Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:
The Shearman’s Arms
The Shearmans Arms was not recorded by Daniell in the History Of Warminster but was listed by Halliday who stated that it was in existence in the early 1700s. He gave its location as Benjamin Everett’s house at Portway.
Everett was one of the last clothiers to operate in the Warminster area. His home at Portway is today two houses (Nos.40 and 42). The old entrance to this house is the door with the rounded arch over the top, currently at No.40. Its position is almost opposite the Newcastle Estate Offices.
This inn must date from the time when the clothing trade flourished in Warminster. A shearman was a person employed in the trade; his job was to trim the nap off the cloth with a large pair of mechanical shears.
An entry in Rambles In And Around Warminster (1883) states that the Brown family kept the Shearmans Arms at Portway during the 18th century.