The Battle of Minden

Audio

The Battle of Minden was fought on 1st August 1759. It was considered part of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759, which also gave us Heart of Oak (“to add something more to this wonderful year”). The first of August is still commemorated as Minden Day by the regiments that were present, and it even got name-checked in a variation of Lowlands of Holland.

Question

So why aren’t there more Battle of Minden pubs? As far as I can tell, only two pubs in the entire country were ever named for the battle - one in Hilsea and one in Fratton, about three miles apart. (There was also a Minden Rose in Bury St Edmunds) Why so few? There’s a dozen variations on The Alma.

And there has to be some relationship between the two, right?

Ownership

Date	Landlord	Owner
?-1768	Samuel James Lewis
1768-1772	Mrs Lewis
1812	Mr. Pratt (doubtful)
1813		Samuel Spicer
1813-1830		British Government
?-1830	Henry Town

Timeline

So, at this end of the timeline we’ve got work being started on Hilsea Barracks in August 1756, the battle in August 1759, and the first written reference to the pub in February 1768. That brings the opening date down to the period 1759-1768, likely towards the beginning of that period.

• 1768-02 Murder at the Halfway Houses

  Samuel James Lewis, a Hilsea publican, is murdered by Sergeant Williams of the Royal Marines near the Halfway Houses in Portsmouth. Williams shoots Lewis, steals his watch, and is later convicted and executed. His body is publicly displayed but secretly removed by fellow marines. Years later, bones believed to be Williams’ are found during fortification work in Portsmouth.

• 1772-12 The Children Cried for Beer

  Mrs. Lewis, widow of Samuel James Lewis, discovers an armed intruder hiding under her bed. She discreetly escapes to a nearby farmhouse for help and returns with the farmer and three men, who successfully capture the man “with a razor open in his hand”.

• 1790-06 Selling Great Horsea

  The freehold of Great Horsea Island is auctioned at the Battle of Minden. The island spans 106 acres of pastureland, including a farmhouse and outbuildings, and is presently occupied by Farmer George Guy.

• 1794-07 Eleven Acres and a Half

  The freehold of the land now in the occupation of Farmer Green.

• 1812-05 Hunting at Great Horsea

  The Great Horsea Salt Marsh is opened to a limited humber of hunters. Hunters can secure places through Mr. Pratt at the Battle of Minden in Hilsea.

• 1813 Purchase for Works at Hilsea Act

  The Battle of Minden, property of Samuel Spicer, is bought into government ownership with the intention of tearing it down.

• 1823-07 Death of William Maynard

  Ten years later, the Battle of Minden is the site of an inquest into the accidental death of William Maynard.

• 1825-01 Mr Cox, Chair Maker

  In February 1773, the stock in trade and household furniture of Mr. Cox, Chair Maker, are sold at the sign of the Battle of Minden. Plus, intriguingly, a three-motion Beer Engine.

• 1825-09 The Negro Boy

  This advert from a Swansea-based newspaper is not exactly proof that the inn was still a going concern in 1825, but is, I guess, a testament to its reputation.

• 1829-08 The Trial of the Staceys

  The Battle of Minden is mentioned during a murder trial in a way that suggests it is not derelict at the end of 1828.

• 1830-11 Leaving the Said Premises

  Henry Town, who must be the last landlord of the Battle of Minden, sells up in November 1830. The sale of “five dozen ash chairs, 40 mahogany top and deal tap-room tables” gives us a feel for the size of the premises.

Question

So it takes just four years for the building to turn from “functioning business” to “so derelict we have to tear it down”. But I’ve still got questions: It’s a pub next to a barracks, surrounded by empty fields. How can it not be profitable? How can you not find a tenant? Did the Barrack Board avoid re-letting the building because they were planning to clear the land?

• 1834-10 Sale of the Materials of the Battle of Minden

  The Barrack Board gives directions that the Battle of Minden be torn down, and its materials sold.

• 1836-01 Lets Try That Again

  So it looks like the Battle of Minden didn’t sell in 1834 and we’re going to give it another shot. This might be the best description of the buildings we have (“large HOUSE and range of Stabling”), and it doesn’t sound derelict here (the lead hasn’t been stripped out, and it has “excellent modern bow windows”).

Note

There’s a reference in Records of the Corporation 1928-1930, page 124, if I can ever get it out of storage.