HAUNTED HOSTELRIES

1. THE THREE DAWS

Town Pier, Gravesend, DA11

Bar & Restaurant

The Three Daws is a Grade II listed building on the east side of the town Pier Square. It is said to be the oldest public house in the town, with its mixture of timber framing, weatherboarding, and tiled roof.  Its earlier name was the 'Three Cornish Chough'.  
Around 1488, a group of unemployed ship carpenters built a row of cottages looking onto the river at Gravesend. The carpenters used whatever timber they could lay their hands on, and every door, window, room, and cupboard was unique in size and shape. As the cottages joined up, the random nature of the many staircases became more apparent, adding character to the structure. Two centuries ago, during the days of the big sailing merchant ships, it was used as an accommodation. It had eleven bedrooms, connected by five complete staircases.  
The inn first gained its license in 1565, which it has held since then. Merchant ships and men-of-war used to await the tide change at Gravesend. They could then take advantage of the current to carry them upstream, and experienced pilots would board the ships to guide them through the mudflats and shallows. 
A pilot's house (now demolished) was built next to the tavern. It became a place to exchange tales of seamanship over a tankard of ale.
The three Cornish Choughs appear in the arms of Canterbury City. Adjacent to the pub is the original landing place, or Hythe, used by pilgrims crossing the river on their way to Canterbury Cathedral. The Cornish Choughs are associated with St Thomas Becket and would have been familiar to those making a pilgrimage to his resting place at Canterbury.
In 1745, the pub's name changed to the 'Three Daws,' and it continued to evolve over time. Eventually, it became a tourist venue for Victorian day-trippers who arrived by steamboat. 
The Riverside was a very busy and interesting place. It served to take people on their outward sea journeys. The area was a departing place for ships to Australia and New Zealand or by ferry (which still runs today) for a trip across the Thames to the county of Essex and even simply as a 'stop-off point' on their journeys to London town. 
During the Stewart era, imported spirits were heavily taxed, so smuggling was highly profitable. The Three Daws was not averse to increasing its profits from these activities. The Custom House was built across the road, and it is said to this day that if the walls of the cellar were ever pulled down, tunnels radiating out from the pub could be found. These tunnels were known to have been used by the smugglers. 
In March 1780, after a running battle in West Street between the smugglers and Customs Officers, 80 gallons of Geneva Gin was found in one of the tunnels beneath the inn.  
Despite its wooden construction, the Three Daws escaped the many fires that destroyed much of Gravesend.
During the Napoleonic Wars, the tunnels were used by the local men to escape capture from the Press Gangs. The Three Daws was regularly visited by press gangs. The sailors loved the warren of staircases, which increased their chance of escape.  
In 1798, the Admiralty issued the following order: "The Three Daws is never to be raided by a press gang, except if there are two."
These press gangs used to raid the pub to force men into the Navy, and the two-group operation was necessary because of the two entrances to the pub. However, behind the chimney breast were three separate passages, leading to the 'Old Prince of Orange', the 'New Inn' and the 'Fisherman's Arms' for the customers to escape.
A century or more ago, the Three Daws was just one of a number of taverns catering to waterside people along the front. Its history is kept alive with the Ship pictures and black-and-white photographs from Gravesend's past adorning the walls. 
**HAUNTINGS**
On many occasions, the Three Daws have had visits from Paranormal investigators, many of whom have spent all night vigils with their equipment and visits from Mediums and Psychics, all of who have claimed the same results. 
Certain areas within the building (and these are known by the staff who work here) appear to be haunted by unknown phenomena, and some of the staff fear going upstairs in case they bump into a resident ghost.

2. YE OLDE LEATHER BOTTLE 

1 Dover Rd, Northfleet, DA11

Bar & Restaurant 

Ye Olde Leather Bottle dates back to 1706. The mail coaches between London and Dover used to stop here for passengers. The inn sign shows a young man with a bottle held to his mouth as he enjoys a drink. Bottles were originally made of leather rather than glass. 
In 1786, Customs was sent to seize a Cart with smuggling Goods at the "Leather Bottle Inn". The cart had a ton of tobacco not in the original package when removed, and there was no certificate to accompany it. The landlord asked to Compromise the Matter, to which the officer answered it could not be done, and they set off with the Horses and Cart to London. They were overtaken by Five Men on Horse Back, two of whom were at the inn earlier when the goods were confiscated. The Five Men were Armed with Large Brass Pistols. A fight occurred, and two of the officers were wounded when they got overpowered by the Smugglers, who rescued the seizure. They caught one of the smugglers. 
In the 19th Century, it was common for inquests to be held in pubs. There were county coroners, but the inquests were always held in the parish where the body was found. On Wednesday, 3rd August 1831, The Standard reported an inquest that had taken place at the Leather Bottle on 1st August 1831. A boy of 16 had joined a group with a gambling addiction when his master and family were out, and he lost 17s. He 
went home and hung himself with his neckcloth on a beam in his master stables. The Jury verdict: deranged and distracted. 
In 1865, Alfred Thomas Hollingberry, landlord of "Ye Olde Leather Bottle," was summoned by the Excise authorities for illegally retailing beer. When his Carman delivered ale to one house, he sold a gallon of porter for 1s.
**HAUNTINGS**
Over the Centuries, it has gained a reputation for being haunted.
Staff members have reported sudden temperature drops, cold drafts, and objects thrown to the floor by unseen hands. 
The upper floor is said to be haunted by the ghost apparition of a former serving maid.
The bar area is said to be haunted by the ghostly apparition of a man who killed himself several centuries ago by leaping into a deep pit nearby. Witnesses have described him as being tall, dressed in black and having long hair over his collar.  He is seen in other parts of the inn and more often than the maid, as almost every night, around closing time, the strange phantom man appears, then disappears through a wall. 

3. THE DARNLEY ARMS  

40 The St, Cobham, Gravesend DA12

Accommodation, Bar & Restaurant

The Darnley Arms is the oldest secular building in the village of Cobham in Kent. It was built in 1196 using the local flint. The original stonework was refaced in the late 1800s and again in the early 1900s, leaving the exterior as it is today. The pub served as a hostelry until the demise of coaches in the early 20th century. The stables were removed in 1979. 
The religious wars led to many tunnels constructed locally known as "bolt-holes" for the persecuted. One such tunnel is known to have run between the pub cellar and the college behind the village church, and local folklore has it that the college monks used the tunnel to sneak for a secret tipple and later used by smugglers hiding their contraband in the 18th century. 
They have now converted the old Hayloft into three comfortable twin rooms with a private entrance. 
Sir Thomas Kempe., a fifteenth-century aristocrat and relation to the sovereign,  created a Knight of the Carpet in 1546. He was the Sheriff of Kent County.  
In 1567, Sir Thomas and other Kent men met at Ashford as commissioners for the seacoast's defence, developing a system of signalling beacon fires. 
The following excerpt is found for the first Thomas Kempe, taken from the KNIGHTS OF THE SHIRE FOR KENT -  "Sir Thomas Kempe of Ollantigh in "Wye, a Kinsman of Cardinal Archbishop John Kempe. His father had been created Knight of the Bath on the marriage of Prince Arthur in 1501 and was Sheriff in 1493, 1506, and 1513. 
Knighted on the Coronation of Edward VI., and Sheriff in 1556 and 1564". After his third marriage, Kempe began to cause the ecclesiastical authorities anxiety. 
In 1578, ecclesiastical visitors noted that he and his wife had not received communion. Kempe put off the commission of the peace. In 1583, he and 'divers of their families' were charged with absenting themselves from the church. Lady Kempe was 'a hindrance to true religion [who] refuseth stubbornly to communicate'. 
In 1588, he commanded the band of Kentish men-at-arms during the attack on England by the Spanish Armada. He was sentenced to death and slept overnight at the inn before being taken for execution at Rochester. Reprieved at the last minute, he is said to have returned to live his last days at the "Darnley Arms".  There was also talk of him being involved in the Gunpowder plot.
He died in Wye Kent in March 1591, age 77, and was buried at Wye.

There was also a smuggler called Thomas Kemp, arrested for smuggling with William Gray, both members of the notorious Hawkhurst Gang of smugglers and thieves who terrorised the south coast of England from Kent to Dorset from 1735 to 1750. (William Grays Brother Arthur was also in the Hawkhurst gang) On 30 March 1748, these two and five other smugglers were captured and held in Newgate but managed to escape, taking different routes through the London streets.  Five of them were soon taken back, including Arthur Gray. Brother William and Thomas Kemp managed to evade capture for several weeks, so maybe they hid in the Darney Arms. It's believed smugglers dug several tunnels from the bustling quayside of Gravesend to the outskirts of the town, including one to Cobham Hall, now a private girls' school, which is around 15 minutes cross-country from the inn. William Gray was eventually recaptured, but Kemp narrowly escaped. Arthur Gray was imprisoned at Tyburn in London. He was executed and then gibbeted at Stamford Hill in May 1748. William stood trial and was sentenced to be transported for seven years. The Penny London Post reported on 27 July 1748 that Gray had given the Government information regarding smugglers and was to be pardoned. However, he remained in Newgate, and the General Evening Post, on 19 November 1748, mentioned that he was so ill that his life was despaired. He died soon after, in November 1748, at Newgate Prison in London, and on 27 November 1748, he was buried at St Laurence Church in the Parish of Hawkhurst. Kemp remained free until 1749 when he was caught with his brother after breaking into a house armed with pistols.  On Saturday, the 1st day of April 1749, they were taken out of Horsham jail with others and carried to the gallows. None of them made any confessions, only desired all the spectators to take warning of their untimely end, particularly all young people. After saying their prayers, they were hung from the gallows. He was around the age of 27.
**HAUNTINGS**
In the last 15 years, there have been several sightings of a spirit. They refer to him as George (also the name of a ghost reported at the nearby Cricketers Inn), and a previous owner had an exorcism performed in the pub. 
Another ghost that's been reported is known by the locals as Sir Thomas Kempe, but after researching the above information, I wondered which Thomas Kemp it could really be. 

4. THE CRICKETERS INN 

Wrotham Rd, Meopham, DA13

Bar & Restaurant

The Cricketers Inn was built near an old windmill opposite the village green. It is said to be the oldest formal cricketing Inn still in existence within the country. 
It took its name from the Meopham Cricket Club, which formed in 1776 and had its headquarters in the pub. 
Cricket was well established in this village as early as 1735, and a pub called the 'Eleven Cricketers' was their base. It is the earliest reference to any pub name connected with the game. As cricket became more popular, the pub was deemed too small, so in 1780, land was purchased nearby. It took a further 14 years before the land could be built upon, but when it moved to its present location in 1790, the old pub became a private residence. 
Its responsibilities included providing food and water for the village lock up on the Green.
It was briefly called "The Long Hop," but it has now returned to its original name. 
**HAUNTINGS**
A former Landlord of the 'The Long Hop' became convinced of paranormal activity after seeing figures appearing, glasses shattering for no reason and capturing mysterious round orbs flying around the bar on CCTV.
It was reported that a ghost named George was known for lurking at the top of the cellar stairs and was recognisable by his old loafers. (Also, the spirit's name is said to reside in the local  Darnley Arms). 
The inn has had reports of other ghostly manifestations. These include a woman said to have hung herself and the apparition of Mademoiselle Pinard, the mistress of a soldier from Kent in the Napoleonic War. During the Allied occupation of Paris, He seduced the innocent young Parisienne with the promise of marriage; madly in love with him and with the promise of a beautiful future, she followed him to England, but when she arrived on his doorstep, he turned his back on her. Heartbroken and penniless, she dressed in the dress she had bought for their wedding and hanged herself in Steeles Lane. She is said to appear in the public bar but also to haunt Steeles Lane, and you can hear the rustle of her orange-tinted silk dress as she stands at the side of the road. 
Another story is about the ghost of a local, Miller Bob Bennett, who was a local to the inn. He is said to have hung himself in the 19th century. His ghost has been witnessed on the green opposite the Cricketers, wearing flour-covered clothing. (fact-checked - Robert Bennett Born 1825 Died 10 Jun 1877 Age: 52 Occ: Miller Carter. Suicide by hanging during temporary insanity Coroners inquest 12 Jun 1877. leaving his widow Sarah with 10 Children)