Church Wickets Inn, 16 Old Vicarage Road, Great Dawley
The (Old) Church Wickets stood on the corner of Old Vicarage Road and Southall / Holly road, there is a more modern house there now, see the top photo, to the right of this house was a blacksmith's and on the left was the old Vicarage.
The first time I can find this pub mentioned was in the 1841 census when Richard Summer was the Inn Keeper, but I think it is a much older pub, Richard Summer came from Crowgreaves near Stockton, he married Sarah Tranter from Dawley on the 15 Feb 1827 at Dawley, he died and was buried on the 23 May 1844 at Dawley-Magna, Sarah died on 13 Jun 1845 and was buried at Dawley-Magna.
| 1841 Census | Parish of Dawley | District: 01 | Page: 14 | Schedule: - | Address: Wickets. |
Name | Relation | Marr | Age | Sex | Birth | Profession | Birthplace |
Richard Summer | - | - | 35 | Male | 1806 | Inn Keeper | Shropshire |
Sarah Summer | - | - | 35 | Female | 1806 | - | Shropshire |
Ann Summer | - | - | 13 | Female | 1828 | - | Shropshire |
William Summer | - | - | 11 | Male | 1830 | - | Shropshire |
Richard Summer | - | - | 9 | Male | 1832 | - | Shropshire |
Benjamin Summer | - | - | 7 | Male | 1834 | - | Shropshire |
Sarah Summer | - | - | 5 | Female | 1836 | - | Shropshire |
Thomas Summer | - | - | 3 | Male | 1838 | - | Shropshire |
Elizabeth Summer | - | - | 1 | Female | 1840 | - | Shropshire |
Edward Colley | - | - | 25 | Male | 1816 | Male Servant | - |
Elizabeth Powel | - | - | 25 | Female | 1816 | Female Servant | - |
Sarah Gough | - | - | 21 | Female | 1820 | Female Servant | - |
In the 1851 census John Parsons aged 57 is the Victualler and in the same year he is advertising it in Samuel Bagshaw’s directory under Taverns & Public Houses, Wickets, John died in February 1855.
| 1851 Census | Parish of Dawley | District: 01 | Page: 08 | Schedule: 31 | Address: Church Wickets Inn. |
Name | Relation | Marr | Age | Sex | Birth | Profession | Birthplace |
John Parsons | Head | M | 57 | M | 1794 | Victualler | Presthope, Shropshire |
Elizah Parsons | Wife | M | 48 | F | 1803 | - | Bagley, Shropshire |
William Parsons | Son | S | 14 | M | 1837 | Scholar | Wellington, Shropshire |
Ellen Phillips | Servant | S | 19 | F | 1832 | House Servant | Dawley, Shropshire |
Mary Eaycock | Servant | W | 78 | F | 1773 | House Servant | Elsmere, Shropshire |
In Slater's directory of 1859 John’s wife Elizabeth Parsons is now the Inn Keeper, she runs the pub an till her death in 1874 age 72.
| 1861 Census | Parish of Dawley | District: 01 | Page: 15 | Schedule: 72 | Address: Wickets public house. |
Name | Relation | Marr | Age | Sex | Birth | Profession | Birthplace |
Elizabeth Parsons | Head | W | 53 | F | 1808 | Inn Keeper | Bagley, Shropshire |
William Parsons | Son | S | 24 | M | 1837 | Butcher | Wellington, Shropshire |
Harriet Woof | Servant | S | 20 | F | 1841 | General Servant | Much Wenlock, Shropshire |
| 1871 Census | Parish of Dawley | District: 01 | Page: 09 | Schedule: 38 | Address: Church Road, Wicketts Inn. |
Name | Relation | Marr | Age | Sex | Birth | Profession | Birthplace |
Elizth Parsons | Head | W | 69 | F | 1802 | Licensed Victualler | Ellesmere, Shropshire |
William Parsons | Son | M | 34 | M | 1837 | Butcher | Dawley, Shropshire |
Eliza Parsons | Daughter-in-law | M | 24 | M | 1847 | - | Dawley, Shropshire |
William H Parsons | Grandson | S | 3 | M | 1868 | Scholar | Dawley, Shropshire |
Charles V Parsons | Grandson | S | 1 | M | 1870 | - | Dawley, Shropshire |
Rosannah Gorbett | Servant | S | 18 | F | 1853 | General Servant | Dawley, Shropshire |
Elizabeth Parsons died in December 1874 she was buried on the 30th December 1874 at Dawley.
In the 1881 census it looks like Maria Morgan a Widow aged 68 is living there but there is nothing entered for her Occupation.
The last time I can find this pub is in the 1885 Kelly's directory when Daniel Dangerfield ran it who before running the pub had a baker’s shop in King Street, in the 1891 and 1901 census the pub is uninhabited, in the 1911 census it is described as (ruins)