The graves of faithful Clayton servants - Trent, Bennett, Boyle, Robinson, Gray

 Above two, the substantial grave of Elizabeth Boyle erected by her emoloyer Sir William Robert Clayton. 

In memoriam of Elizabeth Boyle, d. Mar 29th 1844

Age 6? years. 

"Nearly 20 years ....proved herself a faithful and (attached?) housekeeper to Sir William Robert Clayton Bart, who enscribes this stone in memorial to the strict integrity and ....fidelity with which she ..  ably perform the duties of her situation"

Above, A faithful and honest servant, above, Ann Trent, 8 years in the service of General Sir William Robert Clayton, Bart. D. Monday, Feb 1? 1858 age 50 years. Stone erected in token of her "strict integrity." 

ABOVE, Sir William Robert Claytons faithful and honest servant Mrs Sarah Bennett, d June 24 18?? age 56. Stone also erected in honour of her "strict integrity"

Hard to decipher grave of Thomas Robinson, servant to Lieut. General Sir William Robert Clayton during military service.  In honour of a "brave soldier and good servant"

Above, grave of Sarah Gray Died May 17th 18(17?) At Harleyford for (25?) years. Erected by "her attached master"  Sir William Robert Clayton, Bart in honour of her exemplary fidelity and honesty  and excellent character. 

In 1827, the funeral of another Clayton servant was reported across the country. The unnamed servant had spent 45 years in service to the family and the funeral was attended by 14 male servants of Harleyford, with a combined 771 years of age between them (and a total of 461 years of service to the Clayton's between them)

One - J Beavor - aged 92 had spent 77 years there. 

More Information:

To find every mention of an individual or family here use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu.

Grave/memorial image index here

Posts related to Harleyford here

Sources

John Ball 16 Apr 1827 - copy held in the British Library and accessed via the BNA

Lancaster Gazette, 21 Apr 1827, as above.

Bells Weekly Messenger, 16 Apr 1827, as above. 

Windsor and Eton Express  14 April 1827

©Marlow Ancestors. Reproduction welcome with credit.

Meakes and Eddowes Ironmongers

Joseph Meakes started an ironmongers business in Spittal Street circa the late 1860s. He went into business with his son George so the business was called "J Meakes and Son". Previously Joseph had worked as a whitesmith. The Meakes family were very heavily involved in the smithing trade, including his father Thomas who faced bankruptcy in 1830. More on that here. In the past ironmongers manufactured themselves much of what they sold in their shops.

In 1874 Joseph and George advertised for an additional assistant for their shop. The successful applicant had to be able to help with their bell hanging and gas fitting sidelines.

Joseph died at Windsor in 1880, two years after the sudden death of his wife Elizabeth. George carried on the business. His customers included Wethereds Brewery in the High Street for in 1890 his employee William Night or Hight fell off a ladder when descending from the brewery office roof and broke his leg.

George was a busy man- he founded the Meakes and Redknapp Marlow boat building business in the mid 1880s too. Tickets for the occasional river excursions put on by Meakes and Redknapp were sold at the Spittal Street shop. He was also a founder member of the Thames Boat Builders Association.

George's son Joseph George became a marine engineer and boat builder. 

John Eddowes managed the ironmongers for several years in late Victorian times because of George's declining health and the fact he had two businesses to run. 

George died in 1903 at the age of 68 with his funeral being held at Cookham Dean. He had been living at Grove House there for some years.

John Eddowes took over the shop entirely in March 1904 and traded under his own name thereafter. 

John and his wife Lillian came originally from Staffordshire. Soon after taking over John was already winning work from the local council. He supplied them with equipment to water the dusty roads and repaired street lamps for them for instance.

John's adverts pushed the use of gas for heating the home as a cheaper and less bothersome method than a coal or coke fire. Interested customers were invited to view his gas fires in operation. John hired a barn in nearby Crown Lane for extra stock storage.

Before taking over the business the Eddowes lived in Chapel Street. They later lived off premises again, at Kenton House, Victoria Road.

Above, advert from 1907. Ironmongers, engineers, bell hangers, gas fitters, builders merchants etc. They say they have the largest showroom for mantle pieces, tiled stoves, hearths, ranges etc in the district. 

Note: there were a lot of Meakes about in Marlow including multiple Josephs. The Joseph who founded the ironmongery business is not to be confused with the Joseph a blacksmith and publican of Fingest / Lane End for whom see here or Joseph Meakes, blacksmith of Little Marlow. Joseph of Fingest / Lane End was the nephew of Joseph of Little Marlow however.

Joseph the ironmonger's brother Henry Thomas Meakes ran the Cross Keys pub, see here.

For more Spittal Street related posts including other shopkeepers see this index.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

Above 1905 advert for Eddowes. Reused in 1907!

Sources:

Reading Mercury 31st January 1874. British Library Archives via the BNA.

Censuses transcribed from microfilm by Charlotte 

Sergeant Columbine Will Drill You Now

 

If you had strolled up the relative quiet of Little Marlow Road in Marlow in the 1850s, you might have heard the sonorous voice of James Columbine drilling the young boys of Prospect House Academy, extolling them to keep perfect time and co ordination. This was a boarding school for young gentleman offering a mixture of classical and commercial education. It was located in the now demolished Prospect House at the junction of Wycombe and Little Marlow roads, close to where the Plough pub would be. It was not therefore a military school but they boasted a drill master nonetheless, stressing in their advertising that James Columbine was a proper military man. And as a former Colour Sergeant or Pay Sergeant in the Grenadier Guards, that's exactly what James was. It was fashionable for private schools for boys to offer military drill exercises to develop mental and physical discipline..or so they hoped. Borlase at Marlow would also offer one later on. At Prospect House under then proprietor Thomas Mathew, the curriculum was flexible and the boys families could opt their sons in or out of numerous subjects, of which drill was one. Those that did take part paid an extra fee on top of the general school fees. James remained in his role at the school for about a decade accompanying the school when it moved to the considerably more grand and spacious premises of Marlow Place. You can read more about this school in the posts linked to below. 

James and wife Ann (nee Miller, married Windsor 1843) were not living in at the school. They lived in West Street, in Albion House (part of Shelley Cottages) and part of the then subdivided property leased in an earlier time by the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and his family. It was a home normally leased by reasonably well off citizens of Marlow. Next door, and still part of Shelley's original home was however a little beer house known then as the Bonnet o' Blue and later the Royal Standard. Marlow streets were often then more mixed in their character. 

When not putting the lads of the Marlow Academy through their paces, James could be seen drilling the adult men of Marlow who were a member of the 1st Bucks Volunteers. He had joined them as soon as they were established in 1859. He took part in all their encampments - often held along the river opposite Quarry Woods. There was another Columbine to be found frequently mentioned in the records of the Volunteers. James had a son, James William, who was believed to be the youngest member of any of the Volunteers in Bucks, at 16. He was an excellent shot and caused quite a sensation by winning the 1860 Bucks Volunteers shooting competition at that age, naturally beating the numerous more experienced contestants. He was greeted on his return to Marlow by a jubilant crowd who hoisted young James on their shoulders, cup and all and paraded him around the streets to much cheering and throwing up of hats. The cup was "christened" by 2 bottles of sherry provided by Benjamin Atkinson, 3 bottles of port (Ensign Wethered) 2 bottles of champagne (Owen Wethered) and 2 quarts of sherry (Private Habgood). Let's hope James junior was safely off shoulder by the time his entourage had sampled all that!

But neither of these roles was actually the main job of James. He arrived in Marlow around 1852 - he is recorded as a pay sergeant at the St Georges Barracks in Windsor the previous year. (James was not a Marlow born man, he was from Southampton, his wife was born on the Isle Of Wight and son number two Robert was christened in Winchester in 1847.) Almost immediately he began acting as a house agent, that is someone organising the sale and rental of homes and businesses. If you wished to view a house that was to be sold at auction, you could call on James who might show you the property himself. Otherwise he would hand you a "card" which you could present at the advertised house in order to gain admission as a serious potential buyer. Among the houses whose sale or rent he was involved in was other parts of Shelley Cottages, and The Cottage off Oxford Rd (later known as Quoitings). 

 Soon after he was working as the agent for the Marlow portion of the Harleyford Estate of Sir William Clayton. In fact securing this role may be the reason for his move to Marlow in particular. He is also listed in commercial directories as a rent collector (not just on behalf of the Harleyford Estate), a job often running in hand with that of house and land agent. Naturally this sometimes involved James in court cases relating to unpaid rents and proposed evictions. A difficult and sometimes contentious job but obituaries of James stress his "straightforward honesty of purpose" and integrity. If you were unfortunate enough to be behind in your rent, you could have done worse than have James manage your case it seems.  James also collected money for charities supported by the Clayton's such the London based Destitute Children's Dinner Fund.  

James and wife Ann (nee Miller, married 1843) had their only daughter Mary Ann/Marian in Marlow. Son Robert at 14 was living at Danesfield in 1861, working as a gardeners apprentice on the large estate there. (Later he would also join the army, eventually settling in Yorkshire.) The family lived at Albion House for something like 25 years, sometimes with a live in servant. (In 1871 it's 14 year old Elizabeth Collins) The end came suddenly with the sad and unexpected death of James at home in April 1878 age 67. The grief felt locally and his involvement in the Volunteers meant his funeral was a big affair. It was decided after an "earnest request" from the men and officers of the Volunteers that the the funeral should be conducted on a "strict military model". This meant the coffin was born by the Volunteers in parade and it was attended by a vast number of Volunteers members from all over Buckinghamshire. The Bucks Herald paid tribute to the "gallant" James who had won "the good will of all". They described that whatever job James set his mind to, he devoted himself to with energy.  They added that the "fine stalwart" set an example that carried a well deserved influence with all ranks.

 Widow Ann died age 66 in 1884. (In Acton where her son engineer James William lived. Daughter Mary Ann/Marian had married John Frederick Bennett of Surbiton, at Marlow in 1869.)

Researched and written by Kathryn Day. 

Related Posts: 

Other residents/uses of Albion House : here

Life of another Marlow drill instructor for the Bucks Volunteers - here (contains distressing information)

Military related posts: here

Prospect House School: here List of 72 Marlow schools of the past here

Everyday life in Great Marlow at the time the Columbine family lived here: here

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

 

SOURCES INCLUDE:

Kellys Directory of Buckinghamshire 1869. (Kelly's Directory Ltd)

Dutton,Allen & Co Commercial Directory 1863. 

https://books.google.com/books/about/Women_Families_and_the_British_Army_1700.html?id=sdHVDwAAQBAJ

Census 1841,51,61,71 : transcripts from microfilm by Charlotte, and Jane Pullinger. 

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NYY9-LBQ : 19 September 2020), James Columbine in entry for James William Columbine, 1844.

Bucks Advertiser 27 April 1878 and Bucks Herald 25 June 1853, 11 June 1857, 20 April 1878, 06 December 1884. 

Windsor and Eton Express 3 December 1859. 

Reading Mercury 25 March 1854, 20 October 1860

James Columbine, 1843;  "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1843, quarter 4, vol. 6, p. 519, Windsor, Berkshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. 

 James Columbine, 1843; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1843, quarter 2, vol. 3, p. 47, Chelsea, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. 

© MarlowAncestors

Gale Grave, Marlow

 

Grave of Laura Jane Gale, wife of Alfred Edward Gale, April 6 1922. 

Also of Alfred Edward Gale December 2nd 1932. 

This grave is located in Marlow Cemetery. 

© Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this photo for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.

To find all mentions of an individual or family use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. 

 Index to other grave images/transcriptions - here

Will of Edmund Stone 1709

 Will of Edmund Stone, mercer of Great Marlow. Written 1705 with a codicil 1706. Proved 1709.

A very long and complex will with plentiful crossings out.

Commits soul to God.

Asks to be buried at Cookham with his family.

Appoints for the period of 12 years two of his friends as trustees for property that is to go afterwards to his grandson. Edmund Stone Austin. Friends are Jonathan Hammond of Great Marlow and John Lee of Cookham. If Edmund Stone Austin has no sons then property to his brother Valentine Stone Austin. If Valentine has no sons then property to his brother John Austin. If John has no sons then property to testator's daughter Elizabeth Austin and her heirs male.

Property involved is:

9 acres of meadow in Bray Meade and Wickets Meade in Bray Berkshire.

Close nearest ....Pond called Long Leys.

Messuage or tenement with appurtenances and 2 acres arable Braywick, side nearest Long Lane.

6 messages or tenements and appurtenances in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

Messuage or tenement with appurtenances at North Towne with 2 and a half acres lying dispersed in Cookham Field.

My message or farm with all its closes, land, meadow, pasture and woods in Wooburn Buckinghamshire.

All other messuages he may have.

Son Nathaniel Austin owes testator £200 in bonds for which little interest has been paid. In turn testator owes Nathaniel a £500 mortgage on the above property with 2.5 acres in North Towne. This property was bought in the name of the testators daughter because at the time it was a "troublesome" period for Protestant Dissenters. Though in her name the family understood that it was really the testator's property. Nathaniel has various goods at his house which belong to testator. These are to be sold and the money put towards paying off the £500 mortgage. Nathaniel is the preferred chapman to handle the sale. If he wants to buy the goods himself at full value he can. The rent for that property is to be paid to the trustees. They can ask for it to be given over for sale by them at any time.

Out of all the property wife Dorothy gets an annuity of £20 paid in quarterly installments for the 12 years the properties are under the trustees. Rest of income is to be put out in such way as to get interest. Once Dorothy has her annuity, and enough is raised to pay off the £500 mortgage, £100 is to raised from the property so it can be given as a lump sum to Edmund Stone Austin at 21. If he dies before that money descends to Valentine Austin, or if not to John Austin or to the daughters of testator's daughter or to other heirs of daughter Elizabeth herself in that order of precedence. 

Trustees 1 guinea each. They to reimburse themselves the expense of keeping the properties in good repair.

Household goods in my dwelling house to wife Dorothy for life.

All residual property to wife Dorothy who is made executor.

Witnesses John Welles, Mary Welles and Robert Peck.

Codicil 1706:

Jonathon Hammond and John Lee removed as trustees and testator's friend Nathaniel Micklem the elder and his brother in law Richard Gray also of Hurley made trustees instead.

The profits of his property now to go to his wife Dorothy for the first 6 years of the trusteeship.

Grandson Valentine now gets £100 at 21 too. If he dies before that it to go to his brother Edmund or if not to his brother John .

Transcribed and then summarized  from a PCC will held at the National Archives Kew.

All mentions of any individual on this blog can be found on the Person Index. This included over 4,000 people.

Index to other Great and Little Marlow wills here: here

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this transcription summary for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog.

A History Of Spinfield House / Spinfield Lodge

 Spinfield (s) as a name long predates the existence of Spinfield Lodge / House or the modern housing development. Spinfield Farm is used to refer in 1700s to the 2-3 enclosures of land such as Spinfield Mead which had long gone by that name and to the nearby areas such as Poynetts and Oxford Lane Close which were almost always let and farmed in tandem with it, around 30-40 acres in total. This farm did have a farmhouse attached to it, but I can't not say for certain where that was. The English Place Name Society journal of 1925 suggests Spinfield as a place name originated from a 13th century Marlow landowner William de Espineville. 

1804 - first found use of "Spinfield Lodge" as place of residence.  Occupier William? Ongley of Great Marlow, who appears as witness to two legal documents, and a will. (He has not been researched further at this point). This mention therefore predates the construction of the Lodge detailed below. 

1807 - date of construction of Spinfield Lodge based on descriptions of the house for sale when said to be 13 and 22 years old respectively. These descriptions match a description of house built by William Bond, builder of Marlow at this time. Biography of William here. Was the earlier lodge the farmhouse, another building or is the admittedly consistent remembered date of construction a few years out? 

1808 - first advertisment showing it available to lease appeared. Term 3 years. At this point it had entrance hall, 7 bedrooms, drawing, dining and breakfast rooms plus "excellent" kitchen and domestic offices. Coach house and stabling. "Suitable for small genteel family" [Oxford Journal]

1812 - up for lease again. Resident unknown. Now 8 bedrooms. Advertisements stressed the home's modern interior with folding doors between reception rooms that allow the whole to be turned into one large space for balls etc. 

1813/14 - Mr Sawyer resident. Several possible candidate Mr Sawyers within Marlow of right social standing to afford this property. The one at Spinfield was definitely a strong financial supporter of the original Marlow Institution for adult education. More on this endeavour here . This was not the same as the later Literary and Science society. The Mr Sawyer of Spinfield was most likely William Sawyer previously of West Street who died 1814, a friend of Bond the builder. 

1820 : up for sale (leasehold) with 10 acres. Described in the Morning Herald as as substantially arranged so as to admit construction of another level on top if desired. 

1824 -1829 at least. Henry Shepherd Pearson Esq and his wife Caroline. Henry was a man who had spent many years in Bombay civil service in various roles from circa 1793. Also civil servant at settlement on Prince Edward Island, now Penang, Malaysia.  Later a merchant. Son of Admiral Richard Pearson. 

1829 - lease for sale again. This time it was spelled out that the house and the core 10 acre garden are leased from the Dean and Chapter and Bristol, for a peppercorn annual fee. The rest of the 5-6 acres was usually let with the house as paddocks/parkland wass leased from the Vicar and Churchwardens of Marlow, later the General Charities of Marlow, administered by the same. (This 6 acre area is also known as Martin's Close and may be described as part of the "Poor Lands" eg land which was used to generate income to support the poor as result of a charitable bequest either of the land itself or funds to purchase it ). House had been enlarged and newly "fitted up". Had gained a bathroom and water closets above and below, plus servants hall. Stabling had doubled since 1808. "Excellent" cellarage. Outbuildings now included gardener's cottage, carthouse, piggeries, cowhouse and dairy. First mention of the "paved veranda".  

1832 : leasehold up for sale. "Very large sums recently been expended on improving every part of the house and grounds". First mention of the "ornamental lodge" which was gardeners residence, possibly the same gardener's cottage mentioned 2 years previously. (Known as The Lodge, Spinfield) Carriage drive extended. Offered with 15 acres of pasture, and available with or without farming stock and household furniture. Now suitable for "moderate" family!! Lease purchased by James Simpson Esq, merchant of the Constant Spring and Albion Estates, Jamaica. (Sugar and coffee). Wife Mary. 

1833  - Spinfield Lodge and garden was valued at £75 in the Parish Assessment. 

1834 - James Simpson was leasing the 6 acre Martin's Close (see above) plus Spinfield Mead of 7 acres, the latter from the Dean and Chapter of Bristol. A separate 6 acre close known as Spinfield was leased by Mr Muspratt and farmed by Mr Webb. 

1840s - house continued to be leased by the Simpsons who lived there with the daughter of Mary by her first marriage -  Ann Crosbie. Ann was blind and suffers from mental instability (as defined at the time). See below. They also spent much time in London. 

1851 - James Simpson died at Spinfield. He left the property (still leasehold) to his wife during her life, and it was then to be inherited by his nephew James Carson, who had been managing the Jamaica estates for his uncle. 

1851-1858 - the widow Mrs Carson lived at Spinfield. She was an active member of the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge and donated to many charitable causes in Marlow. "Her little kindnesses.. were unbounded". Both she and her husband were buried at All Saints. After her mother's death, poor Ann Crosbie was declared insane under the terms of the Lunacy Act 1853. Her affairs managed by trustees. 

1859 - James Carson took on his inheritance, with wife Sarah nee Marriott. Their first child born at the house arrives prematurely and remains constantly ill. Little Brenda Paulina died age 13 months old while on a visit with family to Brighton. James had previously spent many years in Jamaica, serving as a JP there and as a major in the Jamaican Militia. 

1861 - James Carson is voted to chair at a meeting organised to set up a Committee to promote the abolition of slavery in America. He is said to have always "encouraged" its abolition on estates his business  connections dealt with. His family did not use use enslaved labour on their own properties. The meeting is addressed by two black preachers, one a former slave living in Canada, the other a distinguished orator from the United States. Carson says he will take down the name of any man willing to help "so good a cause as the emancipation of slaves".   More on the history of slavery and abolition in Marlow history in this post

1862 - Spinfield Lodge is undergoing extensive work to enlarge and improve it yet again. It was to be transformed from a villa to a mansion they said, and would will henceforth be one of the principal seats in the region. The work was completed within a year and Carson celebrated with a grand celebration at the house, attended by a military band and all the local gentry. 

1865 - James Carson was in Jamaica and became an unofficial correspondent for several London newspapers when he wrote to describe the "murderous" uprising by native workers on his and neighbouring estates around Kingston. He was back in England by the end of the year but the trouble did not go away. A dispute over pay on his Hopewell Estate in Jamaica turned violent and the estate manager was seriously assaulted. James claimed that his agent regularly visits the property and would deal with any "genuine" grievances. His language often smacked of the dismissive attitude to the capacity of the non white population to manage their own affairs which was commonly expressed at the time. Back home, Carson donated a large amount to the work of the Wesleyan Missionary Society, which met at High Wycombe. He seems to have concerned himself with mainly local affairs overall in the late 1860's, serving a term as the High Sheriff of Bucks and working as a magistrate. 

1872 - James Carson died at his London house. 

1873 : the 11 ft high granite and marble obelisk monument to James Carson was placed in All Saints churchyard where you will still find it today. His eldest son, lawyer Captain James Simpson Carson occupied Spinfield, now often called Spinfield House, until 1883, when he began to prefer to remain in London. But during his decade in Marlow Spinfield was used to host dozens of events from Sunday school treats, to agricultural and horticultural shows and outdoor "promenade concerts" by the Choral Society. 

1884 - Charity commissioners sold the land at Spinfield and nearby, raising a large sum. From then on Spinfield was offered as a freehold property. Some of the money was reserved to pay for the education of poor girls from Marlow parish at teacher training colleges. 

1885 - Simpson Carson family tried to sell Spinfield but it failed to find a buyer at auction. Offered again for sale by private treaty, with 35 acres of land. 18 bed and dressing rooms. The garden is now advertised as containing a fernery, fountain and tennis lawns as well as the standard glasshouses, vineries and orchard. 

1886 - 1908 lawyer Robert Hay Murray purchased the property. He was the son of the daughter of an earl, and her husband, a former bishop of Rochester. Previously he lived in Kent and Surrey.  And of course, Hay Murray began to do renovations on the house as soon as he took possession. Robert usually let out Spinfield Lodge during the river season when he was either in London or abroad. For example he spends 4 months in Italy in 1893 and spends 6 months on the continent the following year. A regular summer tenant wass Hudson E Kearley Liberal M P,  (later Lord Devonport) founder of what became known as the International Stores/International Tea stores. He rented the home year after year. Later Kearley would rent Medmenham manor house, and own Wittington House and States farm near Medmenham. When he was there, Hay Murray continues the tradition of letting the park at Spinfield be used for many events, including agricultural shows and children's treats. He was very interested in the promotion of good practice in farming and horticulture. A role as magistrate also comes his way, a job he had also fulfilled in Surrey. In 1898 Murray opened the grounds of Spinfield to the public on Sunday afternoons during the summer. I believe he did so in other years too. Despite an earlier retracted news story to the contrary, entry was restricted to the those with an invitation card, which had to be applied for in advance. 

1908 - 1914 Mrs Elizabeth Hay Murray remained at Spinfield after her husbands death. Their son Robert Evelyn sadly pre deceased his mother in 1910. 

1914 on Mrs Scott Murray death, the house contents are sold off including her husbands huge library of antiquarian books. Spinfield itself with 34 acres was then offered at auction but we are uncertain that it found an immediate buyer.  The house had now mushroomed to include 17, yes 17,  bedrooms and dressing rooms, two staircases and 6 reception rooms! It had a garage and now not 1 but 3 cottages offered with it. A particular attraction was the provision of mains gas and water plus a telephone connection. If not sold does the widow's son retain ownership? He died in 1917. 

1916 - Spinfield was used as a HQ by officers of the Home Counties Royal Engineers, who are camped at Marlow Common. When their Captain Ticehurst, of Battle, East Sussex married Muriel Kilby at Bisham, the Engineers cook used the Spinfield kitchen to produce a wedding cake shaped like the emblem of the RE. Long term Spinfield head gardener Thomas Blackmore uses flowers from the gardens to produce a large floral bell to decorate the church. (Muriel was the daughter of Complete Angler proprietor Robert Kilby/Kilbey)

1919 - purchased by the future Lord and Lady Terrington, then known as the honourable Horace and Vera Woodhouse. Vera was a pioneering lady MP and the two lead an eventful life, which eventually saw Terrington jailed, and the couple divorced. A post on them will follow. Suffice to say they spent vast sums on Spinfield, which was said to resemble a palace when you walked in. He bought many antique and lavish fittings into the house. 

1927 - contents of the house sold by order of the mortgagee, followed by the house and 53 acres. Building purchased by Charles Stambois who planned to turn the lavish interior into a residential country club for businessmen. Plans were said to be advancing in 1928 but then suddenly it's offered for sale again.  It was purchased by Henry Rupert Hood Barr, a managing director of a steel barrel making company, Scammels. We don't think he necessarily intended to live there originally, but seemingly purchased it as an investment opportunity. I say so because he himself offered it for sale within a year of buying it, with various parts of the grounds divided into plots and offered for building purposes. There were no takers for the actual house, but in 1930 we are told that the owner intends to develop Spinfield Lodge into a mixture of apartments and offices. He also had a plan to build a commercial laundry in the grounds. This would exploit a new German cleaning process apparently. Did any part of this actually happen? Well apparently not as in 1936 the house was sadly due for demolition, and therefore the entire contents are up for grabs, from floorboards, to the doors, staircase and wooden paneling. We have heard rumours that the house suffered a fire at this time, which was used as a reason for the demolition, but we can find no contemporary report of this as yet.  As you can see from the pre demolition sale, the sort of wooden fixtures and fittings you wouldn't expect to survive a severe blaze were intact at that point so if there was a fire, it presumably came after the decision to demolish the property had already been made. Also note that the house sale includes antique stone carved crest and fireplace both dated 1649 but it can't be said they belonged to an older version of Spinfield Lodge with any certainty. Both Hay Murray and Terrington were said to have added antique features to the house. Hay Murray was a keen antiquarian in particular, interested in archaeology and a member of the local society  for that. He even had some ancient Egyptian artefacts at Spinfield. 

1938 - Architect Edgar Ranger is commissioned by the Hood Barrs to build a smaller house to replace Spinfield Lodge of old, but on the same site. Nicholas Pevsner tells us in his book "Buildings of Buckinghamshire" that the Italianate Georgian kitchen of the original house was preserved within the design, which is a unexpected delight as it means a tiny piece of Spinfield Lodge hopefully still exists. The ice house, in an artificial mound, was visible near the entrance to Spinfield Nurseries in the early 1970s (the first nursery was offered for sale in 1978)  while in 1973 the remains of the horse drawn extraction wheel for a deep garden well at Spinfield (literally powered by a donkey) were reported by a journal of industrial architecture. 

1940s - the new Spinfield Lodge most often just called "Spinfields" (plural) was still home to the Hood Barrs. In the second world war it was partially requisitioned for billets for those working at the top secret facility at nearby Danesfield although the owners were allowed to stay put too. Some scandal came about as the brother in law of Hood Barrs was arrested at Spinfield as a spy and Nazi sympathiser and subsequently committed suicide. For more see the post here. The Hood Barr family remained at the Lodge until the mid 1950's. 

Written by Kathryn Day, researched by Kathryn and Charlotte Day. 

Related Posts:

Use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu to find every mention of a person here - there are 4,390 individuals listed there as of April 2022. 

List of gardeners employed at Spinfield: here

Other posts relating to specific houses/locations can be found on the index here: here

SOURCES INCLUDE:

Beamon, Sylvia, Roaf, Susan - Ice Houses of Britain, Routledge 1990.

 

Wills of Arabella Gilbert, Thomas Langley, William Sawyer, and James Simpson transcribed by Charlotte from PCC copies National Archives Kew. 

Goddard, Charles. An Account of The Origin, Principles, Proceedings, And Results of A Institution..1816.    

Census 1841,1871 - transcript from microfilm by Charlotte Day and Jane Pullinger. 

1833 Parish Assessment, original notebooks held by our family. 

1834 - Owners and Occupiers of Land assessment, Great Marlow, original notebooks held by our family. 

Accounts and Papers, Great Britain Houses of Parliament, Vol 49, digitised by Google. 

Journal of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1859. 

Kelly's Directory of the Titled, Landed and Official Classes,1880. (Kelly & Co)

Illustrated London News Vol 49 , digitised by Google. 

Decorative Arts and Modern Interiors yearbook, 1940

Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser, 1 August 1827. 

Reading Mercury 16th September  1772, 5th October 1861. Copy from the British Library and accessed via the BNA. 

Oxford Journal 1808 and 1812. 

Morning Herald 1 May 1820, 18th May 1829, 16 January 1851 

Bucks Gazette, 29th April 1832. 

Bucks Herald 12 February 1859, 4 July 1914, 8 December 1920. Via the BNA as above. 

 

"Fashionable Arrivals", scrap of newssheet! London,1825

Boyles Court and Country Guide,1884. 

Country Life, collected volume for 1919. 

The Motor Owner, 1 December 1927. 

South Bucks Free Press 14 February 1862. 

Buckinghamshire Advertiser and Free Press 2 May 1936

Lahore Civilian and Military Gazette, 10 April 1930

Sporting Gazette 10 November 1885. Digitised by Google. 

Bedfordshire Times, 4  June 1872. 

Dundee Evening Telegraph, 3 June 1908. Copy from British Library Archive as above. 

Reports of Charity Commissioners of Great Marlow,  1884. 

GRO death index. 

Reading Standard, 12 May 1928

Bexhill on Sea Chronicle July 1916 

Gardeners Chronicle and Horticultural Trade Journal, Collected Edition. 1955 (Haymarket Publishing)

Kelly's Directory 1939. (Kelly's Directory Ltd)

Pevsner Nicholas, Wilkinson Elizabeth - Buildings of Buckinghamshire. 1994 Edition. 

Journal of Industrial Archaeology, 1973. 

English Place Name Society journal, Volume 2 1925. 

Walford, Edward County Families of the United Kingdom 1860  

South Bucks Standard - 22 July & 5 August 1898, old Wycombe Libraries. 

© MarlowAncestors. 

Early History Seymour Court Road / Seymour Park Road Marlow

 *contains some distressing content*

Seymour Court Road existed as a trackway leading from the town up to Seymour Court House from at least the late 1700s but it was not until the 1890s that it was made into a proper road. 

It then became the most practical way to reach the villages of Lane End and Stokenchurch, rather than the old way of first going up Munday Dean Lane and then along a tiny lane coming out at the top of Seymour Court Hill near Seymour Court. A tollgate lay near that house, about a mile from town and is discussed more fully here.

The old gradually inclining trackway was the site of the occasional foot race between individuals whilst once the new road was properly laid down its slope was an enjoyable challenge to tackle for Marlow's early cycling club. In 1904 when the Church Lads Brigade was having a fundraiser Mr Wethered of Seymour Court lent out his car for paid rides from the town up Seymour Court Road and back down the hill.  At a time when virtually no one had ridden in one it is no surprise that it was the fundraiser's star attraction. Mr Wethered was one of the prime movers in getting a proper surface put down on Seymour Court Road.

Seymour Park Road was laid down in 1899, far earlier than you'd think. Large building plots 40ft wide and up to 180ft long were auctioned off there that year with the expectation that bungalows and villas would soon be erected there. The auctioneers stressed the elevated position of the new road and the wonderful country views new homeowners would enjoy from there. Of 35 plots offered only 12 were sold however. They fetched between £40 and £50 each. I can find no evidence of further efforts to sell the remaining plots, nor of the sold plots being actually developed which is an unexplained mystery. 

I found one home there in 1930 and that's it before the Council homes were built there a little later. 

I'll keep digging to see if I can find evidence of lost Victorian or Edwardian homes there! One thing to bear in mind is that the earliest name for Seymour Court Road (in the late 1800s) was New Road and this lead to Seymour Court Hill being called New Road Hill. 

Above, Seymour Park, looking towards Seymour Court Road and Berwick Road. 

The Seymour Court Road council houses date mostly from the 1930s with others arriving post war.

In 1939 resident James Perry became the first person in Marlow to be summoned for showing a light during the wartime blackout. He had one shining from number 83 at 10.30 in the evening. As everyone was still getting used to the rules James was not fined, only asked to cover the court costs.

Seymour Court Road was one of the first streets to suffer the loss of a resident in the war. Lance Corporal Alexander Butler of the Royal Tank Regiment aged 22, whose parents Fred and Mrs Butler lived at number 57, caught an illness which proved fatal to him while stationed in Egypt. Like many others he had spent part of his army training at the camp in Bovingdon Green before being sent abroad. He was interred in the cemetery on 10th August 1939 after a service at Holy Trinity church, the nearest C of E place of worship for Seymour Court / Seymour Park Road residents.

Six years later an American Corporal faced a court martial for the murder of Seymour Court Road 17 year old Beatrice Smith AKA Betty.  Poor Betty was at the pub with her sister Vera when the girls got talking to two American soldiers. Drinks were bought and games of darts played together. At the end of the evening Betty, who was heavily pregnant by an individual her family did not know but was not an American soldier, was walked home by 23 year old Corporal Leonard Dale Robertson of Missouri. Some time later a resident of the quite new houses up at Sunnybank just off Seymour Court Road was awoken by groaning sounds as if someone somewhere was unwell. Corporal Robertson knocked on his door and said a woman was ill and could he have a glass of water for her. On inspection however, Betty was dead. It was suspected she had suffocated after being strangled.

A court martial was held by the Americans in the Chapel of Wycombe Abbey. The trial had several bizarre aspects, including the use of truth drugs on the defendant. He insisted that he had never placed hands on her throat but had been blowing air into her mouth because he thought that would be pleasurable to her (!), and that she had freely agreed to engage in intimacies with him. The army medic who gave evidence said Betty had died of an "air embolism". This could not be caused by strangulation but could have been caused by him forcibly blowing air into her. There were no signs of a struggle or violence on her body. 

He was acquitted. Reports as to the case leave many unanswered questions, including whether Corporal Robertson had continued to blow air into Betty's mouth after she showed signs of respiratory distress, or whether she had truly consented to his actions. From what I can gather air embolisms do not kill easily. Charges of negligently causing her death don't even seem to have been considered against him.

The recreation ground was in place off Seymour Court and Seymour Park Roads by 1939. In the Summer of that year swings and a see saw were provided for the children. In the early 1900s the grass area between Berwick Road and Seymour Court Road, which was later used for council houses, was used as an unofficial play area for children who lived in Berwick Road.

As to shopping residents had one shop at the top of Seymour Court Road on the way out of town and others in easy walking distance in Queens Road and Dean Street.

Related Posts=

Early Residents of Berwick Road here

Trouble at the Toll House (the Seymour Court Toll Gate) here

To find other posts about specific streets etc see here

Sources included:

Reading Mercury 30th September 1899 and 21st October 1939. Gloucester Citizen 11th October 1945.

Personal interviews.

Hurley Grave - Richard and Mary Blackman

 

Grave of Richard Blackman, d. Mar 17 1895 age 75 years. Also his wife Fanny Blackman d. Mar 21st 1895 age 70 years. 

"In hope of eternal life". 

In Hurley parish churchyard. 

For other graves, at Hurley and elsewhere here

For other content related to Hurley see the index here

To find every mention of a person or family here, see the A-Z index in the top drop down menu. 

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this image or transcription with credit to this blog.

Sport in 1700s Marlow

 Here's a list of sporting opportunities in 1700s Marlow, just in case you have a time machine being assembled in your shed and wind up there.

*See how many heads you can crack with a big stick. No go on - you might win 3 shillings. Backswords, that is trying to hit as many opponents over the head with a cudgel as possible, is taking place at the Upper Crown in 1787. You may only use the cudgel as a weapon. Your free hand will be tied to your leg and your legs may not move. If at the end of the day you have made the most cracks in heads you get the prize. Oh and by the way blood must run down the face of your opponent to count, no little taps on the skull please.

*Widow Aycott / Eycott will be having a cock fight at the Three Tuns in the 1750s. William Darke at the Lower Crown is another person to offer a "cock match" in that period. William hosts matches during the Marlow Races, taking advantage of the increased crowds in town. These are in theory between the men of Marlow and Berkshire and those of High Wycombe and Buckinghamshire. Presumably Marlow twins with Berks as it allows those from Bisham on the other side of the bridge to join the grisly team.  Doubtless other establishments can also satisfy a similar bloodlust at other times. If that's not enough for you hare coursing takes place around the town, especially at Little Marlow, plus of course the "sports" of fox and stag hunting.

*Head to Almshouse Close (seems to be off Oxford Road where the Almshouses are) in July 1786 to see the first known public cricket match played in Marlow. Two teams put together by unnamed gentlemen will play each other with a "considerable sum" at stake on the result.

*Or Head down to meadows by the riverside to enjoy Marlow's very own annual race meeting. It takes place from at least 1725 onwards on a one mile circular course. I published a long post on the history of these races in 2020. See here

*Don't forget quoits in Quoiting Place off Oxford Road. But don't be tempted to wager on the outcome of a game or you will be arrested.

Related Posts:

Avery your eyes - bathers about! Swimming in the Thames at Marlow here

List of other sports and pastime related posts for Great Marlow and Little Marlow here, plus posts about general Marlow history. 

* Charlotte Day with additional research by Kathryn Day. Will be updated on ongoing basis. 

Some sources:

Reading Mercury 17th July 1786. Copy held by the British Library archives, accessed by me via the BNA March 2021.

Oxford Journal 28th September 1787. As above.

Whitehall Evening Post 16th September 1755 (digitised by Google) 

See also my history of the Crown Inns and Marlow Races posts for more references relevant to those.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog and a link here so that the sources listed above keep credit for heir contributions. Thanks.

The Shergolds- Little Marlow Schoolteachers *Updated August 2023*

 William James Shergold born circa 1856 in Basingstoke Hampshire arrived in Little Marlow to take over as the Head Teacher of the school on the 18th February 1888. With him came his wife Mary Ann born circa 1850 in Sidmouth Devon who was to act as the assistant and their three children Maud, Ethel and infant Frank.

The family had arrived from Ardsley in Yorkshire where Mary Ann and William also ran the village school with great success. They left however in something of a state of embarrassment as William had resigned his job at the National School because he was led to believe a job as head of the more prestigious Board School newly built in Ardsley was basically his for the asking. Actually it wasn't and the board appointed a different man leaving William and through him his wife without a job. Still the locals sympathised with him. Thanks to donations from over 200 people William was presented with an illuminated letter of thanks and best wishes plus a purse of gold coins. You will note Mary Ann who has also taught at the school for 11 years and is also leaving doesn't get a mention. The sexism of the time! The couple beat 4 other candidates to the Little Marlow role. 

Little Marlow's school dated from the early 1860s and catered for boys, girls and infants. The average daily attendance in 1894 was some 110 children out of a maximum capacity of 114.

The Shergolds fitted into the village straight away and their teaching was soon getting rave reviews from inspectors, the local press and their public. Mary Ann helped set up Mothers Meetings in the village. These were conducted in concert with the Mothers' Union, a Christian group devoted to promoting excellence in motherhood and the pooling of ideas, spiritual support and general encouragement between mothers of all social backgrounds. It was founded in 1874 by Mary Sumner and still exists. In the 1890s there were Mothers Meetings in Well End and Flackwell Heath as well as Little Marlow all united in the belief that no one could influence the future of the world for the good more than the mothers of the next generation. 

William meanwhile was conducting the church choir. He and his wife taught their school children to sing. Concerts by the pupils packed out.

The Shergolds may have taken a pay cut to come to Little Marlow thanks to William accidentally rendering them both unemployed. In Ardsley they had kept a live in servant but it took a few years to be able to employ household staff  in Little Marlow. Things were obviously going well for them by 1905 when William advertised in the Maidenhead Advertiser for a live in cook. His family he said had a coach. Why was this information relevant? Because telling an applicant that you had a coachman reassured them that you were a gentleman and that you had plenty of money thus hinting at respectability and the means to pay a competitive wage. Secondly because those living in country villages without train stations suffered a high turnover of staff who found their situation too dull and isolated. Not to mention exhausting if they had to run errands on foot into the nearest town. The Shergolds suggest the cook could at least sometimes be dropped into town by the coach. A gentry family would not behave in this friendly way very often but William and Mary Ann sprang from humble origins. It is extremely unlikely that they could afford a coachman so William Shergold would be the driver himself.

On the 10th anniversary of the Shergolds arrival at Little Marlow, the managers of the school passed a resolution to put on record their absolute approval of the teachers work. Both had worked with "perfect fidelity, sound judgement and remarkable success". The Rev Thompson added that the pair had  shown great loyalty to the school (probably acknowledging they could be better paid elsewhere) and had always met him with earnest spirit of co operation. 

Daughter Ethel trained as a pupil teacher under her parents. Once qualified in 1887 she was offered an assistant teacher's post in Trinity Schools Reading. The South Bucks Standard said that she would go there with Little Marlow's "warm esteem and cordial wishes".

By 1915 daughter Maud was acting as an assistant schoolteacher at Little  Marlow too. On the 1881 census in Ardsley she had been entered as a three year old scholar so William and Mary Ann started them young! 

In 1915 William was still the head but his assistant teacher is a Miss Ellen Frost so Mary Ann had perhaps died and Maud moved on. She married first a Mr Johnson and then in 1924 a William Berrey.

Son Frank became an electrical engineer who lived in Enfield with his wife Gertrude.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

For more Little Marlow related posts see this index or for Little Marlow grave pics see here.

©Marlow Ancestors. 

Some sources:

Kelly's post office Directory of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire 1911 and 1915. Kellys Directories Limited.

"England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9Y1-MXY : 20 May 2019), William Shergold, Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing Marlow subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.

"England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27Y-73JJ : 11 December 2017), Wm Jas Shergold, Ardsley, Yorkshire,Yorkshire West Riding, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 15, Piece/Folio 4600/45, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,775,291.

South Bucks Standard 10th December 1897. Burnley Chronicle 3rd March 1888. Maidenhead Advertiser 14tg June 1905. British Library. Via the BNA.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWHM-BZB

What Were These West Street building used for in the past? Camden Family home etc.

Tall brick building: home of the Camden family for many years. Other members of the family lived in the High Street.

From at least 1833 till his death in 1849,  John White Camden was the occupant. His wife Rebecca [née Reading] was left a widow with several dependent children still at home. She was a lace maker who needed poor relief to survive. She died 1874.

Tall white building: 1833 home of Thomas Bowen Senior, who had retired from running the Red Lion pub on the other side, in favour of his son Thomas Junior. Thomas Senior's 1844 will was transcribed by me on this blog previously here. See also the Bowen graves here

After his death, the premises were a  grocery shop. More on the grocers of these premises in the future.

Little cottage with red door: 1833 home of William Allum- multiple Marlow individuals bore this name at the same time so caution! Then in 1841 the Fry family headed by servant William and his wife Phoebe occupied the cottage. See their graves here.

Written and researched by Charlotte, pic by Kathryn.

RELATED POSTS

History of other specific buildings/shops etc in West Street and other streets: here

Red Lion,West Street historic landlord listing here

All mentions of an individual can be found under the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. You will also find an index there for biographies of individuals and families. 

Image and text ©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use them with credit to this blog.

I (Charlotte)have identified historic occupancy of buildings in some streets in Marlow by cross referencing property surveys, photographs, censuses (though they often do not visit properties in order sadly), wills, court cases and more. It is a big task. There will be more to say about these and other properties. Some have occupancies that can be traced to the 1700s.

Additional references:

GRO civil registration index of deaths, online.

Great Marlow Parish Registers.
  

The Incredible Mr Harding of Great Marlow

 In 1864, an event happened in Great  Marlow that drew a crowd of an estimated 4-5000 thousand souls. The entire town came to a halt, with shops and schools closed. Triumphant arches were erected for this great occasion. Visitors came in from far afield and the bridge was so full traffic could not pass. The man responsible for this excitement, was a certain Mr Harding. 

Richard Harding was born in the High Street Marlow in approximately 1821*. He was a well liked and respectable tradesman, married to Amelia. He was also a man with a big dream and buckets of determination. For Richard decided he was going to build a luxurious 60ft long pleasure barge capable of carrying a couple of hundred people in a style rarely seen on the Thames.  There might be nothing extraordinary in that if Richard had had a boat yard or special equipment or perhaps some experience in building a vessel like this. He in fact had neither, nor did he have any staff to assist him. But he did have a large  garden, at the rear of his High Street home and it's there he set to work in 1862..

Richard was a cabinet maker and upholsterer by trade, as well as a bird preserver (taxidermist) according to some sources. He clearly therefore knew how to handle wood. He had tinkered with making skiffs before more of less as a hobby. He completed several which were regarded as well made. In a riverside town like Marlow, a shoddy boat builder would soon be found out! He went straight from constructing them to making the pleasure barge which was to his own design. Did he consult a professional like Marlow's James Haynes for advice perhaps? We will never know. Mr Harding's marvel would be known as The Star of The Thames. 

Richards experience as an upholsterer would also be useful for the fitting out of the interior. We know the barge had a 22 window saloon capable of holding 100 diners with ease. Overall it could apparently carry at least 200 passengers (300 according to one source). The colour scheme was crimson and gold, and it was said to be finished to a very high standard. There was a upper deck surrounded by iron railings and room on both the front and back for seating. 

The back garden build took two years. In the spring of 1864, Richard must have begun to think of the launch. How he planned originally to get the boat from his garden to the river is not absolutely clear. He could not obviously take it through the front door. The garden was entirely walled in with no significant back entrance so there was no hope of release there either. I only know that Richard's garden wall was demolished and the vessel dragged towards Portland Alley, which ran behind his garden. They could not knock down the alley wall as Richard did not own it, so they decided to lift it over the brickwork. How I have no idea. I am puzzled as to what they planned to do then, as the 13ft wide vessel could not surely fit easily in the alley. That was a mute point as the Star proved harder to move than previously thought and became stuck on top of the wall. This naturally attracted a number of bystanders with suggestions, helpful and otherwise, about how to advance things. Some declared it would likely stay where it was forever, or until the walls gave way. A number of schemes were tried, but in the end everyone went home to sleep on it. I can only imagine what a drinker coming out of the nearby Red Lion must have thought about their level of sobriety when they saw a 60ft barge floating above their heads! Six days after the start of the operation, and several improvised winches later, the barge had moved only 100 yards. But Marlow wasn't going to let Harding fail. Dozens of volunteers came to offer their brute strength if nothing else. Mr Borgnis allowed three of his workers to assist gratis for the week. 

Over the other side of the Alley lay the kitchen garden of Remnantz. And it was here that rescue was found. The Wethered's of Remnantz allowed the Star to be bought down into the garden, and dragged through the property. Whether the gardeners were very pleased about this is unrecorded, but it was noted that the grass was significantly torn up so we can imagine not! The route the team took is puzzling as you would imagine they would leave Remnantz by the Pound Lane entrance, that coming out closest to the Thames. Instead they bought it out of the large West Street gates nearest Borlase, which had to be taken down, along with part of the wall. Reports are unanimous in that. The various eventful points in the boats journey were captured by Richard Blake, whose wife Rebecca is the more well known photographer. The Blake's lived in West Street not far from where the barge emerged from Remnantz so were ideally placed to record that moment. I do not believe any copies of their photographs survive unfortunately. 

All in all the much advertised launch was delayed by a few days, but that allowed word to spread far and wide. The new launch date saw a huge volume of traffic coming into town. It was said some neighbouring towns and villages also declared a holiday for the occasion.  Triumphant arches were made out of wood for the boat to pass through. As there is no record of it getting wedged beneath any, it seems the builders of the arches had taken some careful measurements. Credit here to Thames Bank gardener Robert Hobbs who erected the largest arch assisted by a team of workman. 

It was launched at last from the slipway at the end of St Peter's Street at 3pm. A special peal of bells for the occasion from the adjacent All Saints church was timed perfectly. We are told a platform had been erected a little further away to accommodate more guests, and the boat was taken there. I believe this was at the wharf.  Invited guests naturally got a free tour, and afterwards the curious could pay a shilling to step a board themselves. I do not know if the barge actually took anyone on a trip that day, but it may have had some difficulty moving along the river even if it wanted to, given the water was said to be absolutely crowded with the boats of spectators. The lawn of the Compleat Angler hotel on the Bisham side of the water was full too, including a band bought along for the occasion. Whether anyone could hear them play over the cheers is another thing, not to mention the fact the band of the Bucks Volunteers and at least one more brass band were present! (The Marlow band paraded from outside the Rookery to the riverside.)

The traditional naming ceremony was performed by Mrs  Vansittart of Bisham Abbey, assisted by M.P Mr Brownlow Knox. Knox promised to give Harding a handsome silk flag for the Star in honour of the launch. 

The first proper trip was made by Mrs Wethered, who was perhaps offered first refusal given the assistance she had made to get the barge actually on the water. She took 70 friends and family members on an excursion as far as Culham Court near Henley. This journey also attracted riverside crowds and the waving of flags from the top of Bisham Abbey.  The party dined aboard near Medmenham Abbey.  Mr Harding was congratulated on the excellence of his arrangements, including the fact the boat could be managed easily by a crew of two waterman and the fact the conditions for the accompanying servants were also pleasant and convenient. There were 8 servants on that trip, who we are assured were "liberally" treated to refreshments. 

The boat may have had a luxurious appearance but it was far from only the gentry of the neighborhood who would get to use it. It's highly likely that if your ancestor was a child who lived in Marlow in the 1860s and 70's that they enjoyed a ride in the same.  The cost of hiring the Star of The Thames was obviously lowered sufficiently for the schools and churches of the neighborhood to consider it as a means of transport to their many Sunday treats and outings. The children of the Roman Catholic schools in Marlow took a river trip to Medmenham Abbey in 1865, for example and the National school children and those of the Salem chapel Sunday school  went separately to the same place on the Star in 1867 and 1868. A trip by the Marlow choir with their Hurley and Hambledon equivalents to Windsor in 1866 sounds an especially happy occasion.  Someone bought along the harmonium and choirmaster Mr Ringrose played it most of the way, to the pleasure of other Thames users.  

And the adults of Marlow were not left out. They could pay to use the Star to access a rural fete at Danesfield for example (1864) or the Temperance fete at Harleyford the following year. (Fare 1s 6d return to Bourne End)  Other groups from the Henley Abstinence society to the local lodge of the Oddfellows hired the barge throughout the 1860's and 70s. I have also seen the Star offering short trips from Henley on occasional summer weekends. 

At some point the barge was purchased by Charles Miller Footitt of The Compleat Angler hotel from whom it could be hired in a similar way. It was in already a familiar sight there - in 1872 it was stationed outside the Angler during the regatta, when it was used to house a band. It was still in use at the Angler in the early 1880s when it was being painted and provided with a new canopy. A reporter noting it's presence, commented that the Star had carried thousands of passengers up and down the Thames and he could think of no class of person that did not love her, with the possible exception of lock keepers. It was eventually sold by Footitt. I have last traced the Star to Shiplake in the late 1890s when it was still giving trips. She was a horse drawn barge, no steam for her at least at the time of the launch. Had she been converted at this point? 

Hardings "magnificent pleasure barge"  was in the words of the Reading Mercury, a marvel of perseverance and industry and one that had taken two years of incessant toil. Later, some recalling the launch said the boat was regarded as the eighth wonder of the world in Marlow and wondered a little sneeringly at all the excitement. But what is lovely to read is the pride everyone in Marlow, rich and poor, had in the success of one of their own. Well everyone except the gardeners at Remnantz left to put their garden back together perhaps!

* The building that Richard grew up in (and whose garden was used for the build) no longer exists. It was the former Turks Head/Saracens Head inn, once run by the Harding family but not in licensed use by the 1860s.  It was replaced by a premises that housed Rowe's the jewellers for many years and F Hinds more recently. He moved out of the house as a young married man, to return later. Richard's father William combined beer selling with shoemaking, a very common pairing in Marlow. He arranged for his son to be apprenticed to royal cabinet maker the Mealings, also of the High Street Marlow. After his apprenticeship ended he went into business himself and spent some time in London before returning to Marlow. He died in 1895 at Beaumont Villa, Beaumont Rise, Marlow after a two year long period of ill health. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day with additional research by Charlotte Day. 

RELATED POSTS:

Royal furniture makers the Mealings, under whom Richard served his apprenticeship  - here

Charles Miller Foottit, later owner of The Star here

Everyday life in Richard's Marlow including posts related to the Thames and specific trades here

To read more about Potlands or other streets/places mentioned here, see the places index - here

Two professional Marlow boat builders - Haynes here and Shaw here

Photographer Rebecca Blake here

All mentions of an individual can be found in the A-Z index in the top drop down menu.

Sources:

Census 1861, 1871, 1881, - Jane Pullinger and Charlotte Day's transcript from the microfilm. 

Reading Mercury April 9 & 30, March 19 & June 25 1864

South Bucks Free Press, July 1 1865, May 3 1895

South Bucks Standard April 6 1864, May 3 1895

Oxford Journal 10 August 1872

Maidenhead Advertiser 6 August 1883 & 1 August 1899

Beaumont Rise and High Street property holding research by Charlotte. 

Our Thames by "Sylvania" 1873. 

Slater's Royal and Commercial Directory 1852

Dutton's Directory 1863.  (Dutton &Co 1863) 

Pigots Directory of Bucks 1839. 

© MarlowAncestors