The Men Who Built Marlow Part One.

William Bond, a carpenter and builder born circa 1755, lived in this house in the High Street Marlow by 1822. Access to his yard behind the building was a little before it as you came down the High Street.

He was resident in the the town and working as a carpenter and builder by 1784, I just am not sure if he was in these premises then. Between 1804 and 1805 William built two new buildings for the Royal Military College in West Street [modern Remnantz] for which he was paid over £1000, a fortune for the time. He also carried out building repairs at the college and did carpentry work on Marlow's new Town Hall. 

William died in 1828. He left his business and all his tools like turning lathes, other turning tools, stock of wood and "ironmongery" to his son William Junior. His widow Ann was left his watch and chain, and all their household furniture, plate, china, linen and wearing apparel. She was also to receive profit from the business and act as one of the trustees for other parts of husband's estate. This included a property in Chapel Street Marlow. This no longer exists, it would be under where Waitrose is now, soon to be a Lidl. Ann moved out to Prospect House in Marlow in 1831 to live with her married daughter Rose Faulkner whose husband ran a boys' boarding school there. It is possible that she assisted in the school though she is listed as gentry. 

Anne was the sole executor and one of the residual legatees of the will of her friend Hester Sawyer proved 1830. She also received a silver teapot and other tea accessories from Hester in that will. To read a full transcription summary of Hester's will see this post

After Ann's daughter Rose Faulkner died she moved out of Prospect House to a home in St Peter's Street. A peculiar criminal incident occurred at her home there not long afterwards. While she was away a man disguised as a woman turned up at her house, barged in and started unpacking clothes. This person told Rose's servant Jane Pinner that she was the advance party for a couple and more servants coming to stay with Ann as old friends. The servant knew nothing of such plans and told the other "maid" she was not under any circumstances going to share a bed with her that night as had been suggested. The "maid", "master and mistress" and other uninvited servants refused to leave the house even after others of Ann's employees said they were not known in the household and should leave. Eventually someone found a gun and used it to force the group to leave. Ann on her return confirmed she had never heard of the "master and mistress" who had presented themselves as her old and dear friends. They were never traced. The motivation for this crime is baffling. Burglary seems to be what was suspected at the time but it seems something of an elaborate scheme. Free accommodation?? If the "maid" had not been a man in disguise a lot less suspicion of the group's motives would have occurred. We'll never know I suppose!

 Ann died in 1835.

 On the 1833 parish assessment the main family property in the High Street (photographed above) as lived in by William Junior consisted of a house, yard, workshops, counting house and shed. He also had a wharf down by the river which he probably used to receive timber deliveries.

That year a George Ilsley was jailed for 3 months for stealing a piece of elm timber from William.

As well as carpentry and building William Junior did surveying. He

was one of the building contractors who worked on Marlow's new suspension bridge which was finished after a protracted and very vexatious process in 1832. I have previously written a post all about this where you can read more, see here.

Getting paid for work on the bridge was at times like getting blood from a stone. William Junior would have further trouble later in his life getting paid by a Samuel Tupper and Company for work [I think in London]. He took that case to Chancery.

He was also the builder responsible for the Parish Church in Marlow finished in 1834. The previous 1600s building was, controversially for many locals, knocked down to make way for it.

William built the new Salem Chapel / Congregational Church in Quoiting Square 1839-40 too.

William Junior did not marry. He died in 1856. At the time he owned 12 cottages in Pinkneys Green, 1 in Cadmore End, a large fruit, flower and vegetable garden in Marlow complete with hot houses intended for growing grape vines [This property was called New Field. It seems to have been close to what we now call Glade Road, perhaps on or very near Foxes Piece. But that's just speculation on my part. There was also pig and cow keeping buildings there and a cottage all belonging to William. His dad had owned a garden at "Town End" which may be the same one] plus a meadow with stables, piggeries etc in Spittal Street entered by an archway [Later these were run down and considered an eyesore. This property seems to have been near to where the Methodist Church is now].

After the Bonds the premises were lived in for years by Young Lovell who was also a builder. He began as a site manager for rival building firm the Corbys from further up the High Street. When Thomas Corby Junior died in 1877 he took over their business. His company repaired Marlow's obelisk, did alterations to All Saints Church (of which he was a churchwarden) and built what is now the NatWest bank building in the High Street.

Extra note: William Bond the Elder, builder, and William Bond the younger, builder, were appointed executors of the will and trustees of some property of John Rance Lovegrove plumber and glazier of Marlow in 1828.

Ann Bond was a witness to the will of Catherine Allnutt in 1819.

Other children of William Senior and Ann as per William's will=  Sarah wife of William Clabbon, Mary- Ann wife of Daniel Pitt, Martha (then deceased) wife of John Wells, Elizabeth wife of William ?Crove and Ann wife of Edward Bond (yes Bond).

The Men Who Built Marlow Part Two deals with the Corbys and can be found here. Part three is about Young Lovell and is available here

Photographed November 2020.

Sources:

Wills of William Bond, Hester Sawyer and Catherine Allnutt. PCC. Transcribed by me. They are at the National Archives.

1833 Parochial assessment. Original records in the custody of my family. Transcribed by me. 

Reports of cases in Chancery, Kings Bench, and Common Pleas volume 25 Part 1. Digitized by Google. Accessed March 2021.

Bucks Gazette 1st March 1833. Copy at British Library Archives and accessed by me via the BNA March 2021.

Bucks Herald, 18th October 1856, accessed as above.

John Bull, 30th April 1832, accessed as above.

Piggotts Commercial Directory 1831. Copy held by University of Leicester.

Journals of the House of Commons volume 61.

Great Marlow Bridgewardens' papers and accounts, Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies.

England and Wales Censuses transcribed by me from microfilm.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this original research and image for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog and a link here so that the sources listed above remain credited.