Black Bull Inn—Market Place

The Black Bull was located on the site of the present public conveniences and car park on south side of the Market Place, to the east of another of Barton’s large former pubs – the White Lion. The White Lion property has survived (see later) but the Black Bull closed in 1917, and was mostly demolished soon after the First World War. Its remains were finally cleared during the Second World War when the site was used for air-raid shelters. The pub is shown in old photographs to have been similar in appearance to the surviving White Lion property. Both had the traditional gallows-style posts protruding at first floor level, with inn signs hung from them. The Black Bull had a later oriel window added, probably at the end of the 19th century. The following newspaper extract from the Hull & Lincolnshire Times of 6 January 1917, gave some brief alleged details of the inn’s history:

‘HISTORICAL BARTON INN CLOSED

The Black Bull Inn in Barton Market Place was closed with compensation last Saturday and so passes away another of ‘the former things’. In 1793 our records describe it as the Black Bull Inn, formerly two cottages, the owner Mary Glentworth, widow. She proved her claim to two rights of common, for which she received the field on Brigg Road containing 3 acres, 1 rod and 20 perches, now the estate of Mr R W Taylor. The place looks like a small farmstead, which no doubt it was, with the stack-yard on the ground eastward, where now stand houses and Mr Kirby’s mill. This ground in the sixteen hundreds was called King’s House or King’s Garth, no one exactly knows why, but some careful students of Barton history think the castle was probably built here. After Mary Glentworth’s death the house was occupied by other members of the family, or by the Hardy’s, with whom the Glentworth’s intermarried, and it appears to be still in the hands of those who held it in 1793. Perhaps the oldest owner and occupier within living memory is William Hardy, often colloquially styled ‘Billy’, who died in 1846, and was succeeded by his widow, Mary, who carried on the inn for 16 years longer. She was a member of the Wesleyan Society, took sittings at chapel, and provided the wine for the Lord’s Supper.

The Glentworth’s and Hardy’s were owners of considerable property at Barton, Barrow and Bonby. The Black Bull ‘dies’ with a good character, but the loss of Barton Market has made the house unnecessary, many people think several others could be well spared.’

Some references to the Black Bull:

1775 — John Glentworth
1791 — Mrs Glentworth, farmer & victualler, Black Bull
1793 — Mary Glentworth
1811 — Mr E Glentworth (licence transfer)
1822-1829 — Hannah Glentworth
1835-1842 — William Hardy, Black Bull
1846-1861 — Mrs Mary Hardy
1863 — William Spence, Bull Inn, Market Place
1868 — William Hardy
1871-72 — Mrs Ann Hardy
1876-1901 — James Allen
1905 — Herbert Pickering
1906 — W H Bellerby
1909-1912 — George Jack
1913 — Charles Major
1914 — G Major
1917 — W Guy