During the eighteenth century, Upper or Over Gornal straggled the busy Wolverhampton-Dudley turnpike road;
the houses mostly detached, built with free stone from the local quarries. Numerous inns and taverns opened
to provide rest and shelter, one that survived was the Jolly Crispin Inn.
As an inn, the Jolly Crispin was permitted to remain open as long as a bed was empty; offering basic accommodation,
fettle, homebrewed ale, and stabling to the lawful traveller.
St. Crispin is the patron saint of cobblers and shoemakers; St. Crispin's day, 25th October, was also the day on which
the battle of Agincourt was fought in 1415. 'Jolly' has long been a popular pub name, usually linked to a trade or
profession.
However, the first recorded landlord, John Lewis, was a builder and joiner, he was succeeded by his son William who
continued the business at the Jolly Crispin until the 1850's.
James Meanley held the licence in 1832; he retired in 1846, the six day licence passing to his carpenter son Elisha 22:
he was married, his wife Ann 23. There were no children.
Elisha Meanley had been taught the necessary brewing skills; the popular Gornal drink was mild: heavy, sweet, dark, strong,
and cheap... Variable in quality - high in gravity, the average in the Black Country was 1060,
the second strongest in England.
Elisha Meanley died in 1875, aged 51: the licence was transferred to his widow Ann. She sold the Jolly Crispin Inn
four years later to Dudley brewer and maltster, John Foley, Kate's Hill Brewery.
A seven day licence was applied for, and granted, by local magistrates 09.10.1885, but on 06.03.1907 the Jolly Crispin
was referred to the Compensation Authority, but the licence was renewed 18.06.1907.
Licensing hours were long; 18 hours a day, 4 am to 10 pm normally seven days a week, closed only during Divine Service,
Christmas Day, and Good Friday.
In 1939 the Jolly Crispin was acquired by James Guest, proprietor of the Hill House, 11 Causer Street, Dudley.
Purchased by Dennis Simpkis, J. P. Simpkiss & Son Ltd., Brettell Lane, Brierley Hill, in 1940.
Son Jonathan Simpkiss selling out to Greenall Whitley in 1985.
The old Jolly Crispin Inn had seen many changes over the years, but remains, as originally intended, a social and convivial centre of a community.
