Culture, Honour and Virtue - A history of the early Catholic schools in Marlow

St Peter Street in Marlow may be a place of quiet calm and gentility now but if you were to walk it in the early and mid Victorian era, a much more noisy and boisterous atmosphere would have prevailed. There were many reasons for this - more inns and beer-houses, the bustling Limbrook wharf, Gibbon's brewery and later the Buckinghamshire Chair Factory¹. 

One of the characteristic sounds of the street would also have been the sound of children playing. In the 1860s St Peter Street was home to 5 schools - the Catholic charity/infants school, the small Convent School, the National girls, the National infants,  and the private boarding schools for young gentlemen run from the Deanery². And then there was of course another "classic and commercial" boarding school at Marlow Place³ just a stone throw away. Our focus today is on the three Catholic schools. 

Undated and sadly very faded image of a group of pupils, identified by Michael Eagleton as coming from the Catholic infants school. Image used with thanks. 

NB. Most older historic references to the St Peter's school refer not as we would expect to the Catholic school whose modern successor goes by that name but to the two National schools in the road. The others were usually referred to just as the Catholic schools or the Convent schools. 

A start in West Street

The oldest of the two Catholic establishments was the infants charity school, as established by Charles Robert Scott Murray of Danesfield and Medmenham Abbey. Scott Murray was a wealthy and prominent Catholic convert and the person who paid for the building of St Peter's Church in Marlow⁴. The first version of the school was actually located at the Albion Rooms West Street, part of Albion House - a building which has a long connection to schooling⁵. It was established there by 1850. Initially it was ran by a couple of lay ladies and was definitely on the small side - about 20-25 pupils. It is curious that the property was let to the school managers by the Clayton family of Harleyford Manor as Sir William Clayton was outspokenly anti Catholic in the years leading up to the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829. (A speech he gave in 1827 at the Town Hall in Marlow equated Catholicism with evil, tyranny and "intellectual degradation". And that was just the warm up!) This illustrates the prejudice Scott Murray faced when securing space for this purpose. 

Help for the poor

In late 1852 Scott Murray had organised for the Sisters of Charity of St Paul the Apostle based at Banbury to start a small convent at Marlow. They were also to take over the running of the charity school. In 1853 they moved into their new premises adjacent to the Catholic church in St Peter Street. Scott Murray would pay for the day to day running costs of the school such as the heating and lighting, and the provision of books and writing materials. At a time when education was not generally free, the charity school became increasingly popular as it charged a lower fee than the other schools in town. It was not restricted to Catholic families - indeed for some time in this era the majority of pupils were technically protestant. It had only become legal for non Catholic children to attend Catholic schools in 1846. This legal change may well have been what precipitated the foundation of the school. The Catholic population of the town would probably have been too small to sustain an establishment by itself.  Prior to 1791, it was not legal to run a Catholic school - and up to 1778 the punishment for so doing was life imprisonment.

A price to pay?

 The demographic was unquestionably from the poor at this period. The families must have been grateful for the opportunity to educate their youngsters at an affordable price - but the decision to send them to a Catholic school was not without controversy in the town. Protestant families whose children did not attend the church supported schools felt they were under pressure to withdraw them from the alternative.  Some also believed that when their children got into minor trouble with the police they were more harshly dealt with that would be the case of they had not attended a Catholic run school. Nevertheless by 1860 there was around 60 - 70 children in regular attendance at the infants school. 

Treats and trips for the scholars

One advantage of having a wealthy patron who took a close interest in the school was that the little pupils were not forgotten on the occasion of any kind of celebration in Marlow. Scott Murray inevitably provided the youngsters with a Christmas dinner served in their school rooms. Roast beef and plum pudding all round. Royal celebrations were another common excuse to have a break from routine. When the then Prince of Wales married in 1863 Scott Murray provided the youngsters with all kinds of goodies from lemonade to sweets and oranges. Other treats including river boat trips to Danesfield - where sports and games were provided, and a special tea provided by Canon Bernard Smith⁶ to mark a 25th anniversary of his service at Marlow. (1878)

Life at the infant school had its difficult aspects though - the school inspectors inevitably noted that the two classrooms were far too cramped and that the toilet provision was abysmal! (In this they had something in common with the two National schools over the road.) The school was also, like others in the town, subject to periodic closures due to outbreaks of the likes of small pox and scarlet fever. 

Culture, honour and virtue - the Convent Upper School 

Right from the start, the Sisters of Charity were permitted to take in a handful of private pupils who would  be educated seperately from those attending the charity school. The fees charged to these weekly or monthly boarders (who tended to be fairly well off) could be retained by the Sisters. The proviso was that the education of the poor children had to come first - if the Sisters wished to increase the numbers of other pupils they had to provide another Sister to ensure this.

At a meeting of mainly non conformists to discuss the re-establishment of a British school in Marlow, a (concerned) comment was made that Scott Murray was going to expand the provision for middle class children at his Catholic schools. If accurate this seems to have been the start of the expansion of the private convent school to take in more day pupils. 

In 1885, a dispute of uncertain nature with the school managers caused the Sisters to withdraw from both the Marlow schools and their branch at Danesfield (also established by Scott Murray). They finally left in 1886, although Scott Murray begged them to stay. The schools were undoubtedly a success and had just been extended. A Miss Grace Crowther was then recruited to head both the infants school and what was then generally known as the Convent Upper School, which was mixed and took pupils up to around age 14. To quote a source from 1894, this upper school was where "the children of the wealthy and well to do are carefully trained by fully trained and efficient instructors to occupy their positions in the higher ranks of society with culture, honour and virtue."

The young people attending this second school followed a broader curriculum including subjects such as Latin and more in depth musical study. The two establishments remained closely linked however and shared a prize giving day and entertainments. Mrs Scott Murray usually presided over the former and ensured all those attending on a more or less regular basis came away with some prize. The younger and  poorer pupils recieved individual practical items such as clothing and the older pupils more decorative ones such as copies of old master paintings to hang on their wall. 

In 1891 it was decided that Miss Crowther's residence could be altered to allow her to take in paying guests during the lucrative river season. This was to permit her to increase her income. A straightforward pay rise was seemingly out of the question. This is the why the oft published Marlow summer visitors lists includes so many names for people staying at the Convent school.  Miss Crowther certainly earned her keep - she had some 90 children of the infants school in her care and only one assistant mistress beside pupil teachers. 

The 1890s and beyond 

By this time the schools founder Charles Robert Scott Murray had died, and although the wider Scott Murray family did not forget their school at Marlow they had a less immediate every day relationship with it. Many of the treats and trips now provided to the pupils were by well off Catholics who took homes at Marlow for the river season year on year. This is especially true of Eugene Kelly and his family who regularly took up summer residence at Temple House. Eugene had also personally defrayed most of the cost of an assistant priest to help the ailing Canon Bernard Smith in the last two years of his life. The Scott Murrays still could be depended on to provide a Christmas surprise for the children though. Mrs Charles Aloysius Scott Murray managed to find a Christmas tree that would reach the ceiling of the Music Room (now the Masonic centre, hired for the purpose) in 1899 and she festooned it with gifts for all.

Since the 1870s the infants school had been under government control. This meant they could access grants rather than rely solely on their benefactor,  but in return they had to submit to school inspections and payment was by results. It also meant a "conscience clause" was now formally in operation. So the religious education was to taken at the beginning or end of the day to allow those children not participating to more easily absent themselves. 

In the late Victorian period the school inspectors still lamented the state of the toilets, the rough stoney playground and the general state of the school buildings but praised the teaching at least. Grace Crowther remained in charge until just after the First World War which brings us up to the end of the period we deal with. But to answer the oft asked question of when the modern St Peter's school moved to Prospect Rd, it was 1974. The land was actually released for school use by the Ministry of Agriculture from allotment use in 1965! 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Links to related subjects referred to above:

1 - The Bucks chair co of St. Peter Street - here

2. The Deanery school - here

3. Marlow place schools here

4. Early history of St Peter's Church here

5. The Albion rooms as a British School here

6. Biography Canon Bernard Smith, 50 years at St Peter's and a Marlow Hero here

To find other school related posts search by school name here

For other church related content see here - all denominations

Sources include: 

Information from Sister Anne, archivist to the Sisters of Charity of St Paul the Apostle with many thanks. This included information from the undated draft of the foundation agreement for the school and convent. 

Slaters commercial directory 1850. 

Musson & Craven's commercial directory 1853. 

Kelly's Directory Bucks 1863

The Catholic Directory 1853 

Marlow Town Guide and Directory 1891

Marlow Almanack qv 1907 & 1915

South Bucks Free Press 2nd Jan 1857, 14 Jan 1860, 19th Jan 1861, 15 March 1863, 13 May 1868, 7th Oct 1870, 28 June 1878, 7 June 1888, 3 February 1889, 4 March 1910

Maidenhead Advertiser 2 July 1879, 29th September 1886

Bucks Herald 17 April 1886

The Tablet April 16 1887 Vol 69 p 630

Buckinghamshire Examiner 2  December 1891

South Bucks Standard 21st April &  22nd December 1893, 8th June 1894, 21st July 1894, 22 December 1899, 5th September 1902, 14 January 1910

Bucks Free Press 19 July 1919

© MarlowAncestors 

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.