Wills of James Field and Sarah Field of Great Marlow

James Field, will proved 1849. (Age 74) 

Postmaster.

After all debts and funeral expenses paid everything to his dear wife Sarah. She sole executor.

Witnessed by Robert Footitt, druggist of Great Marlow and Henry Salmon, ironworker [he also was of Marlow. Ironmongers shop in High Street].

Sarah Field, will proved 1855.

Says she of sound mind.

£100 each to nephew William James Caffall, niece Sarah Ann Caffall and niece Ellen Crake. [I believe Sarah Ann Caffall was née Crake].

£5 each for the purchase of mourning to Robert, Ellen, Henry and Anne Caffall. The relationship Sarah had to them is not given.

Rest of property to nephew William Crake who is the executor of the will.

Witnessed by Robert Colbourne, surgeon and James Low [two Marlow men].

For some reason Robert Colbourne was asked when it came to the probate court to give an affidavit that the signature on the will was Sarah's. He said he witnessed the signature in street, on the other side.

Notes:

James was 74 years old when he died. The Reading Mercury reported 12th May 1849 [accessed November 2020 from the British Newspaper Archive. Original copy held by the British Library] how the shops in Marlow closed for the day as a mark of respect on the day of his funeral. The postmaster general was an important person in town. James who had been postmaster since at least 1829 was replaced by William Tyler. James was also a tailor and ran a school on his premised so he was a busy man!

The post office premises were in the High Street in Field's day. James and Sarah lived on site. Robert Footitt's chemist shop was then on the other side of the road. 

Read more about Marlow post services in the Fields day - here and their school here

I transcribed these wills which I obtained from the National Archives and then summarized them here. 

All mentions of an individual on this blog can be found on the Person Index.

More wills can be found under the Will Transcriptions option on the menu.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use these summaries for family and local history purposes if you credit this blog.

The Mystery of East and Harriman

 Sometimes we uncover a story where the facts of the case can never tell the full story of what has happened. Or rather the reasons why events unfolded as they did. The mystery of East and Harriman (Harreman) must rank amongst these. 

Robert East and Thomas Walter Harriman or "Tom", were the best of friends and business partners in Georgian Marlow. On their deaths they were said to have lived together 30 years. They ran a grocers and provision dealers in the High Street from at least 1828. In the 1833 parish assessment, they are listed in Chapel Street, a recent move as they were still in the High Street premises the year before. Five years later their address is given as Spittal Street - of which Chapel Street is a continuation and the two names are often used interchangeably for premises near the start of one and end of the other.  The two men seem to have been almost universally liked and respected. Their shop wasn't the biggest in town but it was well established and outlasted many others. They were comfortable off, and must have seemed an unlikely pair to suffer the calamities that would soon come. 

In 1837, Robert East was missed one morning. A search was made but he was found by accident - at the bottom of the 23 ft deep well in the yard behind his shop. Assistant John Rose had gone to fetch a bucket of water and found the well obstructed. He rushed to nearby butcher Richard Davis who was lowered down with a rope and with great difficulty recovered Robert's body. Of course, an accident was possible but those investigating his death could not understand how he had fallen down feet first. The implication was he had deliberately sat on the edge and dropped down. In cases where there was any doubt about the nature of a death, the coroner's jury would almost always decide on any verdict other than suicide. To die at your own hand in this time period was sadly not uncommon, but it carried a social stigma as it was regarded as a sin. It was decided to return a verdict of "found drowned". There was puzzlement about a motive, as the shops books showed Robert and Thomas were not in any debt or difficulty, and this was generally the assumed reason for such an act. To our eyes the fact Robert had not long before lost his wife provides a simple explanation for his depressed state. He had also reported suffering from bouts of dizziness in the week or so before. Regardless of the official verdict, Robert's death was generally described as a suicide later. 

About 5 weeks later, Robert's brother William, who had lived with the pair, suffered a mental breakdown. He was described as having gone suddenly insane, and was removed to a lunatic asylum. Both men are said to have been close to poor William, and the strain of watching his disintegration must have been terrible for the survivor Thomas. 

Although there were no significant shop debts to settle there were a few minor creditors to pay off, and Robert's furniture and personal possessions were auctioned off from the premises*. This wasn't uncommon, depending on the deceased will of course. But the sight of Robert's things leaving their shared home together, did not help Thomas in his grief, especially coming a few days after Williams committal to the asylum. He was described as adopting a most "desponding" manner on this day. Thomas left his home before the sale and walked towards "Deadmere" in the Marlow Fields (that is Dedmere, an area name before the development of housing in that area, Marlow Fields being the Common Fields). He was never seen alive again. 

A day or so later, a young boy walking in the fields with his father saw what he thought was a figure "watching" them from a distance, sat under a tree. His father said the boy had seen nothing more than the stump of a tree and they continued on their way. However, two days later the pair walked the same way again and this time approached closer to the figure. This time there was no doubt about the sad sight before them. As the boy said "Why it is poor Tom Harriman!" Thomas was kneeling dead beneath the tree, with a cord around the branch and his neck. 

The death of Thomas on top of the other two tragedies shook the town. The strangeness of the double suicide was reported nationally. The coroner's verdict this time was "temporary insanity", another dodge to avoid an outright declaration of carefully considered suicide as such. The obituaries of Thomas describe how hard he had worked, his honesty and sober nature. Perhaps he did not know how much he was respected. Probably it would have made no difference. RIP Robert and Tom. 

Harriman and East as it appears in the Parish Assessment, above. Also listed as East & Harriman elsewhere. 

*The final auction of stock in trade  and shop fittings occured in 1838.  From a description of the lots offered we can see that the two men sold tea, coffee, sugar, cheese, soap, candles, tobacco, snuff, cigars, home cured ham and bacon, vinegar (they had 40 gallons in hand!), raisins, currants, salad oils, various bottled sauces, pickles, and treacle. They had in their possession goods such as pickling tubs  and salting troughs which show how much was literally prepared on the premises. And of course they had the necessary coffee bean and malt mills, weighing scales and bushel measures. The non food goods offered at this grocers were perhaps even more interesting. Hair, clothes, scrubbing and hearth brushes, carpet brooms, baskets for any number of purposes, rope mats, blacking, pattens and clogs, gunpowder and shot... The gentleman's green painted spring cart and nearly new dog cart were also auctioned off. 

NB A Robert East of Great Marlow, died as a "pauper lunatic" in Mr Warburton's lunatic asylum in Bethnal Green in June 1846. He died after an attack by another inmate. He has a dedicated post here

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

To find all mentions of your ancestors here, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. If you are  interested in other shops or shopkeepers, see the Specific Shops, Streets etc option on the same menu. 

General History is the place to go for other posts about Georgian Marlow. 

Sources include: 

1833 Parish Assessment transcribed from the original notebooks in our families possession. 

1824 trade directory - Thanks to Jane. 

Windsor and Eton Express, 1837 and 1838. 

Reading Mercury 1838, copies from British Library Archive, accessed via the BNA. 

North Wales Chronicle 1837 as above

 Weekly Chronicle, 24 December 1837 digitised by Google. 

Nellie Creswell

Ellen Creswell, known as Nellie, was one of the Marlow ladies who pioneered cycling in the town for female riders and competitive rowing for local women too.

Born in 1867 to Eliza and Henry Creswell, Nellie spent her early years in the Cross Keys pub in the town as her father was the landlord there. He retired in her late childhood and the family eventually moved to a house called The Ferns in Glade Road. This is still there (number 17) but does not bear the name. Not to be confused with The Ferns, Little Marlow.

She not only served as one of the committee members of the Cycling club, the only known Victorian woman to do so in Marlow, but became the club's Vice Captain. She helped organise and competed in club competitions which tested speed or agility on a bicycle, not infrequently beating all of the men in mixed events. She did it in long skirts too. While a few women in England cycled in pantaloons or rational dress at that time Nellie made it clear she did not support club membership for women that dressed that way (or for men with unconventional cycling dress).

The Marlow club went out on group rides but Nellie pedalled off on her own out of town too, something which many female cyclists did not yet feel comfortable doing in the Victorian age. Nellie was fined 10 shillings by the Henley Magistrates for riding on the footpath on one such trip in 1898 [Henley Advertiser 5th March 1898].

Nellie also, by 1892, was rowing for Marlow at the Regatta in the women's team events.

There was a strong sporting tradition in the Marlow Creswell family. Her uncle Augustus was one of the best local male rowers and her brother George played for Marlow F.C. in it's early days as well as the more famous Everton. George's premature death by way of blood poisoning in 1904 devastated the Creswell family. Nellie had acted as bridesmaid at his wedding to Catherine (Kate) Chamberlain of Bisham.

Nellie herself did not marry but remained living in her parental home in Glade Road with her parents and then after their deaths on her own. She is buried with her parents in All Saints churchyard in Marlow. Her date of death is indecipherable but from other sources we know it was no earlier than 1928.

The son of her brother George, also called George, died in the First World War. Nellie apparently was the beneficiary of his estate. He had lived with her at The Ferns, Glade Road for most of his life. I am uncertain what happened to his mother Catherine after she became a widow.

At All Saints can be found this grave of Nellie (Ellen) and her parents - "In loving memory of my dear parents - Eliza Ann Creswell d Jan 25 1903 aged 73 and Henry Creswell d. June 9th 1913 age 79 years. [Henry was the son of George and Charlotte Creswell of The Swan and would later run The Cross Keys for a few years himself]

Rear of the grave: Also Ellen Creswell (Nellie). Inscription currently obscured by greenery. 

All mentions of any person on this blog can be found under the Person Index. There are plenty of Creswell / Cresswells! More posts about people of Glade Road or any other street can be found indexed here. More grave photos and transcriptions indexed here. 

You can find out more about the early history of cycling in the town in Kathryn's post here

Other posts you might like: "Groundbreaking women in Marlow History" here.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day with additional research by Kathryn 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.

Will of George Trash, Surgeon 1796

Will summary for George Trash, surgeon of Great Marlow, proved 1796. (NB If you are seeking George Trash of Marlow, painter/plumber/glazier/ironmonger, whose will was proved 1777, a summary of that will follow when time allows!) 

Will written 1795. 

George says that he is sick weak in body but sound in mind and memory. 

All messuages, land, tenements wherever they be go to wife Ann until such time as she remarries or dies. She also to receive all household goods, chattels, furniture, ready money, book debts, notes [credit notes], and mortgages. After her death or re marriage, whichever shall first "happily" occur, all of the above shall be divided equally between all surviving of their children, or their children's heirs if they dead with property to be held as tenants in common. 

Executors: (All of Great Marlow)

George Davenport of Court Garden, John Hone, esq and Robert Goldsmith, attorney.

Witnessed by:

Sarah Sneath and James Chappell who signed their names and Ann G......s who made her mark. 

Transcribed by me  from a P.C.C will kept at the National Archives, Kew. 

George was a surgeon and apothecary, the usual combination at the time. He was in partnership with surgeon William Sneath, and after William's death continued alone. In 1781 George took out advertisements in the local papers to say that six years after William's death he was now moving his "shop" and business to his own home within Marlow. The same notice tells us that George had attended the usual course of lectures in physick, anatomy, chemistry, and midwifery at St Thomas and St Guys hospitals. All patients "carefully and diligently" attended to.  

Note: Widow Ann Trash died 7 Oct 1830 age 73, at her then residence in Welwyn. 

To find all mentions of your ancestors here however small, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. More wills can be found under the Will Transcriptions menu option.

Related posts:

Call the apothecary- Early medical care in Marlow here. 

Will Sarah Sneath here

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use the content of this post for family and local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here.

Shamrock Cottage

Number 7 Glade Road today. Now renamed.

Given the Shamrock name is this Marlow's luckiest address?

Maybe so!

On 18th March 1896, Emma Hubbard died at her home there at the age of 98. [She was baptised at Cookham in June 1797]. A great age to reach at any time but especially lucky to achieve for a woman born in the 1700s. Emma was the widow of William Hubbard originally of Pinkney's Green. The couple had no children.

He was a corn merchant / insurance agent and general business man. The couple moved about a considerable amount during their married life and Emma made quite a few moves herself as a widow.

The local news obituary of Emma stated that she was a cheerful woman with a sharp memory till the end of her life. It explained too that she was the daughter of farmer John Westbrook and was born on Spencer's Farm, Maidenhead. This was located on the road to Cookham. The baptism record shows her mother to be an Ann. 

John Westbrook was a gentleman farmer holding not only Spencer's Farm but several others nearby.

The newspaper obituary also said that Emma was a relative of Richard Westbrook who once ran the Crown in Marlow. I haven't investigated whether this is accurate. The pub business was in the family- Emma's older brother John ran the Saracen's Head in Beaconsfield from circa 1841 until he sold up in 1848.

She came to Marlow in the 1870s to live with her brother John having previously lived as a widow in Reading with her married sister Sarah Micklem and Sarah's husband the magistrate Edward Micklem. It was after John Westbrook's death in 1877 that she moved to Shamrock Cottage. Accompanying her was her niece Eliza as a paid companion, presumably the "Miss Westbrook ". Emma and Eliza had arrived in Glade Road by the time of the 1881 census. By 1891 the two had added a 15 year old live in servant to the household, Dora. I found Dora's last name hard to read- Mare? Emma was living on her own means. Her husband's financial affairs seem to have been a bit up and down, and her dad made her sister Caroline his only heir but Glade Road was a moderately expensive address so Emma was either frugal or a shrewd investor of what she had.

What of Eliza Westbrook her paid companion? Well perhaps some of that lucky shamrock charm had rubbed on her too as she lived to at least the age of 101! She moved away from the cottage at some point between 1903 and 1911. By 1939 she lived at number 8 Station Road Marlow.

Eliza was a regular donator of goods like clothing to the patients of the Cottage Hospital in Glade Road. Her aunt Emma used to donate gifts to children in Buck's workhouses so theirs was a kind household.

William Fisher was the resident of Shamrock Cottage by 1911 and until at least 1924. More on him in future.

For more residents of specific houses in Glade Road, Marlow see on the menu under "Specific Shops, Streets....ETC".

All mentions of any individual on the blog can be found on the Person Index.

*New content is currently uploaded daily*

Sources included:

Bucks Herald 28th March 1896. South Bucks Standard March 1896. British Library Archives.

Censuses my transcription from microfilm.

Kelly's Directory of Bucks 1911, 1915 and 1924. Kelly's Directories Limited. 

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NY1S-177 : 21 September 2020), Emma Westbrook, 1797.

GRO death registrations, GRO.

Will John Westbrook, 1839. National Archives, Kew. Transcribed by me.

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

Porter Grave, Marlow

 

Sarah Ann Porter 

Born September 8th 1835

Died February 15th 1923

Landlady at Railway Hotel. 

Grave is located in Marlow Cemetery

For a landlord listing for the Railway Hotel, a photo of it as it was in Sarah's day and as it is now,  see the post here

More information about Sarah, and a biography of her son William Thomas, coal merchant is available here

To find other grave photos and inscriptions for Marlow, Little Marlow and Hurley see on the top drop down menu under Graves.

All mentions of any individual on this blog can be found on the Person Index in the same top drop down menu. 

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to reuse this photo and transcription for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog.

Price Grave, Marlow

 Memorial stone to William Edward Waters Price. Died November 20 1925 age 6- years. 

Grave at Marlow Cemetery. Stone is lying on it's side at an angle.

Look under Graves on the menu for more grave photos for Marlow, Little Marlow and Hurley.

All mentions of any individual on this blog can be found on the Person Index.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this image for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog.

Even More Where In Marlow Was..? PART 3

A list of difficult or vanished addresses for modern researchers, updated often. 

Part One here, Two here. Four here. Five here

 To find out more about a particular house, street, shop etc see the Specific shops, streets etc option on the top drop down menu. 

Acorns, The house, Institute Rd. Still bears name. 

Ashley View - Newtown Rd

Avonmore - (See also this post on the 1890s flu pandemic  Here )

Avondale - house, Beaumont Rise. 

Bothy, The - the name for gardeners accomodation on large estate, and gardens. Can be found at Highfields and Danesfield.  Not used for accomodation at Remnantz despite name in Wethered Park - that building was a potting shed, and prior to that a vinery! 

Bromleigh - Station Rise

Bungalow, The - Wethered Rd 2. Station Rd 3. New Town 

Caxton, Caxton Villa - now Mill Rd, in Platts Cottages/Row

Cintra - Claremont Gardens

Clwyd - Portlands (adjacent Portland Villas)

Cornerways - Gossmore/Mill Rd. There was also a Crossways, Station Rise

Corshel - Newtown 

Crossways, The - Station Rise. See also Cornerways. 

Derriford  - Queens Rd

Dolls House, The - Claremont Rd

Elmwood - Glade Rd

Fairlight - Claremont Gardens

Fairford - Appartments in Station Rd. 

Glendower - Portlands

Glenoma - New Town eg Holland Rd, Newtown Rd area

Glenrosa or Glen Rosa - Claremont Rd. 

Glenthorne - house, Beaumont Rise

Godstone - Little Marlow Rd

Greyroofs - qv Portlands, may be meant for Greywalls. 

Harris's Gardens- West End as they called it. We would now render this place as being in Henley Road. Borlase side of road.

Hermitage, The - Pound Lane.  (occasional alternative name for the Deanery, St Peters Street too) 

Homelea - Red Pits, off Henley Rd. 

Homeleigh - Beaumont Rise

Homerton Cottage - Eton Place

Invergarry Dedmere Rd

Inverglyde - Beaumont Rise

Jordans- house apparently in Marlow Bottom 1700s.

Klemler - New Town - New Town rd area

Kewfields - Beaumont Rise

Larches, The - Oxford Rd

Leacroft - Little Marlow Rd

Lilyville - Dedmere Rd

Lindum - Little Marlow Rd

Lowermead - Dedmere Rd

Lulworth/Lulworth Villa - contemporary address given as Claremont Estate or Glade Rd, now in Claremont Gardens. Also name given more recently to a house in Munday Dean. 

Modena - Claremont Gardens

Montague House- house St Peter's Street.

Myne holm - Glade Rd, Myneholme - Institute Rd. Would not surprise me if the two properties were in fact one as Glade Rd was adopted as a nearest address for homes in the new development around Institute Rd before the name was established. 

Palmers - High Str, modern no 65.  Named after previous owners. Also historic surgeons premises, one of several in High Street, hence aka  Doctors House but this name may also refer to other properties depending on period. 

Reddersberg - West Street. One of a rash of South African inspired house names adopted in Marlow  around the time of the relief of Mafeking and later. 

Rosemead - Mill Road.

Rosemary AKA Rosemary Villa - Berwick Road.

Rosemont, Rosemount - New Town

Rosare - New Town Rd

Royton - Newtown. 

Ryepeck, Rye Peck - house then private residential hotel, riverside. For a post featuring the Cuppy family, one of whom briefly ran this place see post here. Originally built as a private residence. 

Spowkes - Hayes Place

Three Gables - the name taken on by the replacement for the original Thames Lawn by Marlow Lock. (Note Thames Lawn is also the name taken on by Lymbrook/Thames Bank after approx 1925)

Wedmore - Station Approach

White Cottage, The - Little Marlow Rd

Whitehead Place - address given for James Beckett, carpenter in Pigots Directory 1844. He is later described as being in the High Street. Other Beckett property is in Quoiting Place. 

Win-Tor - Little Marlow Rd

Post researched by Kathryn Day with with additional research by Charlotte Day.

For more Where In Marlow Was, see several previous posts linked at top. 

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

1833 Parochial Assessment Great Marlow Part Six West Street / Potlands

 I have in my family the original working notebooks used to compile the official assessment along with some related correspondence but they are old and very fragile so I thought I would transcribe some of them on my blog.

©Marlow Ancestors. Please give credit to this blog and link here if using my transcription but you are very welcome to do so. 

Other parts of the transcription can be found listed on the "Specific Shops, Streets etc" option on the menu, under the street name concerned.

Formula of transcription is:

Name

Property

Annual value of property.

Any notes of mine coming from other research are in square brackets. Also, the notebooks were annotated with additional information by their custodians up to about 1839. If any such annotations appear for these properties they will be included and flagged as such.

West Street Continued

Robert Hammond [This is The Heathers]

Dwelling house, yard, stables, barn and large garden

£30

*****

Late William Walding [property no longer exists]

Cottage and garden

£4

*****

Charles Darvill [property no longer exists]

Cottage and garden

£4

*****

Mary Hammond [this is Western House]

Large house, farm yard, barns, stables, sheds, paddock, garden, etc

£35

Garden adjoining Mrs Flemming's

£2

*****

Widow Flemming

House and garden

£6

*****

Benjamin Marcham

Cottage and garden 

£4

*****

Robert Piggott

Cottage and garden 

£4

*****

Potts Lands [Portlands today, most commonly Potlands in the past]

John Croxen [Croxon]

Cottage

£3 10 shillings

*****

William Cross [labourer]

Cottage

£4

*****

Thomas Stockbridge

Cottage

£5

A large garden

£7

*****

Joseph May [gardener]

House, wood house, piggery, large garden

£7

*****

James Atkins  [Labourer. Still Potlands 1841 and 1849. This cottage was owned by the Wethered family]

Cottage and garden

£5

*****

John Neighbour [still in Potlands 1841 and 1849. This property was owned by the Wethered family of Remnantz. John was their head gardener. His son William was eventually head gardener of nearby Court Garden and has a biographical post on the blog here]

Cottage, yard and garden

£6

*****

William Thomas

Cottage and garden

£4

*****

Charles Carter [his house usually given as out on West Street]

Cottage and garden

£4

*****

More West Street [other side of road from Potlands, Ship Inn etc]

Late James Allum

House

£5

Garden

10 shillings

*****

William Johnson [also appears as Johnston. Basket Maker. There by 1830. Still there 1841]

House, workshop, offices and garden

£7

******

Richard White [There by 1830. Cordwainer / shoemaker].

House shop and garden

£4 10 shillings

*****

Henry John Franklin [also Franklyn. Worked as iron founder too]

Fox beer house, stable and garden

£7

*****

John Brown

House

£5

*****

William Walker [broker 1841. Died 1845 aged 75] See his grave here

House and yard

£5

*****

John Jones

House

£10

To be continued

Will Summary John Davis of Great Marlow

John Davis, coach master of Great Marlow. Will written 1780, proved 1791. A very brief and simple will!

Dear wife Elizabeth receives all he  possesses after just debts and expenses paid.

She appointed sole executor.

Will witnessed by M. Mayhew and H.D Mayhew.

Further wills (mostly longer than this effort from John Davis!) can be found under Will Transcriptions on the menu. All mentions of someone on the blog can be found under the Person Index.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to reproduce my transcription summary with credit to this blog.

Nicholls Graves

 Grave (set down) in Marlow Cemetery for Ed.. Nicholls who died 1917 aged 86 "Rest in Peace" and Harriet his wife who died 192...[looks like 6 or 8] aged 72 "Thy Will Be Done". Due to sinking ground and unstable monuments nearby I could not safely get nearer, sorry.

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

Photographed November 2020.

See September 2020 posts for another Nicholls family grave.

Marlow's Beadle George Pocock

The parish Beadle was a brightly uniformed official responsible for enforcing the rules of the parish in which he served. Though working for the church he was in no way an ordained person. He dealt with problems concerning anything the parish owned or had responsibility for- the parish workhouse, poor relief, poor rates levied by the parish, and any issues involving church owned land such as trespass on them or boundary damage. He also enforced discipline in church, in particular stopping kids talking or playing when they were supposed to be paying attention to the sermon. He would be armed with a staff of office! 

The Beadle's uniform at Marlow was a long plum-coloured coat, knee breeches, and steel - buckled shoes. 

In the memoir of George Stevens published in the South Bucks Standard Aug 28th 1896 Marlow's beadle "Mr Pocock" was described as the terror of small boys of the town when Mr Stevens was little, probably for the above reason.

I have managed to trace this Mr Pocock and found him to be George Pocock. Before taking on the role of beadle he worked as a shoemaker. There was no specific qualification for the office.

In that memoir of George Stevens Mr Pocock was said to live in a one room cottage near the old pound. (At the time the pound was up what we now called Station Road near Marlow Place.) On the 1841 census George is indeed in this location, called Agleton Green (Aggelton Green/Haggelton, Aggerton) with his wife Sarah.  On the census form George indicated he was 65 years old and not born in Buckinghamshire. He arrived in Marlow by the time his son John was baptised there in 1822. 

Parish beadles are pretty universally satirised in literature of the time as puffed up, arrogant little Hitlers strutting about in their uniforms and annoying everyone. Perhaps there was some truth in a portrait so frequently painted of the type of person attracted to this sort of role. But our George can't have been too pretentious otherwise he would not settle on a job that gave him and his wife (and by 1841 three sons as well) one of the smallest homes in the town! One advantage George did have however was the use of the Agleton Green pond on which he kept his ducks. This is long gone.

George died in 1846. The era of power for these officials faded as an organised police force and wider level administration of things like poor relief came more into play. 

Sarah died in 1861. Her census entries as a widow suggest that she was born in Dartford Kent. She was still living in the old Pound House in the year of her death, along with her son Joseph and his family.

Written and researched by Charlotte Day. 

To find out more about Marlow's 17&18thc crime fighting societies, petty constables, tithing men and night Watchmen see this post here

And the first police station and petty sessions courts here

To find all mentions of an individual here, see the A-Z drop down menu and to find more Marlow crime and disorder  related posts, see the General History option on the same menu here

References:

Bishops Transcripts for Great Marlow Buckinghamshire Archives [Baptism of John Pocock].

Copy of South Bucks Standard held at the British Library. Accessed by me October 2020 via The British Newspaper Archive online.

1841 census my transcription from microfilm.

GRO index online of deaths registered.

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

Gray Grave, Cemetery, Marlow

 

Yes, the grave is listing a little!

Letters carved above are C and HG on other side. 

Inscription below - Vera Gray. 1890 to 1945. 

For similar posts see Graves on the menu. See also Person Index and Will Transcriptions.

©Marlow Ancestors. Reproduction freely permitted with credit.

Edward Riley - The Man Behind The Recreation Ground

Marlow has been fortunate to attract many benefactors and philanthropists over time some of whom have been largely forgotten and who we hope to resurrect in this blog. But one man who is thankfully well remembered for his generosity is Edward Riley R.I.C, largely because his name is attached to Riley Recreation Ground. Edward was an analytical chemist and metallurgist who co founded and acted as director of two steel companies. He was born in London and much of his professional life was based there, as well as in Leeds and at the Dowlais iron works in South Wales. I am not going to focus on his work, as this was mostly carried on away from Marlow, but instead I want to flesh out the man who spent the last couple of decades of his life here, or more specifically at his home "Bohemia" on the riverbank in Bisham. But I will just mention that Edward pioneered new developments in steel manufacture and won awards for doing so. His chemical analysis work was quoted by researchers for decades after he completed it, and he travelled to America at one point to advise miners and manufacturers there. Mrs Riley was interested in music and a published collection of songs were dedicated to her. 

At his death in 1914, Edward was said to have lived at "Marlow" (really Bisham) for 26-27 years. Bohemia was built for him in 1886 at a cost of £2436, not including the land itself. The builder was Marlow's Young Lovell and his team. For the first few years, he and wife Mary were generally listed as summer visitors at Bohemia. Even later they spent regular time abroad, on the continent and in 1894 they passed the winter in Egypt. These travels would provide material for Edward's lectures at the Marlow Institute. 

Edward and Mary quickly became involved in all kinds of initiatives that involved a committee. Marlow Rowing Club and Regatta, the Institute, Cottage Hospital, Provident Nursing Association, Anglers Association and more all saw their attention. He was vice president at the Institute for a number of years. And it was Edward that donated the use of his land for the erection of a landing stage and large hired marquee for the young Marlow Rowing Club as yet without a boathouse of their own. 

Edward was a subscriber to Marlow's original cottage hospital in Cambridge House, Cambridge Road. Mary was among the "lady visitors" who took turns to adopt the hospital for a week and make visits to cheer and comfort the patients. Those inside were not forgotten on other weeks however as the couple sent donations of things such as cake, fruit and vegetables on a regular basis. As the hospital was entirely funded by donations and what payments the patients could afford, these kind of gifts were frequently asked for and earnestly welcomed. 

Given this involvement with the hospital, it is perhaps surprising that Edward did not support the development of a new more spacious and convenient cottage hospital in Marlow. As a frequent attendee at the subscribers meetings, he could not help but be aware that the staff of the original cottage hospital worked liked Trojans and found their work made more laborious by the inconvenience of a relatively cramped building with steep stairs and inadequate plumbing. The whole staff in 1913 had in fact threatened to sever all ties with the hospital if no advancement was made in oft voiced plans to build a better one. But Edward thought the town could not afford to build or support a bigger hospital funded by donations, even though the building site had been donated for free. He feared that if funding should fail the cost of maintaining the hospital would be put on the rates (local tax) and that the local tradespeople and businessmen could not afford this as trade in town had been "ruined" by the advent of the motor car. Instead he thought perhaps the town could invest in a motor ambulance that would take patients to the well equipped hospitals in Maidenhead or High Wycombe, if they could amalgamate with one of those institutions. He thought getting enough donations to keep things going would be a continual struggle. Edward's concerns were not without foundation. The cottage hospital had trouble attracting subscribers at times, and the Charity Commission would only give permission for plans for a slightly smaller hospital than the committee originally planned, on affordability grounds. Edward obviously felt strongly about this because when his name was wrongly included in a list of donors to the building fund of new hospital, he wrote to the newspaper to correct the entry publicly. When the Charity Commission said the revised plans were affordable, the hon. secretary of the Marlow Cottage Hospital Committee, Mrs Dickson, wrote to Edward asking for his support. Instead he published his replies to her letters in the local press and it's fair to say they have something of a patronising tone. He said anyone who had read the Commissioners report would agree with him that a new hospital was unaffordable and that friends of his involved in raising subscriptions at other hospitals also supported his view. He must have forgotten that in writing to Mrs Dickson he was communicating with someone who had been directly involved in raising such subscriptions for many years herself and who through her husband Dr Dunbar Dickson, was very well acquainted with the costs and practical considerations involved in running such a place. Edward had objected to the number of women on the organising committee - a complaint which was ignored, unsurprisingly given that it was the ladies who had suggested the need for a new hospital in the first place and it was a ladies committee that organised the fundraising that allowed the first cottage hospital to open. In one letter Edward suggests that the new hospital was advocated for mainly by the doctors and for their own interests regardless of the welfare of the town! It's hard to agree with him given the number of people that donated to a scheme that apparently no one wanted. The hospital was built anyway and it must be said that Edward was no slacker at parting with his own cash when it came to helping the sick in ways he did support - he funded a home for the district nurses, aka the Riley Nurses' Home and clinic which remained in use for decades after his death. He offered the finances to do this as an alternative to his supporting the new hospital but initially the money was not linked to a specific purpose. He said that if a hospital scheme that he personally approved of was bought forward the money could go to that instead. It should also be mentioned that Mrs Riley attended many meetings of the hospital subscribers with her husband, and was for a time on the Ladies Commitee. (Posts about the struggle for the hospital can be found here and here) 

Edward subscribed to the Institute and freely gave his time to lecture there. Subjects included the process of providing good drinking water, mineral extraction, and a pet subject, the wonders of electricity with practical demonstrations included. The Rileys had the use of electricity at Bohemia even though Bisham and Marlow were not yet connected to the supply network. They used this to illuminate the outside of their riverside home during the Regatta, and the display is frequently described as the most beautiful along the river side. They included "coloured fires" and lanterns with coloured glass panel surroundings to create the illusion of multi coloured lights. The Regatta traditionally ended with a Venetian fete which was chiefly a procession of decorated and illuminated boats along the river. Of course Edward used electric lights on his entry and he was not an infrequent winner of the most handsomely dressed boat award. At the time of the coronation of Edward VII in 1902, Edward set up lights in the form of a giant E.R and displayed them on the front of ivy clad Bohemia. 

The couple owned a house boat also called Bohemia. This they took to Henley Regatta when they were in residence. They also bought a new type of  electric launch which they christened "Champion". A trial run out with friends on the Thames was said to be a success but the boat is not often mentioned thereafter so perhaps it had some shortcomings not immediately apparent! Edward also had a couple of punts. One was also decorated and entered into competitions, with an arch of bullrushes and mountain ash berries and rows of sunflower heads mentioned as one medal winning design. The other had a more conventional existence as a fishing punt. Edward Riley was a keen angler and sometimes reports of a good catch reach the press, caught with the assistance of fisherman James Cox. He put up cash prizes for occasional fishing competitions too. With his love of all things a river side town could offer, it's easy understand why Bisham became his residence. Or Marlow, as he referred to as his address in every source I've seen that he wrote himself. Of course a river side address did have it's downsides, and Bohemia was flooded downstairs during the severe 1894 Thames flood. 

The gardens of Bohemia were enthusiastically maintained and famously lush and colourful. The Riley's gardener Mr J Jordan  grew a huge range of fruit, vegetables and flowers and won many prizes in local shows. He provided plants and flowers that were donated to decorate the stage of plays and concerts held at venues like the music room, with some palms used to create an "exotic" atmosphere to one amateur production. 

Edward funded three scholarships to Borlase along with his half sister Miss Mary Mitchell Wilson who is often uncredited for her contribution. Edward also announced a £1,000 gift towards the greater cost of setting up a new school chapel there but when he died it was announced by his executors that they would actually pay for the whole along with his sister. 

Edward spoke at a debate at the Institute in favour of Sunday opening of parks, public gardens, and museums. He took the issue of public access to recreation facilities seriously, in particular in regards that children should have somewhere safe to play off the streets. With this in mind, when in Edward Riley bought the Crown Hotel and the accompanying Crown Meadow when it came up for sale in 1914. He gave the field  for the use of the town as a recreation ground under the care of a group of trustees including himself. He gave a sum of money for it's maintenance and envisaged the hotel should continue with the profits invested in the Trust. Crucially he allowed the Trustees to make what changes to the hotel as they saw fit in pursuance of this goal. Proper funding provision was of course important to Edward as we know. The park had not opened when Edward died at Bohemia in September 1914 aged 83. It was decided to sell the Crown Hotel but delays in achieving this and the First World War meant the new Riley Recreation Ground was not formally opened until 1921. This long delay caused frustration locally. In 1919 a public meeting was called in Market Square to protest at the lack of a safe place for children to play  - Higginson park was not yet open of course. Those attending expressed frustration at the fact children were still actively barred from accessing the future Riley Park. The quickly elected chair Mr James proposed a resolution in favour of the provision of a proper recreation ground being provided somewhere. It seems they felt Riley Park would never fully open. The resolution was seconded by Mr E Harvey and passed by the crowd.

Their fears were of course unfounded. The grounds were not laid out as intended but remain charmingly open and surrounded by trees. I'm sure Edward and Mary, who died in 1923, would love to see them now. Both are buried at Bisham Church. 

Related Posts

To find out about the many former uses of Riley Recreation Ground/Crown Meadow see the post here

The Dunbar Dicksons here

History of Institute "Books, Billiards, and ..beer?" here

All mentions of someone on the blog can be found under the Person Index. To cut straight to a list of posts, each  dedicated to a particular Marlow individual see "Biographies Of Individuals" on the menu. There is also a "Biographies Of Families" option there. 

Sources:

Local newspapers held at the British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA. 

The Engineer, 18 September 1914. 

The Engineer, collected edition. vol 76, 1893. (Morgan Grampian 1893) 

Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute Vol 47, (SPON  1895)

Engineering and Mining Journal Vol 49, American Institute of Mining and Engineering (McGraw Hill 1890)

©Marlow Ancestors

Spade Oak Farm Occupiers and History

Updated September 2023

Spade Oak Farm near Bourne End. Address usually given as Little Marlow in historic sources. Part of the Westhorpe estate.

Sources for my farm occupation listings: adverts, property documents, census, court cases, wills etc.

Description:

Near the site of an old and once important riverside wharf. Farm house built 1600s. It has been speculated that the farm house was originally part of the buildings of the wharf. Mixed farm.

1860= 265 acres. 1881=324 acres. 1917= 157 acres -then described as dairy or animal farm but most earlier descriptions show it to be a mixed farm. With 2 worker cottages and farm house 1917.

Known occupiers (who did not necessarily own it) and history timeline:

Dates next to a name are for when I can find reference to a person being there- that person may have occupied the farm earlier or later too.

1818 Edward Sawyer. Leaving that year and selling up- hay, clover, cows, cart houses, sheep all for sale as a result.

1829-32 Mr Horwood. In 1832 it is stated that Mr Norwood had lost 3 employees through accident in the last few years, the most recent Joseph Boddy who was run over and killed by the cart and team he was driving near Cores End. 

1835 John Bunce. Leaving that year

1841- probably Robert Morris brother of William Morris Junior below.

1851-71 Willam Morris [Junior born circa 1799, his father William Morris Senior who died in 1856 was also a farmer at Little Marlow in 1851 though apparently in his 90s!]. Wife Ann. In 1848 William Boddy and Edward Munro transported for stealing a ram from a William Morris but is that him or William Senior? The date is earlier than William Junior's known presence at the farm. 

William Junior's sons Stephen, Charles and William all worked for their parents at least at times but son Charles below seems main partner in the farm and by 1863 is the listed main occupier. In William 1851 employed 16 people on the farm. In 1860, two employees of Morris were due to be married after which it seems they had intended to leave his service. Unfortunately they helped themselves to a leaving gift of a great number of articles from the house and farm which were subsequently found on them. Edward Hodges and Elizabeth Stone plead guilty and were sentenced to 3 months each in solitary confinement at Aylesbury Gaol. 

1860-71 Charles Morris son of the above, working alongside his father at first but from at least 1863 it is his name that appears as the main occupier of the farm. Offered Summer pasture and rest for hunt or hacking horses. Possibly went bankrupt 1873. 

1876- 1881 Joseph Elliott. He was a churchwarden so his fields were used several times for picnics and fun events for Sunday School children. In 1881 sold off farm stock as his lease had expired. Wife Catherine. Note their son Edward Elliott also farmer at  Spade Oak Farm by 1878. 

1881- farm to let. Had been used for corn and sheep.

1882-95 Arthur Dyson. In 1886 his employee John Smith was convicted of stealing 6 eggs from him. Arthur was one of the Little Marlow parish councillors. Sadly he also organised hare coursing meetings.

1895 Mrs Dyson. Sold off her stock that year.

1896- William White worker there taken suddenly ill in field and died. Worked for Mr Roberts.

1899- 1907 Thomas Roberts. He died 1907 age 70. His meadow used for a ladies versus gents cricket match in 1900- with the men having to wear skirts too when they had to run. Sons John and G. Percy already involved in running the farm before his death.

1906-1921 at least John Roberts and G. Percy Roberts (tenants) operating as Roberts Brothers. Dairy farmers. Also let rooms to holiday makers in the Summer. Farm bought by Robert Burroughs 1917. A Richard Burrough qv is listed at the farm 1920. 

1939- Ralph Burroughs.

Post about Spade Oak ferryman William Round here.

To search for all mentions of any person on the blog use the Person Index option on the menu. Thousands of people are mentioned. Go to the Nearby Places option to see what else we have on the Spade Oak or Little Marlow area.

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

Early History of York Road, Marlow *updated*

 Updated by Charlotte October 2024.

York Road was officially adopted as a name for this new road in December 1884. There were a few houses already there which went by the name of  York Villas so the new name made sense. York Road was one of the earliest streets in the town laid out with all properties having running water available.

Despite this foresight the street was not favoured with universally high standards of building. Serious concerns about the structural integrity of some of the houses (which ones not specified) soon occurred. Their owners  on pain of the houses being condemned to demolition otherwise were forced by local authorities to carry out remedial work. Jerry building was very common in late Victorian times in the rush to build enough new homes. Properties in nearby Eton Place and Queens Road built around the same time were also problematic with some being pulled down scarcely a generation after being put up due to low quality workmanship. The remedial builders in York Road thankfully did an excellent job and we still have this attractive street in the town today.

Most of the early development seems to have been on the Dean Street side. The land in both sides had previously been in agricultural use. Though mostly residential there was also space in York Road for some businesses. Thomas Lomax ran a flour, coal and petrol dealership there in the late 1880s and there were two marine store dealers too. These had nothing to do with marine occupations despite the name. They were second hand sellers which dealt with goods primarily of interest to trade and business buyers- old pipes, nails, rope, agricultural implements, hand tools, barrels, timber etc. Some marine store dealers had shops but many like the York Road ones traded simply out of sheds and open yards. Daniel Clark's premises seem to have been at the Queen's Road end on the Oxford Road side. Though marine store keepers had to be licensed it was seen as a low class and slightly suspicious occupation. Many operated close to the edges of the law or beyond them. Daniel Clark, in York Road by 1891 and for many years later, was certainly a ne'er do well, pulling dodgy deals and, much worse, ill using both his horse and his wife Annie. She successfully applied for a separation order from him in 1908 after years of cruelty, seemingly fueled by alcohol. She later returned to him.

His proper name was Cooper Daniel Clark.

In 1917 Daniel and Annie, given as residing at number 19 York Road, received news that their two sons, previously listed as missing after "the fight for Kut" in January were now regarded as both presumed killed in action. These were Private S and Private Harold Clark, 4th Hampshire Regiment [Sidney born 1892 and Harold 1895]*

The couple's daughter Lydia was a cook but also helped her father out in his business, sometimes driving his "van" (horse drawn) though not without some brushes with the law as a result. 

In 1920 Daniel's marine stores were said to be at no 21.

The other late Victorian marine store dealer of York Road was the apparently respectable Mr Simmonds. He dealt hay and straw from the address too but while he had his sheds in the road he himself lived in nearby Dean Street.

What about other occupations?

In the male residents there was a noticeable number of gardeners mentioned in various records, mostly domestic but there were commercial market gardens off nearby Queen's Road that also would have potentially employed some of them.

Charles Sellman was an Edwardian and 1920s painter and decorator resident at no 20. 

As for the women, Gertrude Sherwin was a dressmaker there in 1915. The same occupation  was followed by Florence Sellman, daughter of Charles above. To read more about midwife Sarah Ann Price of number 7 York Road in the early 1900s see this post dedicated to her.

As you can see most of the first residents of York Road were working class but there were a few with more money to burn. When resident of Merton Cottage York Road Mary Plaistowe died in 1892 the contents of her home were auctioned off giving us via a report of this in the South Bucks Standard of 19th February 1892 [via the BNA / British Library Collaboration] a glimpse into her comfortable home. Mary could boast a marble topped wash stand, multiple pieces of mahogany furniture, a good pianoforte and a harmonium. She must have enjoyed games as she had a loo table (for the card game loo) and a bagatelle board too. She was probably the only York Road resident with buffalo horns on the wall but there were possibly others displaying that staple of Victorian interior design - a case of stuffed birds.  

Mary was the widow of Richard and had moved to the town from Great Missenden.

Post researched and written by Charlotte Day with photos by Kathryn Day.

To find posts dedicated to other specific streets or houses in Marlow see on the menu under "Specific Shops, Streets...Etc". All mentions of an individual on the blog can be found listed on the Person Index.

*posts on Marlow in World War One

1914

1915

1916

1917

1918-19

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

Other Sources included:

Census, Charlotte's transcription from microfilm.

Marlow Almanack and Directory 1907 by Marlow Printing Company.

Kellys Directories of Bucks etc  published by Kelly's Directories Limited 1911, 1915.

Maidenhead Advertiser 24th December 1884, held at the British Library and accessed via the BNA, October 2020. 

Thanks to Jane Pullinger for access to private family material.

Ralfs Graves, Great Marlow All Saints

 

Quite mossy now. 

Charlotte widow of John Ralfs Died 1850?

AND:

Harriet Ralfs, third daughter of the above. 

AND:

Mary Ann Ralfs, eldest daughter of the above [baptised 1803]

AND:

Jane Ralfs [Daughter of the above, baptised 1810]

AND:

Arthur Ralfs Hewett

AND:

Charlotte Ralfs Hewett

[Grandchildren of above John and Charlotte by daughter Ellen] Age 8

©Marlow Ancestors. Reproduction very welcome with credit to this blog.

See under Graves on the menu for more posts like this. All mentions of a person on this blog can be found under the Person Index.

Lane End Chairmakers

Lane End within the parish of Great Marlow for a time was home to a large number of men, women and children working in the chair making industry. The village specialised in not only domestic chairs but in church seating too. There was a pub there called the Chairmakers Arms.

Below is listed with as much detail as my notes contain everyone I have ever come across working as a chair maker in Lane End whether as a business owner or a labourer.

I have been compiling this list for years from court cases, censuses, adverts, wills, etc that I was looking at for other research reasons. There are more to upload both in terms of references to individuals already listed and of new individuals to list. The names below will just be the tip of the iceberg in terms of involvement in the trade.

Dates next to any name are when I found reference to them as being both a chair maker and in Lane End. The person listed may have operated earlier or later too.

Allen, Albert. 1894.

Allen, Isaac. Accused of poaching 1876.

Avery, Daniel. 1890.

Bennell, Henry. Accused of assaulting John Sharp (Reading Mercury, 12th October 1872 via the BNA / British Library).

George Biggs. Accused of poaching. 1876.

Bird, Richard. Chair turner 1893.

Bishop, Henry. 1910, 13.

Bishop, Ralph Spence. 1902.

Catton, Amos. Chair manufacturer. 1861- 1893. In 1871 employed 37 men and 27 boys. Born circa 1832.

Catton, Joseph. 1876.

Collier, A. Manufacturer at Moor Common. Garden as well as indoor furniture. 1910.

Cooper, John : In 1897 John suffers a serious accident while working on a "reeding machine" at Mr E Smith's chair factory. This machine has knife blades within it, and John's hands are drawn into them, resulting in injuries to 4 fingers. One is subsequently amputated. This was nevertheless considered a miraculous escape. 

Cutler, Charles AKA Charlie. Chair maker 1881, 91. Wesleyan. Trained as a preacher. Son of Reuben and Sarah. Dad also chair maker. Brother of chair maker James.

Cutler, Edwin. Born circa 1835. Chair maker 1861, 1871. Wife Frances who was a lace maker. Parents Ann and William. Brother of Elizabeth, Isaac, Jane, Reuben too.

Cutler, Elizabeth. 12 year old chair caner on 1861 census. Daughter of Ann and William Cutler. Mother dead by 1861. Father also chair maker. Sister of chair makers Edwin, Isaac, Jane, Reuben.

Cutler, Isaac. Chair maker 1871. Son of Ann and William, also a chair maker. Wife Elizabeth a lace maker. Brother of chair makers Edwin, Elizabeth, Isaac, Jane, Reuben.

Cutler, James. Born circa 1866. Chair maker 1891. Son of Reuben, a chair maker, and Sarah. Brother of chair makers Charles, Owen and Walter.

Cutler, Jane 15 year old chair caner on 1861 census. Daughter of Ann and William. Dad also a chair maker. Possible marriage for her West Wycombe Albert Stephens 1866. Sister of chair makers Edwin, Elizabeth, Isaac, Jane, Reuben.

Cutler, Owen. Chair maker 1881. Chair back maker 1891. Born circa 1862. Wife Mary. Moved to Bolter End. Son of Reuben, a chair maker and Sarah. Brother of chair makers Charles, James, Walter.

Cutler, Reuben. Prominent Lane End Wesleyan, involved with the Wycombe chapels too. Member early 1900s of Lane End Parish Council. Prize winning cottage gardener. Specifically chair back maker. Son of Ann and William, who was also a chair maker. Brother of chair makers Edwin, Elizabeth, Isaac, Jane, Reuben. Wife Sarah lace maker early in marriage.

Cutler, Walter. Born circa 1861. Chair maker 1881. Son of Reuben, a chair maker and Sarah. Brother of chair makers Charles, Owen, James.

Dunn, Harry. Fined for being in a pub after hours. 1879.

Ellis, George. Born circa 1825. Apprentice chair maker 1841. Chair maker 1851,61. Born West Wycombe. Son of Alice and Stiles Ellis. Wife Sarah. Father of chair maker Sarah Jane.

Ellis, Sarah Jane. A 15 year old chair caner 1861 census. Daughter of chair maker George and Sarah his wife.

Fletcher, William. Charged poaching Stokenchurch 1869.

Gill, Charles. A 16 year old chair maker census 1861. Brother of chair maker William.

Gill, William. A 14 year old chair maker on 1861 census. Brother of chair maker Charles.

Gray, Richard. Drinking in a pub after closing time. 1879.

Jarvis, James. 1843-52.

Jarvis, Joseph. Grocer and chair manufacturer 1861-83. Born circa 1824 Reading according to census. Wife Sarah who was buried Lane End 1903 and was nee A..ns (Atkins?) Father of chair makers Leonard and William.

Jarvis, Leonard. 1881-92 when became insolvent. Born 1857 West Wycombe to Joseph, also a chair maker. Mother Sarah. Wife Charlotte.

Jarvis, William. Chair maker 1881. Born circa 1862 to Joseph, also a chair maker and Sarah. Brother of chair maker Leonard.

Jones, Joseph. Fined for being drunk and disorderly. 1879.

Plumridge, George. Born circa 1848. Was a 13 year old chair maker 1861 census. Brother of chair maker Henry. Child of James and Susannah.

Plumridge, Henry. 15 year old chair maker 1861 census. Son of James and Susannah. Brother of chair maker George.

Rolfe, William. 1877.

Rose, John. In a pub after hours 1879. (Bucks Herald. 10th May 1879. Via the BNA / British Library)

Savage, John. 1843.

Savage, William. 1852.

Sears, Emmanuel. Born circa 1833. Parents Henry and Hannah. Chair maker 1851, 1861. Wife Ann lace maker. They moved from Lane End. Emmanuel died 1908. Siblings Henry, James, Mary Ann and Richard all chair makers.

Sears, Henry (1). Born circa 1810. Chair turner. 1861-9. Wife Hannah. Father of chairmakers Emmanuel, Henry, James and Mary Ann and Richard. Hannah died in Maidenhead aged 81 in 1892.

Sears, Henry (2) born circa 1846. Chair maker 1861 census and 1868. Beer retailer and chair maker 1872-1883. Pub was Bricklayer's Arms Moor Common. Son of Hannah and Henry. Dad a chair turner. Brother of chair makers James, Mary Ann and Richard.

Sears, James (1). Old offender fined for drunkenness 1865 ( Bucks Herald/28th Jan 1865).

Sears, James (2). Born circa 1844. Chair maker 1861. Parents Henry, a chair turner, and Hannah. Siblings Emmanuel, Henry, Mary Ann and Richard also chair makers.

Sears, Mary Ann. A 12 year old chair caner 1861. Daughter of Hannah and Henry Sears. Dad a chair turner. Sister of chair makers Emmanuel, Henry, Richard and James.

Sears, Richard. Born circa 1837. Chair maker 1861. Son of Hannah and Henry. Siblings Henry, James, Mary Ann all chair makers.

Sears, Samuel. Chair maker 1861 census employing 60 men, 10 boys and 15 girls. Owned Brickmakers Arms Lane End 1872. Still chair maker and also grocer 1883. Wife Anne. Samuel was born circa 1816 and died 1890.

Sears, Thomas. Accused poaching 1876.

Seymour, George. 1918. Employed by Mr Smith.

Smith, Richard. Owned chair making business from circa 1892. Sued 1896 for unpaid timber bill of £50. Sued for alleged damage at Twyford caused by him carting timber over the land of Francis Bulkeley (Bucks Herald 7th Aug 1897, via the BNA and British Library) Bankrupt 1904.

Stevens, Thomas. 1880.

Trendall, John. 1877.

For more Lane End content see "Other Places" on the menu.

All mentions of an individual on this blog can be found under the Person Index.

©Marlow Ancestors.

Mendy Grave, Great Marlow All Saints

 

Maria Mendy, wife of Henry Mendy Died Feb 20 1864 age 67

ALSO OF Henry Mendy husband of the above, who died May 9th 1869 age 76 years

©Marlow Ancestors. Reproduction welcome with credit to this blog.

The Ship, West Street Marlow Landlords

 

Updated by Charlotte Jan 2024.

 We mainly focus on pre 1920 listings but sometimes list later landlords if we come across them during research. 

1792 - Thomas Hussey/ Hussrey 2.Thomas Humphrey

1823 - William Clark

1824 - William Clark

1831 -  George Dorell

1832 - George Dorell

1836 - "The Old Ship"  Mrs Dorrell qv. 

1839 - As The Old Ship - William Sawyer. For him see also The Coach and Horses. He was he son of bakers James and Charlotte Sawyer of West Street see here for more on them and his brother.

1841 - William Sawyer

1842- George Stevens

1843 - George Stevens. Fined £2 for allowing cards to be played on his premises. This was a high amount and considered unfair by many. 

1844 - George Stevens 2. John Clark(e)

1846- as The Old Ship Inn. John Clark transfers to Richard Green who is also a blacksmith.

1847 - As The Old Ship - Richard Green.

1851 - Richard Reeves. Richard and his wife Jane were previously managers of the Workhouse. See this post for a biography of them.

1853 - Richard Reeves

1854 - Richard Reeves.

1859 - Jane Reeves. Widow of Richard.

1863 -  Mrs Jane Reeves

1864  - Mrs Jane Reeves

1870 "the Ship Tavern" 

1871 -  Sarah Reeves. She came from the Prince Albert, Spittal Street and was the widow of William Reeves. Jane has just died. 

1872 - John Cuthbert

1873 - John Cuthbert. 2. Henry Poole

1876 - Henry Poole transfers to Miss Jessie Macintosh. 

1878 -  Miss Jessie Macintosh died there age 28. 

1878 - Henry Poole again. A business partnership with John Tildesley relating to the manufacture of soda water at the Ship, came to tears. The two fell out and came quite literally to blows when Charles and several others tried to remove the equipment. They took out summons accusing each other of assault - in the case of John the attack was upon Felix Tildesley who had accompanied his father to the Ship. The case against Poole was dismissed. Charles was fined 13s including costs. Then Joshua Gladding takes over. 

1881  - Joshua Gladding dies, James Rim(m)ell takes over. 

1883 -  James Rimmel(l)

1884 -  James Rimmell.

Thomas Barnes (temporary after James Rimmell's death) then "Mrs Rymmell" qv widow. 

1885 - Hannah Rimmell (Wife of James) 

1886 -  Hannah Rimmell. (Wife of James Rimmell) Lost her licence for harbouring prostitutes -  see Here    

1888 - Thomas Barnes. 2 Joseph Warden

1889  - 1. Joseph Warder/Warden, 2. Thomas George Austin

1890 - Thomas John Richards (born Kent)

1891 -  Thomas Richards

1892  - Transfer from Thomas Richards to William Saunders, and then from Saunders to W Dominick Westcott. Thomas Richards left after marrying a woman of  private means living in Little Marlow. But this marriage of Thomas and Agnes was not happy and within 2 months of their wedding day they had separated, both accusing the other of drunkenness and violence. The case went to court, and Agnes was convicted of assaulting Thomas by whipping his face. (Agnes admitted to using the whip but said Thomas had started the trouble by swearing at her.) A counter charge against Thomas was made, but he was found not guilty as it was considered he was acting in self defence.  The costs of both cases were to be paid by Agnes. She claimed Thomas had married her for her money, and had became a beast when he could not get his hands on it. Thomas said Agnes had taken against the daughters from his first marriage (especially Ada) and had acted out of jealousy. He claimed she had developed a habit of drinking when acting as the former land lady of the Windsor Castle Inn at High Wycombe. Both were bound over to keep the peace. 

1893 - 1. William D Westcott 2. Charles Lisson Mathews

1895 - Charles L Mathews 2. Thomas Walter (or Walker) Lowe

1896 - Mr Lowe 2. ? Gunn. Suffers a chimney fire this year due to beam running through chimney beginning to smoulder. Marlow Fire Brigade had dealt with this kind of fire before and said it is not uncommon to find such badly placed wooden beams in old buildings. Damage limited. 

1897 -   1 G A Gunn 2. James Swain.  (Joseph Warder,  Thomas George Austin two names possibly proposed and refused)

1898 - James Swain transfers to Thomas Watson. 

1899 - Thomas Watson (Alt. William Watson)

1901 - Mr Watson transfers premises to Arthur Osborn. 

1902 - Survives attempt by authorities to close it down as excess to West Streets licensed premises requirements. The high turnover of landlords in recent years counts against it but the fact the licence is "very clean" and the premises in very good condition keep it open. Arthur Osborne 2. W A Bennett (previously proprietor of Royal Oak, Huntingdon)

1903 - Albert E Bull

1904 - A E Bull 2. Arthur Barlow

1906 - Arthur Barlow 2. Thomas Flaxman/ Flexman

1907 - Thomas Barnes (hold-over) 2. Joseph Warden ditto. 3. Edward Tygat (e) 4. Alfred Schreen. 

1908 - Alfred Screen / Schreen. Spelling varies. Pub has bowling alley and a stable but the latter is not used. Headquarters of the 200 strong Ivy Ramblers Club of London.

1909 - Alfred Screen. In this year the pub is described as having 5 bedrooms which were constantly accommodating visitors during the "river season." In 1908 only three bedrooms mentioned as available to visitors.  In addition the skittle alley was sometimes pulled into use as a little extra space when hosting summer teas. The pub sells twice as many barrels of beer as they did a couple of years ago when they catered for fewer parties. That's two barrels worth of beer a week being sold plus 18 bottles of beer on average and 6 gallons of draught spirits. And yes they sold non alcoholic cordials and mineral water too. The pub is "clean and well conducted" but needs some repairs to the actual premises according to a report submitted to the licencing committee. 

1910 - Alfred Screen leaves Marlow. Next landlord - Charles Percy Joy

1911 - Charles Joy

1920 - Charles Joy

1924 - James G Palmer

1939 - Charles Thornton Arnold. 

* For more on the Rimmell family see separate post here*

Look on the menu here for more landlord listings for Marlow, Little Marlow, Medmenham and Lane End as well as biographies of some pub keeping individuals or families, a listing of the 100+ pubs Marlow has had, and pub histories.

See under "Specific Shops, Streets Etc" on the menu for links to posts about other historic West Street businesses and residents.

©Marlow Ancestors. 

SOURCES

1853 Musson & Cravens Commercial directory (Compiled 1852), published by Musson & Craven. 

1859,1864,1877,1883, 1899,1903,1907,1911 & 1915 -Kelly's Post Office Directory. 

1839 Robson's Directory

Pigots Directory 1823,1831,1844

Contemporary press coverage of licencing hearings, court cases, and other news accessed via the BNA including: South Bucks Standard, 12 August 1892, 16 July 1901, 22 May 1902, June 21 1907, March 5th 1909 & 28th Oct 1910.

Reading Mercury May 8 1879. As above. 

Various property deeds, wills transcribed by Charlotte and legal proceedings. 

Census 1841,1851,1861,1871,1881, 1891

Marlow Floods A Plenty

  

Marlow is a town with a history of getting it's feet wet. The floods didn't just inconvenience those with riverside homes either. They stopped the mills, church services, river traffic and transport and bought some traders into severe financial difficulties.

When the floods were at their worst, navigation on the Thames was stopped altogether, for example in the early part of 1840. In this year, towing boats was impossible with the tow paths several feet underwater. This meant barges had to stay where they could, and await the water levels dropping sufficiently. High water made the already dangerous flash locks even more perilous to travel through. The flood channels such as the one finishing near the back of the Compleat Angler, were sometimes overwhelmed.  Floating debris was another hazard. Many Marlow people ran barges or worked on them, and a stopping of river traffic meant some were stranded away from home. Other businesses were stopped because they were dependent on river bourne deliveries of raw materials. 

The 1894 flood

Even after the age of horse drawn barges was over, flooding still caused havoc in the life of the town. In November 1894, a particularly bad inundation caused church services at the riverside All Saints Church to be abandoned, while the railway was "engulfed in a sea of water". This water was said to have put out the engines and it was subsequently decided to raise the rails to stop this happening again. Mill Lane, Mill Alley (Seven Corner Alley), St. Peter's Street and South Place all suffered substantial flooding. 

Captain Edward Wilfred Marshall of The Eyrie (off Gossmore) was seriously ill at home when the flood water rose. He had suffered from flu, and it was now believed he had pneumonia. His anxious wife and doctors had to weigh up the risk of remaining put and what they considered as the risk of removing a severely ill man from his home. Captain Marshall's infant son and nurse were sent to the safety of Remnantz. Before long The Eyrie was surrounded by a "tremendous flood" and with the water level rising, they had no choice but to take Marshall away. The water was 4ft deep outside when help was summoned. The horses bearing his carriage away were chest deep in the flood  as they made their departure. Marshall and his wife Penrose were taken to the Crown Hotel, but sadly he died there shortly afterwards age 28. Many blamed his final illness on the unhealthy situation caused by the flood water. (Captain Marshall and his menagerie is subject of a separate post here)

Flood mark at Marlow Lock, above. 

Summer floods stop play

While autumn and winter floods made living and working conditions miserable for many, Marlow did not always escape flooding in the summer either. Floods then extended the prospect of financial loss to a different range of people. It's sometimes easy to underestimate how dependent many Victorian and Edwardian Marlow businesses were on tourism or how many summer visitors the town received. 

The summer flood of 1903 was said to have been the worst for 50 years. People visited the town to "mess about on the river" but boating and fishing came to a halt. The hotels and private lodging houses were empty. The pubs and hotels that catered for boating and fishing parties by serving lunches, and hiring out punts and fisherman (fishing guides) did no trade. Salters Steamers could not run their river trips. The boathouses found no demand for hired steam launches or canoes. The mills had to stop. It was in short "disastrous" for the trade in Marlow. The Reading Mercury reported that all roads south of the town were cut off and that many hundreds of acres of Thames side meadows were flooded. This included all those in the vicinity of Pound Lane, with the cricket field included. Residents reported flooded cellars (barrels are said to have floated out of one unnamed pub cellar) and overwhelmed cess pits. Worse for some was the stench of decaying vegetation left behind as the waters receded, along with thick foul smelling mud that had to shovelled off the streets. At least the train managed to continue, thanks to the work done after 1894. The water got to within 1-2" of the rails, and lay all around the line, as far as the Bourne End road at it's worst. The storm that accompanied the initial deluge was marked by large hailstones and a horse was struck by lightning and killed at Seymour Court. At Danesfield house, the lightning hit the roof, causing significant damage. The rain coming through the ceiling caused substantial damage to some tapestries hanging on the walls, worth together several thousand pounds. 

In December of 1903 there were yet more floods, with water levels rising to just under a foot below the summer flood mark of that year. 

Station Road is submerged..again

The residents of Station Rd had more cause to complain than most. The summer flood just mentioned affected them badly in June-August. Then in September of the same year a heavy rain storm saw the road and houses flooded again. Questions were raised about the affect on visitor numbers if those arriving at Marlow train station had to step through several inches of water (at best) on their way into town. But what of the poor people actually living there? They resorted to blocking up their doorways "with 6-7" of wood backed up with a heap of mud and stone" but to no avail.  The water entered  the houses and was "spoiling the furniture". At a Council meeting, councilor Mr J H Deacon tried to get something done. Drainage work was planned to be completed at the same time new paving was due to be laid but that was 6 months away. Mr Deacon said autumn floods were likely and following on from the two already that year, could the Station Rd residents afford to wait? The other councillors (who did not live in Station Rd) thought they could. They said the homeowners should just raise their steps 6-7" to protect their homes. Mr Deacon pointed out that this had already been tried at the Wheatsheaf and the two cottages adjoining but they still flooded. It's also worth noting that most of these cottages were rented and some landlords were not willing to spend on these potential improvements. Mr Deacon failed to get any further money voted to help Station Rd as the others did not want the rates pushed up as a result. So when a "memorable" flood occured in February the following year, the cottages were again flooded. Things improved for the road gradually but it was still suffering in home floods long after the time our blog deals with. 

There have been many more bad flood years eg 1908, but the worst in recent times was 1947. Again this is out of our blog time frame but if you Google the date, you'll find plenty of images online. 

Always look on the bright side?

More minor seasonal floods were regarded as useful for irrigation purposes by farmers with land near the river, and some thought it added to the value of their holdings.  

A more ambitious plan to make use of excess Thames water was proposed by civil engineer Mr McClean in 1869. His idea was based on a plan previously advanced by him in 1849 and 1850, in conjunction with Mr Blackwell. This was to "embank and canalize" the Thames between Marlow and Henley, with the object of creating in the present channel of the river, a series of "impounding reservoirs". The lowest of these would be connected to London via a 36 mile canal, and so would provide the capital with more drinking water. Gravity would allow the provision of water for low lying parts of London, and a pump would be needed to serve the rest. Mr McClean thought this would solve both the inadequate provision of water in populous London, and flooding around the Thames. But the scheme was not to be! 

The other people who gained when the floods came were illegal fishermen. Those who did not have the right to take fish from certain areas of the Thames "netted" the ditches and flooded areas around the river, confident perhaps no one much would be on the water to notice. In the early 1870's the "netting  on the meadows adjacent to the river during flood time was carried on wholesale" with large quantities of fish captured and sold. The Thames Conservancy and the Angling Clubs put a stop to this by gathering the fish left stranded in the ditches or pools of water and returning them to the river themselves.

One last person to benefit from the flood was a Mr Couch of Quarry Wood House who in the 1870's is said to won a bet that he could drive his boat over the weir while a flood was on, as a feet of daring. It seemed to get stuck a little on the edge but finally slipped over and down again safely "to the cheers from the crown on the bridge". Don't try that at home!

Researched and written by Kathryn Day. Above picture shows Marlow floods in the modern day.

Related content:

Related posts about the river can be found in the General History post listing here including this about Victorian and Edwardian children drowned in the river

More about Way family of Wheatsheaf here

The angry, roaring hissing mist of 1897 here

To find all mentions of your ancestor here, click on the A-Z person index in the same menu. This currently contains over 3,000 individuals. 

SOURCES INCLUDE:

Royal Commission on River Pollution: Third report of the commission appointed to inquire into the best means of preventing the pollution of rivers - 1866, (C E Eyre & Spottiswoode) 

Great Britain Parliament, House of Commons - Reports from committees vol 17, 1877

Great Britain House of Commons - Reports from Commissions - Vol 33 1869

Wheedon, J P, Angling Clubs and Preservation societies of London and the provinces 1883. (Clowes 1884)

Leslie, John Dunlop - Our River (Bradbury, Agnew, and Co 1881)

Bucks Gazette 3 November, 11 January 1840. Copy held at the British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA.

Derby and Newcastle  Mercury, 1 November 1747, as above

Wolverton Express, June 1903 - thanks to Roger Woodman. 

©Marlow Ancestors.