Will Summary William Hollis of Great Marlow 1651

A messy will with heavy crossings out, notes squeezed into margins and some hard to read parts. I've done my level best with it!

 William Hollis, wheelwright of Great Marlow. Will written 1650. Proved 1651.

Weak of body but of good and perfect memory, thanks to God. Commends soul to Almighty God and the Holy Ghost.

Burial to be in a Christian manner as is seen fit by the will's executor.

To son Jerome and his heirs all the free land testator has had of late by agreement with John Hammond. These are part of  the lands purchased by the testator and John Hammond from Daniel Bankys. Also to him and his heirs all testator's free lands anywhere in the realm and all his leased lands ditto.

Beloved wife Joan instead of her dowry (which seems to be linked to some of those free lands) £30 to be paid in two £15 installments. The first installment to be within six months of his decease. Then Joan should leave son Jerome house. Six months after she does so the rest of the £15 to be paid. Also to Joan three pairs of sheets, two green ..., a high joined stool and two joined stools, a kettle which is next in size to the great kettle and also a small kettle, 2 pewter dishes and the pewter that was hers before marriage, the kitchen table, the trunk in the room where he lies, all her wearing apparel whether woollen or linen and her hats, stockings and shoes, three diaper napkins, half a dozen ?course? napkins, one pewter flagon.

Daughter Margaret £10 at marriage if she marries with the consent and liking of he older brother.  Plus £5 forty days after such a marriage.

Daughter Mary £5 to be paid to her in weekly installments from the week after testator dies.

Son Thomas, son in law William Raunce and son in law William Langley  £... each.

Residue of goods after debts and expenses paid to son Jerome who is the executor.

Will witnessed by John Langley and Elizabeth Sherley. Elizabeth made her mark rather than sign.

Summarized from a transcription I made from a will held at the National Archives, Kew.

Other wills on this blog can be found by looking at the Wills option on the menu. To find every mention of a person on the blog look for them in the Person Index. Look under Ollis too as people in this period did not routinely pronounce the letter h and so Hollis would be spoken "Ollis". 

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this transcription for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.

Queen's Head Little Marlow Historic Landlords.

Note that it has usually been stated that the Queen's Head began as the King's Head but changed name when Victoria ascended to the throne. However, there was a pub called the Queen's Head in Little Marlow some years before Victoria became queen and a pub called the King's Head continued to exist. I have heard that the two pubs agreed to swap names, but certain details don't quite match up, and it looks very much like the landlords around the time of the coronation were at odds with each other rather than co-operative. Below I simply give landlords and events listed at "The Queen's Head" on the understanding that these probably do not all refer to the same physical premises.

Gaps in dates are gaps in our knowledge.

1826 - pub "The Queen's Head" existed in Little Marlow.

1830 - 32 - Joshua Phillips landlord. He moved to the King's Head.

Until 1870 there is no further mention that we have found YET of the Queen's Head however James Twitchen who had the Queen's Head in 1872 had been a beer seller in the village from 1843 in premises that never seem to be given a name and it is probable for several reasons that he was in fact at the Queen's Head all the while. He opened his premises in 1842 after two cottages were knocked together to form a single property of sufficient rateable value to qualify as a licensed premises. He had been trying to get a licence for the property for a while but complained that his Liberal politics meant that he was deliberately rated under true value to thwart his business plans. Politics in Marlow were very corrupt and sometimes violent in this era so his claims of political persecution are very believable. Other cases are known. After he managed to start his beer shop, James said that a prosecution for him remaining open for longer hours than legally allowed was also politically motivated. The case was dismissed in court. The property he was using having been two domestic cottages up to that point, can't be the old Queen's Head pub unless having fallen out of use it had been converted into two cottages and James wanted to convert back. More likely it was simply a new site for a new pub. More research will hopefully bring some charity to this confusing situation. In particular we need certainty that James Twitchen's pub did indeed bear the name the Queen's Head before 1872. Joshua Phillips who was at the King's Head opposed Twitchen opening his pub as it would of course represent competition for him. The premises which James opened in 1843 stood next door to the shop of Henry Hussey. In 1863 James Twitchen of Little Marlow beer seller was also a job master. There was a younger James Twitchen, also a Liberal, and a publican in Great Marlow in this era. 

1872 - 78 James Twitchen as the Queens Head, but probably there years earlier, see above. In 1878 his son Henry took over.

1878 - 91 Henry Twitchen, son of James above. In 1878 he was accused of opening during forbidden hours. In 1885 he opened a little grocery shop next door as an additional to his business.

1891 - Moses Tranter took over.

1895 - beerhouse to let with immediate possession. Includes the little grocery shop too.

1896 - Henry Hester to  Thomas Hughes failed transfer. 2 . Henry Hester to Joseph Pope, briefly, then successful transfer this time to Thomas Hughes.

1897 - Thomas Hughes to George Taylor

1899 - up for sale.

1900- 07 George Taylor

1907 - George Taylor transferred licence to Henry Owen Alma Harris. 

1908 - Henry Owen Alma Harris transferred licence Fred Patterson (but note Pattenden given as his name later)

1910 - Fred Pattenden - (Patterson?) to William Foster, a proposed transfer of the licence to Arthur Turner having been refused. 

1920-  possibly William Foster 

1929 - T.R Whiting took over the licence.

1934- 1952 at least Frederick Hobbs and wife Bertha. They were previously at the  Crown skirmett. In the early 1950s the pub had a Thrift Club and Slate Clubs for both men and women. There were nearly 100 members to the Thrift Club alone in 1951.

1955 - Victor Woolmore.

Written by Charlotte Day. Researched by both Charlotte and Kathryn Day.

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

Sources Included:

1863 Dutton's Directory of Buckinghamshire etc

Bucks Free Press Nov 7th 1952, Bucks Free Press Archives.

England and Wales census 1851,61,71, 81, 91 transcribed from microfilm by Charlotte Day.

Bucks Gazette September 3rd 1842, British Library collection via the British Newspaper Archive.

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News October 14th 1843, as above

South Bucks Standard 11th October 1895 and 25th August 1899. British Library collection, London.

Personal Interview.

Empire Day in Edwardian Marlow

 Marlow's reaction to royal landmarks such as birthdays, weddings and jubilees could range from polite indifference by the majority to all out take-over-the-streets celebrations that you couldn't ignore even if you wanted to.  So it's no surprise that Empire related celebrations had somewhat mixed receptions too. But if you were a child in Edwardian Marlow, one event was very likely to feature in your annual school experience - Empire Day.  This was especially intended to instil feelings of patriotism in the young participants but it doesn't mean involvement was restricted to the youthful. In this era, Empire day was celebrated on Queen Victoria's birthday of May 24th even though the Queen had died before the event really took off as a national celebration. Marlow's recognition of the day seemed to actually decline as the Edwardian era progressed but it was not one of the towns where the celebrations spread widely beyond the school participants and their parents - the town church service excepted.  However there were always reports of at least some people decorating the outside of their home enthusiastically, and of business people ornamenting their premises for the day. In 1908 it was already noted that only a few homes displayed a Union Jack however. The following year an extra effort was made to build the event with more bunting erected in the High Street. 

One important element was to educate the children about the countries that made up the Empire. This often involved in one way or another the young dressing up as inhabitants of other nations in tableaux- with varying degrees of accuracy! They were on familiar form here as such dressing up was a favourite of Marlow missionary pageants, Sunday school entertainments and the like. 

The day nearly always followed a similar pattern from around 1906 - a procession by all the various schools up and down the High Street to the Causeway, a salute to the flag, a few (or quite a few) words from the Vicar and of course the singing of the national anthem. Generally a small crowd would gather to watch the events at the enclosure. There were sometimes reports that the schools would get their own flag staff and Union Jack but the point was always a public display of patriotism in the most visible place. Often a special effort was made to get the pupils dressed in patriotic colours or to accessorize their outfits with flowers. It would be completely unrealistic to have asked many of the families to provide a colour appropriate costume for the day.  Poverty was a part of far too many young Marlovians lives and the idea of  the children having a choice of smart outfits to choose from would not have occured to the teachers. Instead they tended to rely on cheaper red, white and blue ribbons, hat or cap accessories or sashes made up by benefactors. The good news for those perhaps enduring a speech too many was the half day holiday was generally allowed to the children. 

On the Sunday nearest the event, there were usually special services in the churches in the town. That in the parish church of All Saints was obviously the biggest, not least because invitations to attend were made to all the major groups and bodies in the town. It's fair to say, if your organization wore a uniform you were a shoo in for participation for any civic event and this was no exception.  Groups such as the Church Lads Brigade and the volunteer Fire brigade were present and correct.  Technically this was an event open to all rather than merely the Church of England congregation but the non conformist churches in town tended to have their own parade with the Salvation Army.  This was followed by a combined service often in the spacious Congregational Church (URC Oxford Rd). The non conformist Church Lads Brigade equivalent the Boys Life Brigade headed this "other" parade with their ever popular drum and fife band and of course the Salvation Army musicians. In 1908 the Salvation Army also held a separate outdoor service. 

At Bovingdon Green 

The children of Bovingdon Green school usually gathered on the green there to do their salute to the flag. They often ended with a charming display of dancing round a temporary maypole and so attracted quite an audience beyond the villagers. However they are also recorded as participating in Marlow's Empire Day parade on the same day, so they were perhaps the most active of all the participants! 

Plans Awry

In 1910, the funeral of Edward VII meant the Empire day celebrations were officially muted and recognised in Marlow only in a minor way. A representative group of  children from the church schools  went to the Causeway to sing some appropriate songs such as the inevitable "Flag Of Britain" but the flag waving banner carrying  procession was cancelled. The Bovingdon Green pupils did not come because their schoolmistress was unwell and there wasn't enough hands to marshall them. Those at Little Marlow assembled in their school playground to hear some improving thoughts on "responsibility, duty, sympathy and self sacrifice" - the "watch words" of Empire Day they said. Unfortunately the half day school holiday was cancelled as inappropriate for a country in mourning. It had originally been intended that 1910 would see a larger scale event in Marlow than previous, with sports and a special public tea. 

Then in 1911 it was decided that Empire Day could be marked as part of a combined day of celebration related to the coronation. So for the second year in a row there was no large scale children's parade. But relevant flags were flown on the Overseas League Flagstaff on the Causeway on May 24th and some shops and other premises were "dressed up". This was not the end of event though.  It was revived in 1913, continued throughout the First World War and featured largely in the 1920s and 30s. Some Marlow children received a special medal from the Empire Medal Association as a prize for loyal essays on empire related subjects. These were provided with the financial assistance of local benefactors. I have some of the winning entries from other areas and it will be no surprise to hear that they are not the product of education aiming for a critical or balanced view of the empire for it's members. 

NB The images of Edwardian Empire Day celebrations in Marlow I have been shown have proven to actually be of other events - understandably so given the common decorations, themes and activities. Others do not in fact show the town but I have some more to check and will upload later if possible. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day 

List of posts about general Marlow history including town celebrations such as coronations, jubilees, fetes etc here

To look for a specific ancestor see the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. 

Sources include:

A Pattern of Hundreds - Bucks Federation of Woman's Institutes (Richard Sadler Ltd, 1975)

Memories and/or information from Elsie Coster, Betty Wethered, Gus & Dennis Winterbourne, "Vivian", Michael Eagleton and one who wishes to remain anon. 

South Bucks Standard 29th May 1908, 21st May 1909, & 27th May 1910

South Bucks Free Press 8ty may 1908, 21st May 1909, 26th May 1911

Bucks Free Press 14th Jan 1927 

The Dominions Song Book, undated..

©MarlowAncestors