[The Bell Inn team]
The Bell Inn team
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The Bell Inn team: David Jackson (father), |
David, Richard and Simon Jackson and Jon Newman try to prove that their pub is the oldest in Nottingham.
THE BELL
In the pub, they look at a painting dating from 1750 showing The
Bell. Then they look through their own documents to find the oldest
deed. The first Jackson deed is from 1898, but the earliest of
all the deeds dates from 1732, and this mentions a will of 1638.
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William Clarke, founder of Trent Bridge cricket ground |
THE HISTORY ROOM
Simon is directed to the card index to look for information on
William Clarke and Trent Bridge cricket ground. Jon tackles the photograph index,
where he finds references to The Bell for 1890, 1900, 1910, 1925,
1928 and 1930. In another card index, Richard finds an advertisement
for The Bell in a copy of the Weekly Courant newspaper from 1719 and sale particulars and a plan from 1888.
The Salutation team show them the 1744 Badder & Peet map, which shows both pubs, and the Nottingham Calendar of Recognizances
of Innkeepers dating from 1756 to 1769, which lists the following
as innkeepers of The Bell: George Harrison (1756), John Goldsmith
(1759), William Scrimshire (1763) and George Bond (1768).
THE BELL
Reader in medieval archaeology Dr Phil Dixon describes The Bell's
crown post roof to Richard and Jon, and they discuss whether The Bell could have
been a coaching inn. They mention the dendrochronological date they already have for the timber framing: 1437.
The team want to know if their pub was ever connected to the Carmelite friary. Documentary historian Dr Trevor Foulds and senior lecturer and community historian Dr Carl Chinn examine this question and then attempt a map regression analysis, using (in sequence) an 1882 Ordnance Survey map, the 1820 Smith & Wild map, the 1800 Barley map, the 1764 Cherry map, the 1677 Thoroton map and, finally, the 1610 Spede map.
THE HISTORY ROOM
With the help of archivist Adrian Henstock, Richard and Jon go
through the court roll index 1641-89 looking for properties in
Angel Row. They find five references, and Adrian helps David check these.
He locates one for The Bell dating from 1647.
The Bell Inn's version of its history
The Bell Inn on 15 June 1998
