Kempster Grave, Marlow

 

Grave of Annie Kempster died November 18th 1916 age 52 "Mother"

And William John Kempster who died January 1940 age 75. 

Notes by Charlotte:

William ran a bakery and confectionary shop in the High Street with an additional branch in West Street. Annie was his wife. Her maiden name was Arnold. Her sister Mary lived with the couple in 1911 as a shop assistant.

This memorial is located within Marlow Cemetery.  Photo by Kathryn in 2021.

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

The Winter Family of Dial House

When Stephen Winter / Winters was given the job of curate of Marlow's parish church he and his widowed mother Selina immediately took Dial House in St Peter's Street, a stone's throw from the church. This was in 1897. With them were Stephen's younger sister Lucy Agnes.

Selina, Lucy and Stephen had been living at the historic Long Crendon Manor prior to the Marlow move. There was another son in the family, Lawrence, who worked as a doctor in Kent.

Selina Winter /s was a lady of independent means thanks to wealth inherited from her dead husband Lewis and her dead father John Amos. She had grown up in Hackney and Shoreditch London where her father was a merchant and agent for those with business and property interests in Jamaica. He has been identified as a significant slave owner based on the fact that he was paid out multiple times after putting in claims for compensation following the abolition of slavery in Jamaica. Researchers into these compensation claims routinely presume (understandably) that those who filed claims were themselves the owners of the relevant slaves but further research frequently shows that this is incorrect and that the person filing the claims was acting as an agent, executor or administrator for the true owner or owners. To date I can find John Amos as an agent and executor for slave owners only. There is therefore no question that he profited from the misery of enslaved people but it remains an open question as to whether he was specifically, personally a slave owner. In his 1855 will which can be obtained from the National Archives, Kew he mentions no foreign property or assets. 

His wife Selina survived him. Their daughter Selina, the future Selina Winters, born in 1834 was their only child and thus came into much wealth and property, especially in London upon her father's death from chronic bronchitis in 1855.

In 1868 Selina aged 34 married Lewis Winter /s , an accountant, at St John's church Hackney. Within a few months of the marriage her mother passed away but the birth the next year of the couple's first child, Lawrence, meant a new beginning for the family. Selina and her household seem to have lived a quiet and comfortable life with a couple of servants in Wanstead Essex until the death of Lewis in 1887. He was just short of his 50th birthday at the time.

Selina made her home in the house "Clements" at Snaresbrook but the news that Stephen had won the Marlow curacy position uprooted the family. Selina set up the new Marlow household with a live in parlour maid and cook plus a live out coachman and gardener. Retaining staff was never easy even before the first world war and Selina appears many times in local newspapers advertising for new servants with a promise of good pay for the successful candidates.

All members of the Winters household were religious people and deeply interested in the provision of both Sunday Schools and other education for children in Marlow. 

Stephen's wife Florence (nee Scott, m 1899 St George's Bloomsbury*) was the superintendent of the Girls National School. This was a voluntary position and did not involve teaching. Stephen, Selina and Lucy all acted as fundraisers, and promotors for the parish Sunday schools. Lucy acted as honorary secretary for the local Sunday Schools association and for the Managers of the various church schools. Praise was heaped upon her for her diligence and ability to persuade others to help the cause. She is a good example of the young women who came of age in the early 1900s and began to carve out  their own place in public affairs. She served in committees where she 

might have been the only female presence at every meeting. Even serving as an secretary for a charitable cause, and giving speeches to committees or writing reports and letters in that capacity for the local newspapers was still an unusual thing for a woman to do at that time, especially one who was not an aristocrat. It is interesting to see that Lucy often styled herself in official letters as the simple and authoritative (because masculine style) "L.A Winters", not the more expected Miss Lucy Winters" or "Miss L.A Winters".

If you attended Holy Trinity School in Wethered Road, or your children do so now, then one of the reasons that is possible was the fundraising efforts of Lucy Winters.

For an example of an active woman Lucy had her own mother who was president of the Provident Nursing Club in Marlow. A post about this club which mentions Selina's involvement is already on the blog here.

Late in 1906 it was announced that Stephen Winters was to take over as vicar of the nearby village of Medmenham early the next year. He and his wife left Marlow after receiving a testimonial from parishioners. Mrs Winters received two silver candlesticks as a farewell gift from the senior girls of the National School.

Selina continued to live at Dial House until her death on February 15th 1913. In her will she left over £27,000 to good causes and her children who acted as her executors. In lieu of flowers for the funeral they asked friends and family to contribute to the funds being raised for the Marlow church schools.

Lucy appears to have remained at Dial House for at least a period of time before moving in with her brother Stephen. In 1918 their older brother Lawrence died of pneumonia that had developed out of flu contracted while he was serving as a doctor in the Royal Army Medical Corps in France.

Stephen became vicar of Wargrave Berkshire in 1914. He held this position for many years.

*The couple had a reception at the Langham Hotel London and a honeymoon in Paris and Switzerland. Stephen's sister Lucy was bridesmaid at the wedding.

Written and researched by Charlotte Day.

All mentions of any individual can be found on the A-Z Person Index.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use my research with credit to this blog.

Sources included:

P.C.C Will of John Amos 1855, National Archives, Kew.

"England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL1R-Q3Z : 22 February 2021), Selina Winter, Wanstead, Essex, England, United Kingdom; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 12, Essex county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.

 "England and Wales Census, 1861," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2M2-V1K5 : 3 March 2021), Selina Amos in household of Selina Amos, Hackney, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom; from "1861 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 9, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.

Henley Standard 23rd Nov 1906, Berkshire Chronicle 16th Aug 1902, Oxfordshire Weekly News 25th September 1901. British Library Archives via the BNA.

Oxford and Cambridge Yearbook 1904.

England and Wales Census, 1911," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7VP-6LR : 22 July 2019), Mrs Selina Winter, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.

London Gazette 25th April 1913.

Universities at War - http://www.universitiesatwar.org.uk/explore/winter-laurence-amos

"England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPLW-QHTR : Wed Dec 13 21:23:23 UTC 2023), Entry for Lewis Miller Wilmot Winter and Selina Winter, 16 Feb 1888.

Marlow Has A Ball - The Georgian Assembly And Victorian Dances

 If you had an ancestor living in Georgian and Regency era Marlow, and they were of a fashionable turn of mind (and reasonably deep pockets)  there's a good chance they took the chance to attend one the Marlow Assembly or one of the town balls. An assembly was an occasion for dancing, listening to music, and general socialising. 

The bigger fashionable towns had their dedicated assembly rooms. Marlow could not at first stretch to one of those, but by the early 1760s, they had an assembly nevertheless. I do not know where the first was held but it was probably in one or both of the joint venues that served as hosts from the 1780s -  the Upper and Lower Crown inns respectively. They were the inns with the greatest capacity so the choice makes sense. I can find around equal references to the assemblies taking place at each inn, and in fact in at least one year they were alternating between the two each month. They were organised by a committee with a master of the ceremonies, a couple of stewards*  and some honorary patrons in the form of various members of local gentry. The latters involvement wasn't probably too taxing but their "sponsorship" of the event made it a guarantee the event would be sufficiently "genteel" and respectable. Those keeping the inns did the donkey work and provided the required refreshments. The other requisite was a band, bought in from out of town and often a military one. 

The assembly was always hosted on the night of a full moon, and this fact was pointed out when the dates were advertised. This was standard - it was a safety precaution for those travelling on unlit and sometimes less than perfect roads late at night, especially in the era of foot pads and highway men. Assemblies had their season - at first they ran monthly from October to April inclusive but later the season contracted to 4 months from November. Starting in the evening they continued late into the night. 

There were door men and an entrance free was charged. In 1792 this was 3 shillings (rising to 3s 6d 2 years later) but subscribers could pay 10s 6d for admittance throughout the season. This fee obviously precluded the less well off from attending. 

In the first years of the 19th century Marlow got a new Town Hall and the upper floor was designed as an assembly room with a gallery for an orchestra. This building was later incorporated into the adjacent original Upper Crown, and eventually became the Crown Hotel with the first Crown becoming shops. Around this time the Upper Crown/Town Hall took on a larger share of the assemblies but the Lower Crown was still used sometimes until at least 1830. A little after this the events seem to get less common no doubt due to changing fashions  but there were still the balls. 

There were three main public balls held in Marlow. The Annual Race Ball celebrated the end of the Marlow horse races and are covered in a post here. The second was the Tradesmans Christmas Ball which was revived to great success in 1844 and continued fitfully throughout the Victorian period, always in the Town Hall. Then there was the annual Christmas Ball, often actually held in the new year and more for the gentry. And there were also sporadic balls in the summer season throughout this and the Victorian period too, first at both the Crowns and then at the Town Hall. These later were aimed so they said at the nobility and gentry and those who were resident at the grander houses in the area do seem to generally attend. In 1827 tickets for an August ball cost 8s and could be purchased at the stationers in town. (10s 6d for ladies and 12s for gentleman in 1828.) It would start at 9pm (other stated start times range from 7pm to as late as 11) and dancing and merriment was continued until the early hours. The following year we are told that the balls have not been very well attended for some years but that this one was "enlivening" and "joyous" with all the first families of the neighborhood in attendance -250 people in all. The ladies were dressed in "a costly and elegant style" no less. At 4.30am the last weary guests trooped into their waiting carriages and headed home. A moonlit night had of course been chosen. 

But there were others. Dancing Master Mr Hart had a dancing school in Marlow in the 1790s (as well as at a bewildering number of other places apparently under his personal supervision) and he also gave private lessons to those who could afford them. What better way to show off your students progress than to organise a ball for them and their guests? Mr Hart did just that at the Upper Crown in 1782 when it's described as an annual affair.  Thirteen years later he had moved to High Wycombe and had just taken his son into partnership. The pair had schools both in Marlow and High Wycombe. Mr Hart junior was apparently a former apprentice of a Signor Sala, dancing master of London. 

It was said that after Sir William Clayton of Harleyford failed to become MP for Great Marlow in both the 1842 and 1847 elections, he gave up supporting many public events in the town including the annual ball for the nobility. His party was always the biggest group attending so this was probably a blow to the events social credibility at least for a while. 

However balls for all kinds of events were still popular in the 1850s and 60s including an annual agricultural ball initiated in 1856.  But as time went on the primary event was the annual Christmas one at the Town Hall, organised by the Upper Crown who managed that venue. As mentioned above it was usually held a little after Christmas in fact. In 1865 the South Bucks Free Press thought that our town hall was "the handsomest ball room in the county". They noted that one "gallant officer" thought that the floor polished to perfection "equalled the deck of his ship." High praise indeed.  In 1870 the carefully waxed and polished floor again raised comment, along with the beautifully decorated refreshment room tables loaded with every delicacy. Ten years later the assembly room was "brilliantly lighted and charmingly decorated with tastefully arranged floral and evergreen arrangements". And "sociability, courtesy and kindly feeling prevailed on all sides." Or so they said. 

In 1887 the County Ball, a once popular annual event, was revived at the Town Hall in Marlow. It was now more fashionable to have lady patronesses to set the tone and there was a clutch of all those from the bigger houses in the neighborhood. Guests arrived at the front of the Hall to find a special decorated canopy had been erected at the entrance. Thought this, the route to the assembly room was carefully decorated.  In the main venue, ivy and greenery was artistically and creatively festooned across the walls and ceilings, supplemented with flags and mottoes. The Slough and Windsor Observer tells us that this event was glittering in more ways than one as it was "the very first public introduction in this  neighborhood of electric lighting, it's dazzling brilliancy agreeably tempered by coloured glass globes." Memorable in more ways than one. 

The First World war put an end to mist of these balls as a regular occurrence although of course venues such as the Crown Hotel, George and Dragon, Court Garden and the Complete Angler saw many dances after that period.

The less well connected who were not invited to the farmers or tradesmans balls might have attended one of the slightly less prestigious but certainly very merry Christmas balls at the Greyhound Inn, or the occasional fund raising one for the Literary Institute.  (The latter had a temporary canvas ballroom in the grounds with a board floor which doesn't sound the easiest sort to dance upon). The Edwardian period saw an annual fundraising ball for the Cottage Hospital, with the first two hours reserved for children to dance. 

Of course the success of the various balls was down to the preparations made by many servants and staff. The up stairs servants of the private houses large enough to host their own balls (Bisham Abbey, Court Garden, Harleyford, Spinfield and Highfields were three popular venues) might have had chance to pause in the corridors and take in a little of the music. Let's hope so as a ball made a late finish for all concerned. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

More information:

Balls at the Greyhound: here

Other posts about general Marlow history: here

Sources include:

Berkshire Chronicle: 27 Jan 1844,15 Jan 1853

Oxford Journal 3 November 1764

Reading Mercury 22 April 1782, 17 November 1787, 13 Oct 1788, 1 Oct 1792, 11 Nov 1799, 16 December 1801

Slough, Eton and Windsor Express 3 Jan 1819, 14 April 1827.  

Windsor and Eton Express 16 Aug 1828, 21 Aug 1841

South Bucks Standard - 21 Jan 1860, 8 Jan 1909, 18 January 1912. 

South Bucks Free Press - 28 Jan 1859, 4 Feb 1860, 20th January 1865. 

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News - 19 Feb 1881 

Slough, Eton and Windsor Observer Jan 29 1887. 

*Known stewards include postmaster James Field and John Allnutt, as well as local gentry. 

© MarlowAncestors

Will William Furnell 1822 *Updated*

 Will of William Furnell of Great Marlow. Written and proved 1822.

Just debts, funeral expenses and probate costs to be paid.

To sister [in law] Dinah Furnell wife of brother Richard Furnell £30.

What is left of her property after all of the above has been paid to the children of her late brother Richard Furnell and the children of her late sister Elizabeth Betsworth equally divided except her silver watch which is to go to her nephew Thomas Furnell and her metal watch which is left to her Jane niece Furnell.

Grave stone to be put up in her memory.

Executor: John Hodges of Bisham Berkshire.

Witnessed by: John Hodges, Robert Sawyer, William Hackshaw.

CODICIL

Also 1822. Asks that money left to the children in the will be put into savings bonds until they 21 with the interest accrued to be added into the capital.

Witnessed by: John Hodges and Samuel Barnes.

SECOND CODICIL

Also 1822.

Sister in law Dinah Furnell added as additional executor.

Witnessed by: William Hackshaw and George Crake.

The very leaning grave of William, who was 37 when he died, as seen at All Saints. It contains the word "omnibus .."

Note: William's brother was proprietor of the Upper Crown - see here

Will is held at the National Archives Kew. Transcribed and then summarised here by Charlotte Day.

©Marlow Ancestors.

Sunnycroft Institute Road

Residents 1909 to 1915 (at least, probably to the 1920s) were Edward and Mary Maxim. She was a breeder of Pomeranian dogs (one of which won second prize at Crufts!) while Edward worked as a gentleman's outfitter. This would have been in one of the shops in that category in the High Street, Market Square or West Street - there are several candidate businesses which could have employed him. In the 1899 Kelly's directory the couple are listed as resident at Glenthorne, Beaumont Rise. Edward was the son of gardener Alfred Maxim, see here

Post written and researched by Charlotte Day and Kathryn Day. Photo by Kathryn.

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

Carson Grave, All Saints, Great Marlow

This 11ft Aberdeen granite obelisk  arrived in the churchyard of All Saints in August 1873, more than a year after the man it commemorates passed away. 

The base of the marble angel bears the words "He is not dead but sleepeth". The family crest and motto is above. 

The inscription reads: 

Sacred to the memory of James Carson of Spinfield, near Marlow in the county of Buckinghamshire and of Albion and Constant Spring [Estates/plantations] in the island of  Jamaica. J.P and D.L for Bucks, High Sheriff for the same county (1868), he departed this life 26th May 1872 and was the second son of Thomas Carson Esq of Belfast, and Agnes, daughter of James Simpson Esq of Cammoney county Antrim. He was a Magistrate and Major in the Militia of Jamaica. He succeeded his uncle James Simpson Esq of Spinfield in 1851."

To read more about Spinfield see here. 

To find other graves/memorials see the index here

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

©Marlow Ancestors.