This page concentrates on the Bond family who occupied the two fore mentioned public houses between the years 1881-1917.
Rose Bud Inn
On May 3, 1877, twenty-year-old Elizabeth Taylor, who may have been expecting a child, married James Bond, a farmer from Knowsley. Before her marriage, Elizabeth lived on her father’s farm in Heapey, near Chorley.
The ceremony was witnessed by Elizabeth’s oldest brother, John, and James’s sister, Ann.
The couple settled in Wheelton, and six months later, in November 1877, they welcomed their first son, Thomas. Nineteen months after that, in May 1879, their second son, Benjamin, was born. At that time, James worked as a farm labourer, possibly on Elizabeth’s father’s farm, given how close they lived to each other. The Taylor family farm at this time was Wheelton House. The 1881 census shows Elizabeth and James just down the lane at the Rose Bud inn.
James Bond then aged twenty-nine is listed as a beer seller. On the 1909 map below, you can see both buildings: the Rose Bud inn and just above it, Wheelton House farm.
The ‘Rose Bud’ inn was small and isolated and catered mostly to the farming communities of Heapey and Wheelton.
Inquest at the inn
In 1873, an inquest took place at the Rose Bud Inn concerning the tragic drowning of Elizabeth’s nephew, Thomas Marsden. At just eighteen months old, Thomas lost his life in an accident close to the family home. He was the son of Hannah Taylor, Elizabeth’s sister, who, along with her husband Jonathan Marsden, ran local public houses in Heapey and Chorley.
Beerhouse
Auction
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The family remained at the Inn for approximately two years before moving to the St Peters area of Chorley.
The next known Landlord of the Rose Bud Inn was George Elton from Dorset. As well as innkeeper of the Rose Bud Inn he was a labourer at a nearby stone quarry.
Rose Bud Cottage
After the passing of his wife Ann, Elizabeth’s father, Henry, moved into one of the Rose Bud Cottages. According to the 1891 census, he was living there with another widower named Thomas Fielding, who worked as a labourer at the local print works. They were also joined by a servant named Alice Sumner, who was seventy-seven years old.
A New Chapter – Preston Road
On September 7, 1883, James and Elizabeth welcomed their third and final child, Nanny.
Over the next eight years, the family relocated once again, this time to Preston Road in the Whittle le Woods area of Chorley. Their new home was just up the road from the Sea View inn.
The 1891 census shows the family altogether with James recorded as a farmer. They also had a lodger named James Manley, a retired farmer who came from Cheshire. Fast forward to the 1901 census, and the family has moved to the Sea View Inn. Youngest son Benjamin is working as a Brewery Clerk and his uncle John Bond is present.
The Sea View
Whatever is the Sea View Hotel doing here in the middle of industrial Lancashire? Choose a nice day and look westwards from the inn and it is possible to realise that before industry came there would have been clear views over the Fylde plain to the sea. – Turnpikes and Toll Houses, Ron Freethy
A Wine License Granted
Mr. Kevill appeared for James Bond, who applied for a wine license for the Sea View Inn, Chorley. There was no opposition, and the applicated was granted.
The 1911 census reveals that the building had six living spaces and four rooms designated for business use.
James passed away at the age of sixty-two on January 7, 1917. After his death, Elizabeth left the public house and moved in with her son Benjamin and his wife Mary. They lived in a house called Springfield on Preston Road. Elizabeth stayed with them until her death in 1936.
What happened to the rest of the family?
Click the next page to find our more.