 |
 |
|
|
THE ROSE INN
Benjamin Cox held the license for the Rose Inn in 1832. In this year he was enlarging the premises. Two years later in 1834 he left the Rose Inn and started business at the Albion and the license for the 'Rose' was taken out by Solomon Levien. Mr. Levien also ran the Post office from the premises. The 1834 the Rose Inn and Tavern was advertised for sale along with other property in Maitland. It contained eight bedrooms and three sitting rooms, hall, pantry, two store rooms, a tap, bar, and sitting room, coach and chaise house and a nine stall stable. It was let on a repairing lease for 7 years to Mr.. Levien at the rent of £150 per annum. In consequence of the numerous improvements made by the enterprising Mr. Levein, whose extreme civility was so well known by all who put up the Rose, it had become the favorite house of the district and it was thought it could become the 'Pulteney of Maitland'. It was bounded at the back by the navigable part of Hunter's river. In 1835 Sol Levien announced he was retiring from 'Rose Inn' to take possession of 'Pulteney Hotel ' in Sydney P.J. Cohen who had owned the first soap factory in Maitland was publican at the 'Rose' in the 1840's. He had been granted 10 acres of land in Maitland township in 1834 and was appointed Postmaster in 1835. P.J. Cohen suffered in the depression of the 1840's and underwent insolvency proceedings. His debts were over £300 however at a meeting held in Sydney in September 1843 it was decided that he be permitted to retain his wearing apparel and household furniture and that Mrs. Cohen be allowed to keep her 'trinkets'. Soon after he provided supper for a Bachelor's Ball held at George Yeomans' Northumberland Hotel. Although he was granted a licence for the Rose in April 1844, in June 1844 Cohen announced he was leaving Maitland to take over the 'Saracen's Head Inn in Sydney, and the Rose Inn was advertised to be let. Perhaps one of the last festivities that Mr. Cohen organised at the Rose was the Masonic ball. He had fitted up the billiard room elegantly for the occasion with Masonic emblems and an orchestra was engaged. Thirty to forty people attended who all enjoyed themselves very much 'on the light fantastic toe'. The supper was said to be in Mr. Cohen's usual style; every thing plentiful, good, and tastefully arranged. The concluding dance was ushered in by the morning's light and the sound of the mail horn accompanied the parties to their homes. A public dinner was held by the townsmen of Maitland as a testimonial of the respect they felt for Mr. Cohen who had been in the district for over 12 years. It was said that he had distinguished himself as an active and useful public man and that the value of his services in creating and keeping alive public opinion in the town and neighbourhood could not be over estimated. He was considered to be always willing to devote his ability and time to the promotion of measures tending to advance the prosperity of the district. In 1847 his 14month old daughter Phoebe died at his residence in Pitt Street, Sydney. In 1845 it was announced that considerable alterations were to be made to the 'Rose Inn' by a gentleman from Sydney who had taken over. The centre building was to be taken down and rebuilt with an additional story and to be brought forward. (85) In March 1845 John Pettit was innkeeper at the Rose. He was fined 20/- for a breach of the 35th section of the Licensing Act when it was found he had not kept his lamps outside his house burning from evening till daylight. John Pownall was a servant at Rose Inn at this time. Also fined on this day was William James Slack, innkeeper at the Union Inn at the time but shortly to move the the Rose. Williams James Slack was publican at the Rose by 1846. He had previously held the license for the Shamrock Inn at Black Creek and underwent insolvency proceedings in 1843. In 1844/45 he held the license for the Union Inn in Maitland. William's wife gave birth to a daughter in March 1846 at the Rose Inn and he was granted a license for the Rose in April 1846 In June 1846 William Slack was fined £5 for a breach of the licensing act when a constable was refused admittance to his house. He was absent from the 'Rose' for the evening when this took place. When Constable Rushton had occasion to call with a warrant for apprehension of W. Sumner in his hand, the door of the 'Rose' was not opened to him for several minutes although he identified himself as a constable. He cold hear a great noise of people inside and glasses moving about. When the door was at last opened he found a number of drunken men and prostitutes within. William Slack testified that the offence had been committed entirely without his knowledge or concurrence as was also the admission of people to drink on the Sabbath especially bad characters. He assured the bench that the like should not occur again and that the tap keeper should be immediately discharged for his misconduct. The chief constable mentioned here that there was another information against Slack for a similar offence. The Bench then informed William Slack that another charge would incur the full penalty of £20 with the possible loss of his license. Six months later the license for the Rose was transferred to James Muir James McGee was cook at the Rose Inn in September 1846 when he rescued a drowning girl. She had fallen into the river at the rear of the Rose Inn and her companion's cries brought several townsfolk to the spot. McGee immediately plunged into the river bringing her safely out despite her having disappeared twice. James Richard Muir also owned land at Hexham. In July 1847 he was fined for selling liquor after hours at the Rose Inn and in November 1847 applied to transfer the license of the Rose Inn to a house at Morpeth. This was refused by the Bench however in November he transferred the license for the Rose Inn, West Maitland to the Rose Inn, East Maitland. This was a house formerly occupied by C. Cooper. He was granted a publican's license for the Rose Inn at East Maitland in 1848. Neal McNeal was granted a license for the Rose Inn, East Maitland in 1849. The Rose Inn in West Maitland was taken over by William James McDonald. He was granted a publican's license in April 1848. He employed John Smith as a cook at the hotel at 8/- per week, however when Smith was absent over the Christmas period William McDonald refused to pay his wages. John Smith then refused to do any further work, although McDonald requested him to finish cooking the dinner, he refused. McDonald charged John Smith under the Masters & Servants act after this and John Smith was sentenced to 14 days imprisonment. He became one of the first inmates of the new Maitland gaol The Rose Inn in High Street West Maitland (still occupied by William James McDonald) was offered for sale by auction in July 1849 |
||
 |
 |
© Free Settler or Felon
 |
