HISTORY

The White Cross Inn began life as "Ye Brandy House and Ale House" in 1729. The timeline below gives names of licensees and other details we know. If you have any additional information, we would love to hear from you! 1729 - William Jones The name was then "Ye Brandy House and Ale House", William Jones was the keeper until 1743. 1730 - William Jones The name changed to the "Red Cross Inn" after the flag of St George. The Red Cross was a posting-house, an inn which provided a change of horses for coaches passing through. 1751 - Thomas Hawes 1789 - Robert Eves On the death of Thomas Hawes, the Red Cross Inn passed to his son-in-law, Robert Eves, a farmer. 1802 - Ann Eves nee Hawes On the death of Robert Eves, the inn passed to his widow. Ann provided beer to the men of North Cray, compulsorily labouring on its roads under the supervision of North Cray's Surveyor of Highways. In 1808 Mrs Eves was paid 15s 6d for 31 pots of beer; and more payments were made to her in 1809 and 1810 for supplying beer to the men labouring in Parsonage Lane. She also provided beer for the bell ringers at St James' church. Mrs Eves died in1817 aged 67. Ann Eves, her late husband and many of the Eves family are buried in St James' churchyard. 1818 - No licence is recorded This may have been when the inn was rebuilt 1819 - William Farmer William Farmer from Staplehurst was the publican and an auctioneer. He also farmed some nearby land. In 1837, although William Farmer still occupied the Red Cross the public house, stable yard and premises were owned by William and Charles Fleet, brewers in Dartford. 1846 - Lewis Latter Lewis died in 1851 1851 - Matilda Latter Matilda succeeded her late husband. Then aged 38, she had four children and a lodger living at home in the Red Cross. Her 18 year old daughter Ann was the barmaid. Since c1833 the family had lived in Plumstead, Northfleet and Bermondsey - arriving in North Cray around 1846, where Lewis and Matilda's daughter Lavina, was born. 1851 - Timothy Sales Timothy Sales had become publican by June 1851. 1855 - Frederick Goodyer Although the licence had been made out to Timothy Sales, it was altered to John Mathew Munyard, who then assigned it to his brother-in- law Frederick Goodyer of Eltham. As well as managing the Red Cross and dealing in tobacco and provisions there, Goodyer was also an omnibus driver. Both the Munyard and Goodyer families were involved in the transport business, as fly and omnibus proprietors, or in the letting of post horses. In 1857, Thomas Goodyer became a debtor. 1857 - John Graves 1859 - Edmund Richard May As well as being licensee, May was also a carman and a dealer in coals and wood. By 1862 he had moved to the Six Bells, Bexley and that year became a bankrupt. 1861 - Joseph Thomas Moors Aged 36, Moors was also a cordwainer (shoemaker / cobbler). He lived at Red Cross with his wife Esther (nee Whittington) from Thakenham Sussex. They had married in 1846 in the district of Bromley and had two sons. Also staying with Joseph at the time was John Phillips aged 15, a relative born in St Marys Cray; Edward Bristol a sheep shearer, and John Prosser an Agricultural Labourer aged 27. In 1848 the family was living in St Mary's Cray, moving to Shorne c1851. From 1871 to 1881 Joseph was again a shoemaker and died in the fourth quarter of 1884. Esther is recorded on the 1901 census as living on her own means she died on the 5th of April 1912 in Godstone, Surrey. 186? - James Staples 1867 - William Staples 1869 - George Bateman Aged 36, Bateman was both publican and gardener. His wife Alicia, was then aged 38 (born 1831). By 1871 the couple were living at Fleur-de-Lis public house in Trafalgar Rd, Gillingham with their daughters Mary (born 1866) and Jane (born 1870). 1874 - George Manser 1876 - James William Manser Aged 54. The 1881 census has James living at Red Cross with wife Louisa (nee Smith). They married in 1848 and lived with their 26 year old niece Elizabeth, a servant and Julia Smith aged 59, a servant / nurse. 1886 - John McPherson? 1887 - George Townsend George and his wife Sarah were both born in Liscard, Merseyside c1848 and 1842 respectively. By 1901 George was beer keeper at the Founders Arms in Crooked Lane, Gravesend. 1891 - John McPherson McPherson (age 27) was born in Scotland. John's wife Maud Mary B (nee Brown) was born in Orpington in 1868 and they married in 1888. Also living at Red Cross with them was their son who was born 1878 in New Cross and their 15 year old servant Fanny Poole. 1901 - William Jackson Jackson, aged 53, was born in Eastling Kent. His wife Sophia, aged 47 was born in Limpsfied, Surrey. They lived at Red Cross with their 16 year old domestic servant Frances J Dungate, born in Orpington. 1903 - Daniel John Laslett 1904 - Charles Henry Sparks Born in Q1 1859 in Faversham Kent, Charles was the son of Thomas (bn 1837 in Faversham) and Sarah Ann (nee Fright). In Q3 1879 Charles married Adelaide Emily Maxted (bn 1859 in Challock, Kent) at St Saviours, Southwark. At the 1901 census Adelaide and Charles (then an Assistant in a Tobacco Factory) were living in Hazeldene Rowden Road Beckenham Kent (St George's parish), with their children: Daughters; Winifred (age 4, born in Walworth, London), Elsie Mary (11, born Walworth), Kate Adelaide (14), Lillian Maude (15, bn Kennington, a Dressmaker) Florence Emily (17, born Kennington, a Dressmaker) Sons: George (6, born Walworth), William Henry (9, born Walworth) They moved to North Cray in Nov 1904. At the 1911 census Adelaide and Charles (a Licensed Victualler), lived at the Red Cross Inn, with: Daughters: Lilian Maude (26) and Elsie Mary (22), both assisting at the Red Cross. Sons: George (17, Student), Albert Maxted (10, schoolboy) Charles died in Q4 1915 and is buried in St James' churchyard. His grave is on the right as you go through the gate. 1915 - Adelaide Emily Sparks (nee Maxted) Adelaide took over Red Cross Inn 1915 after her husband died Adelaide was the daughter of William Maxted, an agricultural labourer (born 1808) and Catherine (born 1818) On the evening of Saturday May 2nd 1925, Adelaide suffered a stroke and never regained consciousness; she died on Thursday May 7th. Her funeral was held at St James' North Cray on Wednesday afternoon of the following week, the service was conducted by Rev. T Milner. Her grave is on the right as you go through the gate 1930 - John Reginald Hopkins Pepper (born 23 Jan 1898) 1935 - In 1935 the Red Cross Inn became the White Cross Inn, as the war office ruled the name "Red Cross" contravened the Geneva Convention. The sign now depicts the White Maltese Cross and the sign of the Knights Hospitallers. 1938 - Ada Florence Acton Married to Edward Royal Acton ("Nobby"), Ada was at the White Cross through the war years ? - Frank Kimber Frank was born in Lewisham in 1894 and died in the first quarter of 1956, aged 62. He married Annie L Farmer in the third quarter of 1927. Annie (born 1898) succeeded her husband and died in the second quarter of 1965. 1956 - Trevor and Gina Kimber 1994 - Roy and Pauline Kennedy (nee Bowler) 2016 - Colin Care