Edwardian St Peter Street / St Peter's Street

 Marlow St Peter /St Peter's Street residents in the Edwardian era (taking the popular definition for the era as extending 1901-1914). Some earlier and later incidents in the lives of those mentioned are also given to give a rounder picture.

EDWARDIAN PROPERTY NUMBERS (used here) ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME AS THOSE OF TODAY. Some of these properties no longer exist. A few people may be missing here, we will work to get them added. 

Odd numbered properties=

The Old Parsonage - Mrs Fanny Havell  Morgan, a widow with her unmarried adult children Alice and William James. William was the manager of the Morgan family draper's shop in the High Street / Market Square. More on this long standing business and William here . By 1915 Mr H L Slocock was the resident.

The Deanery - Heneage Legge, a retired unmarried army colonel from 1907 to 1911. Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds 1906+ and former Conservative M.P for St George's Hanover Square constituency in London. One of the many Vice-Presidents of Marlow Regatta. He gave a speech to the local schoolchildren as part of the Empire Day celebrations in 1909 in which he told them that within the British Empire there lived a total population 90 thousand times greater than that of Marlow. All of the children present should work for the Empire and pray for the King he said. He then warned the little boy's amongst them that they might have to fight to defend the Empire one day and they should be prepared to die as a result. Way to go top of the list of people not to invite to a children's party, Heneage. You can see a photo of him on the National Portrait Gallery website here. Heneage died November 1911. The Deanery seems to have been empty for a little while afterwards.

Catholic Church. Exterior restored in 1904. Interior redecorated 1910.

Catholic Mixed School (infants) This was considered upon official inspection in 1910 to be poorly lit and with too few toilets. Grace Crowther of the Convent School (see below) also supervised this school which had around 90 pupils. Unlike the Convent  School this was not a private school.

No 7 Catholic Rectory  Canon Bernard Smith until his death in 1903 (full biography of him on the blog here ) then Father Squirrell, then from 1909 Father Arthur Tillet (bn c 1875-76). Arthur was the priest at Marlow for many years. He had been a student at St Mary's Roman Catholic College, Erdington, Warwickshire though he was of Norfolk origin. In 1912 he held a mass for those who died in the Titanic disaster.

Convent School (the Catholic Upper School) - supervised by Miss Grace Crowther who also lived on the premises. This school on this site was formerly ran by nuns hence the popular name but they left in the early 1880s. Back then it has been a mixed school for children of all classes but in Edwardian times it had been transformed into a school for girls. Grace had been the head since at least 1886. In 1889 money was stolen from her desk in a robbery by a hungry and homeless Henry Lacey, a boy whose father routinely locked him and his siblings out of their home and refused to let them back in. He wanted to buy himself some food. He was jailed for 2 weeks for the offence but no one seemed to do anything to punish the father, the real cause of the problem. The Convent upper school of the Edwardian era was described as a prestigious if small school for the children of rich Catholics. Four of her pupils aged between 12 and 18 boarded with Grace at the time of the 1901 census and she had two live in domestic servants. She later described herself as working for Buckinghamshire County Council as a teacher, at the Catholic mixed school above. Grace originated from Todmorden. Her date of birth wanders all about in the census but it would appear that it was correctly 1856 and that her parents Crossley and Mary and her siblings emigrated to the USA in 1873 on the Royal Mail Steamship the SS Algeria. Grace was already living away from home in 1871. Nevertheless to be willingly left behind in Britain without her parents or siblings at the age of just 17 must have been quite something. It certainly suggests a spirit of independence. 

Unplaced property somewhere around this point in the street later Victorian times to early 1900s - The boarding house of William and Mary Ann Betts (nee Hawks). Mary was the main head of the business and was assisted by her niece Sarah Godfrey who lived in. The Betts had previously operated the Queen public house in Quoiting Square. Following the death of her husband Mary took her niece and moved away from this street. Her "boarding house" seems to have consisted of two rooms rented out as one piece of accommodation. For many years  Charles Gibbons a commercial traveller for the wine and spirits trade had taken the rooms. He had once had a brewery in St Peter Street but the business collapsed. Though he moved to Maidenhead in around 1876/77 he kept up his friendship with Mary Ann and visited her whenever his business brought him to Marlow. Sadly in 1880 Charles was found dead with horrific injuries on the train line between Marlow and Maidenhead. It was supposed four different trains had gone over him while he lay on the track. Earlier in the day he had been visiting the Betts. Mary Ann Betts gave evidence at the inquest into his death, saying that both she and her niece had spoken to Charles and though he had some new money troubles he did not seem to be in low spirits. An open verdict was recorded.

The Nook - W Gibson then Charles Berry who remained into the 1920s. Not to be confused with Glade Nook in Glade Road.

River Cottage  mysterious. Seems to have been empty or non existent for most of the era but just afterwards in 1915 the home of Mrs Zuccani.

No. 13 William John Hutchins / Hutchings, sometimes known simply by his middle name and his wife Florence. Their ancient cottage consisted of just two rooms. William had worked as a boilersmith for Great Western Railways as well as formerly being the lock keeper at Temple Lock. Florence informally provided food for some of those who camped at the lock or passed through it in a boat. The campers, most of whom were from privileged backgrounds, often rented a spot on the lock island for the whole season and left their tents up whether they were there or not. Back in 1896 a teenage boy presented himself to Florence at the Lock Keeper's cottage and said he had been sent by one of the absent campers to keep an eye on his tent and he was to be kept and fed by her, bills to be sent to the camper at home in London. The boy disappeared after 3 days. Investigations revealed the camper had never seen him before in his life!

No. 15 Mary Butler born circa 1871, a self-employed needlewoman. Her niece Ethel Butler a teacher lived with her. She was appointed to the Infant School in St Peter Street in 1902. Their home was a very old cottage.  Ethel has retired and was still living at no 15 in the late 1930s.

No 17 a very old cottage of just three rooms at this point. Mrs Kezia(h) Corby, a widow, and her sister Caroline Smith. Earlier in the Edwardian era Kezia's children Charlie (bn circa 1873 a hotel barman) and Kate (bn circa 1886 an embroiderer) lived at home too. When Keziah died Caroline continued to live there alone. Both of these women were embroiderers too. Keziah had lived in St Peter's Street for some years with her husband Henry before his death.

No 19 Mrs Sparks early in the era. 

Fishermens Retreat former pub now small hotel ran by Mrs Elizabeth Hoddinott assisted by her daughter also called Elizabeth. Catered for boating and fishing parties. Was seen as a "high class" place of accommodation. More info here

Buckinghamshire Chair Company (behind)- detailed history of this business here.

Weir House let out as apartments 1903 by John Clark(e) Truss (see below). Had been split into apartments for at least 12 years at this point. Members of the Truss family were still hiring out apartments there in the late 1930s. In 1911 Eliza and Hugh Sutcliffe (a bookmaker) seem to have let the whole premises and sublet one or more rooms to a man described as their lodger, Stanley Smith. Jack Langley who was later a very successful bookmaker on his own account worked for him and became a St Peter Street resident himself when he bought Bridge House in 1913. See below. A Miss Lupton by the end of the Edwardian era was also a tenant of Weir House.

The Two Brewers pub Emily Sophia Truss then John Clarke Truss and his wife Henrietta. Like many pubs of the Edwardian era this one had a Slate Club. Pub was popular with early motoring visitors as it had a lock up garage.

Even numbered properties=

The Public Hall / Cinema combined. Both under the management of Horace Lacey of Station Road. A detailed post about the silent era film shows in the building is already on the blog here.

6-8 National School, Girls (built 1871) and Infants School (built 1868) front part of the site had  two houses for the head teachers. National School (Girls) =Miss Elizabeth Hunt head in 1907, previously head of the Infant's school on the same premises. She retired due to ill health in 1909 after 40 years of service to education at the school. In a presentation upon her leaving Elizabeth was given a gift of £35 collected by well wishers. A little more about Elizabeth can be found in this post. The girls' school had been expanded with two new classrooms and additional cloakrooms during the Edwardian era but was still considered cramped. After Elizabeth left she was replaced as head teacher by Mrs Mary Collins. As Mary lived with her husband Henry /Harry in Chapel Street the live in accommodation due to her within the school premises (numbered no 6 St Peter Street) was  instead let out to William and Annie (nee Jesty) Alloway. William was a house painter. / Infants School (built 1868) whose head was Victor Kibblewhite in 1907. In 1905 he became the Secretary of the Marlow Literary and Scientific Institute. He was also a member of the Rifle and Cricket clubs in the town. Victor was later a town councillor. The school heads usually resided on the premises in St Peter Street and Victor, his wife Ella and their children were no different (their living portion was officially no 8 St Peter Street).  When the new Boys' C of E school opened in Trinity Road he transferred there and the family made a new home at St Ronans Claremont Gardens. During the First World War Victor served on the town Food Control Committee. 

Dial House- Mrs Winter and Selina White, at end of era Mrs Ward. I have a post on the blog already about the Winter family of Dial House see here.

Dial Cottage - ?

The Old Malt House Mrs Emma Hoare of next door Bridge House bought this property in 1897 for £1600 from the executors of Mrs Greenwood. It was used as a summer home by some of her children. Rear Admiral Sir Sydney Marow Eardley Wilmot (bn 1847) made the property his home from circa 1909 and remained there till at least the early 1920s with his wife Grace nee Hoare daughter of Emma Hoare above. The property may have in fact been Grace's inheritance from her mother. Sydney was a twice published novelist and the author of two naval history books. One of his novels The Battle Of The North Sea was written during the time he was officially a resident of Marlow however he and Grace often travelled abroad so I can't guarantee that he actually sat down and wrote any pages in Marlow. He was knighted in 1909 for his Naval services. In an accidental explosion during a training exercise he had lost one of his hands.

Bridge House - Mrs Emma Hoare, widow of Thomas Rolls Hoare who had died in 1892. House put up for sale by auction in 1909 following her death aged 86 at her London house. Bridge House was described then as a Jacobean style home with 15 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, a boat house, summer house and tennis court. Emma had apparently lived in Hastings and London jointly prior to moving to Marlow but she had visited the town as a regular summer guest before the move. She bought Bridge House in 1898 and if she was away on her summer holidays let out it out to tourists for the river season. She found the garden prone to flooding and her home to have drainage issues so soon after moving in asked the council to improve the drainage and provide a curbed pavement for St Peter Street down both sides. She offered to demolish the part of her stables that jutted 8 feet into the road to enable this. The council accepted her offer but did not end up kerbing the whole street as she had asked. The was the cause of an inordinate amount of discussion and trouble. 

After Mrs Hoare, Mrs Stephenson Smith briefly kept Bridge House as her summer holiday home. She was robbed while the house was shut up. The teenage thief got away with her fur lined coat, a pearl cross, an ornamental dagger and various other items. Not all those pieces of property were successfully recovered.

In 1913 Bridge House was bought by John "Jack" Langley, the chairman of Marlow Urban District Council. See here for a biography of John and Jack Langley. See above also. 

Sources=

Regatta Programme 1911.

Marlow Directory and Almanack 1891,  1907 and 1915 editions by Marlow Printing Company.

Kelly's Post Office Directory of Bucks etc 1895, 1911, 1915 editions.

1901 census of England and Wales, transcribed from microfilm, National Archives by Charlotte Day or Jane Pullinger except 1901 Erdington Warwickshire which was https://www.rootspoint.com/search/?CollectionKey=UK1901&FirstName=Arthur&MiddleName=&LastName=&BirthPlace=&LivedIn=Warwickshire+erdington+court&BirthYear=&MatchType=defaultex&submit=Search

South Bucks Standard June 1909 and 11th March 1898 from the British Library Archives, accessed via the BNA.

Maidenhead Advertiser clipping March 18th 1914.

Maidenhead Advertiser 12th June 1889, via Baylis Media Archives online.

Wikipedia article on Eardley-Wilmot https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Eardley-Wilmot

Advertising literature, personal letters.

 G.R.O death registrations from the G.R.O online except m of William Alloway which was 

"England and Wales, Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2D6G-DLL : 13 December 2014), William Thomas Alloway, 1909; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1909, quarter 4, vol. 3A, p. 1554, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. 

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. 

Munday Dean Great Marlow History -UPDATED November 2025

 First some photos taken March 2021:

Denelands Farm, above

Munday Dean Farm, above

Munday Dean farm barn, above

Monday Dean Farm, above 

Munday Dean Lane, above, was widened in December 1905. 

Some History:

Richard Corby, yeoman had Munday Dean Farm in 1721. In his will proved the next year he left the farm house with pasture, arable and wooded lands to his son Robert. Possibly the lease only.

In a will written 1788 and proved the next year widow Elizabeth Plumridge widow of William left her messuage (house), cottages, garden, yard and land at Munday Dean, apparently the farm, to trustees for the benefit of Richard Corby of Red Pits near Marlow her "poor kinsman" until Richard's son Thomas was 21 then to Thomas himself. At that time the property was being rented by James Hollworthy. She also Richard and Thomas a cottage with barn, small meadow and garden at Hambledon which a Thomas Stallwood then occupied. Thomas Corby was to pay his brother Ambrose a guinea from the estate. Elizabeth's will was very long and detailed even specifying that the soil in the ground on her land belonged to Richard then Thomas! She didn't bequeath the worms in the earth to them but she probably just forgot about that... 

Elizabeth Corby had married William Plumridge at Hughenden 1757.

A Thomas Corby Senior, probably the same man as in Elizabeth Plumridge's will, still occupied some 67 acres of land at Munday Dean in 1833.

William Webb was a husbandmen also working part of Munday Dean Farm by 1773 until his death in the late 1790s.

Thomas Jonathan Oxlade left in his 1822 will his one third part of Munday Dean Farm with several cottages and woodland amounting to 20 acres. It was then in the tenure of Robert Oxlade and Richard Russell.

In 1829 the farm was in the occupation of Elizabeth Sawyer and Thomas Wyatt.

In 1861 Munday Dean Farm was in the tenure of John Simmonds and amounted to 87 acres. John lived there with his wife Catherine children and 2 young employees- 11 year old shepherd Matthew Bird and 15 year old George Wells who was working as a carter.

In 1883 labourer Henry Beaver was convicted of stealing 14 pieces of wool from the farm, which was then the property of General Owen Williams. The estimated value of the wool was £14 12 shillings 6 pence.

The farm bailiff in 1885 was James Langford.

In 1905 the farm was up for sale and consisted of a 5 bedroom farmhouse, cowhiuse, granary, carthouse, piggery, stable, orchard and 4 cottages. It was then reckoned to be 104 acres.

It was the home of Lady Joan Hartwell in 1930 when she was summoned for driving her motor car without a licence in High Wycombe.

*****

In 1895 further down Munday Dean Lane, nearer to Marlow, Frank Collins was found to be gambling in the highway with a game of chance and summoned to court to be fined. Slightly out of the way country lanes or little frequented town alleys were favourite places for young men to gather together to play illicit games of dice and marbles for money.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day. Photos and additional research by Kathryn Day.

Sources:

Will Richard Corby, PCC. Transcribed by Charlotte. Copies can be obtained from the National Archives.

Bucks Herald, Dec 1883. Copy held at the British Library Archives and accessed via the British Newspaper Archive.

South Bucks Standard July 1895, 2 March 1906. As above.

Will from the National Archives Kew transcribed by Charlotte: Elizabeth Meadows 1857, Elizabeth Plumridge 1789.

Kelly's Directory of Buckinghamshire 1883. Published by Kelly's Directories Limited.

Property records held by my family.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use these research or images for family or local history purposed with credit to this blog and a link here so that the sources listed above do not lose credit for the information which they provided.

 

Men Who Built Marlow Part 3

Young Lovell

Young James Lovell (yes his first name was Young) was born at Sydling St Nicholas in Dorset in 1842 to Mary and James Lovell. His father was a carpenter. James followed him into this trade. Far more of the major builders that I find began their working life as carpenters than bricklayers or masons. Young married his wife Charlotte Winifred Cresswell of Marlow at Marylebone in London in 1873 and moved to Marlow by July 1874.

He was at first the manager of the building business ran by the Corbys. They lived in the building which is now WH Smith in the High Street, Marlow and had additional now demolished workshops and a yard a little further along the High Street. In late 1876 following the retirement from illness of Thomas Corby junior, Young Lovell took over the business for himself. His office was at number 35 High Street the former premises of another Marlow builder William Bond. William is the subject of my post Men Who Built Marlow Part One here, while the Corbys are in Part Two here. 

Young carried on the tradition started by Corby, of having an annual Bricklayers v Carpenters Cricket match each September, all players being those who worked for his own company. The bricklayers seem to hold the overall record but matches were tight! 

In 1878 Young's apprentice James Howard was cautioned in court for leaving his apprenticeship with Young and ordered to return to him. 

Young's foreman in 1883 was Henry Young and in 1891 Edmund Coster.

His company in Marlow were responsible for (a small selection!):

1877-78 Demolition of the house Beechwood and rebuilding of it. He had to take legal action to get paid for this job. During the rebuilding bricklayer's labourer William East jumped from some brickwork onto some scaffolding in order to fetch something, causing a section of scaffolding to give way. William fell nearly 30 feet to the ground, dying of his injuries a few days later. Builders probably jumped about the scaffolding in those days a fair bit. The scaffolding was not found to be obviously faulty. 

1881- building of two new almshouses in Oxford Road.

1882- alterations to All Saints, the Parish church including a new roof and vestry. He was a church warden to the church.

1886- House Bohemia on the Bisham side of the river. £2436 paid.

1889-90 Marlow Institute, Institute Road (this is now the Library).

1893- Wooden isolation hospital at Marlow Common. Put up in just 6 days.

1893/4  Building of what is now the NatWest Bank building in the High Street. 

1895- new churchyard wall, All Saints.

1895- significant alterations and extensions to the George and Dragon, Causeway. Paid £114 10 shillings for this.

1895- 2 villas Institute Road.

1896- smaller alterations to the interior of the above church including adding a new door.

1897- adapted part of Cromwell House in the High Street into a Post Office.

Repairs to the Obelisk in Market Square.

Outside of Marlow:

1877- enlargement and improvement of Bisham Church.

1905-06 Built Windsor Police and Fire Stations.

While the day to day labour on the building sites would have been done by others, Young himself like many carpenters made coffins for local people. For perhaps no more reason than this quite a few of local families had him organise entire funerals for their loved ones. Many modern funeral directors have their roots as builders/carpenters long ago. 

He was also a Director of the Marlow Water Company and one of the organisers of the 1887 Jubilee celebrations in Marlow.

Young relaxed by playing the violin including in local concerts including at the Marlow Institute where he was Treasurer, entering shows with his vegetables and flowers, fishing, taking part in and organising billiards tournaments and by playing cricket for Marlow.

1905 advert.

He died in 1911. By then he and Charlotte lived in Beaumont Rise though the High Street premises were still used by the company. Their son Harry attended the Royal Engineering College before going to India as a civil engineer. When home he played football for Marlow. He was also a tennis player. As well as Harry there was a daughter Winifred, and two further sons Clifford Percy and Arthur Young. Little Arthur died as a baby. Clifford went off to be a builder in Gerrard's Cross and was the carrier of the family firm after Young's death.

Charlotte Winifred Lovell seems to have been a quiet person appearing in only a few social or charitable event lists with her husband or by herself. One event she did attend was a lavish Christmas party given in the Music Room, St Peter's Street for the children of the Catholic Church in 1899. Her daughter Winifred helped to serve food at the party. The family were not themselves Catholic (unless Charlotte and Winifred had converted at some point as some members of the wider Cresswell family had done). Young was a C of E churchwarden remember and he married Charlotte in a C of E church. The connection seems to be that Young was appointed by the Urban Council as the manager of the Catholic School. Presumably being a Catholic was not necessary for that. It was not the same role as head teacher - it seems to be concerned with financial and maintenance matters.

Charlotte also went to some scientific lectures at the Institute with her husband.

In 1902 the couple had an accident in Oxford Road Marlow when their pony and trap overturned. Young's shoulder was dislocated and Charlotte had cuts and bruises.

The firm Y.J Lovell founded by Young continued into the 2000s when it was renamed.

©Marlow Ancestors. 

Other posts related to building families: 

 (Men who Built Marlow) 

Bond here   

 Corby here 

Frederick Plumridge here

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

Sources:

London Metropolitan Archives, parish records.

Great Marlow census from microfilm transcribed by me. Census information always remains Crown Copyright.

GRO Death Index.

Reading Mercury 10th August 1878 (James Howard case).

Bucks Herald 11th June 1887 (jubilee)

SBS 30th June 1893 (isolation hospital) and 26th December 1902 (carriage accident).

Newspapers British Library Archives via their collaboration with the BNA.

Proverbial For It's Wickedness

Side of the chapel building. Photo taken October 2020.

POST UPDATED NOVEMBER 2024.

The Primitive Methodists were a group who aspired to follow a pure, close to the original form of Methodism. They arrived in Marlow before 1831, the date given by James Joseph Sheahan in his History and Topography of Buckinghamshire, for the erection of their first place of worship. Many of the early Primitive Methodist services were held outside, and they were not necessarily well received locally. The early preachers had to be brave men at times, undergoing both physical and verbal abuse. 

An example of this is the hair raising experience preacher George Griggs underwent while staying at Marlow in 1838. On his way here, he stopped to lead an open air Sunday afternoon service at Bisham, accompanied by a few friends. They began by singing hymns, their usual way of gaining attention. Unfortunately, they also gained the interest of a few inebriated men who made a raucous audience. The local clergyman came up and ordered Griggs out of the village, on the pretext they were causing a disturbance. A spirited exchange followed, and the clergyman departed, whether in defeat or to gather reinforcements isn't known. Griggs made a speech to anyone left sober enough to listen then retreated to Marlow. The following day he had in his sights a place apparently "proverbial for it's wickedness" - the village of Cookham Dean. Here he gathered a large audience, but again it was dominated by hecklers. Things got heated and poor George was thrown down to the ground twice, and attempts were made to tear off his coat. Two passing men apparently intervened at this point and George's coat was saved. One report even mentions the firing of guns, into the air we hope. Was he deterred? Not at all. The next week he was back in sinful Cookham Dean. Unfortunately so were the hecklers who this time formed a parade, lead by the unnamed daughter of a beer seller. They banged kettles and pans, sang "lewd songs" and generally tried to blot out George's words. One member of this raucous band is nevertheless said to have heard enough to inspire him to fall to his knees and weep for his sins. Or so it was later reported. However when George asked the audience to step forward and give their name and address if they wished to form a local group, no one moved. Not surprising given the reception George had recieved! But as he walked away, he was followed by a few individuals who did want to do just as he asked, now they were out of sight of their disapproving neighbours. The first meeting of this little group was said to have been made in a quarry, and was used later as an example of how unpromising beginnings could sometimes lead to success. Back in Marlow, George had a sleepless night, worried about the folk of Cookham. On waking he was filled with determination that they should have a meeting place at Cookham Dean, and so they did. Hiring a room at first, they got a chapel in 1842. 

 

Humble beginnings

I am not sure of the location of Marlow's 1831 Primitive Methodist Chapel but a new chapel was built near Dean street in 1841. It was located in Marefield Passage, which ran off Cambridge Road - the garages that stand between Creswell Row and Marefield Rd are it's approximate location today.  Later described as poor and small, the chapel was nevertheless big enough to accommodate a gallery extension in 1846 that increased capacity by 70 persons. In 1851, the average attendance was given as 200 persons for evening services, and 100 each at the morning and afternoon ones. There were then an average of 50 children attending the morning and afternoon Sunday Schools. 

Preacher James Hatch, born in Cookham Dean was a Primitive Methodist convert as a young man. He later moved to Marlow, working in his day job as a fisherman.  While he still attended the Cookham Dean Chapel at first, he later became one of the primary movers to build his fellow worshippers a more spacious place of worship in Marlow. So the building we now know as Liston Hall came into being. 

Handsome and commodious

It was not an easy undergoing for a relatively small congregation. It cost £1,920 pounds including the large Sunday school room, the purchase of land* (and the purchase of a neighbouring cottage according to some). Of this huge sum, only £700 had been raised before building began. It was completed and ready for use in 1875. James Hatch was then the treasurer and worked with "courage and self denying perseverance" to reduce the debt. He was able to make some dent in the amount, and prevented the high annual running costs from adding to what was owed. Known to carry his "collecting book" wherever he travelled, he is said never have lost the opportunity to solicit donations. But sadly he died suddenly aged 59 in 1882, by which time the building account was still not settled. (See notes below) A mention of a concerted drive to free the chapel of the hampering effect of lingering debt as late as 1907 suggests their funds were never very healthy. Unfortunately their membership had also declined at this point. 

Time capsules set in place

But back to the optimistic opening of the new chapel. Some of the funds for the Sunday school room in particular had been raised by the children attending it. In honour of their contribution, the boy and girl who raised the most were invited to take part in the ceremony to lay the foundation stones of the new schoolroom in 1874. Walter Lunnon and Lucy Smith were the lucky two youngsters allowed to lay bricks. Under the very first brick of this part, laid by Mr Simpson Carson, was a bottle come time capsule containing a newspaper and statistics, carefully placed in a cavity beneath by Mrs James Hatch. (A foundation stone bearing the name of J Hatch and family was also put in place.)

The laying of foundation stones for the main chapel part took place separately and attracted an audience of 250. The very first stone was laid by donor Mrs Davis and there is mention of a bottle time capsule placed under one of the corner stones on this occasion too. It contained newspapers and coins. Altogether 13 engraved cornerstones were placed around the building in honour of those who helped bring it about, although not all are easily visible now.

The Chapel in everyday life

The chapel may not have had an organ but it did have an harmonium and a small but enthusiastic choir so they must have livened up Chapel Street for passers by. They were blessed with a magic lantern bought especially for the pleasure of the Sunday School children and used on all kinds of treat days for them. They could also count on an annual school trip, with the beautiful Burnham Beeches a popular choice.  The children's library maintained by the Sunday School must have been invaluable to the poorer children in particular. In 1884 it had 133 volumes, paid for by voluntary contributions by the 10 teachers as well as the young pupils themselves. Those youngsters who attended Sunday School on a regular basis could also earn themselves a prize. 

Throughout the year the Chapel hosted various public teas, Band of Hope meetings, occasional moral lectures, and watch night celebrations on New Years Eve. The harvest festival was an especially beautiful time to visit, with every corner of the Chapel decorated. Fund raising bazaars were also a regular feature, usually offering produce, fancy goods made by the ladies of the congregation and in 1885 an intriguing sounding "curiosity show" of old artwork organised by Mrs Young. 

The Chapel was on the Maidenhead circuit of preachers and sometimes received visits from those based further away. Of course some Marlow men also went out to preach in the surrounding areas. Special mention must go to William Evans, affectionately known as Father Evans. He was born in Marlow, near the Swan Inn and later lived in Victoria Road. In 1888 he received a public tea and presentation in his honour thanks to his 50 years of service to Primitive Methodism. He continued to preach in the neighbourhood after this, walking 10 miles or more on a Sunday because he refused to travel by train on the Sabbath. Eventually he was forced to retire, not least because he became deaf, but he still attended services at the Marlow Chapel even so. He died age 84 in 1899, both of his wives having predeceased him. 

The Primitive Methodists joined the Wesleyan Methodists of Spittal Street in 1932, and the Chapel was put up for sale. It was bought for the town by Nesta Liston and then used for various purposes including a library.  It now hosts the Marlow Community Association. 

Mrs J Jones made a donation towards building the chapel hence this stone

Original front of building partially obscured by a later extension. There was a door below this window, with a small patch of grass and a gravel path in front. The date of 1874 indicates when the building work began - the foundation stones were laid in October of that year. It was ready for full use in 1875. 

Stone for the Rev'ds C Smith and C Spooner (of Windsor), ministers

 J Watson [Superintendent of  the Sunday School]

Mr R Wellicome [Richard] His design was used for the building according to contemporary reports. Although one also credits builder/architect Charles Carter with the design and builder Corby with the construction. Richard certainly designed the Wesleyan Methodist chapel in Spittal Street. 

? J S Carson [Capt. J Simpson Carson, who laid the first stone of the school room and received a silver trowel as a keepsake]

M.S Carson Esq [Marriott Simpson Carson, who laid the second stone of the Sunday school room, and received a bound copy of a history of Primitive Methodism as a memento. His wife also laid a stone but received no prize! ]

Mr H Roberts. Other stones commemorate Charles Carter, and supporters W Sellman and family, T Wheeler, W Neville, Miss J Jones and Miss Marks. 

* The land the chapel was built on included the former site of the boys day school run by Methodist George Cole. As Sergeant Cole he was formerly  employed the junior branch of the Royal Military Academy at Remnantz. He is credited with bringing the first organised Wesleyan Methodist meetings to the town, and driving the erection of their 1810 chapel.  See the grave of George in a post here

Researched and written by Kathryn Day with updates by Charlotte Day. Photos by Kathryn. 

NOTES

James Hatch was buried at the Cookham Dean Primitive Methodist Chapel, in a spot he had chosen years before when he was one of the people responsible for beautifying and properly enclosing the burial ground. The funeral was said to have been attended by many Marlow tradesman. There was no burial ground at the Marlow premises. Cookham chapel was rebuilt 1858. 

2. Within the larger Great Marlow  area, there was also a small Primitive Methodist Chapel at Lane End, erected 1861. 

Related posts: 

The Wesleyans at Marlow: 

here

Index of posts related to places of worship: here

Index of posts related to specific streets, business or buildings  see here

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

SOURCES

The History of the Primitive Methodism Connection.  Petty, John. (R Davies, 1864)

Primitive Methodist Magazine, 1847 and 1884. (Thomas Holliday, 1847,1884) 

Kelly's Post Office Directory 1853, 1869, 1939, Kelly's Directories Ltd. 

History and Topography of Buckinghamshire. Sheahan, James Joseph. (Longman, Green, Longman & Roberts, 1862)

1861 Census, transcribed from microfilm by Charlotte Day 

Maidenhead Advertiser, 7 November 1888 and 20 September 1889, from British Library Archive, and accessed via the BNA August 2020. 

Reading Observer, 17 October 1874, as above. 

South Bucks Standard 13 April 1894, 20 September 1907, as above. 

Buckinghamshire Returns of the census of religious worship 1851, Bucks Record Office. 

Slough, Windsor and Eton Observer October 17 1885 -Slough Library. 

©Marlow Ancestor

Men Who Built Marlow Part Two

Thomas Corby Senior and Junior of Great Marlow.

The elder Thomas was born circa 1785 in Medmenham according to the census.

Thomas Senior in partnership with Theophilus Clifford the stonemason in 1829 won the contract for brickwork and masonry for the new suspension bridge at Marlow. More on the extremely fraught building process here.

That bridge is the bridge you see today in Marlow.

In 1833 Thomas and his son lived parts of the same building in the High Street, shown below as it is today. Their builders yard, workshops and offices were a little further along the High Street in buildings demolished in 1969. 

Thomas Senior's part in that year had an annual value of £14 and consisted of his part of the house, a storeroom, lofts, yard and garden. His son's property consisted of his part of the house, and a garden with a total value of £11. There was only one entrance doorway for the premises. This fact when revealed to investigators in the 1840s would lose Thomas Junior his vote in elections as a separate householder even though his part of the property was valuable enough to qualify him otherwise. Thomas did not marry and always lived in the family home.

Thomas the elder in 1833 also owned and occupied 67 acres of farm land at Munday Dean just outside Marlow worth just over £55 a year. The Corby family had occupied land there for some years. He also had a kiln, shed and other buildings up at Marlow Common where he made bricks. (The fraught history of the brick kiln there will follow separately). 

In 1846 he and his son built the Catholic Church in St Peter's Street. They also built a Catholic chapel at Danesfield.

In 1851 he appeared on the census as a builder employing 30 men.

Thomas Senior died in 1853. (See his grave here ) In his will he left two houses in Staines Middlesex in trust for the benefit of his grandchildren. These were the children of his daughters Mary Ann (by marriage Rogers) and Emily (by marriage Croxford). His then unmarried daughter Charlotte received the furniture he had already given her to use when she kept a school, his bed and bedroom furniture, 3 cottages at ...(Swelley?) Place Great Marlow, 3 cottages at Bovingdon Green and £1000 which was invested. There was also money invested for his grandchildren, the children of his dead daughter Catherine Reeves and his son Henry Corby. 

Thomas Junior was left 5 cottages in Hambledon and a cottage in West Street Marlow. After his father's death he took over the business full time. On the 1861 census he was a builder and brick maker employing 47 men and 3 boys. His brickmakers went on strike in 1860 to demand a pay increase of a shilling per one thousand bricks made. Other local workers struck or asked for wage increases at that time due to price inflation of everyday goods.

Thomas Junior built Holy Trinity Church, the vicarage, the Roman Catholic School, the brick arch and stabling at New Court (1874) shown below (which involved first demolishing the two houses right next to his own home), the Little Marlow village school (1862), the novel wooden church at Handy Cross (1864) and the Primitive Methodist Chapel (now Liston Hall).

Thomas Junior was forced to retire in 1877 due to his health. The man he employed as overseer of his building operations, Young Lovell bought the business. More on him in future.

Shortly after his retirement Thomas died and was buried with his sister Charlotte Gibbs in All Saints churchyard in Marlow. I have a post showing his grave here

The Bucks Herald paid tribute to Thomas after his death saying he had shown "indomitable industry" and "unswerving honour and integrity".

Above: the arch leading into New Court built by Thomas Junior.

By Charlotte Day. Photos by Kathryn Day.

Further Information:

The Men Who Built Marlow Part One: The Bonds has already been posted here

Part three - The Lovells - here

Part 4: Frederick Plumridge here

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

©Marlow Ancestors. 

Sources:

Bucks Herald 7th April 1877 [Obituary]. Copy held in the British Library archive. Via the BNA.

Bridge wardens accounts and papers at the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies.

Will Thomas Corby, held at the National Archives, Kew. Transcribed by me.

Original property records held by my family.

Census 1841-71 transcribed by me from microfilm.

Theophilus Clifford - stonemason

Updated December 2023

If you have ever crossed Marlow Bridge you have seen the stonework of he wonderfully named Theophilus Clifford. His first name is from the Bible and though a bit old fashioned for a man born as he was circa 1796 it would have been a familiar first name to most people in his day.

Theophilus married in his native Oxford in 1817 to fellow local Sarah Goodall. At some point in the early 1820s the couple moved to Marlow after Theophilus bought a stonemason's business there from Mrs Smith. In 1823 Theophilus sued his neighbour Mr Allum for £300 for slander after Allum publicly accused him of stealing a leaden pump from the yard they shared. 

A great opportunity for the young stonemason presented itself with the 1829 decision of the town to replace it's wooden bridge with a new iron suspension bridge.

Theophilus, in partnership with Marlow builder Thomas Corby, won the contract to do the stonemasonry and brickwork for the bridge's pillars. The bridge building process was a painful and fraught one. I have a post on the blog which goes into detail about this if you want to learn more - see link below. Suffice to say money was in short supply. Theophilus and Thomas found themselves being asked to take a pay cut from their contract price, with the threat of being replaced if they refused. They had already started work, and Theophilus had had to procure the stone from suppliers pressing continually to be paid themselves so such a request seems unfair.

There was growing unease about the bridge project per se and Theophilus and other contractors came to realise that they had to agree to lower and later payments or risk the whole project.

So it was perhaps with mingled feelings Theophilus gazed upon the finished project in the Autumn of 1832. His early pride in the suspension bridge is evidenced however by the naming of his and Sarah's daughter with the middle name Suspensiana in 1829. You can read about the extraordinary struggles to complete the Suspension Bridge here.

Other places that Theophilus is known to have worked include Cromwell House in Marlow High Street and in Little Marlow Church.

Theophilus and his family lived in the High Street. In the 1833 parochial assessment notebooks the property he occupied was described as a dwelling house, workshop, garden and yard with an annual value of £10.

The year of the assessment Theophilus was burgled and a copper boiler and some pots and pans were stolen from his home.

Later in the 1830s he had to pay £70 compensation to a Mr Strange for allegedly maliciously and falsely prosecuting him for allegedly stealing marble offcuts from him. Strange said that Theophilus was trying to crush him as he wanted to set up his own business in rivalry to Theophilus who had previously had no rival in the town of Marlow. 

In the early 1840s Theophilus and Sarah returned to Oxford. They lived in St Aldgates in the city centre. Tragically Theophilus died aged only 55 in 1845. His will left all he had to his "dear wife" Sarah in her lifetime then to all his children equally. He wanted three of his children in particular- Jane, Charlotte and James- to have his furniture. Sarah was the sole executor of the will and guardian of their children. The 1841 census also shows children William and Mary to the couple. Mary became a straw hat manufacturer. She married Henry Quarterman and had several children before dying at the age of 40. More on her and other straw hat makers in Marlow here

William became a stone mason like his father but died of consumption aged 27 a year after Theophilus.

Daughter Jane also died of consumption in 1846. Other daughters died prematurely too- Sarah aged 23 in 1841 and Elizabeth aged 19 in 1842.

Sarah died after a long illness at Rose Place, St Aldates Oxford in 1863 aged 65. She was buried at Marlow with several of her children. See the grave here.

For other grave pictures see under Graves on the menu. All mentions of someone on the blog can be found by searching for them on the Person Index.

See:

Original will from Oxfordshire Record Office.

Oxfordshire marriage bonds and allegations, Find My Past, accessed October 2020.

1841 census, transcribed from microfilm image by me.

Quarter Session Records, Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies.

1833 original parochial assessment notebooks and corrections in possession of my family and transcribed by me.

Grave transcription by Kathryn.

Windsor and Eaton Express 27th July 1833. British Library Archives.

Jane's death notice= Oxford Chronicle 28th March 1846. Copy held at the British Library and accessed by me online via the BNA September 2020.

© Marlow Ancestors. If quoting from this material credit this blog and link here so that my sources remain linked to the information they provided.

Hooks Farm Occupiers

Historic Occupiers list:

Note: historically part of Marlow Manor holdings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1908 - Francis Warne.

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

1913- F Warne and Sons

1915 Messrs "Warnes and Sons"

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

* For Hooks farm use during World War 1 see here

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

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

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

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

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

The Loss Of Old Marlow Church *UPDATED*

 

The chancel date of 1875 commemorated. 

If a visitor was to stand and look at our current delightful All Saints Church, it's hard to imagine that many would describe it as "a pile of deformity", hideously ugly or unfit for viewing up close. But these are all descriptions chosen by contemporary visitors in the years after the new church opened in 1835. The building as it stood then did however look very different to the current one! A lot of work has gone into changing it's appearance. This post is about some of the reasons why and is also a tribute to the old church it replaced. 

The old Marlow church. 

The "ancient" structure our current church replaced was regarded by many as handsome, and full of historic memorials. In 1801 it's interior was described as "plain and decent" with an ancient stone screen , handsome carved oak altar and a large hand organ in the front gallery dating from 1775.  But those who had to work within it felt the building was showing it's age, with a leaky roof, damp and frequent inundations by flood water making the situation worse. In 1730 the church is described as a long low building consisting of the tower, 3 aisles, two chancels and "on the south west part was a chantry chapel in honour of St Mary". (The chantry was dissolved in 1547 and was still standing in 1730 according to some but then used as a "timber warehouse". More on that will follow.) 

 The wooden spire dating from 1627 needed periodic repainting - it was white in colour - and suffered weather damage fairly often. A workman, 20 year old carpenter William Gray of Cookham Dean, was engaged in doing some of this repainting of the spire in 1791. The pulley he was standing on gave way taking some scaffolding with it and causing him to fall 75ft. He escaped with relatively minor injuries, and no broken bones. This story got embellished a little in later retelling, with some saying he did not receive any injury at all. But poor William did suffer severe bruising of his back and loins and a lacerated right hand and it was originally thought he might have suffered an internal rupture. But 8 days later he was able to walk home from Marlow to Cookham Dean. A black line was painted on the steeple to show the place William fell from and to commemorate his death defying plunge. He was lucky enough to receive an allowance of 7s a week from Lady Le Despencer until such time as he could resume his work.  Another feature of the steeple was the new weather cock erected in 1745. 

Various dates have been given for the steeple and parts of the tower below collapsing, but on going back to the original sources it's clear the two incidents happened separately. The tower had "for some time past been dismantled of its curious steeple" in September 1829, according to a press article complaining about the very slow progress being made with a projected repair (after weather damage). This date is seconded by a separate newspaper which bemoaned the fact the tower had been without it's steeple for 2 weeks in August 1829. The tower had also been "despoiled of its coating" and looked like an emblem of "majesty in distress". Not much progress had been made in December so the church wardens promised to do something to protect the bells over winter. The Reading Mercury thought the tower had been ruined by bad building work and thought it would take an architect of "superior intellect" to sort it all out. A separate storm did more damage in 1830. A cap was put on the tower which was dismissively described as looking like a cucumber frame but yet more poor weather bought this crashing to the ground along with parts of the tower, and the last remains of the steeple framework, in December 1831. Some graves were broken by this fall. 

In decay

In 1826 the church was described as in a state of general decay. The rector and the Dean and Chapter of Gloucester was supposed to maintain the chancel of the church, but they leased out the right to collect the grand tithes and with it the responsibility of doing the repairs. And so little funds were actually given to the church to do any maintenance with. Repairing the church became an election issue with various candidates promising to fix it along with the bridge but no progress was made. 

In 1829, not only was the steeple down, but work was ongoing to build the new Marlow Bridge adjacent. This was a difficult project for all kinds of reasons, which has been covered by a different post which you can read  here.  As part of the work to provide foundations for the bridge, a "chasm" had been opened up beneath the church tower and poor weather saw it fill with water. Some speculated that this pit was damaging the foundations of the church tower. There were sarcastic comments about how much deeper the pit would be made, and the great expense that seemed to be involved in digging it. 

A decision was made that it would be better value for money to knock down all of the old church and build a fine new one that would make a fine companion to the new suspension bridge. There were a lot of arguements about how the new build was to be paid for. Some individuals did make donations towards it's cost and a loan of £7,000 was to be secured on the church rates. But in the end an extra church rate was going to be levied for the next 40 years payable by those also liable for the poor rate whether they attended the church or not. This caused outrage in some quarters. Why couldn't the Dean and Chapter dip into their own coffers for once it was asked. 

Foundations probed

A church committee selected Charles Frederick Inwood as the architect for their new building. A vote was held to consider whether to position it on exactly the same site of the old, or whether to move it a (very) little closer to the High Street. The new site was selected on a 6-5 majority, with the latter option winning. This was not without controversy as it was considered to add needlessly to the cost by some. A couple of thatched "wretched looking hovels" which were located  "in the churchyard"  and a small beer house nearby had to be removed but the Act allowing for the rebuilding of the church had not made provision for the compulsory purchase of these. So the owner held out for a good price. Some asked whether it would be (or should be) lawful for a beer house to be so close to a church. It does seem they were eventually cleared away though. The new site also meant some graves had to be carefully moved, which upset others. 

In October 1831 the site was more or less fixed and tenders were sought for it's construction. William Bond of Marlow won. Later in the month the workmen were probing for a good foundation and in November they began to demolish the old place. The congregation could not continue to worship in a church due for demolition so they met instead at the former workshop of Washbourne's satin stitch manufactory off Quoiting Square/Oxford Road, a place later used for the first Salvation Army Headquarters in the town. They would stay there until June 1835. 

Marlow church is falling down..or is it? 

The problem the old church had with flooding was definite, and a new slightly higher site did improve things even if it was not the means to totally avoid such problems. 

As for the other issues, the demolition of the old church gave plenty of food for thought for those who believed that the church authorities had much exaggerated the supposed dilapidated state of the old building. They were amused by the difficulties involved in demolishing a church that was supposed to be just about ready to fall down of it's own accord. The old "clunch" (hard chalk) building blocks proved hard work to break apart - "it appeared strange that so much apprehension of it's security had been excited". [A group of Marlow residents had petitioned Parliament not to pass the act allowing demolition of the church, at least not until they had closely looked into the buildings reported bad condition and the causes of it - "examine into the Condition of the Said Church, which the petitioners conceive to have been unnecessarily pulled to pieces" It was unsuccessful.] Later rumours were that those involved in the demolition had resorted to the use of gunpowder to complete the work! 

If the church was not so fragile the critics said, there was no reason to begin the building work before funds had been raised to pay for it without resorting to a church rate. But it was too late to complain. Demolition completed, the first stone of the new church was laid by parish clerk Samuel Barnes of St Peter's Street in January 1833. 

As the building progressed, some began to question it's appearance. Architect Inwood had exhibited his plans for the new church at the Royal Academy in 1832 and obviously those originally commissioning the building were happy with them. But it was said that "officious simpletons"  had made adjustments to the original design that ruined it's original beauty. This opinion was given by the Bucks Gazette -  who was very against the Church of England not funding church building from it's own funds. However others stated that Inwood had altered his plans in order to reduce the building cost, which no doubt would have won the approval of many. 

Upset of another kind was caused when the "tackling" used to haul a 15cwt piece of iron to the top of the steeple gave way and the entire load plummeted to the ground, making a hole 6 foot deep in the earth below. It narrowly missed two workman which must have seemed a miracle indeed. The scaffold recieved a good shaking but no injuries resulted. 

The vibrating steeple

Shortly after the church was finished it was noted that the steeple vibrated a great deal "especially when the bells were rung". (See note below.) It was considered that removing the weather vane on top at least temporarily would improve things. So a steeple jack was sent up to remove it watched by a vast crowd. In 1891 it was still noted that the cross on top could be "distinctly seen to rock" when the bells were rung. 

This was only one of many problems recorded. Twelve years after it's construction two glaring issues were raised in the Ecclesiologist magazine. First there was no chancel, despite provision in the Act of Parliament for building the church that it should be maintained at the expense of the rector as before. The other problem was the font was apparently hidden away in a side room in an "unconsecrated" part of the church. They complained the font was not visible from anywhere inside during a service as the door to the room was kept always shut. 

In 1862 more improvements were planned despite the fact the building was only 30 or so years old. It was said that the interior design was full of blunders that made the everyday life of the church difficult. The choir had made frequent complaints that the site allocated to them was not right and hampered how they sounded. So that would be moved and more space would be allowed.  The organ was in the wrong place too and would be put now in the former baptistry. With the pulpit also planned to shift position, it's hard to think of an interior part of the church that everyone was happy with.  

A pile of deformity

But it was the overall appearance of the church that upset many. There were some who were ready to praise it's modern look, even while others decried it's "weak imitation" of 15thc style.  But for the majority of guidebooks and surviving descriptions, the church was ugly, bald of ornament and/or had ruined the once pretty view. Temple Bar magazine, called it "atrociously ugly" in 1862 for example. And those who were responsible for taking down the old church were labelled "ruthless destroyers" by the Bucks Herald. 

One little part of the old church fabric was left in 1862. A hefty stone window was said to be on display in builder Thomas Corby's High Street premises. It's possible some of the other less obviously ecclesiastical materials were recycled and incorporated into other buildings where they may be sitting anonymously today. Alfred Heneage Cocks (the Victorian Marlow gentleman historian, menagerie keeper and bell ringer) was also reported to possess some of the remains of a window.  He had in addition one of two models of the old Church known to exist at that time. Cocks himself reported to the Bucks Archaeological Society of whom he was an active member, that he had recovered numerous bits of moulded stone and marble from the old church. He had them at Thames Bank during his residence there, and on leaving it for Poynetts in 1899, he offered the remains to the churchwardens. This was on condition they were incorporated into the interior of the west end of the church. The churchwardens declined this offer, so Cocks gave them to his aunt Charlotte Cocks who was living at The Glade. He said they were used as a part of a fernery there. Whether they survived is hard to say. There had been complaints that the process of disposing of the old church materials had not been at all transparent with materials sold at low prices to a selected few. 

The church is dilapidated - again

In 1872, the building cost was paid off at last. The Reverend Snaith had bad news to deliver though. He said the church had been neglected for generations (surely a slight exaggeration given it was 40 years old) and now it was in a "dreadful state of dilapidation". The state of the walls and windows was "ruinous" he said. When it rained, the roof leaked so badly that the clergy had to dodge about in order not to get soaked. He said the issues must be dealt with soon and that doing patchwork repairs and improvements would involve much more expense in the end. So a committee was started to raise subscriptions. As well as repairs, a new chancel was at last planned, and much later the wide nave would be divided with arches into 2 aisles. On the 9th September 1875 the foundation stone was laid for the chancel and it was opened on 1 September 1876, with the work costing £1924 and completed by Thomas Corby to the design of John Oldred Scott. 

Other works carried on at various times include bricking up the door that formerly faced the High Street, removing the galleries and box pews, adding new stained glass windows and replacing the flat roof with a pitched design of hand made tiles of "special tint".  And then there was the damage done by the terrible storm of 1897 - a separate post on this is here. Selling off the old pews and gas fittings in 1890 raised £7 for church funds. Even in 1889, when the church was opened after works that included the new roof and new flooring, the bitterness relating to the old church's demise could still be felt. The Bishop of Oxford, preaching on the occasion of this re opening, probably unwittingly touched a still raw nerve in his sermon. He referred to how the old church at Marlow was probably a "strong, large and ancient building which if the possessors of it had taken care in time, would have lasted until now." He added it must therefore have been demolished as it had fallen behind the times as regards convenience. 

The money spent on putting the church right was a large sum and whether it was worth it divided opinion. The book The Royal River in 1885 thought no. Despite Rev Snaith's description of the ruinous state of the church the author thought the apparent sturdy state of the fabric of the building  meant that as no emergency repairs were needed, no further funds should be wasted on it. "It is a question whether it would not have been better to have accepted its ugliness and employed the very large sums which must be expended before the work can be completed to other and more directly useful purposes." Ouch. On the other hand, the South Bucks Standard in 1900 thought that while the church of 1835 had originally been both costly and ugly, the work spent on putting it right was well spent even if had cost a very large amount in it's own right. In 1889 the paper had thought that with the new roof and old pews gone, all the church needed now was to have all of its windows replaced "in a more suitable style", the outer walls refaced in stone and flint, and the west front and steeple recast. Not much work then! 

All Saints is a beautiful church to our modern eyes, both inside and out so if you have not yet visited it, it will repay your time! 

Notes:

 The new bells were rung in the new church in February 1835, some months after the church had re opened. These first bell ringers were honoured on the 60th anniversary of the occasion with a special bell peel in their honour. The ringers were William Truss (later landlord of the Two Brewers), William Smith (tailor of the High Street),  town crier Jeffrey Truss, John Smith (cabinet maker of High Street), Thomas Coster (carpenter and lock keeper), Thomas Rosewell, (fisherman), George Creswell, (Swan landlord, farmer, timber merchant and barge owner)  and Richard Davis (pork butcher and parish constable). 

The Chapel that gave Chapel Street it's name is of uncertain location.  But a possible discovery of part of it was at least previously visible under a house in Spittal Street in the first half of the 20thc. A mention is made of a "crypt" with vaulted ceiling under this house but much pre-dating it, in a passing comment by former Marlow antique dealer Jane Toller in her book "Discovering Antiques". Jane and husband Charles lived at the Old Vicarage in the High Street in the 1930s. The "crypt" was under a front room of the Spittal Street property. It may be (if from the right period at all) associated with the hospital of St Thomas that gave Spittal Street it's name. Another even more likely hint of the chapel remains were seen at the Rookery. It was here in 1877 it was reported that workman digging foundations for the new range of stables had discovered numerous interesting items which were believed to have come from the Hermitage / Chapel. These included some 11th century silver coins, a silver seal, a stone "mantelpiece" and parts of several stone columns.

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Related posts: 

The Angry roaring mist of 1897 here

List of grave images at All Saints and other Marlow area sites here

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

General posts about everyday life in old Marlow here

To find all mentions of an individual here use the A-Z person index in the top drop down. (There are 4,300 people listed there as of July 2022 and new posts are added daily)

SOURCES

Britton, John; Brayley, Edward Westlake et al - Beauties Of England and Wales or, Delineations topographical, historical and descriptive, of each county - (1801)

Cook, William Bernard -  The Thames or graphic illustrations of seats, villas, public institutions" Vol 1. (1827)

Cox, A H - The Church Bells of Buckinghamshire (Jarrold, 1897)

Dugdale, Thomas - Curiosities of Great Britain, England and Wales Delineated (1854)

Hogg, Alexander. The New Ladies Magazine 1791 vol 6. 

Langley, Thomas - The History and Antiquities of the Hundred of Desborough ( Faulkner ? & B&J Clark. 1797)

Rimmer, Alfred Belgravia Magazine, Vol 14, 1881

Sheahan, James Joseph - A History of Buckinghamshire, 1862. 

Guide to Marlow 1891 - South Bucks Standard - with thanks to Michael Eagleton. 

Willis, Browne Notitia Parliamentaria or a history of the counties, cities and borough of England and Wales. Vol 1. (Robert Gosling. 1730)

1833 Parish Assessment, transcribed  by Charlotte from the original notebook owned by our family 

The Royal River - The Thames from Source to Sea (Cassell 1885)

Law Journal 1832 (E B Ince 1837)

The Ecclesiologist Vol 6 (1847)

Temple Bar Magazine For Town and Country Readers Vol 15 Ward & Locke 1865. 

South Bucks Standard 12 June 1895, 2 July 1897 

Reading Mercury 21 September & 7 December 1829, 8 October 1832

Northampton Mercury 13 August 1791 via the BNA

The Building News and Engineers Journal,  17 February 1882

Notes on the old Parish Church at Great Marlow, by Alfred Heneage Cocks, 1900 as read to the Bucks Archaeological Society on their annual outing. [Undated typed report, and as per Records of Buckinghamshire - Bucks Archaeological Society, 1905 digitised by Google and supplied by InternetArchive.org ]

'House of Lords Journal Volume 63: 28 March 1831', in Journal of the House of Lords: Volume 63, 1830-1831 (London, [n.d.]), pp. 383-390. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/lords-jrnl/vol63/pp383-390 [accessed 7 February 2020]

The Builder September 25th 1875. Vol 33. 

Windsor and Eton Express, 01 November 1834. 

©Marlow Ancestors