It's often said that the traditional and sometimes raucous celebration of All Hallows Eve or Halloween was discouraged in Britain in favour of the "patriotic" November 5th celebrations. If the authorities hoped to avoid trouble on Bonfire night in historic Marlow however they were sadly mistaken. This post focuses on the Victorian period.
The first few years of Victoria's reign saw a deluge of complaints about the throwing of fireworks in the streets and at buildings. The young men of the town were accused of damaging hedgerows by cutting wood for their bonfires as well. The parish constables would not have had many means of defending themselves from a firework sent in their direction so it is perhaps no surprise that they seem relatively absent on the streets on the night in question in these early years. And reports from the 1850's make it clear that policeman could expect to find a firework thrown just as they happened to pass, by men of "whom better things" ought normally to be expected!
In 1842 guests at both the George and Dragon, and the Greyhound Inns found themselves suffering a prolonged barrage of fireworks lobbed at the premises. Understandably, this volley caused panic inside and at The Greyhound a premises fire was suspected. As a result, all those within fled outside as it must have seemed marginally less alarming than becoming trapped in a burning building. It does not seem they managed to catch more than a glimpse of those responsible however. The fire was thankfully a false alarm.
In the 1850's things seem to quieten down but only in comparison to some of the mayhem previously reported. Travellers could still run the risk of a firework being let off on the highway or in the street and landowners guarded their holdings against wood thieves wanting to burn an impressive bonfire.
The sale of fireworks was not controlled in the same way it is now, and they seem relatively affordable. It was not illegal for children to buy them. (A report from a select committee into the control of explosive substances in 1874 revealed that children were involved in the filling of the fireworks in licensed factories, and that a number of children were believed to be involved in unofficial "cottage" industries handling explosive substances). In Marlow they were mainly available at chemists and fancy good stores. In the 1880's Tooveys Fancy Repository was probably the premier place to buy them, and they were available there all year round. Toovey advertised Crystal Palace brand fireworks suitable for "illuminations" and public display in 1883 for example. Crystal Palace in Sydenham was renowned for its colourful displays especially under "Pyrotechnist" CT Brock.) Foottit's were another stockist in the 1870s. Fireworks were a traditional end to the Marlow Regatta, and the wealthier river side householders were said to join in with a little display of their own.
A 1776 guide to making fireworks - the fireworks available then - and they include batteries, sky & water rockets, Chinese flyers, spiral wheels, Chinese fountains, flaming stars, and pinwheels.
Marlow residents remembering in the 1890's the Bonfire night of their youth, recalled "large troupes" of Guys parading the streets of the town. The children carting the figure about were hoping that those they passed would offer "a penny for the Guy", to be split between the party at the end of the night. By the 1890's this scale of Guy making was no longer in evidence, and the "old institution" was mourned by many. The number of reports of firework wielding gangs running amok had been in sharp decline, as were the numbers of bonfires. In 1895, the local paper the South Bucks Standard said the night was now passing with just the "occasional whizz of a squib or pop pop of crackers." The reporter may not have had his finger quite on the pulse on this particular occasion however! For in the High Street, things took a nasty turn. Five Marlow boys were caught throwing fireworks and lighted matches directly at a group of Salvation Army members gathered in the street. The SA had frequently been the target of verbal abuse and even violence in Marlow and the attack was not random. The boys said that as they passed the Crown Hotel on November 5th, a gentleman they did not know had approached them. He had offered the boys money in exchange for their buying fireworks for the specific purpose of throwing them at the Salvation Army! This the boys obligingly did. The Army members escaped unhurt and the boys were caught. At their trial, some members of the public suggested the boys should not have been arrested as it was November the 5th after all and "scores" of boys were about town with fireworks. I am not sure if this defence was attempting to say it was too difficult to be sure of the identity of the particular boys in question, given the number of youths about. Or perhaps they were suggesting gathering on the street had caused the Salvation Army to get in the way of some "innocent" fun. (Throwing or letting off fireworks in a public place was prohibited in 1875.) Either way, the magistrates did not agree and the boys received a fine each. That was John Lovegrove, Arthur Rockell, William Grenville, James Davis, Frederick Harris and Edward Todd.
Written and researched by Kathryn Day.
Sources include:
Jones, R. Artificial Fireworks improved to the modern practice... (J Millan, Whitehall. 1776)
Parliament papers Vol 1, GB House Of Commons, 1859
Select Committee on explosive substances. Report from Committee, Vol 9. 1874.
All The Year Round, November 7 1879, copy from University of Michigan and digitised by Google.