The Poaching Perrys

The men of the Perry family of Dean Street / Hatches Row Great Marlow were notorious for their prolific, unapologetic and at times violent poaching in the 1800s.

The main suspects were brothers William and John Perry, sons of Joseph and Sarah (née Heather, married 1803). William was born circa 1804 and John in 1810.

Look them up on the census or other records and they tend to appear as harmless agricultural labourers and in William's case a beer seller too but at the end of that working day their other, to them probably more important work, began. It's a bit of a surprise that any game survived locally!

The first conviction for William I found was in 1830 when he received 3 months in jail for poaching. In 1838 he was fined for illegal use of a gun, while in 1839 he was forced to pay up after being caught trespassing in search of game. By 1840 he was already described as a notorious and long standing poacher. That year he was caught poaching by a gamekeeper at Shottesbrook. William beat the gamekeeper about the head with the butt of his rifle and escaped. Reports of the incident lead to two Windsor policeman pursuing and arresting him. Could they hold him between them? No. The Perrys were consistently described as tall, heavy built men. William was one of those in Marlow who sometimes fought with cudgels for a share of a prize pot. This sport had its heyday in Marlow late 1700s to about 1840s. He was said to be one of the best fighters in Buckinghamshire.

If William thought he would get away with attacking the gamekeeper however he was wrong. The Windsor constables he escaped from knew exactly who he was and where he lived.

Marlow Parish Constable Henry Stallwood, another Constable Daniel Cox, Tithing Man (Marlow was divided into East and West Tithings each with a man responsible for certain criminal matters on their patch) James Cox and Constable Horton from Windsor got together to try to take William into custody. They didn't expect it to be easy.

James Cox must have drawn the short straw as he was the one to knock on William's door.

The constables went round the back.

William was in and asked for the warrant to be read out in full to him, perhaps giving himself time to weigh up his options. John Perry the brother of William shouted at him to run away and save himself. His friend Charles Gibbons used the "say it backwards" language of criminals in those days to urge the same "t'nod og!" [don't go with him, the constable] . Horton however cuffed William and escorted him towards the door. A man called Richard Carr came in causing a distraction (not necessarily on purpose) and John Gibbons another friend of the Perrys who was also already on the premises attacked Horton and freed William. A different Constable stepped up and seized William getting him as far as the street. Horton followed and also took hold of the prisoner. At this point someone struck him on the head. Others including Charles Mould and Charles Gibbons moved in to try to rescue William once more. Horton had a staff as part of his official kit and used it to prevent this. People began pouring out of their houses in support of William until an estimated 100 people had gathered. Some openly called for the Constables to be killed. Horton was repeatedly hit by Charles Gibbons and Charles Mould and set on by a bulldog before being knocked unconscious with a stick. It was thought Charles Gibbons was responsible for that blow. A James Richardson dragged Horton away down a side way and confiscated his staff.

William made something of a run for it, to the cheers of the crowd, but the other constables did manage to capture him. They also recovered the unconscious Horton and sat up all night tending him. Later they successfully arrested James Richardson, Charles Gibbons and Charles Mould. All would be jailed for several months for their part in events.

Considering all these convictions it is a puzzle to see just how William managed to get a beer house licence. These had to be renewed yearly and you were supposed to have good character to get one. Yet time after time William was allowed to keep his beer house the Fox and Pheasant (appropriate title!) in Dean Street. He and his wife Avis (née Butler, married Great Marlow 1829), were there by 1861. William was still listed as landlord in the late 1860s when he was fined for being open illegal hours.

His last poaching conviction was in 1876. The weary sitting magistrate said that that occasion was the 10th time he alone had sentenced William, mostly for similar poaching offences.

William died in 1880 at the quoted age of 73 or 74 after falling out of a tree in Datchett whilst gathering walnuts and apples for his employer John Langley the fruiterer. It was thought a dizzy spell brought on by heart disease caused the accident. He fractured his spine in the fall. Avis had predeceased him. 

What of his brother John?

He started his criminal career in traceable records with a charge of handling a stolen silver pocket watch in 1829 when he was 19. In 1840 he was fined 10 shillings for shooting at the sign of the Fighting Cocks pub in Dean Street, causing it damage. Inebriated poaching practice? William East was charged with the same offence. The Easts seemed to have had something of a shakey on-again off-again relationship with the poaching Perrys. (Thomas East was one of those who witnessed the fight occasioned by William's arrest and gave evidence against Richardson in that case.)

In 1842 he was described as a "stout, resolute poacher" in the Windsor and Eton Express. The Marlow constable Henry Stallwood surprised him in bed with a warrant for his arrest on multiple charges of poaching at Fawley. Stallwood must have had a short memory as he believed John when he promised that he would come quietly and waited for him to dress himself before taking him outside. Can you guess what happened next?

Yes, John shoved him aside and ran off. Several days later Stallwood had another go. He found John in a beer house. John made no pretence of going quietly that time and struggled. Stallwood threatened to show him the work his Constable's staff could do if he kept resisting. John ignored him and ended up so badly injured his life was feared for. Despite having multiple severe head injuries and a badly bruised body he stood trial, found guilty and sent to jail for 14 months.

While he was being help in the lock up prior to trial various Dean Street women and men gathered outside the premises and urged him with their shouts to try to escape. They presumably didn't realise how badly he was injured at the time.

Did this experience put him off offending? 

Not a bit. As "John Perry the notorious poacher" he was back on trial for the same in 1843. 

He teamed up with his brother William in 1844 for another bout of poaching. In 1884 John tells the J P at his latest trial for shooting game, that now he's over 70 he will "go poaching no more". Knowing John he probably meant he would try not to be caught any more! The justices awarded John a £2 fine, promised  future angelic behaviour not withstanding. 

Joseph and Sarah Perry had two more sons - George born 1813 and Samuel born 1804. Both were convicted poachers. Samuel (m Mary Ann Miller) also ran the small Rose and Crown beer house in Dean Street by 1842. Samuel died in a tragic accident, falling from a ladder which gave way under him while he was gathering walnuts in 1844. Historic landlords listing for this pub is on the blog here

He served 3 months in jail for poaching in 1830 and a further 2 months for the same in 1837.

Poaching wasn't his only crime - he was jailed for being part of a gang that burgled a house in 1831 and stole 2 great coats, 2 pairs of breeches and sundry other articles.

Samuel's grandson Alfred Perry features in my History of Marlow Bridge post here

George received an unusually large fine of £5 for poaching in 1840. If he failed to pay it he was to be jailed for 3 month instead. He had been caught on the land of Colonel Higginson.

The same year he and his brother John were caught poaching together and described as "incorrigible poachers" when jailed again for two and three months respectively. Later reminisces recalled many a "desperate and more or less bloody struggle" between later parish constables Richard Davis and Tom Walker and a Perry or two. 

Later generations of Perry men clocked up their own poaching convictions too. The last I saw evidenced was in the 1930s.

Of course not all Perry men poached. I think it is fair to say too that the family seemed to have been thought of affectionately by those reminiscing about the old poaching days. If you weren't a poacher or an official they may have been perfectly nice to you. Something made those 100 people come out to support William that time. Poachers were arrested all the time, especially in Dean Street without the arresting officials being subjected to that much hatred.

The Perry women had no criminal convictions that I can find except Keziah (née Warwick married 1853) wife of a James Perry. She managed to get into a fair amount of trouble generally and was jailed in for stealing money from a shop till. I am uncertain how this James relates to the poaching Perry family above. He was the son of James and Ellen/ Eleanor. His brother Joseph went on to be landlord of the Fighting Cocks.

Sarah Perry mother of the Perry poachers and widow of Joseph worked as a lacemaker during her long widowhood. Elizabeth wife of John (née Coleshill m 1832) was a seamstress.

The trade of wooden skewer making was once a Marlow speciality. Various Perry men worked in that trade and and are amongst those that are featured in this skewer making post.

There was a wealthy lawyer named Nicholas Perry in Marlow in the 1600s. I have transcribed his will and it can be read here.  There were Perry residents of Dean Street by the mid 1780s.

*To find all mentions of an individual on this blog choose the Person Index on the drop down menu*

Post written and researched by Charlotte Day, with additional research by Kathryn Day. 

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this research for local or family history purposes if you credit this blog and link here so that my sources also remain credited. Thanks.

Sources:

Censuses Great Marlow 1841, 51, 61, 71, 81 my transcription from microfilm.

Great Marlow Parish Registers, my transcriptions.

GRO Marriage Index.

Property records in my family.

Reading Mercury May 1840, 2nd December 1844.

Windsor and Eton Express 27th October 1838, 15th August 1840, 26th February 1842.

Bucks Herald 17th July 1841 and 14th August 1880.

Bucks Gazette 5th March 1831.

South Bucks Standard 25th October 1884 & 7th April 1899

Newspaper copies above are in the British Library Archives and supplied by the BNA.