The original inn
The Red Lion is an historic property that served as a central village pub for over a century before transitioning in the 1960s into a private residence known as The Old Red Lion. The building we see today was originally constructed in the late 19th / very early 20th century
However it has a long history, appearing in records from the 1800s and offering beds and stabling, although it is believed to have been in existence since at least the 1700s. A 1750 license records an Edward Munday succeeding a John Thomas as publican of the Red Lion! After many changes and a range of interesting inhabitants, the pub became quite dilapidated and finally closed in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
As an inn, it was a cornerstone of village life in Welton. It is featured prominently on historic maps of the area dating from 1842-1952, although as mentioned there are many references to it in the early 1800s and earlier. As the photograph above shows, for much of its life it was housed in a small, thatched cottage that would also have been the home of the resident innkeepers.
The next record we have for a publican or innkeeper of The Red Lion is in 1808 when a newspaper advertisement (below) for the auction of trees in Fowswell Spiney, adjoining the tunnel road and Grand Junction canal, which was due to be held on Thursday 28th January 1808 at the house of Thomas Houghton, The Red Lion in Welton.
On 22nd December 1825 the Red Lion was also used for the sale of timber (37 ash and sycamore trees) that may well have been owned by a George Bradshaw who was available to allow prospective purchasers to view the trees which stood in a close near Welton.
This must have been something of an occasion as the advert below promoting it states that “Dinner on the Table precisely at 1o’clock and sale to commence at Two o’clock”.
Tom Pearcey’s memories
We now know that Welton at one point had 3 pubs – the White Horse, The Red Lion and The Wheatsheaf.
Further to this an 1841 text referenced below by one Tom Pearcey, purporting to be a shepherd, references The Wheatsheaf Inn as being run by John Boys, who was married to Elizabeth who “sewed our clothes” saying “Where is the Wheatsheaf John – his name was Boys”.
He also wonders in later years what had happened to “Jo Benjamin of Red Lion Inn – he used to build a bit”. Pearcey also refers to a Henry Harris who had a pub “up the hill…White Horse we called it…”
However much of Pearcey’s reminiscing references one Jane – who brewed beer – and John – who baked bread. He questioned “where is that cave with abundance of such water clear which Jane Fair did make her beer?” confirming that during the mid 1800s, in addition to three pubs there is also at least one woman who brewed her own beer which she sold from her home.
This strange testimony seems to be born out in the records. The 1851 Welton census lists one Jane Farr – who is recorded on the census as a widow and a beer housekeeper, who had been born in Braunston.
She is also recorded on the 1841 census as the wife of Isaac Farr, a baker. Also living there in 1841 is her son, John (35) who is listed as a baker and Mary (35) – possibly his wife, and William, aged 4 – probably their son.
Read more about Jane Farr here
By 1851 Jane is in her 70s, living with a servant, Hannah Houghton, and her nephew, Thomas Brouth. She is still listed in the census as a Beer House Keeper. She also lived next door to her son, John Farr, aged 45, recorded as a tea dealer and baker. His wife appears to be Elizabeth, older than him, suggesting a second marriage.
These may be the individuals described in the 1841 account referenced earlier by Tom Pearcey, who wrote of stopping for a drink. The baker, John, was resting before baking bread not only for Tom but also for John Clarke, owner of Stone Pot (Pit) Field, and Richard “Trevo” Clarke of Welton Place.
Tom recalled that “whilst John did bake Jane passed upon my lips pleasure more than his just morning bread.” He added that “Jane did do me well” — evidently a fond memory of the beer served by this 79‑year‑old widow!
Confirming Jo Benjamin – publican and builder
The 1851 census for Welton also records the following for the cottage we believe to be the Red Lion and confirms the Pearcey account that “Jo Benjamin” was both innkeeper and builder:
- Joseph Benjamin – Head – 45 years old – builder and publican – born Welton
- Catherine Benjamin – Wife – 50 – born Kilsby
- Eliza Benjamin – daughter – 17 – unmarried – dressmaker – born Welton
- George Benjamin – son – 14 – scholar
Catherine and George will go on to be listed in the 1871 census, with Catherine as the innkeeper of The Red Lion, along with her now grown up son George. The 1851 census also records that next door but one lived Charlotte Benjamin, aged 76 and a widow. She is listed as a retired servant. She may have been Joseph’s mother, as families often lived close by each other, especially where an aged relative was involved.
In 1851 the publicans within Welton were listed as John Atkins at The White Horse and Joseph Benjamin. In 1881 one J. Benjamin advertised his services as a butler describing himself as 44, 5ft 8in and “of good character”. There were many Benjamins living in the village during this period so this may not be the same Benjamin, but it is possible that he felt his role as a landlord would serve him well in this capacity.
Murder trial at the Red Lion
The pub was used to hold Manor Courts during the early 19th century. This was common practice before purpose built courts became more common later that century.
In 1852 a village scandal occurred when a servant of Mr T.S. Perkins of Welton was tried and found guilty of the “wilful murder” of her newborn son. The inquest was held at The Red Lion by a P.E. Hicks Esq (the “coroner”). The matter related to Mary Potter aged 40, and with an illegitimate10 year old child, employed by Mr Perkins.
Perkins’ wife had received a letter one Sunday advising her that the servant was pregnant. Clearly a matter of some disgrace and risk for the servant who, if discovered, may well have lost her position.
Mrs Perkins showed Mary Potter the letter, however she vigorously denied the accusation. A doctor was sent for, to examine the girl, who concluded she had recently given birth. She continued to deny the charge, but the search of an outhouse revealed the body of a fully grown male newborn that, a postmortem confirmed, had been born alive. See the press report below.
Subsequent publicans
In 1871 Catherine Benjamin and George, her adult son – also a bricklayer – were running the Red Lion. The Police made a complaint about her holding the license due to her having been “twice convicted”. It seems that in 1870 she was fined for having “unjust quart jugs” and in 1871 was convicted of selling beer during prohibited hours – she blamed the inaccuracy of the church clock.
In 1884 Wright’s Directory for Northamptonshire records one George Benjamin as “cottager and publican of the Red Lion”. A Mrs Eliza Benjamin was also listed as a dress maker and a Caleb Benjamin as a shopkeeper.
In 1891 Elizabeth Brown was the keeper at the Red Lion, living with her much older siblings Sarah and William. The image at the top of this article would have been taken around this time – so it is possible that the woman in the foreground is Elizabeth Brown – possibly with the drayman making the delivery! In fact we can just make out her name above the door.
In 1897 the then landlord, Thomas Corbett was fined £1 and costs for watering down the whisky!
By 1900 the landlord was Frederick Fletcher. And by 1906 John Henry Dench had the pub and was there until at least 1910. It would have been sometime around then that the old cottage, that had been the home of the Red Lion for probably over a century, was demolished and the current building erected.
The Old Red Lion as it is called now, was built to a set plan by a group – possibly a brewery, who also built The Red Lion at Kilsby at the same time and using the same footprint and design. It is believed to have been rebuilt in 1908, with a full license, serving as a local hub with a strong Quoits team! The photo below was taken very early 20th century and shows the new building in the top left corner.
In 1911 Frederick Green and his wife, Amy Rose, were in charge, living there with their children Frederick, Arthur and Clara. Also listed was a visitor, Thomas Egerton, working as a groom. They had a long tenure and were listed in 1939, with their now grown-up son Frederick working as a railway clerk. Indeed, Frederick ran the pub for 45 years, dying in 1951. The license was then passed to Amy. Clara moved to Norfolk in later life.
Delicensing and becoming a residential home
The Greens were the last family to hold a license for the Red Lion as in 1960 the pub finally called last orders for the last time. The property was delicensed and became the private residence now known as The Old Red Lion. The asking price was £1,200, and included 3 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms, kitchen as well as “out offices”.
It was in the 1960s that Frank Emery senior converted the building into two separate dwellings, Lion House (35 Churchill Road) at the back and The Old Red Lion on the road. Sheila and Tony Conopo lived in The Old Red Lion and Jean and Alan Gautrey in Lion House, set at a right angle to the road.
The Gautreys bought their part of the property from Tony Hupfield in 1962, whilst the Conopos were already resident at that point.
The Augier family – occupants of Lion House in 1990s
A box of personal items discovered in the loft of Lion House (the rear part of the Old Red Lion), revealed a collection of photographs, drawings, letters and travel documents dating from the early 1900s to the late 1940s. Initial clues pointed to India, with several items signed by members of the Augier and De La Nougerede families, long‑established Anglo‑Indian families with French and Belgian origins and a complex history in Calcutta.
Research identified Marguerite Muriel Augier, born in 1905, who later lived and died in Daventry. Her brother, Felix Reginald Augier, born in 1906, was killed in the Dum Dum factory attack of 1949, an event widely reported at the time. Their parents, Clarence Stanislaus Augier and Maud Adelaide DeLaNougerede, belonged to a family known for inter‑marriage between cousins, a common practice among European communities in colonial India. These close family ties explain the interconnected relationships found in the records.
Passenger lists showed Marguerite, her husband Emile Eugene Augier, and their daughter arriving in England in 1948. By the 1970s, Marguerite’s daughter Mary Ann and her husband Ken Silverlock had moved to Northamptonshire, where Ken became well known locally. When the family later emigrated to Spain, the memorabilia box was left behind. Contact with Augier descendants eventually confirmed the story and reunited the items with the family.
Around 2000 the property was purchased by the current owners although it remains divided into two separate properties.
Hello,
To solve a mystery I can tell you as Claire Augier’s great grandson that the family left India at the end of the British occupation.
Some left for Australia and others for the UK. Clarence Stanislaus was my great-great grandfather.
Claire married another prominent named individual in British India, Gerald Fleury, that is my maternal family name.
Claire lived in London and my grandparents are still alive, living in Hertfordshire. They both arrived by boat from India around 1948.
If the owners still have the images I would be most grateful to discuss retrieving them.
Thanks!
HiCharlie, thanks for getting in touch, we have also heard from Samantha Wright who I assume you are related to? We’d love to learn more, let me chat to my colleague about the items, it was the owners of the house who found them in their loft and lent them to the history society to look into.