Situated
and being in the upper half hundred of Eastry lathe of St Augustine, lies
the parish of Worth, written in Saxon text as Wealth, then later word, or
occasionally Woad. There within the parish boundaries can be found the St
Crispin Inn.
This tenement was built during the reign of Henry V (1413-1422) in the year
1420. It was originally a farmhouse forming part of the estate of the
Nebynson family of Eastry, who came to settle there during the reign of
Edward III (1327-1377). It was here that the Reeve lived. The Reeve
was the overseer or foreman who acted for the Lord of the Manor. The
earliest recorded occupant of the house is one Nathaniel Foysters, overseer
and farmer who resided here in 1493. For most of the sixteenth century the
house was occupied by tenant farmers bound to the estate of Nebynson.
In 1625 the property was split from the estate and sold with 7 acres of
arable land to one Clement Gardner, farmer and shipping agent, formerly of
Sandwich. He resided in and owned the property until his death here in 1653,
after which it was transferred by right of decadency to his nephew Avery
Gardner, malt and hop brewer of
Dover. In 1668 he sold the property to his brother Amos, also a brewer of
Dover, for 175 guineas. Included in the sale inventory was a "brewehouse, 5
wassails (drinking mugs) a mare, hamesse and saddle, and 15 chickens". Amos
Gardner held the property until 1682 whereupon he sold it to one Abraham
Skulley, brewer and common beer-seller of Sandwich. In 1690 he was granted a common ale and cider licence
and the house became a registered but untitled ale house.
In 1712 he sold a now flourishing ale establishment to one Michael Ambrose,
shoemaker and beer seller of Goddington, near the town of Ashford. The
family of Ambrose were for many years shoe-makers at Ashford, so in keeping
with tradition, Michael Ambrose called the house "The Crispin", after Saint
Crispin and Saint Crispinian, who were the patron saints of shoemakers. He
registered the house under this title and, for some reason, omitted the word
'Saint'. This was not added until 1906 when one Edward Minter became keeper.
In 1767 Joshua Hawkins, keeper of this inn for twenty three years, died. In
his last will and testament he bequeathed the inn, all his chattels and
belongings to his wife Fanny, on condition that she remain a widow for the
rest of her natural life, never remarrying and therefore remaining faithful
to the spirit of her dead husband. This was a strange request for, when he
died; Joshua Hawkins was 74 years old and his wife 73. She remained a widow
and died here in 1772.
Worth, though only a small parish, extended then as far as the coast line -
notorious for smugglers, who were known to have used the Crispin. Reward
posters were often hung in the inn as a deterrent against those committing
the offences or as an incentive for those who wished to inform. In 1790, the
Crispin became the post house where the mail was collected and sorted and
quite often the task of delivering fell upon the shoulders of the resident
keeper, a tradition that lasted well into the nineteenth century. Inquests
on bodies washed ashore were held here throughout the nineteenth century. In
1857, a collision occurred between a barge and a sailing ship, resulting in
the loss of sixteen lives. Each one of the corpses was carried on the
shoulders of men from the beach to a lodge at the rear of the inn, to await
the coroner.
From 1850 until the turn of the twentieth century, innkeepers from other
inns and taverns would hold meetings here. They came to discuss business and
collect their spirits, for during this period the Crispin was the spirit
wholesalers. A business set up by on Charles Lepine in 1850. Lepine was for
many years the post master of the parish.
The St Crispin has seen many changes since first it was built, but its
character remains unchanged. So, stay, enjoy the fayre and reflect on those
bygone days.
