Landlords The Upper Crown, The Crown and Broad Arrow, The Lower Crown Inns, Great Marlow.

 *Updated by Charlotte November 2025*

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Marlow has had two Crown inns. When modern residents refer to The Crown, they mean the one in the Market Square, which was historically known as The Upper Crown then the Crown Hotel, to distinguish it from the Lower Crown in the High Street. The Lower Crown's original name was the Crown and Broad Arrow but this is largely forgotten now. Both were very old. 

You may see references to the Upper Crown as the inn exclusively known as the Crown and Broad Arrow but this is seemingly incorrect. Contemporary sources spelling out the full name of the Lower Crown just as often refer to it as the "Lower Crown and Broad Arrow." (For example see Reading Mercury 19 June 1786.) The Crown and Broad Arrow can be found separately listed to the Upper Crown in lists of inns at the same time, (E.g The Reading Mercury 08 July 1771) and information about the contents sale of Alfred House/Cromwell House in 1756 describe this property as being nearly opposite the Crown and Broad Arrow which makes it opposite the Lower Crown. It's usually described as in the High Street rather than the Market place which is the location of the Upper Crown. Lastly proprietors later listed as in charge of the Lower Crown can be found earlier listed at the Crown and Broad Arrow. We have done our best to attach the right early innkeeper to the correct premises. 

The original Upper Crown building was replaced but it was trading from the 1590's at least. It was later known as the Crown Hotel and used some of the neighbouring town hall building, before taking it over entirely. It's former core location is however where Boots the chemist is now. For more on the history of the two see the post on the Crown Inns Here

Remember also Marlow has had pubs or beer houses called the Crown and Anchor, Rose and Crown (also at Little Marlow, very frequently shortened to The Crown) and the Crown and Cushion. 

This post will be updated as new information emerges. All listings are as noted in original sources, including alternative spellings. Where multiple sources list an individuals name, only the first and last mention are listed here unless there is any alteration in how they are recorded, for example an additional occupation is noted. Note that some listings may in fact refer to father's and sons sharing the same given name so be sure to double check this. See notes below for more help finding your ancestors in these listings. 

UPPER CROWN / THE CROWN

The former Town Hall with clock above, had assembly rooms on upper floor which were used by the Crown until they eventually took over the whole building. 

This building, above,  is where the Upper Crown was for much of it's life. It expanded into the Town Hall next door and eventually abandoned it's original site. 

Post about  the balls/assembly here

(Market Square)

1595 - Premises owned by Richard Mathews / Mathewe.

1596 - Roger Smith, who was also a shoemaker. He bought the premises , which he already occupied. In 1610 he put the business into the hands of trustees for the benefit of his sons John and Valiant.

1617 - Edward Wooden (Wooten) bought it and ran premises. In 1620 premises sold to John Little of Little Marlow.

1636 - Owned by Thomas Drewe, a draper. Leased by Edward Wooden's widow Elizabeth. 

1650 - Elizabeth Wooden (Wooten) occupier. Thomas Drewe the owner sells it to brewer Moore. Previous tenants listed then are Mathew Cane and Bonaventure Ward. (A Mathew Cane was at the Angel by 1643) Also in this year the occupiers of the Crown benefit from a 1,000 year grant of right of access through Thomas Drewe's gateway, between two properties, into their "backside" and malthouse. The access is specified as applying to horses and carts carrying hay, straw and wood and their accompanying leaders and drivers. The origin of Crown Lane perhaps? 

1712= Samuel Sandys

1717 - Mr Richard Hall. He went bankrupt 1724. "A large inn with close behind" [Area of enclosed land]

1754 - Sylvester Law

1757 - Sylvester Law (moved to the Cross Keys) See his will summary here

1766 - Mr Webb

1767 - John Webb [Likely the John Webb who was Law's brother in law]. Then John Parsons.

1768 - John Parsons. Possibly the same John who acts as a parish constable.  During his tenure pub often hosts auctions.

1771 - Trustees of the new Reading to Hatfield Turnpike toll road recommended this Crown and the Lower Crown and Broad Arrow as a place to get a good horses or post chaises en route. 

1775 - John Parsons. Leaves to take on The Black Bull coaching inn at Holborn this year. William Faithorn takes over at the end of the year. 

1778 - Mr Faithorn. Chaise, horses etc available at short notice. 

1780 - Mr Faithorn

1785 - Samuel Chapman

1792- Samuel Chapman, landlord has died. "Landlord of the Upper Crown for many years". See grave below.

1794- Mrs Mary Chapman. Widow of the above. See grave below.

1798 - Mrs Chapman. A new coach to Fleet Street, London via Maidenhead starts from her inn this year. Monday to Saturday service.

1803 - there is a good chance that the innholder John Gosling who died this year was the occupier of the Crown as his will was witnessed by men occupying premises immediately by there.

1811 - Mr Davis (Wavis in a second incorrect record!)

1820 - Richard Furnell, died aged 39 of a sudden fit of apoplexy. Wife Dinah. Had been innkeeper since at least 1815, though not necessarily at the Crown. Dinah married secondly Richard Westbrook who took over the Crown. She is mentioned in the 1822 will of Richard Furnell's brother William Furnell which you can read here. William's grave looks like his occupation is "omnibus..." so maybe he also worked out of the Crown. 

1823 - Richard Westbrook, as above. He was originally from Cookham. Richard and Dinah moved to the Red Lion Hotel, High Street, High Wycombe. Richard's sister Eliza was a baker in the High Street. See her biography on the blog here. Their brother William Westbrook was a butcher in Market Square near the Crown.

1826 - Mr Westbrook.

1830 - George Westbrook. George is an enthusiastic cricketer. In this year he plays a one wicket match against a gentleman of Beaconsfield. (These sort of matches were all the rage locally around this time and the natives of Beaconsfield were our frequent foe.) George won, scoring 14 runs to Mr Williamson's zero. He also represents Marlow in some early team matches. 

1831 - George Westbrook "Family and commercial hotel" (also described as excise office and posting house) 2. Geoffrey Westbrook

1832 - G. Westbrook

1833 - George Westbrook also leasing rooms at Town Hall for a "card room" and associated parlour. 

1834 - George Westbrook

1835 - George Westbrook leaves the Crown. James Franklin takes over, selling up his farm Low Grounds to do so. Post Boy : Joseph Davis, cook Sarah Brown, waiter Edward Cook. 

1836 - James Franklin. Wife Sarah.

1838 - Mr and Mrs Franklin. The latter is the granddaughter of "Mrs House" who died that year.

1839 -  J Franklin "Crown Inn." Ostler - James Lowman. Post boy (actually an adult- ) John Spratley. (James is subsequently coachman to the Atkinsons at the Rookery)

1840 -  James Franklin

1847 -  James Franklin. James describes himself as innkeeper, hotel keeper, coach proprietor, and livery stable keeper.. He suffers financial difficulty around this time and is declared bankrupt in 1852. 

1849 -  Samuel Wise

1850 - Richard Westbrook comes back. Also keeps the Lion Inn in High Wycombe still. 

1851 -  Thomas Furnell. He was the grandson of Richard and Dinah Furnell above. Marries Jane Veary of High Wycombe 1852. 

1853 -  Thomas Furnell

1854 -  Thomas Furnell "Crown  Hotel"

1859 - Mr Paine. In 1865 William Paine appears as a sort of expert witness in a court case about buying sub standard wheat. In this he says he was formerly a mealman. 

1860 - Mr Payne

1861 - William Paine (age 47)

1862 - William Paine who was threatened with being run down and assaulted by two men when he told them he would not have them ill-treating a horse as they were on his premises. The horse had been exhausted by dangerous driving in the streets outside and was whipped in the yard of the Crown. He withdrew charges against them after they expressed deep apologies and said they had been very drunk at the time. The magistrates still fined them for being drunk and disorderly.

1863 -  William Paine. "Crown Hotel"

1865 - William Paine. He was elected as one of the Guardians of the poor that year. Was in the role to at least 1871. 

1871 -  William Paine.

1872. William Paine died.

1873 - Mrs Paine (widow of above).[Emma Margaret. She died in 1890 aged 70]. She transfers license to Samuel Hill [died 1875 age 42, at Oundle, Northants]

1875 -  Mrs West [Susan] 

1875 - Fire in chimney at Crown causes substantial damage. 

1876 - Advertised facilities include the coffee room, billiards, an omnibus to meet every train, close and open carriages for hire, and private "apartments" available for family hire. 3 minutes walk from the river (fairly quick walkers only!!)

1883 - Susan West/Langley. 2. John Langley. Sadly Susan committed suicide in this year, travelling to Bridport Harbour to do so. (She was born in Somerset) She told the landlady of the boarding house she stayed in that she had suffered head pain since a blow to the head occasioned by a fall from a dog cart. She said she wished to have a few days holiday because of this period of ill health and bought with her just a small bag. She had recently remarried to John Langley  but according to local newspaper reports she gave her name as West (that of her first husband) at her lodgings. A full post on Susan is available here

1885 - John Langley died in the garden at the back of the Crown, after falling from a ladder while pruning a wall trained fruit tree. A biography of John and his son are available here

1886 -  Lease went up for sale and it includes the town hall, but no immediate takers. At this point the Crown has 18 bedrooms and 3 private sitting rooms on offer.  

1887 - Henry Calf. Former station master, bank manager and soldier! Henry owned the hotel himself.

1889 - "a comfortable old fashioned house with a first rate billiard room"

1891 - (Manageress Margaret Hughes)

1892 -  Henry Calf - he had converted  rooms in the upper story of the adjacent Town Hall into a Billiard Room (former assembly room). The lower part of the town hall still houses the fire engine and stalls on market day. These stalls are now mostly or entirely butchers. Henry dies in November aged over 70 of bronchitis, after long illness.  

1893 - On Henry Calf death, Miss Hughes continued to manage premises, now for new owner William E Cole. "Every luxury of recreation" offered with lawns and gardens. Mr Cole had come from the Crown Hotel in Devizes and was a former Quartermaster in the Royal Wilts Yeomanry. He began a reorganisation of the hotel from top to bottom until it's known as a "favourite resort for well to do visitors and commercial travellers". Amongst the projects is the creation of a small room adjoining the bar, created by "setting back the partition in the bar passage by several feet". A large conservatory was added to the rear in 1894, and in the same year the old entrance through the market house beneath the town hall portion was opened up again. In 1895 he also engaged 60 rooms in private homes to accommodate an avalanche of Whitsun visitors! It was described as "World famed as one of the oldest established commercial and  visitor's season hotels (both winter and summer), in this part of England." Cole also had a booth offering refreshments during the bigger matches of Marlow F C (from 1893). They played in the Crown Meadow ground behind his premises and rented from him at £15 a year. The team change in "dressing rooms" in the outbuildings there which they also rented from Cole, at £11 7s 6d per year. 

1897 - the extent of the tourist trade done at the Crown can be seen by the fact that within 1 week in the summer of this year, a full 1,000 persons on staff outings from big London employers had been catered for there. A similar number were catered for the following week.  This does not include other types of visitors and guests. 

1899 - William Eades Cole dies in his sleep at the hotel aged 47 leaving a wife and 4 young children. It is said he died of consumption following bronchitis. His widow vows to carry on. 

1902 - Mrs Cole ("Julia" Elizabeth nee Feltham). Mrs Cole is declared bankrupt early this year, the proceeding have started in 1901. She lays the blame partially on Marlow carriage builder Charles Drye who she says sold a carriage sent to him for repair, without her permission. Mr Drye denies this and say he had advised Mrs Cole the carriage would be expensive to repair and so had offered to buy it off her for £7, an offer she had accepted. He had then sold it on. However Mrs Cole also admitted during her insolvency hearings that she had been practically insolvent at the time of her husband's death, and that she had not kept proper books (because her husband had never done so)  and so had never tried to balance them.  2. Miss Feltham (sister of Mrs Cole)  3. Margaret Douglas Ditchburn

1903 -  Miss M.J Feltham - manager I believe earlier.  2. Charles McGlynn/ Glynn

1905 1. Charles McGlynn 2. T Hull

1906 - Mr Hull

1907 - Thomas Halse Hull. He and his wife took on an hotel in Sonning  in 1907. They were allowed the licence there on condition that they  gave up the Marlow concern. Business transferred to Mrs Ellen Dax/ Mrs Stanley Dax . She came from the Catherine Wheel in Henley. Mrs Dax advertised the luncheon and teas served in the garden, the hotel"s tennis lawn and the possibility of using Crown Meadow for a ride or other exercise, as star attractions of her premises. 

1908 - Mrs Dax

1909 - A W Shearsmith

1910 - Mr A. W Shearsmith transfers to H E Scott [Horace Edwin, his wife Bertha assisted in the business].

1911 - H E Scott [Horace Edwin]

1914 - tragedy occurs when 16 year old Crown servant Louisa Maud Allen dies after a kitchen accident. Her apron catches fire and she is soon engulfed in flames. The fire is put out promptly by the cook and landlady present but the poor girl has suffered severe burns. She dies at the Marlow Cottage hospital. 1915 -Now also offers a garage with inspection pit, tennis lawn and billiard room. Landlord Oliver P Taylor. 

1920 - Mrs Oliver P Taylor takes over officially as her husband has died. This was Louisa Taylor.

1924 - Mrs Oliver P Taylor. A room with meals for those staying 5 nights or more costs 10 sh 6d a night in 1924.

1925- the Crown bought by a Mr Sidney Vereker. He gives Louisa Taylor notice to quit and she sells up most of the furniture fixtures and fittings and moves out but then Vereker says he doesn't in fact mean to apply for a holdover of her license straight away. The details are very confusing. A dispute between the two led to at least two court cases. Meanwhile the Crown stood empty. Louisa eventually did leave.

1927 - Mr and Mrs A Henderson Rutledge. "Ye Olde Crowne Hotel". They have refurbished and fully electrified the premises. They also allow an Ancient Order of Froth Blowers group to start up on their premises in this year. This joke social club was a nationwide concern open to membership by men, women and children. Members at their get -togethers have to pay fines for reported infractions of various comic rules which each club branch makes up themselves. The money collected goes towards children's hospitals. Otherwise the main activity for the male members is sitting drinking and smoking in a pub.

1931 - Mrs & Mrs S Lindsay Galloway. "Ye Olde Crown Hotel"  Has been redecorated and refurnished yet again and provides every modern convenience. Star attractions include the Palm Saloon", "separate tables" for meals , their noted stock of wines and a large car park. 

1932 George Godsall.

1932 - 33 at least Captain Edward James Keeling M.C (resident owner). Previously at  George_&_Dragon

Above, two pages from an advertising brochure for the Crown Hotel under E J Keeling. 

1934 - Keelings leave and are replaced by Mr and Mrs W L Hill who were previously at The Chequers, Fingest. Pub was refurbished internally.

1939 John O Mason 

1957 Mr and Mrs R.H Snow.  Large ballroom available.

1958 R.H Snow.

LOWER CROWN / CROWN AND BROAD ARROW (High Street)

Site of Lower Crown. 

In existence from at least 1619. 

1679- Thomas Lloyd? 

1691 - "The Broad Arrow" late in the tenure of William Hopkins. A William Hopkins had been prosecuted the year before for keeping an unlicensed ale house in Marlow, location uncertain. Now premises owned or leased by Samuel Lynn. Samuel owns several properties in Marlow. He takes out licence this year for the Arrow to be used as a common meeting house, possibly meaning one of several outbuildings to rear although this type of accomodation is usually specified in the meeting house licence. 

1751 - John Phillips (and carpenter) Died this year. Wife Mary did the brewing (on the premises, usual practice back then) and selling of the liquor. She then married the below.

1751+ William Dark (e) Will summary here William hosts "cock matches" during the Marlow Races. 

1764 - Mary Dark (widow of John Phillips and William Dark both above)

1765 - Widow Dark "Crown and Broad Arrow"

1771 -  Crown & Broad Arrow - recommended along with the Upper Crown as a place to get a post chaise and a good horse on the new Reading to Hatfield Turnpike toll road. 

1776/7 - Mr Thomas

1788 - starts new post coach service to London, run by Saunders, Smith and Co. 

1781 - Nicholas Thomas

1782 - Nicholas Thomas (died this year)

1786 - Robert Dixon "Lower Crown and Broad Arrow" Also runs coaching business - see more about that here

1789 - Robert Dixon

1794 - Robert Dixon sells up. He is apparently "going into business". "Lower Crown" . His stock of wines and spirits, 2 post chaises, 4 post beds for guests and a herd of cows were part of the contents of the pub which was put up to auction when he left. We are told the premises has "numerous bed chambers and fitting rooms for the accommodation of company" as well as a "good" kitchen, bar, larder, pantry, and cellars. Outside there is a large yard, stabling for 30 horses, standing for carriages and various other outbuildings. The Lower Crown also has a "good garden" and a close of land adjoining.  

1799 - Mr Patrick. 

1808 - William Williams stops his coaching service from here and moves it to the Corporation Arms in High Wycombe. 

1831- possibly Thomas Oxlade. He was landlord of  "the Crown Great Marlow Parish"when he had to summon the tithingmen men to deal with the unruly behavior of two of his customers who had blown out his candles and then refused to leave when asked to. The  term "Great Marlow Parish" of course also encompassed at that time Lane End, Bovingdon Green and other outlying places for certain matters including criminal cases such as this. He was definitely not at the Upper Crown in Market Square. 

The Lower Crown inn closed in the 1830s (by 1833).

NOTES FOR FINDING ANCESTORS ON THIS BLOG

Use the A-Z person index on the top drop down menu to find every mention of your ancestor here.  Many Marlow landlords changed premises and there can be other family members running other establishments. Some places changed how they described themselves - or how they were viewed- and so licensed premises listings here take in not just beer houses, pubs and inns but common lodging houses and hotels too. We mainly focus on pre WW1 listings but sometimes list later names if it ties in with research we are helping with. 

For other pub/hotel related content see the Pub related option on the top drop down menu. 

SOURCES - 

Multiple property deeds, wills and similar documents cross referenced. (The two Crown's location research is by Charlotte Day)

Dickens Dictionary of the Thames, (Dickens, 1889 edition)

Reading Mercury 8 July 1771*, 17 September 1787, 17 April 1788, 23 October 1833, 17 September 1873, held in British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA 

Oxford Journal, 14th August 1756*, 17th December 1765*, 7th March 1767, 9 August 1794, 25th November 1820, 4 August 1849 as above. 

South Bucks Standard, 21 Jan 1860, 12 May, 29 December 1893, 13 January & Jul 21 1899, as above. 

Berkshire Chronicle 4 February 1826, as above. 

Bucks Herald, 21 February 1835, 6 July 1839 and 3 April 1886 as above

Maidenhead Advertiser 21 June 1876. As above. 

Nottingham Journal 15 Oct 1883. As above. 

Bridport, Beaminister, and Lyme Regis Telegram 19 October 1883, as above

1833 Parish Assessment owned by my family and transcribed by Charlotte.

Census 1851,1861,1871,1881,1891

1853 Mussons and Cravens Commercial Directory

Kellys Post Office Directory, 1869,1877,1883,1899,1903, 1907,1911,1915, 1920

Pigots Directory 1823, 1831,1844

Robson's Directory 1839

Will of John Phillips, proved 1751, transcribed by Charlotte Day from National Archives. 

1650 Grant of Right of Way, Drewe to Moore. National Archives index. 

AGM report, Marlow F C 1893. 

Marlow Guide, 1904 & 1907 

The Hotels of Europe - (Henry Herbert & Co, 1876)

Marlow Almanack and Directory 1907 &  1915. 

©Marlow Ancestors. 

Marlow in the Swing Riots 1830

 In the November of 1830, a number of anxious farmers, and prosperous Marlow citizens gathered for a public meeting in the Upper Crown. The reason for their concern was repeated reports of the "incendiaries" as they called them, who had been targeting the hay ricks in the wider neighbourhood. Farm workers unhappy with their low pay and working conditions, had been making their points by commiting acts of arson, destroying property worth large sums. This was not a meeting to discuss how legitimate any of the grievances were, and the papers stressed it was the principal citizens that were in attendance. The purpose was to decide the best way to protect property. Two courses of action were decided on, to swear in extra special constables, and to mount a foot and horse patrol of the neighbourhood hay ricks. Handbills were also circulated in Hambledon and Medmenham encouraging men to come forward to be sworn as constables to "assist in the preservation of peace."

 

Those Marlow men who kept a close eye on national news would have been aware that trouble was likely to strike close to home. Throughout the South East there had been so called Swing Riots since the summer. These were named after the fictional "Captain Swing" whose name was used to sign warning letters to local farmers and employers, threatening them with acts of arson and property destruction if they did not give in to paticular demands. One act of rebellion seems to have inspired others, and the focus locally began to be on "machine breaking" or putting out of action threshing machines and other mechanical devices that were reducing employment opportunities. Some of these contentious threshers were made locally, by Marlow ironmonger, engineer and agricultural implement maker John Moss. Reports of the excellent amount of work one of his machines was able to achieve in a short time at a farm in Rickmansworth, may have inspired some farmers locally to invest in one themselves. They could also be hired. 

A LETTER IS RECEIVED

Farm labourers looking for threshing work were only too aware of which farms had the threshing machines on hand to partially replace their labour. In November 1830 Mr Wright at the Marlow Paper Mills, Richard Webb at Marlow Bottom Farm, Joseph Biddle of Town Farm/High Wycombe and James Phelps of Temple Farm were amongst a group of local farmers and paper mill owners who received a dreaded Swing letter. Their property was threatened unless they did away with the machines that were taking away jobs. 

Joseph Biddle had read enough reports of the violence occasioned by a refusal to cooperate with the rioters, and was in no mood to take chances. He immediately had his new threshing machine taken down. He had a large number of ricks in close proximity and said it would be impossible to save the whole should one be ignited. Mr Phelps of Temple followed his lead. Richard Webb was said to have burnt his own threshing machine to pre-empt any action. And then they waited. 

A week or two later these letters were followed up by some targeting smaller landowners and gentleman farmers including William Atkinson (Marlow Bottom, Town End and the Rookery farms), Mr Wethered and  Mr Lovegrove.  

THE NEWS FROM WYCOMBE

Most reports of a Swing Riot starting begin with some mention of suspicious strangers being seen in the town and those at High Wycombe were no exception. Some of the rioters gathered at Flackwell Heath, first in the beerhouse of John Sarney (the Leathern Bottle) and then on the Heath itself before proceeding to attack a number of the paper mills in the vicinity of Loudwater. Some of the mill owners tried to reassure the men that the machines had been taken out of use, but it was usually to no avail and the mills were broken into and equipment destroyed. An 'express message" was sent to the Town Clerk at Marlow, to warn him to prepare for a similar attack on the Marlow Paper Mills. What happened next is subject to wildly different eye witness accounts published within the next few days. 

Some accused the town clerk of panic. But this is with hindsight. He had no way of knowing which direction the rioters would come next. He first had to spread word, without the aid of telephone, around the town. So he ordered the alarm bell at the Town Hall to be rung, usually reserved for announcing a fire. We might expect the church bells to be rung, but there is no mention of this. This summoned the town criers to the Crown, who then went to their appointed places to make a public announcement. This was apparently to alert householders to a looming risk to their home and persons, and to request they gather to decide the best course of action. This was considered to be to dispatch a message to Colonel Clayton, the magistrate, at Harleyford. Unfortunately, Clayton had already decided on his own best course of action. That was to go shooting, and leave things to the special constables he had seen sworn in. The differing reports of the rest of the days action can partly be explained by those who seem to support Clayton and were therefore keen to dismiss the riots as over hyped and nothing that justified Clayton staying at home in case he was needed. Clayton said he thought the constables could have dealt with things, and he would not want to burden the parish with any added costs that other protective measures might entail. 

But our town clerk needed someone to take charge and so he sent a message to our two MPs, Mr Williams senior and Junior at Temple. They were thankfully at home and immediately came to Marlow and set up at the Crown. They then began to swear in a number of additional Special Constables, and were joined by other magistrates.

Some eyewitness accounts declare there was panic in the streets with woman rushing home with children in their arms, and householders arming themselves with whatever was to hand. Shops were barricaded and shutters closed. Other eyewitnesses, said that while a few "old women" and "gentlemen commonly denominated as dandies" were alarmed, the only panic was seen in the actions of the Clerk and MP (who was a political rival to Clayton). The streets were perfectly quiet they say. On the other hand others stated that it was decided to send a horse and cart to fetch a "depot of muskets kept in the neighbourhood" and they also considered sending for Colonel Clayton's small cannons that were kept at Harleyford and used on ceremonial occasions. These might be taken to the Mills as a deterrent they thought. It isn't clear if this messenger was sent. But an unnamed man was despatched to Reading to fetch the military. Unfortunately he was told he should have gone to Windsor barracks instead so it was after midnight that help arrived in the form of 30 Grenadier Guards and their officer, travelling in a coach, post chaise and cart. 

In the end, the rioters never made it on to Marlow. We may never know how many Marlow men travelled to Flackwell Heath or Wycombe to join in. But 21 year old Little Marlow ploughman and agricultural labourer William Knibbs (Nibbs) (born Flackwell Heath) was one of several Buckinghamshire men sentenced to 7 years transportation for role he played in the "riotous assembly" at Loudwater and resisting arrest at the scene. This was an immediate commutation of a death sentence. He left the UK on the ship Proteus with 111 other prisoners on 12 April 1831 and arrived in Van Diemens Land, Australia on 3rd August. He died there age 75 in 1884. 

Flackwell Heath's John Sarney (Sawney) received a pardon after spending several years on the prison hulks. He was buried at Marlow in 1840 so presumably had moved there. Aged 53/4 when convicted. John had originally been sentenced to death before it was reduced to transportation for life, and he was moved to the prison hulks for something like 5 years before a decision to pardon him was made. His offence related to machine breaking at the paper making mill of William Robert Davis.  A large petition from local residents was presented to the authorities shortly after the conviction appealing for mercy for John and this was followed by a similar letter from many of the mill owners and others who had been attacked or threatened including William Davis and Marlow's Mr Wright. They no doubt felt that calm would better be preserved if mercy was shown to those not considered to be the most strident ringleaders. Farmer Edmund Collins, overseer of Wycombe continued to write campaigning for John's release from his extended stay in the hulks. Edmund said the delay in making a decision in the case had prolonged the torture for wife Sarah who was "almost out of her mind" with stress and worry.  Indeed Edmund offered to employ John should he be released.  

Other local connections:

(All of the below spent time on the hulk York at Portsmouth before being transported on the Proteus as above, unless stated)

 Aylesbury's John Blizzard, whose wife Mary was living "on the parish" at Little Marlow at the time of her husband's trial. He was sentenced to death but this was commuted to transportation for life. He had been involved in the destruction of Zachary Allnutt's paper making machine at High Wycombe. 

William Butler was a native of Little Marlow then living in Woburn. A farm labourer, he was sentenced to death commuted to 7 years transportation for his involvement in the machine breaking at Allnutt's paper mill as above. 

John Moody - 26 year old ploughman and Little Marlow native. Offence again relates to Allnutt's mill. Death sentence commuted to 7 years transportation. 

William Moody age 22, of Little Marlow. Probably brother to above. Death sentence commuted to 1 years imprisonment. 

Related Posts

1847 election riots Here

Chartist Edmund Stallwood here

Every mention of an individual here can be found listed in the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. 

SOURCES - a selection

A Guide to Early Modern History, 1830- 1835, Cory, William Johnson. C Paul &Co 1882. 

The Life & Times of Swing, the Kent Rick Burner. "Swing, Francis".  R Carlisle, 1830.  

Berkshire Chronicle - 27 November 1830. Copy from the British Library and accessed via the BNA March 2021

The News (London)  21 November 1830, as above

Reading Mercury 20 September & 29 November 1830, as above

Windsor and Eton Express 28 August,  27 November, 4 & 11 December 1830, as above

Oxford Journal 27 November 1830, as above

Albion and The Star 26 November 1830, as above

Sun (London) 25 November 1830, as above

History Of England from the year 1830- 1874, Volume 1. Molesworth, William M. Chapman & Hall, 1886. 

https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/proteus. Accessed April 2021. 

Hampshire Machine Breakers, Jill Chambers. (J Chambers 1990)

©MarlowAncestors

Stagecoaches And The Wyatt Family *updated July 2024*

William Wyatt, apparently originally of Wooten Under Edge in Gloucestershire, arrived in Marlow by 1792 (probably several years before) with his wife Ann. His obituary would later describe how it was he who set up the first stagecoach that could make the return journey to London in the space of the same day, every day except Sunday. William attracted the patronage it said of George 3rd and achieved the feat of halving the journey time to London by lobbying for, and it seems also paying for, the improvement of the necessary roads. This likely dates his first involvement in the local trade to pre 1788.

Sadly as soon as the improvements occurred everyone else who wanted to run coaches on the same roads were able to, meaning a lot of competition along the route and financial difficulties for William who had spent a lot on his enterprise.

For a while he went into partnership with Elizabeth Minchener of Colnbrook, Berkshire but the partnership dissolved in 1806 when she became insolvent. Whether William was able to continue I am uncertain as yet. He and Elizabeth had also been wagoners. This may be to Reading as his obituary said he was familiar on the roads around there with his vehicle too.

William died in 1841.

His son Frederick born in Great Marlow in 1795 was himself a coach master. He bought his way into a share of the Original stagecoach (each coach had a name in those days) in 1820 which ran from the Upper Crown Marlow to the Gloucester Coffee House in Piccadilly London via Bisham, Pinkneys Green and Maidenhead*. This he drove himself, coming to blows with a rival coachman at least once! (For the full story see here) By 1830 the route given was stated as to run via Maidenhead, Slough and Hounslow though that may have been just a case of different stops advertised at different times. His partners in 1820 were Mr William Edwards and Thomas Clark. Edwards died in 1824, having sold his remaining interest in the coach two years before. Around 1827 Frederick seemed to strike out on his own though there is some conflicting evidence. Mr Clark continued his coach from his booking office on the other side of the High Street until his death in 1830 when his widow Susannah took over. I last see reference to the Original in 1836. Frederick's coach was known simply as Wyatt's Coach. Susannah Clark in her will says she has a brother James Wyatt so was presumably nee Wyatt herself. How she was related to William Wyatt is uncertain, probably sister.

In 1827 his coach was robbed of some valuable packages by a gang of robbers suspected of being of London. It was a difficult year for Frederick as he also received a conviction for overloading his coach which he was driving with 12 outside passengers, plus luggage on the roof. Too many outside passengers was considered to make a coach dangerously unstable. Frederick appealled his hefty fine and the conviction was quashed. This was because the witnesses against him were employed by a paid informant and the statements of disinterested ones presented at the appeal trial contradicted those earlier statements. He had not presented their evidence earlier as he had asked for the original trial to be delayed in order to gather evidence but permission had been refused.

Two years later Frederick went bankrupt but he bounced back and continued in the trade thanks to the help of his friends who gave him financial assistance. 

In 1830 he lost a coach horse that had been grazing on Cookham Common and offered a reward plus expenses for its safe return. It could be recognised by the letters F.W branded on each hoof. Frederick rented an eight acre field in Cookham for his horses. He was still tenant there 1836. This field was in addition to Mill Meadow and another tiny one he rented in Marlow.

Wyatt's service ran in all weathers although snow covered roads could provide something of a challenge for the heavy vehicles. Frederick was thrown out of the box of the coach in 1830 when attempting to pass along the snow covered lane between Maidenhead and Pinkneys Green. The horses stumbled on some loose stones after accidently straying off the road itself. The horses bolted off but thankfully were stopped at Pinkneys Green before coming to any harm. Frederick was well enough to resume the journey the next day. 

By 1823 Frederick and his wife Lucy (née Ginger who married in London in 1816) lived in the High Street Marlow, their home also acting as the booking office for the coach. The property was described in 1833 as a house, stable, barn, yard garden and orchard worth together £20 a year. In 1841 Lucy's mother Ann Ginger lived with them too. The property was where Nat West bank is in Marlow but not the same building you see today as it was rebuilt in 1894. See image below. 

In 1838 Frederick advertised the fact that he was giving up his coaching business and had 12 horses for sale as a result. Perhaps there were no buyers as he was still in business a year later.

The coach Frederick operated in 1839 had changed route and now ran to Paddington Station in London via Wooburn and Taplow (to connect to the new train service.)

That year the coach suffered a serious accident at Maidenhead Bridge toll. The Wyatt's were behind with paying their dues at the gate. When the toll keeper refused to open the main gate for the coach as a result, it tried to get around and through a side gate (for foot traffic??). This the toll keeper tried to shut on the coach as it passed through, frightening and injuring the horses, overturning the coach and slightly injuring some of the passengers. The toll keeper was fined for risking the life of innocent passengers. When he didn't pay he was sent to jail.

The coming of the railway to Maidenhead  destroyed the coach trade. By then Frederick's son also called Frederick (born 1821 Great Marlow) was the one driving the family stagecoach. They for a while did try to make up for the lost trade to and from London by offering a coach service to Maidenhead station (not yet located in its current position. It was at Taplow aka Maidenhead Riverside). But they were not the only ones who thought to do so and there was not trade enough for two. The Wyatt's had exhausted their credit and things got rather heated. The rivals Lovegrove and partners of Maidenhead made a go of the station run for some time. In 1845 Frederick senior came to blows with  Mr Baker, whose brother in law had gone into partnership with Lovegrove. Frederick had made some disparaging remarks about the horses used by the new concern, and things blew up from there resulting in blow to the head for him. This assault took place in the chemist shop of Robert Foottit in Marlow High Street. Frederick senior had gone in there to ask Robert to write a letter for him as he was like many of his generation, illiterate. Baker followed him in with the above result. Frederick got his lawyers involved, and demanded compensation, legal costs paid and a public apology, plus a donation by Baker to the parish poor box. Baker refused to do more than pay expenses and in the end the case went to court and Baker was required to pay Frederick 50s damages. In this hearing much is made of the fact Frederick had a "broken down constitution" whereas Baker was half his age, strong and "an ugly customer with his fists" . We are also told that Frederick is currently working in some capacity for a Mr Peto, possibly the Pinkneys Green farmer. Frederick was perhaps not as weak as his lawyer suggested as a witness  on his side at the trial - William Humphreys the harness maker - admits it's true Frederick walks 4 miles each morning and evening. 

The Bucks Gazette claimed Lovegrove had started up in order to provide a "cheap, safe and expeditious" journey to Taplow, and because the Marlow people were trying to get rid of the quarrelsome Wyatts. The latter had been banned from entering the station yard apparently and when they tried to do so, their coachman (possibly Wyatt himself) got into another fight involving blows to the head. The Bucks Gazette rarely tried to offer balanced reporting in those days and enjoyed a spirited half veiled attack on someone who had upset them so Wyatt's friends might well have a different version of events! It does seem the Wyatts had some trouble with their Taplow station coach though. For example it broke down on Bisham Hill in 1840, and the accident resulted in several people suffering nasty injuries. The clerk of the work at the rebuilding of Danesfield was amongst the victims. With a dislocated shoulder, he was put up at The George Inn (George & Dragon) to recover well enough to be moved. There were probably worse place to convalesce! 

Frederick senior moved away to the village of Ozleworth near Wooten Under Edge circa 1863, where he died the next year.

Frederick junior moved to Islington, London where he became a cab driver. There was much competition in that trade and Frederick struggled. He developed rheumatism in both feet making his job difficult. An appeal for charitable assistance for him appeared in papers local to Marlow, seeking to appeal to the locals' nostalgia and gratitude for the Wyatt family's old role in the Marlow stagecoaches.

A Thomas Wyatt was the landlord of the Horns in Chapel Street Marlow by 1828. He had married Maria Silver at Great Marlow in 1795. There is a good probability that he was the brother of William Wyatt and uncle of Frederick Wyatt senior. He operated as a carrier from his pub, as did his son George (baptised Cookham 1797). Thomas's wagon transported goods to London every weekday via Maidenhead and Slough in 1831. By 1844 Thomas was dead and this service was reduced to twice a week but members of the family were still carriers from Marlow more than a decade later in 1856 when George Wyatt's son Edward Tracey Wyatt AKA Tracey Wyatt took over the carrying business. More on  Thomas here

There was an older Mr Wyatt acting as a coachman in Marlow aged an estimated 60-70 years in an 1845 court case who is a bit of a mystery. Thomas of the Horns and William were both dead. Perhaps Frederick senior looked rather old for his age!! There appears to have been another brother, James for the probable siblings William, Thomas and Susannah Wyatt however so perhaps it was him.

* William Edwards took out an advert in 1820 to warn the public about underhanded techniques recently used to poach his clients (and Wyatt's)  which he said would result in legal action if not halted. Most likely he was refering to the new post coach  service running from the Greyhound to London by Mr Williams. See more in the post linked to below. Edwards adds that he has responded to the request of residents of Little Marlow, Wooburn, and Taplow in sending a coach through those places daily and will continue to do so. Williams had advertised a coach service through the same stops. Whether either of those were intended to connect to the London service at Taplow or sometimes continued on in their own right isn't clear. 

Post about other stagecoach operations in Marlow, including more on Wyatts struggles with his rivals (fights included) see here.

For more on the Crown see here. You may also like Kathryn's post on Marlow history "Will the horseless carriage catch on?" here

To find other transport related posts look on the General Marlow History listing here  There is a transport sub heading within that.

Highwayman Peter Rivers here

All mentions of an individual on this blog can be found on the Person Index. Thousands of people are mentioned.

Written by Charlotte Day and researched by Charlotte & Kathryn Day. 

Sources:

Bucks Herald 12th November 1864 [Wyatt death notice] and 11th December 1841 [death William]. Copy digitized British Newspaper Archives from the British Library.

Reading Mercury 23rd December 1877, as above [appeal for help for Frederick Junior].

Windsor and Eton Express 20th August 1820 & 24th July 1830, as above [lost horse]. 

Report of Bucks Lent Assizes, 1845 - digitised by Google. 

Berkshire Chronicle,  16 Jan 1830, 24th November 1827, as above [robbery] and September 7th 1839 [coach accident 1839].

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News 22 March 1845

Wyatt v Baker, 1845 court summary, Bucks Lent assizes, as transcribed by Jane Pullinger, 1979.  

Property records held by my family, transcribed by me.

Great Marlow parish registers transcribed by me years ago when a copy was held by Marlow Library. I do not know if this is still the case.

The Bankrupt Directory [covering 1820+] compiled by George Elwick . Published 1843. Copy held British Library. Digitized by Google.

1841 census Great Marlow.  Transcribed from microfilm.

A Guide To The Great Western Railway published by R Groombridge, London 1839.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NP26-FBM [baptism George Wyatt].

Pigots Commercial Directory 1831 and 1844.

Reading Mercury 17 August 1829

Bucks Gazette 17th October 1840. [Bisham Hill Accident]

Crown Inns of Marlow

Great Marlow had two Crowns. One was the Crown and Broad Arrow which became The Lower Crown and Broad Arrow and then finally just the Lower Crown. This was located in the High Street. The other establishment was apparently the oldest of the two (in operation by 1596) and was known as the Upper Crown / Crown Inn and then the Crown Hotel. Neither still exist as inns. 

You may see references to the Upper Crown exclusively being referred to as the Crown and Broad Arrow but this is incorrect. Contemporary sources spelling out the full name of the Lower Crown refer to it as the "Lower Crown and Broad Arrow." The Crown and Broad Arrow can be found separately listed to the Upper Crown in contemporary lists of inns existing at the same time, and information about the contents sale of Alfred House/Cromwell house describe this property as being nearly opposite the Crown and Broad Arrow which makes it nearly opposite the Lower Crown. It's usually described as in the High Street too rather than the Market place which is the location of the Upper Crown. Lastly proprietors later listed as in charge of the Lower Crown can be found earlier listed at the Crown and Broad Arrow. So while the Upper Crown may also have been referred to as the Crown and Broad Arrow, it was not exclusively so. 

The (Lower) Crown and Broad Arrow was in business under that names from at least 1691. The first landlord I found evidence of was Mary Phillips. Her husband John owned the building and died in 1751. He was a carpenter. The liquors sold in the Inn were made in buildings put of the back by Mary. She, according to his will was  the one selling them too. He presumed she would continue in business after his death. A few weeks after his decease Mary married William Dark who became the landlord. I expect Mary was still doing the brewing. William Dark's will has been transcribed by me. It is scheduled to be published on the blog August 15th 2020.  Mary ran the inn again following Dark's death.

Highwayman Dick Turpin is reputed to have drank there but really there is no evidence for that. 

The Upper Crown had a bigger but little pressed claim to fame, as the poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Byron met in person for the first time there in 1816 just before they both went abroad. Shelley had been living in the town at Albion House. At the time French prisoners from the battle of Waterloo were being held at the inn, contemporary books say, and they elicited Shelley's attention and sympathy. I thought perhaps the sources meant prisoners were in the town hall lock up next door to the inn (although that had a tiny capacity) but no, it seems various inns were used for this purpose. The poets had intended to meet once abroad at Geneva and some history books still claim that Geneva was their first meeting but friends present at the time stated that the plans changed and the pair met for the second time, not the first, in Geneva. The debate will no doubt continue to rage about this point! 

What of the more ordinary people associated with either premises, though?

Well the owner and occupier of the (probably Lower) Crown and Broad Arrow in 1782 was Nicholas Thomas. In his will of that year he left the premises described as in the High Street to his brother John Thomas Esquire whom he calls "of Portsmouth". It came with "a close or meadow or pasture" perhaps for the cattle his will also mentions, stable, coach house and backside by which was meant backyard.

Next to the inn he said he had a malthouse which a Mr James rather than he occupied.

In 1786 the proprietor was a Robert Dixon, who refurbished it that year. He hired out "genteel post chaises". He left 1796 selling up the entire contents.

From at least 1788 to the early 1800s a coach ran from the inn, then called the Lower Crown, to London via Maidenhead Little Marlow and Wooburn. The Upper Crown was better known as a coaching inn though as I will describe below. Both Crowns hosted late 1700s and earlier 1800s balls.

The Lower Crown site, above.

The Upper Crown in Market Square was sold by Richard Mathews to Roger Smith in 1596. Roger settled it in 1610 on two friends in trust for his sons Valiantus and John. These sons sold it to brewer Edward Wooden in 1617. His widow Elizabeth and son John passed it on to Thomas Drewe in 1636 but Elizabeth stayed in possession having immediately leased it back on a 60 year term for a rent of £11 a year. Thomas had sold it to brewer Mr Moore by 1650 but Elizabeth was still in occupation then too.

A Mr Hall leased the inn in 1717.

In 1735 it was bought by the Clayton family. They owned a great deal of local property and other pubs.

Sylvester Law was proprietor 1757 [I have transcribed his will. It will be posted on this blog later in August 2020], Mr Webb in 1766 and John Parsons from at least 1768 until he transferred to the Black Bull Holborn in 1775. Mrs Chapman ran the premises from at least 1796 to at least 1798. George Westbrook was there at least 1831 to at least 1834. His employee, postillion Richard Hockley was killed in an evening coaching accident while at work in 1831. The horse shied and the vehicle overturned on Hedsor Hill, but it was sadly some hours before assistance could be bought to him. Richard died of his injuries a couple of days later, leaving a pregnant wife. 

My 1833 parochial survey book describes the inn as having a skittle ground and pleasure ground and garden plus a card room and parlour in the Town Hall next door. Later the card room was converted into a billiards room.

James Franklin farmer of Lower Grounds Farm sold off his entire stock in order to change careers and take over the Upper Crown in 1835 after a George Westbrook gave it up. James however went bankrupt in 1852 so perhaps not the wisest career move ever.

From circa 1798 a "new" coach ran at either 6 or 7 in the Morning to the Bolt and Tonne Fleet Street London [which by coincidence my personal ancestors had owned over 200 years earlier!] from the Upper Crown via Bisham and Maidenhead and returned in the afternoon.

After the railway came to nearby Bourne End a coach took passengers from the Upper Crown to the station there. Even after the opening of Marlow Station itself the coach ran to it and back from the Crown for the benefit of luggage -laden or lazy customers! The driver of this very rickety coach was a fascinating man who will be the subject of his own post in the future.

Visitors to the Upper Crown / Crown Hotel as it became would have found it a buzzing place even without the coaches. It was the organiser of the town balls from at least the mid 1780s through to at least the the 1850s in the next door Town Hall assembly rooms. (Before the Town hall with it's assembly room was built Assemblies were also held in The Lower Crown, which would have been the more spacious of the two premises at the time. The Upper crown did host balls before it gained use of the Town Hall though.)

The inn was also a frequent site for the hosting of property auctions, debt settlements following the death of a local person, coroner's inquests and of meetings by everyone from the bridgewardens and overseers of the poor to political groups and the local gas company.  More unusually it was the town's early court house. The justices had to pay a nominal 1 guinea a year rent for the privilege.

The building also doubled as the town's posting house and excise offices in the early 1800s, being the stop for the mail coach.

The bloodthirsty meanwhile had an opportunity of watching a "backswords" fighting competition out the back of the inn in 1787. Despite the name cudgels and not swords were used. Fighters planted their feet on the ground and could not move. With one hand they held a cudgel, the other hand had to remain gripped to a scarf tied around their thigh and not used to either inflict or deflect blows. Those hobbled fighters tried to be the first one to draw blood from the head of their opponent. Whoever did so won the fight, and on this occasion in Marlow whoever "broke the most heads" at the end of the event won a 3 shilling prize! Smaller prizes were available for those who split someone else's head provided they got up again themselves if their own head was split! The sport was common but this is only the second time I have found reference to it formally organised in Marlow. The other time was in Market Square out front of the Town Hall. A few later boxing matches occurred out back of the Crown.

A different sort of brush with violence for the inn occurred in 1880. It had been used for the campaign headquarters of a conservative candidate in the election. His successful election caused great bitterness amongst many frustrated working class men and the Crown was amongst buildings targeted in a riot by a mob from Marlow, Wycombe, and Bisham. Windows were smashed using stones and ladders left against the building by workers putting up illuminations. The army was necessary to quell the riot. A detailed post about this riot can be found here.

Behind the Upper Crown was a large meadow which was part of the premises. This was occasionally used for displaying animals for sale during Marlow fair, for steam powered visiting merry go rounds, for early travelling silent film shows and circuses, the odd cricket match, many football matches, and grazing of the horses that pulled the town fire engine.

Note: Since this post was written additional landlords have been found. An updated landlord list with biographical details can be found here

#For the will of William Dark see this blog post here

And for Sylvester Laws will see this post

A post about the tragedy of Susan West of the Crown hotel can be found Here

AND for a full list of Marlow pubs, beer houses, inns etc see here and here.

Please use the Person Index option from the drop down menu to search for people of interest.

Post Written and researched by Charlotte Day with additional research by Kathryn Day and Jane Pullinger.

Some Research sources:

Original wills, my own transcriptions

History Of The County Of Buckingham Volume 3, Victoria County Histories 1825. 

Oxford Journal 28th October 1775 and 29th September 1787 at the BNA, London [John Parson was moving premises and the backswords competition]

Reading Mercury 19th June 1786 . Copy held at the British Library, accessed online via the BNA, June 2020 [Mr Dixon refurbished his inn] and 14th May 1798 [Coach].

Reading Mercury 1st March 1777, 8th July 1777, 19 June 1786, 17 September 1787, held at the British Library. 

Oxford Journal 14 August 1756, 14 December 1765, as above. 

Bucks Gazette 15 October 1831, as above. 

Privately held personal papers, not in public domain. [Public meetings at the Upper Crown].

Buckinghamshire Archives Clayton family papers. [Property records]

Britishmuseumonline[Robert Dixon information]

1833 parochial assessment, original notebook held by my family and transcribed by me.

Quarter sessions records, held at the centre for Buckinghamshire Studies.

Insurance record, Nicholas Thomas Innholder, London Metropolitan Archives CLC/B/192/F/001/MS11936/299/456164

©Marlow Ancestors.