Inns & Taverns – Historic White Hart

“In the past, Moreton had many more public houses than there are today. These were kept open for the greater part of the day, and some of the labourers used to spend their days in these houses instead of going to work. Sixpence would buy a pint of scrumpy (rough cider), a box of matches and an ounce of ‘baccy’, which was smoked in small clay pipes. The innkeepers in those days were, of course, predominant townsmen.

The White Hart Inn was an old posting inn where horses were changed on their journey from Exeter to Princetown. It is recorded before 1798, and later records show that the landlord in 1814 was Mr B Hewer, and in 1835 Samuel Cann, who was there until 1860. Thomas Pollard was there in 1870. Mr Truscott was one of the landlords of recent times as also was Mr George Brook (1907) and later Mrs Tregaskis. At this time there were about 20 horses stabled at the White Hart and these conveyed passengers over the moor. It was taken over by Trust Houses Ltd until 1967 under many managers. Vernon Jenkins was landlord in 1970 followed by Peter Newman in 1974 and Peter Morgan in 1978.”

An extract from ‘Memories of Moretonhampstead’ by George Friend, published in 1989 by Devon Books.