This town pub was a brewery in 1546 by Deryck Carver, a Flemish immigrant. Anti-Catholic meetings were held here, with eventually Carver was arrested. Carver became the first Protestant martyr when he was burned at the stake at Lewes in 1555. The present Black Lion was rebuilt in 1974, using much of the original cobbles and slates and the 16th century cellars remain. One barman, working alone in the cellars, saw a number of beer crates being moved around as though being pushed by someone. On other occasions, reserve gas cylinders that had been left tied to a wall with straps, were scattered across the floor. However, the straps were still locked in place. A building worker on renovation here awoke one night in his room with a start. He could see a figure in his room, lit up by the streetlights outside the pub. This apparition walked around his room before disappearing. Since the 1940s, it has been maintained the ghost of Deryck Carver, the religious martyr, haunts the cellar.