Pub History
The Hatton Arms is believed to be the second oldest pub in
Northamptonshire.The building would originally have been one of the first
dwellings reached on the outskirts of the village on the original road from
Rockingham to Gretton and would probably have acted as a gatehouse. The
oldest part of the building is thought to date back to the early 14th
Century. A beam in the bar room bears the three crowns mark and is reputed
to date from 1100. During the Second World War airmen from nearby bases
would leave a coin in the cracks of the beams over the bar before flying off
on a mission, sadly most of these coins were removed during re-decorations
in the 1980’s
There is also a story about the beam which lies over the inglenook in the
bar. A previous landlord is understood to have broken his neck on it one
night when standing up too quickly to tend the fire, possibly after drinking
too much of the local brew!
The building was extended in the 15th Century, to include what is now the
lounge bar. In the 18th Century a further extension was built to the rear.
The pub was been extensively re-furbished in 2004, including building a new
entrance way, toilet block and The Hatton restaurant to the rear.
The pub may have been the first in England to have a black landlord. Back in
the 1600’s James Chappel was a Negro servant to Elizabeth I’s Lord
Chamberlain, Sir Christopher Hatton, of nearby Kirby Hall ( also lord of the
manor of Gretton). Chappel is known to have rescued his master’s family from
an explosion whilst they were staying in Guernsey. As a show of gratitude
Sir Christopher granted James a healthy pension and reputably made him
landlord of the Hatton Arms, then known as The Lord’s Arms.
For many years The Hatton Arms provided the venue for the Manor Court, which
dealt mainly with minor offences, property and rent issues within the parish
boundaries. The court met and dealt with matters on a regular basis in an
upstairs room at the inn, last meeting in the 1920’s. There is still a local
‘Felons Society’ made up of descendents of the original members of the
court, local business men and landowners. This group still hosts an annual
dinner at the pub.
The function room at the pub is still known as the Old Band Room, this is
after the Gretton Silver Band who used it from the 1800’s up to the 1950’s
for band practice.
There are some interesting old photos at the pub, including one of the
Hatton Arms Sick club – from the early 1900’s - before the welfare state,
when men would pay into a club or fund to help them through times of ill
health.