The above Marlow High Street premises (photographed in March 2021) have a long history of selling clothes and drapery.
The first certain occupier of the premises was William Irving linen draper who was in situ there by 1824.
In the 1832 Post Office Directory by Kellys the business is listed as operated by William and Mary Irving. Whether Mary was William's wife or other relative it doesn't say. As well as being linen and woollen drapers they were mercers (that is sellers of silk and satin) and fire insurance agents.
William at least was still there in 1833 when his premises consisted of a shop (which would be part of the house), house and garden together worth £20 a year.
There is an excellent chance that William was a descendant of the Christopher Irving linen draper and chapman of High Street Marlow who died insolvent in 1778. The use of the name Christopher stretched back generations in the Marlow Irvings.
They were members of the Congregational Church / Salem Chapel in Quoiting Square as were the next occupiers of the premises (by 1840), the Morgans who ran the business for decades. They too sold insurance as well as drapery.
First came John Morgan baptised at an Independent Chapel in Newport Pagnell in 1800 to William and Elizabeth Morgan. John and his wife Eliza were in Marlow by 1833.
Mr John Morgan the draper's son, while playing at sliding in the slippery High Street (the town's roads being famously bad at that time) was run over by a manure cart in 1840. Thankfully he was not badly injured. This child must have been either James (born 1836) or Joseph (1834) both of whom went on to assist their father in his business. James eventually took over as the proprietor after John retired. Joseph withdrew from the business in 1869.
In 1843 19 year old Harriet Shurley of Littlewick was found guilty of stealing a shawl and parasol from John Morgan's premises. She had come in on a rainy day and asked permission to sit down and shelter there. This was granted. When she left the articles were gone. John went to Charles Susan the pawnbroker a few doors down from him and found that Harriet had tried to pledge the items. Seeing that they were brand new, Charles felt suspicious and would not take them. They were later found, after Harriet was caught and admitted the crime, hidden in a rainwater tub in the yard of William Bond the builder (a post on him here). This was on the other side of the High Street. Harriet had two previous theft convictions in Berkshire so was transported for 7 years. She fainted when she heard the sentence.
It wasn't only in the shop that John Morgan had to watch out for thieves. Isabella Quelch the 16 year old servant girl he employed in his and Eliza's home at the Parsonage in St Peter's Street stole a large number of articles from him and his family in 1873 including 2 gold rings, 2 brooches, some rolls of calico, 5 pairs of stockings, 4 China cups and somewhat more strangely to us, a quantity of hair (probably for stuffing a mattress or chair.) She was sentenced to one month in jail with hard labour. Her mother Sarah received the same sentence for handling some of the stolen goods.
As time wore on the Morgans sold more and more ready made clothing as well as the traditional drapery and accessories. They always kept up with the latest fashions and when cycling took off James Morgan was quick to advertise material suitable for being made up into cycling costumes as well as ready made cycling gloves. At Christmas they also added dolls and toys to their offerings.
By 1903 they were listing themselves as boot and shoe sellers, hosiers, milliners and hatters as well as drapers and outfitters. If you wanted mourning supplies you could also go to them, ditto for blankets or sheets. They were also agents for Dr Jaeger's Sanitary Clothing. Dr Gustav Jaeger from Germany had been making a stir for some years with his assertion that people were routinely being poisoned by wearing non - woollen clothing, especially if dyed a dark colour. Baldness, indigestion, spots on the body, chills, inability to keep up with your dance partner? Your insane wearing of linen is likely to blame. In rare circumstances camel hair was acceptable but otherwise woollen underwear, worn under further layers of wool was the only safe bet. To completely be safe you would also need to have woollen curtains, woollen carpets, woollen chair seats, woollen handkerchiefs etc.
James had married Fanny Havell Wright in 1861. The couple, their son William and daughter Alice were all fundraisers for the town's 1887 Queen Victoria's Jubilee celebrations (of which much more in future). James and Fanny were amongst the organisers of the celebrations as well as fundraisers.
The Morgan family were also actively involved in local politics and their church. John, Joseph and James were amongst the main supporters of Liberal parliamentary candidate Captain Edmund Verney in his unsuccessful attempt at becoming the member for Great Marlow in 1868. He presented himself as an evangelical Christian and friend of the working man. Many of his supporters in town came from the Quoiting Square congregation. John was one of those on the hustings with Verney when the disappointing result of the election was announced.
Verney was eventually elected years later as an M.P for a different place. He was however expelled from parliament after being caught attempting to procure a young prostitute. How sad the devout Morgans would have been if they had successfully helped to elect such a representative!
Speaking of devotion Joseph Wright Morgan was one of those members of his church who took umbrage when minister Thomas Styles decided in middle age to marry a much younger woman. He and other worshipers broke away and held their own services elsewhere in protest. Initially they used hired rooms called the "Albion Rooms" but in 1861 Joseph Morgan organised the building "at considerable expense" of what was later known as the Music Hall or Lecture Hall in St Peter's Street as a place of worship for these breakaway Congregationalists. (Architect Charles Carter). He however opened it to hire for a set low fee to any local or philanthropic group regardless of religious or political affiliation. The fact it was well lit by gas, unlike the town hall at the time, was a major selling point and Joseph generously waived making an extra charge for the gas which was not a given back then! Today this building is the Masonic Centre. The breakaway church members returned to the main congregation in Quoiting Place / Oxford Road after Thomas Styles retirement in 1864. It seems all was eventually forgiven between the two men as when Joseph left Marlow in 1872 and thus his role as superintendent of the Congregational Sunday School, Thomas was one of those invited to his farewell celebration at the school and spoke of how the cause would feel his loss. If you want to read more about Thomas Styles see my post here.
Joseph was also fond of engaging in debates with others via the letters section of the local press about matters theological and political. He served as an overseer of the poor for Marlow and a chairman of the local Sanitary Authority. Eventually he moved to Enfield and worked as a printer.
John Morgan died 1882, Eliza died in 1873, James in 1903 and Fanny in 1919. The South Bucks Standard reporting the funeral of James said that most businesses in the town shut between 2pm and 4pm as a mark of respect for James that day. The paper said "every sect and creed was represented at his funeral ..the business man, the working man, the nobility and gentry".
The business was then turned into a private company, with William, the son of James in charge. He had already acted as under manager for his father.
After the Morgans came the McIllroys and then WJ Daniel was in the premises.
Below is the shop in an advert from 1905.
Morgan Grave Photos:
Grave of John and Eliza Morgan in the graveyard Quoiting Square:
Above: Grave reads:
In loving memory of dear little Ernest, the darling son of Joseph and Mary Jane Morgan, died May 29th 1869 aged 2 years and 9 months.
Researched and written by Charlotte Day. Photos and Public Hall research by Kathryn Day.
Use the Person Index option on the drop down menu to search for other people on this blog.
**DO YOU LIKE THE IRVINGS AND MORGANS, HAVE A FAMILY CONNECTION TO CHRIST CHURCH? IF SO, YOU MAY LIKE TO COMMEMORATE YOUR ANCESTOR BY SUPPORTING CHRIST CHURCH WALK OF LIGHT FUNDRAISING EFFORTS - SEE Here FOR MORE INFORMATION**
Sources:
GRO Marriage Index from the General Registry Office, online.
The Builder, December 1860
Property records in my family transcribed by me.
1832, 1869 and 1903 Kelly's Post Office Directories for Bucks etc, by Kellys Directories Limited. University of Leicester Archives.
Mussons and Cravens Commercial Directory 1853. University of Leicester Archives.
Pigotts Directory 1844.
My transcription from microfilm of census for Great Marlow.
Windsor and Eton Express 26th December 1840. Copy held at British Library and accessed by me via the BNA.
South Bucks Standard Feb 8th 1895 and 21st August 1896 as above.
Berkshire Chronicle 3rd June 1843, as above.
Death Registration Index
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Edmund_Verney,_3rd_Baronet
Newport Pagnell baptism. England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8 Public Record Office London) https://family search.org/ark:/61903/1:1FW6B-24M
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