Newspaper article in Oxford mail mentioning local pubs. In Bampton, The Malt Shovel and Elephant and Castle; The Strickland Arms in Ducklington and The Horse and Jockey in Black Bourton, The Plough at Alvescot, and the Lamb at Filkins. John Kent, 85, was the Landlord of the Malt Shovel for 34 years, he originally came from Suffolk and was a gamekeeper in Lincolnshire and Bradwell Grove. The Malt Shovel was in Lavender Square and there is an inscription on the chimney showing the date of 1659. It used to be a Malt house. The Elephant and Castle in Bridge Street was about 350 years old and had a thatched roof at this time (1957), the landlord was Clarence Dalton, ex RAF, who had another pub in London, The Prince of Orange at Greenwich. In 1957, the Landlord of the Talbot Hotel, an old coaching inn in Market Square, was a Mr Flood, and the inn itself was about 500 years old. The New Inn (now Morris Clown) was also a coaching Inn and the landlord was W.F. Wagner. The landlord of the Horse and Jockey at Black Bourton was Mr Alan George Burgess and the landlord of The Plough at Alvescot was Mr Leonard Killick, and the landlord of the Lamb at Filkins was Cyril Clements.

TALBOT HOTEL SILVER JUBILLEE 1977

Oxfordshire Inns with a history 2 (Talbot and Elephant and Castle)

Photograph of Oil Painting by Hilda Kent of The Talbot and Town Hall

George Talbot the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, was the only son of Francis Talbot, 5th Earl of Shrewsbury and Mary Dacre. As a young man George saw military service under Protector Somerset in the ‘Rough Wooings’ in Scotland and he married Gertrude Manners, daughter of the 1st Earl of Rutland, by whom he had six children, although she died in 1566. In March 1568, he married Bess of Hardwick, the wealthy widow of Sir William Cavendish of Chatsworth, who was a year older than himself.
The first creation of Earl of Shrewsbury occurred in 1074 for Roger de Montgomerie, one of William the Conqueror's principal counsellors. Roger thus became one of the most powerful magnates in England, ruling most of Shropshire and holding lands in eleven other counties, and included most of Bampton which continued to belong to the family through future generations.
Roger was succeeded in 1094 by his younger son Hugh, his elder son Robert of Belléme succeeding to his lands in Normandy. On Hugh's death in 1098 the earldom passed to his brother Robert.
More information about the Earls of Shrewsbury can be found in the pdf attached.

A hunt meet outside The Talbot & Rosemary House.

Horse Fair outside the Talbot. Several carts outside Thompson's the high class grocers. Note everyone, young and old, is wearing a hat of some sort.

Horse fair and fun fair seen outside the west side of the Market Square. It would also have filled the Market Square. The Inn at the top left of the photograph is the Lamb, known by locals as The Tree because of the large Ash tree growing outside it. The Inn was completely demolished in 1960 to make way for building the Market Square Garage. The sign for the Talbot hotel shows the landlord to be W Norman. Almost every man wears a hat.

Horse Fair outside the Talbot. Carts outside Thompsons, the high class grocers