SOCIAL LIFE.
Tetbury had numerous inns, the
principal ones providing the main facilities in the
town for business meetings and entertainments.
Thirteen taverns were recorded in 1594 (fn. 99) and 42
victuallers were licensed in 1755. (fn. 1) The town still had
22 public houses in 1891 (fn. 2) but there was later a
decline in the numbers, partly a result of the closure
of the local breweries. The principal inn of the town
was the White Hart which has occupied its site on
the north side of the market-place since at least
1594. (fn. 3) The inn was rebuilt by R. S. Holford in 1852
to a design by Lewis Vulliamy. (fn. 4) By the late 16th
century there were several other inns on the north
side of the market-place, including one called the
Swan, and another inn stood at the east end of the
market-place, (fn. 5) probably on the site of the Talbot,
which had certainly opened by 1656. (fn. 6) On the west
side of Church Street, the third house south of the
corner with Long Street was the Three Cups inn, (fn. 7)
a popular meeting-place, (fn. 8) which had opened by
1654 (fn. 9) and survived until the mid 19th century. (fn. 10) A
house south of it was the Red Lion inn by 1594 (fn. 11) and
until c. 1820. (fn. 12) On the opposite side there were 3 inns
in the butchers' shambles in 1635, including another
Swan inn (fn. 13) which survived until c. 1780. (fn. 14) The Eight
Bells further down on that side had opened by the
1740s when Church Street also had the George and
the Mason's Arms. (fn. 15)
The inns in Long Street included the White Lion,
which had opened by 1699 on the north-east side, (fn. 16)
and the Lamb and the King and Queen, which
occupied adjoining houses on that side in 1696; the
sign of the latter was changed to the Ormonds Head (fn. 17)
before 1742. An inn called the Star had opened in
the street by 1722, and by the 1740s Long Street also
had the White Horse. (fn. 18) Silver Street had the Bull by
1692, (fn. 19) the Sun by 1748, and the Crown by 1751; (fn. 20)
the sign of the Crown was taken in the mid 19th
century by an inn on the west side of Cirencester
Street, formerly the Angel. (fn. 21) On the same side of
Cirencester Street a tavern called the Catherine
Wheel was recorded in 1459 (fn. 22) but the inn with that
sign in 1701 was apparently in Long Street. (fn. 23) Also
on the west side of Cirencester Street was the Queen's
Arms, which was open by 1668 and closed soon after
1760 to become stables for a new house built behind
on the Chipping. (fn. 24) At the top of the street, adjoining
the little market-house, was an inn called the
Horseshoe which became the Mitre before 1719, (fn. 25)
and the Prince and Princess, opened by 1766, was in
the same part of the street. (fn. 26) The Royal Oak at the
bottom of Cirencester Street was recorded from
1781. (fn. 27) The above-mentioned are only the more
important among the numerous inns recorded. The
White Hart, Talbot, Ormonds Head, Crown, Eight
Bells, and Royal Oak survived with a few more
recent establishments in 1974.
One of the chief social gatherings held at the inns
was originally the annual court leet dinner; in 1696,
however, it was said to have occasioned disorder and
inordinate expense and it was thereafter held at the
town hall with the attendance strictly limited. (fn. 28)
Several of the inns had assembly rooms; the town
assembly was held at the White Lion in 1771, (fn. 29) and in
1775 a ball was held each night during Tetbury races
at the White Hart assembly room. (fn. 30) In the 1790s a
building behind the Angel inn, known as Cot's Great
Room, was used for concerts and balls. (fn. 31) Visiting
entertainments, including a company of comedians
in 1756 and a wire-dancer in 1759, were sometimes
allowed to use the town hall, (fn. 32) and a theatre at the
Prince and Princess inn was used by a travelling
company in 1815. (fn. 33) Locally-supported activities in
the late 19th century included the brass, string, and
drum and fife bands which were accommodated at
the town hall. (fn. 34) About 1930 part of the stables
behind the White Hart was fitted up as a cinema (fn. 35)
but it had closed by 1974. A recreation ground on
the Upton road was acquired as a war memorial in
1921 and was partly financed by the Tetbury
feoffees. (fn. 36)
Horse-races were being held on the Warren by
1716 (fn. 37) and continued annually until at least 1792
when they were said to be much frequented by the
local gentry. (fn. 38) The surrounding region was famed
for its hunting, and the sport was evidently important in attracting wealthy purchasers to the large
houses near the town in the 19th century. (fn. 39) The
rebuilt White Hart inn included a ballroom for the
Beaufort hunt. Col. Henry of Elmestree, one of those
attracted to Tetbury by the hunting, founded a polo
club in 1872; it lapsed later but was revived (fn. 40) in 1929
as the Beaufort Polo club with headquarters at
Down Farm in the south part of the parish. (fn. 41)
From 1771 an annuity society met at the Bull inn
or at the Prince and Princess (fn. 42) and friendly societies
based at other inns enrolled their rules in 1784, 1794,
and 1807. (fn. 43) An institute, founded in 1855, maintained a library and reading-room and organized
lectures. (fn. 44) Social and cultural activities centred on
the town hall, which later shared that function with
the Church Institute opened in Chipping Lane
before 1910 (fn. 45) and the Dolphins Hall opened in New
Church Street in 1924. (fn. 46) The Dolphins Hall was the
chief centre for social events in 1974 when use of the
town hall was restricted by fire regulations. (fn. 47)
A bank was established in the town before 1807 by
William Wood and his partners (fn. 48) and was absorbed
by the Gloucestershire Banking Co. in 1839. (fn. 49) In
1823 its headquarters were at the house in Long
Street (fn. 50) still occupied by Lloyds Bank in 1974, but
earlier it was apparently at the house north of the
Three Cups in Church Street. (fn. 51) A savings bank was
founded in the town in 1817 (fn. 52) and closed in 1889. (fn. 53)
A printer was based at Tetbury in 1797 and
published a fortnightly paper called the County
Oracle and Political Intelligencer. (fn. 54) In the early 19th
century J. G. Goodwyn, who was in business by
1806, was the principal Tetbury printer. (fn. 55) By 1864
the town had a weekly paper, the Tetbury Journal,
but it was apparently short-lived, as was another
journal of the same name that appeared in 1885 and
1886. The most successful paper was a monthly, the
Tetbury Magazine, successively the Tetbury Advertizer and Tetbury Advertizer and Malmesbury
Chronicle, which was published from 1879 (fn. 56) until
1911. (fn. 57)