Richard Carr took on the licence of the The Three Compasses, Dean Street, Marlow - often called by the shortened The Compasses- in 1881. It was a small beerhouse converted from a cottage, which like many such premises in Dean Street also functioned as a lodging house. No earlier landlords are known for the Compasses which did not exist in the form of a licensed premises in 1872. Richard may have been the first landlord the pub ever had. He moved from a cottage in nearby Queens Road, where he had lived for at least 2 years. If you walked up Dean Street from the town centre, would have found The Compasses on the police station/ Wethered Rd side. It was about two thirds of the way between Wethered Rd and the post box opposite Queens Rd. In other words it was only feet away from the Nags Head, and almost next door to where the Fox and Pheasant used to be.
Dean Street was an area dense with beer retailing competition and many licensees didn't last long at all.
One thing that can strikes you as odd about Victorian pubs and beersellers is how commonly people without any experience in the industry were given the running of these establishments only to give them up after a year or two and be replaced by someone else just as inexperienced! For many the attraction in getting a beer selling license wasn't selling beer- meeting your costs was the best some could hope for in their tiny premises. No, what they wanted was the premises of the beer shop which so often came with sheds that could be used as workshops, yards, stabling etc. These the man in the family would use to run what he would consider his "real business" while his wife actually ran the beer selling part to meet their obligations to the brewery. His name would be on the license as it was his job to do all the legal business for the family. For a poor man it was an impossible dream to set up in business on his own account because of the impossibility of affording the rent of suitable premises. But if a pub became available with workshops etc....
Of course the dream didn't necessarily match reality and the pub part of the deal would often be more time draining than the family first envisaged and they could not manage the dual businesses.
Richard Carr was originally a shoe maker and cordwainer by trade like his own father Richard senior. Unlike many others without trade experience Richard did make a success of his beer business as well as shoe making. Going back 100 years, another Marlow Richard Carr was a licensed victualler so perhaps it was in the blood!
Living with Richard were his wife Elizabeth and children. Following the usual pattern Elizabeth ran the pub with him and he continued to work as a shoe mender while being the Compasses licensee. The premises had various outbuildings at the licensee's disposal too. The pub had unofficial long term lodgers, it did not offer accommodation for travellers.
Elizabeth had worked as a servant before marriage so she had experience of sorts in the service industry at least. Her maiden name was Moores.
Beer shops were generally too small to host lucrative events and lunches but the Compasses did manage to host the apparently well attended AGM of the Marlow Rovers football club several times in the 1890s. More on the many, many football teams we once had in Marlow here.
By the 1890s Richard was also using his premises as a grocery shop too.
Dean Street could be a lively neighborhood and you could get a fair amount of entertainment just looking out into the street! In 1897 Richard when standing in his own doorway, witnessed a tussle at the door of Mr East's beer house nearby and was called as a defence witness by the customer accused of assault (after being refused more beer).
By the time of that case Richard was a widower. Elizabeth had died at home in 1893 aged just 56. Their daughter Emily was at home as a housekeeper in 1901.
The pub was forcibly closed in 1909 with a number of other Marlow premises in an attempt to slash the beer consumption in the area. Both Richard and his brewery initially appealed the decision but the authorities showed determination and they were forced to admit defeat. Richard's premises were converted into a cottage. He became a domestic tenant in them. At auction the following year the premises are described as a old fashioned cottage residence which probably sounded better than former beer shop. Richard received a measly 10 shillings compensation for the loss of a business he had managed for nearly three decades, much less than the brewery and also less than other publicans similarly deprived at the same time. The premises has been demolished.
Other publicans at the Compasses:
1881 - A Fulbrook (who gave way to Richard Carr). This was Andrew Fulbrook. Wife Sarah.
©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use my research for non commercial purposes with credit to this blog.
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Sources Included:
South Bucks Standard 4th June 1897 (Richard witness court case) and 3rd August 1894 (footie AGM) Paper held at the British library, accessed through the BNA September 2020.
Census from microfilm transcribed by me.
Death certificate obtained from GRO.
Parish registers.
Marlow Guide 1903 & Marlow Almanack and Directory 1907.
