Of late years one of the most important industries of the town has been the brewery of Messrs. Christie & Co. In former times every inn and every private house of any standing brewed its own ale, and the first mention of a brewery existing in this place was in 1736, when “Mr. Plomer’s Brewhouse” is noted in the perambulation of the parish boundaries. This, as described in our Survey of the Street, was Izaak Walton’s “Thatched House,” which then became the Brewery offices.
William Thurgood’s request for a brewery site, 1589, shows that none existed at that date, and there is no reason to think that any was established until Mr. Plomer came from Amwell, acquired property in the town, several stalls in the market, took some of the land forming the Cock Inn holding, and married his son to Hester, daughter of the last of the Marmaduke Rawdons.
We may take 1700 as approximately the date of the beginning of the business built up chiefly within the last hundred years by the skill and attention of Plomer’s successors, Christie & Cathrow, their successors, Christie, Back, & Hunt (1842), and for the last fifty years Christie only.* William Plomer died in 1728, and Robert in 1742, the latter leaving no family. Rene Briand succeeded Robert Plomer, and seems to have had a partner named N. Darren. Briand lived until about 1781, after which the business was sold to Mr. Whittingstall, of Hitchin, who died suddenly in 1803. On his death the firm of Christie & Cathrow took up the business, and rapidly extended it by the purchase of numerous houses and additions to the brewery premises.** William Christie’s nephew, Peter Christie (179 1- 1865), was apprenticed to Christie & Cathrow, and married a daughter of the Rev. William Jones, for many years curate and vicar. In 1842, when Mr. Cathrow died, aged 67, the brewery and its inns, after being put up to auction, were sold privately to Messrs. Peter Christie, John Back, and Robert Hunt. A new brewery building was put up by the new firm, and the older part of the present premises was erected under the superintendence of an old local tradesman named George Faint, By the retirement of Robert Hunt in 1852, the death of Peter Christie in 1865, and shortly afterwards the retirement of John Back, Mr. Charles Peter Christie (born 1829), son of Peter Christie, became sale owner, and remained so until his death in 1898. The business then carried on as a private limited company until it was sold to the Cannon Brewery of London in 1928. The new owners pulled down parts of the brewery and sold off other buildings.
One special reason for the success of the brewery seems to have been the possession of a well of excellent water. Before the sinking of the well the brewery was supplied from the Rawdon conduit pipe, and this supply was assured in certain marriage contracts when the Rawdon House property was changing hands and Thermuthes Smith married Staines Chamberlayne, also when Miss Brockett married a Charnberlayne, and the rent for this water, payable by Rene Briand, formed part of the settlement.
*The first of the Christie family to settle in Hoddesdon was William Christie (1744-1811). His widow lived for some years at the Grange, and died there.
** They also started the Hertford Bank in 1807, transferring the business to S. Adams & Co. in 1814.
