INNS and Innkeepers of Hayle and Phillack
by John Higgans

Commercial Inn, now Copperhouse Inn	New Inn, now Bucket of Blood	Lamb Inn, now Angarrack Inn	White Hart

The known 18th century inns in Hayle were five in number. 

They were at Phillack Churchtown, Angarrack, Copperhouse and the western end of the town.  Apart from the inn at Copperhouse, built in 1791 to cater for the needs of a rising population and visitors to the Cornish Copper Company, and given the name the Commercial (now the Copperhouse), the others were known by the names of the innkeepers which was sufficient for local purposes.  In the early years of the 19th century they acquired distinctive names.

At Phillack, Churchtown the pub became the New Inn.  Far from new, it probably replaced an earlier building in a traditional position near the parish church.  In recent years it was re-named the Bucket of Blood by which name it had been known by the local community for a long time.  The present inn at Angarrack replaced an earlier one and drew much of its patronage from those attending the smelting works in the village as well as from travellers on the old coach road through it to the west.  It became the Lamb and later the Angarrack Inn.  Of the two inns at the western end of the town, one became the Britannia and later the Steampacket, and the other the Royal Standard.  Both served the community of the growing port of Hayle and the Royal Standard provided food and shelter for those travellers who had to wait for low tide before they could cross the sands to Lelant and St Ives, before the causeway was built in 1825.  Unless they were prepared to take the long way around via St Erth, travellers to Penzance also had to cross the sands.

hi 19th century came the Mechanics' Arms, the Miners' Arms at Guildford, the Wheal Alfred and the Swan, all long gone, the Cornish Arms, the Globe, the Cornubia, the Hayle, and the White Hart.  The last three were purpose-built to offer accommodation and were classed as hotels.  The Hayle became a private house in the 1870s and remained such for many years until it became a hotel again in the 1950s and named the Penmare Hotel.

The information which follows is derived from a number of sources.  The years given for the occupation of the inns by the various innkeepers are not all inclusive.  Some had only a short tenure.  For the purpose of identification the inns of the 18th and early 19th century innkeepers have been shown by the names which they were later given.

Richard BAILEY, from Kildare, Ireland - Globe 1883.

Ethan BALL, b. St Columb chr. 1834 d. 1897 - Commercial 1868-1882.  Fined in 1882 for permitting drunkenness.  About 20 people including a number of tramps were caught in this state in his kitchen.

After this he must have had his fill of inn-keeping as he decided to "direct his attention to dairy-keeping".

Thomas BAWDEN, from St Just-in-Roseland - Hayle Hotel 1827-1830s.

William BURT, b. Hayle 1785 d. 1842 - Britannia for many years to 1835.

Nicholas CARBINES, - Miners Arms 1829-40.

Thomas CARTHEW, b. Redruth 1821 - Globe for some years.  He was also a smith employed by Harvey & Company. Drowned in Hayle Harbour in 1870. His widow continued at the Globe until 1883.

Henry CHAMPION, White Hart 1892-5.

Edward CHEGWIN, b. Hayle 1821 d. 1880 - Cornish Arms, originally a beer shop which he took over from his father Edward ca. 1856. In 1876 he was charged for keeping late hours. On his death his widow continued to keep the Cornish Arms until her death in 1895.

William CROTCH, from Bude, N Cornwall - White Hart 1837-71.

      James DONNITHORNE, b. Hayle 1809 -Britannia 1835-40.

John FLOYD, b. Hayle 1797 d. 1867 -New Inn 1838 - Royal Standard 1840-67.  His son Richard took over after his father's death. John Floyd was the principal shareholder in the schooner 'Maria' and 'Betsey', trading out of Hayle.  

Nicholas GILBERT, b. Penryn - Hayle Hotel 1826.

John GUNDRY, b. Winchester 1801 - Mechanics' Arms 1849.  He was also a smith employed by the Cornish Copper Company.

John HAMBLY, b. Hayle 1796 - Hayle Hotel 1830s -1843 William HARVEY, - New Inn 1839 - 1840s.

Edward HAWKE, b. Hayle 1819 - New Inn 1850s. Prosecuted in 1859 for keeping late hours. Fined 1/- (one shilling) and costs.

Philip HIGGANS, b. Kea 1795 d.1878 - Wheal Alfred Inn 1830s -1878. He was also a captain at the Wheal Alfred mine. In June 1844 he was charged with having kept illegal hours. The case was dismissed but he had to pay costs of 3/6 (three shillings and sixpence). In 1865 he was adjudged bankrupt, an occupational hazard for innkeepers at the time as they were inclined to give credit to their hard drinking and often penurious customers and so incurred bad debts.

Joseph HOCKING, b. Cambome 1797 -Angarrack 1838 - 40s.

Peter HOOPER, b. St Hilary 1796 - Commercial 1833 to his death in 1852 after which his widow Maria continued to 1858.

George HOSKING, b. Ludgvan 1817 - Steampacket 1856-70.

James HOSKING, b. Ludgvan 1839 - Steampacket 1870-74. Son of George.

John JAMES, - Steampacket 1844-8.

Edward JEFFERY, b. Illogan 1750 d. 1821 - Commercial 1791.

Joseph JEFFERY, - Miners Arms 1840s.

Joseph H. KELWAY, b. Hayle 1842 -New Inn 1870s-80s.

William LAWRY, - Commercial 1867, - Cornubia 1867-75.

Peter LIDDICOAT, - Miners' Arms 1829.

George MIDDLETON, b.Redruth 1807 - Royal Standard 1832-9.

Edward MITCHELL, b. Helston 1822 Angarrack 1878-81, - Commercial 1882-97.

Mrs Sarah MITCHELL, from Port Isaac - Royal Standard 1767-81.

Elizabeth Ann OLVER, b St Columb 1839 - White Hart 1873-83.

John PERKINS, b. St Ives 1744? d. 1786 - Britannia 1779-86.

Samuel PICK, b. Hayle 1802 -Miners' Arms 1840-3.

John POLGLASE, b. Germoe 1791 d. 1830