Sunday, November 28, 2021

Little Marlow and Well End Victorian Shopkeepers

Shops in Victorian Little Marlow and Well End.

I have found these whilst researching other things rather than dedicatedly researching them so there is likely more info to be unearthed on some of them. There was a grocers next to the Queen's Head pub in 1899. Whose premises that was I am uncertain.

Note that the Well End I am concerned with here is the hamlet of Well End near Little Marlow not the street now called Dean Street Marlow formerly known as Well End, Great Marlow.

Dates given next to the names are when I have personally found evidence of the below traders keeping a shop in Little Marlow. They may have been in business earlier or later too.


*UPDATED JULY 2024*

Richard Barber

Greengrocer Little Marlow 1898. Also sold lemonade and ginger beer and was a nurseryman.

William Clifford

William Clifford, born circa 1846. Baker who went bankrupt in 1881. But he was still in business in 1891 and to at least 1911 on The Moor, Little Marlow. Trained in Great Marlow under his maternal uncle William Brooks of the High Street. Whilst working there he was a witness to an accident involving the delivery cart of Little Marlow baker William Goldhawk who appears on the list below. 

Wife Mary was from Chertsey, Surrey. Their 17 year old son Harry also baker at home 1891. 

Charles Frederick Creswell

Baker 1866 to his death in 1888. Summoned 1866 for using unjust scales. Born 1833-35. Though there are many local Creswells / Cresswells his census entries suggest a birth for him in Middlesex or Norfolk. Wife Eliza, née Smith (married 1854).

Samuel Doney

Baker and grocer from at least 1851 to his death in 1863. Wife Ann. Will trustee was William Goldhawk below who was engaged to marry his daughter Ann - see below.

John Franklin

Grocer at Well End 1876.

William Goldhawk

William Goldhawk baker and Post Master at the Little Marlow sub post office from at least 1861 to at least 1869. In 1863 also dealt meal. In 1869 sued Great Marlow baker John Millward for damages when his horse was killed and cart damaged by a delivery cart belonging to Millward running into it at speed in what we now call Station Road, Marlow. Goldhawks' cart was in the care of his young apprentice George Kirby at the time. Millward's cart, driven by his empoyee Mr Fasey, had rounded the corner at speed and without looking. By coincidence the accident happened outside the premises that of Brooks, another baker. And who was one of the witnesses in the case? William Clifford who worked for Brooks, and would later move to Little Marlow and run his own bakery there. See above. The case is interesting as it shows that Little Marlow bakers delivered to not only their own village but Great Marlow town too. 

William was described as a bankrupt baker 1871. Born 1814-21 Staines Middlesex. In Little Marlow as a resident by 1857 but no earlier than 1851. He and his wife Elizabeth moved from Egham where William had had a shop. She died and William remarried 1864 Ann Doney of Little Marlow in London. When Samuel Doney above died in 1863 the beneficiary of his will listed in probate records was William Goldhawk, his future son in law. He was in fact acting as trustee for Samuel's young son (and William's brother in law) Samuel Doney junior.  This was an unfortunate choice as Goldhawk seemingly took advantage of Samuel juniors youth and lack of business experience (he'd just turned of age) and persuaded him to sell him the family property at much below it's actual value. He then took a mortgage out on it, but didn't stop there. Instead he persuaded Samuel Junior to sign multiple deeds and conveyances for the property, using each one to get a different mortgage without revealing there was any existing one on the property. He told Samuel Junior he'd had to destroy the previous paperwork for various reasons. He then went and bought a number of cottages and building plots and flashed the cash so to speak, of which poor Samuel had none and so continued to go to work. This caused some gossip locally. Eventually events caught up with Goldhawk who became insolvent and at a meeting of creditors, some of those with mortgages came forward as well as a man who'd recently been "sold" the Doney property. With his lies revealed, Goldhawk absconded and Samuel Junior found himself in court facing serious charges of fraud. However he could produce many character witnesses, and as it could be proved he'd never personally benefitted in any way from Goldhawk's schemes, he was set free. It doesn't look as though he even recieved the money for selling the house to Goldhawk in the first place. 

 William was a relative of chemist Joseph Goldhawk of Staines. He played cricket for Little Marlow.

Arthur Hester

Shopkeeper 1911. Though on censuses as domestic gardener also. 

John Holmes

Baker 1866. Fined for unjust scales. Just "shopkeeper" 1869.

Henry James Hussey

Son of James Hussey below. Grocer at Little Marlow 1847 until he died in 1880 aged 69. Probably moved from premises West Street Great Marlow. At Little Marlow also sold petroleum and gunpowder. His wife Sarah took over his business assisted by their son Henry Valentine Hussey. Note he apparently had 2 sons called Henry, one of whom was Henry James known usually by his middle name James. The other was Henry Valentine Hussey, occasionally known just as Valentine.

Henry Valentine Hussey

Grocer. Born 1852. Assisting his grocer mother Sarah 1881 and 1891. He was then a baker and a grocer. Also the village Post Master. The sub post office premises were on The Moor, Little Marlow. Note that he apparently had an older half brother also called Henry Hussey, though more often known by his middle name James. Henry Valentine was the village sextant, parish clerk and constable. He gave up the shop and Post Office and sold up all his furniture and household goods in 1910 and emigrated to Canada.

James Hussey

Retired grocer 1851. Born circa 1785. Father of Henry Hussey above who was running his shop for him by 1847. Grandfather of Henry Valentine Hussey.

Sarah Hussey

Grocer 1881 and 1891 with her son Henry Valentine Hussey. Widow of Henry James Hussey above. She also worked in the sub post office her son ran on the premises. They were located on The Moor, Little Marlow. She died in 1897. Born circa 1823, Holyport Berkshire.

John Jarvis

Baker 1837-52. Born circa 1802, Penn. Wife Martha.

Hugh Jones

Grocer, baker and general shopkeeper who became insolvent in 1864. Had also operated a shop in Newbury at one point.

Henry Lane

Baker and butcher of Well End. Insolvent 1828.

James Lawrence 

Shopkeeper 1863.

Joseph Parslow

Grocer. Insolvent 1856.

Thomas Rackshaw

Born circa 1820. General shopkeeper 1873. His shop was adjacent to the Ferns. Had notepaper and biscuits stolen from his shop that year. His main income was as a boot maker while his wife Mary was a dressmaker. They married 1870, she being née Mary Clark.

Emma Rose

Grocer 1847. Mrs.

Joseph Sworder

Grocer and hirer of horses and carts. 1870.


More information:

For more Little Marlow content see the option Nearby Places on the menu  here  or the Graves option in the top drop down menu  for those specifically.

For all mentions of an individual here use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. 


Some Sources:

Census, transcriptions from microfilm by me. Census information remains Crown Copyright. 

Parish Registers, St Martin's In The Fields.

Bucks Herald 17th April 1864 and 10th February 1866. British Library Archives. Via the BNA. South Bucks Standard May 21st 1897. As above.

"England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2D3J-N3H : 13 December 2014), Charles Creswell, 1854; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1854, quarter 4, vol. 3A, p. 609, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. 

The Goldhawk Fraud - pamphlet, anon, 1871. With thanks to Jane Pullinger. 

Kelly's Directory 1884 & 1889

Robson's Directory 1839

Musson & Craven's Commercial Directory 1853. 

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