Will Summary Hierom Gregory of Little Marlow 1675

Transcription by me from a will held at the National Archives, Kew and then summarised here. If you use this summary please credit to this blog but please feel free to do so.

HIEROM GREGORY, CURATE, OF LITTLE MARLOW. WILL PROVED 1675. WRITTEN 1674. [Note in other records name can be given as Hieron but is usually Hierom]

Says he weak in body but of good and perfect mind and memory.

Puts soul into hands of Almighty God.

To be buried at discretion of his executor who is his son Isaac.

Oldest son Hierom excused debt he owes plus given 5 shillings.

Edward Dunkley husband of testator's daughter Hannah excused £20 debt he owes him.

John Dunkley son of the above given £5 for his apprenticeship.

Testator's daughter Rebecca Beesley, wife of Thomas Beesley, clerk*, £50 plus household goods comprising [amongst some things I could not make out] 2 silver spoons, one dozen of the best napkins, a featherbed, 2 feather bolsters, 2 pillows, 2 pillow covers, the best sheets, 2 joined stools, the great green chair, the low red chair and a needlework cushion. Thomas himself got "the first act from the Book of Martyrs" and all Latin books testator has.

Grandchildren Charles, John and Hannah Beesley £5 each.

Daughter in law * Sarah Mark £5

Kinswoman Anne Slaughter £5

Rest of goods and chattels to son Isaac who is the executor.

Will overseers his loving brother William Bailey of Oxford and kinsman Jeremy Gregory citizen of London.

Witnessed by John Cook and Elizabeth Bulter.

*Language has changed since the 1600s. Be aware the term clerk meant vicar as well as someone in administration. The term daughter in law was used for both a step child and for a woman married to your son. As I have not researched this family further I can't say what is meant specifically by the writer of this will.

Most wills of this period had both executors and overseers. To be excused a debt you owed the will writer was also common.

Will transcription and post by Charlotte Day.

To find every mention of a person on this blog use the Person Index option on the drop down menu.

So far this blog contains mention of

125

people from or associated with Marlow.

Where in Great Marlow Was....? Part 1

I have used period sources to judge this so as to be accurate. Part Two here and no Three here. Four here Five here

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to reuse this research if you link back here and credit this source. 

Albion Cottages- West Street. Formed by the division of Albion House. Listed once as 6 cottages but looks more like 3 in all other records. According to some references it was actually built as three in the first place.

Alma Passage Off Dean Street. No longer exists. Adjacent to the Alma public house. 

Arzees Lane - ran from Chapel Str to the cemetery area, bordering Rookery Park. Aka Rookery Lane and Lammas Lane. Hawes Lane refers to its continuation along the side of the cemetery towards what we call Oak Tree Rd. 

Ashurst- a house Station Road.

Ashleigh- house Cromwell Gardens  and later also in Spinfield Lane. 

Ashton Villa- Wycombe Road. Extant but not outwardly named and knocked into the house next door.

Barada Cottages /Barrada Cottages - Dean Street. I believe they were in portion of Rd near Primrose Lea. Demolished. 

Beaufort Cottage- A house with entrance from what is now Beaumont Rise. Backs onto Claremont Road. Extant. Post about the Smith family who lived there in Victorian times here

Bencombe Farm- entrance to Marlow Bottom. Extant buildings but a brewery now not a working farm. History and list of occupiers here

Berwick Buildings- small row of brick terraced houses in Berwick Road. Extant but no longer collectively named.

Berwyn Appartments- Glade Road.

Beulah Cottages- Queen's Road. Demolished.

Bokpara- a house Little Marlow Road.

Bridge Street / Old Bridge Street - occur in some Victorian sources as alternative names for St Peter's Street, known before that as Duck Lane.

Brook Street / Brooks Street- now Station Road but was then of shorter length in terms of development. Has also been called Railway Road, and  Strong Beer Lane before the station was built. Can also be referred to as St Peter's Street - the road to which it originally curved around into with little onward road beyond that turning. This is how the 1843 tithe map refers to the street. And a few early sources refer to it as Pound Lane, (it was the location of the Pound, near Marlow Place) which exists as a separate road now but the two roads would run into each other crossing the High Street.

Burnham Villa- Glade Road.

Cambridge Terrace-  row of houses in Cambridge Road. Extant but no longer collectively named.

Cannon's Row- row of six cottages owned by George Cannon at his death. Located in Mill Road. After George's death name changed to Platts Row presumably because of new owner's name. Post about the history of Cannon's Row and its people here

Carlton Villa- Station Road. 

Cemetery Road- early name for Wethered Road, which leads to the cemetery.

Chapel End- Chapel Street, part furthest away from the town (mostly) in 1800s records, less precise earlier. On rare occasions also is called Church Street, although this can also refer post 1852 to Wethered Rd. 

Church Passage- between what is now the Causeway and St Peter's Street. Properties here sometimes refered to as being located at Thameside or St. Peters Str. 

Church Street- on rare occasions Chapel Street is called this. A couple of uses also can be found for what is now Wethered Rd getting this name as it lead to Holy Trinity church. 

Cleeveville- a house New Town Road.

The Cottage  - large house off Oxford Road, previously Oxford Lane. There was also a Oxford Cottage nearby but much smaller at 3 bedrooms as opposed to 8-9. Aka Quoiting House. 

Crescent Cottages- Duke's Place.

Creswell /Cresswell Cottages- usually refers to what is now called Creswell Row, off Cambridge Road. More usually known as Creswell's Row in the past. However the Victorian Cres(s)well family also owned 4 cottages in Cambridge Rd near the gas works and 8 in Queens Rd on the south side so Creswell cottages could also refer to these. 

The Croft- off Henley Road. Original name (1700s) Gildernscroft. Later called Townsend Cottage or The Croft. In more recent years has reverted to an approximation of the original and is called "Gyldernscroft".

Croft Cottage- Pound Lane. Extant.

Dean Lane, Dene Lane, Deen Lane Dean Street, in the 16 and 1700s. Was also called "Dean Lane Alias Well End" or "Dean Street Alias Well End" or Well End Street up to the mid 1800s.  Not to be confused with the hamlet of Well End near Little Marlow/ Bourne End, which was also part of Great Marlow parish. Dean Street continued into what we now call Munday Dean Lane, which can also be referred to as just Dean Lane in later 1800s records.

Duck Lane- now St Peters Street, occasionally referred to as Bridge Street or Old Bridge Street in the 1800s. Duck Lane and St Peter's Street were however used at the same time, with Duck Lane in use for the river end, and St Peter's Street for the Parsonage end, also encompassing Marlow Place. 

Elmcroft- house Little Marlow Road.

Elm Villas - Portland Gardens

Fairfield Villa- Station Road.

Fair View House- Glade Road. Maintains original name.

Fernlea- a house Beaumont Rise.

Fern Villa- Station Road. N.B there is also The Ferns at Little Marlow. Also The Ferns/Fern House, Glade Rd. Fern Villa was used as private short term lodging house pre WW1 under Mrs Durrell. "Terms moderate". 

Four Cedars- a house in Portland Gardens.

The Gardens- Row of houses set back from the roadway on Henley Road, just before Gyldernscroft on the opposite side of the road. They have unusually long front gardens. Extant but not collectively named today.

Garrison House / The Garrison- a reasonably substantial house existing  by the mid 1790s in Gun Lane as was, now called Trinity Road. It got its name from its former use as a military Garrison in the 1770s. The building was later allegedly the laundry building for the Royal Military College. After that institution left the Garrison was sub-divided into tenements and let to the poor. The Garrison was also used for the general area around the house, referring to its former grounds.

Gas Alley- colloquial name for Marefield Passage as reported in 1903 court case. No longer exists.

Globe House- nothing to do with the modern building of that name in the industrial estate. Rather, a long demolished house on the High Street. The entrance arch to Liston Court shopping area marks the site of it's previous own side entrance arch which dated from at least the 1780s, sadly. The house lands were later used for New Court house. 

Glynde Cottage - Glade Rd 

Goblin's Pitts- seems to be off Pound Lane, with properties in West Street especially near Potlands said to back onto this area in 1500s documents.

Gun Lane or Gunne Lane- now Trinity Road. Also Gounne Lane. History of this street here

Gun Place-  off Gun Lane above. This address no longer exists, nor any buildings that were in it. Chapel Street side of the lane close to the boundary with the Rookery gardens (which are now a park).

Harleford- Early spelling of Harleyford. One of Marlow's manors. 

Hatches Row- no longer exists. Row of eleven houses in Dean Street. Built by Hatch family, and sold off by Mrs Hatch in 1844.

The Hayes- early name for Hayes Place and a little behind it.

Hill View Cottages- Queen's Road. Two cottages. Left hand side if coming in from Dean Street. Quite close to that end of the road. Demolished.

The Homestead- a cottage Newtown Road, a house in West Street, also a large Edwardian built house of unknown location. Very generic Victorian / 1900s name so other incarnations of this are possible.

Horns Inn Yard- by the Horns pub, Chapel Street. Also Horns Lane. 

Ivy Cottage- Station Road. 

Jubilee Cottages- Newtown Road. Extant.

Jubilee Terrace- Dean Street. Demolished. 9 houses. Owned in 1890s by Mr E Riley namesake of Riley recreation ground. 

Kensington Cottage - Glade Rd, extant. 

The Kentons AKA Kenton Villas- 4 houses in Glade Road. (2 pairs of semi detached cottages) Two survive. Kenton House was adjacent to this but detached and it's address may be given as Victoria Road .

Kimberley House- Newtown Road. Later a shop. Can also be seen recorded as Kimberlea. 

Laburnum Villas- Glade Road.

Langley's Pitt- Behind Hatches Row, Dean Street. Vanished.

The Laurels- Beaumont Rise.

Lee Cottage- Victoria Road.

Leek House- Glade Road.

Leighton House- Glade Road. Extant. Former school. History here

Limbrook- house by St Peter's Street and a wharf near it. Not the same as Lymbrook - see Thames Lawn. 

The Limes- Glade Road. Post about this house here

Linbrook Gardens- a house Mill Road. 

Linton Villa- Wycombe Road. Extant but not labelled.

Lyle House- Glade Road. Used as a Victorian private school for a while, and when the school moved to Station Rd, it took the Lyle House School name with it at first. 

Marefield-  area between modern Queens Road and Cambridge Road, something of a warren. A rough neighborhood in it's centre, not so much at fringes. 

Marefield Place- off Queens Road, other side of it from rest of Marefield. Maps show it to seemingly only have foot access. No part of it exists.

Melrose Villa- Glade Road. Also semi detached house called Melrose West Street.

Mill Lane- now approximately Mill Road (which has also been called in part Platts Road). Also I have one 1800s reference to what is now Glade Road where that road, not then built up, is called "the road to Marlow Mills" so don't discount that possibility of reference.

Model Cottage- Duke's Place.

Newfields- house Beaumont Rise?. 

New Road- very briefly in their early development Newtown Road, Queens Road and Claremont Road were all referred to as this. It was common everywhere for roads to receive proper names only after reasonable housing development had occurred in them.

The New Town- Newtown Road area, including nearby early development in Little Marlow Road, not just Newtown Road itself originally. That road was first called Straight Horse Road and was a created service road meant to aid the development of that area. E.G Holland Rd may be called New Town early on.  Also an area off Spinfield Lane beyond Spinfield Lodge on one 1830s map.

Oxenford Lane- earliest known name for Oxford Lane, now Oxford Road.

Oxford Cottage- In Oxford Road. NOT THE SAME AS THE COTTAGE, which was near it in Oxford Road.

Oxford House-  Oxford Road house.

Oxford Lane- originally Oxenford Lane, now Oxford Road.

Oxford Terrace- Row of houses, Oxford Road. Left hand side if coming from West Street end of the road.

Panton Villas- in Glade Road. Two houses. Extant. Dated 1865. Post about the Nutt family who lived there here

Park Villas- Portland Gardens and Wycombe Road! The Wycombe Road ones had at least 4 houses in them.

Parkfields "New Town" 

Parsonage Farm- off what we now call Station Road just past the entrance to St Peter's Street, near Marlow Place. Built over.

Platts Row/ Platts Road- cottages in what is now Mill Road (previously Mill Lane) but in the cottages' early days they could have a vague address. Originally called Cannons Row. Often given sub address Station Road which Mill Road leads off. Extant. The name comes from the vanished Platts Farm almost on that spot.

Potlands or Potland's Alley, rarely also Portland's Lane or Portland's Alley- now usually rendered Portlands Alley. No longer a street address but still a right of way. Very early records of Potlands seem possibly to refer to a wider area. Portland Gardens was an Edwardian development comprising Portland, Park and Elm Villas at first, partly in what was previously known as Mr Hewett's  or Ralf's meadow. More about the area here

Prospect Row- usually referring to first houses in what is now Prospect Road off Queens Road. This was also called Marefield Place early on before morphing first to Prospect Place and then Prospect Road. However I have seen two references to cottages in Wycombe Road near where there was once Prospect House as "The row of Prospect Cottages". See here for a post featuring featuring some residents

Providence Place- off Dean Street, a little after what is now Trinity Road going away from town, before you reached the Nags Head. Led to an early Baptist place of worship and a few other buildings. Aka Providence Court. 

Quarrydale- house Newtown Road. Quarrydale estate had frontages on Westhorpe and Holland Rds. 

Quarry View - boarding house, New Town, New Town Road and surrounding areas. Built as workman's cottages circa 1896 then knocked together and refronted to make large boarding house. Suffered severe fire 1902. 

Quarry Wood House- not to be confused with Quarry Wood Cottage or Quarry Wood Hall. A house in Station Road, also let as "apartments", and in use as a school. 

Quoiting Place or The Quoiting Place- now Quoiting Square. Common early spelling is Coiting. 

Railway Road- previously Brook(s) Street or Strong Beer Lane. It became known as Railway Road briefly after Marlow Station was erected before the name Station Road stuck instead.

The Rookery- demolished house off Chapel Street . See my post The Atkinsons of the Rookery here

Rose Cottages- Newtown Road. Not to be confused with Rose Villa. A later Rose Cottage  could be found in Station Rd/Dedmere Road.

Rose Villa- Institute Road. 2. Beaumont Rise (latter is more accurate description to us now) 3. Chapel Street (Edwardian) Also earlier Rose Villas (1870's) at uncertain location, possibly Glade Road. 

Schoolhouse Close- off West Street. Land not a street address.

Soho Terrace- two houses together in Beaumont Rise. Extant. Post about the railway staff who used to lodge there here

South View- house Little Marlow Road. Not in Southview Road. 

Spinfield Lodge- early and longest serving name for Spinfield House, a demolished property in the Spinfield area of Marlow. Modern replacement dates from 1938.  Not to be confused with The Lodge, Spinfield which was that property's gardener's lodge. Occasionally known as Spinfield Villa or Spinfield Park in first half 19thc. History of the house here

Spittalcrofts- near Lane End, and about 2 and half miles from Marlow. Spittal Croft farm is near Red Barn Farm. 

Springfield- Henley Road. And later Station Rise. Also common "corrected" misspelling of Spinfield Lodge/ House. 

Stanley House- Little Marlow Road. Extant. 

Star Meadow- now built over. Off Wycombe Road. 

St Peter's Court- off St Peter's Street. One of the most deprived areas of Marlow in the 1800s. Plagued by disease because of dirty river water contamination of wells and sewage problems, it was demolished as a mini slum in the 1870s. Post about this sad place here

Straight Horse Road -  Original name for Newtown Road, which was created as a service road. Formalised in Marlow Enclosure award 1853.  Became New Town Rd 1902. 

Strong Beer Acre- bordered Station Road. Can include Mill Rd. 

Strong Beer Lane- Station Road, but perhaps only the section nearest the station with the rest called Brook/Brooks Street. Pound Lane is also in early common use for what is now Station Rd, and a continuation of old Pound Lane across the High Street. 

St Thomas's Street-  used as an alternative name for Spittal Street, specifically for section containing The Greyhound. Some sources use both Spittal Street and St. Thomas Str in the same document, for different parts of the street. 

Sun Dial Cottage- original name of Dial Cottage. Near the parish church on the Causeway.

Sunlight Cottages- row of cottages by Klondyke. 

Sunnycroft- a house in Institute Road, still bears this name.  

Sunnybank(s)- house by the river, near the bridge. Nowhere near the modern street address Sunnybank.

Sunnyside- a house Bovingdon Green.

The Swallows- a house Little Marlow Road, new name for Prospect House.

Thames Bank- today refers to only one riverside house in Marlow but in the 1800s and early 1900s this was both the name of that particular house AND a address used by nearby riverside properties in the area of Marlow Lock. Note too: Thames Bank house became known as Thames Lawn after 1914 or later  having pinched the name of another house close to it which burnt down in 1897, and though rebuilt did not reclaim its name for long. (This replacement for the original Thames Lawn by the lock is now named Three Gables)  Both version of Thames Lawn could be referred to as "Thames Lawn, Thames Bank, Great Marlow ". How's that for confusion? Known as Lymbrook from at least 1869, however the old name of Thames Bank also remained in use. Lingering use of Lymbrook also remains even after the house became Thames Lawn, with last use found in 1939. 

Thames Villa- Station Road.

Thrift Cottages- in Oxford Road which was previously called Oxford Lane. Cottages still exist.

Town Farm- Off West Street. Some buildings exist but it is not now a farm. 

Townsend Cottage- much bigger than a cottage! Now Gyldernscroft. Previously also known as The Croft. Original name was Gildernscroft (1600s).

Trinity Cottages- by Holy Trinity church off what was then Gun Lane, now Trinity Road. Backing on to what is now Wethered Road. The cottages predate the church so must have had an earlier name. Extant.

Trinity Place- Previously referred to as Gun Place. Off what was then Gun Lane and is now Trinity Road. No buildings of Trinity Place exist. It's a car park!

Valley View- house Little Marlow Road.

Vine Cottage- Chapel Street (early) and Glade Rd (extant).  Not to be confused with Vine House.

Vine House - Chapel Str. Demolished. Aka Grape House. 

Weir Cottage- down by riverside near the lock and weir. Weir House is in St. Peter's Street. 

Well End Street- Dean Street in the 1600s to the mid 1800s, though the most usual early name for the Street was Dean Lane, or Dean Lane alias Well End and in later times Dean Street.

West End- West Street, Borlase School end. Can include Red Pits, Henley Rd. 

Wisteria House- house West Street on Potlands Alley side.

Wood Lea / Woodlea-  house Station Road. Also given to modern house Munday Dean. 

Wood View- on Winter Hill. 2. in Station Rd as Woodview. 3. Wood View House - Beaumont Rise. 

Workhouse Lane- what is now Berwick Road and the lower part of Munday Dean Lane. It was indeed the road to the Workhouse.

Not found where you are looking for? See Where in Marlow was... Part 2 here and check out the Specific Shops,Streets etc option on the top drop down menu. 

Researched by Kathryn and Charlotte Day. 

To find out what everyday life was like for you ancestors living in these streets and houses, see the index of posts here

To find all mentions of your ancestor here use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. 

Will Summary for Mary Hall of Great Marlow 1696

Summary created from my transcription of a will held at the National Archives, Kew.

MARY HALL, WIDOW OF GREAT MARLOW, WILL PROVED 1696

Says she sick and weak in body but of sound mind and memory.

Commends soul to God and asks to be decently buried.

After funeral expenses met, brother Christopher Parsons to receive £10. His son William [referred to as "my loving cousin William Parsons son of my brother Christopher Parsons" [Use of the word cousin to refer to nephews or nieces as well as what modern people call cousins was perfectly normal in the 1600s] to be the will's sole executor. He receives all goods, chattels and personal estate of the deceased not bequeathed elsewhere.

Cousin Mary ?Flint? wife of Christopher ?Flint? of Little Marlow £5.

Cousin Elizabeth Lovejoy, daughter of testator's deceased cousin Thomas Lovejoy late of Little Marlow to receive 1 shilling.

Cousin Dorothy Dell wife of John Dell of Little Marlow ? shillings.

Sister Margaret wife of John Burchett of Cookham 1 shilling.

Will witnesses: Elizabeth Bowles who made a mark only, John Oxlade, Thomas Hobbs.

Transcription and this summary of it by Charlotte Day.

To find every mention of a person on this blog use the Person Index option on the drop down menu.

© Marlow Ancestors. If quoting from this summary or reproducing it please give credit and a link here so that source citations remain attached to the information. You are welcome use this summary in any way.

Old handwriting isn't easy. I have done my very best here. I hope it is useful to you.

So far this blog contains mention of

108

people from or associated with Marlow.

Marlow Races- a History

Updated August 2023.

If your ancestors lived in Great Marlow or nearby they may well have had a fun, or fraught, day out at the horse races which were held in meadow by the river annually from the 1700s until 1847, probably with some breaks in service.

My first reference to them is in 1725 when William Lofting's animal was amongst the winners and the local MP Edmund Waller was one of those who put up prizes. The next references are from 1728 and 1731. There may not have been many competitors then as the same few animals seem to win most of the races. A minimum number of runners were usually required for the winners prize to be rewarded. In 1728 this saw two hacks entered into one race just so the single race horse competing could legitimately claim the prize for "winning". I believe the races took a break after 1731 before returning in 1752. 

 In 1755 Sylvester Law* proprietor of the Upper Crown in the Market Place offered transport from there out to the course. Sylvester was an early supporter and promoter of the races. Two years later, then of the Cross Keys, he hosted a meeting of the race subscribers at which the main order of the day was to decide how the event could be organised to do less damage to the meadow it was hosted in. Descriptions of the course in 1833 mention a standing crop almost ready to harvest within the field. The perimeter and space between the river and course had been kept clear for racing and spectators but the field as a whole was naturally not reserved exclusively just for 2 or 3 days racing a year. It was leased to a farmer and strict warnings were made about the trouble which would ensue if horses or spectators trampled the harvest! The course itself was marked by wooden posts put in before each year's racing. The Gentleman's Magazine description of the races in 1752 tells of male and female  spectators (the latter in their best colourful dresses) rushing this way and that way across the field both on foot and in their carriages so as to keep sight of favoured horses. The result was chaos with the writer fearing "one half of the company should be trampled down by the other". You can see why Sylvester was probably fighting a losing battle as to prevent damage to the field! 

 I struggle to find many later 1700s references to the races. By the mid 1820s they were certainly back by the river however and once again they gained some national notice. In between times they may have been run but on too small a scale to leave a trace in the historical record  There may also have been another minor lapse in early 1830s. 

Talking of small scale, these races were very much for ponies rather than horses. The minimum height of a horse for entry was given at just 11 or 12 hands at different times. The maximum height for most events where there was one was just 14 hands. They are frequently referred to as the "pony races" in contemporary sources. 

The early races were more geared towards the amateur performers. Only ponies that had won less than £50 prize money could attend the meeting. The animals ran in simple races, weight handicapped by the animal's age. There was a race just for "aged" animals, which seems to have been those of 6 years of age and upwards. In the 1800s however the sport was of a higher calibre thanks to patronage by Sir William Clayton who offered a silver cup trophy and was a honourary race steward. Some reports say that he was the one who started the races in the first place. Obviously not in the 1750s, but this may indicate that they did fall away for some time before an 1820s revival.

Races were certainly not over the flat only, jump races were just as much a part of the schedule on many a year's programme in the 1800s.  Flat racing then tended to be restricted to just two or three races a day but with each spread into multiple heats so there was plenty of action. In between these races were 'matches*', races between the horses of (usually) two individuals as the result of a challenge issued in advance. Such matches were very common at smaller race meets at the time and were often the events held to have the keenest excitement for locals. Anyone who wished to propose such a match needed to register their interest in advance at the Crown and the organisers would accommodate them as the schedule allowed. It was also to the Crown you should go to register your horse for entry into any race, and to pay the entrance fee. (In the early years, the White Horse was also used for this role.) A very few races had no fee to enter, usually when the meeting was otherwise well supported. If you were lucky and won you would earn a prize purse, with some races quaintly requiring the winner to give a share of it to the owner of the horse that came second. In other years, the owner had to give some of the prize money to the Stewards to cover the costs of running the meeting. In 1756 this "gift" was one guinea and was to pay for "flags, drums, etc". In the same year the winner was also required to make a donation towards the cost of organising the following years races. Many later races were run for a mixture of the prize purse and / or plate plus a sweepstake taken from the stake paid by all entrants. The second place horse might get their stake back. 

Every year the mix of races and rules as to who could or could not enter each one varied so this information is based on lots of sources.  There was always at least one race solely for locally owned horses and another for those owned by subscribers to the event only. At other times entries for individual events were restricted to for instance horses beaten earlier in the day. On many occasions it was stipulated that the winner had to be offered to sale after the race - but the owner was not obliged to accept a low price for the animal. In 1840 the winner of the 20 sovereigns plate was to be to be offered for sale for £100, while the winner of a hurdle race would be presented for £70. 

All races and heats involved going either once or twice round the circular course. Contemporary descriptions describe how trees obscured part of the route from spectators. There were basic wooden stands erected between the river and the course to help. A spot in these could also be reserved at the Crown in advance. In 1833, the course got a temporary  more luxurious painted wooden grandstand, previously erected at Ascot, according to a sign displayed outside. This caused some mirth in fashionable visitors who thought it pretentious for a country race meet! 

There were also booths selling toys and gingerbread, and sideshows offering amongst other things "dancing booths" and a kind of coconut shy with meat replacing the coconuts atop of sticks. Let's hope the "prize" didn't hang round too long. A band always attended, but they halted playing during the race itself. 

Fashionable visitors came from a wide area to attend. A special "covered van" came from Reading to bring in visitors each day. The races were advertised long in advance by placards on the roads into town and also by notices in the press. Visitors spoke of the bustle apparent in the streets as the meeting drew near. Sweetly, the rising demand for ribbons to decorate caps and bonnets is mentioned. It was traditional to wave a handkerchief in the air as well as you cheered the riders along. Of course not everybody attending could necessarily afford to dress for the occasion. Visitors walking in with hob nail boots and shabbier clothes get somewhat sarcastically mentioned alongside the better dressed and their attractive prancing ponies and carriages. The image of passing bargemen on the river slowing up to try and get a glimpse of the action is a reminder not everyone who wanted to attend was free to do so. 

So who was riding those dashing ponies? Local stable lads and younger grooms were the usual option. However there were just-starting-out jockeys who went on tours of small events in the hope of getting noticed and being thus offered more lucrative rides elsewhere. Frank Butler* incorporated Marlow into just such a tour in 1839. He later won his place in racing history by bagging the famous St Leger, the Oaks, the Two Thousand Guineas and the Derby plus many other races. Frank was the nephew of the then famous jockey brothers the Chifneys but struggled at first to establish his own career, hence the Marlow outing. 

The 1839 race meet he visited was a few years later sneeringly described in the New Sporting Magazine. The trainers it said were just local tenant farmers, the whole event more like "playing at racing" than real sport. Frank's horse it claimed had been recently injured and wasn't the best quality even before that but it still had a good chance given the state of the competition at Marlow! Some of the horse and rider pairings were allegedly so inexperienced that out of control horses shot off and dumped their jockeys into the river. It is important to qualify this chaotic description with a note that the publication was snobbish and it was fashionable to sneer at anything "provincial" or involving the participation of working class / farming people.

The article did concede that the setting was beautiful with the ample nearby woods a great place to sneak off to for some flirtation if you met someone at the races. To get to the woods you could take a little ferry rowing boat across the river. Watching the races from the convenient hill on that opposite bank was still favoured by many it reported. 

Fourth rate as the magazine declared the competition to be it was exciting enough to have quite a significant effect on one elderly lady in 1824. Fearing a horse would run her over, she collapsed insensible. After several days of hovering near death she recovered so well that the lameness which she had suffered from for a decade was cured! No cure from illness is recorded for a stout lady who provided a soft landing for a jockey who was catapulted from his horse and into her chaise in 1833. Neither seems to have been hurt but the lady's parasol was broken. The horse had apparently been startled by the shadow of some streamers hanging from one of the booths falling across it's path. 

Some attempt was made to prevent spectators from getting close to flying hooves as there were rope barriers. A bell rung to tell you to duck behind those barriers before a new race started. The course was additionally patrolled by a steward armed with a club he was not afraid to use if you did not remove yourself from the course when asked. Parish Constable Sadler (employed in a private capacity by the race organisers to keep the course clear) was found guilty of inflicting a head wound on race visitor Mr Rawlins in 1836. A dispute had arisen on where racegoers could safely stand, and what authority these race marshalls had. Henry Stallwood, one of the tithing men at this time was implicated in the assault but was not proceeded against. As the wound was not severe, and a certain amount of rough justice had been inflicted on Sadler by the indigent crowd, a small amount of compensation was awarded to Rawlins. (The crowd had attempted to duck both Sadler and Stallwood in the river.) Small wonder all things considered that many ladies and young boys chose to watch the races from the slopes on the other side of the river in the 1700s - boys up the trees for a good view, ladies more decorously seated on the ground. They were still having trouble keeping the course clear in 1841 when the Bucks Gazette decried the "disgraceful manner in which numbers of persons persisted in crowding on the course while the later races were run." Several people were injured then, one man fairly badly. 

On arrival, the jockeys had to register and declare their colours. In 1752 these were displayed as coloured silk waistcoats for the jockeys. In the early 1830s the Marlow jockeys were described as wearing elegant coloured caps and silk jackets on their top half and a more workaday lower outfit of "corduroy unmentionables", worsted stockings and chunky boots. At the first bell they were required to weigh in. This was done in public. At the second bell, they had to mount and the course was cleared. At the third ring, they were off! And of course the winning jockey needed to be weighed again at the conclusion of the race. They were allowed to use both the whip and spurs on their rides. 

 In the 1840s the event was sufficiently big to have a Race Ball to celebrate it's conclusion. The patrons of this tended to be the same as the subscribers to the race meeting overall. It was hosted at the Upper Crown. The races were celebrated in quite a different way at the Three Tuns run by Widow Aycott. She hosted a special cock fight on the morning of each days racing, between the "gentlemen" of Bucks and Berks in 1753. 

The races happened over two (occasionally three) days either Tuesday and Wednesday or Wednesday and Thursday in either July or August with a ball (if held) the day after or the Friday after their conclusion.

The earliest mentions of the racing by the way refer to an Autumn event rather than a Summer one. (October often). Not that a Summer date guaranteed good weather. Twice a day's racing was entirely lost to a weather washout. At other times the weather at least put off the gentlefolk from attending.

Not everyone in Marlow looked forward to the races. Religious objection to the sport were always high and the event was responsible for a certain amount of crime. To be fair I found only four recorded case of pickpocketing (the inevitable silver pocket watches) at the race course itself. Coming and going to and from Marlow or leaving your Marlow home or business unattended while you watched the horses posed a greater risk. For instance the Windsor and Eton Express reported a spate of thefts from properties including the Coach and Horses public house in West Street which occurred while the occupants were at the races in 1841.

Religious objection sprung both from the fact the event offered a bar for public drinking and of course gambling. This happened unofficially between friends and discreetly between strangers too. The rules concerning gambling at the course varied over time, but in the 1830's descriptions given of the event by a comfortably off visitor recorded that everyone expected to lay wagers openly at the course. Reports of the meeting in the 1750s also tell of open wagering between sportsman. No mention is made of gambling ladies but they may have just been more discreet. Later notices that advertised the event sometimes stated that no "gambling devices" would be allowed on the field - this is not the same as banning gambling altogether as the devices mentioned refer to cards and dice played for money. In the first few decades of the 1800s at least the selling of alcohol on the course was restricted to subscribers of the meeting. 

With money at stake came the temptation for race fixing. In 1831 attempts were made to poison the mare Adelaide at the course. Fortunately her groom would not take the £20 offered to him by a stranger for committing the deed. The guilty man was caught but escaped. 

Lord William Pitt Lennox reported in his memoirs that the stable boy he hired to ride his horse Fidelio at Marlow failed to ride it to win in the first few heats of his race. Seeing the boy in close conference with a dubious looking man who was taking bets inflamed William's suspicion. At the last minute he mounted the horse himself and managed to win. The boy fled. 

A happier pairing was Marlow farmer and horse owner / trainer John Cresswell, and his jockey George Ward who lived in Quoiting Square. Several decades later their speed was still talked of. Mr Cresswell also participated in races for wagers outside of the official race meeting. His big rival, in a friendly way, was a Mr Andrews. This man bought a very old, one eyed, lame in both legs horse from John's brother James Cresswell (also a horse owner whose animals successfully competed at the races) and to satisfy a wager proved that he could tend and train it up to be a capable trotting horse. Not I should say at Marlow races. 

While most racing was of that good humoured fun-based nature rather than fiercely competitive, that didn't preclude matters getting fractious. The Clerk of the Course was sued for damages in 1836 by a man he got into a fight with and results of races were disputed all the way to courts of law at least twice.

The races occurred for the last time, formally at least, in 1847. The 1848 and 1849 meetings were planned but cancelled. Attempts to revive the meeting in the early 1860s got nowhere. There had been rumblings in the last few years of unnamed individuals wishing to "sabotage" the event. Clearly there is more to the cancellation of the races than meets the eye but everyone involved was careful to make only the broadest of hints, probably fearful of an accusation of slander or libel! It was latter said that Sir William Clayton, having lost both the 1842 and 1847 elections to be Marlow M.P became tired of supporting the town who did not support him. And so he withdrew his financial support and patronage from events such the races and town ball. They may be right. 

Later Victorian Marlovians turned their racing interest towards rowing races. Sporting challenges between individuals eventually came to be focused around getting teams together and having a football or cricket match rather than pitting horses together in competition. The loss of wealthy patrons who wanted to focus on more prestigious racing elsewhere or other sports probably had a role too. 

Some wealthier individuals did maintain race horses later, such as Colonel Owen Williams in the 1890s, they just had to go a bit further to compete. By then racing was much more professional and serious. One of William's jockeys, James Watkins, was killed while exercising a race horse at Temple Park. The horse stumbled and fell on James. He was taken to the Cottage Hospital in Marlow but never regained consciousness and died shortly after, age 22. [October 1890]

Mention should also be made of the occasional steeple chase held at Marlow, mainly before 1850. One in 1836 received coverage in the national press. It finished "over a hedge onto the turnpike road". The course was marked out with flags, at least partially. Going the wrong side of these, and the resulting back tracking required cost Mr Westbrook and his grey Grimaldi the race. He was beaten by a neck by Mr Webb's Holbeiness. 

*"Marlow Victoria", a local racing pony of renown, was advertised in national racing press in the late 1830s and early 1840s as available for the sort of matches mentioned above. (Not necessarily held at Marlow.) She would run against a fellow 13.1 hands high pony over 2 miles for a prize of £35 (sometimes more), with the money to be put down at the Greyhound Inn in Spittal Str. Handicaps would allow for a race against a slightly smaller or bigger pony. Her owner was John Creswell. (Cresswell) The Gaming Act of 1845 declared all betting contracts illegal so no action could be taken to legally recover money won by a wager and not paid.  

Researched and written by Charlotte Day and Kathryn Day 

More Information:

To find every mention of an individual on the blog use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu. Thousands of people get a mention! For more posts like this about sport in old Great Marlow and everyday life in general for our ancestors,  see the General History option here

*1 If you are otherwise interested in Sylvester as a man you will find a summary of his will as transcribed by me in an earlier post on this blog here. 

*2 To find out more about Frank's life and career see this Jockeypedia article https://sites.google.com/site/jockeypedia/butler-frank He was not of Marlow origin.

Some research sources:

General Evening Post, October 1756, September 27th 1757 - digitised by Google. 

The Newcastle Courant, 26th October 1725. Copy held at the British Library. Accessed by me via the BNA July 2020.

The Whitehall Evening Post or London Intelligencer January 1755 digitized by Google from a copy at the Bavaria State Library. Accessed May 2020.

The New Sporting Magazine 1854.

Celebrities I have Known, memoir by William Pitt Lennox 1876.

Colburns Kalender of Amusements for Town & Country  (H Colburn 1840), digitised by Google, accessed May 2011

Windsor and Eton Express 10th June 1843 and 21st August 1841 via the BNA, accessed June 2019.

Bells Weekly Messenger 30th August 1824,  as above

Bells Sporting Life clippings circa 1840.

Windsor and Eton Express 30th July 1831, as above. 

The London Magazine; Or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer. United Kingdom: C. Ackers, 1752.

Wikipedia article about Frank Butler accessed July 2020.

Private letter.

Victoria County History of Buckingham, ed. by William Page, Constable, London. 1908 edition. 

Spirit Of The Times: A chronicle of the turf etc (Volume 12, Issue 32, 1842)

A History of Steeple-Chasing by William Charles Arlington Blew. (J C Nimmo, 1901)

Bucks Gazette 21st August 1841. 

*1 If you are otherwise interested in Sylvester as a man you will find a summary of his will as transcribed by me in an earlier post on this blog here. 

*2 To find out more about Frank's life and career see this Jockeypedia article https://sites.google.com/site/jockeypedia/butler-frank He was not of Marlow origin.

©Marlow Ancestors. 

"Supposed Widow" Joan Hopkins or Justice 1610

I have transcribed and then summarised this will which is held at the National Archives, Kew

JOAN HOPKINS OR JUSTICE OF GREAT MARLOW PROVEN 1610

Describes herself as "supposed widow"!

Commends soul to God. 

Asks for burial in Marlow churchyard.

Daughter Marie wife of John C..t..n of Great Marlow gets £10 which is in the hands of John Sharpe of ..... in Berkshire.

To each of testator's children John, Thomas, Edward and Sarah 12p each.

Rest of goods, chattels, ready money etc after debts, bequests and burial expenses paid, to son in law John C..t..n who is sole executor.

Overseers of will beloved friends Henry Pendleton yeoman of Marlow and Thomas Sawyer labourer who get 4p each for their pains.

Witnesses William Hopkins and Thomas Braughing.

Transcription by Charlotte Day from a will held at the National Archives.

To find every mention of a person on this blog choose the Person Index option on the drop down menu.

© Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use quotes from my summary / reproduce if you credit to this blog and a link here so that source notes are not detached from the material.

So far this blog contains mention of

3025

people from or associated with Marlow.

Polley and Hedge Grave Marlow

 The writing is faded. The attractive stone is in memory of Christine Neilson Polley "who passed away peacefully March 17th 1939 aged 63 . Short and sudden was her call, She so loved by all, But oh how sweet the promise given, through Christ we'll meet again in Heaven"

And

To William Daniel Polley who died aged 78 in 1952 "Reunited".

Note: They lived at Sunny Dene, near Newtown Road and ran a laundry.

Photo and transcription by Charlotte Day.

Above, Grave of Emily Hedge. 

Mother of Christine Polley. Born 14 November 1842. Died 8th March 1924. Marlow Cemetery. 

Photo and transcription by Kathryn. 

To find people of interest on the blog choose the Person Index on the drop down menu.

©Marlow Ancestors. Please give credit and a link here if using transcription or photograph but you are very welcome to do so.

Will Summary for Sylvester Law Great Marlow 1766

Transcribed by me from a will held at the National Archives, Kew.

Sylvester Law Innholder* of Great Marlow. Proved 1766. Written 1764.

Nephew and Nieces John, Elizabeth and Katherine Webb and equal share each of £450 to be handed to them by testator's brother in law John Webb of Great Marlow, Collar Maker when they are either 21 or 24 years old, whichever John Webb thinks the best. He the will executor.

Brother on law John Webb also gets all stocks, mortgages, bonds, sureties testator dies possessed of in order for him to be able to give the £450 as above.

All other personal estate to friends Samuel Bradshaw the elder and William ?Duvell? [Probably Darvell] in trust for the benefit of the above nephew and nieces while they are under 21. These friends get 5 guineas each to compensate them for the trouble they will have in running the trust.

Witnessed by William Deeley and James Woodcock.

Codicil added 1766: legacy to nephew and nieces now £300. Codicil witnessed by William Seeley and Thomas Langridge.

*Sylvester ran both the Cross Keys and Upper Crown at different times. For more on the Upper Crown see here My next post about Great Marlow Races will contain some mention of him if you are interested, see here

Transcription ©Marlow Ancestors. Please give credit and a link here if quoting from or reusing this piece but you are very welcome to do so.

It isn't always easy to read old handwriting. I've done my best here. To see the full will yourself see the National Archives, Kew.

See previous post here of the will of William Dark for another innkeeper.

To look for people on this blog choose Person Index from the drop down menu.

Post by Charlotte Day

So far this blog contains mention of :

72

people from or associated with Marlow.

Will Summary For William Dark Of Great Marlow 1763

Background: William was born in Dodington Gloucestershire. He seems to have come to Marlow through the connection to there of his wife Mary, whom he married in London in 1751. She was the widow of the previous tenant of the Inn and personally produced the alcohol for the pub.

William Dark, inn holder*. Will proved 1763.

Commends soul to God.

Burial at discretion of his executor which is his wife Mary. She inherited any mortgages, notes [credit notes], sureties, ready money, debts, rights, stock in trade goods, chattels and personal estate not left to anyone else. Also £50.

His mother Elizabeth Burgess £20. If she dies then money to be divider between testator's brothers in law Thomas Dark and Samuel Dark. [The term brother in law was not used in the same way then as it is today. The term brother in law could mean step brother and half brother as well as  brother in law in the modern sense of the word. In this case half brother was meant. Thomas and Samuel were William's older brothers by his father's first marriage].

The same two "brothers in law" got £10 anyway as did his sisters Martha and Elizabeth and full brother William Dark, "my son in law William Clifford Phillips" and "daughter in law Mary Phillips". [Again remember son in law and daughter in law could mean step son or step daughter as well as what we consider a son or daughter in law today. William, more usually rendered Clifford William Phillips, and Elizabeth were indeed William Dark's step children].

To nephew William Dark when he reaches 21:  £10, 2 " quart silver tankards ", 2 large silver table spoons, and a gold ring set with diamonds.

David Woodham £5 to buy a ring for remembrance.

A guinea each to Henry Johnson, Susan Blac***? and Ann wife of William Carter.

£4 to buy bread for the poor of Marlow. The bread to be baked by George W***y.

Will witnesses Charles Carter and William Darley.

* He ran the Crown and Broad Arrow in the High Street. See my post on the Crown Inns of Marlow here for more on this place. His widow ran the inn after him.

To search for ancestors select Person Index option under menu.

Additional sources:

Gloucestershire parish registers at Familysearch. org  maintained by the LDS, Parish registers at London Metropolitan Archive.

For the will of another innkeeper of Marlow see my post on Sylvester Law here

Post researched and written by Charlotte Day. 

You can obtain a copy of the will from the National Archives, Kew.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this will transcription summary and research for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog.

So far this blog contains mentions of :

61 people from or associated with Marlow.

Atkinsons of The Rookery Marlow *Updated Jan 2024*

Above pic: Rookery Lodge. The main house has been demolished. 

Benjamin Atkinson inherited freehold and copyhold land in Marlow from his cousin William James Atkinson* after William died in 1849. William was a barrister though he also got some income from owning land in Marlow, Marlow Bottom and Handy Cross in Buckinghamshire as well as in Kent. Despite his farming interests he only defined himself as a barrister in every record I have found. He also served as a J.P. 

William split his time between his house in Chapel Street Marlow and one in London. Without children himself he decided to make Benjamin his heir, and made it a condition of the inheritance that if Benjamin had no children the son of Benjamin's sister Mary Ann would inherit.

William's maternal grandfather owned a reasonable amount of Marlow property. Some of this provided an income to William's mother and I think that William may have inherited some of the property, including some in the vicinity of the Rookery from him however I am only about a third of the way through the man's GARGANTUAN and complex will, so it'll be a while before I can judge that. It is without doubt the longest will I have ever transcribed, and believe me I've battled through plenty! The Kentish property of William James did definitely come via that grandfather. 

As well as the site of the Rookery and farm lands Benjamin inherited 7 cottages in Chapel Street from William James.

In 1833 William's Rookery was described as a house with lawns, flower garden, yard, walks, kitchen garden, stables, coach yard and house, sheds, orchard and "a garden opposite".

On the 1841 census William has 3 live in servants to look after the house.

According to Victorian visitors, it was only during Benjamin's time that The Rookery became known as such (because rooks nested in the trees there). Interestingly a Joseph Heath, gentleman farmer, had a house in Marlow called the Rookery back in 1813, and later references to the Heath family's Rookery do not seek to clarify that it was a different house to the Atkinson's Rookery. That being said I believe that the Heath home was along the river near Mill End rather than in Chapel Street.

By the way the Heath family of Marlow, West Wycombe, Mill End and Ewelme, were very interesting. Well worth a delve into the archives!

 It was the understanding of Victorian visitors to the Rookery that Benjamin's house had been originally created out of an ancient hermitage which in between times had been a farmhouse. Hermitage or not they said it was certainly an 11th century building at its core but with a more "modern" outer appearance, by far the oldest building in Marlow. It will be interesting if archaeological digs on site can expand on this further. To date remains from that period haven't been uncovered on the Rookery site by modern archaeologists. However, in 1877 it was reported that workman digging foundations for the new range of stables had discovered numerous interesting items which were believed to have come from the Hermitage / Chapel.  These included some 11th century silver coins, a silver seal, a stone "mantelpiece" and parts of several stone columns. 

So what of the man himself?

Benjamin was born in London in 1803 the son of a wealthy apothecary and surgeon Benjamin senior, who had previously owned property in Marlow himself, and  Judith (née Norman). Benjamin junior became a surgeon and apothecary in partnership with his father. Originally practising in Lombard Street, but residing in Nicholas Street London, sometime after 1824 Benjamin Senior moved to King William Street there. At number 12 the two Benjamin's would carry on their business until Benjamin Senior's retirement in 1837. After that his son practised with the help of a hired assistant. Benjamin junior concentrated on the surgery side of things though.  Officially he remained an apothecary as well. He also received income as medical adviser to a life assurance company.

Benjamin Senior died in 1840, with his son his heir. Judith had predeceased him. 

In 1849 Benjamin junior married Eliza Griffin, a woman significantly younger than him. 

At some point in the 1850s -on or after 1854- they made the Rookery their main home.

Benjamin also owned Town End (adjacent to the Rookery and sometimes called Rookery Farm, not to be confused with Town Farm, West Street) and Marlow Bottom Farms, as well as fields scattered about and although he employed people to actually run the farms for him on a day to day basis he was actively involved in them. At Marlow Bottom there was corn, wheat, barley, poultry and a big income from timber plantations - elm, beech, oak and ash.

Benjamin's warm mutual relationship with his employees was well known in the town as were the Harvest Home celebrations he treated them to. He was revolutionary in his outspoken belief that your employees should be treated as your friends. To read about the famous Harvest Home celebrations held in the Rookery see here. No doubt he had heard tales of the time in 1830 when his uncle William had received one of the infamous "Swing letters" during the machine breaking riots. You can read about the events in Marlow here

Overall I'd say he was probably a nice man. One day a week he saw local poor people for free at the Rookery for surgical consults. The South Bucks Free Press reported in 1859 a queue of 50 for his free services.  

He comes across as a more compassionate J.P than the 1800s norm too when sitting at the Marlow police court. He criticised prosecutors for shouting at witnesses and showed compassion several times in his sentencing.

On numerous occasions he himself became a victim of crime. Using land at Marlow Bottom was never a good idea for anyone wanting to hold onto their crops or livestock -it was Marlow's rural crime hot spot in the 1800s! The worst theft suffered by him was that of a horse. However, for once, that event was not at Marlow Bottom. Cousin William had suffered at least two thefts himself. On another occasion he and his steward found a poor, apparently Scandinavian, tramp who had hung himself from a tree on William's land.

Benjamin died at the Rookery in 1867 leaving Eliza to a long widowhood. They had no children so as per William James Atkinson's instructions the Rookery descended to Benjamin's nephew Henry James Norman Layton (who bought New Court in Marlow in 1880 but lived usually in London). Eliza was allowed to live at the Rookery until her death. She was one of the more prominent people in later Victorian Marlow. Medical affairs were clearly important to her as she was on the committee of the St John's Ambulance and an official Lady Visitor to the cottage hospital of which she was one of the most dedicated financial supporters. To add to that she was a champion of the local fire brigade, numerous flower shows, the church choir and the foundation of a water works for Marlow. In her younger days she was one of the official Lady Patronesses of the balls held in the Town Hall. An interest in gardening especially in the cultivation of apples and pears also kept her busy.

It seems she was going to give up the house in 1880, but in the end did not. The same year her husband's heir bought New Court in the town as I have already said. Perhaps he had decided he wanted to own a house he could personally occupy in Marlow, and Eliza agreed to give up occupation of his inheritance but this became unnecessary when he found out New Court was for sale?

Eliza died in 1900 while on a visit to Folkestone taken for the hopeful benefit of healthy sea air. She had been suffering from failing health and eyesight for some years, and never fully recovered the effects of  an otherwise successful cataract operation. Eliza was bought back to Marlow for burial beside her husband at All Saints. 

The Rookery house is long gone but part of the garden is now a park (Wrightlands) to the rear of existing buildings in Chapel Street, and a stable block and lodge still stand.

*William donated a stained glass window to the then newly (re) built parish church in 1834. 

Researched and written by Charlotte Day. Additional research Kathryn Day (1877 finds update)

To find all mentions of ancestors on the blog choose the Person Index option on the top drop down menu.

More Chapel Street content can be found under the "Specific Shops, Streets etc" option on the menu.

Other medical related posts (selected)- find others listed on the General Marlow History option on the menu.

Call the Apothecary here

Marlow (Forgotten) Hero Nurse Cassidy here

Matron Mary Cole here

Marlow Heroes John and Emily Dunbar Dickson here

Midwife Sarah Price here

A full list can be found under the General Marlow History option on the top drop down menu.

© Marlow Ancestors. Please give credit and a link here if using this research (so that the source citations are not lost from the information) but you are free to do so for any family and local history research purposes.

Research sources:

Copies of original wills obtained from the Nation Archives, Kew and transcribed by me.

Property deeds at Somerset Heritage Centre 

1833 Parochial Assessment, original record held by my family and transcribed by me.

Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the late John Coakley by Thomas Joseph Pettigrew (1817).

1841, 1851, 1871 and 1881 censuses from my transcription of images on LDS family centre microfilm back from when that was how you viewed such things!

1861 census info transcribed from page image from Ancestry UK accessed May 2016. 

Parish registers at London Metropolitan Archives.

Death and marriage certificates from the GRO. 

Bucks Herald 23rd Feb 1884 [Eliza's connection to the water works] copy held at the British Library via the BNA. Accessed January 2020.

Bucks Herald 29th July 1865 [Benjamin's horse stolen] via the BNA. Accessed January 2020. 6th Jan 1877. 

South Bucks Free Press 3rd September 1859. As above. [Queue for free care]

Oxford University and City Journal.

Crown Inns of Marlow

Great Marlow had two Crowns. One was the Crown and Broad Arrow which became The Lower Crown and Broad Arrow and then finally just the Lower Crown. This was located in the High Street. The other establishment was apparently the oldest of the two (in operation by 1596) and was known as the Upper Crown / Crown Inn and then the Crown Hotel. Neither still exist as inns. 

You may see references to the Upper Crown exclusively being referred to as the Crown and Broad Arrow but this is incorrect. Contemporary sources spelling out the full name of the Lower Crown refer to it as the "Lower Crown and Broad Arrow." The Crown and Broad Arrow can be found separately listed to the Upper Crown in contemporary lists of inns existing at the same time, and information about the contents sale of Alfred House/Cromwell house describe this property as being nearly opposite the Crown and Broad Arrow which makes it nearly opposite the Lower Crown. It's usually described as in the High Street too rather than the Market place which is the location of the Upper Crown. Lastly proprietors later listed as in charge of the Lower Crown can be found earlier listed at the Crown and Broad Arrow. So while the Upper Crown may also have been referred to as the Crown and Broad Arrow, it was not exclusively so. 

The (Lower) Crown and Broad Arrow was in business under that names from at least 1691. The first landlord I found evidence of was Mary Phillips. Her husband John owned the building and died in 1751. He was a carpenter. The liquors sold in the Inn were made in buildings put of the back by Mary. She, according to his will was  the one selling them too. He presumed she would continue in business after his death. A few weeks after his decease Mary married William Dark who became the landlord. I expect Mary was still doing the brewing. William Dark's will has been transcribed by me. It is scheduled to be published on the blog August 15th 2020.  Mary ran the inn again following Dark's death.

Highwayman Dick Turpin is reputed to have drank there but really there is no evidence for that. 

The Upper Crown had a bigger but little pressed claim to fame, as the poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Byron met in person for the first time there in 1816 just before they both went abroad. Shelley had been living in the town at Albion House. At the time French prisoners from the battle of Waterloo were being held at the inn, contemporary books say, and they elicited Shelley's attention and sympathy. I thought perhaps the sources meant prisoners were in the town hall lock up next door to the inn but no, it seems various inns were used for this purpose. The poets had intended to meet once abroad at Geneva and some history books still claim that Geneva was their first meeting but friends present at the time stated that the plans changed and the pair met for the second time, not the first, in Geneva.

What of the more ordinary people associated with either premises, though?

Well the owner and occupier of the (probably Lower) Crown and Broad Arrow in 1782 was Nicholas Thomas. In his will of that year he left the premises described as in the High Street to his brother John Thomas Esquire whom he calls "of Portsmouth". It came with "a close or meadow or pasture" perhaps for the cattle his will also mentions, stable, coach house and backside by which was meant backyard.

Next to the inn he said he had a malthouse which a Mr James rather than he occupied.

In 1786 the proprietor was a Robert Dixon, who refurbished it that year. He hired out "genteel post chaises". He left 1796 selling up the entire contents.

From at least 1788 to the early 1800s a coach ran from the inn, then called the Lower Crown, to London via Maidenhead Little Marlow and Wooburn. The Upper Crown was better known as a coaching inn though as I will describe below. Both Crowns hosted late 1700s and earlier 1800s balls.

The Lower Crown site, above.

The Upper Crown in Market Square was sold by Richard Mathews to Roger Smith in 1596. Roger settled it in 1610 on two friends in trust for his sons Valiantus and John. These sons sold it to brewer Edward Wooden in 1617. His widow Elizabeth and son John passed it on to Thomas Drewe in 1636 but Elizabeth stayed in possession having immediately leased it back on a 60 year term for a rent of £11 a year. Thomas had sold it to brewer Mr Moore by 1650 but Elizabeth was still in occupation then too.

A Mr Hall leased the inn in 1717.

In 1735 it was bought by the Clayton family. They owned a great deal of local property and other pubs.

Sylvester Law was proprietor 1757 [I have transcribed his will. It will be posted on this blog later in August 2020], Mr Webb in 1766 and John Parsons from at least 1768 until he transferred to the Black Bull Holborn in 1775. Mrs Chapman ran the premises from at least 1796 to at least 1798. George Westbrook was there at least 1831 to at least 1834. His employee, postillion Richard Hockley was killed in an evening coaching accident while at work in 1831. The horse shied and the vehicle overturned on Hedsor Hill, but it was sadly some hours before assistance could be bought to him. Richard died of his injuries a couple of days later, leaving a pregnant wife. 

My 1833 parochial survey book describes the inn as having a skittle ground and pleasure ground and garden plus a card room and parlour in the Town Hall next door. Later the card room was converted into a billiards room.

James Franklin farmer of Lower Grounds Farm sold off his entire stock in order to change careers and take over the Upper Crown in 1835 after a George Westbrook gave it up. James however went bankrupt in 1852 so perhaps not the wisest career move ever.

From circa 1798 a "new" coach ran at either 6 or 7 in the Morning to the Bolt and Tonne Fleet Street London [which by coincidence my personal ancestors had owned over 200 years earlier!] from the Upper Crown via Bisham and Maidenhead and returned in the afternoon.

After the railway came to nearby Bourne End a coach took passengers from the Upper Crown to the station there. Even after the opening of Marlow Station itself the coach ran to it and back from the Crown for the benefit of luggage -laden or lazy customers! The driver of this very rickety coach was a fascinating man who will be the subject of his own post in the future.

Visitors to the Upper Crown / Crown Hotel as it became would have found it a buzzing place even without the coaches. It was the organiser of the town balls from at least the mid 1780s through to at least the the 1850s in the next door Town Hall assembly rooms. (Before the Town hall with it's assembly room was built Assemblies were also held in The Lower Crown, which would have been the more spacious of the two premises at the time. The Upper crown did host balls before it gained use of the Town Hall though.)

The inn was also a frequent site for the hosting of property auctions, debt settlements following the death of a local person, coroner's inquests and of meetings by everyone from the bridgewardens and overseers of the poor to political groups and the local gas company.  More unusually it was the town's early court house. The justices had to pay a nominal 1 guinea a year rent for the privilege.

The building also doubled as the town's postal and excise offices in the early 1800s, being the stop for the mail coach.

The bloodthirsty meanwhile had an opportunity of watching a "backswords" fighting competition out the back of the inn in 1787. Despite the name cudgels and not swords were used. Fighters planted their feet on the ground and could not move. With one hand they held a cudgel, the other hand had to remain gripped to a scarf tied around their thigh and not used to either inflict or deflect blows. Those hobbled fighters tried to be the first one to draw blood from the head of their opponent. Whoever did so won the fight, and on this occasion in Marlow whoever "broke the most heads" at the end of the event won a 3 shilling prize! Smaller prizes were available for those who split someone else's head provided they got up again themselves if their own head was split! The sport was common but this is only the second time I have found reference to it formally organised in Marlow. The other time was in Market Square out front of the Town Hall. A few later boxing matches occurred out back of the Crown.

A different sort of brush with violence for the inn occurred in 1880. It had been used for the campaign headquarters of a conservative candidate in the election. His successful election caused great bitterness amongst many frustrated working class men and the Crown was amongst buildings targeted in a riot by a mob from Marlow, Wycombe, and Bisham. Windows were smashed using stones and ladders left against the building by workers putting up illuminations. The army was necessary to quell the riot. A detailed post about this riot can be found here.

Behind the Upper Crown was a large meadow which was part of the premises. This was occasionally used for displaying animals for sale during Marlow fair, for steam powered visiting merry go rounds, for early travelling silent film shows and circuses, the odd cricket match, many football matches, and grazing of the horses that pulled the town fire engine.

Note: Since this post was written additional landlords have been found. An updated landlord list with biographical details can be found here

#For the will of William Dark see this blog post here

And for Sylvester Laws will see this post

A post about the tragedy of Susan West of the Crown hotel can be found Here

AND for a full list of Marlow pubs, beer houses, inns etc see here and here.

Please use the Person Index option from the drop down menu to search for people of interest.

Post Written and researched by Charlotte Day with additional research by Kathryn Day and Jane Pullinger.

Some Research sources:

Original wills, my own transcriptions

History Of The County Of Buckingham Volume 3, Victoria County Histories 1825. 

Oxford Journal 28th October 1775 and 29th September 1787 at the BNA, London [John Parson was moving premises and the backswords competition]

Reading Mercury 19th June 1786 . Copy held at the British Library, accessed online via the BNA, June 2020 [Mr Dixon refurbished his inn] and 14th May 1798 [Coach].

Reading Mercury 1st March 1777, 8th July 1777, 19 June 1786, 17 September 1787, held at the British Library. 

Oxford Journal 14 August 1756, 14 December 1765, as above. 

Bucks Gazette 15 October 1831, as above. 

Privately held personal papers, not in public domain. [Public meetings at the Upper Crown].

Buckinghamshire Archives Clayton family papers. [Property records]

Britishmuseumonline[Robert Dixon information]

1833 parochial assessment, original notebook held by my family and transcribed by me.

Quarter sessions records, held at the centre for Buckinghamshire Studies.

©Marlow Ancestors. 

Will Summary Thomas Ponde of Great Marlow 1597

Transcribed from a will at the National Archives, Kew. Transcript ©Marlow Ancestors. You can quote from my transcription freely, with a link here so that the source information is not lost.

Thomas Ponde Yeoman, proved 1597.

Bequeaths soul to God and affirms faith in "my sweet saviour Jesus Christ".

Sole executor son John Ponde who gets any of his property left after other legacies, debts and funeral expenses paid. Will overseer John Brinkhurst of Lane End [possibly his brother in law].

Burial in Marlow church, where his father is buried.

Wife Mildred [nee Brinkhurst, M 1575 Bisham] an annuity of £13 6 shillings and 8p in quarterly installments if she lets son John use testator's copyhold land for three years [presumably the land is hers for life in dower or some other right]. If she does not want to let son use land then annuity reduced to £4 [as she would then have the land for rental or other source of income]. Mildred to have a chamber in her son's house and free access to it, the kitchen and the hall there for both her hand her maid. 

All silver plate of his that his son [in law] "Philpott" has in his hands to be given up to his executor so it can be given to testator's granddaughter Elizabeth Philpott, along with 40 shillings when she reaches 21 or got married. If she dies before either happens son John Ponde can keep the plate. 

Sister Brinkhurst of Lane End 20 shillings to buy a ring in remembrance of him.

To his unnamed maid 10 shillings. To his servant Edward ? 20 shillings [Note: the word servant then referred to any employee not necessarily a domestic, and also often to an apprentice]. To his boy [a young employee not son] Richard ? 5 shillings.

10 shillings each to all the children of  William Priest, Hugh Priest and Alexander Chapman at ages 21 or upon their day of marriage.

40 shillings to the poor to be distributed at his burial at executor's discretion.

Transcribed by Charlotte Day.

To find every mention of a person on this blog use the Person Index option on the drop down menu.

Thomas and his wife were commerorated on a substantial bronze memorial in the previous Marlow All Saints church now rebuilt.