The Four Pears is at the heart of the community in Little Houghton, somewhere for locals and visitors alike to come together and relax over a drink and something to eat. Good company and good times in beautiful surroundings.
OUR HISTORY
The recorded history of Little Houghton stretches back more than millennium and evidence of the pub for nearly 400 years…
Records put the pub at 1615 George Fisher was granted a License by the three Knights of the Shire to open a "common alehouse" in the village, the premises at that time being under the ownership of the Little Houghton Estate. Little was then known of The Red Lion’s history during the hard drinking 18th century.
In 1866 a Richard Elliott held the Licence and it was recorded by the Northampton Mercury that in March 1870 a sale took place in The Red Lion of his family’s stock some of the items listed being animals, fowls, ploughs, harrows, horse power threshing machines indicating that the premises obviously had more land in those days and a greater capacity for self sufficiency.
The Red Lion continued to serve the village, the current cost of beer being one penny per pint.
In August 1887 the Lord of the Manor, C. Smyth Esq. paid the current landlord’s wife Mrs. Walker Eleven Pounds Eight Shillings and Eight pence for beer supplied to workers during the hay-making period. This amounted to a quantity of approximately 333 gallons indicating the labour intensive nature of farming at that time – not the hard drinking!
After Mr. Walker’s death she remarried one John George Hegney – who did not prove to be a wise choice of partner. Rumour connected him with a serving wench who was dispatched in disgrace once her condition became obvious and Mr. Hegney subsequently disappeared without trace, never to be seen again. However later rumours suggested that he had been the victim of “rough justice” meted out by friends of the late Thomas Walker and that his remains lie buried beneath The Red Lion.
