If you were a bike-less Edwardian lady resident of Marlow you may have stared at the confident young woman gliding around town on their bicycles with a touch of envy. While attitudes to cycling, and lady cyclists in particular, were not always supportive, it was also recognised by many as a healthy form of exercise. There were no shortage of cycle agents in Marlow and you could buy a model actually built within workshops in the town. Learning to ride the "machine" was a little more difficult for ladies however, especially as they were hampered by skirts. You might hope that a relative could assist you to perfect your technique on some quiet road away from the prying eyes of laughing boys. But what if you had no one to guide you? You might consider finding a tutor to give you a formal lesson or two. Of course these lessons might sometimes be a "hands on" experience until your balance was perfect. So any tutor would have to be unquestionably professional and respectable. Fortunately, there was a upright businessman in Marlow who were offer just such tuition. Step forward the young and - apparently - impeccably respectable Mr Arthur Barnard of Spittal Street's Barnard's Stores. Arthur was a church (or rather chapel) going man and the bandmaster for the local Christian youth group the Boys Life Brigade. Unfortunately Arthur's reputation would eventually come down with something of a crash but more of that later!
King of the road
Arthur was naturally a keen cyclist and as such he belonged to the Marlow Cycle Club, eventually acting as it's president or "Captain" from the late 1890s. This comes across as a sometimes eccentric group who could work a bicycle or tricycle into almost any event if they tried! (You can read about it in more detail here ) But their Bicycle Gymkhanas were big attractions at the time and the members, in club colours were part of all kinds of processions and parades. Arthur's group decorated their cycles with flowers, flags and ribbons for these events. Arthur and wife Harriett (married 1888) had a tandem bicycle, usually the only one in parade, and so were often singled out for particular notice. The pair won several prizes for the best decorated bike and a silver medal in 1899 for the best illuminated bike in a regatta related lantern parade.
During this time Arthur also extensively advertises his "Cycle Stores and Ladies [cycle] Riding School" in Chapel Street. He stated that he had taught a number of fashionable ladies and leading inhabitants to ride their bicycles and so he could be trusted to offer a professional and discreet service. "Personal tuition in every case." He would travel to you if you wished your first wobbly efforts to happen within your private garden. He only offered tuition to children and ladies, which is not unusual as men were often supposed to be able to learn the hard way "on the go". He continued to sell both new and used bicycles into the 20th century.
I can get you anything...
Arthur was born in Essex in the 1860s, but as a teenager he was living with his parents and siblings in High Wycombe. His father was an ironmonger of Totteridge Rd and the young Arthur worked as an errand boy. In the late 1880s Arthur moved to Marlow to set up as a grocer in Chapel Street with wife Harriett.
Mr Barnard comes across as one of the most energetic and enterprising of Marlow's late Victorian and Edwardian businessman. His cycling tuition service was only one of the many strands in his commercial bow. His main business was his Cash Stores in Chapel Street - a high class provision store according to Arthur - and later one in Spittal Street which offered more hardware. But Arthur's motto was that he could supply you with anything and everything at the lowest price compatible with good quality. You have the feeling if someone wanted a kangaroo from Australia he'd probably have found a way to supply it! The "cash" part of the business name, not always used in advertising, reflected the fact Arthur did not offer credit. You could not put your shopping "on account" or "on the books". This means he would not have been a regular shopping stop for the poorer of Marlow residents who relied on credit to get by, at least until they had run out of those willing to offer it. (Some so called cash stores did in fact offer credit to wealthier customers!) It seems Arthur may also have been part of a co-operative group/buying society for a time. He also earned money by performing as a musician and offering tuition in this.
You could purchase a gramophone at all his stores. (I've noted that almost every cycle seller in Marlow had a sideline in gramophones or the like. Timberlake's in the High Street specialised in both for example.)
There were plenty of rival grocers in town but Arthur had his specialities including Wiltshire and home cured hams and "marvellous" tea. But it was the more "under the counter" items that Arthur offered that would most interest the authorities.
Plain clothes sting!
In 1906, Arthur was arrested after a plain clothes police operation at Barnard's stores. His offence? Selling indecent photographs and prints. (Postcards would appear to be included). Arthur plead guilty but given that he had sold them directly to a policeman it's hard to see how he could do otherwise! He admitted buying a few of the cards from a passing traveller, with the intention only of showing them to his friends. He claimed these friends had encouraged him to buy more and weak willed he had agreed to do so. But the police must have had some tip off that such images were generally available to purchase. Much was made at trial of Arthur's position of trust within the boys brigade and also within the PSA (Pleasant Sunday Afternoon, a chapel social club which operated from several Marlow places of worship). He was fined £50 and the images were destroyed. It's difficult for us to read between the lines of carefully worded reports. The images might not have struck us as indecent by our standards but this is not the case with all such Victorian images by any means. They were not all as prudish as we sometimes imagine!
Arthur had traded partially on his unimpeachable good character. He had involved himself in many Christian and charitable endeavours (such as donating food to the Marlow Cottage Hospital and a box of cigarettes to every volunteer returning from the South African wars in 1901). No doubt many would have been astonished that he had found himself in court for anything, let alone his particular offence.
The events must have lost Arthur some business and caused much embarrassment to his family.
Arthur's Chapel Street premises above. The "cash stores". He also had a premises on the other side of Chapel Street at the same time which look to have been the focus of the cycle trade - that building was the Dean Street end.
Above, 1891 Barnard's advert. Courtesy of Michael Eagleton. Tea siftings available at a bargain price of 1s 4d a lb..
On a lighter note..
The instrument that Arthur is usually recorded as playing was the flute. He did so at the Primitive Methodist Chapel for fundraising events and teas. The Primitive Methodists were fortunate to have many skilled musicians amongst their congregation and supporters and so Arthur performed alongside those playing violas, violins, cellos and the chapel's harmonium (often played by Charlie Plumridge).
He was one of those that set up the Marlow Drum and Fife Band (there has been more than one - some comprising members of the Rifle Volunteers or church groups for example). Arthur was Band Leader and quite literally lead them through the streets of Marlow on many town occasions, wearing a smart uniform. On some occasions the band performed in the streets on Christmas Day itself, in friendly rivalry with the Marlow Salvation Army Band, and others. In December 1892 we are told that the members were "blowing their whistles and banging their drums with irrepressible energy". Buying and maintaining the instruments and uniforms had a cost, and it seems the band was frequently short of cash and sometimes members. Reports of their AGMs show Arthur tried to stay optimistic nevertheless. In fact if you saw a Drum and Fife Band performing anywhere locally, there is a high chance Arthur would be there. He had the monopoly of local band leaderships, also acting as the head or instructor of the Medmenham, Frieth and Little Marlow Drum and Fife bands in the 1890s. But still he advertised his willingness to take on yet more roles in this field "distance no object".
Then in 1903 the Boys Life Brigade* was formed in Marlow. A lot of it's activities were focused around life saving in a literal sense - first aid, stretcher bearing exercises etc. But it is probably mostly remembered for having a Trumpet and Fife band under bandmaster ..you guessed it ..Arthur Barnard. The BLB was a uniform wearing non denominational youth group that was intended as an alternative for the Church of England's Church Lads Brigade which was not open to Christian boys who did not attend the parish church and Sunday school. As there was a good number of non conformist and Catholic families in Marlow, the new brigade was instantly popular. Arthur's own son was a member, and he played a drum. The Brigade band marched through the town on one or two Sundays a month and then "fell out" to allow the children to attend their respective Sunday Schools. You might think that a rush of young men to join a religious group would please Victorian parents. Well it did please some, but the Vicar of All Saints was not one of those. Arthur and he engaged in an angry exchange of letters in the local press. Those connected with the Parish Church were upset that some boys from their church had chosen to join the new Brigade rather than their own group. Also when the BLB Sunday parades broke up, some C of E boys were joining their chapel going friends at rival Sunday Schools. The vicar accused Arthur and other adults of failing to prevent them doing so. Arthur protested that while the Vicar had forced some of his own young parishioners to give up belonging to the non denominational BLB band, Arthur himself welcomed all boys as members to their group. He said it was natural that the children would sometimes wish to stay together and join their friends at a different Sunday school to do so. Arthur's group was serious in their non denominational focus. The band performed at a 1909 fete held at Gyldernscroft in aid of the chancel improvement fund of the parish church for example. They held their annual grand concert in the Music Room in St Peters Street.
Arthur's involvement with the Brigade ended around the time of his conviction. He had put a lot of his own money into the group, and this is presumably the origin of the "Barnard Debt Fund" that the Brigade were paying back for several years afterwards.
Harriet died in 1918, and Arthur in 1924. He was only 59 years old. You can see their grave at Marlow here.
*The BLB met in the former Salvation Army drill hall in Oxford Rd from 1907/8. Wednesday afternoons were band practice days. Other activities included running football and cricket teams, athletics meetings, a weekly gymnastics class in winter, a small members library and all round "healthy amusement and recreation". In 1908 there were 50 members, including the band. Club nights were twice a week. They also had a swimming hut near the Complete Angler. A list of known members and officials will follow as requested as soon as time allows! The Brigades band was renamed the Marlow Town Band in 1911 and made available to hire by general public.
To find all mentions of an individual or family here, see the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. It contains over 4,000 individuals and counting.
General Marlow history - here
Other Spittal Street and Chapel Street shops and shopkeepers - here
Sources include:
Marlow Guide 1903 & 1905.
1891 census transcript from microfilm by Jane Pullinger.
South Bucks Standard May & December 1892, August 1894, April 1897, June 1901, March, May & June 1903, November 1909.
Kelly's Directory of Buckinghamshire 1920. (Kelly's Directories 1920)
Reports on the Boys Life Brigade in England, 1907. (Courtesy of Andrew Grahame)
Buckinghamshire Examiner 06 Apr 1906. This copy via the BNA partnership with the British Library Archive.
Marlow Directory and Tourist Guide, South Bucks Standard. 1891.
