torrington Lane, presumably The Waggon and Horses, around the period 1871 to 1889. During this time he is listed as having a number of trades, including beer house keeper/beer seller, poultry dealer and carrier, and shopkeeper, which helps us picture the property in Torrington Lane, as a bustling commercial entity. Ann is also listed as a shopkeeper, so she was obviously also involved in the daily work, despite having a large family to look after.

Ann died, aged 57, in rather mysterious circumstances on the 26th July 1888, in the garden of The Waggon and Horses. According to the Lincolnshire Chronicle of the 28th July 1888, Ann had gone into the garden to get some vegetables around 12pm, and had gone to look over the hedge at some haymakers. A storm came on and when she didn’t return, her daughter Eliza went to look for her and found her lying on the ground under some trees. A doctor called at 12:30pm, reported that her hair was singed, skin of face black, cap and collar of jacket singed and slippers completely cut to shreds. The verdict was that she had been struck by lightning. Ann is buried in East Barkwith churchyard, where her grave bears the inscription, “accidentally killed by lightning”. Her death certificate reads “died from the effects of lightning”.

After Ann died, John carried on running the beer house for a short time but by 1891 he had moved out of the village and was living in Ashby with two of the children, Eliza and John.

The 1891 census shows the Torrington Lane pub being run by 23 year old Arthur Russell and his wife Kate (Catherine), who at the time had an 11 month old daughter called Grace Ruby Russell. Arthur, a farmer’s son, had been born in 1868 at Fulstow, while Kate Exton was originally from Benniworth, but in 1881 her family had been living in Fulstow where she had presumably met Arthur.

The couple didn’t run The Waggon and Horses for long, as tragedy struck the pub again, with Kate dying later that year (1891) at the age of 23, of Puerperal Fever (childbirth fever). 

Two years later in 1893, Arthur married Harriett Cooling originally from Beckingham near Gainsborough, in a service at Rand Cum Fulnetby. Harriett had ties to the Barkwith area, as the 1881 census shows her living as an 11 year old school child at Panton Grange, where her uncle, John Allis was the farmer of 315 acres. The 1896 Kelly’s Directory shows that The Waggon and Horses was in new hands.

By 1901 Arthur and Harriett were living in Leadenham where Arthur was a farmer. With them were 11 year old Ruby (Grace Ruby Russell) the daughter of Arthur and Kate, who had been born in East Barkwith and a 3 month old son called Sidney.

 The 1896 Kelly’s Directory shows James Wright running The Waggon and Horses, and this is still continuing five years later when the 1901 census shows James as an ‘Innkeeper and Carrier’ living in The Waggon and Horses with his wife Maria and seven children. The children were Lizzie Irene, Charles William, James Henry, Maud Beatrice, Florence, Frederick Rodney and 3 month old John Edward.

James had been born in 1861 at Haugham near Louth, the son of William and Anne Wright, while Maria (nee Tuplin) was some 9 years younger, originating from Theddlethorpe. The 1881 census shows James working at Kirkmond le Mire as an Agricultural Waggoner, so the pub may have been aptly named for him. By the 1891 census he had moved nearer and was working on a farm at East Torrington.

James and Maria married in 1892. Six of their seven children, including Lizzie, the eldest, were born in East Barkwith so it is reasonable to assume that they took over the pub in 1892 shortly after Kate Russell’s death.

Tragedy struck yet again when James died of Pulmonary Phthisis (a form of Tuberculosis) in 1903, at the age of 42. He was buried at East Barkwith on the 23rd March 1903. His last daughter, Elsey May, was born after his death. 

In 1905 Maria married James’s younger brother, Henry, and the couple brought up James’s children and a number of their own. At the time of the 1911 census they were still living in East Barkwith. 

After James’s death The Waggon and Horses was run for a number of years by Edmund Borman, who appears in the 1905 Kelly’s Directory as a Beer Retailer and Carrier. As a carrier, Edmund provided service to Lincoln on Fridays, Horncastle on Saturdays, and Market Rasen on Tuesdays.

Edmund had been born in 1863 at Ludford, the son of John and Ann Borman. In 1881 the family were living in Benniworth, where Edmund’s father John was working as a shepherd. His mother, Ann, died that year, when Edmund was 18.

Edmund married Betsy Ann Wilson (b. 1870) originally from West Rasen, the daughter of Charles Wilson, on the 17th May 1888 in South Willingham. They had a son, named Ben, who was born in 1889 and so would have been with them when they were running the pub.

By the time of the 1911 census, the family had moved away and were living at 26 Watkin Street, Grimsby, where Edmund was working as a general labourer. Later, the 1922 Grimsby and Cleethorpes Directory, shows Edmund, now a ‘transport worker’, still living at the same address. 

The 1909 Kelly’s Directory shows Edward Overton having replaced Edmund Borman as the beer retailer and carrier in East Barkwith.

Edward Gant Overton had been born in 1856 at Horsington, the son of Edward and Elizabeth Overton. In 1879, at Cold Hanworth, Edward married Hannah Elizabeth Moody (b. 1864) originally from Barnetby le Wold, the daughter of a railway signalman.

The 1881 census shows Edward and Hannah living in Branston, with a 1 year old daughter called Annie. Edward was then working as a farm labourer.

By the time of the 1891 census the family had moved to Faldingworth, where Edward was working as a farm carrier and agricultural labourer. Three more children, Alice, John and Flora had been born.

On the 1901 census, the family were still in Faldingworth, where another child, Herbert had just been born. Edward was working as a ‘market carrier’.

The 1911 census shows the family living in East Barkwith with Edward listing his occupations as Innkeeper and carter. The census also records that three of their six children had died by that time. The youngest, Herbert was still living with them and going to school in East Barkwith.

The family subsequently left the village and the 1913 Kelly’s Directory has Edward Overton running The Bell Inn at Bishops Bridge near Market Rasen.

Edward’s son Herbert who lived at the pub and went to East Barkwith School, fought in the trenches during the First World War, and died of his wounds aged 19, on the 31st March 1918. He is buried in Mont Huon Military Cemetery, at Le Treport, which is a small seaport 25 kilometres north-east of Dieppe, but which was an important hospital centre during the war. Herbert is memorialised on the East and West Barkwith War Memorial.

The 1913 Kelly’s Directory shows that Edward’s business in East Barkwith had been taken over by George Scott.

George Scott had been born in 1883 in East Torrington, the son of John Scott, a butcher from Bullington, and Eliza Scott (nee Gregson) from West Barkwith. After being brought up in East Torrington, the 1901 census shows him working as a horseman on a farm in Faldingworth.

In the meantime his parents and family had moved to East Barkwith, and are shown on the 1901 census, with John still working as a butcher. George’s mother, Eliza, died in 1908.

The 1911 census has the Scott family (the father, John, by then a widower, with six of his 12 children including George) still living in East Barkwith. George aged 28, was still single and working as a woodman. 

At some stage in the two years after the 1911 census, George took over Edward’s business, running The Waggon and Horses and being a carrier. He appears in that role in the 1913, 1919, 1926 and 1930 Kelly’s Directories, so it seems he ran the pub for at least 17 years. During that time he got married to Fanny, and they had at least three children.