Background to the Adnams family and their Berkshire brewery

The Eagle or Speenhamland Brewery in Newbury started in 1809 according to a local newspaper advertisement. It was acquired in 1854 by James Adnams, the eighth child of William and Mary Adnams. His older brother, George and his wife Ann Underhill, moved to Witham in Essex where they farmed. George and Ann's eldest son was christened George Edward Underhill and his younger brother, Ernest Michael. It was these boys who, in 1872, armed with finance from their aunt, Mary Elizabeth Thomasin, moved to Southwold and invested in the Sole Bay Brewery, purchasing it from Samuel Haiden Fitch. George Adnams saw himself as something of a free spirit and soon realised he was not cut out to be a provincial businessman. He left Southwold behind and embarked on an adventurous new life in South Africa. Myth has it that he was eaten by a crocodile in the Zambesi. However, his death certificate suggests that he suffered a tragic drowning accident on a lake. Brother Ernest was subsequently joined at the brewery by his father, George senior, and, together with the other partner, brewer Thomas Sargeant, set about making a success of the venture. George senior eventually relinquished his role and retired to Paris with his daughter. He died in 1902.