Hi, can anyone out there offer me any information about the old Rose and Crown public house, which stood on the corner of Double Row/Withymoor Road, at Darby End, Netherton. My ancestor Job Bird was recorded as a publican on the 1841 census, living along Northfield Road, Darby End. He died later the same year aged 56, and his widow Ann Bird (nee Gould) was next recorded living on the corner of Double Row, as a 'victualler' in 1851. This was the 'Rose and Crown' or its predecessor, as listed on the 1861 census. Ann Bird continued to run this pub until her death at the age of 85 in 1868. Thereafter, Job and Ann's unmarried daughter, Esther Bird, took over the Rose and Crown, until her own death in 1874. The pub then transferred into the hands of Esther's sister-in-law, Louisa Bird (widow of Esther's brother Benjamin) who was still there in 1891. By 1901, however, Louisa had moved in with her married daughter's family in nearby Gill Street. She died in 1910 and was buried along with the rest of the Bird family in St. Andrew's churchyard. This appears to have marked the end of the Bird family's associations with the Rose and Crown. The actual building is still standing but has been unsympathetically converted into flats. Any information concerning when the pub was built, whether the name changed, names of later licensees, and when it was delicensed, etc., gratefully received - also does anyone have a photo of it when it was still a pub? Yours hopefully Carl Higgs

Hi all, Been an age since I posted (sorry <g>). The original pub was built around 1838 and was refurbed greatly in 1907. The original ain't much like what stood for most of the 20th Century. According to my info, originally from the CRO , the licensee in 1839 was Mrs. T. Bird. Esther Bird was licensee until 1873 (that goes in with your info). A William Dunn took it on in 1898 and he kept the pub until mid 1910 when John French took over. The pub became a managed/tenanted (bad note taking on my part, blunt pencils in CRO's and all that!) house owned by Holts Brewery of Birmingham (can't read my notes but I think it was in 1919). I think that it ended up with Ansells Brewery of Birmingham. I do have a pity grotty photo of the place as a pub if you're interested. Dave Wedesbury England List Admin: Black Country etc., -----Original Message----- From: Carl Higgs [mailto:cjhiggs@11vale.freeserve.co.uk] Sent: 22 May 2006 23:29 To: ENG-BLACK-COUNTRY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [B.C.] 'Rose & Crown', Darby End, Netherton Hi, can anyone out there offer me any information about the old Rose and Crown public house, which stood on the corner of Double Row/Withymoor Road, at Darby End, Netherton. <SNIP>