WILLIAM TELL - St MICHAEL AT THORN

Licensees :
-
CHARLES NUDD	1839
EDMUND EAGLETON	1842 - 1843
JOHN BURRELL according to white	1845
JOHN BOULTON (as magistrates list)	1845 - 1846
SAMUEL LARWOOD	1848 - 1850
WILLIAM BROOKS age 24	*1851
WILLIAM KILBURN	29.09.1853 - 1861
Fine of £5 and 14s costs on 4th July 1859 for permitting gambling.
Fine of 40s and costs (pre 1864) for improper conduct.

On Wednesday 25th January 1843 Matilda Buck, a "nymph of the pavè " and Susan Eagleton, who lived at the WILLIAM TELL (A house of a certain description), appeared in court charged with stealing a £5 note and 35 sovereigns from John Valentine Framlingham Futter, who hailed from Cawston.
Futter had come to Norwich to buy a horse but the deal had fallen through. After drinking porter at the ELEPHANT he had visited the WILLIAM TELL for more porter and gin. He treated the girl called Matilda and they adjourned the meeting to an upstairs room where he became "as dizzy as a pig".
After he left the house he discovered the money was missing.
The two ladies were held in custody for later trial.
~
On Thursday 26th January 1843, Mr. Eagleton, occupier of the WILLIAM TELL was summoned for keeping a disorderly house.
The police described the house as one of the worst in the city.
Visiting the house on the previous Saturday night at about midnight, Sergeant Copeman and his Superintendent found a great disturbance in the house with people fighting. The landlord did not request that the house be cleared, but let others in, including well known thieves and girls of the town.

The Magistrates demanded a fine of £5 and 12s costs, the highest fine that could be imposed for a first offence.
Eagleton said he did not have the money, to which the Magistrates said, if he did not pay, then a warrant would be raised to take his goods.

Outcome of both of the above events yet to be determined.

A man named Hunn was fined 12s on Monday 3rd July 1848 for breaking some windows in the house of Mr. Larwood, the William Tell.

On 26th April 1850 George Turner was drinking at the house with others. He knocked a glass from a table and was asked to pay for it. He paid one penny but refused to pay any more. 27 year old Rachel Lawrence put her hand in his pocket and took out his purse, the landlady (un-named) and several others prevented him from immediately retrieving it. Eventually he got to Lawrence and took the purse back but claimed that 12s 6d was missing. The other parties in the house laughed at him. Turner pressed charges and at trial Friday 28th April, Lawrence was found guilty and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment, with hard labour.
Inspector Peck said that the WILLIAM TELL was a house of accommodation and felonies had been frequently committed in it. The Recorder said it was necessary that the house should be further inquired into.

~

On Friday 24th June 1859, William Finch of the PRINCE REGENT visited the house and played cards for 2s 6d, plus a bottle of beer for each game. He played the last two games with landlord William Kilburn. As he was leaving Benjamin Kilburn was alleged to take a sovereign from Finch's pocket and secretly pass it to William Kilburn.
Although Benjamin and William Kilburn were both discharged, William Kilburn was however summoned for allowing gambling.

On Monday 4th July 1859, William Kilburn was fined £5, the full penalty for permitting card-playing, which he paid.
In court it was stated that the house had previously lost its (full) licence due to the improper manner in which the house was conducted.

At the Annual Licensing Meeting, Tuesday 30th August 1859, William Kilburn applied for a (full) licence. This was opposed on the grounds that the house was kept as a brothel, this being confirmed by the police. Kilburn denied that any young women lived at the house and claimed that no complaint had been made against the house in the six years that he had been there.
This was deemed unfair by one of the magistrates, Mr. Kilburn, since others who had drawn beer a quarter of an hour after legal time had been punished, not one brothel keeper had been indicted.
Mr. Kilburn confirmed that he had however received notice to quit from Mr. Bullard.
Licence refused.
A request to transfer the licence to a brewery representative was denied, however Mr. Bullard could apply for a licence once he was rid of Kilburn and obtained a respectable man in his place.
(It was confirmed that the house adjoined the WHEATSHEAF which had been run in the same manner and received a similar fate.)

Not found after 1861 but Mr. Kilburn still in residence.

At the Sessions held Tuesday 30th August 1864 it was heard that Mr. William Kilburn, of Rose Lane, applied for a licence for a house at Jay's Terrace. Owing to his disgraceful conduct running the WILLIAM TELL, his application was refused.
Mr. Kilburn is given at the PRINCE / PRINCESS of WALES by 1868