A Troubled House
This site is dedicated to the history and families of the Trouble House Inn, a haunted 18th Century pub just outside Tetbury in Gloucestershire England. I must apologise that the website is so abbreviated at present... please bear with me as I rebuild the site to integrate all the latest information... Ken Murray, Oct 6 2001

The Trouble House History Project
I first began to look into the past of the inn about 10 years ago as a family history project: my Harewell ancestors owned and occupied the pub from 1799-1843. But the more I learned about my ancestors, the more I also learned about other owners, occupants and even customers of the pub over its almost 250 years. In 1997 I set up my original Trouble House website, which attracted the attention of several other descendants, local historians and residents.

Financial difficulties caused me to take the website offline for a time, but now this page represents a new beginning. I am hoping to spend some serious research time in the very near future, running around the area and pillaging the public records office. I believe that the remaining mysteries of this fascinating place are very close to being solved, and I am ultimately hoping to produce a book (or at least a CD-ROM) within the next year.

History and Legends
The inn was built circa 1754 just outside the town limits of Tetbury, on a newly turnpiked road to Cirencester. Tetbury's economic fortunes were very much in decline, but the inn picked up trade from passing carters and farmworkers. Stories collected from this era include the mass pressganging of the male customers to fight in the 1776 American Revolution; the capture of two highwaymen who robbed one of the local gentry; the 1830 riots of farmworkers against agricultural machinery, and the suicides of two of the innkeepers. Not to mention the many ghost stories which cropped up in the 20th century.

Owners and Occupants
1754 Tetbury carpenter John Reeve built and occupied the inn, with his family.
1757 John Bird leased and occupied the inn. His wives had a tendency to die young.
1768 Anna Taylor and sister Mary Vaughan bought the inn, and leased it to Richard Reeve, son of John.
1799 Zebulon Harewell took over, on Richard's death.
1804 Zebulon bought the inn from the Taylor sisters.
1820 His son Zebulon Harewell the Younger (pictured right) is made Parish Clerk of nearby Ashley.
1830 Zebulon senior dies, then come the 1830 ag riots
1838 Zebulon the younger has financial difficulties. We think this is the time of the suicides. Zebulon died of natural causes in 1843 so the suicides may have been employees or financial backers.
1842 Inn leased to the Warn family's Barton Brewery of Tetbury, who employed a widow Woody (or Moody) as innkeeper. Warns leased the inn until 1931.
1844 Inn bought by the George family, lords of the nearby manor of Cherington.
1845 Owner John Leversage George takes out fire insurance!
1850 Newlyweds Thomas and Martha White move in as innkeepers.
1890 Around this time the Whites die, as do two of their single daughters Sarah and Hester. Son Thomas White junior continues to run the inn.
20th Century:
Owners include Frank Albert Wills of Bristol (1931) and Wadworth Brewery of Devizes (1937 to the present).
Innkeepers include: William Sessions, William John ("Jack") Warn, Agnes Wills, Bert Wakefield, Thomas and Elizabeth Tremlin, "Laddie Peare", David and Pat Robins.

Contacts and Links

Best links for further research:-
Geoff Sandles' Gloucestershire Pubs at www.gloucestershirepubs.co.uk
Liz Jansen's Tetbury 1735 research at www.geocities.com/Heartland/Grove/1740/
Graham Thomas' Cotswolds Genealogical Index at www.grahamthomas.com/cotsx.html

Many more links to add as I get the chance. Stay tuned!

Ken Murray, October 6 2001
My e-mail address is KMurrayOZ@aol.com