The Black Cap & Camden Town In the Early 18th century, the area known today as Camden Town, was little more than a coaching inn and a handful of buildings. The River Fleet, now diverted underground,was still an open stream, and the area was ideal territory for highwaymen, and was dangerous for travellers after dark. View of Mother Red Caps Inn (looking south) 1772 . It wasn't until 1791 when Charles Pratt, Earl Camden started full scale development of his estate, that the area became know as Camden Town. Charles Pratt, Earl Camden 1837 . Other developers acquired land, and with the completion of the Regents canal in 1820, Camden Town was a major stage in the transporting of goods from the industrial Midlands to the London docks. Camden High Street 1804 . The railways added further impetus to Camden Town's development, with the North London Railway, originally called the East and West India Docks and Birmingham Junction railway, being opened in 1850, and the London Underground Station opened in 1907 by David Lloyd George. Camden Underground Station 1927 Inset; Before station, Brown's Dairy 1903 . A rare glimpse of Regina Fong as a child with her nanny, playing outside the bank. See detail below. . . The story behind the name of The Black cap is still hotly disputed, especially as the World's End pub opposite was called Mother Red Cap for some 250 years, but here is what most people believe to be the reason The Black Cap is so called. Licensing records show the Mother Black Cap as far back as 1751 And as you walk in from the street you will see a ceramic tile scene with most of the following elements in it. Late 19th century ceramic tiles in the entrance of The Black Cap . The first Mother Red Cap (there were two) had a child at 15 by a man called Gipsy George. George was hanged at Tyburn for stealing sheep. She then took up with a man called Darby, who disappeared after a few months of drunken quarrelling and was never seen again. Then her parents were convicted of killing a girl by black magic and were hanged. She took up with a third lover call Picher, who before long was found in her oven, burnt to a cinder. She went on trial for his murder but was acquitted, after a witness declared that he often took refuge in the oven to escape her cruel tongue, and could well have been burnt by accident. She then became something of a recluse, but was occasionally seen in the lanes and hedgerows, collecting herbs and berries. During the Civil War, she gave shelter to a fugitive, who knocked at her door one night begging for shelter. He had money and stopped with her for a few years, even though, from time to time, they were heard quarrelling. When he died there were whispers that she had poisoned him, but nothing was ever proved. When she was seen, she was always wearing an ugly grey cap and a grey shawl, and her huge black cat was never far behind. By this time people were convinced she was a witch, and most were too frightened to go near her, her only visitors being Moll Cut-purse the highwaywoman and a few brave souls wanting their fortunes told or to be cured of some ill by one of her strange brews. The night she died, people declared that they saw the devil walk into her cottage, but no one saw him come out. She was found the next morning, sitting by a pot on the fire of one of her potions, her cat beside her. When the cat was given some of the contents to drink, its hair fell off in two hours, and the cat died soon after. The second Mother Red Cap was far more cheerful. She turned the place into an inn and brewed a rather potent ale there. Proof that the web is a wonderful tool, the Camden Historical Society received an email from Gordon Thomas of Lara, Victoria, Australia, giving details of the conviction and transportation of his great-great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Bumpstead, for stealing pewter pots from the Black Cap and Wheatsheaf pubs in Camden Town in 1830. For stealing these five pots she was transported for seven years with her six children to Hobart, Tasmania. The Old Bailey record of the trial on 15 April 1830 gives the names of the publicans of the Black Cap and Wheatsheaf as Edward (or Edmund) Butt and James Scull respectively. This email has since been received by us.... "Hi Jimmy, I'm also a direct decendant of Elizabeth Bumpstead that is mentioned on your web site. (my ggg grandmother) Yes she stole four pewter pots in 1830 and was sentenced to 7 yrs in Tasmania. She arrived with 5 children on board the convict transport "Mellish". One of her daughters, (also Elizabeth, is my direct line. Elizabeth Junior was only 5 yrs old during the voyage. She married another convict, George Clements who had spent time at the infamous prison of Port Arthur. (I have a wonderful old photo of Eliz Jnr and her convict husband George). When they gained their freedom, they sailed to New Zealand to shake off their past and became quite successful. After George died, Elizabeth and her children moved back to Australia (Sydney). Elizabeth Bumpstead Snr that stole from the Black Cat, had at least one more child after she arrived in Tasmania as a convict with her 5 kids. . There is a record "heavily pregnant". Other records here were "drunk & disorderly". Oh well, you can't choose your rels, yet without this lady I wouldn't be here and I'm proud of the convict past. The convict records prove her to be quite a character. Good on her. When I get over to UK for a holiday, you can bet that I'm going to have a beer or two at the Black Cap and sit & imagine my great great great grandmother at that very spot being caught nicking the pewter. As she said at her trial...she was widowed and had five mouths to feed. If I get over there, I hope you don't try to hit me up for the cost of the cutlery. I think she paid the dues for the family. All the very Best, Dave Patrick Homebush Sydney Australia" In the National Library of Australia there is a painting of the "Mellish" entering Sydney Harbour, it was painted in 1830, it is not known whether the ship was on its way to Tazmania, in which case Elizabeth Bumpstead would have been onboard, or whether it was on the "Mellish's" return journey.  Gordon Thomas visited us earlier this year, one hundred and seventy four years after his great great great grandmother visited us. He has given us the following court papers