After having so much interest in last week’s short tale about the Ship Inn at Billinghay I decided to look up a few more records that mentioned the premises. The first one that caught my eye was the mention of Mrs Ellen Palmer being the Publican there, so I’ve been looking at the local directories and the newspaper archives to see what I could find out about her and I’ve also been compiling a short family history about the lady.

Baptised on the 10 Mar 1850 Ellen Elizabeth Hicks was registered at birth as Elizabeth Hix in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, she was born in Long Sutton. her father was John Hix/Hicks, he was a Butcher on the 1851 census the first that Betsy, as she was known, appeared on.
On the 1871 census at 22, she was a domestic servant for a single man Walter Edwards at Tattershall, he was a Drainage Engine Driver living at the Engine House.

In 1881 she is still in the employ of Walter Edwards as his housekeeper, but now she has her father living there as a lodger described as a Hay & Straw Dealer & another lodger called Richard Palmer, is a boatman.
1891 finds Ellen E Palmer the ‘wife’ of Richard Palmer ‘Beerhouse Keeper’ living at the Ship Inn, High Street, Billinghay with several lodgers. I’ve not found a matching marriage record for the couple, my thought is that they did not marry.

The Ship Inn had been in the hands of the Palmer family for a long while, being run by Richard’s father William Palmer sometime before 1861 until his death in September 1880. Previous to taking over the Ship Inn he was a Beer Seller (1851 census)living in Bridge Street, Billinghay, not far from the Ship.

Richard’s brother John Palmer became the Publican after his father’s death.

Richard Palmer took over sometime after 1885 with Ellen’s help, from everything that I’ve read about her she was a splendid landlady and hostess to many dinners and celebrations at the Ship, the Ship Inn also held regular weekly Auctions for property, all advertised in the newspapers of the time.

When Richard Palmer became unwell, I believe from a stroke, in the later years before his death on 22 October 1896.

Ellen was running the Ship Inn and continued after his death applying for the license with the backing of the community, even the local Vicar!

In the 1900 Kellys Directory, she is still the proprietor of the Ship Inn but in 1902 she married Robert Taylor, a Farmer’s son and still a Bachelor at 43, he was born in Billinghay and worked on his father Cartright Taylor’s farm. Ellen was 52. The records show that Robert Taylor was the Publican after their marriage as here on the 1911 census for the Ship Inn.

These are parts of two newspaper reports about Robert Taylor and the license of the Ship Inn reverting back to Ellen, it sounds very much as though she had a tough time with him as her husband.

On 29 March 1919, Robert Taylor died leaving Ellen a widow and proprietor of the Ship Inn. In the 1919, 1926 and 1930 Kelly’s directories Ellen is still in charge at the age of 80! Ellen died on 17 March 1934, I think she was quite a lady.

After all this time you can still visit the Ship Inn on the corner of Queen Street and High Street, Billinghay and walk in Ellen’s footsteps. Here’s the link to more information on their Facebook page about the pub: The Ship Inn, Billinghay

If anyone has any more information about Ellen or even a photo, that would be absolutely wonderful, so please get in touch by leaving a comment here or contacting me Linda at jackocats2@gmail.com or via my Facebook page: Anwick & Billinghay Local History Study