Lord Howe

Named (like four British warships) after the hero of the ‘Glorious First of June’ the veteran Lord Howe, who was seventy when he got the better of the French in that 1794 encounter, the pub appears to have been named very soon after that day if not after his death in 1799.

Born in London, his father was 2nd Viscount Howe – Emanuel Scrope Howe – and his mother Charlotte, the half-sister of George II. A privileged upbringing saw him rise rapidly through the ranks, he was however popular with the men as he developed a reputation for fairness and understanding. Born with a swarthy complexion Richard Howe was nicknamed ‘Black Dick’ and as well as his success in the Royal Navy he worked with the successive governments (he was MP for Dartmouth before being elevated to the House of Lords) and distinguished himself in his early dealings with the American Revolution. The pub was in Stonehouse Lane (King Street) on the north side in the stretch between the Octagon Street and Cecil Street junctions.

Licensees

- M Cock
- Peter Loughlin
- Stephen Edmunds
- George Bustin
- Henry Parson
- Ann Want