"Where was this, exactly?" was the question.
We had to say we didn't have an answer but said we'd check with Josie Webb, who knows a great deal about Brigg's history.
Josie later told us: "Ancholme Yard is now renamed Ancholme Court. It is at the foot of the bridge.
"There was a pub in that yard in the early 1800s called the Ship Inn; the landlord, Mr Pinkess, was also a clock-maker."
Sadly, we didn't think to take a picture of the historic bottle - a notable survivor. We are blaming this oversight on the fact that we'd had a few beers by then. But from the pump, not the bottle!
PICTURED: A display board from the current Brigg street name exhibition at the Heritage Centre.
Hi Nigel, I have just found your reference to Mr Pinkess the innkeeper of the Ship Inn at Brigg and also a clockmaker in your Brigg blog. His name was Isaac Pinkess and he was my great great great grandfather. I have been doing some work on family history and was wondering if you have any more information about him. We know he was born in about 1778 and died in 1855 in Liverpool, where he moved with his son Elijah, who was born in Brigg in about 1819. Here's an extract from the family history abut Isaac's time in Brigg:
ReplyDeleteHe took over the running of the Ship Inn, which was a prominent establishment in the centre of Brigg, on Market Place. He is listed as the inn keeper in a local directory of businesses in 1826. As far as we know The Ship is no longer trading as a public house. He also ran another business as a jewellery, silversmith, clock and watchmaker, and seems to have been quite successful. He produced some beautiful tall case clocks, one of which came up for sale on ebay a few years ago. Another Pinkess clock made its way to the US, and is listed as sold on the website of Sundial Farm, a specialist clock dealer, based in Greenlawn, New York. There is a photo of the clock on the site, which is very attractive. It is described as an English Mahogany Pagoda topped Tall case clock, bearing the signature Pinkess, Brigg. It is believed to date from the 1820s, and is 8ft 9ins tall. The design includes miniature portraits of Lord Nelson in the spandrels around the clock face, and to be similar in shape to other Hull clocks of the same period.
So I wanted to share this with you, in case it is of interest for your blog. But I was also interested to know if you have any further information about Isaac, his wife Ann, or their children. We always believed he came to Hull from Poland, but recently I have found a record which suggests he may have been born in Jersey Channel Islands. We also don't know why he left Brigg and went to Liverpool. Did the Ship Inn close down? Or was there some other reason? Anyway, thanks for mentioning Isaac in your article. Look forward to hearing from you in due course. Kind regards Andrew Pinkess