Chapel Street Area Schools and Prospect House

The earliest known private School in Marlow was established circa 1757 by George Faux AKA Fox. This was a boys' school and was known as Faux's Academy. It was located in what is now The Cedars on the corner of Glade Road and Chapel Street. He died in 1797 and left all he had, including 3 cottages in nearby Chapel Street to his wife Ann. It does not appear that he owned the school premises however.

Ann was involved with the domestic arrangements of the school. In her youth she had been a servant of Princess Amelia, daughter of George 2nd. She died at Marlow in 1823 age 85. At that time tribute was paid to how Ann had paid "the most correct and anxious attention to the health and comfort to the hundreds of pupils who were educated at that respectable seminary".

By 1818 the school was operated by a Mr and Mrs Henry Terry as Great Marlow Academy. Former pupil Charles West Cope in his memoirs recalled his time at the school then as one of absolute misery amid constant bullying by other boys. He had then been aged seven. He described how the usher (assistant teacher) at the school took the boys into the beech woods on their half day off but did nothing to stop the older children deliberately getting the younger ones lost and then leaving them alone, or killing squirrels with sling shots. During one bullying incident Charles suffered a broken elbow and dislocated shoulder. Whilst he was recovering he was thrown into a ditch of thistles and burnt (accidentally but negligently in that case) with a candle by other boys. 

With a serious burn and thistle injuries to deal with as well as his original injuries Charles weakened and developed a fever. A surgeon called for leeches for the poor child- and amputation tools in case he considered it best to remove the arm!

Thankfully that did not happen but Charles never recovered full use of his injured limb. He was removed from the school and returned to his family in Yorkshire. I wish I could say his school life was happier thereafter but his memories of his time at Leeds Grammar School included masters who pulled boys' ears till they bled amongst other cruelties. The price the family of Charles paid for his "education" by the Terrys was 24 guineas including board, lodging and laundry (the last was often not included in standard fees.) For boys over 8 years the fee was 26 guineas per annum. Some subjects were charged extra for if studied- these included Latin, Greek, French and land surveying / mapping skills. 

Henry Terry and his wife Isabella were clearly not the best when it came to supervising their student's behaviour. This may have told on them in the end as Henry suffered bankruptcy in 1826. All his school equipment including 300 books had to be auctioned off to pay creditors. Reverend William Faulkner bought the equipment and took over the premises after some refurbishments. His was a high class boarding school for boys and a great success but perhaps it was not really William's vocation as he was after all an ordained clergyman. It was common for clergy without positions to set up as schoolmasters. In 1838 he got a position as a vicar in Hanging Heaton Yorkshire and gave up the school. His wife Rose (nee Bond of Great Marlow, his second wife) had died of fever in 1832, while his son Frank a trainee doctor had drowned in the Thames at Marlow* whilst on a visit home so perhaps he felt like leaving the town anyway. The sale of goods when he gave up his school make his establishment sound a fun place because as well as the usual school desks, maps and globes there was scenery and props for amateur theatricals, an "electricity machine" for demonstrations, a pianoforte and tambourines. The school had a dedicated playground then too as it had done when the Terrys ran things -in those days the boys had used it as somewhere to roast in makeshift ovens the squirrels they had killed in the woods!

Tragically, William became ill and died within a few months of arriving at Hanging Heaton.

The former school building was put up for sale just as an ordinary house after Faulkner left but along came someone else who wanted to run a school on the premises - Samuel Field Cooper (previously of Regent House Academy, Romford, Essex) and his wife Elizabeth who used the name Prospect House Academy for their enterprise. This can be a little confusing as there was later another house called Prospect House nearby later. That was also used for a school for a while. More on that further down this post. 

Samuel Field Hooper died in 1840 not long after the family arrived in Marlow. He was in the prime of his life. The couple's third son 9 month old  Markham died of influenza at the school just two months later.  Elizabeth (nee Grace) continued to run the school with two live in schoolmasters. She had more than 20 residential pupils in 1841. 

One of Elizabeth's assistant teachers William H Baker, appointed head master after her husband's death,  took over the premises full time in his own right after he married his master's widow in 1841. William pursued a revolutionary, for the time, system of education for the young boys he taught and boarded. He believed children didn't need to learn by rote or by having a terror of making mistakes instilled into them. Treat them with kindness he said and encourage their natural love of discovery and the boys will develop a life long thirst for learning and get through their lessons far more quickly. Harsh measures were on the other hand "calculated to debase the minds of youth'. Although a member of the Church of England, he stressed that the religious education offered would be suitable for congregationalists and other dissenters. Regular lectures on science and philosophy were an extra option during the colder months when the boys couldn't use the school's large playground so much in their leisure hours. William was passionate about astronomy in particular.

In fair weather he encouraged his pupils to play cricket in a nearby meadow which the school had long used and to go angling on the Thames, which in those distant days could actually be seen from the house. He took the boys down to the river to teach them to swim. The boys' cricketing uniform for a match against a Wycombe school in 1843 consisted of a straw hat with blue ribbon around it, a blue striped shirt and white trousers. 

His wife Mrs Baker helped run the school and offered "abundant, nutritious food". Her maternal care was considered to make the school especially suited to boys of a delicate constitution - or so they said! 

The annual price for a boarding place at the school, including washing of clothes (which as mentioned before often wasn't included in school fees) and school books was 30 guineas. Dancing lessons extra. Each pupil was required to bring with them a silver spoon and 6 towels. 

Boys at the school were prepared for university or commercial pursuits " foreign or domestic" including agriculture. Book keeping and land surveying were thus amongst the subjects studied as well as traditional ones such as grammar and French. A later reminiscence about the school said wealthy farmers especially liked to send their children to the school. (Although other pupils were undoubtedly from the gentry) In 1846 it was decided to target the market of agricultural families more particularly. Baker advertised that he would be adding regular series of lectures on subjects such as geology and chemistry adapted to agricultural purposes to the curriculum. Overall the range of subjects studied was much broader than that usually offers in grammar schools and the like. Elocution, drawing, Latin, French, Greek, modern history (not just ancient), and geography taught with "globes both terrestrial and celestial" were all on the menu. 

Religious instruction was of course also attended to. "Particular regard is given to the moral and religious deportment of the pupils who are regularly instructed in the pages of the holy writ" said Mr Baker. 

Each year the school had a public examination of the pupils, to show off their learning and of course attract the attention of parents of prospective pupils. Sometimes this was held at the school, at other times in the town hall. The pupils work in the form of penmanship and drawing was also put in display, to very favourable reviews. In 1845 the pupil exhibition included a play performed in French with "a purity of accent not to be expected in ones so young".

While it did well at first and the Bakers were much liked in the town, for unknown reasons they developed financial difficulties and had to move away.

Prospect House Academy was taken over in 1848 by Thomas Mathews who offered a classical and commercial education for boys. Buoyed by his success attracting new pupils, Thomas in 1857 took the impressive Marlow Place for his school which became known as Marlow Place Academy. To read more about this school see my general schools post published here and a more detailed post here

Their former school building became home to the Cock(e)s sisters by 1861, who renamed it The Glade. More on Charlotte Cockes here

With the name Prospect House no longer in use it was reused as the name for another house almost opposite the Glade at the junction on Little Marlow Road, Chapel Street and Wycombe Road. This building no longer exists. It too had been in use as a school. In this case it was a school for girls ran by a Miss Clark or Clarke in 1844. The school seems to have gone out of use relatively quickly and the building was for a while in domestic use. A James and Sarah Cox lived at the new Prospect House from at least 1869. James farmed some of the fields nearby. He ran a dairy business until he retired in 1883. By then he had moved to St Peter's Street.

Mary Henderson died at Prospect House in 1899 aged 55 (when she was paying £55 per annum for her lease) while a Mr Christopher Sparks was the resident by 1903 and until at least 1908. Christopher was a builder, tax assessor and insurance agent. In 1900 the house was described at auction as containing 5 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, a kitchen, and stabling while earlier descriptions invariably mention a large detached wash house too. 

Two years later the building was returned to scholastic use. It was a general school for girls and a prep school for boys called Prospect House School. Day and boarding places were available. Subjects offered included Domestic Economy, Home Nursing and Musical Theory. This school didn't seem to last long however as Prospect House was the ordinary home of a Mrs Debbin, widow, in 1912.

Captain and Mrs Homerton were the residents in 1918 when their son was born there.

Our blog focuses on pre- 1920 Marlow so I'll leave it there.

Written and researched by Charlotte  Day with some additional research by Kathryn Day.

*William's brother James a Chartist and Temperance campaigner of Oxford also drowned in a river.

More Chapel Street related posts indexed here

Sources for this post included:

Pigots Royal, National and Commercial Directory 1831 and 1844. Both University of Leicester Archives.

1841, 51 census transcribed by me from microfilm. Census information always remains Crown Copyright.

Memoirs of Charles West Cope, published by Bentley. 1881.

Kelly's Directory 1911 & 1915.

Newspapers at the British Library archives, supplied by the BNA: South Bucks Standard 17 June 1898, 7th February 1908,  30th September 1910 and 18th July 1912.

Reading Mercury 17th February 1838, 16 December 1843 as above.

Oxford University and City Herald, 6th July 1839. As above.

Morning Chronicle 15 January 1819, & Aylesbury News 20 December 1845 British Library. 

Windsor and Eton Express 08 February 1823, Slough Library.

Property records held by my family and transcribed by me.

GRO death index

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this content for family and local history purposes with credit to this blog and a link here.

Straw Bonnet / Hat Manufacturers Marlow

Not as well known as the lace trade but a Great Marlow industry nevertheless. It was a trade subject to the whims of fashion and rose and fell over time. Straw plait was traditionally stitched together by females, often little girls before child labour laws forbade it. The wholesale price of straw plait in 1849 locally was £1 for 100 yards of it. The biggest centres for straw plait manufacture in the area were Chesham and Luton. A market for it was held in Aylesbury.

Some of the straw hat or bonnet makers I found in Marlow were:

Mary Clifford, High Street. Pigot's Directory 1844. Born 1824. Daughter of Sarah and Theophilus Clifford. To read about Theophilus see the post here and the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu for all mentions of the family.) Mary and her family lived within a few doors of Matilda Newell, straw hat manufacturer below. Later in 1844 Mary returned with her parents to Theophilus's native Oxford. Mary married Henry Quarterman a carpenter and builder. She died aged 40. The Oxford Journal reported that she was "respected by all who knew her". [December 5th 1863].

Elizabeth Hawes "Oxford Terrace" [in Oxford Road] 1844 Pigot's Directory.

Charlotte Hobson, straw hat maker, High Street 1839 Robson's Directory and 1844 Pigot's Directory. Not in her own premises at least 1833 +. Age 30 and living in the High Street 1841 census though ages on that census are rounded and only approximate. Had also lived in Cookham Berkshire. Widow of John.

Matilda Newell- Pigot's Directory 1831, Robson's Directory 1839, Pigot's Directory 1844. All High Street. In 1833 property she occupied was on the Pound Lane / Brewery side of the High Street and consisted of a house and garden with an estimated value of £8 a year. She had not been in the same property in 1826. She was a straw bonnet maker aged "25" on the 1841 census apparently in the same property. Ages were rounded on the 1841 census. Matilda was actually 28 in 1841. She was the daughter of Hannah (née Hester) and William Newell and moved to Marlow with them as an infant. She was born in Bledlow in 1813. It is interesting to see Matilda occupying property on her own account and being in business ditto aged just 20 in 1833. Unusual for a young woman with living parents (they were in West Street). By 1851 she was back with them however, listed just as a farmer's daughter and living in West Wycombe. After their deaths Matilda was able to live as an annuitant rather than work. She died eventually at Naphill, Buckinghamshire on the 25th April 1883.

Elizabeth East Pusey- 1852 Slater's Royal Commercial and County Directory, Chapel Street. On 1841 census Spittal Street [these two streets run into each other and the boundaries of neither were ever consistent. I haven't yet analysed property occupations in this street but feel it possible at least Elizabeth was in the same premises in fact 1839 and 1841]. Born circa 1793. The wife and eventual widow of Samuel, a chair maker. Samuel was the brother of William Pusey straw hat maker come straw plait dealer come chair maker below. Elizabeth and Samuel moved from Marlow to High Wycombe where Elizabeth East Pusey died in 1888 aged 95 on the 15th April. Samuel had died in 1867. Elizabeth does not seem to have continued in her own trade in Wycombe.

Elizabeth Pusey, 1852 Slater's Royal Commercial and County Directory, High Street. Born 1796 on 1851 census. She was the wife of chair turner come straw hat maker William Pusey. See below. Elizabeth is censused as having been born in Rye Sussex.

William Pusey- straw hat maker, West Street 1839 Robson's Directory. In 1833 a William Pusey was in Quoiting Square where his property consisted of a house, washhouse, shop, yard and large garden worth an estimated £11 a year. The parish tax assessors got into a right pickle in the vicinity of Quoiting Square so while the description of this William's occupied property in 1833 will be accurate it is very possible that like several other properties his was listed as Quoiting Square but was actually in West Street. That street is where they were 1841 and 1844. William was married to Elizabeth Pusey, straw bonnet maker above. He was listed as a chair turner by 1830 and continually thereafter but was also in joint enterprise with his wife in straw hat making at least 1839-44. They lived in the High Street 1851. He was then censused as being born 1787 in Penn Buckinghamshire. Brother in law of straw hat maker Elizabeth East Pusey above and brother of Samuel Pusey also above.

Charlotte Rose- West Street, Pigot's Directory 1831 and 1844. Lived on 1841 and 1851 census at the West Street Post Office with her sister Ann Tyler, William Tyler the post master and Ann's husband plus Charlotte and Ann's mother Elizabeth who is listed as a milliner. Elizabeth was at other times referred to as a dressmaker as well. Ann was earlier a milliner and dressmaker too. Charlotte, who was also a cambric cap maker, died in 1870. She is buried with her mother at All Saints, Marlow. I will post a photo of her grave in the future.

Ann Sinclair. West Street Pigot's Directory 1844.

Charlotte Suthrey - High Street, 1831 Pigot's Directory. Not in own premises 1833.

Hannah Wright, Chapel Street. 1831 Pigot's Directory.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here.

Sources:

Robson's Directory 1839

Pigot's Directory 1831 and 1844. These both University of Leicester Archives.

1852 Slater's Royal, Commercial and County Directory. 

Property records in my family.

Death certification Matilda Newell and Elizabeth East Pusey.

Censuses my transcription from microfilm except West Wycombe which was from Aidan O'Brien. Census information always remains Crown copyright.

Food in Victorian Marlow.

The food eaten by different sorts of Victorian Marlovians can be reconstructed from court cases where food is stolen from larders, gardens and fields as well as businesses; reports of local celebration meals and wedding feasts; adverts put out by shops, hotels and restaurants; coroner's inquests  and crime reports that describe the meals eaten by those mentioned if it is relevant; postcards; Poor law records and many more sources.

 

Fish:

Of course the river offered some opportunities to catch your lunch. Eels were amongst the possible wildlife that could be ensnared but they became increasingly rare during the Victorian era. The landlady of the Complete Angler Hotel, Mrs Parslow, always kept some in reserve when she could, strictly for her favourite customers.

For up to about a dozen men at any one time catching fish was not a hobby but a trade. Some did so to sell the fish commercially, others hired themselves and their boat out to visiting "sportsmen" who wanted to fish for pleasure and benefited from the fisherman's expert local knowledge.

Changes to the river flow caused by the new bridge as well as growing pollution and over fishing meant salmon were rare by the mid century. Other fish were still present however and a few professional fisherman were still working at the end of the Victorian era. It is not usually possible to know whether those late examples were selling catches or selling their expertise to allow tourists to catch their own. Another question is were other Marlovians eating any commercially caught fish from Marlow? The first fishmonger shop I've so far definitely located was in 1831 ran by George Draper in Chapel Street.

Elsewhere in the country the majority of local fish caught tended to be rushed away up to London or other major centres for sale rather than sold to locals. In the same way some country people complained that if they lived within transport distance to London they found it hard at times to buy fruit and vegetables grown with abundance in their home patch because the London market consumed everything. Even access to fresh milk could be an issue.

So we can't say for certain Marlow fish was available to buy here. Possibly a certain percentage could be bought from the fisherman at the riverside. Apart from the Marlow eels at the Complete Angler no reference to local fish being available at any local pub or hotel has been found by me. That doesn't mean that it wasn't served only that the proprietors didn't consider it desirable or unusual enough to bother advertising its availability.

Someone was selling herrings out of barrels in town mid century, probably a grocer. They certainly sold fish sauce!

Fruit:

Commercial fruiterers resided very much on Dean Street in the Victorian age. All seemed to have been involved in the wholesale trade, some also retailed to the public. At Christmas time fresh oranges and grapes were also sold in Marlow grocers for those that could afford them. It was also to grocers you went for dried fruits for your Christmas pudding or baking. You would need to stone and stalk your own raisins at home then.

Apple pies and cherry pies are mentioned multiple times as being stolen from Marlow and Little Marlow homes. Cherries were grown commercially at a small scale around Marlow and on a large scale at Flackwell Heath. You might have bought your cherries from visiting gipsy sellers too.

The fruit grown by the gardeners of the wealthy residents of Marlow can be seen from the local horticultural show results. These were already in full swing by the time Victoria ascended the throne. It took until the early 1870s for ordinary people to feature in these competitions if they were not professional gardeners. Fruits grown by rich Marlovians were: apples, plums, peaches, nectarines, pears, greengages, melons, strawberries, rhubarb and grapes.

Ordinary citizens were more likely to be growing: apples, pears, redcurrants, whitecurrants, blackcurrants, plums, gooseberries, raspberries. Note the greater amount of bush fruit by people in this category.

From the hedgerows poorer people gathered blackberries, mirelles, sloes and crab apples (and young hawthorn leaves to snack on, until at least the 1930s!)

Vegetables:

Greengrocers were also centred on Dean Street in early times. They sold predominantly vegetables and salad leaves with fruit more at fruiterers. Many of those I find mentioned as involved in the green grocery trade turn out upon examination to have no shop but to be itinerant sellers going door to door or selling in the street. These were catering to the poorer residents of Marlow and nearby areas.

The poorest of all could afford to buy very little. Women and children routinely stole into farmers' field for example to pull off turnip and swede tops to cook as vegetables. The court cases of the 1800s are littered with prosecutions for this. Marlow Bottom because it was lonelier was a hotspot for this kind of activity. Some of the court cases are truly heartbreaking as those families involved were absolutely destitute.

Swedes themselves by the way were usually grown in the South as animal feed and not for human consumption. A World War 2 propaganda campaign by the government convinced us to give them a try as they were cheap and easy to produce en masse at a time of food shortages. The few cases of Marlow folks stealing swedes not just their tops would have been cases of the most dire desperation. Public prosecution for this would have been utterly humiliating. It was the social equivalent of being caught stealing grass to eat. 

Watercress was grown by early and mid Victorian times between Marlow and Medmenham as well as at Little Marlow. It was a very popular vegetable throughout the era.

The vegetables and salads grown by the gardeners of the wealthy residents of Marlow are described in reports of local horticultural shows are described throughout the era: cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, celery and cauliflower feature most highly.

More ordinary citizens entered such shows from around the early 1870s. Women as well as men were already then growing prize winning crops. Vegetables grown by these more humble householders were: lettuce, marrows, peas, turnips, onions and carrots. Probably, judging by seed stock advertised by Marlow seedsmen (stand alone businesses or a sideline for ironmongers) we can add beetroot as well as brussel sprouts and broccoli to that list.

Allotments arrived in Marlow in the 1880s.

Herbs, Spices etc:

Wild garlic could be picked (sneakily) in Marlow churchyard as well as in the countryside around town.

Exotic spices were easily available at the grocery shops in the town centre, if you had cash to spare. 

Meat:

The most popular foodstuff to steal from Marlow pantries was bacon, followed by cheese and pies*. These pies might be sweet or savoury. What meat was in the "meat pies" is almost never specified.

The most common meat stolen from shops after bacon was pork.

Any local, personal or national event celebrated by a dinner in the Victorian age tended to be centred around feasting on roast beef. Marlow records show here was no different than elsewhere. By far the most usual Victorian Christmas dinner given in ordinary family homes, workhouses and in places hosting workplace, charity or Sunday school festive dinners was roast beef and plum pudding not the turkey or goose of popular imagination. [Actually this was the standard year round celebration meal for Victorians. The "plum pudding" became "Christmas pudding" for a few weeks every year when it was served at Christmas time aflame with some holly on top. So Marlow celebration dinners throughout the year feature plum pudding].

The "Excelsior pork pie" was a speciality of Death and Son bakers of Marlow. They operated in both West Street and the High Street at different times. 

Butcher's shops were in High Street, West Street, Spittal Street and Chapel Street. A biographical portrait of Rachel Hall a butcher of West Street has previously been published on this blog. See also my post on butcher Jason Povey. 

Some of the Marlow butchers  had stalls at Marlow Market once a week. This had become solely or mostly for meat by the 1870s.

By the 1880s meat could also be bought from grocer's shops.

Poaching for rabbits kept many a Dean Street family going but it also cost them heavily in terms of fines and lost income from jail time.

Bakery:

Marlow had no shortage of bakers. These all sold flour for home baking as well as their own baked products.  Some also functioned as corn dealers. Most were also pastry cooks selling sweet baked goods ranging from little penny cakes for one person to large celebration cakes. Only the wealthy could afford to buy the latter. Marlow bakers advertised ready made birthday and iced Christmas cakes by the 1880s. Early Victorian Christmas cakes were non alcoholic and usually not iced or served with marzipan. They were intended as a plain, easily digestible dessert alternative to rich plum puddings for the children of the family. If Marlow bakers or confectioners supplied the Twelfth cakes that were popular in the early and middle 1800s for Twelfth Night parties I cannot discover.

Confectioners sold sweets but sometimes functioned as pastry cooks as well and sold cakes and pastries, especially in the pre Victorian era. They might be grocers too!

In Victorian times home cooks could pay to bake their own pies and breads in the bakers' ovens after the bakers themselves were finished for the day. You have to remember that many early Victorian, and some later Victorian families had no oven at home or only a tiny one. 

Gingerbread stalls featured every year at Marlow Fair. They were a magnet for children.

Death and Sons bakers produced their own biscuits called the Marlow Pioneer Biscuits [South Bucks Standard 22nd February 1895, advertising accessed via the BNA March 2021]. Grocery shops also sold biscuits and cakes by the 1880s.

Dairy Products:

Most Marlow grocers were also cheesemongers. Stand alone cheesemongers seem to have no presence though they did in earlier times. Advertised cheeses were hard cheeses and none were said to be locally produced. Stealing cheese from householders was not uncommon.

Bread and cheese was THE working class packed lunch of the 1800s. Poor little Thomas Lunnon aged 7 had just such a lunch stolen from him right from off his school premises in Little Marlow in 1892 [South Bucks Standard 7th October 1892]. He had carried it there in a basket.

Ice cream was usually made at home but those not able to do so could enjoy a portion from one of the several ice cream sellers who pushed their special barrows around the streets in the summer. Most of these were not local men. Many regarded the ice cream men a nuisance because they tended to attract a street blocking crowd of children and adults. One such seller from Reading found himself in court after he was accused of causing traffic chaos on Marlow bridge with his barrow. The police observed 40 people gathered about him. Let's hope supplies held out! 

Poultry:

These were bought from poulterer's and it seems sometimes directly from local farmers.

Stealing fowls from farms and homes was very common in Victorian Marlow. Reports of thefts which are not accompanied by reports of the arrests of the guilty parties are unusual so perhaps the Marlovians responsible weren't very good at it.

Nuts:

Walnuts were grown as a crop on almost every Marlow farm. They were much loved by Victorians who pickled them and made walnut ketchup as well as utilising them in ways we would be more familiar with today. As they were valuable they were targeted by thieves.

From the countryside filbert nuts could be gathered in places.

Almonds were very popular and found at the grocers, who also sold chestnuts in the winter.

For visitors:

The Compleat Angler, the Greyhound Hotel in Spittal Street, the Two Brewers in St Peter's Street, and the George and Dragon on the Causeway all specialised in catering for picnic and boating parties that came to visit Marlow.

By the 1870s the mess left behind by picnickers on the banks of the river  was already considered a nuisance [Bucks Herald 18th August, page via BNA February 2021].

Great Western Railway offered special picnic party fares to Marlow from London and elsewhere. Favourite nearby spots were the fields near Gossemore in Marlow, Quarry Woods at Bisham, Winter Hill and Bisham Woods.

*****

For the historical cost of living in Marlow including food prices see my previous posts.

* my working out. Thieves must have felt it was their lucky day when they broke into William Suthery's Little Marlow home in the 1850s and found all three ripe for the taking!

©Marlow Ancestors. Use this material for family or local history purposes if you wish with credit to this blog and a link here to ensure my sources remain credited for information provided.

Thank you to Jane Pullinger for her family's information.   

Royal County Directory for Beds, Bucks and Berks, 1876. [Marlow market information]

South Bucks Standard 23 September 1898. 

Fry Grave, Parish Church Great Marlow

 

Severely leaning grave of William and Phoebe Fry. Photographed from a safe distance! 

William Fry d. Apr 8th 1852 aged 50 years. "In the midst of life we are in death".

And Phoebe - Wife of above d.Nov 28 1856.

Notes: William was a servant. In 1841 he and Phoebe lived in West Street Marlow with their children. To see a photo of their home today see here.

For similar posts see Graves on the menu. For all mentions of someone on the blog see the Person Index on the top drop down menu. Posts about other West Street people can be found indexed here.

©Marlow Ancestors. Reproduction welcome with credit.

Richard and Jane Reeves, Workhouse Managers

 Great Marlow workhouse was in what we now call Munday Dean Lane but was then often called Workhouse Lane, on the edge of the town.

In 1835 the Bucks Gazette* carried an advert for an "intelligent master" for the place. The successful applicant needed to be a married man with a wife willing to act as the workhouse matron. Wages were to be £100 a year for the two of them together. This was about the standard wage in the region for such a master / matron work team, though some complained it was extravagant.

Richard and Jane Reeves were probably the successful applicants as they were running the workhouse by the time of the 1841 census. I can find no adverts for replacement staff in between times, and such posts were widely advertised.

With them in 1841 were two teenage children, William and Jane junior.

Richard on a later census said he was born Greys Oxfordshire which is likely Rotherfield Greys. Jane said she had come all the way from Yorkshire. Their children I found were baptised at Wooburn Bucks.

The Great Marlow workhouse had benefited from some renovation and improvement 1836, not to make the paupers within more comfortable of course but to further plans to close as many local workhouses as possible and cram their inmates into just 2 premises. One of these was to be at Bledlow and one at Great Marlow. 

As part of the same changes the poor were no longer to be given money to help them survive, only bread. Landlords and shopkeepers of course didn't except bread as payment so if the poor couldn't support themselves entering the workhouse became their only option. In order to compensate the authorities for the food and shelter provided at the institution adults inmates were made to work (for no other pay). At Marlow this work then consisted largely of digging gravel out of fields bought for the purpose near the workhouse. 

This work may have had little real economic benefit but there was an oft repeated belief that given the chance poor people would never work, only laze about waiting to be fed bread and handed money so they needed to work at something every day in order not to lose the habit. Of course such beliefs were not universal. Even in the 1840s there were those who angrily questioned how people who employed servants to personally avoid doing any hard work felt qualified to make pronouncements on the subject of other people's "idleness".

While the adults worked outside the children were supposed to be receiving an education. Later Victorian reports suggest the workhouse children had attended the Oxford Road infant school but on the 1841 census there was a schoolteacher on the workhouse premises who was responsible for educating the children directly.  

The census shows far more children than adults in the workhouse. The youngest was just 4 days old. 

Though quite well paid it must have  been a stressful job to run the institution. The new system of refusing to give out of workhouse financial relief caused great resentment. Robert and Jane may have felt some of that in person. Fiction tends to paint workhouse managers as awful people. The Reeves however took up their role early on in this new workhouse system regime when it was largely untested. They may have been part of the (minority) of people who hoped that the poor would benefit from it by higher wages. If a farmer gave a worker a miserably low wage under the old system they knew that the local parish would top up the wages to a slightly less miserable level by way of poor relief. Under the new system without that extra money workers would become destitute and have to give up their jobs for the workhouse leaving farmers and other employers without enough available workers. If they wanted to continue as businesses the thinking went employers would have to pay their workers sufficient wages to actually live on. It had logic as a theory, but it didn't prove true.

An anonymous letter writer to the local papers in 1840 accused the Marlow workhouse of being one of the worst run and said that the managers (who he did not name) were too lax in their supervision of the inmates. The inmates could be found consorting about the town with criminal elements it was said, while the children were not escorted to Sunday school. He or she also thought that the female residents were mainly there because they needed to support illegitimate children, with the implication that it was not sufficiently strict enough to provide a determent from immorality. 

Richard and Jane had left their workhouse jobs by the 1851 census (no earlier than 1843) to become publicans at the Ship Inn West Street. In 1843 the Wycombe Union had opened a central Workhouse at Saunderton to replace the local workhouses. 

By 1863 Jane was a widow running the pub alone. Following her death her daughter in law Sarah (son William's wife) would become the landlady.

The workhouse buildings survive in a private residential capacity.

More Information: 

Poverty in Victorian Marlow here

The most famous person to be born in Great Marlow Workhouse was John Richardson. See here

For complete landlord listings for The Ship see this post. More pub related posts can be found on the menu  here

For every mention of someone on this blog see the Person Index in the top drop down menu. There are now 6,000 people listed there with more added weekly. 

Written and researched by Charlotte Day. Additional research by Kathryn Day. 

Sources:

Censuses from microfilm images 

* Paper copy from the British Library accessed via the BNA August 1st 2020.

Wooburn parish registers.

Annual Report Of the Poor Law Commissioners Volume 1. 1835. Copy from Bavarian State Library digitized by Google.

© Marlow Ancestors.  You are very welcome to use this information for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here.

Will Summary James Greenwood of Great Marlow

 James Greenwood, excise officer. Will written and proved 1847.

To brother George* £19 19 shillings.

Brother in law Thomas Stroud of Great Marlow all money, promises of money and all he has in his book of the Maidenhead Savings Bank.

All residual estate to him too. He is executor.

Witnessed by George Smith Pearce  and William Stockbridge.

Will held at the National Archives, Kew.

*George may the George Greenwood mentioned in the 1833 Parish Assessment here here

More about George Smith Pearce here

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to reuse my transcription summary if you credit this blog.

To find all mentions of an individual here, use the A-Z Person index in the top drop down menu. There is over 4,000 people listed there. 

Will index can be found here

John Potter, Excise Officer Grave

 John Potter, officer of excise in this town. D. Apr 28th 1832 age 58.

"Reader beware how though dost stand/prepare to follow for deaths at hand/To cut thee off when God doth send/Pray don't neglect thy latter end. "

At parish church, Great Marlow.

In 1830 John along with the Excise Collector Thomas Richards and Supervisor Thomas Jenkins Couch wrote to the Reading Mercury refuting a report that Wethered's brewery in Marlow had been found by them to be using illegal ingredients in their beer and had been fined £1000 as a result. To set the public's mind at rest and protect the Wethered's reputation they announced that they would inspect the brewery premises anyway [Reading Mercury 8th March 1830].

For similar posts see the Graves menu option. Also see the Person Index.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this photo or transcription for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog and a link here.

List Of Landlords Of The Two Brewers, and Fishermen's Retreat Hotel, St Peters Street. *Updated*

THE TWO BREWERS

This building is still in existence and still trading as a pub.

1770 - John Ireland

1776 - Passing mention in the Oxford Journal, it is hosting an auction. 

 1795 - William Carter or Widow  Carter. Building has arched cellar, walled garden, and spacious stabling. Premises up for sale in this year. It's "extremely commanding and advantageous situation" at the foot of Marlow Bridge is emphasized. Owner was the late deceased maltster Henry Smith who had had a malt house in the High Street.

 1823 - G. Hawkins. Other source say John.

 1824 - John and Mary             Hawkins. 

 1826 - John Hawkins who died of  Smallpox that year.

1831 - Mary Hawkins, John's widow (nee Hewett).

1833 - Richard Bye. Marries Mary Hawkins who is widowed. Widow of John Hawkins. More on this couple in a post here.

1837 - William Bavin. Previously a chairmaker. Went to first incarnation of Carpenters Arms c1843. See also The Clayton Arms.

1839 - Samuel Hobbs  See his grave here In the 1833 Parish Assessment a Samuel Hobbs is listed as an occupier of a cottage elsewhere in St Peters Street. Samuel seems to have come from High Wycombe originally.

 1844 - Samuel Hobbs "Duck Lane"

 1852 - Elizabeth Hobbs. Widow of Samuel above.  See her grave here

 1853 - Elizabeth Hobbs

 1854 - William Truss (also a sexton)

 1862 - bottle of gin and 10s stolen     from till while Mrs Truss away from it. 

 1869 - William Truss

 1871 - John C Truss

 1883 - John Clark Truss

 1894 - John Clark Truss

 1896 - J C Truss 2. William Truss

 1899 - E. S. Truss

 1902-1910 - final stop for many   motoring clubs on their regular   "runs". 

 1903 - Miss Emily Sophia Truss

 1911 - John Clark Truss (Junior)

 1915 - John Clark Truss. In this year   the severe floods mean the pub can   be accessed only via raised plank   walkway. 

 1918 - "the late J C Truss"

1925  - John C Truss. Died 1939 at Weir Cottage after retiring from the Two Brewers just over a decade before. After retirement he became a traveller for the Wethered's Brewery. Another well known bell ringer. 

1939 - Thomas Alfred (Neale?)

The Two Brewers, above, on right.

To see a tiny sample of the historic graffiti carved into wall of the Two Brewers, see here

THE FISHERMAN'S RETREAT HOTEL

This was opened by William Spark(e)s in 1873 after his former premises The Barge Pole in Church Passage was due for demolition. Originally described as "first class boarding house". It was a converted house. William also spent time in charge of the Black Boy in Church Passage. ( You can read a post about the Spark(e)s family here ) Referred to as Fisherman's Arms in the 1877 Post Office Directory. Housing is now on the site. It was very close to the Two Brewers. Some evidence points to the fact that it was commonly if not officially known as The Barge Pole for the first couple of years. It was also frequently recorded as The FishermEns Retreat, a name which appeared above the door but FishermAns Retreat is the form which almost invariably appears in advertising and at licensing hearings. (The owners probably gave up correcting this!) Despite becoming increasingly up market, it was still used as a "local" drinking hole by working class residents in the first 15 years or so.  This is pointed to by the names and occupations of people drinking there who are mentioned in passing during court hearings, news reports, inquests etc. They include labourers and others who also lived in St Peters Street for example. (E.g "jobbing man" of St Peters Street John Lloyd in 1880) 

1873 - William Sparkes (Read a detailed post on him here)

1875 - William Sparkes dies, widow Maria takes over. See his grave here

1877 - Maria Sparkes, widow. In this year the retreat hosts the inquest relating to death of young labourer Timothy Young at Marlow Place. He was killed when the 10ft high brick and flint garden wall he was employed to help demolish collapses upon him. He was trapped from running away by some shrubs planted nearby. Other workers were also injured. This is during improvement works at Marlow Place when it is converted back to a house after spending much time as a school. 

1878 - described by The Field as an economic and comfortable place to stay, especially for anglers. 

1879 - "As cosy a retreat from the cares of the world as a man may desire" - Bells Life in London and Sporting Chronicle. 

1880 - Albert D Symes.  Still described as a "public house" during court case this year. 

1881 - John Hoddinott (Born Balcombe, Somerset) John is a keen angler himself. 

1882 - John is assaulted by John Neighbour and Walter Bowles who are reluctant to pay for the beer, mineral water and cigars that they have consumed. Neighbour is convicted of pushing John and spitting in his face while Bowles breaks a window at the Retreat. Both are fined with the threat of 14 days imprisonment if the fine is unpaid. After the window is broken, the police are called and Neighbour and Bowles decide to pay but the damage has been done. 

1885 - John and Elizabeth Hoddinott cater for 40 guests each day at breakfast during a busy August weekend. 

1887 - hosts Fire Brigade dinner, one of many such events. 

1880's - frequently used as retreat after racing for regatta crews as well as visiting societies and clubs on their annual river outings. 

1891 - John Hoddinott ( John died in the 1890's Flu pandemic. For more on the outbreak, see my post Here ) Described as one of the most comfortable hostelry on the river (Evening News, May 1891)

1895 - Has collection box on the premises for Marlow Cottage Hospital. Both the Hoddinotts were frequent in their own financial and practical donations to the hospital. "Fishermen's Retreat Hotel"

1903 - Mrs Elizabeth                    Hoddinott, John's widow. 

1907 - Mrs Elizabeth Hodinott qv

1911 - Elizabeth Hoddinott

1915 - Recommended for closure without compensation as fully licensed premises, by Renewal Authorities of County Licensing Committee, continues as hotel 

1920 - the Misses Hoddinott

1927 - described as "residential hotel". Does also take shorter term guests however. 

1939 - Mrs Dorothy Herbert. Private Hotel. 

Researched by Kathryn Day

This post is updated as new information emerges. All listings are as noted in original sources, including alternative spellings. Where multiple sources list an individual's name, only the first and last mention are listed here unless there is any alteration in how they are recorded, for example when an additional occupation is noted. Note that some listings may in fact refer to fathers and sons sharing the same given name so be sure to double check this. 

Many Marlow landlords changed premises and there can be other family members running other establishments. Some places changed how they described themselves - or how they were viewed - and so licensed premises listings here take in not just beer houses, pubs and inns but common lodging houses and hotels too. We mainly focus on pre WW1 listings but sometimes list later names if it ties in with research we are helping with. To find every mention of an individual here, use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu. There's 3,000 people listed there currently! 

SOURCES -

1853 Mussons and Cravens Commercial Directory, (compiled 1852).

Kelly's Post Office Directory- 1859,1864,1869,1877,1899,1903, 1907,1911,1915,1920. Published by Kelly's Directories Limited.

Dickens Dictionary of the Thames from Oxford to the Nore (1880 Edition, issue 2)

Census 1881,1891. Transcribed from microfilm by Jane Pullinger.

Historic newspapers, held at the British Library and accessed via the BNA March 2021:

Bucks Herald - 13 May 1837, 9 Jan 1915, as above. 

Reading Mercury - 6 & 20 July 1795, as above. 

Oxford Journal - 24th June 1826, as above

Maidenhead Advertiser 14 April 1877, 26 August 1885,  as above

Robson's Directory 1839, 1844. Via University of Leicester Archives.

South Bucks Standard 7 June 1895, as above

Sunday Mirror 26 June 1927. 

Morning Post 18 June 1909

Pigots Directory 1823

Weekly Dispatch London 26 June 1927. 

©Marlow Ancestors. 

Will Benjamin Cutler

Benjamin Cutler of Lane End, Great Marlow. Will written and proved 1811.

Carpenter.

Says he in perfect health, mind and memory.

Wife Hannah £15 and his messuages and tenements in Great Marlow in occupation of his mother Hannah, George Oxlade, the testator and Jonathan Oxlade.

This PCC will is held at the National Archives, Kew. Transcribed by Charlotte Day.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to reuse this content for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.

Will Summary for Elizabeth Bell Great Marlow 1799

Will written 1789, proved 1799.

After all debts paid:

10 guineas each to brother John Hammond, sister in law Mary Hammond, son in law Mr Joseph Bell, daughter in law Elizabeth Ogle wife of William Ogle.

Mr George Ellison, attorney at law 5 guineas.

Niece Mary Hammond my watch, rings clothes and my woodland and premises with the appurtenances in Great Marlow called "Shillings ...ge".

Nephews Jonathan and Richard Hammond to be tenants in common [stresses tenants in common not joint tenants] of woodlands in Great Marlow called "High ....ins" and "....allings".

Residue of estate to the niece and nephews already mentioned- Mary, Jonathan and Richard Hammond who were the will's executors.

Witnessed by Sarah Smith, Henry Smith and Robert ...ist.

Will was proved by Richard with power to execute also reserved to Jonathan and Mary.

This summary produced to the best of my ability from a will at the National Archives Kew, transcribed by me.

Note that the term son or daughter in law was used in a wider sense than today.  It could also be a step child. I have not investigated the family relationships of those in the will.

©Marlow Ancestors. Use this summary as you will for family and local history purposes, with credit to this blog.

The Cherry Tree - landlords and timeline

*UPDATED BY CHARLOTTE DECEMBER 2023*

The early few years of this pub / lodging house are currently being further investigated due to new information coming to light. It was listed in 1872 as a pub with a start date of 1830. However it is not named within the exhaustive 1833 parish assessment. The building on the site, is listed then as the premises of fruiterer James Bowles, compete with orchard and fruit sheds. The Bowles family would have a long association with the Cherry Tree and he may have had a licence to sell beer at this earlier time. The assessor does not list all the uses the building is put to, but does generally list a beer shop's name. A short distance away and also occupied by a Bowles is The Royal Oak, Dean Street and we initially wondered if there had been some confusion over the pictorial sign and the assessor meant the Cherry Tree. However the Royal Oak appears to be a little further along Dean Street in the direction of the Jolly Maltsters and in the  approximate location later occupied by the later Travellers Friend lodging house/beer shop. 

 There was also a well known Cherry Tree beer house at Flackwell Heath. The Marlow one was located in Dean Street, Spittal Street end. It has now been demolished. 

1830 - premises first mentioned as a lodging house with the name of the Cherry Tree. It had a large cherry tree in the yard. It functioned as a low doss house early on, famed amongst the poor and marginalised across a wide area as a place they could find welcome, but was more respectable later on.

[1837- possibly Mrs Fry. In that year she had a lodgings house close to the Jolly Maltsters which would fit this location, though there are other possibilities]

1841- Ann Bowles?

1851 -  Elizabeth Bowles? Or is it Ann?

1861 - William Price (and lodging house keeper) See also Travellers Friend, Dean Street. 

1864 - Emma Brown, widow (Formerly of The Mint and Jolly Maltsters)

1877 - Emma Brown

1880 - Emma Brown died. 

1883 - John Finch (came from Bank of England, Dean Street)

1886 - Richard Bowles. Faces closure this year as it does not meet the minimum rateable then required to be a licenced premises. It was decided to incorporate a small adjoining cottage into the Cherry Tree to nudge up the value. Several licensed premises were forced to do similar things this year. At first the licence renewal was delayed as it was noted the cottage had no interior communication with the pub and also was in the name of a separate tenant. The cottage exterior door was therefore bricked up and an interior communication door knocked through. 

1888 - Richard Bowles. 2. George Pusey

1891 - George Pusey May be the same man who was the pot-man at the George and Dragon in 1882. 2. Owen West

1893 - Owen West transfers to 2. Sidney East

1896 - Sidney Herbert (alt. Sidney Frederick) East

1897 - "Cherry Tree Inn" Sidney East

1900 - Sidney East. 2. Frederick William Crump. "Spittal Square"

1901 - Frederick Crump (moved to Lane End to run The Old Armchair pub there 2. F Clark

1902 - Survived an attempt to close it down based on the number of other licensed premises nearby. In the end the licence was renewed on condition the rear access to cottages behind was stopped up, as it made the premises hard to police.  At this point trade is called good, and there are 5 bedrooms, one for family use, others are let out. Fred Clark. 

1903 - Fred. Clark

1907 Frederick Clark. A man hawks woolen cardigans (a newish invention usually worn by men) in the taproom that year.

1909 - Fred Clark. Says his wife [Sarah] supervises the premises all day although his name on licence - a common state of affairs. It has at this point 4 bedrooms let to 7 lodgers which includes a family who are called long term residents. Otherwise they say they let rooms to single men who get one to themselves. The rest of the premises consist of a bar, tap room, and two parlours plus the landlords bedroom. Their trade of 104 barrels a year is described  very good for a beer house e.g they are not fully licensed and can't sell spirits. The brewery owners say they are willing to incorporate a neighbouring cottage into the premises to provide more accommodation. Referred to Compensation authority for potential forced closure, but survives the threat. 

1912- Sarah Clark landlady buys stolen tokens for deliveries of Coal and coke from the nearby gasworks. She pays 3 pints of beer a packet of "fags" and a shilling sixpence for them and sends one of her lodgers to redeem the voucher at the gasworks. She was not charged with any wrongdoing herself. Perhaps because she bought the vouchers from a gasworks employee who was drinking in her pub. She had mentioned in conversation that she'd need some coke from his workplace soon and he told her she could buy the voucher from him. The amount paid for the items may have been low enough to warrant suspicion in a more thoughtful buyer but payment wholly or partly in goods rather than cash to businesses was not uncommon for poorer customers. It seems vouchers were bought ahead for a certain weight of coal or coke plus delivery if required (where usually??) and these vouchers were presented at the gasworks when the coal or coke was wanted. The vouchers should have been put away in a box as used and redeemed but had been taken away by an employee. We are not quite sure why customers could not just pay for the coal at the gasworks when they wanted it.

1918- T J Willis

1919 Premises under alteration and repair. 

1928 ; threatened with forced closure by the authorities yet again. But survives until...

Closed 1931. Last landlord - William George Marshall.  At this time it was described as having a nice exterior, but the interior made it the "most inconvenient, darkest, dingiest, and least comfortable house." At this point only one room was in use by the public. It was also noted the house did a good "working class trade" which had actually increased significantly in recent years. No doubt the constant threats of closure had caused the landlords to restrict their investment in the property.  But it is sad that a historic pub with a landmark green tiled exterior and a good and increasing trade was seemingly closed because the licensing and compensation committees didn't find the interior to their taste. 

This post is updated as new information emerges. All listings are as noted in original sources, including alternative spellings. 

Notes - 

We mainly focus on pre WW1 listings but sometimes list later names if it ties in with research we are helping with.

The site of the Cherry Tree pub, now demolished. 

Additional research by Charlotte Day.

Related Posts:

There are posts on this blog about individual families associated with certain pubs, as well as on individual pubs themselves so have a look at the Pub Related index here  & don't forget the Person Index for all mentions of someone on this blog. Find it on the top drop down menu. 

Posts about life in Dean Street and neighbouring streets here

More beer sellers than bakers -Temperance in Marlow here

Lists of posts about everyday life in old Great Marlow here

SOURCES

1853, 1863 Mussons and Cravens Commercial Directory from University of Leicester Archives.

Kelly's Post Office Directory - 1859, 1864, 1869, 1877. By Kelly's Directories Limited.

1833 Parish Assessment. Original record held by my family and transcribed by Charlotte Day.

1872 Beer House Listings, Old Bucks County Council Archives

Pigots Directory 1844

Census 1841,1861,1871,1881,1891 transcribed from microfilm.

Bucks Herald 17 July 1841, 9th August 1873, 22 May 1902 - held at British Library and accessed via the BNA March 2021.

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News 14 July 1860, as above

Reading Mercury -24 April 1847, 10 November 1855, 29 November 1890, as above

South Bucks Standard July 14 1876, 20 September 1899, June 10 1904, December 25 1908, March 25th 1909 as above. 

Windsor & Eton Express January 25 1868, January 9th 1909 as above

South Bucks Free Press July 14 1860, July 24 1891 as above

Maidenhead Advertiser September 4 1889, as above

Report of the Compensation Committee, 1931. 

©Marlow Ancestors. 

Don't Mess With Matron Part Two

           The Glade Road site.

This post is a continuation of a history of the first Cottage Hospital. Part one here.

 Problems mount at the hospital 

The site at Cambridge House was considered likely to be a quiet one when the hospital first opened. It was not quite to be. Some open ground to the rear of the hospital was used frequently as a place for children to play football but this was preferable to it's use by "delinquents" who adopted the site in the mid 1890's. They were said to throw stones and break windows although the hospital itself escaped their specific attention. Police began to keep a close eye on the area and a number of boys were rounded up and sent before the magistrates mostly to receive small fines and vigorous telling offs. Three boys playing football in Eton Place in 1895 were especially censured because their actions could have caused "considerable discomfort" to patients in the nearby hospital. Richard Engelfield, Arthur Rockett (Rockell?) and James Dormer recieved 1s fines each. To be fair to the boys, neither Riley Recreation ground or Higginson Park were yet open to the public. Then there was the fair and also steam organs, travelling theatres and roundabouts that turned up in what is now Riley Recreation Ground at other times. 

Give us space! 

The improvements in 1894/5 cost £200 and added a new operating room, a new ward and two W.C's. The narrowness of the stairs, passage and landing had been partially eased by widening all 3. But the stairs were still steep and added much to the exhausting  nature of the work. This was not just true for the Matron Mary Cole, but the mostly unnamed servant and charwoman who toiled up and down dozens of times a day.  The wages for the general servant were described as good for a "really trustworthy person" in 1894, but the frequency of adverts appearing for this role suggests it was hard even by the standards of domestic service, good pay or no. 

The last years

In 1908, Nurse Cole was again working alone. Another probationer had come and gone. It was said the assistant nurses did not get enough free time, to which the hospital replied that Cole sacrificed her own days off so often that she could scarcely give any more time to allow the nurses more leisure. They praised Cole's strict economy that saved every possible penny. She could do no more. 

The hospital felt cramped, the stairs were steep and Dr Dunbar Dickson, one of the hospital surgeons in regular attendance, thought the sanitary arrangements totally inadequate. So in 1911 a committee was formed to consider potential sites for a brand new more commodius building. An area of Glade Road let as allotments and belonging to John Langley chairman of the Marlow Urban District Council was considered the most suitable spot. Mr Langley offered to sell the land at a favourable price, but later offered the site entirely for free, providing building work was started within a year. Alternatively he would offer a £250 donation if they prefered another site. 

Architect Mr G Berkeley Willis A R.I.B.A, a local man, was asked to draw up plans which were approved. Estimated cost £2,400. But the Charity Commission needed to investigate the plans for affordability and because of the deed of trust giving the Cambridge Road building to the hospital specified it had to be used for that purpose. The charity investigation took some time and I will spare you the details! The upshot is the plans were approved, but with 8 beds, revised down from 12. 

The Charity Commission had visited the old hospital and didn't consider it practical to make any further improvements or extensions there. The road outside was considered busy (and noisy), and the arrangement of wards over two floors inconvenient. Mr F.O Wethered who had initially supported the hospital move, changed his mind. He commissioned an architect to draw up plans to adapt the existing site, at the cost of £600-700, supported by some of the other subscribers. This would provide a new staircase, and put all the wards on the same floor. He also thought if the hospital would amalgamate with the Provident Nursing Association, more home visits would be possible, reducing the number of those who needed admitting to hospital in the first place. But those in favour of the move said the new site would be much more versatile as it allowed for expansion as well as being quieter and healthier. And they had also raised a lot of funds. With arguements going back and forth, the staff of the old  hospital had had enough and issued an ultimatum. They gave notice that should the plans come to nothing, they would "with deep regret, be obliged to sever their connection with the hospital". Finally the hospital went ahead. 

A last rush of fundraising saw a wide range of events including the popular hospital parades by the local Friendly Societies joined by the Marlow Town and Salvation Army bands. The 1912 one saw 1,000 people attend the open air service at Court Garden at the conclusion of the march. (The parade started at Star Meadow off Wycombe Road at 2pm and went along Chapel Street, Dean Street, Cambridge Rd, Oxford Rd, Quoiting Square, High Street and Glade Rd. A star attraction was a Wethered brewery vehicle converted into a hospital scene with master F Nicholls as the patient.)

The new hospital would have two wards, one male and female, each with 3 beds. The other 2 beds were to be in single person wards, to allow for isolation of the infectious. And of course there would be an operating theatre and an outpatient department. It was opened by General Higginson in August 1915. As this was obviously war time, the trustees  were empowered to place the building at the disposal of the army authorities should the need arrive. Cambridge House was also placed at the authorities disposal. After the War it was noted that the new buildings design had allowed the hospital to run at full capacity during the war, managed by just the Matron and a probationer with the able assistance of  a cook and servant. Of course this is the staff levels that tended to run the old hospital at full capacity too, but with fewer stairs and corners to clean we can hope it was a less exhausting business! 

Matron Mary Cole would not make the journey to the new site. Once the hospital had secured it's future, she resigned, her health having suffered due to the burden of her workload. She had given 25 years unrelenting dedication to her work in Marlow. 

The work of Nurse Cole or Sister Cole (either title of which was used at the time to refer to her) must have saved dozens of lives, alongside the surgeons, servants and nurses working with her. And by helping the injured breadwinner avoid permanent disability they helped still more families avoid destitution. 

Related Posts

Biography of Edward Riley here

Biography of hospital surgeon Dr John Dunbar Dickson here

Call the Apothecary here

Marlow Hero Nurse Cassidy here

Matron Mary Cole here

Benjamin Atkinson, surgeon here

Midwife Sarah Price here

Some of the patients treated at the hospital here

A full list of medical related posts can be found under the general history option on the top drop down menu. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

©Marlow Ancestors.

Will Summary John Cameron

 Labourer of Great Marlow. Will proved 1825. Written 1809

Says he of sound mind and memory.

Just debts to be paid and any expenses related to proving the will.

Everything he possesses at death including all his goods, chattels, securities for money and his wearing apparel to go to his wife Anne, who was late the wife of James Steward, labourer of Marlow.

She sole executor of will.

Witnessed by William Wright of Great Marlow and ... Sawyer his clerk.

Will held at National Archives, Kew.

Transcribed and summarized by Charlotte Day.

©Marlow Ancestors. You may freely reuse my transcription summary with credit to this blog.

Hard To Find Farm, Little Marlow

Farm existed by 1826. Closer to High Wycombe than anywhere but was officially in Little Marlow parish. Description: 1873= 240 acres sheep farm (but was clearly also arable at that point).

Historic Occupiers:

Note that these are rarely the same as the owners of a property in the past.

1784 - William Curtis. (Of Oxfordshire)

1853- farm to let. Possibly was in possession of William Wethered before that but he non resident farmer there if so.

1860- circa 1868 Thomas Dorrell. Wife Ann as below. Brother Abel a partner in the business. They farmed together at Coleshill 1849-1853 (at least). Not to be confused with Thomas Dorrell farmer of Bockmer End near Medmenham.

1869- Ann Dorrell, widow of Thomas above. Her employee William Burt was in 1869 convicted of stealing eggs from her but she told the court she would take the young man back if he promised to be good in future. He received a formal reprimand but no further punishment.

Ann was in a less forgiving mood two years later when her 16 year old shepherd George Burt / Birt, probably a relative of the William above, was convicted of embezzlement after he failed to hand over the true amount of money paid to him by a fellmonger for sheep skins from Mrs Dorrell's farm. George was sentenced to 2 weeks in jail. He had spent the money on beer. By this time William Burt was not still working on the farm. The Dorrells left the farm in 1873. 

1893-1911 John Stallwood. Moved to Hard To Find from a farm in Totteridge Bucks 1893. Had a farm Bradenham in 1887. Census says born 1856 Bledlow Ridge. Wife Ann born Downley 1854. Kids at home 1871= Albert, Annie, Frederick, George, Harry, James, Lily, Rolphe, William. Employee George Thorne convicted of beating Thomas's horse with an iron bar in 1893. In 1902 John's father William who ran the Beech Tree beer house in Littleworth Common, Bucks went for the day to Hard To Find to help his son on the farm. Later that evening he took a wrong turn in his horse and cart which plunged into the Thames killing him. It was thought by some that tiredness from his farm work earlier in the day (William was 71) may have been partly to blame. In the same year Emma Beaver of Great Marlow fined for taking turnip tops from the fields of Hard To Find. This was a common offence for poor women to be convicted of. They cooked the turnip greens as vegetables.

In 1905 John summoned for employing his underage son Harry on the farm. Did not appear and was fined in his absence.

John went bankrupt in 1911. He was a litigious man in money matters both suing and being sued numerous times over business deals gone sour.

1920 - H F Secker

1932- Farm used for military training exercises by the Bucks Battalion. Machine Gun companies and others simulated an attack on the farm. I hope someone told the sheep it was only a drill.

1933- H Gordon "Seeker" 

1939 - Harry Gordon Secker. 

For more farm occupier posts for Little Marlow and Great Marlow see the Specific Shops, Streets Etc option on the menu. You will also see a Person Index option on the menu to help you find every mention of a person on this blog. For more Little Marlow content in general see Other Places on the menu.

Farm occupancies calculated from wills, adverts, trade journals, censuses, property records, court cases etc.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this content for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.

My census transcriptions from microfilm. Census information remains Crown Copyright.

See:

Reading Mercury 24th April 1869, Windsor and Eton Express 11th March 1826 and Bucks Herald 22nd February 1873. British Library Archives.

Harris Research and Graves, All Saints and Marlow Cemetery, Great Marlow

 

Above, Grave of Amelia, wife of Ralph Harris d. Aug 2nd 1852 aged 56

ALSO OF:

Ralph Harris husband of the above - d. Feb 24th 1872. Age 82 years. 

Research: Ralph was a cabinet maker with premises High Street Maidenhead from 1822 to 1835 when he sold off all his stock in trade. Probably because his lease was going to be up the next year. He and Amelia lived West Street Marlow by 1851. Ralph was retired by then. He lived on in West Street / West End Gardens after Amelia's death. The couple married at Cookham in 1818. She was née Humphreys.

Above, John Harris Oct 9th 1890 aged 70

Also of :

Margaret Harris d. May 14th 1920 age 85 wife of the above.

Notes:

John may be the son of Ralph and Amelia above, though there is another John Harris the same age as him in Marlow at the same time.

All of the above are located in All Saints. 

Above, grave in Marlow Cemetery. Edith Caroline Harris - June 27 1920 age 33. "Beloved wife and find mother"

NOTE - We try to group graves belonging to individuals of the same surname onto the same page where possible but it does not mean everyone here is related. If graves are adjacent, we will say so. More will be added on a regular basis. We will do our best to upload all readable graves in Marlow that date prior to 1929. 

Use the Graves option on the menu to find more. Some come with research notes on the person buried.

We also are uploading graves from Little Marlow and Hurley gradually plus a few from Bisham.

All mentions of a person on this blog can be found by looking at the Person Index. We are uploading several posts a week so more individuals are listed all the time.

©Marlow Ancestors. Use of these grave images or research is freely allowed for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here. 

Child Paper Makers Of Marlow

In 1842 a commission was set up by parliament to enquire into child labour in mine and manufacturing settings. As part of their evidence gathering they visited Wrights paper mill in Marlow and interviewed some of the young workers there. The way the process was conducted was not up to standards we would have today- the children were asked if their health was affected by their work as if they would be qualified to answer that question. Nevertheless these and similar enquiries gradually lead to limits on the working hours of children and the numbers of them which could be employed. The Marlow mills did not significantly employ children compared to other industries.

Edwin Anstead

Had worked as a rag cutter since the age of 12 and was then 17. His working hours were 8am to 5pm, with later hours overtime. One hour was granted to him for lunch which he brought from home. He was expected to cut 120 pounds in weight of rags a day for which he was paid 14 pence a day. Of all the young people interviewed at Marlow he was the only one able to both read and write. He signed his evidence.

Edwin can be found on the 1841 census living at Burroughs Grove just outside Marlow so he had a fair walk to work each day. Family relationships are not recorded on the 1841 census, and ages of adults are rounded. The Nathaniel and Sarah Anstead he lived with might have been his grandparents rather than parents  their recorded ages of 70 and 65. 

Hannah Coleshill

Started at 16 and was then 18. She smoothed paper. She said that her job sometimes made her tired but she preferred it to her previous job of sewing in a Marlow baby linen factory. In fact she liked her job very much. She worked from 9 to either 5pm or 6pm and earned 6 shillings a week.

Hannah was born in 1824 to William and Martha.

John Hawes

The 13 year old had just started at the mills but said his health was already being affected. He had developed chilblains on his legs which he put down to having to stand nearly all day. He also felt tired by his job which was to watch the reams of paper being produced to see none was torn and to try to fix the problem causing the tear or call someone else to do it if he could not fix it. No wonder John felt tired- he worked 5am to 6pm with frequent overtime all the way up to 9pm. He received an hour lunch break and a further 30 minute break in addition. John's father George was an engineer at the mill and also gave (somewhat defensive) evidence to the enquiry. He said the boy's work was not physically demanding (standing for most of a potential 16 hour working day?!?!?) and he would not let a child of his work there if he thought it unsuitable for his age.

John lived with George and his mother Miriam in Oxford Road in 1841. By 1851 the family had moved to Wooburn. Dad George was still a paper maker there but John was just described just as a "labourer"

Henry Tavage (perhaps should be Savage)

Henry had started at the mill when he was just 9 and was then 14. He worked 5am to 6pm with some hours overtime also worked. Despite his long hours he was not allowed any lunch break and had to eat as and when he could whilst working. He told the commissioners he might get some bacon with his bread lunch but generally he did not often eat meat as they were too poor.

He may be the Henry Savage who lives in St Peter Street with his parents on the 1841 census.

Eliza White

Aged 13. She worked smoothing paper at the mill from 8.30 am to either 5 or 6pm. In the last week before the interview with her she had earned 3 shillings 3 and a half pence. This was much less than Hannah Coleshill above who did the same task for similar hours which probably reflects her younger age and less experience. It was common in the Victorian world of work for lower wages to be paid to the youngest workers even if they were successfully doing the same job as older workers. Eliza was fortunate in that she, like Hannah, was able to sit down during her work. She had 30 minutes as a lunch break and ate on the premises. She told the commissioners that she liked her job.

I found her baptism in 1828 to John and Eliza. She was one of 8 children living with her parents in St Peter's Street Marlow at the time of the 1841 census. Her father was a clerk.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog and a link here.

Watch That Tallow! Gibbons Family Shop Great Marlow

 These premises (as all one building not the two you see today) was the site of 

the Gibbons family shop. John (baptised 1783) was running things 1820 till at least 1851. He started off as a tallow chandler before turning the business into primarily a grocery shop with a sideline in soap boiling. He also sold spirits.  The premises were said to have been in the family (though it is not certain in what business capacity) by the early 1800s.

In 1833 the premises consisted of a shop, dwelling house, a candle house for making the candles that were the tallow chandler's stock in trade, 2 large storerooms, more storerooms with lofts, a granary, a barn, a piggery,  a chaise house, a stable and gardens. The estimated annual value of the property was £35. 

Candles were usually made in separate workshops apart from the chandler's main premises as candle making was a smelly and potentially hazardous process. John wouldn't have needed any reminder of this. A pot of tallow boiled over on his furnace and set the workshop on fire in 1825. Fortunately the fire was put out before it spread further. 

John married Catherine Howard at Marlow in 1821.

On the 1851 census the couple were joined in their household by their children and a young female servant. John said on the census that he employed 3 men. Two of them were probably his sons and Catherine is likely to have served customers at least sometimes herself.

The next year John needed further help in the shop and advertised for an "active, clever and respectable man who can write a fair hand" to make himself useful in the business. In 1859 he was again in need and advertised for a man aged about 30, steady of nature, preferably married. Perhaps his previous assistant had spent too long wooing the lady customers!

John passed away in 1861, Catherine in 1858. Their sons Francis and William took over the shop. Not with great success apparently as they were an insolvent partnership in 1864. Francis seems to have died not long afterwards. William was still in business as a grocer, wine and spirit merchant and pig dealer in Marlow the next year. He obviously intended to stay put as he placed an ad in the Reading Mercury for a man to serve behind the counter and make himself generally useful in the shop but by 1871 he had moved away to Cookham Dean with his wife Emma and family. He ran a grocery shop there too. By 1881 the couple had relocated to Marylebone Middlesex and William worked as a railway porter.

After the Gibbons family left the West Street premises were used by a succession of bakers. More on them in the future when time allows.

I have identified historic occupancy of buildings in West Street by cross referencing wills, photographs, censuses (which often do not visit properties in order so can be unreliable), property records advertising, court cases etc.

Researched, photographed and written by Charlotte Day.

Some Sources: 

1833 Parochial Assessment. Original handwritten notebooks held in my family and transcribed by me.

Pigots Directory 1831 and 1844. Copies from the University Of Leicester Archives.

1841, 1851, 1861,71 censuses of Great Marlow transcribed by me from microfilm.

1871 Cookham Dean, 1881 and 1891 Marylebone censuses transcribed from microfilm by Jane Pullinger.

Oxford University and City Journal 14th February 1825. Copy held at the British Library Archives and accessed by me via the BNA March 2021.

South Bucks Free Press and Wycombe and Maidenhead Journal 28th October 1865, as above.

Reading Mercury 14th August 1852, 17th September 1859, 8th April 1865. As above.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to reuse this research or image for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog and a link here so that my sources remain credited for the information they provided. Thanks.

Photo taken November 2020.

The Old Police Station and Police Court, Trinity Rd, Marlow (Formerly Gun Lane)

 Police Court is top pic, police station below. Sorry about all the shadows! 

The 1869 date on this building refers only to the police court which was added to the existing police station when the latter was around 10 years old. This first part may have been converted into police use from a near derelict domestic building called The Garrison, sources conflict* Plans to add a room to the station for the purpose of holding petty sessions was mooted in 1865, but progress was very slow. The extension was opened in October 1869. It provided direct access from the police station so prisoners could proceed straight into the court. Normally referred to as the Petty Session Room in the first few years, there was also a retiring room for the magistrates. Sir William Robert Clayton donated a bust of the Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales to stare down at offenders. In 1876, he donated an 8 day clock too. 

Previously the petty sessions were held in a small room of the Crown, which they had utilised for that purpose for many years. An agreement was made that the authorities could pay a pepper corn rent for it. (The Crown landlord collected one guinea from each magistrate per year in theory but not all actually made the payment.) The magistrates however frequently complained about the unsuitability of this accommodation. In particular they feared trying a poaching case because they said the court was overwhelmed with curious spectators (usually vocally supporting the poachers). It was hard to control the numbers coming into the tiny room, often resulting in everyone packed so close that you "could scarcely stick a pin in between them", as one person charmingly put it in 1865. This mixing of closely pressed men and women was "very disgraceful and often indecent" they said. Disruption of proceeding was not uncommon. Some questioned why the town hall could not be used instead, but this was let to the neighbouring Crown and the proprietors of that would not agree for a larger room to be used there. They said the court proceedings attracted a large enough mob of ne'er do wells already - aside from those answering a summons! A new room would allow the sessions to continue in "peace and quietness." Records suggest that some sessions were held at the police station even before the room was finished, although that can't have been easy space wise. 

The petty sessions room extension was completed quickly once permission was finally granted for it to go ahead. Once finished the "commodius" extension was praised as "well arranged with every accommodation." Such satisfaction was short-lived. The police station was made for a sergeant and 2-3 constables. Sometimes an

extra constable was bought in at weekends during Marlow's busy summer river season. Marlow was granted a forth constable in 1900. Complaints were made about insufficient lighting at the station, cramped conditions and dodgy heating. (Actually the first complaint about police station heating came as early as 1859!) Although improvements were made in fits and starts, Marlow did not get a new police station until the 1960's. 

The senior police staff were usually resident at the police station itself in Victorian times as you can see from census returns. (The unmarried junior policeman often lodged elsewhere, although at Marlow at least one is usually to be found lodging at the station.)  I believe the first police Inspector resident was Thomas Knott Clark who may well have arrived in 1858. He was certainly there by the time of the 1861 census - address "Police Station Gun Lane". Born in Hillingdon, Thomas was living in the station with wife Emma nee Cheese and their two eldest children Thomas age 3 and Emma age 1. Inspector Thomas would later return to the trade of his youth in Uxbridge - he became a coach painter in High Wycombe. The other 1861 resident in the Police Station was Constable William Nash age 21. In 1863 Inspector John Pearman took over and described the station as a "nice home with a good garden". 

The property included an airing yard for prisoners and later, stabling for horses. The stables were extended in 1910. 

The Petty Sessions were originally held twice a month, although hearings for indictable offences could be held at other times. The days of the week it operated on and the overall frequency varied over the years. The courtroom saw occasional other uses such as coroner's inquests and parish council meetings. A plea from the Marlow Rifle club in its 1859 incarnation to store their weapons at the Police Station was refused. The police felt they could only be conveniently stored in the corridor leading to the cells. This spot was considered a little too close to the prisoners for their liking, especially in the event of a riot. (A not infrequent occurrence in Great Marlow!)

Did the Marlow police patrol Dean Street and Marefield in pairs? This is a common Marlow story and the answer to that question is both yes, and no. 

In the earlier 19th century the area was both poor and home to many hardened poachers. Some arrests were certainly drawn out and bloody affairs - see the post here for details of one especially serious incident! It's unsurprising that the parish constables tended to take a couple of tithing man along to assist when attempting an arrest on one of these individuals but these were extraordinary, planned operations not part of patrol duties. 

But this must be tempered by the many narratives of crimes and arrests where the residents of Dean Street show no hesitation at going to the police for help themselves. It was not always "us and them".

In mid and later Victorian court cases when two constables give evidence about assisting in the same arrest,  or if both have witnessed the same crime, these things have nearly always occurred because the second man has been summoned by the first, not because they were patrolling together in the first place. And the delay recorded in help arriving means assistance was not just a few feet away. Marlow didn't have enough constables on duty at once to go about routinely paired up at that time. Remember they had to have men patrolling outlying places like Bovingdon Green and Handy Cross not just central Marlow. (Little Marlow got a constable in 1866) Also the narrative of events, particularly around domestic abuse cases, are full of single constables entering homes when they are aware of incidents occurring inside. They did not wait for back up. These were often brave men.

But if we move on to the 20th century there are numerous accounts in the 1920's and 30's of pairs of constables on patrol (although not exclusively in the Dean Street area by any means). So while the evidence definitely doesn't support a long tradition of paired policing in Dean Street, there was certainly a time when at least sometimes it was needed.

Sometimes those passing the police station and court in a less than sober manner caught the attention of those inside. At least one man who sang a bit loudly outside was arrested and bought straight before the magistrates for a telling off. Labourers William Laurie and Albert Wingrave probably felt a little less merry after their arrest for drunken behaviour outside the Police Station in 1907. They were fined 10s each plus costs. They received a night in the cells too. And in 1912, Florence Collier of Trinity Court had the misfortune of being overhead using bad language at her children, by the police within the station. She was summoned but it was decided to be lenient to her and dismiss her with a caution. She probably swore that little bit more quietly in future! 

In 1883 suspected sheep rustler James Howard mounted a daring escape from custody in the police station. This deserves a post of its own, which will follow in future.

*Did you know?

Marlow man Charles Carter acted as architect for Beaconsfield police station (opened 1870) through his position as the county surveyor. Charles was also responsible as architect for what is now the Masonic Centre, the new Blacksmiths Arms at Handy Cross, and the Primitive Methodist Chapel (now Liston Hall) amongst many more projects. 

Above, the Police Court sign. The brickwork visible around it is in the English Bond pattern, not particularly fashionable at the time though it came back into fashion in later Victorian times. It was likely chosen for its strength.

*We are working to confirm the exact date the building came into use as a police station. The police were established in Trinity Lane by 1861, but they may well have been there from 1859 based on descriptions of the interior of the building then in use. The former parish lock up in the base of the Town Hall was convenient for the old petty sessions held adjacent. A man to look after that lock up was sought in 1856 - wage of 15 shillings a week with a uniform of hat and coat provided. An earlier "cage house" was also located near the Crown. In 1852 the old lock up was described as a "filthy hole" with no convenience or adequate means of ventilation. It was however not impossible to escape from, as happened on several occasions. Jesse May, arrested for robbery with 3 others,  found his way out in 1853 through a gap in the "railings" said to measure just over 25cm by 21cm which does not seem entirely credible. But whatever the hole size, he did escape and was not apprehended again for 5 months. 

Related posts:

Victorian Sergeant John James Maneely biography here

History of Gun Lane here

Parish Beadle Pocock here

Crime and disorder in old Marlow here

A full list of Marlow crime related posts can be found under the General History option on the top drop down menu. 

Use the A-Z person index to find every mention of your ancestor - there is over 6,000 former Marlow residents currently listed as of July 2022.  

This post researched and written by Kathryn Day. Further research by Charlotte Day.

References

County Compendium, Diary, Statistical Chronicle and Magisterial and Official Directory 1879. Ed - Sir John Richard Somers Vine. 

Accounts and papers volume 25, Great Britain Houses of Parliament, 1849. 

The Builder, December 10th 1870, digitised by Google. 

Berkshire Chronicle 22 October 1859. 

Bucks Herald 22 October 1859 - thanks to Mathew Peterson.

Dickens Dictionary of The Thames 1856 edition. 

Bucks Chronicle and Bucks Gazette 1 July 1865

South Bucks Free Press 30 June 1865, South Bucks Standard 18 May 1900 & 25 January 1912. Windsor and Eton Express 9 October 1869, Bucks Herald 09 June 1866 & 5 July 1884, Windsor, Maidenhead and Eton Journal 15 May 1876, Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News 31 Jan 1852 : all at the British Library Archive. 

Kelly's Directory 1883, 1903, Kelly's Directories Ltd. 

Dozens of petty session case narratives, too many to list individually! 

©Marlow Ancestors. .