Early History of Wethered Road Marlow

Wethered Road first existed as an unnamed foot way and cart track that led from Dean Street round to the back of the cottage and pub at the top of Trinity Road and the nearby fields. Access on foot could continue via paths all the way to Marlow Bottom eventually, the sand and a gravel pits of Sandygates (Sandegate) and Hillside, down Trinity Road (apparently blocked to vehicle traffic in some way, the rights or otherwise of carts to use it were much disputed! ) or around to Chapel Street so although nobody lived in the road itself it would not have lacked a certain busy feeling.

A pound is mentioned as being beside the road there in 1896. There were various pounds in the town during the 1800s for the purpose of containing stray animals. 

The first few homes pop up in Wethered Road in the early 1900s. The road was then called Church Road after nearby Holy Trinity church. Because Marlow people loved nothing more than being confusing when it came to street addresses, Trinity Road was also at that time often referred to as Church Road (not to mention Trinity Lane). To make things even more confusing early properties in the future Wethered Road were numbered as if they were part of Dean Street rather than a separate address. Marlow postmen of the past, we salute you. You must one and all have had the patience of saints.

Some of the earlier residents were the Austin family, headed by Thomas and Anne  ("Annie"). Thomas was a domestic gardener at an unknown house in Marlow. He was originally from Upton cum Chalvey near Slough, she from Windsor according to the census. As a young man in Chalvey Thomas found himself unwittingly involved in a murder case that was the talk of the county at the time. A Chalvey coal dealer had been robbed and brutally murdered on his premises. Drops of blood were found outside the chief suspect's lodgings and his landlady observed blood on his feet. Thomas Austin gave evidence that he had seen the suspect near the coal premises on the night in question, wearing a coat matching the description of the one later believed by police to have been worn by the killer. He also testified that the suspect had been out of money on the night of the murder but had predicted that he was about to have some. The accused was acquitted and went off to sea to escape the scandal. Thomas was not the only prosecution witness to appear against him but as he had been on friendly terms with the suspect his having given evidence was deeply resented by him. When some months later the acquitted man returned home again he attacked and threatened to kill Thomas whilst under the influence  of alcohol. For this he was fined 21 shillings. You can see why Thomas might have wanted to leave Chalvey, which he swiftly did. First he went to Eton as a gardener and then came to Marlow. By then he had lost his first wife Elizabeth and married Annie Cannon. When they first arrived in Marlow the couple lived in a cottage behind the Verney Arms pub in Dean Street. Thomas was soon winning prizes for the vegetables, fruit and flowers he grew at home just as he had done when he lived elsewhere.

Another resident family in the 1910s and 20s were the Moodys headed by Kate and William. He worked as a builder's labourer and a fruit gatherer at different times. Because of the latter important occupation application was made for him to be exempt from the draft in 1916 but the application was unsuccessful. Earlier in his life he had been convicted like so many working class Marlow men of poaching. William's mother Jane features in this post. The post celebrates her resilience throughout what was a very hard life - please be aware that the post contains content that may distress you, particularly if you are related to her. Jane and her husband lived in Wethered Road themselves in 1916.

In 1913 a new Church of England Boys' School was opened in Wethered Road following some time of fundraising by local people including Lucy Winters. The buildings alone cost £4000 and were built by Marlow builders Thomas and William Sellman. It is now Holy Trinity, a middle school for both boys and girls. Princess Christian who was staying at Medmenham Abbey performed the opening ceremony after which she took tea in one of the classrooms. Some 900 local schoolchildren lined up outside the school to welcome her. A portrait of the then king and queen was presented to Princess Christian who then presented it back to be put up in the school premises. 

The new school was quick to harness the technology of the day for the purposes of education. The head invested in a gramophone in 1923 to help music teaching and a radio in 1924 so educational programmes could be listened in to. It also enjoyed a garden for the pupils to gain practical experience at growing vegetables. 

The school was not the only important facility to arrive in Wethered Road in the Edwardian era- the town cemetery opened in 1910. A post about the first person to be buried in the new cemetery and their link to Peter Pan is a available here. Originally different denominations were to have different parts of the burial ground to use but that idea soon gave way to a mingling of one and all.

                   

In 1916 Mr Owen Wethered of Seymour Court donated some land in celebration of his 60th wedding anniversary to enable the road to be widened. Who needs diamonds or flowers for their anniversary when they can have a road widening scheme? (We hope you got something else too Mrs O). After this donation the road was officially renamed Wethered Road.

Further reading:

Landlords of the pub that formerly existed near the top of Trinity Road here.

Will of Elizabeth Lambe 1731

 Will of Elizabeth Lambe of Great Marlow. Written 1728, proved 1731.

 Says she is writing will because of the uncertainty of this transitory life.

Commends soul to God and hopes for pardon and remission for her sins.

Debts and funeral charges to be paid by her own executor. She to be decently interred.

To Mrs Susan Cooke a ...gown.....(several indecipherable words)

To Mr John Cooke four silver (medals?) and two pairs.....

To Mr Thomas Stanton a gold ...ring.

To Mrs Cordelia Stanton a gold locket.

To Mrs Dority [spelling reflects the common pronunciation of the name Dorothy at this time] Ward a green emerald ring with two diamonds.

To Mrs Dority Cavalier a mother of pearl snuff box bound with silver.

To Mr Peeter Pagett a silver snuff box.

To my brother....Bot... £5 and to Debora his wife £5, my wedding ring and a black cloth gown.

To John Rogers and Thomas Rogers my nephews £10 apiece.

To Richard, Robert and Debora (Dirks?) my cousins £5 apiece.

To Grace (Dirks?) a black silk gown.

To my sister Mary (Borch? Booth?) a black  gown and to her husband a silver spoon.

To Mrs Dority Horniman an ash coloured suit of silk and a quilted petticoat of red and green. In case the Ship "Mediterranean" in which the said suit and petticoat goes should miscarry the executor to make good the loss by way of a quantity of silk. [As becomes clear later in the will the testator is writing her will onboard a ship].

To Mr William M... £10.

I give mourning rings to Reverend Mr Benjamin Crow, to Mr William Gray, Mr Thomas Blackwell, Mr Thomas ...., Mr David Cannon, Mr Ch..g merchant at..., Mr John ..an, Mr John Row, Mr Robert Cartwright and his wife Mrs Mary Cartwright, Mr... my nephew and to his wife, each of the three sister of Mr (Mins?) in Bishopgate Street [presumably the street in London], Mr John Newton distiller and to his wife, Mr Thomas Buttler, Mr Cavalier of ...ghouse, to Captain Brown and to his wife, to Captain..., Mr Chamberlain Godfrey.

To Captain John Hark at my safe arrival at Legh... £10.

All else of personal estate to loving niece Anne Rogers who is also made executor of the will.

Witnessed by Richard Sh... and William May.

***

Questions may have arisen over the will as Elizabeth had made a mistake. Mr William May and Debora Rogers both of London appeared to give sworn statements as to being familiar with the testator and her wishes. William said that Elizabeth Lambe was late of Great Marlow, formerly of London and also of an illegible place in Italy. He was a fellow passenger on a merchant ship carrying Elizabeth from Legh...to England in April 1728 when and also took lodgings opposite her own lodgings when they arrived in London. There they both lived for several months.  She asked him to come and help her with her will in October 1728 [presumably ahead of her return voyage from London to Leigh...]. At the time Elizabeth indicated that she had forgotten the first name of the niece Rogers that she wanted to execute her will (!!!!). It was either Anne or Debora she thought but didn't think it mattered if the will got it wrong. Elizabeth was dictating the document to William and as she said it wasn't important that he rendered the name correctly he plumped for naming the executor as "Anne Rogers". Some time later he was once more a fellow passenger on the "Mediterranean" ship with Elizabeth and also her niece - Debora Rogers as it transpired not Anne! During the voyage Elizabeth indicated to him that this was the niece she intended to be the executor and main beneficiary of the will. This niece Debora he brought to the probate hearing. The court accepted this and Debora was allowed to execute the will. 

Hopefully she used some of her inheritance to get a nice big pendant with her name on to hang about her neck in case other relatives of hers were similarly vague as to her identity.

This p.c.c will transcribed from the original held at the National Archives, Kew and then summarized by me Charlotte Day.

Many other will transcriptions are on this blog, see the Wills Index.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use my transcription summary with credit to this blog.

Early History Of St. Peter's Church, Marlow

Before the Reformation, most of Marlow's residents would of course have been Catholic. Later, Marlow saw its fair share of Catholic "popish recusants" who were hauled before the quarter sessions for repeated failures to attend Protestant church services which had become compulsory. The same names pop up repeatedly and were probably the tip of the iceberg. Some put in a token appearance at the parish church often enough to avoid punishment, if not suspicion about their sincerity. We will feature some of these early  Catholic recusants in other posts. 

This post is about the experience of Catholic members of Marlow's population during the regency and Victorian period. They were very much in the minority amongst the population and until the 1840's, had no church to worship at. How many Catholics were resident here is hard to judge, but we are gathering a list of names. 

 In 1827, there was an anti Catholic meeting in the town hall, which resulted in a number of Marlow citizens giving their support to a petition against further concessions being given to the Catholics nationally. This was presented to Parliament by the Earl of Winchelsea (Winchilsea), one of the leaders of opposition to the idea that Catholics could sit as M.Ps. The Earl actually fought a duel with prime minister Wellington over their different approaches to this issue in 1829! It seems that the success of Irish catholic Daniel O'Connell who won the 1827 by-election in County Clare despite technically not being allowed to take up a seat, had worried the local anti Catholics. What if other Catholics ignored the rules and started putting themselves forward for roles the law forbade them to accept? A vote was held after a number of  (virulently prejudiced) speeches and unsurprisingly, the motion was passed to send the petition forward. The meeting had been framed as a stand against popery and for patriotism so who would be brave enough to turn up and vote against the petition under such circumstances?  Sir George Nugent of Westhorpe House did speak against the motion but he was in the minority. He had previously voted in favour of Catholic emancipation. Those Marlow petitioners were out of luck however, as the Roman Catholic Relief Act was passed in 1829. 

A further flurry of anti Catholic petitions flew towards parliament from Great Marlow in the 1830s. Borlase head William Francis strongly criticized those who had gathered signatures for one such in 1835. He accused them of peddling hysteria, using "deception" such as inducing children to affix their names and of trawling the county looking for the "ignorant and superstitious" to sign. Francis was not a Catholic himself. 

On a more everyday basis, people who were not Protestant (or who were not regular parish church goers) could find themselves excluded from employment. I have found a number of local job adverts which specify that only Protestants or established church members need apply. Mostly this was positions of domestic service, but sometimes it's also shop work. 

Things began to improve for local Catholics when the wealthy Charles Scott Murray of Danesfield converted to Catholicism in 1841. He was an MP at the time so was forced to loose his vote until he'd taken oaths specially required for Catholic members. He immediately supported a mission in Marlow but his dearest aim was to build a Roman Catholic church. But given the anti Catholic feeling around, would he find someone to sell him the necessary land? Many of the significant landowners had a history of speaking out against Catholic rights. It was said later that Scott Murray secured a second rate spot for a an inflated price because the sellers agent thought beggars can't be choosers. But an alternative rumour was that the agent acting for Murray disguised both his purpose and client, out of desperation at ever finding a spot at any price. However I believe neither story is absolutely true, because the land was sold at auction by the Rolls auctioneers rather than through a private sale arranged through agents. Within a week it was reported in the local press who'd bought it and for what purpose, or at least it was stated that Murray wanted to use it for "furthering the Catholic faith" and for building a schoolhouse. In the end a field and farm yard  formerly belonging to George Cannon that had been part of the Platts Farm Estate was secured for £350. It was then in the occupation of farmer Hewitt later of Blounts Farm. A few ramshackle farm buildings had to go and a pond was filled in. George Stevens, recalling the site in 1895 said it was a "miserable swampy place". George was one of the early worshippers and it's organist. On the positive side, the church was designed by Augustus Welby Pugin and attracted praise (sometimes begrudging!) for its charm and attractiveness. 

 Scott Murray paid the entire cost of both the land (about an acre) and the building. He also built a small convent and school adjacent, and a chapel at Danesfield itself. 

St Peters Street as a name long predates the arrival of the Church. We are tracking its usage through property transaction and wills. It was in use for the church portion of the modern street as well as a portion of what is now Station Road ahead of Marlow Place. It was used at the same time as other former names for St Peters Street such as Duck Lane and Old Bridge Street. 

Above the church site (no 34 on plan) when it was part of the Platt's Farm estate, 1839. See "St Peter Street" shown to lead off the High Street (now Station Rd) while the current St Peter's Street is called Duck Lane. 

While the search for land was ongoing, Scott Murray supported the provision of services out of a hired room, possibly in St Peters Street although I have conflicting information about its location. He certainly had a "mission" in Oxford Cottage, Oxford Rd in the few years immediately before the church opened. The first mass was attended by a grand total of 3 people - Scott Murray, a relative of the Priest and an Irish woman from Cookham. Priest Peter Coop pressed on with two services on a Sunday, and one in the week.  He would also be the priest at the church once completed. At least he could rely on the arrival of Scott Murray and some of his servants! 

The first stone was laid in 1845 before a curious audience. I have not come across any reports of open hostility on this occasion, but it may not have been publicised much in advance outside of the Catholic community. This would limit the opportunity for trouble makers to make elaborate plans to disrupt proceedings. Members of the congregation looking back on this time in general recalled that their priests had suffered name calling and hissing in their direction as they went about their business. George Stevens mentioned above remembered experiencing much prejudice and bigotry in this period. Father Peter Coop recalled that he was stared at and pointed at wherever he went. 

About 1,500 people attended the stone laying. A procession went from the Deanery along the very short distance to the site of the new church in St. Peters Street. A platform was erected, with a beautifully decorated alter on top. Scott Murray entered fully into the proceedings, donning a cassock and surplice and carrying a large cross at the head of the procession. He also performed the stone laying.  Afterwards the event was marked by a dinner for 100 invited guests at the Town Hall and a gift of bread and a shilling to 80 poor families. 

A year later the church was opened. The stained glass windows were not all completed on the opening date however and poor Peter Coop had to endure the first winter with just canvas coverings over some of the openings. It was thought necessary to add wooden shutters as a temporary security measure when the windows delivery was again delayed. Perhaps it is no surprise that the chilly Peter Coop himself paid for one of the windows, which depicts him at prayer. In 1847 the last of the original windows were finally put in place although the requested image of St. Thomas of Hereford had mistakenly been replaced with that of St. Thomas of Canterbury. It was decided to keep the latter however. 

Above, Peter Coop at prayer. 

In 1849, the Christmas celebrations were regarded as a particular success. Attendance at the services were good and Rev Ludwig had, despite the "threats and intimidation resorted to by the Protestant clergyman of the neighborhood" secured a large choir that contained members of the parish church. (It may seem surprising that Protestant singers were willing to sing there given the feelings high at the time, but in fact it was a long standing tradition in Marlow for good singers from All Saints to appear at services in the non conformist  chapels in the town on special occasions. There were many who remembered singers from the Salem chapel appearing at the Wesleyan one and vice versa too. Unfortunately as time went on the parish church came down more heavily on their own choir members singing elsewhere until doing so was said to earn an expulsion from their choir.) Father Ludwig's day did not go entirely well however. When he arrived home he discovered that while he had been occupied in the church thieves had entered his property. They made off with several items of silver and £5 in gold and silver coins. 

The congregation might have been small at first but it grew steadily. In 1850, it was reported that 75 people had converted to Catholicism in Marlow in the previous 18 months. It is certainly true that many long standing Marlow families have Catholic converts amongst their number. 

Canon John Morris arrived in Marlow in 1851. He wrote many letters to Scott Murray, updating the latter about his work. His first week at Marlow was marked by the unfortunate locking in of worshipper Charlotte Beckett within the church overnight. It was door keeper Mr Harper who was directly responsible, but poor Charlotte was discovered praying at the altar by Morris on his arrival the following morning. She had apparently put her time to good use in contemplating various religious matters. Morris in his letters comes across as good humoured. However many who met Father John said they found him rather severe and forbidding on the outside. Others recalled his "great heart" - and how he was sometimes moved to tears even by his own sermons. All agreed that he was very hard working and energetic, with a brilliant capacity to recall facts and figures. He also acted as the chaplain at Danesfield. *

In 1850 Rev Tracy Coxwell, 40 years in charge at All Saints, Marlow (Anglican) was nominated to another parish. His parishioners petitioned for the curate Rev Frederick Bussell to take over. There were many reasons for this but among them was the fact the Rev was "thoroughly opposed to Romanism"  in any form. A local newspaper added that they were pleased to report that Bussell's influence had "tended very much to check the spread of its contaminating influence here". 

Shortly afterwards, the Rev Bernard Smith took up the post of priest. Bernard deservedly has a post of his own by Charlotte here, but I will just say in this post that he was responsible for mellowing many people's attitude to the Catholic church in Marlow. His kindness to all, whether a flock member or not, was legendary. The fact that his death in 1903 occasioned expressions of sorrow from all sects and parts of Marlow showed how far things had come. 

*Father Morris would eventually die in the pulpit of the Church of the Sacred Heart at Wimbledon while preaching a sermon there in 1894.

Post written and researched by Kathryn Day 

Related Posts

For more posts like this see Church Related on the menu here

Biography of Canon Bernard Smith here

Index of grave images at St Peter's and other Marlow area locations - here

History of the Catholic Schools in Marlow here

Edwardian St Peter Street residents here

Find all mentions of an individual here by using the A-Z person index, on the top drop down menu. There are currently over 10,000 people listed there with new content added weekly.

More about George Cannon, previous owner of the church site here

General Marlow history posts about everyday life here in the past: here

Posts related to St Peter Street here

Sources include:

Kelly's Directory 1847, 1883, 1911. 

Barrow, John Henry (1828) The Mirror of Parliament 

Corcoran, James Andrew, Patrick, John et al. (1892) The American Catholic Review Hardy and Mahoney

Gibbs, Roger. (1891) The Buckinghamshire Miscellany, R Gibbs Publisher. 

Kelly, Bernard W. (1907) Historical Notes on English Catholic Missions, W Trench. 

Morris,John. (1892) Catholic England in Modern Times, Burns & Oates

Pollen, John Hungerford (1896) The Life and Times of Father John Morris 1826-1893, Burns & Oates

Shepherd, Stanley A. (2009) The Stained glass of A W N Pugin Spire Books

The Catholic Directory and Register (Burns & Lambert 1858)

The Catholic Magazine & Register Volume 11, 1850. 

Sadliers Catholic Directory, Almanac and Clergy List 1885 & 1895

The Rambler, a Catholic Journal. Vol 8, 1851. 

Memories of George Stevens, as recorded 1892.  

Copies of the Berkshire Chronicle 1827, Windsor & Eton Express 1827 & 1845, Reading Mercury 1845, South Bucks Standard 1892, Bucks Herald 1845, Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News 1848 from the British Library Archive, and accessed via the BNA. 

Petitions presented to Parliament 1827, Great Britain House of Commons, digitised by Google. 

The Tablet 1st August 1846. 

Hill, Rosemary, (2007) God's Architect - Pugin and the building of romantic Britain, Penguin 

 

Consumption Cures and Ball Tickets- George Cannon.

 One of the most amusing things about looking into the past is seeing just how many occupations one person could have at once.

When looking at Great Marlow history I developed a soft spot for George Cannon thanks to him managing to be a bookseller, owner of a circulating library, tea seller, stamp seller, printer and stationer in his early days before adding landlord, property speculator, chemist and druggist to his CV later. 

Not to mention the roles he had of churchwarden, husband and father.

As you can see from my photo of his grave below, George was born in Maidenhead but he was in Marlow by 1833.

He married Mary Ann Dyson in London in 1839. Despite the London marriage both parties were "of Marlow".

Mary Ann wasn't content to have the dual occupations of wife and mother either - she was a multi times prize winning poultry breeder! Sadly she died in the 1850s leaving George to a long period as a widower. Their son James Dyson Cannon grew up to assist George in the business.

The business was located at Market Place until 1853 when George relocated to the High Street. In 1833 his premises consisted of a house, printing offices, yard and garden and had an annual value of £22.

George's High Street premises. Formerly the home of Miss Sneath. 
 

To these premises you would have taken yourself to pick up Piso's"cure" for consumption (hmmm) or other such necessities. Whilst there you could also get yourself an auction catalogue on most occasions that there was a significant property sale in Marlow, not to mention in 1865 tickets for the town ball. George may have printed some of those auction sales catalogues. He certainly printed the ball programmes plus the library catalogue and membership rules for the Marlow Literary and Scientific Institute when it opened in it's first incarnation. (George was one of those on the founding committee). He also sold prints- of Marlow racecourse for instance or of the new suspension bridge (lithographic print 17 inches by 12 inches 1830 showing what the bridge would look like when finished cost 5 shillings). To go "shopping" at George's delightful shop, see this post here that lists some of the curios available within. 

George always had at least one live in servant on every census. His wealth is further evidenced by the list of property he owned at his death in 1881- Linden Villa in Wycombe Road [exists though knocked into the house next door and not labelled], a draper's shop in Spittal Street, 6 cottages opposite South Place [known as Cannon's Row, now Platts Row, see the post here], and a bakery in West Street all rented out or let out to others. Earlier in his life he had owned the Hope beerhouse in the High Street too.

George is buried with his granddaughter Emily Mabel Calcutt b. Sept 28 1875, d. January 6 1880.  And Willie Dyson Cannon B.Mar 6 1883, d. Jul 26 1883

George was also a keen singer who could be easily called upon to offer a song at a local meeting. For example he entertained the guests at the dinner in 1847 which honoured the failed Liberal election candidate Sir William Clayton. Several other shopkeepers and tradesmen also contributed a song each. George was a vocal and long term supporter of the Liberal candidates. Elections in Marlow were rarely peaceful and the full sorry story of that one is available here

Related Posts

George sold the land which the Catholic church was built on - read more here

 

To find all mentions of George and anyone else you are interested in, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu - there's over 3,150 people there. 

Some information sources:

My transcription of censuses, using census page microfilm images.

Original parochial assessment notebooks 1833 held by my family and transcribed by me.

Robson's Directory, Buckinghamshire 1839 copy provided by the University of Leicester.

Newspaper copies at the British Library accessed via the BNA September 2020:

Bucks Gazette 14th December 1839, South Bucks Free Press 7th January 1865 and 12th May 1882. Reading Mercury 7th May 1830.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day. 1847 Election research by Kathryn. 

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use the content of this post for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here.

Man The Barricades- It's Sarah Bliss Hammond

 

Written and researched by Charlotte Day.

Sarah Bliss Hammond lived at the above house in West Street, Great Marlow for many years. At that time it was named The Heathers and had formerly been used as both a school and private residence. Sarah was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Bliss Barrett [Elizabeth née Waters]. She was born in 1828 and baptised in 1831 in Moulton Northamptonshire. Her father was a miller and coal merchant. Her mother died prior to her daughter's baptism at the age of just 27. Sarah was baptised on the same day as another child to the same parents, Elizabeth but given the fact that Sarah was a late baptism there is no reason to think that the two girls were twins.

 It looks as if the girls' father had some financial difficulties. In 1830 he took a partner into his business, William Wood, but the partnership lasted only a matter of weeks before being legally dissolved. Two years later William was selling up much of his household furniture. What happened to him I am unsure- there is a possible death in 1841- but regardless Sarah was adopted by her uncle Daniel Sharp.

She married her husband Robert Hammond in Cheltenham on 18th November 1848. Her uncle Revd H Barrett was allowed to perform the ceremony though he was not the local vicar, in a traditional mark of courtesy. The wedding announcement tells us that Sarah was also the niece and adopted child of Dr S Sharp esq of Keynsham Bank, Cheltenham. 

Robert was a Navy man and a local.J.P. He had been born in Penshurst Kent where his father Jonathan was the vicar but the Hammond family were of Marlow origin and owned Marlow property. In a will written 1818 and proved 1819 Jonathan had left The Heathers to Robert along with two neighbouring cottages and other Marlow property and land. Robert intended to follow a long navy career but the unexpected death of three older brothers meant fate had other ideas and he was required to take over the management of the family estates on his father's death. He was perhaps as strong willed and stubborn as his wife according to later reminisces, or as the local paper diplomatically put it, he was a "straightforward, outspoken man".

By 1850 if not right away Sarah and Robert had settled at The Heathers. They took time to re-decorate and modernise the house. A painter at work there had a narrow escape in 1850 when, during a lightning storm, a fireball knocked down the chimney and travelled down it, through the flue and out into the hall where he was working. It missed him by a foot. The local paper bemoaned the loss of one of the "highly decorative chimneys". 

In 1853 Sarah gave birth to their daughter Eliza at the house followed in 1855 by a son Robert. Just a few months later her husband died. He was just 56. Eliza too would die young, in 1875. 

Peter Borgnis of the house Highfields in Marlow was one of the guardians appointed for the children in the will of Robert, which he also executed.

When her son was 4 Sarah formally changed his last name to Hammond Chambers to meet a condition of inheritance set out in the will of the child's great aunt Elizabeth Sparrow, formerly Chambers.

In 1860 while she was attending church Sarah's silk umbrella was stolen by Ellen Gibbons. Rosa Cannon had her own silk umbrella stolen at the same time by a different girl in what was obviously a jointly planned theft. You weren't safe from thieves even in church in Victorian Marlow!

In 1868 Sarah had a serious falling out with her neighbours the Fowlers of Western House. Two years previously she had decided to create herself a kitchen garden. She negotiated the giving up of some extra land which the tenants of Western House rented from her. This land was used for farming purposes being part of a rickyard with also pigsties and other outbuildings upon it. By enclosing this kitchen garden and also adding a front wall to her property she cut off sufficient access for herself to the garden for her dung cart. She believed that no one would object to her coming in with the cart across other land occupied by the tenants of Western House. She was wrong. Western House got new tenants the Fowlers. Words ensued. Sarah at first acknowledged that she had no right of way but said she would take it as a kindness if she could have occasional cart access across the land in order to get to her garden. She thought the Fowlers had not behaved well by complaining but did not wish to argue with them as one of the Fowlers was dangerously ill at the time. After a while matters soured further however. I won't go into all the tiny details but to summarise Sarah came to believe upon legal advice that she did in fact have a protected right of way through the land.

The Fowlers disagreed. Charles Fowler, son of the tenant Maria Fowler, paid a carpenter to erect a wooden barricade on their land to stop Sarah's cart from using it. Sarah demolished said barricade (herself apparently!) and carried on. The Fowlers began legal action.

The judge felt unimpressed by both parties calling them ridiculous and petty for arguing over a 15 yard strip of land. He awarded the Fowlers damages for the destroyed barricade but advised the parties to settle the access matter out of court instead of wasting his time. It does look as if that is what happened. I have a feeling Sarah's slowness to erect a new barn as promised on the land rented to the Fowlers was the real cause of them deciding to object to her continued access to her garden across their property. Sarah had also been petty about them having stacks of wood on their land visible from her house.

The case is interesting because it shows us that there were two sides to Sarah- the genteel lady taking a silk umbrella to church and the other lady who'll tear down your barricade if you stop her dung cart! 

This was not Sarah's first brush with the law when it came to defending her property, or so she saw it. In 1862 she had been in a long running dispute with Lieut General Higginson of the neighbouring The Croft (Gyldernscroft). This related to a right of way she claimed through Higginson's land. One day Higginson's staff put some posts in this path to stop animals straying. Mrs Hammond objected and immediately sent her family servant of over 30 years standing William Bradshaw* and her woodman Richard Holloway to remove the posts. The Higginsons put them back. And yes, you guessed it, Sarah's servants removed them again. They were spotted in the act by Higginson's employee Thomas Harris who threatened the digging pair with a pitchfork which he said he would plunge into their hearts! He actually lunged at them with the fork, knocked down Bradshaw, and grazed the wrist of Holloway who grabbed at the fork to save a prone Bradshaw from being stabbed. Harris was summoned for assault but it could not be proved that there had been any injury, there being no outside witnesses, and the case was dismissed. The lawyer for the defence suggested that "rich people should take such cases to the assizes and not send their servants to fight their battles". Harris was also cautioned not to fight on behalf of his master again.

Not long after he turned 21 Sarah's son Robert bought Beech Lodge not far from Highfields and decided to rebuild it. He is described as resident at the Heathers however in 1882. He was a barrister at law.

Sarah remained at the Heathers. 

In 1894 a fire in some outbuildings (reports differ as to exactly which) threatened not only Sarah's home but nearby properties too. Though some damage was done the fire brigade had the flames under control before anything serious could occur. Sarah wrote a warm letter to the South Bucks Standard afterwards to offer her thanks and to praise to the skill and intelligence of the firefighters. She also wished to give "sincere and hearty thanks" to all other "kind friends" who had stepped in to help at that time.

Two years later at the age of 68 Sarah died at the Heathers after some months in decline. The property was sold by the family in 1908 following the death of her son Robert. She was buried with her husband and daughter in All Saints churchyard. 

NB Stratton House was referred to as "formerly known as The Heathers" several times especially around 1909-1910 although the adjacent Stratton House / The Strattens qv was used as an address in its own right earlier than that. 

*William Bradshaw was famous in Marlow for his stories of selling milk from the cows belonging to the Hammond's to the poet Shelley while he stayed in West Street. The Shelleys were apparently regular customers of his. William would not hear of criticism of Shelley or his morals. The poet was he said, "a sight better than a good many who spoke agen' him", with a polite manner and no hint of snobbery. 

Photo by Kathryn. Post researched  and written by Charlotte Day, with updates by Kathryn.

For more posts like this see Biographies Of Individuals on the menu. For more on residents of specific Marlow houses or streets see the menu option "Specific Shops, Streets ...Etc".

All mentions of an individual on this blog can be found on the Person Index. Hundreds of people from or associated with Marlow are mentioned.

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

Sources:

Wills of Jonathan Hammond and Robert Hammond, transcribed by me from wills held at the National Archives, Kew.

Censuses my transcription from microfilm. Census information remains Crown copyright.

South Bucks Standard 23rd November 1894. South Bucks Free Press 14th June 1860. St James Chronicle 21st November 1848. Bucks Gazette 25 November 1848,  British Library Archives.

Dutton, Allen and Co's Directory 1863.

Royal and Commercial Directory of Beds, Bucks etc by J.G Harrod and Co 1876.

Post Office Directory 1869 by Kelly's Directories Limited.

Inns of Court Calendar 1877 by Charles Shaw. Digitized by Google.

Moulton baptism from Jane Pullinger. Thanks Jane.

The Gentleman's Magazine, February 1848. Digitised by Google. 

Shopping At George Cannon's

 

A selection of shopping possibilities at George Cannon's chemist come booksellers from 1829-1858. This was in Market Square and then later in the High Street. (Latter premises below)

 

Buy tickets and consult a seat plan to secure the best spot at the Town Hall for the one night only "Woodman's Olio of Curiosities". This 1858 show involved performers with a hundred changes of character, voice and costume to produce an original "mimical, musical and polygraphic" entertainment. Original sounds the right word! Price 3s for the stalls, 2s for the rest except 1s for backseats. Starts 8pm, tell your carriage to call for you at 10pm when all is over. 

Tickets to the Ball held in the Town Hall to mark end of the Races, 1844 -8s including refreshments. 

Anti bilious stomach pills - "Strengthens digestive organs" Prepared by George Cooper of Reading rather than by our George. 

Alternatively try Dr Sydenham's Anti bilious pills which are also unrivalled for "spasms", nervous headaches and liver complaints. Guaranteed to clear your intestines of bile. Mercury free and "suitable for females." 1s 1 and 1/2d a bottle. 

Take a look at book proposals on display at George's, and if you decide you would like to see it published, you can subscribe to help meet the production costs. In exchange you will be able to buy the finished volume for a reduced price, and if you give enough, you might see your name credited as belonging to a subscriber within the book itself. On other occasions you might be thanked in an ad promoting the books publication. George is a printer, and will print some of the proposed volumes himself. In 1829, one of the proposed volumes is a book of Psalms and Hymns which will cost 10s if you subscribe, 12s otherwise. 

Fothergills Nervous drops - for low spirits, fainting fits, hysteria, and relaxation of the system - 4s 6d a bottle. 

Dr James Fever powder -  2s9d a packet. Also cures rheumatism and shortens duration of colds. 

Butlers Cayenne Lozenges - for habitual sore throats. Also acts a stimulus for fatigue. 2s a box. Also offers "digestive candy"  with rhubarb and ginger 2s a box. 

Marshalls universal cream - for sore and ulcerated legs, burns and sores - 1s 1d

Birds Hygein (sic) Antiscorbotic Pills - cures leprosy, scurvy, cancer, kings evil, facial blotches, glandular swellings. Also available as an ointment. 1s 1+1/2 d per box of pills or same price for pot of ointment.

Perry's essence for tooth and earache - 1s1d a bottle

Pococks gangrene embrocation - for ewes! Will also deal with bites from "bites of venomous reptiles" George also sells other patent medicines for farm animals, mostly sheep. He is also an agent for Potter's guano, guaranteed to make your crops grow. 

Mays Matchless Sauce - a savoury sauce, not medicinal 1s 6d Not the obvious thing in our eyes to buy from a bookseller and chemist! Charles May was a chemist located in the Butter Market, Reading and prepared this on his premises along with the other Mays items listed below.  He then dispatched them to local agents such as George.

 

May's indelible ink (for marking linen) - 1s 6d

May's Camphorated Vegetable Dentifrice.  (A tooth cleaning powder used with water) 1s 1+1/2d a box. Higgs Dentifrice powder costs the same and promises to preserve and beautify the teeth. Prepared in Maidenhead by chemist J Higgs.)

Tooth cleaning brushes in the latest most approved patterns

May's Medicated Honey for gentlemen "incommodated" by shaving, nursing mothers, and those with chapped lips, hands or feet. 

Blairs Gout and Rheumatic pills - to prevent the disease "flying to your brain" 

Roses celebrated botanic cream - prevents hair going grey or falling out and makes it glossy as well. One trial will convince of it's superior qualities, or so they say!

A lithographic print of the iron chain suspension bridge now erecting at Great Marlow 1830. Print executed from a drawing made that shows how it will be once complete. 5s each, or 7s 6d on india paper. Produced by George on the premises.  

John Cassells roast Coffee - the first for quality in the Empire. Available in air tight sealed packages from 1-8 oz or 1/2 - 1lb canisters. George also sold tea.

Consult a visiting dentist who sets up at George's -  "decayed teeth restored", every Wednesday in 1838. 

Want to do more historic shopping? Find out what you could buy at John Howes patent medicine and stationers premises here

And take a look at the Historic Cost of Living posts  specific to Marlow  - Part one and Part 2

And information about wages your Marlow ancestor could expect to earn here

Interested in patent medicine? A post about Marlow apothecaries and other early forms of medical care can be found here

More about George

George was behind the building of Cannon's Row (now called Platts Row) in Mill Road - see here for pictures and more info. 

And this post here for an over view of George's life, and a picture of his High Street premises plus an image of his grave. 

SOURCES

Post Office Directory Of Chemists & Druggists, Vol 2 (Kelly's Directory Ltd, 1870)

Windsor and Eton Express February 7th 1829, copy from the British Library and accessed via the BNA

Reading Mercury -7 & 30 May & 15 November 1830, 3 January & 21 February 1831, 13 October 1834, 23 February & 10 October 1835, 24 October & 5 November 1836, 4 February & 5 August 1837, 30 May 1840, 17 February 1844, 5 April 1845, 23 November 1848, 23 November 1850, May 10 1851, 06 March 1858 as above

©MarlowAncestors

South Place, Great Marlow

South Place seems to have been first developed in the 1850s. It was formerly the rick yard for Platt's Farm whose farm house you would have found off Mill Rd a little further towards the river and on the other side of the road. It was purchased by George Cannon in 1839. 

South Place is one of those Marlow Streets that if you lived there your address was likely to be described in a bewildering variety of ways in its early days. If you believe your ancestor lived in South Place watch for them being stated as being in Mill Road/Lane (which is the road that South Place leads off), Strong Beer Acre (a vanished area of Marlow previously adjoining the location of South Place), Mill Lane, Platts Road (alternative early name for parts of Mill Road) or Marlow Fields. Census records usually give South Place correctly but other records are very wayward. By the 1890s you should be alright with little variance of address to confuse things.

The earliest residents of South Place lived on the edge of the then built up area of town. Once the nearby railway station arrived in the early 1870s development of the surrounding area picked up pace. The people of South Place however remained easily able to walk out onto open fields and down to the River Thames. 

Being close to the river could have disadvantages of course - the little street was badly flooded in 1894, 1896,1903,1908 and again in the 1940s.

The Prince Of Wales pub on the corner of South Place and Mill Road was often used by barge men for lodgings. The pub started as a beer house. It was there by 1861, getting a full licence in 1864. For a list of the historic landlords of the Prince Of Wales see this post.

As well as the pub lodgers other residents worked on the Thames. One such example was George Picton who lived in South Place with his wife Ann by 1881. In 1893 George was labouring for the Thames Conservancy when the punt he was using overturned near Oxford, drowning him. It was some time before his body was recovered. Ann's first husband James Rockell also drowned in the river. To help manage financially after the death of her husband she took in lodgers at her South Place home but emotional recovery from her double widowhood proved impossible for Ann. Six years after George's death she slit her throat with a razor that had belonged to him. Her married daughter Jane Cox who also lived in South Place and the local surgeon Francis Culhane tried unsuccessfully to save her life after Jane discovered her dying mother. 

For another sad case of a South Place resident drowning in the Thames see Kathryn's post here. 

Ann was not the only suicide in South Place history- twenty two years earlier resident John Ford, a gardener, hung himself in his bedroom. His wife had left him taking his 4 young children and many of their possessions with her. He had gone to Coventry for a while in an unsuccessful attempt to find them. He was described as very depressed upon his return. He had also been physically ill and was living off money raised by selling what remained of his furniture. His body was discovered by his sister Sarah Sparks who had been keeping an eye on him and trying to lift his spirits.

The cottages in the street were generally very small- two rooms up and two down was the standard. In 1897 two such cottages with each their own wash house, outside toilet and garden were rented out to two different families at a collective rent of 17 shillings a year. Bargain!

Small houses didn't deter larger families from settling there. Francis and Prudence Corby present on the 1861 census had six children aged from one year old Harriet up to 18 year old journeyman plasterer Henry at home. Francis was a journeyman bricklayer. Journeymen were skilled labourers who had finished training in their trade but worked for others rather than on their own account. The family still lived in South Place a decade later.

Thomas and Annie Croxon meanwhile squeezed 8 children into their home at the time of the 1881 census. Thomas then was a servant. Later he is censused as a general labourer and an army pensioner.

The couple were still in South Place in the 1910s.

A new and better well and pump were provided for the residents to share in 1866. Other mod cons like street lighting and a proper paved street took longer to arrive in South Place. The road was labelled unsanitary in 1896 so more improvements were still needed then.

Additional notes:

Francis Corby was the born 1817 son of Ambrose and Sarah Corby. He and Prudence Martin married in West Wycombe in 1838. Before they lived at South Place the couple lived at Dean Street [under its original name Well End, not to be confused with Well End Little Marlow] with Prudence's parents.

Thomas Croxon and Anne "Annie" Edwards married in 1866. Their daughter Alice had an illegitimate baby girl who died soon after her birth in South Place.

More information: 

See the "Specific Shops, Streets Etc" menu here  to look for other Marlow addresses and check the Person Index in the top drop down menu to look for all mentions of any individual here. 

Thousands of people are listed!

Posts about everyday life for your ancestor in old Great Marlow: here

©Marlow Ancestors. .

Photo snapped September 2020 by Kathryn Day. Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

Sources:

Censuses, my transcription from microfilm. Census content always remains Crown Copyright.

Property records 

Pub and beer house research of Kathryn Day.

Maidenhead Advertiser 8th Feb 1893 and South Bucks Standard 6th January 1899, British Library Archives.

"Particulars and Conditions of Sale of a very valuable and highly productive freehold estate called Platts Farm" 1839. 

The People of Linden Villa, Marlow

 Linden Villa alias Linden House was the left hand portion of the left side brick property in this photograph. Now knocked into the home next door. Situated Wycombe Road. It was an 8 room residence. Note: there was also a Linden Villa in Station Road in the late 1800s.

The first certain residents of the house were Harry and Rosa Calcutt and their children who lived there in 1880. Rosa's father was George Cannon the Marlow bookseller/stationer/chemist. Amongst his large property holdings was Linden Villa. He may well have built it. Following his death in 1882 all of his property was sold off. Harry and Rosa had just moved back to Little Marlow village anyway, where Harry farmed at Westhorpe Farm. Rosa however continued to run her father's shop in the High Street as a printers, stationers, circulating library and music sellers [Calcutt and Elgie]. On these premises Rosa had grown up.

Memories of Linden Villa would have had a touch of sadness for them, as it was there that their 4 year old daughter Mabel died in 1880.

Rosa herself had serious health problems for some years and died in 1891 following a bout of influenza and an operation.

By the late 1880s elderly widow Jemima Price, sometimes known by her middle name Susannah was the resident at Linden Villa. She was née Griffiths. Her census entries indicate she was born Sheerness, Kent though as a young woman she lived in Lambeth with her parents and she married her husband John Price (originally of Marlow) in Plumstead Kent in 1842. He is described as a foreman at a "works" on the census and in other sources as a contractor at the Woolwich docks. Yet another source says he ran a barge between London and Marlow. He retired to Marlow to run a pub. Unfortunately I do not yet know which one.

Jemima was without family in Marlow but reports of her death indicate plenty of friends. Suffering from some type of lung or breathing condition which occasioned mustard poultices for her shoulders, she was found unconscious on the floor of Linden Villa by one of those friends Mary White in 1891. Sadly she died without regaining consciousness. Mary White also lived in Wycombe Road.

In the 1910s the house was ran as a boarding house by Emma Smith. Her husband George was a market gardener.

The grave of Rosa Calcutt is shown above. Says died 1891 age 50. Also dedicated to her little girl Mabel Emily. It can be found in All Saints parish churchyard, lying back to back with Rosa's dad's grave. See separate post here for more about George and his business. 

You can find other posts about the history of specific houses, or streets etc in the index here

And to find every mention of an individual or family here see the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu where you will find over 4,300 names. 

©Marlow Ancestors. You may reuse this blog post and / or the image of Linden Villa for family and local history purposes if you credit this blog and link to it so all my sources remain credited for the information they provided. 

Sources:

Great Marlow Parish Registers

GRO death certificate Jemima Price

GRO death Index, online accessed from them November 2020.

Bucks Herald 10th January 1880, copy of paper held by the British Library, accessed online by me November 2020 via the BNA. [Death notice Mabel Calcutt]

Ordnance Survey map Great Marlow 1899.

My transcription of England and Wales census 1841-81 censuses.

To read more about Rosa Cannon's death and her illnesses before it see:

South Bucks Standard 26TH June 1891. British Newspaper Archive in collaboration with the British Library.

List Of Landlords Of The Hope, High Street

Updated by Charlotte June 2026

1859 - To let having undergone some renovations. Was probably less than a decade old. On the site of two much older, shabby shops that were pulled down. Previous occupants included the William Cock(s) shoemakers and grocers, and William Henry Brown, also a grocer (and baker / confectioner, later moved to other side of High Street). The stone casing around the windows in the image above was added later when it became the Capital and Counties Bank (1900) Fullers of Maidenhead the brewery.

1860 - Thomas Rackstraw. Fined 10 shillings for having his premises open after 11pm.

1861-66 Thomas Rackstraw (also cordwainer)  In 1866 he is fined 10s plus 9s costs for selling beer after 11pm on a Saturday. This was followed by a 40s fine for selling beer during prohibited hours on a Sunday later that year!

1869-70 William George Marks. Also a boot and shoe maker, fishmonger and tobacco dealer! William went bankrupt.

1870 - Daniel Walker. Also cabinet maker. He was the son of carpenter and parish constable Thomas Walker. See the role of Thomas in the 1847 riots here.

1875 - Daniel Walker has died at The Hope aged just 44. His widow Sarah takes over. 

1877- Sarah Walker

1881 - Sarah Walker (born Norfolk according to this year's census)

1884 - 1. Mrs Sarah Walker 2. William Cannon (holdover but subsequent permanent transfer to him refused by authorities due to a conviction for allowing drunkeness on the premises) 3. J.H Simpole / Simple. John was a former member of the police on the Great Western Railway but most recently had been working as an insurance agent in Shrewsbury.

1885 - John Horatio Simpole.

1886 - John Simpole. Sold business. 2. Alpheus Taylor. Alpheus had apparently been selling beer out of the premises illegally prior to gaining a licence. It seems the bench accepted an initial plea of confusion over paperwork but did not grant him more than a hold over in the end. Alpheus was also a carpenter. He had previously ran the Herne's Oak pub in Chinnor and later went to the White Hart in Money Row Green, Holyport, Berkshire.

1887 -1. A Taylor 2. James Tarrant

1888 - 1. James Tarrant. 2. Thomas Parker

1890 - Thomas Parker W. Harry Rockell?  3.Harry Roberts

1891 - Harry Roberts (born Kempsford, Glos)  "The Hope Beerhouse"

1892 - 1. John Roberts who  transfers to Henry Thomas. 2. Henry Thomas transfers premises on holdover to Thomas Richards. 3. Thomas  J  Richards transfers to Edward J Briggs. In August, the local press reported that puzzled drinkers had found the beer house was locked up and apparently unoccupied when they arrived on a Tuesday evening. This was when the holdover had been granted to Thomas Richards. A week later "no solution to the mystery is as yet forthcoming." It seems that there was trouble finding a permanent landlord acceptable to both the brewery and the magistrates who grant the premises licence. 

1896 - E J Briggs  2. George Hall

1897 George Hall transferred to George Howe/Howall/Howell. We know that the names of Hall and Howe / Howall but they are not the same person,this was a definite transfer. [George Hewett & William H Moore also tried unsuccessfully to get the licence] 2. Later in the year licence transferred as a holdover to Charles Lewis Gomm. A full transfer of the licence to Gomm was allowed the following year. 

1900 - Frederick Barber gave way to Charles Leopold Smith in January. It was noted at the annual licensing hearings in August that no application had been made to renew the licence of these premises. Instead the building was to be converted into the Capital and Counties Bank, after extensive remodelling. 

For similar posts see Pub Related on the menu.

SOURCES INCLUDED

Berkshire Chronicle - 01 December 1884, held at the British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA 

South Bucks Standard August 9 1892, 18 December 1896 as above

Bucks Herald, 01 September 1888, as above

Maidenhead Advertiser - 24 December 1884. 

Marlow Guide & Directory 1891

Marlow Guide 1905

Marlow "Almanack" 1907

Census records 1861,1881,1891

Kellys Directory 1864, 1877,1883, 1911

©MarlowAncestors. You are welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes but please credit this blog and link back here to ensure our original sources remain credited for the information provided. Thank you. 

Call The Apothecary! An Alternative Medical History of Great Marlow

This is a post about the medical help, (or hindrance) available to your Marlow ancestor during a time of illness in Georgian and Victorian times. Many of those who we would call doctors, surgeons, pharmacists and midwives have or will feature in their own posts as individuals as will the Cottage Hospital. But this is an overview of how things worked in practice in Marlow specifically if you did not or could not consult a regular doctor. 

Usually we think of the "doctors" of the time as being divided into physicians, who made the diagnosis, the lesser ranked surgeons who did operations, and below them the apothecaries making up and dispensing medicine, patent medicine sellers, quacks, and "wise women" and midwives. Things were not that simple though. Physicians were expensive, university trained and relatively scarce. I have found no medical practitioner in Marlow defining themselves as a physician during this period, but "Doctor of Physick" Stephen Chase was based in Little Marlow in the 1730's and 40's. There are however many surgeons - all male of course - and a good number of them also referred to themselves as apothecaries, so they were effectively acting as something approaching a GP eg George Rawden Robson. 

The apothecaries were for many the first port of call in an illness. We tend to think of them as a kind of early chemist operating out of a shop and using herbal and sometimes dangerous ingredients. But many of our Marlow men were the ones called to make a home visit to the sick as one of the first ports of call. When reading narratives of deaths and illness, the pattern that emerges is something like this ..When someone first fell ill, the family would try and do what they could at home for them. They may make up a medicine from what they kept at home, use a patent medicine held on standby or go to a one of the druggists for a tried and trusted remedy. If this did not work, most called in the apothecary who would both diagnose the condition and prescribe a cure, hopefully. Only those who had more funds would routinely call in the surgeon-apothecary. For example, when 69 year old Hannah Croxon suffered severe burns in 1869, the person called in was "pharmaceutist" (as he then described himself) Tildesley mentioned above. Poor Hannah had tried to top up an oil lamp while it was already lit. The oil caught and the "flare" travelled up her arm and then set her dress aflame. Tildesley was the only person who attended Hannah before the unfortunate lady died of "nervous exhaustion" 2 days later. (There was more than one Hannah Croxon in Marlow at this time. Our victim here is the wife of bargeman William, not baker James.) 

 If there was an accident, a surgeon was the usual person called, and he sometimes performed an operation at the nearest convenient place, otherwise at his premises, usually his home. For example when surgeon Dr Henry French of West Street sells up in 1861, he is described as having a "neatly fitted up surgery and consulting room ..well supplied with water" which is to be sold with all the usual fixtures of surgery. Surgery is this sense is not just a doctors practice but an actual place to do operations. Later the Provident Nursing Association, and the Cottage Hospital would provide care - and an operating theatre in the case of the latter. Dr French was a former army and general surgeon and teacher of anatomy who later specialised in the treatment of eye conditions. He ran an eye clinic and "opthalmic dispensary" at West Street in the 1850's, on Mondays and Thursdays 10-12. Advice given to the poor for free. He was also a midwife. Male midwives or "accoucheurs" were the expensive option, the other prominent Marlow man to fill this role is John Tildesley in the later Victorian period. He was also a dentist. 

The most famous apothecary associated with Marlow is James Chase who lived at Westhorpe House between 1684 and his death in 1721.  James followed in his father's footsteps and acted as the apothecary to the Royal court. He served William III, Queen Anne and George I. 

Most of the patent medicines sold by the likes of George Cannon and John Howe, were made to secret recipes we don't really know if they may have had any actual affect on the conditions they were supposed to cure. A tour of both their shops is available here, and here but one thing you will notice is they were both booksellers. These and stationers routinely sold patent medicines, made up in chemists elsewhere. They were respectable tradesmen and the treatments they sold may not actually have contained different ingredients to the cures prescribed by the doctors. The remedies might sound strange to us now, but they could only work with the medical knowledge of their time. The people who may unintentionally have sold useless or even dangerous treatments were different from "quacks" who knowingly sold what they knew to be ineffective or adulterated. 

However a report from 1795 showed the danger that could come from untrained grocers in Marlow acting as druggists. John Mason Goode  collected some examples, and published them on the request of The Committee of the General Pharmaseutic (qv) Association. He reported that some unnamed grocers and a druggist at Marlow had caused "lamentable and deleterious effects" by mistaking arsenic for cream of tartar. Tincture of opium was given instead of tincture of senna. As a result of these type of errors, a woman nearly died. 

Marlow suffered a few medical scams from the above mentioned quacks. We may be suspicious of a few "medicine" sellers who tended to pop up at Marlow Fair offering brilliant solutions to every possible condition. It's interesting that even at the time these were called a con -not everyone was equally gullible but also not everyone was equally desperate for a cure affordable to them. A particularly unpleasant scam was ran in 1836. A man calling himself Dr Hamilton arrived in Marlow smartly dressed and accompanied by a respectable looking wife. He claimed to have come from an Edinburgh medical school (one of the most prestigious places to receive medical training) and he was in the neighbourhood to treat some important cases that demanded his particular attention and expertise. So he had made arrangements to spend a few months in Marlow and while here, he would generously find time to see the local sick. He distributed handbills in the streets stating that he would see the sick for free - they would just have to pay for the remedies prescribed, and supplied by Dr Hamilton himself. This naturally attracted the attention of those who would normally struggle to afford a doctors fees. He produced shining testimonials of how his miracle remedies had cured many a high class person. Queues formed and the doctor issued a lot of prescriptions. He asked for payment in advance for this, with the medicine due to be delivered to the patients later. But it never came. When the doctor had received enough money, he absconded without paying any bills and without curing anyone. For the poor who had pawned their possessions to pay for treatment or taken out a loan, it was a cruel trick. It emerged that Dr Hamilton and his distinctive yellow gig had also taken rooms in Reading, Windsor and Maidenhead and enacted the same scam there. He was believed to have come from Wales, and does not seem to have ever been caught. A description was circulated - he was apparently fond of plaid trousers. 

It was not unusual for medical men to come to Marlow and see patients over a short period of time before moving on in their "tour". So Dr Hamilton popping up out of the blue was not a red flag in itself. For example Monsieur Mallan arrived from London in 1838 to cure Marlow's dental problems "for a limited time". The gentleman seems to make quite bold claims but he does not seem to have attracted any complaints. He aimed to restore decayed teeth using a mineral "succedalteum" which in a few seconds would harden into something resembling enamel and allay pain. He also used it to secure loose teeth, but if it was too late for that, he would  provide replacement teeth either natural or artificial "fixed painlessly and without springs, clasps or wires." 

Later in the period, the place to go for patent cures was more likely to be a chemist than a bookseller or grocer. In late Victorian and Edwardian times, Marlow was flooded with ads from our chemists for the brilliant preparations of their own devising they could offer. Increasingly they were for beauty products too. Special mention goes to chemist Walter Duplock who in 1906 managed to get a testimonial for the effectiveness of his exclusive Voxine throat drops from no less than Madame Melba, a regular Marlow visitor. She said they were pleasant to take and should be more widely known. He reproduced this hand written note in many an advert. Going back further, testimonials to the efficacy of various patent medicines were a feature in both local and national newspapers. I have often come across those alleged to have been written by Marlow residents. You might imagine these people didn't actually exist outside the imagination of the writer of the advert, but in fact they were usually the names of real traceable Marlow people at least. Whether the choice of words was their own or suggested by the seller is uncertain but set phrases do tend to get recycled. For example in 1725, Great Marlow resident, the barge-man William Pudsey had apparently contributed a testimonial to a pamphlet about the wonders of Dr Bateman's Pectoral Drops. William tells us he had long suffered a cold and rheumatism as well as a swollen jaw for which he could receive no "ease or rest". He had sought at great expense treatments from doctors and apothecaries to no avail. Then someone had told him that he should try the Bateman's Drops which were often advertised with testimonials in the Northampton Mercury. (It covered the Marlow area for news at this point.) He bought a bottle from Christopher Irwin who offered a number of patent medicines. And lo and behold William had a miraculous cure. To the surprise of all who knew him in his previous "deplorable condition", William "recovered my former health and strength in very short time."

We have gathered the names of many Marlow women who acted as midwives -  many who saw into the world hundred of babies. Surgeons were usually only called in if difficulties arose. Unregistered midwife Sarah Ann Price had for example helped to deliver 900 youngsters in her estimation by 1903. More on her here 

Other medical related posts:

Biography of hospital surgeon and doctor Dr John Dunbar Dickson here

Call the Apothecary here

Marlow Hero Nurse Cassidy here

Matron Mary Cole here

Benjamin Atkinson, surgeon here

Midwife Sarah Price here

The first Cottage Hospital and Provident Nursing Club here

More about the Cottage Hospital and the move to Glade Rd site  here 

SOURCES

"Apothecary" - Reasons why the apothecary may be suppos'd to understand the administration of medicines in the cure of disease. (Luke Stokoe 1704)

Corfe, George. The Apothecary Ancient and Modern (Stock, 1885)

Goode, John Mason, History of medicine in so far as it relates to the apothecary. 1795. 

The Pharmaceutical Journal, December 1st 1877, Vol 8 (Pharmaceutical Society, 1878), digitised by Google. 

Kelly's Directory Bucks 1883 (Kelly's Directories Ltd,1883)

Bucks Gazette, 20 August 1836, British Library Archive.

Reading Mercury 25 August 1838

Windsor and Eton Express March 15 1856. 

Bucks Herald, 12 May 1861. 

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/nfca/projects/studentresearch/supernatural 

Marlow Guide 1905.

A Treatise on the Virtues of Dr Bateman's Pectoral Drops (William Dicey, 1739) US National Library of Medicine collection, made available through the InternetArchive. 

©Marlow Ancestors

The 1890's Flu Pandemic in Marlow

In early 1890, doctors in Marlow were becoming aware that the flu epidemic in London was rapidly spreading through the home counties and it could only be a matter of time before Marlow fell victim. They had seen a great number of smaller scale epidemics, notably measles and scarlet fever, and were probably relatively sanguine about another. Flu was not infrequently found in our neighbourhood, and a few seasonal cases were inevitable. In February, Henley was reported to be in the grip of the latest outbreak, and by May the Chesham Examiner said the town was undergoing an "invasion of influenza". Although this initial outbreak is supposed to have lasted only a couple of months, it would return in at least two further waves. Marlow's illness peaks do not always neatly fit with the national pattern. Based on local reports of those suffering and not just dying, it seems that the principle danger period in Marlow began in December 1891 and continued into the following spring. 

The first cases of what would become known as Russian flu or Asian flu, are believed to have reached the UK from Europe in 1899. It eventually spread throughout the world, and is believed to be responsible for around 1 million deaths in the early 1890's. Local newspapers here reported a belief that the first British cases had been seen in Devon and Cornwall although modern sources believe London is a more likely place. 

Initially, the doctors reporting here to local authorities were pleased to say that despite the flu, the death rate had not risen. The reason that the flu was causing such alarm, was the severity of the symptoms, which were clearly different from the ordinary strain. Doctors had quickly identified that the illness appeared to attack the central nervous system and could initiate extreme depression, lethargy, and an inability to sleep. It was also characterised by severe muscle pain, and sharp pains in the eyes. 

Contemporary reports said two common early symptoms were a sudden sharp frontal headache, the pain in the eyes, and a "nervous depression". Others reported vertigo and nausea coming on suddenly. A high fever followed, lasting 2-4 days, with aching limbs, and often insomnia. A gastric variation, causing frequent vomiting was also reported, mainly affecting children.

Doctors at St Thomas hospital, London quoted in our local newspapers, felt the eye pain was especially characteristic, with even the slightest movement causing discomfort. They noticed that a reddening of the conjunctiva seemed to prelude the otherwise sudden onset of symptoms and so suspected the disease would enter the body through the eyes. 

These unpleasant symptoms caused the disease to be "much dreaded" by those who had not yet experienced it first hand. As a result local authorities elsewhere in the country were reportedly threatening to impose hefty £5 fines on those with influenza who "exposed" themselves outside. (E.G in Walmer and Ashford in Kent)  No quarantine requirements were however made of others who had come in close contact with the infected person.

Among the first prominent Marlow fatalities, in April 1891, was the "genial and kindly" John Hoddinott of The Fishermens Retreat hotel in St. Peters Street.  After a "sharp attack" he succumbed to congestion of the lungs. The Maidenhead Advertiser, in noting his death, remarked that John had been held in "great regard and esteem by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance".

The press contained many reports of how quickly the illness could develop. In Marlow, 2 year old Horace William Campbell, was described as being as "lively as a cricket" on a Tuesday before falling ill the following afternoon, and dying on the Friday. He was the only child of Richard and Annie Lucy of Avonmore.

 It also factored in the death of those already suffering poor health, such as High street chemist Rosa Calcutt of Little Marlow (nee Cannon). A late attack of influenza was thought to bring Rosa to such a state of exhaustion that she could not survive an operation. The latter was performed as a desperate attempt  to help with a long term and medically puzzling internal complaint.

Dr Telvey, quoted by the Reading Mercury, reminded readers that for most people the disease was mild in it's long term affects and recovery quick. He expected those who retired for immediate bed rest to be able to carry on their usual business in 10-14 days after the symptoms first appeared. It was not something in his opinion that deserved the "excessive apprehension upon which in some quarters it is regarded". He did acknowledge that for the infirm and the aged, the Russian flu did constitute a "real danger".  

It seemed to affect all classes although the advice to stay in bed was obviously easier to follow for those who could afford to have servants managing their household. At the other end of the social scale, the master of Maidenhead Workhouse in December 1891 reported a "terrible fortnight" after almost all the female residents, as well as the matron, laundress and nurse were stricken down. Two adult residents  died as a result of the outbreak. 

It showed no sign of abating locally throughout January 1892, despite hopes expressed that the cold would suppress the virus. In fact, the Reading Mercury said it appeared to be spreading at an alarming rate in the Marlow district, and indeed throughout the world, the doctors having "great difficulty" in attending all the patients. An elderly lady in Marlow had died of flu just before the paper was published. However, just a couple of weeks later, the same paper reported the virus appeared to be coming less virulent. Not a moment too soon for local businesses who reported having scarcely enough hands available to do their work. It was this month that the Queen's 28 year old grandson, the Duke of Clarence, died two weeks after falling ill with the virus.

Sadly, the flu was back in Marlow at the end of 1893, with Mrs Somers Cocks of Lymbrook (previously Thames Bank) counting among the fatalities. This outbreak was thankfully more short-lived. 

While the doctors could not always agree on the causes of the flu, the advice on how to treat it was a little more universal. Bed rest, a liquid food diet, and an avoidance of draughts usually figured. The South Bucks Standard advised a tincture of Quinine as a useful remedy if not a complete cure. 

Interestingly, reported relapses or reinfections seem to have been quite common. A Dr Parsons, quoted in The Daily News, said a resurgence of symptoms was frequent 10-14 days after the  first attack, which he put down to an exposure to cold before a total recovery had been made. It seems initial infection did not give much immunity. 

The grave of flu victim John Hoddinott, (d.1st May 1891 aged 63) along with wife Elizabeth who died June 23 1916 age 84

Grave of Horace William Campbell tiny victim of the flu pandemic.

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

SOURCES/FURTHER READING 

Henley Advertiser - February 1st 1890, held in British Library archive, and accessed via the BNA November 2020. 

Chesham Examiner, May 14 1890, as above. 

Maidenhead Advertiser - May 6, June 24, December 30, 1891. January 4 1892, December 13 1893 - as above

South Bucks Standard - June 26, December 11 1891, as above. 

Reading Mercury - January 9, 16 1892 - as above

Bucks Herald  - January 16 1892 - as above

For an overview of the outbreak in Europe see International medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research

This 

See Here for Guardian article about the possibility of the virus having crossed from cattle to humans as a form of coronavirus.

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Another view of Horace Campbell's grave.