I am gradually transcribing onto this blog the original handwritten assessment working notebooks used to compile the official assessment. These are held by my family. They were to be used to readjust the local taxes for 1834. Our notebooks contain some information updates written in during the later 1830s and related correspondence. I will add these updates if present for any properties below. I have also included my own research notes into the people mentioned and links to posts dedicated to some of them. Parts of the assessment are uploaded by me as and when they chime with research I am doing for myself or others. Lots are already available in the blog
To see the others available already look here
Transcription by Charlotte Day.
© Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use my transcription for family and local history purposes if you credit this blog.
Format for transcription:
Name
Property occupied
Annual value of property
Additional research notes by me in square brackets.
High Street [East Side]
Rolls and Son [auctioneers]
House, storehouse, cellars, yard, offices and garden
£24 10 shillings
Furniture warehouse
£5
Garden belonging to Baines
10 shillings
*****
Benjamin Baines [a confectioner and foreign fruit dealer. I have a picture of his grave and a dedicated post about him on the blog here]
House, bakehouse, yard, stable and garden
£20
*****
Frederick Wyatt [stagecoach proprietor. Post about him and his family here].
House, stable, barn, yard, garden and orchard
£20
*****
Thomas Evans Brinsden [a surgeon]
House part of barn and 2 gardens
£15
****
William Chamberlain [a hairdresser]
House and garden
£14
*****
Miss Sneath [the Miss added in pencil. This was Katherine Sneath, a much loved Marlovian. Daughter of surgeon William Sneath and Elizabeth née Webb. Her mother's will is here and more about her family property here. Please see the Person Index for all other mentions of Katherine].
House, lawns, yards, storehouses, stables and large gardens
£30
Orchard occupied by Mr Aveling
£4
*****
Richard Aveling [a grocer. Biography here]
House, yard, shed, barn, garden, stable and orchard
£20
*****
Thomas Corby jnr [builder. Thomas lost his right to vote because he did not have a separate entrance to his part of the property. Detailed post about him and his father here]
Part of house and garden [Dad below in other half]
£11
*****
Thomas Corby [builder, see above for link to a post about him]
House, storeroom, lofts, yard and garden
£14
*****
Widow Stevens [this property no longer exists]
House, yard and sheds
£12
*****
Hone [no first name] [Building now demolished. It was empty in 1831 but owned by Hone family].
House, lawn, stables, greenhouse, pleasure garden, large kitchen garden, coach houses, orchard, large store house and other conveniences
£50
*****
Edmund Mealing [he was an upholsterer and cabinet maker. Post about him and his family here ]
House, shop and yard
£9
*****
W. H Mathew [William Henry. Son of the below]
House and yard
£10
*****
Widow Mathews [Ann Mathews. She was running a grocery shop].
House and yard
£14
*****
Edward Griffiths [A tailor. In same premises 1832]
House and yard
£10
*****
Steadman Camden [a shoemaker and clothes seller. Biographical post on him here]
House, shop and lofts
£12
*****
John Way [he was a poulterer]
House, yard, sheds etc
£10
*****
William Bond [he was a builder, carpenter. Full biography here]
House, yard, workshops, counting house and shed
£18
Chaise house etc by Mrs Ralphs [Charlotte Ralfs on other side of High Street]
£1
Part of wharf and workshops at Bankside
£3
*****
Late Palmer [no first name]
House and garden coach houses, shrubbery etc
Hard to read property value.
*****
Sir John Mortlock [This was Alfred House later known as Cromwell House. More on him and this property here]
House, lawn, greenhouse, 2 large gardens, yards, stables, barn, coach houses
£70
*****
Revd Thomas Coxwell [this the old vicarage. Thomas Tracey Coxwell]
House and garden
£26
*****
Ralph Rose [a brewer]
House and garden
£12
*****
Morris and Son [John Morris and son, drapers. Post about this family here].
House, yard, store houses and garden
£20
*****
George Davis [Landlord of this pub since at least 1826]
Chequers house [pub], yard and garden
£14
*****
John Wade
House and garden
£14
*****
Thomas Burrell [ironmonger and blacksmith. He was still in these premises 1851. More about him and his family here].
House, shop, garden and iron house
£10
*****
John Heppard
House and garden
£8
*****
Transcription and research by Charlotte Day.
To be continued...
Others are mentioned in a detailed post about life for the boys at the college here.
*Sir Henry De La Beche, entered the College at Marlow in 1810. Continued his training at Sandhurst. Soon abandoned military life and became instead an eminent geologist and fossil hunter. Went on research trips to examine the geology of England, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Italy and Jamaica. With William Conybeare the first to name a species of plesiosaur. Wrote a pioneering practical manual for geologists. Also a geographer. Awarded medals by the kings of Belgium and Denmark for his work in geology.
*Lt Col John Bonamy. Born no later than 1796. Served in the Peninsula War. He was a member of the 6th Royal Warwickshire regiment.
*Sir Edmund de Gonville Bromhead. Born 1791. Soldier who rose to rank of Major-General. Became a baronet after the death of his brother. Father was a Lt General in the army. Home was Thurlby Hall, Lincs. Had at least 10 children with his wife Judith.
*General Sir George Brown. Scottish.
*Archibald Elijah Chasters.
*Sir John le Couteur, of Jersey. Born 1794. Entered the college at the age of 14. Whilst there he spent a short time in the hospital sharing a room with George FitzClarence the illegitimate son of the then Prince William, later King William 4th. Another of William's illegitimate sons was untrusted to his protection when he took entered the college and the pair became friends. John became a Lieutenant aged 17. Published his memoirs of fighting in Canada during the Anglo-American War of 1812. Made Aide de Campe for Jersey by King William who had never forgotten his kindness to William's illegitimate sons at the Royal Military College. Conducted research on and published works about the science of agriculture. Pioneer of the use of tarmac on roads.
*Sir George Everest. Of Welsh origin. Born 1790. Served the East India Company in a military capacity and in the Bengal Artillery. Surveyor General of India 1830+. Mount Everest is named after him in honour of his previous work in the area. Refused to stop working at his surveying job even when an illness temporarily paralyzed his limbs. Was winched into a seat to supervise work as he couldn't move himself. Had the nickname of Never Rest. Left India in 1847.
*Major General Humphrey Robert Hartley. Born 1794. Was cadet Under Officer at the College. Served in the Peninsula War and also in America, France and Australia. Encouraged the establishment of regimental savings banks for soldiers who wanted to put money aside for their future lives.
*"Captain Hawley". Fought at Waterloo.
*John James Rowe. Possibly served in the Peninsular War.
*Sir Henry Watson. Soldier and M.P.
Today's post is dedicated to two Marlow gentleman who helped our Victorian ancestors get from A to B. Picked at random to feature here, both were actually born elsewhere. They were however most definitely adopted as two of Marlow's own as you shall see. Allow me to introduce you to Mr Joseph James, railway guard, and to Mr Thomas Pearce, postillion and fly proprietor...
First up we will take Thomas Pearce. Born c 1819 at Wargrave, Thomas really comes into our towns history when he was working in the position of postillion at the Crown Hotel in the 1860s. A postillion or postboy acts like a coachman but instead of sitting on the vehicle, he guides the course while riding one of the horses pulling it. The vehicles Thomas were in charge of were ones you could hire privately to leave at a time of your choosing, rather than following a set route and timetable. The Crown was the premier inn in Marlow at this time and the town was already receiving a large number of visitors as tourists from London and elsewhere. It still advertised itself as a "posting house" that is a place where post horses could be hired, although the railways were cutting demand for this kind of travel. Still Marlow did not yet have its own station so there was still a living to be had as a postillion - for now. The Crown employed more than one post boy as obviously each could only take charge of one team at once. I think he'd already left the Crown by the time Marlow station did open in 1873, but he did not choose a wildly different kind of job in his later years because he became a "fly proprietor". A fly was a nippy light vehicle acting as a kind of horse drawn taxi you could hire with a driver. There were quiet a few of these in Marlow, many based at an inn which had the stabling and vehicle storage space to hand. I haven't been able to attach Thomas to one of these premises - at census time he was living in Spittal Street / Square and his yard may or may not have been accessed off there too. I have also noticed that some fly masters had arrangements with one of the inns or hotels who didn't want to maintain their own vehicles, to provide transport for their guests. "Proprietor" tells us that Thomas owned his own vehicle(s) rather than driving them for someone else. He may have acted as a driver too as this seems common, especially in the smaller hiring concerns. He may well have had just one vehicle at his disposal for the reason mentioned below.
In 1892 an interesting appeal appeared in the local papers. It was noted that the popular Thomas had fallen on hard times. His horse had had to be put down and it does not seem that he was immediately able to afford to replace it. His fly was also regarded as needing renovation. Had he suffered an accident that had damaged both horse and vehicle? I'm not sure as his name isn't attached to any accident I can find a report of. Regardless of the cause, a fly proprietor with no horse and a dodgy vehicle was obviously in a dire situation. He was about 73 years old too, so not the easiest time to start over. An appeal was made to raise a subscription to fund the purchase of a new horse, and to renovate the fly. They thought as one of the oldest residents in the town, he deserved a helping hand. I presume the appeal was successful and Thomas was able to continue while he was able.
Joseph James
Joseph James was also born outside of Bucks. He was baptised in Dorset in 1837, although his then wife Hannah was Marlow born. Joseph would have been a well known face to anyone who ever used the train in late Victorian Marlow. He was the guard who bought the first ever train across the branch line from Bourne End to Marlow's new station in June 1873. In the first 10 days of the branch line opening 1,700 tickets were sold so it's fair to say Joseph was kept busy. Huge crowds gathered to watch the first train come in, and depart. The following year, the line recorded its first fatality in the form of the frail and elderly Mrs Lydia Price, who fell off the platform and between the carriages while the train was being shunted backwards at Bourne End. More on Lydia here.
As Joseph was the guard who'd given the "all clear" signal to the driver to move the train, he had to attend the inquest and give evidence. He was cleared of any blame for the accident, as the witnesses agreed that Joseph had checked the sides of the train were free of passengers before giving the signal. It seems the poor lady had left the train and then suddenly remembered a few minutes later that she had left a package in the carriage and had stepped forward and put her foot on the step just as it moved. Joseph got her out from the gap she'd fallen into, and although she was conscious at the time, she sadly was seriously injured and died a few days later "in agony". A special train bought the injured lady back to Marlow.
Most days were obviously not so eventful, although this would not be the only death on the line by any means during Joseph's time. More usual troubles were those failing to buy a ticket or travelling for free beyond the destination they'd paid for. And at regatta time, Joseph's biggest problem was finding room for all those wanting to travel, and keeping an eye out for the inevitable pick pockets. Special trains were put on but even so the number of passengers is sometimes eye-watering.
Joseph continued to act as a guard on the Marlow line for some 25 years. At the time of his retirement in 1897, it was said his conduct was marked by unfailing cordiality. He was then living in Victoria Rd, always a popular spot with railway employees. (His sons Joseph* and Ernest living with him were both employed on the railway too - Joseph as a clerk and Ernest as a porter). Joseph senior had been forced to retire due to serious illness so a subscription was raised in Marlow to help him, in recognition of his good customer service to local travellers. He died in 1899 age 63, leaving a widow and 6 children.
*Joseph junior won a foundation scholarship to Borlase school in 1883. He was one of two boys selected from those from the local national schools who took the entrance exam. He would also spend his life working on the railways, retiring as Bourne End station master in 1933.
Written and researched by Kathryn Day.
Related information:
Crown Hotel timeline and landlord listing here
Historic Marlow coach services here
Stagecoaches and the Wyatt family here.
Station masters who lived at Beaumont Rise here
Turnpike toll gates- here
Descriptions of railway related accidents resulting in victims receiving treatment at the Cottage Hospital here
To find all info about a family or individual here, check the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu.
Posts related to travel, specific industries, and miscellaneous Marlow history etc can be found here
Sources include:
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NR2D-Z76 : 5 February 2023), Joseph James, 1837
Great Marlow census returns, transcribed from the originals by Jane Pullinger and Charlotte Day.
Kelly's Directory Buckinghamshire 1899
Buckinghamshire Advertiser and Aylesbury News - 4th September 1874, British Library Archive.
South Bucks Standard 4th June 1897, as above. And clipping 1892, thanks to Mrs East.
© MarlowAncestors