A very old Establishment down the Skulls head yard (Part 1)

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 15 Apr, 2008 10:33 am

Ok gang We have some news! I guess I can get this sorted with Chris (cnosi) via e-mail but we need some other folks rearding a newspaper story. Possible pics.. who wants to be involved (or has helped) with the campaign to get the skulls put back. Can anyone wanting to help e mail me [email protected] I'll be out this morning but will get back to you.

Brandy · Post by **Brandy** » Tue 15 Apr, 2008 12:00 pm

EXCELLENT!

Si · Post by Si » Tue 15 Apr, 2008 12:23 pm

drapesy wrote: Phill_d wrote: This is all fascinating stuff. So they weren't actually on the pub then? Even the fella who wrote the book Haunted Leeds didn't know what happened to them. I think its hard to say where the pub actually was Phill. The wall the skulls were on is/was old and could have had various uses/owners over the years. I think the skulls were somewhere here; Just had a look at Godfrey's 1847 Yard-to-a-Mile OS map Leeds (Headrow) sheet 11. The pub is marked as next to the existing Crown building, three doors down, by the look of it. The street it's on is Crown Street and the yard is called Crown Court which passes through two buildings to reach Kirkgate.

Croggy · Post by **Croggy** » Tue 15 Apr, 2008 1:09 pm

Very interesting developments ...Thanks guys!

Post by **cnosni** » Tue 15 Apr, 2008 1:15 pm

Phill_d wrote: Ok gang We have some news! I guess I can get this sorted with Chris (cnosi) via e-mail but we need some other folks rearding a newspaper story. Possible pics.. who wants to be involved (or has helped) with the campaign to get the skulls put back. Can anyone wanting to help e mail me [email protected] I'll be out this morning but will get back to you. Just got in Phil,im interested as you know.I sent an enquiry to the Yorkshire Archaeolgical society about the skulls,and perhaps their views on the possible age of the skulls may be of some importance.What i wanted to do is try and pinpoint when the deaths of the recruits occured,as i said i will have a look at the PR when i can,but am in all week.How did it go with the YEP?

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 15 Apr, 2008 1:36 pm

Thanks for the people who have sent me an e-mail. I've just replied back & sent you one too csnosi! Any more???

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Tue 15 Apr, 2008 1:38 pm

Si wrote: drapesy wrote: Phill_d wrote: This is all fascinating stuff. So they weren't actually on the pub then? Even the fella who wrote the book Haunted Leeds didn't know what happened to them. I think its hard to say where the pub actually was Phill. The wall the skulls were on is/was old and could have had various uses/owners over the years. I think the skulls were somewhere here; Just had a look at Godfrey's 1847 Yard-to-a-Mile OS map Leeds (Headrow) sheet 11. The pub is marked as next to the existing Crown building, three doors down, by the look of it. The street it's on is Crown Street and the yard is called Crown Court which passes through two buildings to reach Kirkgate. Glad you've been looking at this Si. I must admit I thought the corner building was very small. I should imagine there should be pictures of the pub as it closed 1930.

Si · Post by Si » Tue 15 Apr, 2008 3:34 pm

I've tried searching Leodis (no hits for the pub) for Crown Street. I can't see the pub in any of them. Most pics are the Cloth Hall or the Assembly Rooms. This building (according to the Godfrey maps,) and the street it's on (Assembly Street) appear to have been built on part of the third Cloth Hall site, presumably after the railway was cut through.

Si · Post by Si » Tue 15 Apr, 2008 4:19 pm

I've been comparing the 1847 map with the Google Earth pic on page 3 of this thread. The pub was the bottom part of the building (the bit with two gable ends.) The flat piece of ground below it once contained a building which abutted the pub. Crown Court dog-legged right here and ran up to Kirkgate. As stated in Haunted Leeds, the pub's property also ran in this direction (brewhouse, stables and, presumably, the hay loft.) I'm only guessing, but maybe the skulls were on the (now demolished) wall that was at the bottom of the picture? The part of the yard Drapesy highlighted would appear to be too far from the pub and is a dead-end. Hope this makes sense!

Post by **chameleon** » Tue 15 Apr, 2008 6:42 pm

Si wrote: Unfortunately, the Haunted Leeds book does not give a date - it just says "during the days of the press gangs." However, it does mention that "the property went across Kirkgate." It then mentions how the recruits died and "the event was commemorated by placing two carved stone skulls on the wall of the inn." It then tells the story of "the King's shilling."That's about it, Cnosni.The skulls don't look like they were carved specifically for this event to me, either, but it's all speculation. Just chanced upon an entry in Peter Brear's 'Images of Leeds', don't think it's been mentioned, there is a small picture (probably the same as posted earlier) with the caption -'These two carved stone skulls are set into the wall of a former stable in Crown Court, the narrow alley which runs from Kirkgate through to the Corn Exchange. According to local tradition, they commemorate two men who were sleeping in the straw here after being press-ganged into the army and suffocated during the night'.Seems to be in line with the general thoughts and perhaps allows a tentative guess at a date.Whats with the YEP Phill - email me perhaps?