A Brief History of the Royal Oak

The name “Royal Oak” refers to the famous episode in English history when King Charles II attempted unsuccessfully to defeat Oliver Cromwell, win back the throne of England and avenge the execution of his father Charles I.  He invaded England with an army of supporters but was beaten by Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.  It was after this battle that Charles reputedly escaped Cromwell’s men by hiding in an oak tree.  Many oaks have been claimed to be the actual hiding place, including the one in the grounds of Boscobel House, but there seems no certainty as to where it is, or whether the incident happened at all.  We simply point out that there is an oak in the garden of our “Royal Oak” and we are not far from Worcester!

We believe that the pub stands on the site of a previous ale house, known as Agnes’ Ale House, since it was run by “Agnes the Weaver” in about 1305.  A record in a Stafford Assize Roll in 1305  tells the story of a quarrel between two brothers, Bertram and Nicholas de Marnham of the Bromwich manor.  The two brothers were drinking in the house of Agnes, quarreled and a duel was fought during which Nicholas was killed. Bertram was saved by being declared a member of the clergy and sent to Worcester monastery as a clerk (yet another link with Worcester!).  Perhaps the story accounts for the ghost which is often seen in the pub’s underground cellar!

The current building dates back to the 1820’s and little has changed since that time - it is still very much a two roomed pub in the old tradition.  We have included a number of historical photographs of the pub and would ask that if anyone can help us build a more complete history of the pub, let us know, or better still, pay us a visit and tell us over a pint.