British Hotel

NE corner of Wellington & Balfour Streets. Google maps.

Home to what seems to have been Launceston’s first theatre (1834, more about the theatre here). Became the colonial hospital in the early 1840s, and then the public Cornwall Hospital until the construction of the Launceston General Hospital in 1863.

1832 Alexander Rose, British Hotel, Wellington Street
1833 Henry Davis, British Hotel, Wellington Street
1834 Thomas Massey, British Hotel, Wellington Street
1835-36 John Hamilton Jacobs, British Hotel, Wellington Street


Launceston Advertiser, 28 September 1831

Although this says Charles St, the license is granted for the following year (1832) and Rose is signing himself as the proprietor of the British Hotel, Wellington Street in May 1832 (see first ad below (not sure it does indicate a Wellington St address)).

British Hotel Launceston Advertiser, 9 May 1832
Launceston Advertiser, 9 May 1832


The Independent, 6 April 1833

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Black Horse (2)

SE cnr Wellington & Elizabeth Streets

1838 John Barrett, Black Horse, Launceston
1839-41 John Barrett, Black Horse, Wellington Street
1842-57 John Barrett, Black Horse, Elizabeth & Wellington Streets
1857-63 Henry Wilton, Black Horse Inn, Wellington & Elizabeth Streets
1863-64 Margaret Wilton, Black Horse, Elizabeth & Wellington Streets
1864-66 Benjamin Brooks, Black Horse, Elizabeth & Wellington Streets
1866-69 Micheal McCann, Black Horse, Elizabeth & Wellington Streets
1869-74- Margaret M’Cann, Black Horse, Elizabeth & Wellington Streets
1875-77 Philip Mullane, Black Horse, Elizabeth & Wellington Streets

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Lamb and Flag — Bird in Hand (3) — Cornwall Coffee Rooms — Verandah Wine Vaults

SE cnr York and Bathurst Streets. Google maps.

1833 Thomas Butcher, Lamb & Flag, Launceston
1834 Thomas Butcher, Lamb & Flag, York Street
1835 Hector McDonald, Lamb and Flag, Launceston
1836 John Waddle, Lamb and Flag, Bathurst St
1836 John Jordan, Lamb and Flag, Bathurst St
1837 Lamb and Flag, Bathurst & York Streets
1842 Edward Brown, Bird-in-Hand, Bathurst and York Streets
1843 George Bygrave, Cornwall Coffee Rooms, York & Bathurst Street (unlicensed)
1844 Thomas Dudley, Verandah Wine Vaults, Bathurst and York St*
1847-56 William Smart, Lamb and Flag, York and Bathurst Streets
1856 Christina Smart/Marsden, Lamb and Flag York and Bathurst Streets
1856 Abel Blades, Lamb and Flag, York and Bathurst Streets
1860 Abel Blades, Lamb and Flag, Wellington and York streets.
1862-63 John Nunn, Lamb and Flag, Wellington and York streets.
1869-72 (at least) lodging house

*In December 1845, Dudley is advertising his Verandah Wine Vaults as being the former Hibernia Hotel, also in Bathurst St. However the annual licensing list for September 1845 has him at “Bathurst and York” so I am going to assume he changed locations in late 1845, until shown otherwise

launceston-advertiser-19-may-1836
Launceston Advertiser, 19 May 1836

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** Duke of York

Wellington Street.

cornwall-chronicle-15-august-1846
Cornwall Chronicle, 15 August 1846

cornwall-chronicle-2-september-1846
Cornwall Chronicle, 2 September 1846

Edward Fiddyment, from Duke of York, Wellington-street, to premises on the opposite side of the street, to be called the Lord Raglan. Mr. Rlocher and Mr. A. Douglas appeared to support the application.
Major Welman stated his opinion in favor of the application on the ground that Mr. Fiddyment was a respectable man and that the house occupied by him at present is in a very dilapidated state, where as and the one to which it was intended to transfer the license was a new one.
The Chairman questioned whether they had the power to transfer a license from one premises to other.
Mr. Rocher quoted the section of the Act referring to granting of transfers, and submitted that it was at the discretion of the meeting whether they granted a transfer from one house to another.
Mr. Douglas said that if the house was in such a dilapidated state the Justices would in a manner impose a penalty upon the applicant in refusing to grant the transfer and thereby compelling him to get a now licence; he considered that as the laws in this colony were getting more liberal than they were some years ago the section of the act should have a liberal construction put upon it; and in the applicants case nobody could possibly be a sufferer by the transfer but some would be gainers.
The Chairman observed that the application was made out in the form for a license, not for a transfer; and taking the application to be for a new license it was a question whether they could grant a licence to one already holding a licence. After a little further discussion Mr. Douglas said the application should be taken as an original licence and the applicant could then petition the treasury for a remission of the licence fee. A licence was then granted on the understanding that Mr. Fiddyment closes the premises now occupied by him on his removal to the opposite premises.
Launceston Examiner, 8 February 1859

King’s Arms

Charles Street
cnr Wellington & Elizabeth Streets
(John Ashton owned land on the NW corner, later the site of George Inn)

Formerly Black Bull, Charles & Brisbane Streets?
1830 Henry Hinksman, King’s Arms, Charles Street
1831 Elizabeth Hinksman, King’s Arms, Charles Street
1832 George Dodery, King’s Arms, Charles Street
1833 Benjamin Walford, King’s Arms, Launceston
1834 John Ashton, King’s Arms, Charles Street
1834 John Ashton, King’s Arms, Wellington & Elizabeth Streets
1835 Thomas Neal
1836 John Ashton, King’s Arms, Wellington & Elizabeth Streets
1836-38 Henry Chalk, King’s Arms, Wellington Street


Launceston Advertiser, 4 October 1830
Robert Marr had the Black Bull, cnr Brisbane and Charles Streets until 1829.


Burial of Henry Hinksman (RGD 34/1/1 Burials Launceston, 1831)

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Babes in the Wood

(Elizabeth between Bathurst & Wellington?)
York & Wellington Streets

1837-38 George Williams, Babes in the Wood
1838 Thomas Garrard, Babes in the Wood, York & Wellington Streets

George Williams, of the Babes in the Wood, appeared to answer the complaint of District Constable Peel, for harbouring Christiana Johnson, a prisoner in the service of Mr. Lang. Constable Allsworth deposed, that on Sunday the 18th inst., about halfpast 11 at night, he was on duly with constable Warby, in Elizabeth-street, and hearing a noise in Mr. William’s house, they demanded and obtained admittance; they found the woman Johnson in a back room, where there were two or three men ; on asking her who she was, she at once admitted she was a prisoner, when they took her into custody ; did not hear Mr. Williams accuse her of having represented herself to him as a free woman ; Johnson did not say to deponent, “you know me Johnny. — I have done it.— You have no business with me.”

Constable Warby sworn— accompanied the last Witness on the occasion referred to ; remembers the woman said, addressing herself to him, — “You have no business with me, Johnny, you know I have done it.” The woman was now called in and examined, she corroborated the evidence of Allsworth, and denied using the words imputed to her by Warby, but, two free men named Jones and Welsh contradicted her statement on oath, and maintained that she did ; they represented themselves to be lodgers in the house of Mr. Williams, and recollected their landlady asking the woman when she first came to the house in company with a man, whether she was free, when she replied she was ; they remembered also the words of the woman. Williams offered to call further evidence, but the Bench decided that it was his duty to have insisted on seeing her certificate when the woman said she had done it, and sentenced him to pay a fine of £2 and costs.

It is perfectly clear that constable Allsworth perjured himself in this case, and the Magistrates will do well to be careful how they receive his evidence in future.— ED.
Cornwall Chronicle, 31 March 1838


Hobart Town Courier, 24 May 1839

This might be relevant:

An information against Thomas Garrard, publican, was withdrawn, being informal
Cornwall Chronicle, 25 May 1839

Lord Raglan

Bathurst & Wellington St.

At intersection of Bathurst, Wellington & Frankland Sts. This seems to have been 162-184 Bathurst St in 1892.
Google Maps, approximate location

1859-63 Edward Fiddyment, Lord Raglan, Wellington and Bathurst-streets

Possible photo, 1984

Edward Fiddyment, from Duke of York, Wellington-street, to premises on the opposite side of the street, to be called the Lord Raglan. Mr. Rocher and Mr. A. Douglas appeared to support the application.
Major Welman stated his opinion in favor of the application on the ground that Mr. Fiddyment was a respectable man and that the house occupied by him at present is in a very dilapidated state, where as the one to which it was intended to transfer the license was a new one.
The Chairman questioned whether they had the power to transfer a license from one premises to other.
Mr. Rocher quoted the section of the Act referring to granting of transfers, and submitted that it was at the discretion of the meeting whether they granted a transfer from one house to another.
Mr. Douglas said that if the house was in such a dilapidated state the Justices would in a manner impose a penalty upon the applicant in refusing to grant the transfer and thereby compelling him to get a new licence; he considered that as the laws in this colony were getting more liberal than they were some years ago the section of the act should have a liberal construction put upon it; and in the applicants case nobody could possibly be a sufferer by the transfer but some would be gainers.
The Chairman observed that the application was made out in the form for a license, not for a transfer; and taking the application to be for a new license it was a question whether they could grant a licence to one already holding a licence. After a little further discussion Mr. Douglas said the application should be taken as an original licence and the applicant could then petition the treasury for a remission of the licence fee. A licence was then granted on the understanding that Mr. Fiddyment closes the premises now occupied by him on his removal to the opposite premises.
Launceston Examiner, 8 February 1859

CAUTION TO THE PUBLIC.
A dreadful row occurred at Fiddyment’s, “Lord Raglan,”on Thursday afternoon, the 26th instant!
Two carters had a quarrel, and went into a paddock on the Cataract Hill-had three rounds in an English manner, then shook hands and made friends. At the time every. thing was quiet, Mr. Sergeant Peters came up and told me that I kept a disorderly house, saying-“Talk about the Cross Keys-this a house is ten times worse.” Now, Mr. Editor, I have been in business these twelve years in h Launceston, since I purchased my discharge from the 96th Regiment, and I think my a character will bear investigation; and perhaps, Mr. Editor, Sergeant. Peters will inform us what brought him in Victoria-street, at the back of my house, on Sunday morning last, a dressed in private clothes, and another gentle man with him, who is living in a house occupied by a person who owes me twenty-five shillings for rent.
Mr. Editor, I have always appreciated the conduct of Mr. Peters, even when he was stationed on the Sand Hill. He puts me in mind a of a gentleman who used to sit on the fence opposite Mr. John Carter’s, to prevent the waggoners and people going into the: house, and as I do not wish to have the same game carried on with me I make these matters public. Query ? Sure it couldn’t be the fire bell was looking after, which has lately escaped from the watch-house up to the Sand Hill ? Should he require to have a ring at it in case I of danger, he can be obliged on application. Sir. Editor, I contribute towards the police–including the house I live in and other property–the amount of nearly 100l per year, and I do not see that I should be humbugged by Mr. Sergeant Peters.
Begging you will be so kind as to insert this in your very valuable journal, you will greatly oblige

Sir, your most obedient servant,
EDWARD FIDDYMENT
May 27.
Launceston Examiner 2 June 1859

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