Looking for info on the Black Bear Inn possibly somewhere in Northwich

Question

The will of my 3rd ggf Leonard Marsh shows him leaving the Black Bear Inn to his daughter but the handwriting makes it difficult to decipher where it was located. He also leaves a house, cottages and a shop which look like they say Northwich and may also be where the inn is located.

Would be great if anyone had any info to share that I could add to his bio.

Answer 1

The Black Bear looks like it is at Middlewich, Cheshire.

Comments

Thanks Elizabeth. I think that sounds right as there are a couple of mentions of it being in Wheelock street and being close to a White Bear Inn. There doesn't seem to be any info about it online so I guess it is long gone.

Answer 2

There is a Black Bear in Sandbach which is very old  in the town centre still a pub today

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1159872

Comments

Thanks for that, it looks like it was constructed sometime in the 1600's. I found a page that listed all of the landlords but unfortunately his name doesn't appear on the list. However, during the period I would have expected to see his name there is one landlord listed covering a period of more than 50 years which seems highly unlikely. Also, trying to decipher the writing on the will again, I think it does say Middlewich and I'm not sure if Middlewhich and Sandbach were the same place originally or not.

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Hello Anon,

I see that you are the PM for the Sadler family from Tattenhall, Cheshire, England

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sadler-4057

are you closely related and do you have any further information going back to the 1700's ?

Carla may also be a descendant of this same family.

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It will be interesting to see if the Tickle / Sadler connection ties back to Anon's family.

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After some more digging I came across a short article from the Middlewich Diary with a photo of the Black Bear Inn circa 1900 and a followup photo from circa 1970 showing it transformed into Vernon Cooper's TV, Radio and Electrical. That info may give me some clues to finding a street address which may lead to more info.

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Hello Carla I have added some ancestors to the Sadlers who now go back to the 1600s As far as I know I am not related but as an adoptee it is always possible though DNA suggests I have a lot of Irish heritage  ???

 I live in Cheshire close to Acton so am always keen to find sources for Cheshire Folk I have only added some people to the family tree of the Sadlers as I have  a child to look after due to his illness and parents are at work this week

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The White Bear in Wheelock St Middlewich  I have attached a link to a fascinating piece of research into the building fabric looking at dating the wood used in its construction in about 1625

https://www.thewhitebearmiddlewich.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/thewhitebear-report-cwwb-26-11.pdf

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Vernon Cooper's was in Wheelock Street (also from the Middlewich diary)

Ties in with this article which describes the Black Bear as being further up the Road from the White Bear https://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/16988303.yester-years-bear-baiting-cock-fighting-wheelock-street/

It's at the place where Lower St becomes Wheelock Sthttps://www.middlewichdiary.co.uk/2018/10/

 I searched the British Newspaper Archive. Adverts use both addresses. Some from the period 1950- 1970 use Lower St but some use Wheelock St. (Don't think it's two different branches)

The only one I found with a number is from 1951, 27 Wheelock St. (Winsford Chronicle - Saturday 13 October 1951)

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Thanks for adding more Sadlers. I'll see if I can throw a few more pieces into the jigsaw puzzle and make a connection! My Cheshire ancestors are proving tricky to pin down.

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That certainly is an interesting article, thank you. It would have been a much easier task to find information if Leonard had owned the White Bear Inn rather than the Black Bear Inn!

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That's great info, thanks Helen. With an actual address I may now be able to search up property records to find some more information.