Bencombe Farm, Marlow Bottom

 Historic occupiers:

Description: 1944 = mixed farm with farmhouse and two staff cottages. Modern: used as a brewery primarily.

1883- Edward Batt Curteis. He had moved to Shottesbrook Berkshire by 1886.

1887-1908 James Chilton. Kept pigs and poultry as well as cows and grew walnuts, peas, swedes and turnips as crops. In 1888 a cart his young employee was driving in Marlow High Street ran out of control and damaged some shop fronts. James and his wife hosted the children of the Marlow Baptist Sunday School for tea and fun at the farm in 1889. Wife Elizabeth, as was traditional on farms, was the one who raised the poultry. Two of her birds were stolen from her in 1898 by William Clark who was jailed for 14 days with hard labour as a result [Reading Mercury, 8th Jan 1898, British Library]. Thefts of crops from the fields of Bencombe Farm and other Marlow Bottom premises happened regularly as it was then a quiet spot. Farm suffered a reasonable fire in 1905, and another rick fire the next year which was put down to arson. In 1907 James was convicted of employing underage Charles Cooper on the farm. Sold up his farm stock and house stuff across the years 1907-1908 as he was retiring.

1909-1927 Abel Dell. Wife Alice (née Warner, married St George's Hanover Square London 1889). Abel was a many times prize winning raiser of beef herds. Also dairy. In 1912 he bought at an auction at Henley Town Hall a cow forcibly sold off to pay the withheld taxes of Suffragette campaigner Miss Lalacheur. The event was disrupted by Suffragette protesters outside and inside the Town Hall [Henley and South Oxford Standard 3rd May 1912, British Library]. Abel was also at Hill Farm Marlow 1899-1908, at least. He went bankrupt in 1927 and died in 1935. Alice died in 1936.

1938-39 at least, Morris, Dell and Co. Richard Dell lived in. Only one cottage seems to be in use for staff at this point.

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