Hello
Tony,
I have some information about the "Swiss
Cottage" which was situated in Rumford
Road, Pembury.
My Great, great grandfather, Charles
Herbert Harris, was the licensee holder in
1881 (see clip of the 1881 census
attached). My great grandfather was born
there in 1885 and, according to a letter
he sent to his son, it was an "off licence
beerhouse". A year later the family moved,
and the licence was transferred to Peter
George Sheeley (see newspaper clip).
I hope this is of some use to you,
Kath Kelly,
Birmingham
==========================================
I cannot be
100% certain but I do not think that
there are any Harris's (at least of this
family) left in Pembury. The mentioned
Charles Harris was 1 of 12 children, 8
of whom survived to adulthood. I have
been researching my family tree and have
followed his siblings down to their
children but not beyond, and they all
seem to have left Pembury.
You may however be interested in the
previous generation. Charles's father,
Robert, who lived in Pembury for about
40 years, mainly at Pastheap farm. I
have found a number of newspaper
articles mentioning him and he seems to
be quite a character.
Robert was born in Worth, Sussex in
1816. His father, a farrier, died 2
years later and his mother, Ann,
remarried to another Harris, not related
as far as I can tell. He marries Hannah
Peacock in Tunbridge Wells in 1836 and
in the1841 census he is listed as a
labourer living down the road from his
father-in-law in Tudeley. By 1848 he
appears to be living at Broadwater Farm
in East Malling and in the 1851 census
he is the bailiff there "superintending
350 acres and 60 labourers".
Robert is in Pembury by the next census
(see first attachment), at Pastheap
Farm, but from newspaper articles, I
think that he arrived there 2 years
earlier. The farm is 221 acres in size
and must have included the oast house: a
newspaper article in 1831 states that
hops were grown there at that time. He
must have made an impression on the
community as, in 1865, he is appointed
overseer (see 2nd attachment).
On 29th May 1868 there was a fire at the
farm, luckily only involving a haystack
as the Tonbridge engines were sent for
and extinguished the fire before it had
a chance to spread to the adjacent barn
and farmhouse (attachment 3). Despite
being insured, later that year Robert is
compelled to pay the costs. The farm was
on the Bayham Estate owned by the
Marquis of Camden and in 1877 a grand
ball was held for the tenantry, which
Robert Harris attended.
There are more miscellaneous articles
about minor disputes along his lifetime
at the farm that I have not included
here.
By 1871 the size of the farm has reduced
by about 80 acres (see attachment 5) and
it remained about the same size in 1881.
He is still there in 1891 (attachment 8)
but moves to live with his daughter in
Tudeley about 15 months before his death
in 1896. The announcement of his death
and description of his funeral are also
recorded in local newspapers.
One last connection with the Swiss
Cottage is that the application to sell
beer from the property is addressed to
Robert Harris in 1879.
Additional
notes sent later -
It looks like it was
1879 that the occupier of Swiss Cottage,
Jesse Young, first applied to sell
beer on the premises. In the
newspaper clipping (attachment 11) he
addresses the notice to Robert Harris
who was an overseer of the poor and also
my great,great grandfather. The license
was granted at the end of September /
beginning of October that year. Swiss
Cottage was an off-license
beerhouse.
My great great,
grandfather, Charles Herbert Harris,
took over the license of "The Swiss
Cottage". He and his family must have
moved there somewhere between April 1880
and the 1881 census on the 3rd April
since his 6th child
was born at Pastheap Farm on 28th April
1880. The family appears on the 1881
census. The name "Swiss Cottage" is not
given on the census return and the
address is given as Romford Rd, but
Charles is noted as a beer retailer.
Since the beerhouse is on the corner of
Henwood Green Rd (formerly Lower Green)
and Romford Rd, it may have formerly
been assigned that address.
Charles's first wife,
Elizabeth, died at the Swiss Cottage in
June 1884 (1884 attachment) leaving him
with 6 children. He remarried my great,
great grandmother, Agnes Blake, in 1885.
My great grandfather, Edwin was born at
Swiss Cottage in August of the same year
( 1885 attachment ).
In September 1886 the
family moved to "The Rose and Crown" at
East Peckham and the license was
transferred to Peter Sheeny (1886
attachment).
From Peter (or Thomas
in 1 newspaper) Sheeny the license is
transferred to a Charlotte Harris in Dec
1886 / Jan 1887 (1887
attachments). However only a few
months later the license was transferred
to a James Fry.
Kath Kelly, Birmingham
=====================================================
The following cuttings and
notes are listed in chronological order
Attachment 1 - 1861
Census Click image for
full document.
Robert Harris a Pastheap Farm with wife
Hannah
Attachment
2 Maidstone Journal and
Kentish Advertiser 3 April 1865
Robert Harris appointed as a magistrate.
Attachment
3 Fire at
Pastheap Farm
Maidstone Journal and Kentish
Advertiser 1 June 1867
Attachment
4
Fire at Pastheap Farm
Maidstone Journal and Kentish
Advertiser 9 Sept 1867
Attachment 5 - 1871
Census Click image for
full document
Lists Robert Harris as head, with wife
Hannah, sons: Charles H, Edwin, Henry,
Joseph,
and daughters Sophia and Jane.
Attachment 7 - Grand
Ball at Bayham Estate 1877
Kent and Sussex Courier 19
January 1877
Attachment 11 -
Swiss Cottage license to Jesse Young
The Kent & Sussex
Courier 10 Sept 1879
Attachment 6 - 1881
Census Click image for
full document
Robert Harris at Pastheap Farm
Death Certificate of Elizabeth Forman
Harris 13 June
1884
Wife of C.H. Harris, Swiss Cottage
Edwin Harris
Birth Certificate 10 Aug
1885
Mother shown as Agnes Harris, formerly Blake
Transfer of Swiss Cottage
license from C.H. Harris to Peter Sheeny
The Kent and Sussex
Courier 3 Sept 1886
Transfer of Swiss Cottage
license from Thomas Sweeney to Charlotte
Harris
Maidstone Journal and Kentish
Advertiser 3 Jan 1887
There is no evidence that Charlotte
Harris is related to Robert or Charles.
Transfer of Swiss Cottage
license from Charlotte Harris to James Fry
Kentish Times 7 May
1887
Attachment 9 - Death
Announcement of Robert Harris aged 81
Maidstone Journal and Kentish
Advertiser 22 Oct 1896
Attachment 10 -
Funeral of Robert Harris
Maidstone Journal and Kentish Advertiser
29 October 1896
Mourning family - S. Harris, H.
Harris, Edwin Harris (sons), Mrs Beech
and Mrs Z. Buggs (daughters)
Sophia Harris, Robert
Harris's eldest child (aunt to Charles
Harris of Swiss Cottage), married
William Beach, a widower, in 1874 in
Hanover Baptist Chapel, Tunbridge Wells.
Jane Harris,
younger sister of Sophia (by 12 years)
married Zippor Buggs in 1874 at
Matfield Green Baptist Chapel, the
same place where her father was buried.
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