Butchers Arms, 56 Farringdon road, Clerkenwell EC1 3BL
Clerkenwell pub history index
The 1882 directory listing places the Butchers Arms at the junction with Peartree Court. Prior to this, certainly in 1856 and before, there is a Butchers Arms at 47 & 48 Pear Tree Court. The Butchers Arms at 47 & 48 Pear Tree Court is the same pub, prior to changes to the street layout. *
By 1983 it was trading as the Betsy, with the name extended to the Betsy Trotwood by 1992. **
Historical London public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels.
Butchers Arms, 56 Farringdon Road - in 1986
From the Archives of East London & City CAMRA
Butchers Arms, 56 Farringdon Road - in December 2006
Kindly provided by Stephen Harris
The following entries are in this format:
Residents at this address.
1802/William Colnett/victualler/../../Sun Fire Office records held at the
London Metropolitan Archives *
1808/William Colnett/victualler/../../Sun Fire Office records held at the
London Metropolitan Archives *
1818/Mr Colnut/victualler/../../Sun Fire Office records held at the London
Metropolitan Archives *
1827/William Colnett/../../../Licensed Victuallers Association
1839/John Callow/../../../Pigot's Directory *
1848/John Callow/../../../Post Office Directory
1851/John Callow/Licensed Victualler/59/Southwark, Surrey/Census
1851/Sarah Callow/Wife/55/Fulham, Middlesex/Census
1851/John Callow/Son, Lithographic Printer/32/Holborn/Census
1851/Catherine Maskell/Visitor, Wig Maker/15/St James/Census
1856/John Callow/../../../Post Office Directory
March
1866/John Callow/License renewal/../Clerkenwell News
November 1866/John Callow/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era
November 1866/William Boult/Incoming Licensee/../../Era
1876/George Alexandra Denman/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1876/George Saunders/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1877/George Saunders/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1878/Sophia Saunders/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1878/Thomas William Guest/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1879/Thomas William Guest/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1880/Thomas William Guest/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1881/William Guest/Publican/37/Shoreditch, Middlesex/Census
1881/Amy Guest/Wife/32/Clerkenwell, Middlesex/Census
1881/Frances Bloomfield/Barmaid/29/Fulham, Middlesex/Census
1881/Susan Jones/Domestic Servant/32/Birmingham/Census
1881/Charles Cave/Barman/22/Northampton/Census
1881/Valentine Trulley/Potman/42/Islington, Middlesex/Census
1881/Thomas William Guest/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1882/Thomas William Guest/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1882/Thomas Guest/../../../Post Office Directory
1883/Thomas William Guest/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1884/Thomas William Guest/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1885/Thomas William Guest/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1886/Thomas William Guest/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1887/Thomas William Guest/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1888/Thomas William Guest/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1889/William Anderson/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1890/William Anderson/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
The Henry Robert Banks (1848-1900), publican from 1891, was my
great-grandfather. He was a builder who formed a relationship with my
great-grandmother Annie Constable after seeing her on stage. The couple set
up home together in Guildford Street by 1881 and had several children. Henry
also had a wife and legitimate family, and split his time between the two
households. Henry and Annie seem to have taken on the Butchers Arms as a
joint business venture, but continued to live off the premises in Guildford
Street. Henry died in 1900 and is buried in the City of London Cemetery. The
funeral cortege is said to have started at the pub before calling at the
homes of both wife and mistress to pick up mourners en route to the
cemetery. Annie took over the license on his death, and appears as landlady
in the 1901 Census. She calls herself Banks in the census although she had
no legal right to the name as she was never married to Henry. The Amy Banks
listed as a barmaid was my grandmother (1885-1979), the daughter of Henry
and Annie. The Thomas Yorwarth listed was the son of Richard Yorwarth, a
local widower and (presumably) pub customer. Thomas later went to sea as a
steward and was killed when his ship was torpedoed off the coast of Italy in
August 1918. In 1902, Annie married Richard Yorwarth. She died in 1904 of TB
(presumably an occupational hazard for publicans in “spit and sawdust”
days). There is a family story that after Annie’s death the brewery did not
want to offer the license to Richard Yorwarth, but instead offered it to my
grandmother Amy Banks (at age 18). She turned it down, supposedly because
she was too ashamed about having to admit her illegitimacy to the licensing
magistrates. ***
1891/Henry R Banks/Bricklayer/43/Mile End, London/Census ***
1891/Annie Banks/Wife/33/Kingsland, London/Census
1891/Henry R Banks/Son/11/Holborn, London/Census
1891/Amy Banks/Daughter/5/Holborn, London/Census
1891/Henry Robert Banks/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1892/Henry Robert Banks/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1893/Henry Robert Banks/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1894/Henry Robert Banks/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1895/Henry Robert Banks/../../../Finsbury Petty Sessions
1899/Henry Robert Banks/../../../Post Office Directory
1901/Amy Constable/Licensed Victualler, Widow/42/Kingsland, London/Census
1901/Amy Banks/Daughter, Barmaid/15/Holborn, London/Census
1901/Eleanor F Green/Barmaid/25/Brixton, London/Census
1901/Thomas D Yorwarth/Visitor/14/Clerkenwell, London/Census
The Yorwarth/Banks family next moved south of the river, and Richard
Yorwarth became publican of the Roebuck. Again, there is some suggestion
that at least at first he had trouble over the licence, and the pub had to
be licensed to his daughter Kitty (Katherine). I have a photo of him outside
the pub in about 1910 which shows his name all along the frontage, so I
guess that any issues were resolved. The pub in the photo has the street
number 47 (= 47 Trafalgar Street, Walworth?). ***
1910/John William Holman/../../../Post Office Directory
1915/John William Holman/../../../Post Office Directory *
1921/James R Eaton/../../../Hughes Directory
1934/Mrs Caroline Drury/../../../Kellys Directory
1938/Jas Morgan/../../../Post Office Directory
1944/Leonard Meyer/../../../Post Office Directory
1983/Betsey: 56 Farringdon Road EC1. Watneys. In mid 1983 was up for sale./../../Pub Listing
1991/BETSEY TROTWOOD: 56 Farringdon Road EC1. Shepherd Neame. Formerly the Butchers Arms and latterly the Betsey after the Dickens character in David Copperfield./../../Pub Listing
* Provided By Ewan
** Provided By Stephen Harris
*** Provided By Simon Hayes