A notice from 1771 in the Derby Mercury advertises a sale at the Royal Oak, the premises of William Tomlinson.

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In 1785, John Wesley stopped in Cheadle on his way through the county and gave a sermon outside this pub.

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Documentation shows this pub was called the ‘Old Royal Oak’ in 1790, perhaps this marks the date the Royal Oak Inn was built. The Universal British Directory of 1791 lists the Royal Oak as an excise office for the town, as the proprietor is given as Sarah Tomlinson (a name on  the 1790 documents).

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In 1807 a series of meetings were held at the “the house of Mrs. Sarah Tomlinson”  in regards to an application to parliament about the enclosure of common and waste lands around the town.

 

In 1830 the pub was advertised to let in a January issue the Staffordshire Advertiser, the particulars listed were “Malthouse, Brewery, Butcher’s Shop, Stables, Cowsheds, Yard and other appurtenances”. The tenancy could be “entered upon on Lady Day next” which was the traditional date of the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin (March 25th); which until 1752 the start of the legal year.

 

When landlord George Lakin left the pub in 1838 he held an auction selling some of the brewing equipment along with some of his personal belongings. “VALUABLE Brewing Vessels, two 180-gallon Copper Furnaces, large genteel Household Furniture, Feather Beds, Effects, the property of Geo. Lakin”. The auction was held over two days; the 23rd and 24th of March, a valuation service was provided at the sale.

 

A sales notice from 1876 when Mrs Locker was the proprietor, mentions that part of the building was used as Isaac Sims’ Tinman shop. This shop was ran by the Sims family until 1935.

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In late December 1888 William Bowers’ miners had their annual treat at this pub.

 

By 1907, the pub was owned by the Uttoxeter based brewery Charles Bunting and Company Ltd.

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The pub closed in 1909 under the 1904 Licensing Act, as mentioned on the Angel Inn page, it is long believed that this was due to it being on route to the Parish church. However officially the grounds of redundancy were used by the authorities to close the business, the owners 'C. Bunting Ltd.' received £750 in compensation from the licensing committee.

 

After the pub closed it was converted a shop unit, which was Godwins newsagents for many years and later Forbouys.

 

Past Proprietors:

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William Tomlinson (Derby Mercury 1771 and 1773)
Sarah Tomlinson (Derby Mercury 1786, The Universal British Directory 1791, 1793, Staffordshire Advertiser 1800, 1807)
Miss Sarah Heaps (Staffordshire Advertiser 1813, 1818)
Thomas Fallows (Parson and Bradshaw – Staffordshire Directory 1818, Staffordshire Advertiser 1821 and Pigot’s Directory 1822) [Died Sept 1824]
Mary Fallows [Widow of above] (Staffordshire Advertiser 1824) [Died Nov 1824]
John Hammersley (Pigot & Co.’s National Directory 1828-29)
William Bagnall (Staffordshire Advertiser 1830)
George Lakin (White’s Directory of Staffordshire 1834) [until March 1838]

John Massey (Staffordshire Advertiser 1840)
George Bentley [from 1841] (Pigot’s Directory of Staffordshire 1842)

John Tipper (Staffordshire Advrtiser 1847) [Died June 1847]
Mary Tipper (Post Office Directory of Birmingham with Staffordshire & Worcestershire 1849 and 1850 – Slater’s Directory)
Rupert Hammersley (Staffordshire Advertiser 1850, White’s Directory of Staffordshire 1851 and 1859 Documents)
John Locker [1860-1876] (Victorian 1841-1881)
Jane Locker [Widow of Above] (Staffordshire Advertiser 1876)
John Bickley (Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1880) [until 1881]
Francis Beardmore (Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1884)
William Robinson (Cheadle Herald 1885)
Eli Mellor [Temporary Licence April-May] (1885 Cheadle Herald)
Mary Lea [Temporary Licence until Nov 1887] (1886 Cheadle Herald)
Isaac Wright [from Nov 1887] (Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1896 and 1900)
George Harris (Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1904, Cheadle Public Houses of Yesteryear) [last licensee in 1909]

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