Originator:
Graham Scobie
Royal Oak, Winchester
A Royal House Indeed
Introduction and Early History
The earliest royal connection with the Royal Oak dates to 1002 when King
Ethelred the Unready granted his wife (Queen) Emma the tenement then
known as Godebiete as a wedding present ( for the extent of the tenement
and Domesday Survey Entry see below).
Their son King Edward the Confessor almost certainly spent part of his early
years on the property.
During Oliver Cromwell’s rule the Royal Oak was a notorious haunt of the
city’s royalist supporters. Following the restoration of Charles II to the throne
the inn gained its present name.
King Ethelred the Unready
King Ethelred the Unready, meaning uncounciled or unwilling to take advice,
was the great, great, great, great grandson of Alfred the Great. Like Alfred, his
reign was dominated by Viking attacks and invasion. Unlike Alfred, he didn’t
have much success. He tried fighting them, but kept loosing. He tried to bribe
them, but they just came back for more (see Ethelred coin). He then tried to
find a political solution and searched for a Viking princess to marry to help
form an alliance. He found one in Normandy, the 16 year old Emma, daughter
of Richard I of Normandy, the great, great grand father of William the
Conqueror (Normandy meaning Northman’s or Norseman’s land).
Queen Emma
The marriage between Ethelred and Emma must have involved a culture
clash between Saxon and Viking ways of life. Under Saxon law, the wife of a
king could not sit on a throne, not wear a crown, nor could she be entitled
queen, but only the king’s wife. Viking culture was much different as women
held equal rights to men. Part of the marriage negotiations involved Emma’s
status, and here the Viking way of life won. Immediately following the wedding
marriage Emma was crowned queen. As such Emma is the first Queen of
England.
Another cultural difference was that it was normal for Saxon kings and queens
to live in separate residences. The King’s Winchester residence was the
Royal Palace that was located outside the west front of Winchester Cathedral.
On their marriage, Ethelred gave Emma an estate in Winchester called ‘The
Manor of Godbegot’. Today the building next door bears the name Godbegot,
but the original grant included Russell and Bromley, Godbegot, to the east of
the Royal Oak Passage, and all the properties to the west up to Barclays
Bank.
To the east side of the Royal Oak Passage were shops and houses from
which Emma received an income. One of the shops was called Elric’s Good
Bargain, which over time became corrupted as Godbegot. To west of the
passage was a house called ‘Emma’s Tenement’, which served as her
Winchester residence. Attached to it was a private chapel that later became
the church of St. Peter’s in Fleshshambles (the area being the Butcher’s
Market). Although within the city, Manor of Godbegot was more almost an
independent state, for in the original grant there was the provision that no
royal or city official could enter the property without Emma’s permission. This
right was to continue into the 15th century.
King Cnut
Ethelred died in 1016 and less than a year later he was succeeded to the
throne of England by the Viking King Cnut, who was crowned at Winchester’
Old Minster (Saxon Cathedral). One of Cnut’s first acts as King of England
was to marry Emma, who at the wedding went through the crowning
ceremony again. This makes Emma not only the 1st crowned Queen of
England, but the only one to be twice crowned.
Edward the Confessor
Although Emma and Ethelred appear to have lived apart, their union produced
a son named Edward, later King Edward the Confessor, who was almost
certainly spent the early years of his life here in Emma’s tenement. To protect
him from Cnut, she sent him to live with her family in Normandy.
Emma and Cnut produced a son, Harthacnut who succeeded Cnut in 1040,
and his death in 1042, the English summoned Edward back from Normandy
and he reigned as Edward the Confessor until 1066.
Many consider Edward the Confessor as the last true Anglo-Saxon king, for
Harold II who fought and died at the Battle of Hastings had no royal blood in
his veins.
William the Conqueror
The Norman version of events leading up to the Battle of Hastings states the
Edward the Confessor, who died childless, had made an agreement to pass
the English throne to William the Conqueror. And they may be right. Edward
the Confessor was after all half Norman through his mother Emma. He was
also Norman by up-bringing having spent the first 32 years of his life in the
Norman court. William the Conqueror was his cousin, twice removed.
We could suggest the Battle of Hastings in 1066 was the final act of a play
that began here on the site of the Royal Oak in 1002, and that the true
Conqueror was Emma on her marriage to Ethelred the Unready in 1002.
Summary
Emma born
Marries Ethelred the Unready
Gives birth to Edward (Confessor)
Ethelred dies
Viking King Cnut crowned
Edward (Confessor) sent to Normandy
Emma marries Cnut
Harthacnut born
Cnut dies
898
1002
1003
1016
1016
1016
1016
1019
1035
Harthacnut crowned
Harthacnut dies
Edward the Confessor crowned
Emma died in
Edward the Confessor dies
1035
1042
1042
1052
1066
Entrance to Pub in Royal Oak Passage
a) High Street Hollow-way
Although this area of the city has undergone large change since Emma’s time,
an idea of what the area looked like can still be gained.
Winchester’s High Street is one of Britain’s oldest high streets. It, and the
whole reason why Winchester is here, is that the High Street is the approach
to the only ford or crossing of the River Itchen that could be used all year
round.
So many people made their way to the ford that they have worn a hollow-way
or sunken track way into the landscape - the ground level slopes down from
St. Georges Street to the High Street.
A similar slope can be seen on St. Thomas’ Street that marks the other side of
the hollow-way.
Just up the High Street at its junction with Jewry Street, the hollow-way is
deep enough to hide a double-decker bus, and it can be traced up to the Pitt
round-a-bout about 1.5km west of the city.
Excavations have shown that this hollow-way was here before the Romans
arrived, as just up the passage archaeologists have found Roman buildings
extending down into it - The Royal Oak does the same thing - it is built into
and over the hollow-way.
High Street Encroachment
When Alfred the Great refounded Winchester in 880, he laid down the street
system we use today.
The High Street, however, was very different. When Emma lived here, the
High Street was 75ft (25m) wide. Today its maximum width is only 50ft (15m).
The narrowing of the high Street was the result of encroachment. The High
Street during Emma’s time was on this line. We will also see this when we go
into the pub.
These buildings, or their earlier versions, are first recorded in the Domesday
Book (AD1110). The Godbegot entry in the Winton Domesday Survey is the
longest of all Winchester properties. The first part of the entry reads:
[Entry 23] The Godebiete tenement was quit at the
time of Edward the Confessor (1056) and is quit now
(1110). (This means that in 1056 and 1110 the property paid no rents or
dues to the king or city).
Adelwold, reeve of Winchester (the kings chief officer
gave his parents 3 messuages (dwellings with
adjacent land) from the king’s road (High Street) which they
occupied. Now (1110) these properties are
appropriated to the Godebiete tenement. (This means that
In 1056
of the city),
in 1056 the reeve built houses in front of Emma’s tenement and over
part of the width of the High Street, and that by 1110 they became part
of the Godbegot tenement)
This change of brickwork marks the southern limit of The Royal Oak. The
building facing the High Street occupies the site of one of Adelwod’s buildings.
This line marks the edge of the High Street before 1056. This process of
nicking part of the High Street is called ‘Encroachment’ and is a common
feature of Winchester’s High Street.
High Street/Royal Oak Passage
Looking down the High Street you can see the Pentice and how it has
encroached onto the High Street. This group of buildings had nicked so much
width of the street, that to gain more space they moved up a floor, jettied it out
to form a covered walkway. It is the most extreme example of encroachment
in the country.
Opposite the Pentice, and the buildings leading up to Royal Oak Passage, the
frontages start to swing out into the High Street. But if you draw a line
projecting the frontages of NEXT, W.H. SMITHS it will meet the line marking
the change in masonry in the Royal Oak Passage. This shows that before
Adelwold built his buildings the Royal Oak property had a High Street
frontage.
St. Peters Church
Excavations here in the 1960’s uncovered the foundations of St. Peter’s in
Fleshshambles (Butchers Market) - foundations marked out in the paving
scheme.
The Domesday Survey entry for Godbegot tells us that this was the private
chapel attached to Emma’s Tenement. The second part of the entry for
Godbegot reads:
And to the church that pertains to the tenement are
appropriated 2 market stalls which were on the king’s
road and which each week used to pay 2d. (The church
referred to was located in the courtyard behind ASK. It was variously known
as St. Peter’s in Marcellus (marketplace) or St. Peter’s in Fleshshambles
(butcher’s market that was located on the west side of St. Peter’s Street and
against the wall of what is now Russell and Bromleys ). It was erected by the
prefect (another royal official) Ethelwine before 1012. The outline of the
church is marked out in the paving scheme. Archaeological excavations in
the 1950’s revealed that this reference relates to the construction of an
eastern apse that extended over the site of 2 earlier butchers stalls (this part
of the entry records the loss of royal income, but due to the status of the
property there was no way they could recover it).
The Roman tile built into the surrounding wall came from a Roman
Townhouse found below the church.
Royal Oak Passage and its Name (Haywood Sumner)
Although The Royal Oak’s early history was as a Royal Palace, it didn’t stay
that way for long.
Because of its special legal status (being in the city but not of the city), it was
seen as a desirable place to live, and between 11th and 17th centuries it was
one of the most densely occupied parts of town. In time it became one of the
city’s worst slums.
When the famous artist, Heywood Sumner, sketched the Royal Oak Passage
in 1890, he had this to say:
There is nothing in it at first sight to attract the
casual visitor ….. the place looks dark and dirty. In
fact it is a slum, and apparently not even worthy of
a name. (On asking) an inhabitant what the
passage was called, he considered for some time,
and suggested the ‘Royal Oak Passage’. I do not
know whether he was inspired by the sign of the
Royal Oak Inn, once a famous hostel, which
projects from one side of the alley. At all events, I
have not invented the name, but have adopted this
citizen’s idea, though I believe that in old times it
went by the name of Church Lane, from St. Peter’s
church hard by.
Visually the scene has hardly changed. The present Royal Oak was
constructed in the 1630’s as a timber framed building, but the drawing shows
the brick cladding added in the mid 18th century. Its original appearance would
probably not be much different than that of Godbegot.
Enter the Pub; Top of Stairs to Cellar
The building has seen much alteration, but elements survive that provide us
with an idea of its original appearance. Along the length of the pub we see
that it is on three different levels – what is now a cellar, the main bar, and the
recent extension to the rear.
The building is built in steps, extending down into the hollow-way of the High
Street.
Although, the building is early 17th century, the cellar is much older. To
include it into the 17th century build they had to alter the floor levels.
The large beam above was supported on a timber partition to form a screened
passage running the width of the building. A door would have allowed access
into the main bar, but the steps leading to the cellar are a later addition.
Cellar
a) The Earlier Cellar
Now appropriately panelled in oak, you can see that part of it was originally
built of flint.
Details recorded before this panelling was inserted, suggests that the flint
work is 12th century in date, while the base of the quoins (corner stones) may
even pre-date the Norman Conquest (1066).
Up to now we have been calling this room a cellar, which indeed it is today,
but wasn’t when it was built.
The High Street hollow-way, and floor level you stand on was the level of the
High Street in the 12th century. The High Street itself has been repaired and
resurfaced so many times that its level has been built up, while the floor level
of the room has remained the same.
Records made during repair work revealed a blocked-up door flanked and two
windows, suggesting that the wall had been a shop front of a type of shop
known as a seld. There would have been a long trestle table along the rear
wall. The window shutters would also have folded down to make tables on the
High Street.
The Winton Domesday Book (c.1110), states that by 1056 buildings were
constructed between this wall and the present High Street, and it was
probably at that time the door and windows were blocked.
The central portion of the ceiling is higher. This is a later alteration made
when the present stairway to the upper floors was inserted.
b) The Origins of the Name Royal Oak
The earliest reference to a pub or inn on this site dates to 1390-1430, when
an un-named Tavener is recorded to have lived here.
A schedule dated 1637 records John Chase, Tapster (tavener) and his wife
Elizabeth. The property contained a ‘brew house’ containing a brass furnace
and a pump. Although most households at the time brewed ale, the inclusion
of a brew house suggests that it was by then it was an inn, but there is no
record of what it was called.
The pub gains the name Royal Oak from the English Civil War.
This was fought between King Charles I and his supporters called Cavaliers,
and the Long Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell and their supporters called
Round Heads.
The first stage of the civil war began in the summer of 1642 and continued
until 1649, when Charles I was tried and beheaded in London by members of
Parliament.
Winchester during the Civil War was a Royalist city and stronghold.
In the first year of the war (1642) Winchester and its castle was besieged and
captured by the Parliamentarians.
In 1643, the Royalists recaptured the city.
In 1644, following the Battle of Cherton, the city was once again besieged,
this time by Oliver Cromwell himself, and the castle retaken and destroyed.
The modern suburb of Oliver’s Battery gains its name from this siege for this
is where it is thought that Cromwell set up his guns to control the road from
Southampton (another royalist centre).
Following Charles I’s execution, his son, Charles II, was proclaimed king in
Edinburgh.
He attacked Cromwells’ forces at Worcester, but this turned into a defeat and
Charles fled in fear of his life, at one point hiding in an oak tree to evade
capture. He eventually escaped to France.
During Cromwells rule (known as the’ Protectorate’) the wearing of an oak
leaf, particularly in Winchester, was a secret badge showing that you
remained loyal to the king.
This was highly dangerous, for if caught it could led to trial and execution for
treason.
In 1660, Charles II was restored to the throne.
He had no love for London, for it was they who had executed his father.
Instead he came to Winchester, the ‘Ancient Capital of England’ and had Sir
Christopher Wren design and built a palace on the former site of the castle.
As part of the design, there was a plan to knock down all the buildings
between the Palace and Cathedral to form a grand avenue. His courtiers also
arrived in the city and started to build fine townhouses. Winchester once
again became a Royal City.
Charles spent a large part of his reign in Winchester and it was in the latter
part of the reign that we have the first reference to the name Royal Oak.
A deed of 1677 records the letting of the building to William Frost, for a price
of £400, which states: the house ‘commonly known as the Royal Oak’.
The house was described as having a Brewhouse, a Parlour, 3 drinking
rooms with benches all round with a bar, a cellar used for drinking with a
‘shove groat’ table, a kitchen with a bacon rack and iron (spit?) in the
chimney, and a cupboard with an oven. The attached garden (arbour) had
benches, apricot trees, 2 vines, and a hen coop.
Although we cannot say that Charles II ever enjoyed the hospitality of the
Royal Oak, he spent a good portion of his reign in Winchester, and certainly
would have known of the Royal Oak’s presence and was probably quite
chuffed about it.
Winchester’s Royalist leanings can be seen in the Parliament election of
1661. The results were:
Thomas Cole
John Hooker
Thomas Muspratt
(Royalist)
(Royalist)
(Parliamentarian)
50 votes
56 votes
6 vote
Room above cellar
This room has been much altered. Originally it was the same size as the cellar
below. Today it is divided into three, this remaining portion, the stairwell to the
floor above in the middle, while the far end is now the men’s loo.
Traces of the original stairway can be seen, leading up to this raised platform.
The church that pertains to the tenement includes properties that took over
part of the King’s road (High Street). This can still be seen in the architecture
of the present buildings, although they are of a much later date.
The Schedule of 1677 describes the room as containing a long table board
and whole plank seating, and hung throughout with painted cloth
(tapestries?).
List of occupants/Landlords
1012 - Queen Emma.
1052 - Emma bequeathed tenement to the Cathedral Priory.
1223 - Nicholas and Robert Cupping.
1265 - Geoffrey le Barbour
1276 - John and Bartholomea le Clop
1503 - Stephen le Foxe
1614 - Richard Aston sold the tenement to John Chase. Price $140.
1616 - John Chase sold the tenement to William Hancock. Price £200.
1614 - Richard Ashton sold the tenement to John Chase. Price £140,
1617 - John Chase sold the tenement to William Hancock. Price £200.
1637 - The tenants were Lancelot Thorpe (town clerk) and his wife
Anne.
1637 - Tenants were John Chase and his wife Elizabeth (1st indication that it
was a pub)
1641 - Tenant was George Rawbone (or Rabone).
1660 - William Hancock sold the tenement to Charles Hack. Price £120.
1661 - Charles Hack let the tenement to John Stubbington. Price £100.
1677 - Charles Hack sold the tenement to William Frost. Price £400.
This deed states that the house was ‘commonly known as the Royal
Oak’, the earliest reference to the name.
1709 - William Frost sold the tenement to Nathanial Jackson and James
Colebrooke. Price £400.
1711 - Nathanial Jackson and James Colebrooke sold the tenement to
Thomas Godwin. Price £350.
1766 - Thomas Godwin sold the tenement to Edward Pyott. Price £300.
1775 - Tenant Edward Pyott. Price £320.
1781 - Edward Pyott foreclosed on tenement. Valued at £251, with principal
interest at 18s. Tenement sold to Chares Heath.
1781 - 1891 - deeds are lost.
Warren’s Directory Entries
1859 - William Davis (Landlord)
1887 - Edward Spary (Landlord)
1891 - The landlord of the Royal Oak was a Mr. Drew.
1891 - Richard Chandler (Landlord)
1883 - 1906 – F.S. Morgan (Landlord)
1907 - 1912 – W. MacCall (Landlord)
1925 - F.A Motyer (Landlord)
1926 - 1931 - W.I. Hugh (Landlord)
1931 - 1942 - No names recorded in Warren’s Directory
1942 - H.E Goode (Landlord)
1951 - 1967 – No names recorded in Warren’s Directory
1968 - 1974 – H.V. Taylor