Recreated 1500s Trade Directory (with some extra research notes)

Alehouse Keepers - see also innkeepers

Joan "Johan" Hill 1577. 

Thomas Swetifer 1577. A man of this name was mentioned as one of the overseers of the will of Robert Cocke alias Overshott / Overshote of Marlow, written late 1558, proved 1559.

William Vesy or Veasey  or Veysey 1577.

Alehouses did not serve wine. They were domestic houses opened up by licenced (after 1552) individuals for the sale of  home brewed ale and beer. Usually the lady of the household was the brewer. You could not necessarily drink within the walls of the ale house - some were takeaway only. It was forbidden to allow games or gambling on the premises.

Bailiff of Marlow

Elizeus Fuller 1508, in Marlow by 1487. Not necessarily in the position of bailiff back then but probably was. Elizeus would have collected rents and any fines levied at the manor court and assisted the sheriff in matters of law and order. His was a position that required literacy.

Bakers 

Andrew Hilliard /Hillyarde/ Hellyarde 1567.

Bargemen

Peter Gaffney 1508. A very wealthy man.  One with this name wrote a will in 1543 but this may be a son or other relative as that Peter was in 1543 a woodmonger rather than bargeman. However it is not impossible that he offered his wood barge as a cargo vessel when not transporting wood so could have been considered to be following both trades. A transcription of that 1543 will is to appear on this blog later this year.

John Salter who had died in recent years in 1596. 

John Seamer / Seymour 1585.

Blacksmiths

John Bampton 1579.

Butchers

Ralph Moore 1582. A man of this name still lived in Marlow in the early 1600s. Possible death 1629.

John Warre 1570.

Carpenters

Robert Devyn 1508.

John Ferne 1529.

Drapers

John Burges 1529.

These were cloth merchants either wholesale or retail. 

Glovemakers

Richard Warren, High Street 1565.

Gloves were worn to protect the hands of those doing certain jobs as well as being worn as fashion accessories by both men and women. They could be extremely expensive, especially if bought ready perfumed as "sweet gloves". Pairs might be fashioned from leather, velvet or silk.

Husbandmen and Farmers

John Carter 1508.

John Collard 1508.

John Holton 1592. See yeoman below.

John Kene 1513.

William Lambden 1589.

Richard Lovejoy (Little Marlow) 1561, possibly at Monkton Farm.

Margaret and Reynold Shirwood, both died 1528. Reynold is in the 1524 will of his brother David/Davey here. More on this couple in the future.

Christopher West 1551 (town taxpayers in 1528 included a Thomas West and a Richard West).

Innkeepers

Thomas Baites  1577.

John Fletcher 1577.

John Mathew 1577. This family name most often occurs as Mathewe in the 1500s in Marlow. The name was present in the town by the 1400s.

Roger Smith, the Crown (Upper Crown) 1596. Also shoemaker, a common pairing of occupations at this time! A man of this name lived in Marlow in the early 1600s too.

Inns were higher status than ale houses with more choice of drink, often traveller accommodation and usually some food the latter of which was very basic or absent in an alehouse. A licence was required after 1552 to run an inn. Just after our period, in 1603, the ability of townsfolk to use their own inns and other drinking establishments was severely limited by act of parliament. The authorities emphasized that the original reason for the establishment of such places was simply to give travellers shelter and sustenance while passing through a place rather than to give locals social drinking opportunities. Town residents were allowed to be served in drinking places only as the invited guest of a passing traveller or if as a labourer or artisan they needed to drink and eat during their lunch hour on a work day.  It is apparent that the law was at least sometimes circumvented or ignored. 

Millwrights

John Jordan 1580. 

These built and performed maintenance on mills. 

Shoemakers

Mathew Price 1570, High Street.

Roger Smith (also at the Crown, see above).

Weavers

John Bincks /Byncks 1534.

Christopher Gray 1508.

William Priece 1508 - there were some Welsh people connected to Marlow with the last name Ap Rhys or Ap Reece in this era which may explain the origin of his last name. William may be the William Odrington alias Priest whose will is at the National Archives. This William also appears as William Preest and and William Odrington alias Pryste.

Woodmongers

Peter Gaffney. Died 1543. His will is due to appear on the blog next year. If this will is important to you please contact Charlotte and she will post it sooner. See below under Mathew Dignam for more on Peter.

Yeomen

John Cockar (Little Marlow) 1594

Thomas Colard 1529. In 1524 one of the wealthiest men to appear on the lay subsidy rolls for Great Marlow.

Mathew / Mathie Dignam 1582. The normal pronunciation for the name Mathew would have been "mat-ee" hence the variant spelling which may look odd to modern eyes. Mathew was the son of Thomas and Cecily Dignam of Amersham. His mother Cecily was the daughter of John Jerrard of Amersham, who also had property in Beaconsfield. Thomas Dignam had Marlow property though he was based in Amersham. He is the Thomas Dignam who was left a house in Marlow in the will of Peter Gaffney in 1543. This property, it was alleged, was sold by Thomas to Tucher Spencer but Mathew Dignam refused to believe this or give it up following his father's death. The issue was unsettled at the time of Tucher's own death in 1584. I have a digital copy of Peter Gaffney's will and it will appear on the blog next year. Matthew also had a brother called Thomas. A Ralf Dygnam presumably another relative lived in Marlow in 1524.

Robert Draper. His wife Agnes, known as Agnes Farmer alias Draper was a widow by 1579. He left her a house in the High St which she eventually let out to others. She died in 1592. The couple had sons James and Thomas Farmer alias Draper. James inherited his mother's house in Marlow. Thomas was M.P for High Wycombe in 1563. Both sons had property in Cookham as well as Marlow and seem to have lived in both places at different times. The Marlow property of Thomas included mills at Gossmore and the the minor estate of Bradlyes in Cookham. Thomas was married to a Margaret in the 1550s but based on the quarterings of the coat of arms displayed by his son and heir John it is speculated that he was also married to a daughter of John Barker of Wokingham which would be an Anne or a Bridget. Thomas Farmer alias Draper died in 1608 / 09. It is likely that he is the Thomas Farmer of Marlow appointed in 1588 as one of the overseers of the will of William Rice Esquire of Medmenham near Marlow.

John Holton 1592. Possible death 1610. Is he also the glovemaker mentioned above?

John Littlepage (Little Marlow) 1594.

John Lynne or Linne 1579. Also a man of this name had a close of land off West Street in 1577 and one of that name was resident somewhere in Marlow in 1580. These mentions may all relate to one man or to several identically named relatives. It is of course difficult to tell for sure.

Peter Phyllps / Phillips 1565. A Peter Phyllips was described as "of Medmenham" and a tailor in 1568 and appears to be the same man as the 1565 Peter of Marlow. He owned some land in Marlow town centre. Peter was the son of a Thomas Phillips who died in 1549, and the brother of Richard Phillips who also had some Marlow property.

Thomas Ponde, active by 1587 when he sold Blounts Farm. Will proved 1597. Wife Mildred. His will is transcribed on the blog here. 

Michael Turnor 1577. The Turnor family (presuming every Turnor was related) were one of the most prominent middling families of Marlow at the time. The spelling Turnor and not Turner is consistent. Michael at one point lived in a house next to the churchyard. The next occupant of that house was John Ponde son of Thomas Ponde above.

Robert Ward, 1582, lived High Street. 

Gentry, clergy and labourers not included.

A post all about life in 1500s Marlow will appear on the blog soon.

Compiled by Charlotte Day. ©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use my research for local or family history purposes with credit to this blog.

Sources:

Property deeds, wills

Records of Buckinghamshire volume 8 1903 p456.

The Urban Experience: A Sourcebook : English, Scottish, and Welsh Towns, 1450-1700. Kiribati, Manchester University Press, 1983.

The Soveraigns Prerogative and the Subjects Priviledge. Comprised in Severall Speeches, Cases, and Arguments of Law Discussed Between Our Late Soveraign Lord King Charles, and the Most Eminent Persons of Both Houses of Parliament etc Together with the Grand Mysteries of State etc compiled by Thomas Fuller. Published by Henry Marsh, 1660 London.

https://www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk/?view=article&id=704&catid=32 (licensing acts).

Beckett Graves, Great Marlow. St Peters Roman Catholic Church

 

James Beckett d. June 15? 1906

Age ? 

Henry Beckett, d. Feb 22 1869 aged ?0 years

See the Graves Index for similar posts on Great Marlow, Little Marlow, Hurley and Bisham people.

©Marlow Ancestors. Reproduction welcome with credit.

The Football Loving Vicar

 If you stand at the ropes of the Marlow F.C ground in the 1880s cheering on the team, you have to have your wits about you. If you don't look out you may be mowed down by an energetic gentleman running up and down the lines waving an umbrella about in enthusiastic manner. Don't be tempted to let out an expletive though, because the athletic gent is none other than the vicar of Great Marlow - the Rev Arthur Fearon. 

"Never was there such a football loving vicar" 

So said the Maidenhead Advertiser in 1888. 

Arthur arrived in Marlow in 1881 from Hungerford where he has been curate. At his induction the congregation of All Saints were exhorted to make enough contributions to cover the church expenses and to support their new vicar with "fidelity and zeal". Arthur was quickly showed his own zeal for the football club. He was soon elected one of their many vice presidents. This was almost a given given his position in the town, but the club were fortunate to have gained the support of someone genuinely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the sport. Arthur was not always able to watch the entirety of a match but he was said to have noticed on a few occasions that his arrival coincided with a flurry of goals. So he did his best to act as a lucky charm and attend the stickier matches both home and away. 

He especially encouraged the young boys of the town to play the game. He was the head of the junior division of the Berk & Bucks FA, and later the senior division too. The former held a Jubilee football competition in Marlow in 1887 with Arthur also on the organising committee. 

He could also be found playing cricket for Marlow, e.g in the fun High Street vs West Street matches that were a favourite of our Victorian residents. Arthur played for the High Street team as the Vicarage was in the Causeway.

A ducking in the river 

Our vicar could also be frequently found on the river, helping to organise the regatta and acting in various roles as regards that. At the 1885 regatta he accidentally fell into the river from his punt. He was attempting to rescue a well lubricated man who'd jumped off the bridge during an event. The jumper was in danger as he was trying to swim amongst the boats and then disappeared under the water. The Rev reached too far forward in an attempt to fetch the man out but another managed to haul the victim up by his hair. 

Up the Matterhorn 

Arthur was also a keen climber with a passion for trips to the Swiss Alps (as was nearby Vicar F T Wethered of Hurley. Both were elected to the Alpine Clubs.) It was proudly reported that he had made the first descent of Mont Blanc of the season in 1884 accompanied by an unnamed Swiss guide. Reports of these expeditions made their way home to Marlow so his parishioners could track his progress. An ascent of the Matterhorn went well but Arthur reported that the descent took 8 hours and he was left with 3 inch icicles hanging from his hat which was tied on by a silk handkerchief. He praised the intelligence and skill of his Swiss guide which meant he arrived back at his accommodation "warm and happy". Later than year the equipment that Arthur used on those climbs was displayed at a fundraiser at the Marlow Institute (now Marlow Library). 

Parish duties 

Arthur was regarded as "in touch" with the working man as he was familiar with socialising with them to some degree at the football ground. This was not at all usual in those days. He was naturally in a fortunate position to enjoy lengthy foreign trips away from his duties but for the majority of his time he seems to have worked hard to look after the less well off. The winter of 1886 was a very harsh and cold one with lingering snows and frost putting many of the labourers entirely out of work at the very time their heating costs were at the highest. The Fearons organised a soup kitchen then to offer a heavily subsidised hot meal to the poor families. The church's heating bill was so high that year that after an appeal for extra donations did not raise enough, it was announced the church would only be heated for Sunday services. Those attending on weekdays would just have to shiver through. 

Arthur also acted as one of Marlow's guardians of the poor for the Wycombe Union until he chose not to seek re-election in 1889. 

Mrs Elizabeth Fearon started a parish sewing class which made articles to sell at events, in aid of their foreign missions. She was called a "model vicar's wife" which was high praise indeed. A frequent donor of cash and goods to the cottage hospital, and a regular visitor to their outpatients it is not surprising that the sick were said to have lost a good friend when she left town. 

Controversy? 

During his time at Marlow Arthur instigated a lot of repairs and improvements to the church. Some of it could not be avoided such as repairs to the north porch where the brickwork was "very unsound" and essential maintenance to the organ. Other work caused a few grumbles that it was generating unnecessary expense which was to be paid for by the congregation - such a new roof for the aisle and nave, and the removal of the high pews, both completed in 1889. Improvements had been ongoing at the parish church for a long time, and many people were simply fed up with it being altered - especially if they had to put their hands in their pockets to finance it. 

 Later that year it was rumoured that Arthur had resigned. The vicar may have been strategic. He said it was true that he was going to leave Marlow but only because he had been offered a new post at Blewbury in Berkshire. He had been in charge 9 years. Reporting on his farewell celebration, the Windsor & Eton Express said that "however opinions may differ about the course Mr Fearon felt it his duty to take, no one can honestly and truthfully charge him with shirking in any way the conscientious  and energetic performance of his duty regardless of the consequences". This suggests that Arthur's removal may have been strategic. Were they referring to the upset caused by the church improvement work in some quarters or something else? His replacement at Marlow the Rev H O Fearnley Whittingstall said in his opening sermon, after referring to the recent cosmetic alteration of the church, that it was now time to concentrate on spiritual matters. 

A subscription was raised to give  Arthur a parting gift of a silver tea pot and salver. Mrs Fearon received a gift from the Sunday school children of a diamond and moonstone studded gold bracelet. 

After they left, news of Arthur continued to feature in the local papers. In 1894 he transferred to Horton in Bucks. When he retired age 65 after 14 years there, the Fearons decided to return to Marlow in their retirement. They took up residence at Caldwell Lodge in Station Road. In 1916 the "lover of manly sport" died at his home. A few months later his widow left the town and she died in Sussex in 1920. She was however buried in Marlow. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day 

Further information: 

To find information about  Marlow's churches and chapels and various minister biographies see the index here

To find all mentions of an individual here, use the A-Z index in the top drop down menu. 

Sources:

Marlow Directory and Almanack 1907 & 1915

Kelly's Directory 1883 & 1911

Census returns from the transcript by Jane Pullinger with thanks. 

Reading Mercury 18th March & 17th June 1916. 

Bucks Free Press 19th July 1920

South Bucks Standard 14th January 1886, 13th June, 5th September & 7th November 1890, 25th November 1909

Maidenhead Advertiser 16th July, 13th August & 12th November 1884, 25th August 1886, 23rd March & 5th October 1887, 19th September 1888

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News 23rd April, 9th & 30th July 1881, 12th July 1884

© MarlowAncestors