I've been trolling through old newspaper. John Davis was at the Star Inn, Battle, in 1861.
Then this:
Sussex Advertiser 10 February 1864
Transfer of License
The license of the Star Inn, Battle, was temporarily transferred from John Davis to John Pelling Woolgar.
I can't find him ever coming back.
The Star Inn, Battle appears randomly in newspapers up until the 1940's, but none of them give an exact location.