The Faversham years · 1573 / 1698
1698 was not the first pint
The famous date marks a purchase.
Richard Marsh bought the brewery outright in 1698. He had already been leasing it for twenty years.
The beer goes further back. The company places John Castlock II at 18 Court Street in 1573. Historic England gives earlier possibilities too. A Faversham beer record from 1396 is earlier still, but does not establish where that beer was made.
These dates tell different stories. One is a purchase, another is brewing at a site, another is beer in a town. Percy Neame did not enter the partnership until 1864. We will meet him next.
Sources & research notes · 5 records
Early brewing dates are attributed accounts. No claim of an unbroken company pedigree from medieval Faversham is made.
Follow the evidence
- Our rich historyShepherd Neame · company history overview · accessed 2026-10-07
- Richard MarshShepherd Neame · company history · accessed 2026-10-07
- The Brewing Industry: KentHistoric England · heritage gazetteer drawing on industrial heritage survey · accessed 2026-10-07
- The CastlocksShepherd Neame · company history · accessed 2026-10-07
- Wealth of Secrets in Timbered StreetFaversham Town Council (host); article quoting Shepherd Neame archivist John Owen · local feature with attributed archivist comments; not primary record · accessed 2026-10-07