Introduction

​

A basic survey of the existing buildings of the Horse and Trumpet would suggest that the main building dates from the eighteenth century with various other later additions originating in the nineteenth century. Some have said that parts date to the 17th century and that the cellars are older, but there's been no firm evidence forthcoming to determine those claims. Early photographs show a building with a covered passageway entrance at the northern end of the site. This building was a separate domestic property, 6 Barrow Road.  In 1841 it was the home of the village doctor and surgeon, John H Dalton. The house was partially demolished around 1962-3 and the southern portion was incorporated into the main pub building (see picture above).

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

6 Barrow Road (undated) - Horse and Trumpet pub sign to the right

Source : John Whittington

​

The location of the inn opposite to the church and being on the main village throroughfare puts it in an ideal position to be the principal inn. With that in mind, it is no surprise that the Horse and Trumpet was the site chosen to hold the annual Sileby Statutes Fair, and that is in addition to the inquests, auctions and other important village gatherings that also met there. In the 1950s the pub housed pigeon, table tennis and skittling groups, and was also the headquarters of Sileby's British Legion. The Sileby Band also practiced at the pub, so quite a mixture of activities!

​

​

Early History and the Pettifor Family

​

The name 'Horse and Trumpet' first appears in the records during the late 1780s when the owner and occupier was named as George Pettifor. However, Pettifor's name is listed in the victualler's lists as far back as 1761, and local newspapers confirm that he was the landlord of a house called 'The Joiner's Arms' from at least 1762. Therefore, it is likely that the pub had changed names to reflect the rise to prominence of the local Quorn Hunt fraternity under the mastership of Hugo Meynell. 

​

Pettifor may have succeeded to the house or licence of John Marshall, whose place in the victuallers books looks to have been taken over by him. If this is the case, and there's no evidence to suggest otherwise, then the history of the site can be pushed back to at least 1753 when those records began.

 

George Pettifor settled in the village in 1761. He had leased farm land, and juggled his time as a farmer alongside his new public house business. Before establishing himself at Sileby he first married Catherine Crowson at Desford in February 1761, and in their marriage licence his occupation was described as a butler. Unfortunately, Catherine died in January 1765, aged 31, leaving George with a daughter Ann. However, by the end of the same year (on Boxing Day) he had married again, this time to Mary Laxton of Sileby. 

​

It is also probable that George constructed the inn building that we see today. Whatever the case, George Pettifor owned the premises for 57 years, and it was here that he raised his ten surviving children, had accrued a small farm estate and died a gentleman, aged 86 in 1818. Although George is listed as the owner, his son Richard took over as licensee in 1808, probably due to his father's growing infirmity. George's will named his wife Mary as his successor, but Richard and his wife Ann took over both the farming and pub businesses, having contracted to do so with the rest of the family.   

​

After Richard Pettifor's death in December 1841, his will stiplated that his wife Ann was to hold his real estate for her life. After her death, he ordered that the property was then to be shared equally between his daughters; they being Ann Summersell Pettifor, Mary Rudkin and Sarah Eliza Pettifor. However, according to papers held with the deeds, Mary Rudkin sold her share to her mother and sisters leaving the now married Ann Summersell Oldfield (formerly Smith) and Sarah Eliza Shaw as owners after Ann's demise in late June 1853.

 

By 1849 the Horse and Trumpet had a new licensee, Alfred Newball who hailed from Nottingham. In the 1851 census, he was named as victualler, along with his wife Ann, his four children and two servants.  On the 24th September 1852, John Roworth, a lad employed by Alfred Newball was sentenced by Loughborough's magistrates to six weeks hard labour after pleading guilty to stealing 14 pence from his till.

​

A Change of Ownership

​

A number of mortgages had been engaged upon with Joseph Hudson and Thomas Burgess, using the pub and the farm land as collateral. Initially the large sum of £1,100 was raised, and by a further transfer of mortgage to Elizabeth Neale of Leicester another £150 was added to the total owing. It seems that the owners could not or would not pay the mortgage. After Neale's death on 22nd August 1866, her will was published allowing her executor and trustee William Freer to put the property up for sale. An initial sale of the public house and farm land was advertised for the 6th March 1867. Nevertheless, it wasn't until the 19th June 1867, that William Freer sold the Horse and Trumpet Inn to Alfred Newball, the sitting tenant. The 24 acres of farm land had not been sold and was therefore re-advertised in a new separate sale dated 31st July 1867.

​

Alfred Newball, publican died on the 8th June 1873, aged 69. Ownership of the pub passed to his wife Mary, who was also named as licensee. Mary was brought before the magistrates in June 1880 charged with breaking the Licencing Act. Unbeknown to her, on the 23rd May 1880, at 8am on a Sunday morning, her servant girl had opened the back door of the inn and had sold two bottles of porter to a man who had purchased them for one of the pub's neighbours. The local policeman P. C. George Allen saw this, went to the pub, investigated and later reported the incident. Despite Mary not being involved directly with the incident (the police corroborated that she was not part of those actions), as the licensee she was still responsible; she was found guilty and fined £2.

​

In 1885 Mary Newball handed over the licence to William Jabez Porter, a Sileby tenant farmer, although she still retained outright ownership of the property. Other licensees followed in succession until 1903, when Mary sold the public house to W. Sharpe and Sons, the Sileby brewers. The ownership then passed down the well trodden historical path of former Sharpes's Sileby houses: through the breweries of Strettons, Allsopps, down to Ind Coope and Allied Breweries and later to Pubmaster. In 2011 the local Steamin' Billy brewery took over the premises and refurbished the building to its current form. 

​

​A Famous Local Publican

​

The Horse and Trumpet's licensee from 1937 to 1939 was Hughie Adcock. He was a former professional footballer, a star winger in his day and played 440 times for Leicester City in a career there lasting from 1923 to 1935. Adcock also managed to win five England caps during his time playing. However, his tenure at Sileby was shortlived. In 1939 he left the Horse and Trumpet for good and went to live in his native Coalville. There, he listed his occupation as 'Ex-professional footballer and ex-licensee'!