MRP: White Hart Inn
White Hart Inn
Building history
The White Hart inn, Rochester, dated from 1396 (S.T. Aveling, ‘Rochester Inns’, in Archaeologica Cantiana, vol. 21 (London, 1858), p. 315).
According to the Illustrated Magazine, vol. 25 (1901) the original White Hart was demolished ca. 1875 and rebuilt on the same site.
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]” (S.T. Aveling, ‘Rochester Inns’, in Archaeologica Cantiana, vol. 21 (London, 1858), p. 320)
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. (S.T. Aveling, ‘Rochester Inns’, in Archaeologica Cantiana, vol. 21 (London, 1858), pp. 321-322).
The sheer number of rooms seems to justify Maximilian Dalyson’s later description of the White Hart as a “greate Inn” (‘Will of Maximilian Dalyson of Hamptons’, 14th June 1667 (S.T. Aveling, ‘Rochester Inns’, in Archaeologica Cantiana, vol. 21 (London, 1858), p. 323).
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” (S.T. Aveling, ‘Rochester Inns’, in Archaeologica Cantiana, vol. 21 (London, 1858), pp. 324-325
Sources
S.T. Aveling, ‘Rochester Inns’, in Archaeologica Cantiana, vol. 21 (London, 1858)
Illustrated Magazine, vol. 25 (1901), p. 547
