Sands House Inn, Crosland Moor

The Sands House is an inn situated on Crosland Moor at the junction of Blackmoorfoot Road (formerly Wakefield and Austerlands Turnpike) and Sands House Lane (formerly Sandy Lane).

According to one newspaper report, it was once known by locals as "The Dangerous Corner".[1]

History

The earliest records show that Sand House was originally a farmhouse owned by the Eastwood family, with Charles Eastwood (c.1811-1857) in residence by 1841. The house possibly took its name from Sandy Lane and later became known as "Sands House".

By 1861, his son William Henry Hirst Eastwood (1841-1894)[2], was the head of the property and was named as a farmer of 26 acres in the Census that year.

At some point during the 1860s, Eastwood acquired a beerhouse licence for Sands House. An attempt to obtain a full licence for the property in August 1868 was rejected, despite there being only one other public house within in the vicinity and the fact that traffic on the turnpike road was increasing.[3]

The 1871 Census listed Eastwood as a "Beer House Keeper and Farmer of 7 Acres". In June 1871, Eastwood placed the inn and his land up for auction, although it seems likely they did not sell.

In November 1871, brewer Henry Stocks of Milnsbridge brought an action against Eastwood to recover a debt of £21 13s. 4. Eastwood argued that Stocks had sold him 3 barrels of bad beer and that Eastwood had promised to return them, but had failed to do so. After some discussion, the costs were reduced by the magistrates to £12 9s. 11d.[4]

At around 8pm on the Sunday 11 August 1872, Joseph Brook, Joshua Brook and Thomas Fearnley, all of Butter Nab, together with Buckley Broadbury of Aspley, Jonathan Stoddard of Folly Hall and Thomas Moreley of Paddock, entered the inn "with the intention of kicking up a row." After one of them threatened to murder the landlord, they "commenced a disturbance" and damaged a number of items of furniture. The damage was estimated at £1 12s. Brought in front of the local magistrates, the men were found guilty.[5]

In November 1872, both the inn and the adjoining land were again placed up for auction:

All that Capital MESSUAGE or DWELLING-HOUSE, now used as a beerhouse, and called Sands House, situate on the south side of the Wakefield and Austerlands Turnpike-road, at Crosland Moor, aforesaid, together with the shed, outbuildings, yard, and premises thereto belonging, and now in the occupation of Mr. W.H.H. Eastwood.

Also all those Four Closes of LAND bounded on the west by the highway leading from Crosland Moor to South Crosland, and situate near to and occupied along with said house, and containing by estimation seven acres of thereabouts.

The above property is within 2½ miles of Huddersfield. The house is well and substantially built of stone, and the purchaser will have the privilege of drawing water for household purposes from an excellent well on an adjoining plot of land.

In late January 1873, Eastwood was charged under the Licensing Act with "allowing disorderly conduct" at the inn after Mr. E. Gledhill ("an old and infirm man") had gunpowder sprinkled over his head which then ignited and burned off most of his hair. In court, Eastwood claimed that he had already transferred the licence to "a man named Senior" and was technically no longer the landlord, so could not be prosecuted under the Act. The exact sequence of events was strongly contested by prosecution, defence, and witnesses, although it seemed to point towards a practical joke that had gone dangerously wrong. Ultimately, the magistrates suspected that the powder had been ignited deliberately, but that it had not been proven, so the case was discharged.[6]

Charles Senior was the next licensee of the Sands House Inn.

In November 1873, the Borough Police Court held a special session to consider applications under a new Act to allow music, dancing and the playing of games in public houses — in all, 135 applications were considered. Charles Senior was granted a licence to allow music and the playing of dominoes on his premises.[7]

At the Brewster Sessions of 1877, Senior was unsuccessful in acquiring a spirits licence. It was noted that "the house was not one of good repute" and was known locally as "The Dangerous Corner".

A licence to sell wine on the premises was granted on 22 August 1884.

On Saturday 6 September 1884 there was a shooting contest at the nearby rifle range and Private Henry Vizzard left his rifle at the inn. He returned on the Monday and drank several beers before retrieving his rifle and heading back to the range. A short while later he committed suicide. After his body had been examined by the police, it was brought back to the inn to await the inquest.[8]

In June 1891, Senior was fined 40s. plus 14s. expenses for "keeping open his house during prohibited hours" on 31 May. Three police officers had visited the inn and found seven men drinking, most of whom gave false names and addresses. In his defence, Senior claimed that he thought the men were travellers "from Marsden" rather than locals, which meant he was allowed to serve them out of hours.[9]

Following the murder of servant girl Catherine Dennis at the Ivy Hotel in Linthwaite on 21 August 1891, the prime suspect, James Stockwell, went to ground in the Crosland Moor area. At one point, a witness claimed to have seen him in the vicinty of Sands House Inn.[10]

In October 1891, the inn was placed up for auction but bidding stalled at £1,250 and the property was withdrawn from sale.[11]

Licence Transfers and Renewals

  • circa 1869 — William Henry Hirst Eastwood
  • circa 1873 — Charles Senior[12]
  • 3 April 1895 — Oliver Ullyott (died 13 February 1897, aged only 28)
  • 7 April 1897 — Annie Ullyott (née Priestley)
  • 17 November 1897 — Ann Addy
  • 19 November 1902 — Benjamin Taylor
  • 18 November 1908 — Harold Dramsfield
  • 17 November 1915 — Ida Dramsfield
  • 4 May 1927 — William Henry Ashton

Extracts

The History of Lockwood and North Crosland (1980) by Brian Clarke:

Founded in 1873, with various members of the Senior family as licensees during the last century, it was originally owned by William Eastwood. In 1894 Samuel Lowes, Leeds Brewery, obtained the house, passing to John Ainley's Wappy Spring brewery early this century and finally to Websters of Halifax around 1925. In addition to serving the nearby village of Crosland Hill the house has also become the ‘local’ for a nearby caravan site.

Gallery

    Loading... ::::::geograph 3008465:::geograph 4205232:::instagram ZVDgwjjXdV:::

Links

Location

Notes and References

  1. "Huddersfield Borough Licensing Meeting" in Huddersfield Chronicle (25/Aug/1877).
  2. Born 30 July 1841 and baptised 19 September 1841 at Christ Church, Linthwaite. Married Ellen Senior (c.1843-1872) on 24 July 1861 at All Hallows, Almondbury. Married Mary Annie Turner on 8 August 1872 at All Hallows, Almondbury. Filed for divorce in 1879 after Mary Annie had an affair with Walter Henry Bates. Married widow Jane Appleward (née Faux) on 17 August 1881 at Christ Church, Linthwaite, and they had one child, Ann Jane Eastwood (1865-1927). Died 1894, buried 27 November 1894 at Christ Church, Linthwaite. Information and corrections kindly provided by Val Blease.
  3. "Brewster Sessions" in Huddersfield Chronicle (22/Aug/1868).
  4. "A Brewer's Transaction" in Huddersfield Chronicle (04/Nov/1871).
  5. "A Beerhouse Melee" in Huddersfield Chronicle (17/Aug/1872).
  6. "Brutal Outrage at Crosland Moor: Setting an Old Man's Head on Fire" in Huddersfield Chronicle (01/Feb/1873).
  7. "The Granting of Licences for Games" in Huddersfield Chronicle (07/Nov/1876).
  8. "Shocking Death of a Huddersfield Volunteer" in Huddersfield Chronicle (13/Sep/1884).
  9. "Keeping Open During Prohibited Hours" in Yorkshire Evening Post (10/Jun/1891).
  10. "The Terrible Tragedy at Linthwaite: No Arrest" in Huddersfield Daily Chronicle (26/Aug/1891).
  11. "The Local Property Market" in Huddersfield Chronicle (21/Oct/1891).
  12. William Henry Eastwood continued to be named as the owner of the property.