Updated by Charlotte October 2023
Historic landlords listings are compiled from censuses, court cases, advertisements, wills, property records (some uniquely held by us) etc.
The pub building dates from the 1600s apparently. In the 1800s it was often used for coroner's inquests and sometimes for auctions too. A lovely place now but a pretty rough establishment in late Victorian times. You can find out more about Edward Collins and the pub in general in my Bovingdon Green in the 1800s post here
1794- Mr Langton, the brewer leases it.
1833-54 Edward Collins. Licence upgraded to alehouse from beerseller 1843. This was at first refused by the licensing magistrates as Edward had done nothing to stop two of his arguing customers from taking their disagreement out onto the green and brawling until one of them died. What's more he was alleged to have given the fighters lights to see by during the brawl. After the license upgrade refusal many Marlow and Bovingdon Green people wrote to the magistrates in support of Edward saying he was a man of good character who could be trusted to sell more than beer responsibly and they relented. There were greater standards expected of those who sold more than beer because other drinks were seen as more potent and thus more likely to result in addictive or unsavoury behaviour. Edward died 1854. In his will written in 1848 and proven 1854, he left all he had to his daughter Sophia Collins and niece Elizabeth ?Foley?
1859-61 Joseph Lee
1863- William Lee, James Lee both mentioned. James fined for being drunk at Bovingdon Green and "putting himself in a fighting attitude near the public pump" (?!?).
1867-69 James Leach
1869 - up to let for an annual rent of £15.
1871-80 James Twitchen. Wife Alice nee Croxon. James later became a cattle dealer. James moved from the Prince of Wales pub in Marlow when he came to Bovingdon Green. A different, older James Twitchen was at the Queen's Head Little Marlow.
1881-83 William Robinson
1891-93 Henry Tilbury. Wife Fanny. Henry became a farmer at Fingest. In 1892 came to assistance of a badly burned worker following a fire at nearby Blounts Farm but sadly the man passed away in Marlow Hospital. The man with his fellow workers had been drinking in the pub earlier that evening.
1893-97 Leonard Wheeler. Wife Mary. Became a farmer at Copy Farm Marlow after he left the pub. He came from a farming family at Wargrave.
1897-1902 George James Baigent. (Usually referred to as James) Also a building contractor who occupied a field next to the pub in that capacity. Sold up 1902 and later moved to Haddenham to run a pub (Ye Olde Cider House) and building contactor business but became insolvent 1906. In 1897 James finds a dead body in a meadow adjoining his field of peas. The man thankfully died of natural causes while out gathering firewood. It was 82 year old farm labourer Richard Harris of Oxford Terrace, Marlow.
1905-11 Charles Chantler. Wife Elizabeth. In 1909 James Chantler the brother of Charles was killed in a fight with Charles in the kitchen of the Royal Oak that began after Elizabeth refused a drunk James any whisky when she was serving at the bar. He then insulted her in her kitchen calling her a "dirty skunk". She fetched her husband saying James must be turned out of their house. James tried to hit her and attack Charles himself and so Charles fought him. James died after hitting his head when Charles pushed him down. A coroner's jury decided James had died due to his own misadventure and Charles did not have to face a manslaughter or murder charge. He and Elizabeth emigrated to Australia in 1913. Afterwards Charles wrote a letter to one of the local papers here describing his long voyage to Fremantle via South Africa on an "assisted passage scheme" He travelled to St Pancras Station, thence to Tilbury Docks where he took a tender out to his ship the Demosthenes. After examination by a doctor, he is free to find his cabin which he finds rather nice. A stop at Plymouth sees many more emigrants arrive on board. He finds the food better quality on board than he expected if very monotonous. He is also pleasantly surprised with how he manages the heat at South Africa, and the fact they are allowed a full day off ship to do some sightseeing at Cape Town. Other pleasant surprises are the good humour the other passengers manage rolling sea conditions near Africa which sees many meals upset and the fact Charles himself does not seem to have been very sea sick. On the negative side he is surprised at how roughly the luggage is handled, with many trunks burst open before they've even left London. He also encounters several fellow passengers not traveling under the assisted scheme who say they did not want to travel on an emigration ship, and that emigrants should be put in their own vessel. Charles says they did not know he himself was an emigrant when stating their prejudices! The ship crew he says treat all third passengers the same (and well ) regardless of their status however.
1915- Samuel Cluett
1920 - Herbert Church
1939- Hugh Bartlett
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