MRP: White Hart Inn

White Hart Inn

Editorial history

02/12/11, CSG: Restructured headings

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Building history

The White Hart inn, Rochester, dated from 1396.

The Ordinance Survey sheet for central Rochester, dated 1866, shows the original inn as it was located in the early seventeenth century. The inn was located on the north side of Rochester High Street and fronted directly onto the street. Its frontage was narrow, but it extended a considerable distance back from the street. Photographs of the north side of the High Street dated XXXX and XXXX show that the inn was XXX storeys high. Two buildings to the right stood another inn, the Dukes Head, and immediately to the right of the Dukes Head was the Guildhall. Two buildings to the left of the White Hart, travelling west towards Rochester bridge, was the Guildhall tavern, a further three buildings on was the Three Post Boys tavern, and a further two buildings on, shortly before the bridge, was the Bridge tavern. The Bull Hotel, which was used in the Stanley depositions in xxx stood opposite the White Hart, on the south side of the High Street

According to the Illustrated Magazine, vol. 25 (1901), p. ? the original White Hart was demolished ca. 1875 and rebuilt on the same site. However, a photograph of the rebuilt inn dated XXX shows it at a different location.

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Activities

There appears to be a long history of legal agreements, bond settlements, and other transactions, including payments, being made in the White Hart Inn, Rochester. See for example Peter Bowle, citizen of Rochester, yeoman, being bound to pay Robert Dene of Halling, gent., £40 at “the Inn called the White harte...between the 8th hour before noon and the 2nd after noon on the said feast of St. Andrew [20th Elizabeth, last day of November]”

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Physical appearance

A physical characterisation of the White Hart is possible from a schedule dated 1569 of “all such glasse and waynscott as are in the Messuage or Inn called the White harte”, which had been demised by Robert Dene of Halling to Richard Wilkinson. The rooms listed were numerous: a hall chamber, the whitebedd chamber, the harte chamber, the George chamber, the Kynges chamber, the Queens chamber, the parlor behind the hall, the little parlor, and the kitchin.

The sheer number of rooms seems to justify Maximilian Dalyson’s later description of the White Hart as a “greate Inn”

A further indenture, dated 1672, lists the room names of the White Hart Inn when the widowed Frances Dalyson leased the property to Thomas Robarts: the garden Chamber, which was “wainscotted round the same Chamber, with benches and two drawing tables there y:e labells Aklington had away”, a chamber called the Prince, the Inner parlour, the Tapster’s room called the Leopard, the Long parlour, the little parlour, the Chamber called the Kings, the Cellar, the kitchin, the back kitchon, the Shopp next the Street, the yard, "one signe post and fair sign of the White Hart"

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Sources

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Secondary sources

S.T. Aveling, ‘Rochester Inns’, in Archaeologica Cantiana, vol. 21 (London, 1858)
Illustrated Magazine, vol. 25 (1901), p. 547
Illustrated Magazine, vol. 25 (1901), p. ?

Ordinance Survey map: Rochester town sheet: 19.25