William (Bill) Church became the publican at the Red Lion sometime between 1898 and 1900.

He had been born in Northampton around 1873 so was still only in his twenties when he took over. He married around 1895.  His wife, Hilda, was a similar age and had been born at Potterspury and they already had two children born in Northampton by the time they came to Denton -  Annie Maria aged 6 and William George aged 4,

How he managed to be in such a job at a young age is unknown but the Church family were to stay in Denton for many years.

William can be seen on the photo of the 1906-7 football team (www.tiny.cc/dentoninpictures - groups of Dentonians section.) – he was only in his early thirties at the time. He was obviously an ‘official’ of some sort rather than a player and this may have been because he had a withered arm which must have been quite limiting in an occupation involving moving barrels and crates etc.

In May 1900, soon after he came to the Red Lion, the tale is told of there being a celebration at the pub for the Relief of Mafeking (ending a 7 month siege of the town in the Boer War). A bonfire was lit out the back of the pub (in those days there would have just been open land there) and, perhaps, fuelled by a drink or two, publican Bill kept encouraging the assembled gathering to go and get more fuel to make the fire larger. A steady supply of faggots, wood and coal ensured the spectacle was indeed impressive.

It was only the following morning that Bill, probably nursing a sore head, was to realise that all of the fuel for the fire had not been provided by the support from their own supplies but that every stick, log and piece of coal from the pub’s supplies had been used up!

The family continued to increase as another 2 sons and 2 daughters had been born in Denton by 1911 and the census of that year also records there being a further 2 children born who had not survived.

Bill Church was still the Red Lion publican when he died 21^st October 1931 aged 58. He is buried in Denton cemetery. The pub however continued to be run by Hilda, his widow who in turn died 19^th November 1946 aged 73 by which time daughter Annie had taken over the reins. Annie, too, was to stay in Denton and is also buried in the cemetery following her death on 6^th May 1976 at age 81.

Although Annie had never married her oldest brother William had remained in Denton and married Agnes Mary who died in January 1943 at the young age of 46. He lived on as a widower until 1970 when he joined her and the other family members in the cemetery.