For many years in the Victorian era Richard Smith Senior boot and shoe maker (baptised Marlow 1786) had his premises here. Wife Ann. Their son Richard Junior (baptised 1815 Marlow) was also a boot and shoe maker in the same premises and has the distinction of playing cricket at Harleyford House in 1846 for the entertainment of Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. The prince was a guest of William Clayton at the house during the week of Marlow horse races. For the history of Marlow Races see my blog post here.
Richard Senior died in 1856.
Richard Junior's 1895 obituary in the local press says that he was also a regular Marlow cricketer. Amongst the regular umpires listed was Thomas Bowen. This was Richard's very near neighbour in West Street Thomas Bowen of the Red Lion.
One of Richard's matches was played just down the road in West Street in the meadow then behind Remnantz. He was on a team representing West Street who had challenged a Chapel Street team to a match.
Richard Junior's wife Jane appears on the census as being born in Mountfield Sussex which is quite a way away. I hope one day to discover how she winded up in Marlow. Sadly she died aged only 49 in 1878. She and her husband had suffered the loss of their five year old daughter Harriet in 1861 and only one of the twin daughters born to them in 1867- Gertrude- seems to have survived her earliest infancy.
Photographed November 2020. Post researched and written by Charlotte Day with some additional research by Kathryn Day.
To find historic occupiers of other West Street buildings see "Specific Shops, Streets...Etc" on the menu. All mentions of any individual on this blog can be found on the Person Index. Over 1200 people are listed so far. More individuals with sporting links can be identified by choosing General Marlow History on the menu and then the sub category Sports Related.
Sources:
1841-91 censuses. [I used census information transcribed from microfilm by myself or Jane Pullinger]
South Bucks Standard July 5th 1895 [obituary]. Copy held at the British Library archives and accessed by me March 2021 via the BNA.
Parish registers and GRO death registrations.
© Image and words Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this content for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here.
I have identified historic occupancy of buildings in some Marlow roads by cross referencing wills, photographs, property transactions, property surveys, censuses (which often do not give properties in actual order unfortunately), court cases and more.
It is a major task and a long term project, being uploaded here gradually. Occupancy of some properties can be traced to the 1700s.
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