Sometimes when I'm scanning records etc relating to Marlow's past, I pick a random name to research for a post here. We do this in the hope that by doing so we will end up with a list of people quite representative of all the souls that used to live here, rather than only the rich and famous ones. Hence today's subjects are a Victorian couple known as Jacob and Hannah Ransom or Ransome. The pair flitted about Marlow address wise in their first few years, but they are most associated with Sycamore House in West Street. Never heard of it? I'm not surprised. The name isn't in use anymore and we can't be sure now which property it once referred to, but it seems to have been on the same side as the Three Tuns (that is the side occupied by Sainsbury's currently) and probably not too far from the inn. NB There is a property in Mill Rd long known as The Sycamores which is unrelated.
If you read descriptions of Sycamore House in the late Victorian period, when it was used as a sort of private boarding house or small hotel, with private dining and sitting rooms for guests available, it seems a perfect picture of Victorian comfort and respectability. If you walked inside, you would have found the "large club room" used by the ladies and gentlemen of Marlow's Victorian bicycling club to host meetings and "at -homes". Walking towards the back, you might hear a tap tap tap sound. That will be Jacob, engaged in his day job. While Sycamore House is technically the concern of both Jacob and Hannah (assisted by their daughter Annie) Jacob was a life long shoemaker. He does not seem to have given this up when they decided to offer accommodation at Sycamore House. On his death he was remembered as a shoemaker in his obituary, and probably that's what he would have considered himself rather than a boarding house keeper.
Jacob was baptised as Jacob Beak to Mary Beak in Somerset in 1818. He sometimes referred to himself as Jacob Beak Ransom before generally adopting the name Ransom. He may have been illegitimate. He seems to have arrived in Marlow as a young man, having already been trained as a cordwainer. His first wife was local lady Catherine Julia Greenwood, who was also from a shoemaking family. Unfortunately Catherine died before long, leaving Jacob with a son, Richard. He subsequently married Hannah, who was from Turville.
Jacob's life in 1850s Marlow seems not to have have been an unqualified success financially speaking. There was a lot of competition in the shoemaking trade in the town but also a lot of demand. Unfortunately Jacob was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1860. While very unfortunate for him, his doing so is useful for us as it gives a list of previous addresses for Jacob in Marlow. Not yet at Sycamore House, he was at the time of the petition living in the High Street. Prior to that he'd been resident in West Street and had combined boot and shoemaking with beer and bread selling. I haven't yet been able to trace the details of Jacob's beer selling licence, but I don't believe it's something he held for long. At this point over half of the beer shop keepers of Marlow worked as boot-makers or cordwainers as well so it was a classic combination. He may have had an off licence, but these were less common - the fact he was selling bread too may support this although usually they would specify he had been a shop keeper too in the record. Before that he'd worked as a boot and shoe maker at Oxford Terrace (Oxford Rd), Chapel Street and Spittal Street. Frequent changes of address weren't especially uncommon in 1850s Marlow. But they can sometimes indicate financial difficulty, which given the bankruptcy that followed makes sense. People moved on when their landlord run out of patience with their backward rent payments.
Sycamore House was then occupied by the Misses Winters school which was originally for young ladies, but they took in little boys (aged up to 9 or so) from 1865. The boys could be day or boarding pupils. The latter paid £16 an annum including their laundry expenses and dancing lessons both of which were often charged for separately. Other subjects like music were added extras. Day boys were educated for 12s 6d a quarter.
I can imagine that Jacob and Hannah must have taken on Sycamore House after a period of much better income, or perhaps they had some good fortune such as an inheritance. It sounds too big to be something someone who only wanted an average boot and shoemaking premises would need so perhaps they already had in mind the idea of letting rooms. They were there in 1871 if not before, and were offering rooms from at least 1875. (I think they probably did so earlier on a smaller scale.) Their advert in the Maidenhead Advertiser that year says that "Persons paying short visits to this town will find ample accommodation at the above establishment including private dining and sitting rooms". Marlow got it's own station in 1873 and perhaps this was the impetus to open up for guests, or to compete more with others offering accommodation. A predicted influx of tourists was considered both a reason to bring the rail here - and a reason not to! In the same year Jacob advertised that he could make to measure any description of boot or shoe as well as repair them.
The inclusion of the advert in the Maidenhead Advertiser reminds me of another of Jacobs roles - that of Marlow agent for the paper. These agents took in adverts and usually acted as a kind of reporter too.
Unusually for a boarding house, Jacob and Hannah had a club room, more usually associated with inns. As mentioned above it was used by the Cycle Club who set out for runs, in club colours, from outside. (You can read more about them here ) It could be hired by other groups too and in 1889 it's probably the room referred to that offered a bagatelle board, chess and draughts along with light refreshments courtesy of Hannah and Annie. It would have been quite a unique establishment in that it wasn't a pub but offered a socialising space and games. We are told that the Ransoms sometimes cater for large parties of visitors and as they don't seem to have actively advertised much after the 1870s, perhaps they had a good word of mouth reputation.
Hannah died in 1895 aged 73. Sycamore House continued and it looks like eldest daughter Annie was probably in charge. She was then unmarried and in her mid forties but that changed in 1902 when she wed their former lodger and builders ckerk Edgar Mathews. A little before Jacob decided to retire from business. He sold up in order to move in with one of his married daughters in Cambridge Rd. Jacob was in his early 80s and may have already retired from the shoe making side. No mention of cordwainers tools or stock is mentioned amongst the household goods offered for auction before his move but that may be because he'd already disposed of them.
Sycamore House was taken on by A E Sutton the outfitter and clothier who already had a premises nearby in West Street (which was also the sub post office from 1898.) Sutton sold shoes too. He put in a new shop front and seems to have invested in making it look good.
Jacob died in 1904 "highly respected by all that knew him". Annie and Edgar moved to Suffolk and Sycamore House seems to have lost its name.
Written and researched by Kathryn Day.
Further Information:
All mentions of an individual here can be found in the A -Z person person index in the top drop down menu.
No Rational Dress Allowed - the Victorian Cycle Club here
General Marlow history posts: here
Selected sources:
Maidenhead Advertiser 2nd October 1872, 10 March & 23rd June 1875, 16th June 1889 Bayliss Media Archive
Reading Mercury 8th December 1900
South Bucks Standard 29th July 1895, 6 May 1898, 8th Jan & 14th June 1901, 27th June 1902, 19th July 1904. Bucks Chronicle 7th November 1860 - British Library Archive.
England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2NTX-L59 : 31 December 2014), Catherine Julia Ransom, 1845; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
Census transcriptions from the originals by Jane Pullinger and Charlotte Day.
Kellys Directory of Leather Trades 1880, 1881, 1885.
Kelly's Directory of Buckinghamshire, 1880.
Harrod & Co Directory 1876.
England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:263T-N48 : 13 December 2014), Edgar Matthews, 1902; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1902, quarter 2, vol. 1A, p. 134, Paddington, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
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