This is a post about William and Ann Creswell, fondly remembered long term proprietors of The Compleat Angler (as we call it) in the first half of the 19th century. It was William and in paticular his wife Ann who turned a tiny riverside inn into a destination known as the place to go for London anglers needing somewhere to stay. They would run it for the best part of half a century. Williams name is hard to read now but features on the bottom of the above grave of John Creswell, at All Saints Church.
Humble beginnings
William was born in Goring in about 1777. His parents were Ann (nee Draper) and Abraham Creswell/Cresswell. Sometime after William's marriage to his own Ann, they took over the running of the small riverside inn known usually then as The Anglers or The Anglers Inn/Hotel. (See note 2 below) In those days, the current Marlow suspension bridge was not yet in place. Instead there was the old Marlow Bridge running from St Peters Street to the other side of the inn from the current suspension bridge, plus the "flood bridge" which crossed over a channel of water with an outlet to the river near the Angler, designed to control high water levels. The inn itself was said to have been formed of two rather ramshackle cottages thrown together and certainly lacked the facilities of it's successors.
A rare businesswoman
It was said to be Ann who ran the business on a day to day basis, despite William's name on the licence. This was common in Marlow and elsewhere. The men often had another occupation at the same time. In William's case, he had an early side line as a boot and shoe maker. This was again a very common occupation for victuallers at this time. He later leased a wharf on which most of the Marlow coal supplies were landed. (See note below) Two of his sons, William and George ran a barge on the river called the Swan. He also both owned and rented farmland in Marlow - in Marlow Field, The Berwicks and at Red Pits, and he owned the Six Bells beer house in Quoiting Place which was run by a relative.
Ann is described as "a rare businesswoman" and it is she that is credited with making the humble Anglers "the most fashionable stop on the Thames" doing a roaring trade that only increased when the new bridge was built. As you can tell from the list of silverware stolen from the inn (see below) the Creswells were not running a rough and ready beer house. Marlow was "the resort of gentry during the fishing season" and more than a few prefered to stay at the rustic Angler compared to anywhere else.
Devastating fire
The couples time at the Anglers was not just a period of happily increasing trade. In 1832, the Angler suffered a devastating fire. It started in one of a pair of cottages that adjoined the inn. Starting in the early hours of the morning, it spread quickly to the inn itself. The volunteer fire brigade attended but despite their unstinting efforts and a ready supply of both water and assistance, both the cottages and inn were almost completely destroyed. It was said the old wood construction of the cottages made rescue hopeless. The cottages themselves were insured, but the poor families living within lost all of their possessions and almost their lives. Three little children in one of them were only rescued when some passers by managed to exhort the frightened youngsters to jump from an upstairs window. Those present described their survival as miraculous.
As for the inn itself, it was described as a scene of desolation. As the Bucks Gazette put it, "to describe the distressing effects of the conflagration would be impossible". William and Ann, through years of "persevering industry" had accumulated furniture alone worth £100 (including 7 beds), with their total losses estimated at £500. They even lost all their clothing. None of it was insured. At least their wine stock was saved along with some silverware but that was virtually all. The fame of the inn can be seen from reports in papers far and wide including London of the fire. Unsurprisingly, William filed for voluntary insolvency. But he was obviously able to make a deal with his creditors, and no doubt thanks to his other business concerns mentioned above, a year later the (now insured) Anglers was back trading.
Not the Dukes candlesticks!
But in 1841, the couple suffered a burglary which robbed them of much of their saved silver goods. A strong box containing £14 was taken and later recovered - empty - in a neighbouring field. The items stolen included gold lined salt cellars, silver candlesticks "with the Dukes crest on" and numerous other silver and silver plate goods such as soup ladles, mustard spoons, sugar tongs and a coffee pot. The Duke refered to is a reference to one of the Anglers reputed most famous guests under the Creswells - the Iron Duke, or Duke of Wellington. He is said to have planted a tree there during one trip.
William the gentleman
William was believed to share with his son William something of a golden touch when it came to business affairs. The two also shared a certain lack of inclination to spend money unless they could help it. William Senior may not have gone to quite the lengths his colourful son would do, but he amassed a tidy fortune. This enabled him to retire and live in comfort in Marlow, with a servant or two to attend him, Ann sadly having already died. In fact by 1852 this retired victualler was described as a gentleman. William lived to the age of 92, spending much of his last years in St Peters Street, across the river from his old inn. He is buried at All Saints Marlow, sharing a grave marker with his brother John - see above. William is at the bottom of the marker, dying in 1869.
You can read about his entertaining son William of Wycombe Rd farm here
A list of other proprietors of the Angler can be found here
William's son George was a long standing proprietor of The Swan in Marlow - list of proprietors here
Notes
1. In 1815 William served on a coroner's jury in Bisham which declared that death by shooting of a man in Bisham woods was justifiable homicide, on grounds victim was likely to have intended to go poaching and was seen near a poaching wire, though not setting or touching it. That case caused widespread revulsion at national level, and was reported extensively. It was pointed out by critics that most people on the jury were either tenants of the guilty estate owner or were his personal friends. The landing wharf for coal that William had fell into this category- Information provided by Charlotte. The accounts differ widely, but the victim Joseph Bishop was shot while moving away and was unarmed.
2. The hotel/inn when called The Compleat Angler, more often appears with it's spelling "corrected" to "Complete" in directories and other listings. Between 1838 - 1847 we have found 6 references to the inn as The Jolly Anglers, from different sources. At first we thought this a individual guides mistake or misprint, but as it's now come up in multiple sources, it would suggest the inn was referred to by this name by at least some people for a period of time. It's just as often described in original sources as located in Marlow as opposed to it's actual home of Bisham. The address is frequently given during the Creswell's time there as "Marlow Bridge", "Bridge End" , "Riverside" or even "under Marlow bridge" - thankfully not quite true!
To read more about Marlow bargemasters and bargemen see the post here
A post about another Compleat Angler proprietor Charles Miller Foottit is available here
And famed landlady Mrs Parslow here
Use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu to find all mentions of your ancestors, with more detailed entries listed in the Biographies option. The Pub Related option is the place to go for other inn/hotel etc related posts.
Sources
1833 Parish Assessment, transcribed by Charlotte from the original rough notebooks owned by our family, and loose documents contained within.
The Examiner (John Hunt, 1815), digitised by Google.
1847, 1854, 1903 Kelly's Post Office Directory (Kelly's Directories Ltd)
Census 1841, 1851,1861,1871,1881,1891 - transcribed by Charlotte from microfilm.
1852 Slaters Commercial Directory (Isaac Slater 1852)
Windsor and Eton Express, 5 December 1835, British Library Archive, accessed via the BNA
Maidenhead Advertiser 5 April 1893, as above
Bucks Gazette - 3 November 1832, 27 November 1841, as above
Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle 19 November 1832
GRO Birth, Death and Marriage indices
Written by Kathryn Day and researched by Charlotte and Kathryn Day.
©Marlow Ancestors
