Morris' Rutland Brewery - A History

Morris' Rutland Brewery Ltd, Oakham, Rutland.

In 1831, Clarke Morris, the son of John was in the census as a maltster and sometime after this the family became involved with brewing, trading as Morris & Co in 1840. In 1841, Edward Dumbleton, originally from Kent, was a brewer in Northgate Street, probably working for the Morris family. In 1846 John Morris was shown as a maltster in High St, one of five in the town. Dumbleton was then shown as a porter dealer in 1851, but still on behalf of the Morris’.

In 1855 Morris Clarke & Company were listed as brewing in Northgate Street. At the same time the Angel was kept by an R Clarke. That year, a John Rudkin Hall was shown as the brewer in Northgate Street, with his home in Northgate. His name suggests that his father may have married into the Rudkin family, maltsters in nearby Langham and who later provided the manager at Ruddles Brewery Ltd. Clarke’s brother was called William Rudkin Morris, strengthening the probable family ties.

Clarke Morris had two sons:- William Clarke Morris and Charles Knoulton Morris. The name Knoulton came from Elizabeth Knoulton of Huntingdon who had married into the family. William Clark Morris was shown as a brewer in 1855, with his home in Jermyn Terrace. The directories show the business as Clarke Morris & Company brewers in Northgate, as well as Clarke Morris & William Rudkin Morris, who were also listed as coal and corn merchants. Clarke Morris died on 11th August 1857.

They then moved to Cross/New Street in 1866. William Clarke Morris was a farmer and grazier, living at Oakham Grange, Uppingham Road. In 1870, a Charles K Morris was shown as a maltster in Cross Street. William Cheetham Crowson remained as an ale and wine & spirit merchant at the Crown in the High Street. The 1871 census lists Robert Sharpe as a brewer in Cook’s Yard, but there is no indication of whether he was employed by Morris.

In 1875 and 1876, Morris WC & CK were trading as the Rutland Brewery, New Street and also as coal, salt and seed merchants of Railway Yard. In White’s 1877 directory, they were only shown as brewers in New Street.

In 1875, the Three Crowns and its brewery on Northgate Street was sold to Molesworth of Ketton for £580 (see W Bean & Co). However, the price suggests that this was a separate, much smaller, concern than that originally used by the Morris family.

The Brewers’ Journal for 1883 p165 shows Custance & Furley at the Crown Hotel, operating as wine & spirit merchants partnership dissolved. Mr Custance had also bought the Red Lion in the High Street for £1,210 in 1880. Furleys seem to have continued to own several pubs, e.g. the Red Lion in 1913, for which they supplied the wine and spirits, but it is not clear from where they obtained their beer.

In 1891-5 WC & CK Morris were trading as the Rutland Brewery, New Street (F3758), with CK living in Catmos Street. Thomas Johnson was a brewery and coal agent in Cross Street, but there was no identification of a link with Morris.

In 1905 Morris’ Rutland Brewery Company Ltd was registered, but around this time CK Morris seems to have died and on 23rd November the brewery was sold at auction. It was bought for £28,250 by Warwicks & Richardsons Ltd, Newark. The property included a 10 quarter brewery and 12 quarter maltings, possibly operated by W Needham (also a miller at Thrussington). The sale also included the Rutland Arms beerhouse at the brewery, 18 freehold pubs and 3 annual tenancies.

The pubs were mainly in Rutland, but also included one at Horncastle, one at Car Colston and another at Hoveringham. The Oakham houses included:-

• Bell
• Britannia
• Roebuck
• Royal Duke
• The Railway

There was also an off-licence on the corner of Simper Street which had previously been the Rutland Arms. The house colour was a royal blue background with gold leaf block letters shaded brown and was still used into the 1950s.

Output is thought to have been around 2,000 barrels per year, with two brews a week of bitter and brown ale. Bottling of Guinness on a machine that could handle some six bottles at a time was the main bottling line! There were about 14 men employed at Oakham, with six horse drawn drays for local delivery.

Brewing ceased in 1907, but surprisingly the following year Morris’ Rutland Brewery joined the Brewers’ Society. This may be connected with the fact that, for licensing reasons, Warwicks continued to bottle Guinness under the “Harp” label by Morris. This was done in separate premises in Newark, until the business was liquidated in 1962.

The Oakham site was used as a depot until 1926, when it too closed. The buildings were then converted to a badminton club called the “Palace”, later became a furniture store, and were demolished in November 1980 for yet another supermarket.

The maltings in Cross Street are now a garage.