Blounts / Blunts Farm Marlow

Historic occupier list. Occupiers are not necessarily the owner. Dates given are where I find firm evidence of someone being in occupation at the farm, they may have been present earlier or later too. 

Note= the name of the farm may spring from William Blount who was present in Marlow in the early 1400s. Perhaps he or his family owned or rented land that was or would become this farm.

Updated March 2025

1587 Thomas Ponde sold it to Brinkhurst of Lane End, his relative. The later will of Thomas is on the blog here. 

1783 & 1788 William Brookes. Tenant to Nathaniel Micklem of Hurley. 

1815-18 Joseph and William Brooks. Probably brothers.

1833-1850 John Gibbons. Tenant to a Mr Micklem in 1833. Blounts then consisted of 173 acres. John also occupied Copy Farm in 1833. He retired from Blounts in 1850. Also at Widmere Farm. See here. At the time of John's retirement, there is a grand sale of stock. The animals on offer include "7 short legged powerful cart-horses", a 4 year old "well bred brown nag" who is a good roadster and hunter, and two handsome heifers. Also available to buy are 4 market waggons, 3 strong dung carts, a market cart, plough and cart harnesses for 8 horses, and the usual selection of ploughs, ladders, troughs, hurdles, turnip and chaff cutters etc. 

1854- Richard Blackwell, bailiff to the non residential owner who I think was still a Micklem.

1857-60 "Messrs Hewett", that is John and William. In 1857 sheep and corn stolen from them in different incidents. In 1859 their ploughman was charged with horse cruelty. William died aged 68 in 1860 on the farm. 

1860-67 John Hewett above. John died age 67 in 1867. Wife Sarah. Their daughter Sarah later married James Curtis of Wood Barn Farm, Little Marlow. Sarah senior died in 1893.

1869-76 William Thomas Bird. In 1871 summoned his carter John Edwards for allegedly stealing a pint of beer from him [Henley Advertiser 8th April 1871]. William moved to Abbey Farm Little Marlow but went bankrupt 1878. Note that earlier occupiers Joseph and William Brooks were related to the Bird family.

1883- Thomas Elliott? Kept sheep on the farm but was he the farmer?

1886- J and E Micklem owners but not living there. Bailiff Richard Sumner.

1888-89 Farm and the stock on it up for sale.

1889- 1899. Dr Francis Laking. Knighted 1893.  Resident only during the summer. Runs very exclusive West End doctors practice, with royal clients. In 1892 bailiff is John Warren. In that year a temporary worker on the farm George Cellam died from his burns after a fire there. George came from a Mr Mitchell of Burnham with a threshing machine hired to thresh barley at Blounts. He and other workers went drinking in the Royal Oak Bovingdon Green in the evening then returned to the farm to sleep the night up against the barley rick. Some of them had pipes and it was thought later that hot ash from one of those must have ignited the rick. That and the threshing machine were destroyed. George was taken to the Royal Oak and from there in a cart to Marlow Cottage hospital but died. [Some details from South Bucks Standard 26th February 1892]. There was no water sufficiently nearby to douse the rick and without that the Fire Brigade could not assist. In 1894 mains water was ran up to the farm for the first time. 

In 1893 Francis hosted a children's athletics sports event, with "useful" prizes such as cruet sets and teapots which perhaps does not strike us as the most exciting gifts for the youngsters. However each also recieved  a silver coin minted that year. Guy Laking is the starter. Over 200 children enter the races. A sumptuous tea is provided thanks to Mr Carter of Marlow and the Town's Drum & Fife band also attend. 

Dr Laking also raised pigs and heifers and grew oats and wheat on the farm. He purchased Clarefield, Maidenhead Thicket, on leaving Blounts. 

Gardener to Dr Laking  - Alan Axten 1894. (Lived Blounts Cottages.)

1899-1926. Walter Wethered. His farm manager and gardener was James Platt from at least 1903. James was still the farm manager in the late 1930s but I am unsure if this was for Walter or someone else.

1940- Mrs Heath. Lives with a butler, cook and other servants so property perhaps more of a home with land now.

Farm occupancies are compiled by me from advertisements, trade journals, censuses, court cases, property records and more. As I sort my research notes mountain I will probably add more information.

To search for other farm posts like this see the Specific Shops Streets Etc option on the top drop down menu. To look for a particular person use the Person Index.

© Marlow Ancestors. If using this research credit this blog and link here but you are welcome to do so. 

Hooks Farm Occupiers

Historic Occupiers list:

Note: historically part of Marlow Manor holdings.

1607- Katherine Rance. Occupier.Widow. Jorden family were the owners.

1658 - John Jorden, yeoman. Later in this year owned or leased by John Moore the brewer. Later purchased by the Guise and Etheredge families. 

1687- 1717 (at least) Richard Corby "Corbee" rented arable land at Hooks. Occupied the farm house too by 1689 at which time his holdings at Hooks and nearby amounted to 110 acres.

1783 - stock and implements sold after death of gentleman owner William Clayton of Harleyford. 

1833- John Fenner. Farm owned by the Claytons. 192 acres. John died that year age 87. He seems to have actually lived in Bisham, Berkshire. The Reading Mercury 25th November 1833 [British Library Archives] said John had been "a true specimen of the Old English Farmer, plain in his manners, and dress" not to mention always punctual and honest. John was farming in Marlow in 1821 but I can't say for certain he was at Hooks then. There was a younger John Fenner farmer of Marlow who moved to Stoke Poges and became a beer seller and ultimately went bankrupt in 1853. Presumably a relative.

1843- William and John Hewett or Hewitt. Their lease on Platts Farm Marlow expired late 1839 so they may have come straight to Hooks then.  They were later at Hambledon and at Blounts alias Blunts Farm, Marlow. In 1840 John was considered lucky not to have lost a leg after being run over by a load of hay. In the end he had a toe amputated only. 

1850-60 Thomas Frost. Wife Elizabeth. Thomas sold off his stock and left town 1860. In 1850 Henry Finch was jailed for stealing two bushels of barley from him. [Bucks Chronicle 5th January 1850, British Library Archives].

1861- 81 James Fountain. In 1861 turnips stolen from his field and in 1864 twelve fowls were taken. As was traditional on most farms these were in the care of his wife. Note that their daughter married in a Congregational church so the family as a whole may have been Congregationalists.

1900- Executors of Henry William Cripps who had died the previous year sold off farm stock. He was a lawyer by trade so someone else must have ran the farm for him. Survived by wife Julia.

1901-06 Abraham Newton Pratt. Moved into the farm Autumn 1901 having come from a farm at Swallowfield, Berkshire. Wife Emily. She bred turkeys on the farm, 6 of which were stolen in 1905.

1908 - Francis Warne.

1911- James Fountain mentioned as farming here which is puzzling as Francis Warne seems also to have been there then.

1913- F Warne and Sons

1915 Messrs "Warnes and Sons"

1916- Francis Warne who died suddenly that year. He was originally from Cornwall. See here for his grave and that of other family members and more on them.

* For Hooks farm use during World War 1 see here

To read posts about everyday life in old Marlow, see the post listing here

Farm occupants are found by me by studying property records, censuses, adverts, court cases, letters, trade journals, wills and more.

To seek someone on this blog use the Person Index on the menu. Hundreds of people are referenced on this blog.

To seek other farms use the "Specific Shops, Streets Etc" option on the menu.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here. Thanks. 

Marlow's Own Cape Town

The exotically named Cape Town, Great Marlow sprang up by 1856 in a site off Spinfield Lane. The location was first known as Forty Green Place but had the name Cape Town by 1882. In 1895  magistrate George Higginson expressed horror that families could be allowed by the landowner William Clayton to rent the mostly two room, single storey properties which were in a disgraceful state and "unfit for habitation". Other references to the homes there suggest that they were virtually shacks. 

The site stretched over 20 acres and contained at different times between 4 and 8 residences. Though the Marlow Water Works were said to be on the edge of or within Cape Town I find no evidence of anyone living there employed at those works. It's likely that some of the shacks were originally erected for or used by the 40 navvies employed in 1884 to sink the first well and lay piping at the Chalk Pits for the Marlow water company. A variety of occupations are given for Cape Town residents - workers in the brick kiln at Bovingdon Green a short walk away, labourers at Blounts Farm ditto. Hooks Farm would also have been near. Domestic servant Isabella Mitchell censused at Cape Town in 1891 might have been a daily servant at nearby Spinfield House. Her husband had once been the gardener there. Isabella, a widow, was one of Cape Town's longest residents, present 1871 as a charwoman with her children and still there 1901. By then she lived alone. For more on Isabella see her biographical post here.

Most Cape Town households consisted of no more than two people because of each property's tiny sizes but as said above some whole families squeezed themselves in like Isabella's had done.

Also potentially working at Spinfield House were 1871 census gardeners George Roberts and James Swadling.

The local chair making industry was represented by chair seat maker Owen Blewitt. Owen was guilty of a savage attack on his wife Sarah that left her unable to walk for weeks. Her "crime" was failing to stop eating her own supper when he decided she should make him a pancake. Cape Town neighbour Mary Ann Platt came to Sarah's aid and gave evidence against Owen in court. The judge called his behaviour "unmanly". He was sentenced to 6 months hard labour, increasing to 8 months if he could not find sureties for his good conduct. Given that his personal surety level was set at £10 (plus £5 from someone else) he was going to serve the 8 months*. 

His son Owen grew up to live at Cape Town too.

Other Cape Town residents to get in trouble were husband and wife Henry and Sarah Stroud. Sarah stood accused of stealing the key to the neighbouring Stacey family's home, letting herself in with a duplicate key and taking potatoes from a sack in their bedroom, no other storage being possible in a two room home. She received a 21 day jail sentence after pleading poverty. She was suspected of having stolen potatoes in similar circumstances. Henry was jailed for stealing a huge quantity of wood (from over 100 trees!) and tree saplings from William Clayton's nearby woodland. It was his third such conviction.

The last reference I found to Cape Town was 1903 when a William Gates of that address put out ads locally for a job as a groom. I think Cape Town was probably still inhabited 1904 or even later however .

To find all mentions of someone on the blog see the Person Index option on the top drop down menu.

*Update by Kathryn - Unfortunately Owen Blewitt was convicted at least  twice more for assaulting Sarah who said she was constantly in fear of her life. Despite this, the prejudices of the time meant Sarah's application for a separation order (so she could live legally apart from her husband) was refused after the third assault in 1891. And Sarah was given the advice by magistrate Sir George Higginson to try and "do her best" with her husband so they might live peacefully going forward. She said she'd rather live in the workhouse than with him. To be fair to Sir George, he often heavily dressed down domestic abusers in court, attacking their lack of manliness, and more than once pushed for maximum penalties for the accused. Why Sarah was not given a separation order when those with fewer convictions against their abuser were is hard to say. It may be the accusations made by Owen against his wife that she often came home drunk coloured the bench against her - although her son and daughter denied ever seeing their mother drunk. 

Sources:

Census my transcription from microfilm.

Newspaper copies held by the British Library and accessed by me via the BNA October 2020: Bucks Herald 5th May 1885. Bucks Herald 26 May 1883.

Newspapers held at British Library:

Berkshire Chronicle 25th October 1884. 

South Bucks Standard Jan 22nd 1891. 

Property records in my family.

Landlords Royal Oak Bovingdon Green

 

Updated January 2026

Historic landlords listings are compiled from censuses, court cases, advertisements, wills, property records (some uniquely held by us) etc.

The pub building dates from the 1600s apparently. In the 1800s it was often used for coroner's inquests and sometimes for auctions too. A lovely place now but a pretty rough establishment in late Victorian times. You can find out more about Edward Collins and the pub in general in my Bovingdon Green in the 1800s post here

1794- Mr Langton, the brewer leases it. 

1833-54 Edward Collins. Licence upgraded to alehouse from beerseller 1843. This was at first refused by the licensing magistrates as Edward had done nothing to stop two of his arguing customers from taking their disagreement out onto the green and brawling until one of them died. What's more he was alleged to have given the fighters lights to see by during the brawl. After the license upgrade refusal many Marlow and Bovingdon Green people wrote to the magistrates in support of Edward saying he was a man of good character who could be trusted to sell more than beer responsibly and they relented. There were greater standards expected of those who sold more than beer because other drinks were seen as more potent and thus more likely to result in addictive or unsavoury behaviour. Edward died 1854. In his will written in 1848 and proven 1854, he left all he had to his daughter Sophia Collins and niece Elizabeth ?Foley?

1859-63 Joseph Lee. A William Lee, James Lee both mentioned as living on the  premises 1863, presumably family.. James fined for being drunk at Bovingdon Green and "putting himself in a fighting attitude near the public pump" (?!?).

1863-69 James Leach

1869 - up to let for an annual rent of £15. 

1871-80 James Twitchen. Wife Alice nee Croxon. James later became a cattle dealer. James moved from the Prince of Wales pub in Marlow when he came to Bovingdon Green. A different, older James Twitchen was at the Queen's Head Little Marlow.

1881-83 William Robinson

1891-93 Henry Tilbury. Wife Fanny. Henry became a farmer at Fingest. In 1892 came to assistance of a badly burned worker following a fire at nearby Blounts Farm but sadly the man passed away in Marlow Hospital. The man with his fellow workers had been drinking in the pub earlier that evening.

1893-97 Leonard Wheeler. Wife Mary. Became a farmer at Copy Farm Marlow after he left the pub. He came from a farming family at Wargrave.

1897-1902 George James Baigent. (Often referred to as James) Also a building contractor who occupied a field next to the pub in that capacity. Grew peas in a field near the pub. Victorian pub landlords often had their fingers in many business pies! Sold up 1902 and later moved to Haddenham to run a pub (Ye Olde Cider House) and building contactor business but became insolvent 1906. In 1897 James finds a dead body in a meadow adjoining his field of peas. The man thankfully died of natural causes while out gathering firewood. It was 82 year old farm labourer Richard Harris of Oxford Terrace, Marlow. 

1905-11 Charles Chantler. Wife Elizabeth. In 1909 James Chantler the brother of Charles was killed in a fight with Charles in the kitchen of the Royal Oak that began after Elizabeth refused a drunk James any whisky when she was serving at the bar. He then insulted her in her kitchen calling her a "dirty skunk". She fetched her husband saying James must be turned out of their house. James tried to hit her and attack Charles himself and so Charles fought him. James died after hitting his head when Charles pushed him down. A coroner's jury decided James had died due to his own misadventure and Charles did not have to face a manslaughter or murder charge. He and Elizabeth emigrated to Australia in 1913. Afterwards Charles wrote a letter to one of the local papers here describing his long voyage to Fremantle via South Africa on an "assisted passage scheme" He travelled to St Pancras Station, thence to Tilbury Docks where he took a tender out to his ship the Demosthenes. After examination by a doctor, he is free to find his cabin which he finds rather nice. A stop at Plymouth sees many more emigrants arrive on board. He finds the food better quality on board than he expected if very monotonous. He is also pleasantly surprised with how he manages the heat at South Africa, and the fact they are allowed a full day off ship to do some sightseeing at Cape Town. Other pleasant surprises are the good humour the other passengers manage rolling sea conditions near Africa which sees many meals upset and the fact Charles himself does not seem to have been very sea sick. On the negative side he is surprised at how roughly the luggage is handled, with many trunks burst open before they've even left London. He also encounters several fellow passengers not traveling under the assisted scheme who say they did not want to travel on an emigration ship, and that emigrants should be put in their own vessel. Charles says they did not know he himself was an emigrant when stating their prejudices! The ship crew he says treat all third passengers the same (and well ) regardless of their status however. 

1915- Samuel Cluett

1920 - Herbert Church

1939-51 at least Hugh Bartlett. Hugh was an ex police sergeant who spent 4 years serving at Marlow immediately before retiring to run the Royal Oak. Hugh was one of those in the Welcome Home committee for Bovingdon Green that raised funds for returning service personnel men and women as the war came to an end.

Compiled by Charlotte Day and Kathryn Day.

For more pub related content see the Pub Related option on the top drop down menu.

For all posts related to Bovingdon Green, Marlow Common and nearby see the index here

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