The building was described in the 18th-century deeds as a ‘Messuage called Chequer Ale House on Hoggerds Hill’ (the site of the pig market). The ale house was possibly a sideline to the attached forge.
A messuage was a piece of land occupied as a site for a dwelling-house
The Oxfordshire County Bridewell (prison) was established in Thame in 1708 in Pound Land (now Wellington Street)
The earliest recorded owners were Henry Page and his son, William, who were Bridewell Keepers.
Their first tenant was John Wall, a licensed victualler. The Pages sold the building in 1759 to Edward Rose, and it was sold again in 1785.
