“The Brills”

From Research notes by Hamish Eaton

Brills by George Eland, Records of Bucks Vol XI No 1 1919

A Meeting Place of the Early Quakers in Buckinghamshire

G-T- De Fraine & Co Ltd, Bucks Herald Office, Aylesbury.

15th C. 1460? Two-storied timber-framed wattle and daub farmhouse, old beams/crucks still evident, thatched roof. (Wattle = willow; daub = chopped straw/clay

C. 1600 Fireplaces and chimney stack added, roof raised to form attic, enlarged and improved; chimney - rag (lower chalf) and clunch (limestone?)

1590 Thomas Edmonds, labourer, obtains 7 acres from Nicholas Fowntayne, yeoman of Ivinghoe.

1612 Richard Browne of Wandsworth obtains newly erected Brownes Wick occupied by William Bledlowe from Thomas Edmonds, son of Thos Edmonds Senior; (Newly erected may refer to heightening, chimneys, enlargements of c. 1600)

1613 Richard Plaistow, yeoman, obtains Brebons/Burtons Wick from Richard Browne.

1639 Bartholomew Baldwin, Gent (of Aylesbury?) obtains Cowcroft from Richard Browne.

1643 Richard Browne obtains a messuage in Towne Close

1666 William Baker, farmer

1667 John Browne obtains property occupied by Annis/Amos? Gardner from Henry and Richard Babham, Gents. John Browne gives wife Elizabeth, cottage occupied by John Slye, carpenter

1666 John Brown has his goods taken by Distress to the value of £15 at the suit of John Stokes of Weston Turvill, tithe farmer'. (Quaker refusal to pay tithes to the 'steeple house' [church])

1668 To Dr John Raunce, physician of High Wycombe, married to Elizabeth daughter of John Brown, cottage occupied by Annis/Amos Gardner with provision for Quaker friends under the terms of John Brown's will. (2nd marriage)

1669 Minute Book of quarterly meetings of Society of Friends for the ‘Lower Side’ of Bucks and Herts, Beds & Oxon, kept by Thomas Ellwood (friend of John Milton)

1670 John Brown imprisoned for tithe 'at the suit of William Baker, tithe farmer of Weston Turville. J. Brown suffered distress of his barley for being at a meeting in Aylesbury. Fined £8 (3 cows and 1 bull) for being at a meeting in Tring.

1678 Friends break bail from Aylesbury gaol, gaoler paid £1.13s.8d in 1679

Friends made payments to members in distress and grants for apprenticeships

John Brown persecuted by landlords - John Stokos, farmer

1683 John Raunce, Dr, friend of Thomas Ellwood, secretary 1669-1713

1684 Jane Browne, widow of John Browne, offered meeting house, behind 'Brills' to Friends

1685 Richard Plaistow, Gent of Srnall Dean, obtained 5 yards in Sowe/Towne Field from Jane Browne, widow of John Browne

1687 Thomas Page admonished by meeting for trading Bone Lace; "wherefore we in the name and authority of God unanimously and do with one consent judge, condemn, deny, and declare against that practice and employment of making or in any way dealing in Bone lace, as a thing wholly useless in the Creation as an hindrance and obstruction to the spreading and prosperity of Truth, and as a support to Pride and Vanity, which the fire of the Lord is kindled against."

1689 Farm let by Jane Browne to George Brill, her servant.

1697 Meeting House required thatching. Burial ground on opposite side of road.

1707 Weston Farm - included Browne Wick in Towne Close?

1714 Rent on property raised, John Smith and Thomas Edmonds to speak to George Brill who had not paid tithes to the 'steeple house’

1713 Daniel Wharley secretary vice Thos Ellwood deceased, held post to 1721

1726 Quakers last meeting at Weston Turville, removed to Sherrington. Beds, 1727, then to Aylesbury. Meetings kept minutes since 1669 - still held by the Society of Friends - despite harassment from local landowners.

Brill family occupied farm through the 18th C

1798 Owned by the Marquis of Buckingham, Frank Brill tenant? Still known as 'Quakers Meeting Houser’ - cottage behind Brills later demolished

1800 Divided into 2 tenements, new fireplace in West half, old step ladders replaced by two staircases (East and West halves)

1830 West half - The Black Horse, licensed beerhouse, John Axtell

1851 Property to William Purssell and family until 1919

1856 Licensee - Joseph Axtell

1867 Licensee - Charles Edwin Axtell

1918 Licence expires Midsummer

1928 George Eland, historian

Matthewson

1853 John Axtell appears as a beer retailer in the Musson Craven directory, but has his license application (probably for spirits) refused.

1859 (03 Sep Bucks Herald) John Axtell's application for a spirit license for The Black Horse was again refused, as there was already a public house 100 yards away.

1859 (17 Sep Bucks Herald) BEERHOUSE INFORMATION.

John Axtel, beerhouse-keeper, Weston Turville, was charged by Inspector Sargent with keeping his house open after hours on Monday, August 29,

Mr. Daniells appeared for the defendant.

Inspector Sargent said he entered the defendant's house on the night in question at half-past eleven o'clock and found six men there drinking. There was beer before the men, one of whom offered him some. The door was bolted, but was opened when he knocked.

Nothing material was elicited in the cross-examination of this witness.

Mr. Daniells admitted that the statement of the Inspector was substantially correct, but the fact was the house was not open for the sale of beer as the men who were in the house were there by the invitation of the defendant's son, who had that day returned after a five years' absence. The house, he submitted, was not open for the sale of beer, three of the men being friends of the family, two of them lodgers, and the others being there by the invitation of the son. He thought it right to mention that the defendant had kept the house for twenty years and had never hitherto been summoned on a similar charge. The following evidence was then called for the defence:-

William Purssell said I was at the defendant's house on the night of the 29th of August when the Inspector entered. It was near eleven o'clock. Charles Billington and his brother were there by invitation and young Axtell and his cousin. No money passed after ten o'clock. I was there by the invitation of young Axtell.

The bench said that the inspector had done his duty, and given his evidence in a very proper manner; but, as there was some doubt in the matter, they would give the defendant the benefit of the doubt and dismiss the case.

1860 (17 Nov) John Axtell was charged with assaulting his father-in-law, Samuel Weaver. Though the case was dismissed, he was cautioned not to assault Samuel Weaver again.

1872 House kept by Henry Tomkins

1873 (18 Jan) BEING ON LICENSED PREMISES DURING PROHIBITED HOURS.

Five men, named respectively Joseph Bishop, W. Hearn, John Ridgeway, Edwin Astell, and John Eldridge, were summoned by the police for being on licensed premises at Weston Turville on the 19th of December, during prohibited hours. Mr. Fell appeared for the whole of the defendants. P.C. Kimble said on the 19th of December last, about 35 minutes past 10 o'clock at night, he was on duty at Weston Turville. He went into the Black Horse publichouse, kept by Mr. Tompkins, and found the five defendants there. He saw a quart pot containing beer upon the table, and some of the defendants drank of it whilst he was in the house. He asked the defendants their names, and they all answered correctly, except Bishop, who said his name was "John Bull," and he would give no other name.

Cross-examined-All the defendants were civil to him. The landlord of the house had been summoned before the magistrates and fined 20s. for having his house open on that occasion.

Mr. Fell contended that so far as Hearn was concerned, he was at the house on lawful business, and that his boing in the house bargaining for some pigs he bought off the landlord was no contravention of the Licensing Act. The beer that was upon the table was given by the landlord to seal the bargain for the pigs. Axtell was a bona fide traveller, and had been sent to the house on business by his master, who lived in the adjoining parish of Wendover. Mr. Senior There is nothing to constitute a traveller in that.

Mr. Fell said if the man was going to the house on his lawful business, and had travelled a consider able distance, he was entitled to be treated as a bona fide traveller. The other defendants wore the innocent victims of a mistake. They did not know that they were transgressing the law, and as this was one of the first cases of the kind occurring under the new Act, he hoped the magistrates would take a lenient view of the case, especially as all the men were respectable Mr. Senior-And we are not to carry out the law! "Mr. John Bull" is not very respectable, for he gave a false name.

Mr. Fell said he supposed Englishmen were all "John Bulls," and the defendant Bishop only made the remark as a joke. Besides he was not charged with giving a wrong name.

The Bench told the defendants they had rendered themselves liable to a penalty of 40s, each, and Bishop, by giving a false name, was liable to a penalty of £5. They would be fined 10s. each, including the costs.

Mr. Senior-Now, Mr. John Bull, pull out your purse.

The defendants all paid the money and left the Court.

1874 John Axtell died, aged 84

1875 Licence transferred to Charles Edwin Axtell who held the licence for 36 years. He retired in 1911. (From his obituary 09 Mar 1934)

1918 Black Horse (B.H) Licence voluntarily withdrawn. (No compensation). 

The Bucks Licensing Committee accepted a proposal that there be no compensation levy in 1918 in exchange for the voluntary closure of 10 licensed houses, which included the Black Horse in Weston Turville.

1918 22 Jun Possession of a Public House.

The Aylesbury Brewery Company, on whose behalf Mr. J. H. Coales, solicitor. appeared, sought an order for possession of the Black Horse Inn, Weston Turville, and a piece of land containing three acres, from Frederick William Goodson. They also claimed £26 16s. balance of rent due to the 11th May, together with the mesne profits from that date. Mr. Coales stated that the tenancy had been determined by the serving of notice to quit, which expired of the 11th May, but defendant still remained in possession. The property did not belong to the plaintiffs. They were simply the lessees, and their lease expired on the 24th of the present month. Defendant had asked that his stock-in-trade and fixtures should be taken by plaintiffs at the valuation, and he was written to on the 18th May that it would be necessary for plaintiffs to see an inventory of the fixtures, etc. It was only on the previous day that he produced an inventory. Defendant said he had not been informed as to the compensation he should get besides the valuation. His Honour said the Court had nothing to do with that matter.

Defendant: What becomes of the licence? 

His Honour: I suppose it remains with you until it is revoked. 

Defendant stated that he was not responsible for the delay that had taken place. He had offered to accept £200 as valuation, which he considered very reasonable. It cost him nearly £100 to go into the Black Horse. His Honour made an order for possession on the 23rd June, and gave judgement for the balance of the rent due and the mesne rent.

Converted into a private house and became the home of Mr. G. Eland.

1. Uxbridge & W Drayton Gazette 12 Apr 1918