We have posts due on events such as the Golden and Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Queen Victoria's reign, but this entry is about how the town celebrated (or not) some of the other events in Queen Victoria's life.
If your ancestor lived in Marlow in June 1838, then it is very likely they at least heard celebrations of the Queen's coronation because it appears to have been a very noisy event. Victoria had succeeded to the throne in June 1837 so the residents of Marlow had plenty of time to consider how to mark the occasion. The reports vary widely with rival political groups accusing the other of doing little, which is reflected in the accounts published in local newspapers. The Windsor and Eton Express said that the church bells were rung on Coronation day and that the shops were closed. Others said this was a lie, and only the Tory supporters in town would be content to do so little. The Bucks Gazette said liberal tradespeople took on the task with enthusiasm as did the Clayton family at Harleyford. The Clayton's Conservative political rivals, the Williams of Temple House, who included the Marlow M.P, were accused of not organising anything grand. So the reports have to be filtered with the understanding of the political bias of the reporter. One thing all can agree on is that many fireworks were let off, some guns, and a few cannons. The last were courtesy of Harleyford where the din of artillery was said to have been kept up all day. After 41 discharges of cannon, even the most devoted royalist in the neighbourhood must have been happy a new Queen was not crowned everyday!
Amongst the criticism levelled at MP Thomas Peers Williams and his supporters such as the Wethered family of the Brewery, was that they had not as wealthier citizens put their hand in their pockets to subsidise any celebrations for the poorer classes. It seems they had been expected to pay the bell ringers for their services, but had not offered to do so so the money had to come out of the Church rates fund. It was also hoped a subscription would have been raised to provide some relief to the poor. The Bucks Gazette went further and said those who put on events publicly had "resisted the will of the domineering tyrant in the town." (Williams) This may be a little unfair, as while Williams was a controversial politician who was accused of evicting those of his tenants who did not vote for him, his family did entertain members of the Royal Family at Temple House in latter years and so was not exactly anti royal. It seems the feeling was that big occasions meant those who acted in power in the town should play their part and help those with little money to celebrate. Failure to do so was regarded as "selfish".
Those who did include the less well off were Joseph Tyler of the Clayton Arms in Oxford Lane/Quoiting Place. Joseph entertained more than 100 to dinner - an "elegant repast". And Messrs Wright of Marlow Mills gave a hot beef dinner with ale and punch to 100 or so staff and their family members. This dinner included plum pudding which might seem unseasonal to our eyes but it's a regular feature of many Victorian celebration dinners in Marlow and elsewhere whatever the time of year.
Moving on to 1840, when Queen Victoria was married to Albert. On this occasion the liberal papers again accused the conservative interests of failure to mark the occasion properly. The celebrations were described as "very limited". But Harleyford House bought out their "artillery" again. (41 discharges of cannon). The bells were of course rang and guns fired. The reliably generous and kind Benjamin Atkinson of The Rookery entertained all his staff to a meal along as did a few unnamed tradesmen working on a smaller scale. But the "most influential inhabitants of the town who owe all this wealth and influence to the lower ranks of society did very little."
In 1858, the Queen's eldest daughter, Victoria the Princess Royal was married in turn to Prince Frederick of Prussia. Mr Borgnis and Mr William Ward decided to treat the boys of the Blue Coat school (now Borlase) to something to mark the event. Their choice would probably not get distributed today, given that it consisted of cake - and wine! Those attending the National schools recieved some tasty buns while the pupils of the British Schools were given a full tea, presumably without alcoholic beverages.
The Queen's birthday was usually marked in a small way. Prayers for her continued health were a standard in the local churches. The church bells were rang, and some shops and homes were decorated with bunting. This is more often recorded in the later part of the reign. The local Oddfellows lodge (friendly society) held a church parade (that is a parade to the parish church in full regalia for a special service) on several occasions in the 1880s in honour of Her Majesty's birthday. In 1887, they were lead by the town band and they followed this with a public dinner for 100 people at The Greyhound.
Various members of the Royals visited the big houses in the area such as Temple, Gyldernscroft and Harleyford. Some of these visits were "under the radar" but others very much the opposite. When the prince and princess of Wales passed through Marlow in a steam launch, on their way to visit the Williams at Temple House, they were expected. Their arrival was somewhat inconveniently timed to occur during the Regatta. They were late, but they did indeed arrive in the end and were greeted with a royal salute.
The last event other than the Jubilees to mark was of course the death of the Queen. The first notification of any significant news usually came courtesy of a telegram to the post office which would then be displayed either inside or out for all to see. (Less seriously the match reports of Marlow Football Club when playing away also arrived this way.) A week before the Queen's death, a telegram bought news the Queen was seriously ill. Special prayers were said in the various churches and chapels the following day, in the hope of a recovery. Public events due to take place in the next few days were cancelled as a gesture of respect - dramatic performances in the Music Room and a football match. But on 22 January 1901, the news was recieved by telegram late in the day that the Queen had died at Osbourne House, surrounded by her family. It was immediately ordered that the bells should toll in the church. This sound was said to be what made many Marlow residents realise that the rumour about the Queen's death were true.
Written and researched by Kathryn Day.
Related posts:
Coronation Celebrations 1902 here
Jubilee 1887 Here
Storm disruption during 1897 jubilee Little Marlow here
Royal furniture makers the Mealings here
Other posts about everyday life in old Marlow here
To find every mention of an individual here, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu.
Sources:
Goodrich, Samuel Griswold. Peter Parley's visit to London during the Coronation (Library of Alexandria, 1838)
McCarthy, John - A History Of Our Own Times, 1871.
Wilson, Robert. Life and Times of Queen Victoria (Cassell and Company, 1891)
Bucks Gazette 14 July 1838, 22 February 1840 - British Library Archive, accessed via the BNA.
Reading Mercury 30 January 1858, 31 May 1890, 26 January 1901 - As above
Bucks Herald 13 July 1878, as above.
Windsor and Eton Express 30 June 1838. As above.
Slough Eton and Windsor Observer May 28 1887, Slough Library.
©Marlow Ancestors
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