Robert Shaw - King of the River

 It's sometimes hard for us to understand just how famous Marlow was as fishing resort, throughout all of the Victorian period. Many many people came here to enjoy the then abundant angling opportunities, and there is as a result numerous people who immortalised their experiences on the page. Throughout dozens of reminisces, one name is consistently recalled with affection above any other - Victorian "fisherman" Bob or Robert Shaw. 

Robert, later of Robert Shaw and Sons* boatbuilders, was born in 1831 in Watlington, Oxfordshire, to butcher William Humphrey Shaw, and mother Susannah. When Robert was a boy, the family moved to Marlow, first to Dean Street then to the riverside St Peters Street. 

Robert at The Angler

As a young man Robert came to work at the Compleat Angler at Bisham. This was directly opposite St Peters Street and an ideal place to employ a keen swimmer and angler. On the 1851 census, Robert is listed as a live in servant but it's likely he was already assisting with the lucrative side line of the Angler even then - catering to fishing parties. The visiting gentleman needed a guide to show them the best (and legal) places to fish, and also to handle the boat/punt and provide the live bait. A number of well known Marlow families were working as "fisherman" in this sense and while some were independent, others more or less attached themselves to serving the needs of a particular hotel or inn.  The Compleat Angler was premier of these (or The Angler inn as it was more usually known then). Robert would have been the junior of the fisherman at that point, but he must have already stood out for his talent at "reading" the river. Because in 1850, he was appointed the water bailiff for the local Anglers Preservation Society. This was a responsible position and a huge sign of respect to receive it at such a young age. It meant he policed the river to make sure no one was taking fish when and where they shouldn't. He held the position for 34 years.

 Although he later became famous as a boat builder and punt proprietor, Robert still was at pains to correct the 1881 Thames Preservation committee he gave evidence before, when they defined him only as a boat builder. He told them proudly he was also a fishermen. He was there to describe how fishing was protected on the Thames, among a wide ranging enquiry. It was the sort of job that could be difficult but a 1867 fishing guide described how his intelligence, love for the river and zeal had "earned him the respect and consideration of not only members of the club but that of the inhabitants of Marlow and it's vicinity who speak of him with praise." Others spoke of his handsome appearance, loud and cheerful voice, and polite and patient manner.  Another account joked that "Bob" could be summoned at the Angler if you made the sound of a cork coming out of a bottle! 

 A carp weighing 8lbs and caught by Robert, was stuffed and put on display for a number of years at the Angler for guests to marvel out. It was one of a number of trophies gracing the Angler's walls. 

At some point Robert seems to have began hiring out punts directly. It was a small start for what would become a big business very quickly. Robert did extremely well indeed financially. 

If It Floats, Bob's Got It

In 1872, Robert, now married with a number of children, moved from Bisham to a new built house on the other side of the river. (He married Elizabeth Jane White in 1854)  This was Ryepeck House, on the river front near the Bridge. (Later usually rendered as Rye Peck and converted into a private residential hotel in 1895). A ryepeck is the name of the poles that punts are moored against and which are used to mark the end of a punting race. A very appropriate choice. He had started his boat building on this side of the Thames, and a little later he took over the Haynes boat builders premises immediately next to Marlow Bridge. He expanded steadily, and employed a number of workers, many not originally from Marlow.  Not only would he hire you a selection of river craft by the day or hour (with or without a skilled person to pilot it for you) but he could build a pleasure boat or punt to your exact requirements, repair an existing boat, or house it outside of the river season. Are you a gentleman with a boat house at your residence that looks a little shabby? Robert could repair and varnish these too. Soon he could offer steam launches and house boats for hire, from Marlow or his Bourne End base also. And by 1904 you could charge your electric launch at Shaw's charging station. He could not build the larger vessels offered by his nearby rivals Meakes and Redknapp however, and workers from the two seemed to have had something of heated rivalry at times!**

A view towards the former location of Shaw's Boathouse, where Tierney Court is now. 

A series of tragedies

Robert was sadly the person directly responsible for recovering a large number of bodies of the drowned from the river. Some he saw himself, others he found after being approached for help locating a victim with his dredgers. This can't have been a pleasant task, but Robert never refused his help. Tragically, in 1898, Robert's own 23 year old son Reginald and Robert's son in law Hedley Foster* were drowned near Medmenham. A third person with them, Lewis Slade, a Maidenhead auctioneer, managed to swim the 10 yards to the bank. The men were bringing the small sailing yacht of Lewis back to Marlow from Reading. Conditions were described as "squally" but were not considered too difficult for the two experienced sailors Robert and Hedley.  Although reports initially said the boat capsized after it had been suddenly turned round, it seems that in fact it survived this initial accident. Some water was let in, and it appears that as the men attempted to deal with this, they were pitched over board. Reggie Shaw was a strong swimmer but Hedley could not swim at all. Reggie knew this and immediately went to his aid. Unfortunately Hedley panicked and grasped Reggie so strongly that both were dragged under and drowned. Their bodies were not recovered until the next day. 

The George & Dragon above, where the inquest into the death of Reginald Shaw and Hedley Foster was held..

Robert was away at Eastbourne at the time, watching two of his other sons play for Marlow FC. (Edward and Charles) A telegram describing the terrible accident was waiting for them there. Only a week later, another of Robert's sons, Albert recovered the body of a dead man from the river near Marlow bridge. Such events were sadly much more common in the old Marlow. 

The joint funeral at Marlow was a big event. The bridge was so thronged with bystanders that it was impassible to traffic. Reggie Shaw had been a member of the Bucks Rifle Volunteers and so the funeral procession was lead by their band, and nearly 130 officers and men.  Their members carried his coffin, and at the close of the funeral, fired a "salute" over the grave. 

In 1901, William Button of Reading, employed by Shaw as a waterman, drowned almost outside the Marlow boat house. He was bathing with two colleagues, when he suddenly disappeared beneath the water and never resurfaced. Robert recovered his body a little later. How painful the reminder of his sons death these incidents must have been. 

Not all bad news for Robert

Robert was sued for slander twice in 1900/1901, both times by London tobacconist Frank Bateman. Frank was a regular visitor to Marlow for a number of years in his house boat Kismet. He and Robert Shaw fell out over a disputed bill. Robert charged Frank for the repairs made to a skiff belonging to Frank but damaged in Robert's care (or not depending who you believe.) Robert put aside his legendary politeness to say Frank was trying to swindle him and not pay his debts. Frank sued and the first case was settled when Robert apologised and paid the court costs. But Frank said Robert continued to repeat the statements about swindling practices and so the matter went back to court. Robert denied saying anything of the kind. The court believed him and the case was dismissed. 

 

Above, advert dating from 1907. 

I'm pleased to say the last year's of Robert's live were not all doom and gloom. Now a widower, 70 year old Robert remarried 34 year old Christina Gibbons in 1902. Sadly Christina was widowed shortly afterwards but not before the couple had two children. For Robert died of bronchitis in 1908 aged 77. His funeral at All Saints was another that bought the town to a virtual standstill. It truly was the end of an era! 

We have not delved into Robert's many other roles in sporting and cultural matters or the post will be just too long! I will just add that he was an early member of the Bucks Rifle Volunteers and stayed a member until he reached the upper age limit. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Notes

* Hedley Turner P Foster was a London solicitor. He had married Robert's third daughter Frances at Marlow in November 1889 and they had two children. Reggie Shaw was an articled clerk for him. The inquest into the drowning was held at the George and Dragon, the bodies laid at Ryepeck for inspection. Reginald was praised for his bravery at attempting to rescue Hedley. Hedley and Frances were living at Caldwell Lodge in Station Rd at the time of the tragedy.  Reggie was a member of Marlow Football club, the Rowing club and Institute cricket teams at various times.  

The "and sons" of Robert Shaw and Sons were William Thomas, Edward, Sydney Logan and Charles Arthur Shaw in 1912 when they dissolved their partnership. They continued without William Thomas, better known as former proprietor of the Chequers Hotel who had suffered bankruptcy. Eldest son Richard or Dick had died at home in Glade Rd in 1906, after a painful illness. Albert or Bert also worked as a boatbuilder for his father.  The Shaw's boathouse at Marlow was eventually taken over by Meakes and Redknapp boat builders of Bisham. Ryepeck house was sold in approx late 1891 to Mr Percival Harter who was responsible for building Stoneyware at Bisham. 

** Robert and his son Richard were summoned for assaulting George Meakes and William Redknapp in the summer of 1887. General Williams had formerly owned all the land along the towpath from the bridge to Court Garden but he had recently sold most of it to the Shaws including the camp-shedding. When Meakes and Redknapp arrived with a launch outside the Shaws boathouse, Robert refused to allow them to land passengers and some scuffles ensued. He said they had no right to use his land. The court agreed and said any minor violence was excused by the fact the Shaws were maintaining their legal rights! Case dismissed. (Meakes & Redknapp said they had landed and taken up passengers there many times before without seeking permission and did not know Robert Shaw now owned the land. The former is certainly true, although General Williams agent John Tudor said everyone had had to pay tolls to do so and they had apparently not done.)

Related Posts:

William Humphrey Shaw here

Bellows, bricks and brandy - reviving the drowned here

Little lives lost in the Thames here

Picnics and Punts- Summer leisure in late Victorian and Edwardian Marlow here

History of Compleat Angler in 1900's here 

Marlow hero Charles Bonny - the grandson of Robert Shaw who lived with him at Ryepeck.  (Son of his eldest daughter Elizabeth Jane) - here

This post on Hurley Flour Mill mentions another death that occured at Shaw's here

Fellow boatbuilder James Haynes - here and amateur barge builder Richard Harding here

To find all mentions of a family or individual here use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. 

Other posts about general Marlow history can be found here

Sources include:

Ashby-Sterry, Joseph. Tiny Travels (Tinsley Bros. 1875)

Carter, John Henry. Thames Guide 1881. 

Fennel, John Greville The Rail and The Road or Tourist Anglers  Guide to Waters and Quarters  (H Cox 1867)

Highly, Samuel Where to Fish Around London. (D Brogue, 1880)

Taunt, Henry A New Map of The Thames from Oxford to London Taunt, 1872)

Parliamentary Papers, Vol 16 (Great Britain House of Commons, 1881). Digitised by Google 2019. 

Fish, Fishing and the Aquarium,  October 1886. Digitised by Google.

 Fishing, Fish Culture and the Aquarium. May 1886, Harvard University library, digitising by Google. 

Berks County Paper 22 July 1865

Berks Chronicle 20 July 1891. 

Bucks Herald 26 October 1889

Henley and South Oxfordshire Advertiser 15 April 1898

Henley and Oxford Standard 17 May 1901

London Gazette 20 September 1912. 

Maidenhead Advertiser 19 April 1893

Reading Observer 16 April 1898

South Bucks Standard 17 May 1901

Census 1841, 1851, 1861,1871,1881 - transcript from microfilm by Jane Pullinger. 

The Sportsmen 3 December 1908. 

"England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2JBG-QKR : 31 December 2014), Elizabeth Jane Shaw, 1896

 

© MarlowAncestors. 

Bellows, Bricks and Brandy - Reviving the drowned

 People have always bathed in the Thames at Marlow. But many have also lost their lives doing so. The Black Hole, with a reputed depth of 25ft, in the river past Quarry Wood, was an extreme example of a sudden drop in the river bed. But there were other spots where the gently shelving floor fell away, as well as currents, weeds and underwater obstructions.

The task of fetching a body from the river, or looking for a lost swimmer usually fell in practice to someone from one of the boat houses (or the lock keeper) - Shaw's by Marlow Bridge is the one mentioned most frequently. They had a dredger which enabled them to search where human eyes and probes could not. The bodies were usually taken to a nearby inn which would also hold the resulting inquest. The Compleat Angler, and Two Brewers saw a large number of such events. As time passed, the bodies were usually held elsewhere but the inquests were still often in the nearest pub to the place of recovery. (From 1907 the coroner's were requested not to use a public house for an inquest unless absolutely nowhere else suitable could be found.)

Mr Shaw had to use his dredger in 1901 to find the body of one of his own employees, 21 year old William Button of Reading.  William was employed as a waterman. He was bathing after work with two colleagues, from a raft under Marlow Bridge. He suddenly disappeared, presumably after suffering from cramp. A "very good" swimmer, he could not be found by his companions and the dredger was called for. 

Some of the dead were among Marlow's very many visitors who came to enjoy riverside camping or some gentle punting or fishing. Perhaps the saddest case was that in 1906 of Chiswick/Kew Schoolmaster John S Gilbert, and his two adult sons (Frederick 20, an electrical engineer, and Frank 22, a clerk in the Stock Exchange). They had come to the  Marlow area for a short holiday and spent the night camping on the riverbank near Medmenham Abbey. (One source says they were on a small island there.) Frank, a strong swimmer, decided to have a bathe while the others prepared breakfast. But he became tired fighting the current and sank. His dad leapt into the water to save him, but did not resurface. The second son then followed his father into the water - and also failed to come back up. Two  friends of the family who had joined them on the trip witnessed the scene, and one (G A Ackerman) entered the water to assist and briefly managed to get the fathers head above water but ultimately needed rescuing himself. The other, Harry Kentfield, on the riverbank could not swim and  shouted for help. It came too late however. A quantity of weeds in the water tangling limbs was regarded as a possible explanation for such a tragedy. The farm bailiff from Medmenham who recovered the bodies (Robert Keene) however said he could see no significant weeds and thought the men had panicked "and lost their heads". 

Stories of those entering the water and not regaining the surface alive are common. In many cases the reason why could only be guessed at. Some sort of heart attack was a possible cause of death for East Dulwich accountant George Frewin Pinnock who came to Marlow to do some business for grocer A E Howard. George was staying at the Compleat Angler and decided to enjoy a quick swim in the back waters there. He took a dip and almost immediately came up face down in the water. Sadly his wife had died of heart disease just a few weeks before. (1902)

The area to the front of "The Anglers" next to the old Marlow bridge also caught many victims. Another Compleat Angler guest that died there was minor poet and Pigots Directory representative William Rowlinson in 1829. William was from Manchester and was in the area gathering information in order to compile the next Pigots Directory, a listing of businesses etc. He was staying at the Compleat Angler and went swimming with one of the proprietor William Creswell's young sons. It seems Rowlinson got cramp because despite being a strong swimmer, he sank and Creswell could not find him in time. The dead man may not have lived in Marlow but the expression of grief at his accident suggests he had made a strong impression and many friends during his visit (s) here. The Quakers of Wycombe began to raise a subscription for his young widow (he was 24) and his small son and daughter. They also intended to pay for a stone to be erected over his grave at Bisham church. Forty years later it was said the grave was not marked. Perhaps not enough was raised or the money may have been used for a memorial closer to his home. (See note 1 below for more on Rowlinson)

Given the toll of victims, it's not surprising the Royal Life Saving Society visited Marlow Lock in 1910 to give demonstrations about how to save a person from drowning.

Once ashore the methods used to revive someone recovered from the water usually involved rubbing the person over to stimulate circulation and if they came round, issuing them with some alcohol such as brandy. In 1783 the Royal Humane Society issued instructions on how to deal with a person feared drowned. In the accompanying directory of surgeons listed residing within riverside areas, George Trash of Marlow is included. The recommended actions for George to follow include removing the victims clothes should they be wearing any (male river swimmers usually were nude) and then taking the victim to the nearest inn or failing that somewhere else that could offer a warm bed and a large fireplace. A sort of CPR was suggested with artificial respiration and a slight press to the chest when it could be seen the lungs had inflated. The use of small bellows up the nostril in preference to mouth to mouth respiration does date the advice a little! Attempts to stimulate the patient included giving them a vigorous shake of the limbs, applying hot bricks or tiles to the palms and soles of the feet and rubbing the skin with salt or flannels sprinkled with rum or other spirits. You could also try tickling the nose with a feather, rubbing a heated warming pan up the spine, and in the case of a child laying the little soul between two healthy adults in the hope of gently warming them back to life. Another reason to chose a pub to take the victim to was the strong chance they had a brew house (as it was still the era alcohol was made on the premises). This was needed as the last step if all the other methods to revive the swimmer had failed. The body should be surrounded by warm grains or placed in a deep warm bath in the sort of container a brew house might have. They would then wait several hours in the hope of what must really have been a miracle recovery. It's interesting that the Society in local branches raised funds to reward those who made the effort to search for the drowned or drowning and those who took the unfortunates in. The surgeons who were members of the society would attend those retrieved from the water free of charge. This encouraged those in charge of the victim not to delay in summoning medical assistance. 

Moving forward a century to 1880 - the Rev Charles Voysey  did a demo in Marlow of the New Patent Life Preserver. "For complete convenience in wearing and perfect efficiency in buoyancy power" it was said.  This was perhaps not the most quick to use life saver. It relied upon having the opportunity to "carefully" mix an acid and alkali powder which was then put into pockets held within 3 waterproof sacks. These were stitched inside someone's clothes or strapped on to a webbing belt, 2 on the front, the other to the rear of the wearer. When the mixed powders touched water, the reaction released a gas. This inflated the sacks and kept them up for some 50-60 hours or so it was claimed. The set of 3 pouches and powder cost 10s 6d. 

A Selected few other victims

NB This post does not include information on suicides in the river, or probable suicides. 

1836 - Frank Faulkner, eldest son of school master William Faulkner, age 21. Faulkner senior often took the boys of his school to bathe in the Thames. On this occasion, Frank was visiting Marlow having recently started a physicians practice in London. He went swimming with his brother and a friend. It seems his strength failed, and his two companions very nearly died too trying to save him. 

1861 - Ellen Leary, age 59, hawker of cotton, stay laces, needles etc, lodging at Marlow. Her basket was found floating between near Bisham. She is believed to have slipped off the tow path when "not quite sober."

1868 -  John Frederick Nolan of Ireland, house painter working for a London builder employed at Thames Villa. He could not swim and intended to bathe only but he did not realise that the gently sloping river bed gave way to a sharp drop and he tumbled out of his depth. 

1888 - Helen Frances Warner, married daughter of Mrs Haig of Marlow Place. Drowned near Temple while bathing with her two sisters. She got out of her depth. 

Researched and written by Kathryn Day. 

Related posts:

Little lives lost in the Thames - Child drowning victims here 

Bargemen of Marlow here

Biography of Robert Shaw who recovered a huge number of the drowned here

Floods in Marlow History, and plans to "embank and canalize" the river between Marlow & Henley here

History of Compleat Angler here

Avert your eyes, bathers about! Victorian nude bathing at Marlow and swimming races here here

To find all mentions of an individual here use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu where you will find over 2,700 people currently listed. Other posts about everyday life in old Marlow can be found here

SOURCES

Harland, John (ed) - Lancashire Lyrics, (Whitaker, 1866)

Smith, James - The Mechanic Or Compendium of Practical Inventions vol 2 (Caxton press 1809.)

Royal Humane Society - The reviving of Persons apparently dead by drowning (- RHS London, 1783)

Medical Times Gazette, Vol 2, 1873. Digitised by Google. 

GRO Death registration index. 

Maidenhead Advertiser August  1 1906, British Library Archive. 

Windsor & Eton Express, 26 September 1829 as above

Reading Mercury - 9 November 1861. As above

Berks Chronicle - 27 Jun 1829 As above

Bucks Gazette 20 July 1901. As above

Bucks Herald 14 August 1880, As above

Slough, Windsor and Eton Express August 4 1906

Notes 

1. Rowlinson (Rawlinson) had contributed poems to the Literary Gazette and regional publications, including some written in what was described as East Lancashire dialect. One was called "Remember me". He had started work as the clerk in Messrs Cardwell & Co cotton warehouse in Manchester ("Newmarket buildings")

©Marlow Ancestors