The pubs location is Spittal Square / Spittal Street previously known as the Common Slough. Now known as The Oarsman. (Sometimes listed as located in Chapel Street, which is a continuation of Spittal Street) This is a replacement for the earlier building that jutted out more into the Street.
These earliest two mentions refer to an earlier incarnation, not on the same site. It is uncertain where this first pub was located.
1757 - Sylvester Law (had moved from the Upper Crown)
1766 - Sylvester Law (Will of Sylvester Law 1766 here )
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Spittal Square site - note this pub was almost certainly originally one of two pubs in Marlow called the White Hart. See our post on that for landlord listings for that pub and the other White Hart which was nearby in Chapel Street. It is available here
1839 - Henry Thomas Meakes. A blacksmith also on the same premises. Previously worked for his father Thomas Meakes as a journeyman blacksmith. Thomas went bankrupt in 1830 despite a loan of over £200 from Henry. This loan was secured on all of Thomas's stock in trade, book debts and furniture, something which caused serious censure at the bankruptcy hearings as it illegally deprived other creditors of a chance to have Thomas's goods seized and sold to settle the debts owed to them. There is no suggestion Henry meant to do anything illegal. In fact the judge in the case called him an an excellent and hard working young man. [Bucks Gazette. 17th January 1830. British Newspaper Archive]. Henry was born 1805. His brother later ran an ironmongers further up Spittal Street. See here
1841- Henry Meakes. Also blacksmith as above.
1844 - Henry Meakes as above.
1846 - Henry Thomas Meakes. Fined 40 shillings for allowing card games on his premises. Also executor that year of the will of stationer William Collins of Flackwell Health.
1847 - H.T Meakes (Mr Ridgely also listed as landlord this year.)
1852 - J Meakes
1853 - Mary Ann Meakes (also listed as a whitesmith)
1854 - Mary Ann Meakes (listed also as blacksmith). Likely widow of Henry Thomas Meakes who was definitely a Mary Ann.
1859 - John Wellicome. Hannah his wife had died in 1844.
1861 - John Wellicome (also plumber and smith, employing 9 men). Though not given on census as such John was also a painter, decorator and glazier!
1863 - John Wellicome. Cautioned to conduct his premises better or his licence will not be renewed..
1864 - John Wellicome (also listed as blacksmith). Died February that year.
1869 - Henry Creswell
1877 - Henry Creswell
1879 Henry Cresswell transfers premises to Robert Lunnon "The Cross Keys Inn"
1881 - Robert Lunnon
1883 - Robert Lunnon
1888 - 1. R.Lunnon 2. Alfred Williams
1891 - Alfred Williams (also a joiner)
1892 - Alfred Williams transfers premises to William Redsdale /Ridsdale
1893 - Thomas Ridsdale (qv) transfers premises to Edwin Richards who passes it on to John Wilson. (NB in 1894 a Mrs Richards, described as formerly keeping the Cross Keys in Marlow, is a coffee shop proprietor in London.)
1894 - John Wilson transfers to H F T Hitchins/ H F Thomas Hitchens
1895 - Thomas Hitchens qv 2. Joseph Dyer/Dwyer
1898 -1 Joseph Dyer. 2 Thomas Pym
1899 - Thomas Pym - he is called up as a member of reserve forces to "go to the Cape" - that is war in South Africa. He is reported injured for the second time in March 1900. (2nd Devon's) Mr Barksfield takes over. Possibly Frederick Barksfield.
1903 - Joseph Barksfield
1920- Joseph Barksfield
1924 - Mrs Annie Barksfield
1939 - Robert William Spencer
Spittal Square, above.
This post is updated as new information emerges.
More Spittal Street related posts indexed here
Use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu, rather than the tag search, to check all other posts for mentions of your ancestors. Many Marlow landlords changed premises and there can be other family members running other establishments. Some places changed how they described themselves - or how they were viewed- and so licensed premises listings here take in not just beer houses, pubs and inns but common lodging houses and hotels too. We mainly focus on pre WW1 listings but sometimes list later names if it ties in with research we are helping with. For other posts about pubs, see the Pub Related index here
Additional research by Charlotte Day.
SOURCES
1833 Parish Assessment. Original handwritten notebooks held in my family. Transcribed by Charlotte Day.
Kelly's Post Office Directory 1859, 1864,1869,1877,1889,1903, 1907
1853 Mussons and Cravens Commercial directory. From the University of Leicester Archive.
Many licence hearings reports including :
Bucks Herald 27 December 1879, copy held at British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA January 2021.
South Bucks Standard September 14 1894, as above.
Robson's Directory 1839,1844.
Census 1861,1871,1881,1891 transcribed from microfilm by Jane Pullinger and Charlotte Day.
©Marlow Ancestors.
