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Historical Bucks County Woman-Owned Property & Enterprise: Newtown’s Margaret Gale Thornton, Part 4

As we conclude our dedication to Women’s History Month, we hope you have enjoyed learning how Margaret employed some of the same skills that are necessary to successfully operate a business today. There is more to learn about her and her business ventures in Newtown, particularly with her purchase of additional properties near the Courthouse. Today, the Newtown Historical Association provides Heritage Walks and tours of the Half-Moon Inn in her honor. We will feature additional revelations about Margaret Thornton on our Untold Stories website, set to debut in April.

More Than Just an Innkeeper:

After the death of her husband, the Half-Moon Inn was seized for public sale by Sheriff William Yardley to repay its two mortgage holders. Margaret set out to repurchase the Half-Moon Inn, the property along with its building, her home and business. Margaret had publicly demonstrated her keen abilities for tavern and innkeeping in Newtown since 1733. Frankly, despite her outstanding reputation and public image, it would still have been difficult for Margaret to have saved enough money to buy back the Half-Moon Inn outright by simply managing the inn on her own as a widow. She would need to do more to achieve her goals. She would need to leverage her talent and resources to make this transaction happen.

After the death of her husband, the Half-Moon Inn was seized for public sale by Sheriff William Yardley to repay its two mortgage holders. Margaret set out to repurchase the Half-Moon Inn, the property along with its building, her home and business. Margaret had publicly demonstrated her keen abilities for tavern and innkeeping in Newtown since 1733. Frankly, despite her outstanding reputation and public image, it would still have been difficult for Margaret to have saved enough money to buy back the Half-Moon Inn outright by simply managing the inn on her own as a widow. She would need to do more to achieve her goals. She would need to leverage her talent and resources to make this transaction happen.

Perhaps because Joseph Thornton died without a will, Margaret assumed the role of administratrix and took on his debt. Margaret may have been aided in her efforts to repurchase the Half-Moon Inn by members of her extended family. In today’s terms, she was “well connected.”
● Sheriff William Yardley would have worked closely with Margaret’s son, the former Sheriff and future Justice, Joseph Thornton, Jr.
● Margaret’s daughter, Lucy, was married to Samuel Yardley, brother of Sheriff William Yardley.
● Amos Strickland, Sr., another former Sheriff of Bucks County, and County Commissioner, also had multiple ties to the Thornton family.

Margaret’s name would later be aptly displayed on the prestigious “List of Persons Praying Recommendations to the Honorable John Penn, Esq., to be Licensed to keep Public Houses in the County of Bucks,” from the June session in 1766. In William Penn’s “Body of Laws,” he proclaimed that no ordinary tavern could be kept without a license, which must be obtained from the governor. While the licenses were freely granted, some were refused on the grounds that the inn or tavern was not necessary or that its keeper was not deemed proper. Undeterred, Margaret leveraged her business experience and connections to be approved for licensure upon first application.

During her time as a widow, Margaret Thornton continued to operate the inn as a stable and reliable social outlet for Bucks County residents. According to Thornton family genealogy, “Margaret was a capable woman, and a more successful innkeeper than her husband had been.”

*Featured Image: https://www.newtownhistoric.org/visit/walking-tours/newtown-heritage-walk/