The Fleur-de-Lys around 1900

Exactly when the first Fleur-de-Lys was built is not quite certain - it is doubtful that it predated the Crown on Hillfoot Road. However, we do know that a building described as a public house was situated at the top of Totley Hall Lane in 1813 during a Fairbanks survey. The 1833 Directory for Derbyshire gives John Green as victualler at the Fleur-de-Lys. The pub name could well have been derived from the coat of arms of the Barker family who, long ago, owned Totley Hall. Their arms, too, include a fleur-de-lys, which is the French phrase for a heraldic lily as used on the royal coat of arms of France.

In the early 1800s, the pub would have been at the heart of the old village, standing to the rear of a small green which housed the stocks and on occasions, a small cattle market. This market was still carried on within living memory. Nearby were the village pinfold and well. This first pub, rendered and painted white, was stone built and stood further back from the then Hall Lane. This thoroughfare was the busy link with Dore and Holmesfield.

The John Green mentioned above had been born in Totley about 1791 and had married a Buxton girl called Elizabeth. At the time of the 1841 population census, they had a 20 year old son Edward, a millwright, and a 15 year old boy, Thomas, who was a saw grinder's apprentice. They also had a 15 year old daughter, Harriat who later married John Fearney, a Heeley-born scythe grinder. At the time of the census, the pub was also lodgings for five young agricultural workers - John had 7 acres of land. Totley's population had almost doubled since 1811 and in 1841 there were 83 houses and 408 people living here.

           The Fleur-de-Lys around 1911

The pub and land were owned by Lord Middleton, then Lord of the Manor. The 1837 and 1846 directories listed John Green as shopkeeper too. As we have mentioned before, there are records of Greens living in Totley in 1327 - William and John being favourite Christian names. By 1868, the son-in-law had taken over the Fleur but the 1872 and 1876 entries give Harriat as publican. In 1884, their son Edward had taken over and four years later his wife Martha ran it. Then a George Green kept the Fleur for a short time before his widow, Mary, became landlady. She remarried, to George Creswick of Cannon Hall, and the new husband's name was on the sign by 1911. 

The present Fleur-de-Lys was built in 1933, in the mock Tudor style beloved by brewery architects of the time.

Totley Independent

September 1978

Tuesday 2 January 1866 Sheffield Daily Telegraph
Riotous Assembly at Totley
John Fearney, David Johnson, Thomas Williams, John Birks, Thomas Lanack, and Edward Fearney, were charged by John Green, with the above offence. --Mr Chambers who appeared for the complainant, stated that on Thursday, the 21st, a very riotous assembly met at the house of John Green, publican, of Totley. He stated that John Fearney and Harriet Fearney had lived with John Green, she being the daughter of John Green, and the complainant wished them to leave his home. They refused, after that they left. On the day in question, four men entered the house, and asked for a quart of beer each, which was given to them. After this, Mrs. Fearney came, with some seven others, and began to strip the house, and filled one or two carts with the goods, and the parish constable and county police were sent for. --Samuel Green (the younger) said on Thursday he was left in charge of the house, which is the Fleur de Lis, Totley, his father, Samuel Green, the son of John Green, the publican, being at Sheffield (john Green being the grandfather of one and father of the other), and that about five o'clock in the evening four men entered the house as before stated, and commenced a disturbance. His grandfather ordered him to put them out. While trying to do so his father returned, and they succeeded, but not until fire-arms had been produced on each side, but fortunately not used. After that he went out and returned with the parish constable, and had just got inside the door and fastened it when the door was burst open, and seven other men, with Mrs. Fearney, rushed in, saying they were Fenians from Sheffield. Mrs. Fearney said she had come for what belonged to her. I asked what she wanted. She said she would tell them when she had got it. She also told the men to take no notice of me, and that the men had been engaged in Sheffield for the purpose by John Fearney, at five shillings each; they were what are termed roughs; two had black eyes. --Mr. Fernell, who appeared for the defence, said that this was a family quarrel; that John Fearney and Harriet Fearney were forced out of the house without their goods, and they had come for them. --The case was adjourned to Monday, the 15th, at Hemsworth, each defendant in a £10 bond.

Saturday 6 January 1866 Sheffield Independent
Family Amenities at Totley
A Fenian Exploit.
Thomas Lanack, David Johnson, Thomas Williams. John Birks, John Fearney and Edward Fearney were charged by Samuel Green, the elder, with having riotously assembled together; and Mrs. Fearney was charged on a peace-warrant at the instance of Samuel Green, the younger. --Mr. Chambers was for the complainants, and Mr. Fernell appeared to defend the Fearneys. -- This case arose out of a family quarrel, and the whole circumstances, as stated by Mr. Chambers and witnesses, may be summed up in the following narrative. The two Samuel Greens are son and grandson of John Green, who keeps the Fleur de Lis inn, Totley; and Harriet Fearney is John Green's daughter, John Fearney is her husband, and Edward Fearney is their son. As may be supposed, this was not the first act of the quarrel, which had been nursed with great care and attention for some time previously. In consequence of this chronic unpleasantness John Green begged his daughter and her husband, to leave the house. At first they refused, but afterwards they left, not, however, before Fearney, the son-in-law, had been summoned before the Bench, and bound over in his own recognizances to keep the peace. They left without taking any furniture with them, and the row now in question arose out of an attempt to take possession of the furniture which they claimed. On the 21st of December, Mrs. Fearney, her husband being outside of the house, introduced a number of Sheffield roughs into the Fleur de Lis, who announced that they were Fenians (it was a Fearneyan quarrel), and conducted themselves in the manner and with the language of the roughs of the period. They would have gone upstairs where John Green was lying dangerously ill, but that Samuel Green, the elder, produced firearms, and swore that he would lose his life before they should disturb his father. Thereupon the self-styled Fenians produced revolvers, and said they had also come provided. They could not get any beer in the house, but they sent out for several gallons of ale, and inflamed their Fenian courage by getting half drunk. The next move was to strip the house of furniture, which was done, and two carts were loaded with the loot. Mr. Chambers stated that the only things belonging to Fearney and his wife were a clock, two cases of stuffed birds, a rocking chair, and a small spring stand. While the furniture was being removed some county constables came up, an officer having heard at Millhouses that a party of Sheffield roughs had gone up to Totley, and that in all probability there would be bloodshed. The police took down the names of the men, but some of them (the Fenians) gave false names and addresses. These men did not now appear, only the Fearneys being present, but the police were confident of being able to find them. One of the roughs (Lanack) was heard by the police to say that they had been engaged at 5s. and their "lush" to come from Sheffield and put Mrs. Fearney and her husband in possession of the furniture. They came in a cab from Heeley, and the cab driver's name was Wood... Mr. Fernell said it was only fair to the Bench that they should know that after John Fearney was bound over to keep peace four or five roughs were employed by the Greens to turn Mrs. Fearney and her husband out of the house, that they were turned into the street, and were refused even their clothes.... This of course had nothing to do with the present case... Mr Fernell then wished to put in a copy of John Green's will, showing that the furniture taken away belonged to the Fearneys; in this, however, he was stopped by the trifling circumstance that John Green was not yet dead.....Mr. Chambers called evidence, and asked for a remand, for the purpose of giving the police time to capture the Fenian roughs at large, --The Bench remanded the further hearing of the case till the 15th inst., at Hemsworth, and Mr. Fernell, to the dismay of the court, promised that all the facts should then be gone into.....The separate charge against Mrs. Fearney was then investigated. Samuel Green, the younger, who is a cripple, swore that his aunt, Mrs. Fearney, had used threats towards him, and that he went in fear of her, and she was ordered to enter into her husband's recognizance of £10 and one surety of £5 to keep the peace.

Saturday 13 January 1866 Sheffield Daily Telegraph
Extraordinary Charge of Assault
Samuel Green and Abraham Green, were brought up in custody and charged with assaulting John Fearney. --Mr. Fretson appeared on behalf of the complainant, and Mr. Chambers appeared for the defendants. --The parties concerned are all relatives, and the affair appeared to have arisen in the first place out of family squabble. --Mr. Fretson stated that at an early hour that morning the complainant, who had on a recent occasion been engaged in a case at the Eckington Petty Sessions, met the defendants with a large load of furniture. It was dark, and when they came up to him one of them discharged a pistol at him twice, assaulted him, and used considerable violence against him. The assault took place near Sheffield moor, and was witnessed by the complainant's wife and son. As there had not been time to get up the case and summon the witnesses, he had to ask for a remand. --Mr. Chambers objected to a remand, and urged that the real offender was the complainant himself, who ought to occupy the place where the two defendants were put. The fact was the grandfather of the defendants occupied a public house, which the complainant had lived at, and assisted him with. He had, however, so misconducted himself that he had to be turned out, and it was at the request of the old man that the defendants were removing the furniture, when the complainant met them and himself fired a pistol at them. The complainant had already been bound over to keep the peace. --The bench, after a lengthy inquiry, decided to bind both parties over to keep the peace, and the defendants were ordered to find sureties.

Tuesday 16 January 1866 Sheffield Independent
Hemsworth
The Riotous Proceedings at Totley
This case was adjourned from Eckington, on the 1st. inst. David Wood, John Burke, John Fearney, Edwin Fearney, Thos. Thorpe, Wm. Hutton. Wm. Jones, and Wm. Staniforth (Jones is in Wakefield prison and Staniforth absconded) were gain brought up charged with the above offence. Mr. Chambers for the prosecution, and Mr. Fernell for the defendants J. and E. Fearney. The facts of the case were fully reported in the Independent on the 2nd. inst. After the opening of the case by Mr. Chambers, it was found necessary to adjourn the further hearing of the case to the Town Hall, Sheffield, bail being taken for the appearance of the two Fearneys. The others were remanded in custody.

Friday 19 January 1866 Sheffield Daily Telegraph
Deaths
On the 14th inst., at Totley, aged 78 years, Mr. John Green, landlord of the Fleur-de-lis Inn for upwards of 53 years.

Saturday 20 January 1866 Sheffield Daily Telegraph
A "Family Riot" at Totley
On Tuesday, at the Sheffield Town Hall, (before Richard Bayley, Esq, W.P. Milner, Esq., and T.W. Rodgers, Esq.,) David Wood, table-blade strike(r), William Hatton, groom, Thomas Thorpe, striker, John Fearney, John Barker, and Edwin Fearney, the younger, were charged by Samuel Green, of Totley, with riotous conduct and assault. Mr. Chambers appeared for the prosecutor, and Mr. Fernell for the defendants. At the conclusion of the case, the magistrates, who regarded it as a family squabble, said in their opinion the justice of the case would be met by binding the parties over to keep the peace. John Fearney and his son Edwin were bound over each in the sum of £50 and one surety in £20, to keep the peace for six months, and Barker, Thorpe, Wood and Hutton in the sum of £10 each, and one surety each in the sum of £5, to keep the peace for one month, and to pay the costs. These which amounted to £9 8s. 6d., were paid by John Fearney. 

Saturday 14 September 1867 Sheffield Independent
Deaths
Fearney - September 9, Mr. John Fearney, Totley, aged 44.