The above image is from a 1905 guide to Marlow, and it was one used in several Edwardian guides. It shows the second premises of William Bradley Langston, boot and shoe seller of the High Street, Marlow. More recent Marlow residents will remember it as Millwards and then Clarks shoe shop. William was born in Reading and his family ran the long lived Langstons department store there.
Image ©Colin Groves
In 1891 William thanked his customers for 7 years of patronage. He was clearly doing well for himself as he decided to open a second branch within Marlow High Street. His original premises was almost opposite the new one. It was located on the corner of the High Street and Institute Road. See below.
Image © Colin Groves.
William claimed to stock thousands of shoes and boots in this first shop. He catered for both adults and children and was the agent for various brands of shoes. The second premises would initially specialise in sporting and boating shoes. Need a pair for gymnastics or tennis? Langston was your man. For the next few years William's adverts would proudly announce that he was "On both sides of the street!" He was certainly not without competition in Marlow although he arguably offered the biggest selection. William also offered repairs on the premises. There were branches in Lane End and at no 3 & 4 The Parade, Bourne End, the last of which was also a gents and boys outfitter. (Later ladies too.)
In 1895 things were not going quite so well however.
William decided to amalgamate his two Marlow stores after 4 years. He chose the newer of the two, next to the brewery, to be the one shop he maintained. Doing so involved a large sale so that the stock could squeeze into the remaining space. The original premises was turned into a ill fated and short lived temperance hotel and refreshment room, under the management of Mr Perry and then J Janes.
According to William himself, he sold his business to the manager of his Marlow store Francis Spencer in 1909. He then removed to Bournemouth. This information was given in a court case where William was chasing up "book debts" which he had not sold on with the rest of the business. He had employed a man to collect them and had not received the the money promptly. The collector was found not guilty as no specific date had been agreed by which the funds had to be given over. But William's business affairs seem complicated, and I am not sure how much of the business was sold in 1909. It may be that he bought it back in part because in 1914 an announcement was posted that stated that the partnership between William and Arthur Shortland, trading as boot and shoe factors and outfitters of Bourne End and High Street, Marlow was henceforth dissolved. The announcement says the business had been carried on under the name of WB Langston. Arthur Shortland was the former manager of his Bourne End shops according to his own statement. The use of "factor" suggests that he was acting as an agent or middleman for wholesale purposes although the High Street premises were also still operating as a shop at this time. The Bourne End shop subsequently traded under the Shortland name as a clothier.
William stands out in Marlow as he was a member of the strict Plymouth Brethren religious group. This small group met at first in a cottage in Glade Rd and later took over the former Baptist Chapel in Dean Street which had also later used as one of the All Saints mission rooms. William is described as their most prominent member along with his future second mother in law Mrs Frederick Wright and it seems they were responsible for securing this new premises. There was a bigger Plymouth Brethren group in Maidenhead which met in various places, including the Friends Meeting House (Quakers).
Below is the grave of William's first wife Clara. It is located in All Saints Parish Church. He married a second time to Ellen Jane nee Wright, daughter of fellow Plymouth Brethren member Mrs Frederick Wright [Eleanor nee Gibbons]. Ellen was born in Russian Finland along with her sister Fanny. This was where her parents spent approx 3 years after their marriage. Sadly Ellen died in 1902 at the couples then home in Chapel Street (Frederick was the second son of Joseph Wright of Marlow Mills and he was in Finland to consult on paper manufacture there.)
Inscription reads:
Clara, the beloved wife of William Langston who died June 9 1893 Age 29 years.
Also of Nellie, details crumbled away. This is possibly the couples (Clara and William's) daughter b. 1887, Nellie Sophia who grew up to marry Arthur Shortland.
NB.The Wright family were mostly associated with the Salem Chapel / Congregational church as a whole - including the "breakaway group". For more information see the post on Rev Thomas Styles here and a related post on the Morgans here
If you are researching the Wright family of Marlow Mills (there were more than one in Marlow) then you may like to know that Joseph Wright "junior" was - very unusually for the time - divorced by his wife in 1836. The wife is not given a first name in the court reports but based on the stated marriage date of the couple (1823) she was Mary Ann nee Dyson. Mrs Wright petitioned for divorce on the grounds of cruelty and adultery. The judge found adultery not proven but said it was "impossible" to read the evidence submitted for the second claim and not be convinced that cruelty had been proved. Among the claims was the fact Joseph had hit his wife such "violent blows" that he had knocked her to the ground when she was going to see her children. Joseph's representative did not give a defence, his wife had 7 witnesses.
Sir Herbert Jenner had no hesitation in granting the divorce and "in condemnation" of Joseph's actions, made the guilty husband pay all costs.
©MarlowAncestors.
Researched and written by Kathryn Day.
To find all mentions of your ancestor in these pages, use the A-Z person index on the top drop down menu. To find info on a particular shop or business, use the Specific Shops, Streets etc option there.
Selected Sources:
GRO Birth, marriage and death index
1871, 1881,1891 census transcription by Charlotte Day from microfilm.
1905 Marlow Guide
South Bucks Standard 01 May 1891, 23 November 1894, 18 January & 26 April 1895, 15 March 1902, 11 February 1910 British Library Archive accessed via the BNA
Maidenhead Advertiser 2 October 1889, as above
Bucks Herald 11 June 1910, 10 March 1917 as above
New Times, London 18 October 1823, as above.
Public Ledger 16 April 1836
Sun, London 16 April 1836
The Gazette 28 April 1914
Kelly's directory 1883, 1903 (Kellys Directories Ltd)
Obit. Eleanor Wright nee Gibbons published 1908. Provided by Jane Pullinger 1989.
Paper Mills Directory 1891, digitized by Google.
