The Sad(d)lers Arms, former premises as it appears at the time of first writing.
Post updated October 2023
The Saddler's Arms / Sadler's Arms seems to have began when saddler James Allum took on an alcohol licence for the premises at some point circa 1852-53
It was only a little beer house in West Street at first. It had to hold its own between the large tavern the Three Tuns slightly further along West Street and the substantial Crown Inn just around the corner in Market Square. It was nearly opposite two more pubs in the Coach and Horses and the Ship too.
James Allum and his wife Ann were in the premises by 1854. James continued to work as a saddler so it is likely that it was Ann who did much of the bar work during the daytime. She was née Smith.
They also had at least one room to let to visitors.
James was the son of tailor also called James Allum whose premises had been a short distance from the pub his son would go on to run. Ann was also a West Street girl from childhood.
Frank Hudson took over the Saddler's Arms in 1876, following James's death. He was married to an Elizabeth. Frank continued to work as a butcher whilst running the pub. He had a meat stall at Marlow's covered market.
George Coleshill was there in 1883 but in 1884 it was a Frederick Coleshill who as landlord was summoned on a charge of allowing gambling on his premises. He was found not guilty as the court reluctantly accepted he had been unaware of what his patrons were up to. (The gambling consisted of a game of tiddlywinks! Two men were playing it using pennies, with a nail fixed into the table surface as a target. They said they played merely for amusement and the coins were acting as their counters.) It continued under the Coleshill family for 20 years.
William Root was the new publican 1904. Two years later he prosecuted a customer for using bad language at him. He said the customer was not drunk at the time as he had only drank mineral water. Interesting to see that William served this as well as alcohol.
William could get into trouble himself, being charged in 1908 with driving a horse and trap while very drunk and then hitting a constable who tried to stop him in the face with a whip. He was fined £2 with the threat of jail if he didn't pay up.
The pub was forced to close in 1909 during a cutting down of the number of licensed premises allowed in the town. The landlord had been doing little trade anyway and was in financial difficulty. He was paid £30 compensation by the court as licensee for the loss of his business. The police had observed that most of the customers were boys and youths. A sweet shop next door was thought to attract them to the spot. This counted against the pubs chances of license renewal.
Related posts:
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Sadlers Arms complete landlords listing here
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Sources include:
My own census transcription from microfilm except 1901 which was from 1901CensusOnline [defunct].
1833 Parochial assessment, transcribed by me from original handwritten records held by my family.
SWOP photo sharing website for Wycombe District. There are several pictures of the pub on this site.
Great Marlow Parish registers. My old transcription.
Bucks Herald 8th March 1854 [Coleshill gambling case]. South Bucks Standard 13th March 1908 [closure proposed] and 24th July 1908 [Root charged with dangerous driving], Buckingham Advertiser 9th January 1909 [Compensation for closure]. Copies from the British Library collection, accessed November 2020 by me via online the BNA.
Research of Jane Pullinger [Root's swearing customer].