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213 Aston Road, Aston

Duke-of-York
Dating from July 1961, this photograph shows the unusual frontage of the Duke of York, suggesting perhaps that the original building line was extended to that of the neighbouring properties. The pub was located on the corner of Pritchett Street. Cyril Miller was mine host at the time of the photograph. Succeeding William Piper, he was the publican between May 1958 and May 1967. The fully licensed Duke of York was an old hostelry of Aston Road. Digby Crisp was an early licensee; he was recorded here in 1818. Perhaps the name of the pub was his choice. There have been more than a dozen people to hold the seat of Duke of York since the title was first created by Edmund in 1385. The most famous surely has to be the one featured in the song 'The Grand Old Duke of York.' That was Frederick Augustus, who was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the army by his father King George III in 1795. He was forced to resign from this post on March 18th 1809 when his mistress abused her position and misappropriated money given by people in order to buy army commissions and promotions. I have seen an inn sign for the Duke of York featuring an illustration of Richard III who was King of England from 1483 until his death in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth. I'm not sure why he was featured on the sign for his title was Duke of Gloucester when he usurped the throne of his 12 year-old nephew, Edward V. It was Richard, Edward's younger brother, who was Duke of York. Known as the Little Duke of York, he was detained in the Tower of London to keep his brother company. They were both murdered after a plot to overthrow the king. A funny lot these royals. A possible influence in the naming of the pub may have been the royal visit to Birmingham by Prince Edward in 1765 when he held the title of Duke of York. It is said that he was not too impressed with the facilities when he dined at the Assembly Rooms in the Old Square. Digby Crisp remained at the helm of the Duke of York until the early 1830's when Abraham Cox took over the reins of the pub. The sons of Digby Crisp remained at the property. Indeed, silversmith John Crisp married Sarah Cox and later became the publican of the Duke of York himself. He learned the craft of the maltster, suggesting that the Duke of York sold homebrewed ales. The Crisp family kept the Duke of York until the early 1860's, after which the couple moved to Green Lanes in Sutton Coldfield whilst John Crisp continued to work as a maltster, employing a small workforce. When John Edwards was running the Duke of York during the 1860's and 1870's his father-in-law Henry Smith also worked as a maltster whilst living on the premises. However, I have not yet established if the malthouse was behind the pub or located nearby. By the end of the 1870's William and Elizabeth Maye were in charge of the Duke of York. Willaim was born around 1846 in the Devon village of Staverton to the north of Totnes. His wife Elizabeth hailed from Derby. The couple employed Esmerelda Hughes as a domestic servant and Robert Anderson as a barman, the latter originated from Liverpool and made up quite a diverse household where Brummie customers may have struggled to be understood when asking for a drink. Talking of Liverpool - one of the early large companies to operate the Duke of York was Threlfall's Brewery Co.Ltd. However, a document that turned up during a little research shows that Mitchell's and Butler's acquired the pub in January 1899 when they paid £5,277.11s.0d. to Alfred Homer of the nearby Vulcan Brewery. This sum included a substantial amount for let-offs that were bundled with the pub itself. On average, the Duke of York sold 275 barrels of beer per annum during the 1930's. Bryan Rogers was the last person to pull pints in the Duke of York which closed in 1972.


 
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