Life of a Dean Street Man - George Langley

 In our search to make this story of Marlow and it's people as representative as possible, we like to randomly pick a few people to research and feature and hence todays post about Victorian Dean Street resident George Langley. In fact George was the brother of John Langley who along with his son of the same name is one of our Marlow Heroes because of their practical help of the poor. You can read their rag to riches story here. George's story is in many ways the story of that area, although he did also spend periods living elsewhere in the town. 

Young skewer maker 

George was born at Well End, Great Marlow or Dean Street as we'd call it today - not to be confused with Well End, Little Marlow c 1830 to Thomas and Elizabeth Langley. His parents could not have more stereotypical Marlow occupations in his youth - they were working as a skewer maker and lacemaker. Skewer making had a somewhat shady reputation, not always fairly, because most of the "prick wood" needed to make the butchers meat skewers belonged to a wealthy land owner or another. The latter were not too keen to find men and women taking apart their hedges and plantations in search of materials. A few skewer makers were employed by the owners of the woods to make the skewers, but most had to negotiate the rights to search for materials in a particular spot. And the majority of "skewerters" could not not afford to pay much if anything for their wood.  Some didn't see why they should pay at all as they regarded the right to collect it as a customary if not legal right. You can read more about Marlow's skewer industry, in which our subject George also worked here. It's worth noting that skewer making was largely seasonal and many of those defining themselves as such in early census returns must therefore have had other occupations at least part of the time. Those who looked back to the skewer making hey day associated it especially with something labouring men did at the end of their already long work days, assisted by the women and children of the family. 

By his 30s George was working as a fruiterer's labourer  - almost certainly for his brother John who employed a vast number of Dean Street area residents in this way. By the 1860s Dean Street was associated with this industry, not least because of the Langley family. The fruiterers here were wholesalers, mostly buying the rights to harvest and sell the produce of fields and orchards in the district which generally went to London for sale. George would have travelled far and wide to help with these harvests - the fruiterers can be found sending out teams throughout Oxfordshire and Berkshire as well as all parts of Buckinghamshire. 

Cricket Man 

In his 20s and 30s George was a regular addition to Marlow's cricket team, along with brother John. As such he was also called upon to take his part in the many fun cricket matches that Marlow liked to organise at the drop of a hat. Married v Single, residents of one street v those of another, those who lived one side of a road v those living on the other..any excuse to form two teams for a match would do. George was regarded as a talented individual and so in the 1870s when he was no longer part of the regular team, he was employed at the cricket club as it's groundsman and as a professional bowler. The last means he had to attend the practices to put the players through their paces. And there was no better person to look after the grounds than someone who knew what a great playing surface should be. The premises suffered some problems with vandalism in those years.  The fencing was repeatedly damaged for example so it wasn't always the idyllic stress free job it would seem to be for a cricket fanatic. 

Sad times

In 1870 when the Thames was largely frozen over, George's beloved daughter Sarah age 14 was killed when she fell through the ice. Sarah stopped on her way home from school to play with other children sliding on ice adjacent to the river. They then began to dare each other to retrieve a stick throw ever further onto the ice on the river itself. She was teasing the boys who did not want to go out so far, and decided to show them how it was done. She made her way onto the ice several times, but eventually the surface gave way and frantic efforts to retrieve Sarah were unsuccessful. Her body was not found for some time. The inquest was held at the Two Brewers Inn in St Peters Street. Later it was said George never recovered from this tragedy and went down hill physically and mentally after this time. 

Certainly by the time of his early death age 49 in 1879, it was regarded that Sarah's death "cast a shadow over his life and probably accelerated his departure". He had apparently been suffering ill health for some time so he had to give up his role as bowler at the Cricket Club although he continued as groundsman for a while longer. On George's death his affability and genial nature was praised - he was called a general favourite of all the club members. They ended a tribute with the melancholy thought that George was better off dead given his health and the sadness he carried. Not the happiest reading for his poor wife Ellen and surviving children. 

A brief look at the Dean Street Depot 

I'm going to give a quick mention to George's son Henry George Langley, who as the foreman of the Marlow Urban District Council's depot was in charge of a long forgotten but distinctive feature of the street in days gone by. There were several small long vanished and emptied out gravel pits off Dean Street in the early Victorian period. One was just past the entrance to Cambridge Rd, if you are heading up the street out of town. It had deteriorated into a rubbish dump in the 1890s, and often became a pond in wet weather. It was decided this was an eyesore and health hazard and should be filled in. The council shortlisted it as a potential site for a depot for their supplies. After protracted negotiations over price - optimistic on behalf of the seller architect and surveyor Thomas Thurlow you'd think - the site was purchased. Stabling for the council's horse was put up plus tool stores, sheds to house the likes of the street watering and sewage collection carts and a cottage for the depot foreman. (Plans to improve the existing cottage seem to have been abandoned.) This foreman in the Edwardian era was Henry George Langley. All the rubbish formerly there was buried far underground and would no doubt make a fascinating archaeological dig had the site not been covered in housing. A channel was also dug to deal with the torrents of water that came down Seymour Court Hill filling the old pit site during prolonged periods of rain. Henry kept an eye on the site and the council stores of things like sand and gravel used for road repairs - although this wasn't easy as several items were made off with, and the councils own surveyor of the highways was accused of appropriating some of the material. 

Related posts: 

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

History of George's beloved cricket club - here

Frozen Thames and ice skating in Victorian and Edwardian Marlow - here

Researched and written by Kathryn Day. 

© MarlowAncestors 

Wiggington Graves and Research, Great Marlow

 

The grave of George the son of William and Mary Ann Wiggington of this town who "entered into rest" Feb 23rd 1880 aged 27 "With Christ Is Better".

Also commemorated on the grave is his sister Mary Ann who it says died at Brighton and is buried there. Died January 10th 1901. "Until The Day Dawns"

Maryann Wiggington. Beloved wife of William Wiggington. Born April 10th 1813 and died December 13th 1865

ALSO OF 

William Wiggington husband of the above who died suddenly Sept 19th 1879 age 60.

This grave is also in All Saints.

Graves in All Saints Churchyard Marlow. Photographed April 2021.

Research by Charlotte:

William and Mary Ann (the parents)

William was a retired bargeman. He dropped dead in his garden. He had previously survived surgery in London for cancer of the tongue. Mary Ann kept a grocery and tobacconist's shop in Dean Street Marlow. This was the property of her father James Lee. The spiteful and gested political atmosphere of Victorian Marlow saw Mary Ann targeted because of her father's political allegiances. You can read more about this in our post here.

Mary died after a long period of illness that involved her heart, lungs and liver. The doctor who treated her in her final illness, Dr Oliver, was accused by her husband, two teenage daughters Mary Ann junior (18) and Emma (15) and another doctor of malpractice, treating her when incapable to do so because he was obviously intoxicated. William threw him out of their home. Mary herself believed the last medicine she took was making her worse. An inquest found that Dr Oliver had made no mistakes as to treatment despite his possible drunkenness at time and that Mary was so ill that her death was not exceptional. An autopsy ruled out there being any poisonous ingredients in the medicines Dr Oliver gave her. One of the ingredients used would however burn the throat when swallowed.

The fact that he had declared her to be getting better when she no longer had a pulse makes the idea he was fully competent when he attended her questionable!

Mary Ann's cause of death was given as heart disease. She also had a diseased liver.

This couple were Wesleyans. There was no burial ground at that time for the Wesleyan community or a town cemetery hence their burial at the parish church.

Mary Ann (the daughter). Born 1848.

Worked as a keeper of a lodging house for a while.

©Marlow Ancestors.  You are very welcome to reuse this content for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog. Thanks.

More on Mary Ann's death can be found in local newspapers such as the South Bucks Free Press  Dec 22nd 1865.

Marlow Heroes no. 7 - John Langley

 When little John Langley was born in the poor and populous Dean Street in the 1850s, his parents probably did not imagine he would one day become such a wealthy and well respected man. John - or Jack as he was usually known - occupies a fairly unique position in Marlow history as someone who had a great deal to do with the lives of both the richest and poorest of Marlow's past residents. It's his dealings with the latter that has earned him a place in our series saluting the actions of Marlow heroes. I will refer to him from hence onwards as Jack to differentiate him from his father John although the latter was also known as Jack or Johnnie in his lifetime. What's survived in the popular memory is that Jack was a bookmaker or as it was referred to at the time a "turf commission agent". We may imagine someone in this occupation and from a more modest background may have struggled against numerous stereotypes held by our Victorian forebears. But we may be making assumptions to some extent. Association with gambling was obviously frowned upon by very many but Jack was described by the Vicar of Marlow as a "fine straightforward man" for example, bookie or no. It was certainly not regarded as barrier to election to the town council. The thing that seemed to stand out most to his contemporaries was the fact Jack continued to mix with they may have thought as the "common man" despite becoming well off. It should also be born in mind that like many of our Victorian forebears, Jack had more occupations providing his income than is recorded on census returns. (Generally the main one or two get listed but by cross referencing other sources we can find this often gives only a partial picture of how many actually earned their bread and butter. Jack was probably just as associated by many with his fruit dealing as book making as he did that longer, although some of his sons followed in their fathers bookmaking footsteps)

Above, excerpt of a fundraising musical performance programme at the Cricket Club pavillion June 1908, in aid of club funds. John Langley Jun contributes two of his whistling solos to the programme. 

Langley & Son

Jack was the son of John and Ann Sarah Langley, publicans of the Royal Exchange and then the Verney Arms, both in Dean Street or Well End as it was still then popularly known. (Not to be confused with Well End, Little Marlow.) John was also a fruiterer, timber merchant, market gardener and farmer - you can see what I mean about multiple occupations held at once! Jack's Langley grandparents Thomas and Elizabeth were agricultural labourers/ skewer makers* and in the grandma's case, a lace maker. All typical Dean Street area occupations of the time. It was recalled that young Jack was often to be seen walking about the area with his tame fox cub trotting at his heels like a dog. He had apparently found and trained the fox himself. Eccentricity no 1! Childhood didn't last long in those days, and Jack was soon helping his father in the various family business concerns. In fact they became officially partners as publicans, market gardeners, timber merchants and fruiterers trading as "Langley & Son". The area around Dean Street formerly contained many little orchards and fruit grounds, some of which the Langley's probably cropped themselves, but as fruiterers they would also have bought in stock from others locally. The fruiterer business was formerly associated with Marlow and especially Dean Street, although the link is long forgotten now. This involved the wholesale trade in fruit, usually to London. So the Langley's did not have a fruitmongers shop in Marlow itself although they no doubt supplied some of them. In 1878, the father and son decided to dissolve their business by mutual consent although both continued working in the same areas. John (born 1826) made his mark on the document by the sign of the cross, but Jack signed his own name. John farmed numerous areas of Marlow (he occupied 230 acres in 1881, with 50 men and numerous boys in his employ in the farming line. This included New Barn Farm.) 

Jack fights a fire

1878 was the year Jack started in business in his own right and also the year that he committed his first heroic act. He, and father John, saved the lives of two infants in a Dean Street house fire. The Sawyer children were the grandchildren of John Langley so Jack was their uncle. The youngsters had been left alone in the house upstairs asleep (common then and not something that stood out as neglectful behaviour to the witnesses) but a fire had started. The house was seriously alight when the smoke was noticed by a passer by. The two fought through a then "raging" fire to free the crying pair from their bedroom. The children appear to have been largely unharmed. (You can read more about John's son in law Owen Sawyer in a post here)

Jack's dad John Langley senior was one of the founding donors to the Marlow volunteer fire brigade and was on the committee that set it up. He seems to have taken a keen interest in firefighting overall and was credited with helping put out a number of blazes either before the fire brigade arrived or alongside  them. When he was the landlord of the Crown, the fire engine was housed next door to him, with the fire bell outside. If anyone knew it was rung, it would be John. He hired to the brigade the horses that pulled the engine. These usually grazed in the Crown Meadow (Riley Park) which was also put to use for fire brigade training exercises and drill competitions. Jack continued his father's interest in the brigade, sponsoring prizes in their drill competitions and donating to the cost of new equipment. Read more about the father and sons sometimes amusing roles in the fire brigade here!

Convicted Rioter

John Langley was politically active for the radical/liberal concern in his younger days. This would lead to Jack's involvement in one of the most well known of Marlow's election riots, of 1880. The liberals lost, and those who supported them regarded the election as unfair. Jack was regarded by some as one of the ringleaders of the ensuing wide scale destruction, but it was also argued he was in fact a peacemaker whose conviction was politically motivated. A fund was set up to raise money to pay for a presentation to Jack in protest at what they said was his wrongful conviction and subsequent short prison term. A nice engraved London made silver coffee set was the result. The witness statements do tend to support Jack's role in trying to quell the riot more than instigating it although he was obviously vocal in his dismay at the result when first announced! A full post about the riot is available here

King of The City 

 John senior obviously set his son an active example of looking out for the working man especially those in his employ. John was well known for contributing to charity and hosting Christmas dinners for dozens of poor and elderly residents of Dean Street and around. In 1865 it was said that there was not a man in the parish more "industrious, energetic or enterprising" than John Langley. The South Bucks Free Press reporting on the marriage of John seniors daughter Alice (Jack's sister) said that John was known as the King of The City (a slang term for the Dean Street area). They thought that probably "the enormous amount distributed by him amongst the wage earning class is the proof that he is the medium of conferring a large amount of good upon a very large number of persons."

 Jack would soon follow in his footsteps in this regard. (Jack was also the one time publican at the Verney although for a relatively short period. However as we know he was frequently in London engaged in his other business it was - as so often the case - his wife Ellen who would generally be found looking after the pub.)

 The Langley family had suffered many misfortunes amidst their success and perhaps it was this consciousness that motivated them to help those who had misfortunes of their own. For example, 13 year old Sarah, (b 1857, daughter of George) fell through the ice when trying to skate or slide on the frozen Thames in 1870. Despite a frantic search, she was not found for a month. Then John Langley senior had a severe fire at New Barn farm in 1882 which totally destroyed a large barn and overall did £1000 worth of damage, at least partially covered by insurance. His first wife Ann Sarah died later that year after months of pain and sickness caused by injuries she sustained when she fell out of a swing at the 1881 Marlow fair. She was picked up unconscious and was expected to die imminently. But she struggled on miserably for a while longer. Similarly John's second wife Susan of The Crown Hotel, committed suicide less than a year after their marriage. John would die in an accident at the hotel a few years later. You can read more about this and poor Susan, in a post here. 

In 1881 Jack suffered the death of his toddler daughter Nellie, and a break in at his then Oxford Rd home the following year. Then his sister Kate Verney Langley died aged just 19 in 1887. So yes Jack knew misfortune too.

 In 1901 he defines himself as a turf commission agent on the census for the first time, although he was still engaged in both the fruit trade and farming. He was also going well enough to buy and sell property and land. As someone now comfortably off, Jack was frequently invited to sit on various committees eg the executive committee for organising the 1902 Coronation celebrations in Marlow. No doubt they knew they could count on him to reach into his pocket when asked to support a charitable cause. (More on the celebration here)

Jack and the Hospital

There are numerous philanthropic causes that Jack especially helped with. The first was the establishment of the Marlow Cottage Hospital in Glade Rd. The former one was cramped and small and the medical staff were desperate for a new modern premises. I have covered the sometimes bad tempered debate as to whether to go ahead with a new building or not in a post here. But the main fear was that not enough funds would be raised to either build it or maintain it on a voluntary basis  so it might get put "on the rates". One of those who thought the doctors would just have to make do with their old site was previously one of the bigger donors to the hospital, Ed. Riley. When the exhausted and exasperated medical staff threatened to resign en masse unless proper facilities were provided, Riley threatened to withdraw his association and financial support to the hospital. Jack Langley was outraged and said he would personally make up any deficiency in funds resulting from Riley's threat - and he was as good as his word. He had already offered to sell some land in Glade Rd at a much discounted price for the building of the hospital. Subsequently Jack decided to offer the same land entirely free of charge, providing building was actually started within an agreed time frame. This was a spot in a prime area of development for handsome villas so it was in no way an unattractive parcel of land he would be pleased to just get rid of. This was also in addition to general financial contributions to the funds. Furthermore Jack also offered that if the hospital managers should find a different and better site, he would provide a low cost loan and extra money to allow for its purchase. In the end, the hospital was built on Jack's land where it stands today. 

Jack pays out for twins

The second cause we should especially remember Jack for was his help and support for slate clubs and any fundraising aimed at helping the unemployed and poor. As mentioned above, Jack hosted free Christmas dinners for dozens of the poor. It was hardly a once a year act for him. He made donations to boost the funds of many of the town's Slate Clubs. These were sort of friendly societies and saving clubs that provided sickness and unemployment benefit for working men in exchange for a small weekly payment. (See posts linked below to read about the clubs and poverty in Jack's Marlow.) He was therefore an honoured guest at many of their annual share outs. And he was not above throwing himself into the entertainment contributing songs and comic recitations. His sons Jack and Walter often came along too, Jack junior specialising in an "unusual" whistling performance apparently. (Walter accompanied on a piano if available**) My favourite way that Jack supported one of the Slate Clubs at the Clayton Arms, was to offer a bonus payment from his own funds if any member's wife had a set of twins or triplets. He was called upon to pay that out at least once! He actually offered to pay if any new member with twins joined even if their children were a few years old already. It was noted of  Jack in 1906 that unusually when fortune had smiled upon him "instead of becoming more selfish as most men did when they became rich, Mr Langley delighted in helping his fellow men more than ever." Jack replied that he thought it the duty of every man to enjoy life and to help your fellow man to do the same. 

Veterans Supporter

Then we have Jack's generosity to the Marlow's Rifle Volunteers and to the fundraising to care for those serving in the South African and First World Wars and their bereaved families. Several of his sons spent time as a volunteer. His son Jack in particular is remembered as a casualty of the First World War. Jack junior was a veteran of the South African wars too, as a member of what was then known as the Imperial Yeomanry. Trooper Langley returned from South Africa in 1902 and his efforts are commemorated on the plaque on the Armoury in Institute Rd. (See here ) He was one of those who won a ballot to attend the 1902 Coronation as a representative of the Yeomanry - I believe the only Marlow resident to be successful in the draw.  Trooper Langley was not so fortunate in the First World War, and he died in Egypt in 1915. The news was recieved in Marlow in August that year, when it was reported the soldier's death was due to fever. At this point Jack senior, who was a councillor for some years, had been elected chair of the Marlow Urban District Council. He was also elected head of the Marlow Tribunal which considered applications for compulsory military service to be delayed or cancelled due to certain permitted circumstances. Jack was praised for his untiring work during these years. He was unfortunately injured in a blackout while on a visit to London in 1917. He was in Paddington station at the time and actually fell from the platform onto the rails. He was forced to remain in hospital for some weeks, returning to his then home, Bridge House, Marlow in early 1918. (Jack bought Bridge House in June 1913.) The rumour was he never fully recovered from these injuries or his son's war time death, and he died in 1924.  Marlow really lost a kind benefactor then. There isn't room to list all of Jack's charitable deeds in this. I especially like Jack for his visits to the Union Workhouse at Saunderton, and the workhouse school at Bledlow, and his frequent gifts to every Marlow resident in either. Sweets and buns for the children and money for the adults was the usual order of the day.  For example he gave 5s each to every Marlow pauper boarded out in other Poor Law Unions for Christmas 1920. Out of sight was definitely not out of mind for Jack. And he provided for 40 poor children to attend the Marlow cinema in 1914, paid to have trees replaced on the Causeway, donated land in Glade Rd free of charge so that the road could be widened in the interest of safety, subsidised soup kitchens, provided prizes at sporting contests ..the list goes on. 

There isn't space here either to list all of Jack's involvement with sporting interests in the town either so I'll just mention one aspect of his life that doesn't seem to be well known. He actually kept race horses as well as being involved in the track through his bookmaking. I have found that they raced at local courses such as Windsor and Ascot, and the most successful seems to have been "Tokey" in the Edwardian era. I must also mention that Jack played for Marlow FC and Marlow Victoria FC in their early years, as well as for the Cricket Club, rowed at the regattas, headed up the 1920s bowls club, and was an all round accomplished athlete who competed in amateur athletics events regionally. Dad John was in the Marlow cricket team in the 1850s and 60s with his "masterful" left handed underarm bowling credited for many a victory. 

NB. Jack's wife Ellen died in 1905 and he remarried widow Frances, former wife of Hedley Foster who drowned in the Thames at Marlow. Read more in the post here. See the grave of Ellen Here. His stepson Roy Foster was also a First World War casualty. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

FURTHER INFORMATION

Jack lived at various times in Dean Street, Oxford Rd, Glade Rd, at New Court, Caldwell Lodge (Station Rd) and Bridge House. 

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

*More about skewer making and the industries of Dean Street here

**A passion for entertaining seemed to run in the Langley family. Another of Jack's sons, Frank, was the manager of a travelling theatre and cinema. Frank also served in the First World War, in the air force. 

List of Verney Arms landlords/history timeline: here

Slate Clubs and poverty in Marlow here

Index of posts related to the First World War in Marlow and general Marlow history here

Everyday life for Marlow residents at the Union workhouse Saunderton here

SOURCES

Parish Assessment, 1833, from the original notebook in our possession.

Census for Great Marlow, transcribed from the originals by Jane Pullinger and Charlotte Day. 

London Gazette, June 14 1878. 

Bucks Herald 9th February 1878, British Library Archive. 

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News, 4th March, 26th August & 7th October 1882, as above

South Bucks Standard 13 July 1905,  24 April 1913, as above. 

Reading Mercury 28th August and 11 September 1915 - Reading Libraries. 

Windsor and Eton Express 13th May 1871, & 26 March 1870 - Slough Borough Libraries. 

Kelly's Directory of Buckinghamshire 1899, 1911 & 1915 

British Nationals Armed Forces Deaths 1796-2005. GRO. (Ref ARR1, Volume C2, page 133)

Marlow Guide 1905. 

© MarlowAncestors. 

Holland Road Marlow Early History

 Holland Road was laid down late in 1901 by the workers of Mr Fossett of Slough. Earlier that year much of  the land that the early properties in the road would be built on had been bought bit by bit by speculator James Andrews Holland and in his honour it was decided by the Urban Council to name the new road Holland Road. (Often referred to as Holland's Rd early on.) The land was previously part of the "Quarrydale Estate", perhaps the grounds of the house Quarrydale which was by it though that does not look to long predate the Holland Road. 

James had no previous experience in property speculation. He would later state in court that his main former career was that of an employee of the Midland Railway. On the 1901 census he was the manager of a timber merchant in Ashford near Staines Middlesex and in 1881 he appears as a carpenter and joiner which seems at odds with his statement of being a Midland Railway employee for much of his career. Unless he was employed as a carpenter in some way by them ??? He did have some experience working as an assistant manager of a brickyard too. 

Regardless of his experience, thanks to loans from Mr Cripps of Marlow and Garner and Sons of Uxbridge he was able to begin building up Holland Road. You can understand why this area seemed a golden prospect to such a speculator. Holland Road was within walking distance of the station and the river yet would have still felt removed from the main body of Marlow. A peaceful but well connected semi rural idyll. James admitted he had only a small working capital and "few qualifications" but he was obviously able to win the confidence of his backers nevertheless. 

First in the new road came a bungalow with an attached artist's studio, then 2 cottages. These cost £729, 18 shillings and 6 pennies to erect on top of a purchase price for all the land of £567. These were followed by five more houses in a block for himself and two for his wife Sarah (or so he would later state) on more of the land. The couple lived in home called "The Maisonette" New Town/Quarrydale, possibly also in Holland Road.  (N.b there were two cottages known as no 1&2 The Maisonette, in New Town Rd proper around this time, which may be one of those meant.)  Unfortunately James had overreached himself financially and could not afford to continue to build on the rest of his land. He had no money left to continue his grand development scheme.

Though he had tenants for some of the built property this was not enough to keep him afloat and he was forced to try to sell the bungalow with studio, and 2 houses. These did not sell in two attempts and James filed for bankruptcy. There was some scepticism voiced in court that two of the properties allegedly built for his wife were genuinely not part of the bankrupt's possessions. He owed £510 to creditors at the time.

The mortgagees tried again to sell some of the property in 1906 and were seemingly successful at last. James and his wife moved away from the town. In 1911 he was a Building Works Manager boarding at Shottesdon, Shropshire. 

An early family to set up home in Holland Road was the Haddon family. In 1907 Richard Johnson Haddon (who may be the father of the family or his identically named son) appeared as a witness at the Old Bailey in London when Arthur Malyon of Leytonstone, Henry East of Dean Street (fruit and horse dealer), Frank Price of Dean Street and James Newell (of Marlow or Stokenchurch reports vary) were accused of a string of thefts in London and it's environs involving horses, wheeled vehicles and harnesses.

Some of the stolen property was sold in Marlow, some at Henley Fair and some elsewhere. Richard Johnson Haddon reported taking 4 horses to Henley Fair for East, including one of the allegedly stolen animals. He also believed he had seen another of the stolen animals in a field off Dean Street by the Bank of England pub. This field was one of two rented by East. 

The charges against Frank Price were dismissed by the courts at an early stage. Henry East was found not guilty and was welcomed home to Marlow by a crowd of 200 people who repaired to the Plough pub for a raucous celebration (on which more here) The rest of the accused were found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in jail. The court case contains various interesting points not relating to Holland Road but to Marlow in general and how the horse dealing trade operated here in the early 1900s.

It is also noticeable for the statement that using the "F word" as Henry East was quoted as doing was common in the town in 1907 (at least in Dean Street!). There is a link to a transcript of the Old Bailey trial in the Sources section below. The earlier hearings at lower court's were reported at great length in the South Bucks Standard.

Those giving evidence for the good character of East, included Francis Crawford Caffin who was a fruit customer of his and William Fisher the butcher of Market Square 

Two years earlier Richard Johnson Haddon Senior and Richard Johnson Haddon Junior had been in court at Marlow following an altercation with their Holland Road neighbour William Henry Lavell. It was alleged that a sickle had been thrown by Lavell at a dog owned by Haddon Junior and threats made against Haddon Junior himself. The judge accepted that he had not intended to harm the dog, only frighten it off and had been provoked by the dog taking one of his valuable chicks. He was thus asked to pay only half the costs of the case and Haddon Junior the rest. Lavell was bound over to keep the peace towards the Haddons.

 In 1914 William Lavell, still of Holland Road was sentenced to 4 months hard labour for arson at Wright's paper mills where he worked as a packer. Drunk thanks to a long drinking session at the Carrier's Arms in Wycombe Road (that and the Plough would be his nearest pubs from home), William had wanted to get revenge on the mill owners for exploiting and under paying certain female staff as he saw it. Women in his eyes could not stand up for themselves in such matters! He set fire to a door and put up barricades to hinder attempts at extinguishing the fire. Nobody was inside at the time. William was married to Ellen (nee Smith. M 1896) who on the previous census was described as a paper mill hand. This would have been at Wright's. It is not mentioned in the court case that Ellen was one of the women William thought was being mistreated but it may have been so. The couple's address in 1901 was "New Town" the district around Holland Road so they were already close to Holland Road. It is possible their home existed in the street prior to it being named or properly laid down as a road both of which occurred - officially speaking - several months after the census was taken. Development in Marlow was sometimes very haphazard, piecemeal and disorganized!

Written and researched by Charlotte Day.

NB Early residents often gave their address as "xx Holland Road, New Town, Marlow"  or just "New Town". Most of the houses were named, and these names often changed with each new resident..

For other posts about specific Marlow Roads, shops or farms see this index. All references to any individual on this blog can be found on the A-Z Person Indexes. Thousands of people are mentioned.

Sources:

https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?name=19070528

South Bucks Standard September 6th 1901 and 21st July 1905. Bucks Herald 27th June 1903 and June 6th 1914. Bucks Advertiser July 11th 1902. All British Library Archives via the BNA.

England and Wales Census 1911. National Archives, Kew. Census information remains Crown Copyright. 

"England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X96C-M5W : 20 May 2019), James A Hollands, Ashford, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing Sunbury subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.

"England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27J-WWZG : 12 December 2017), James A Holland, Leicester St Margaret, Leicestershire, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 17, Piece/Folio 3158/106, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,883.

"England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7VP-XTT : 22 July 2019), William Henry Lavell, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.

GRO marriage index.

1915 Marlow Directory and Almanack, Welbourne & Simpson, Marlow. 

1907 Marlow Guide, Marlow Printing Co. 

Colonial Meat Stores, Spittal Street

 Colonial Meat Stores opened in Spittal Street premises by 1891. They may well have been the first tenants of the premises which were built in 1883. Proprietors Frank and Caroline Baker lived at 4 Queen Square High Wycombe where they had another branch of their business. Colonial meat was usually cheaper than British meat though the public generally had to be convinced it was of equal quality. There was also a colonial meat store ran by Albert Fleet in West Street. See those premises and read more about Albert here.

Frank and Caroline took out a flurry of ads in the early days of their business advertising their bargain beef, mutton and lamb.

A few days before Christmas 1892 a poor woman of nearby Dean Street bought two pennyworth of meat from them but had nothing to serve with it to her husband and eleven children because of the family's great poverty. Her husband's trade of shoemaking was in the doldrums. He went into the fields near Holy Trinity church to see if the owner Emmanuel Plumridge* would give him some turnips. He did not see Plumridge but took the turnips anyway believing he would not have been refused them if he had been able to ask for them. A constable caught him however and sent the matter to court. Emmanuel said too many turnips were being taken from his field but he did not want the man dealt with with any harshness. The magistrate fined the accused a token shilling, which was paid by a compassionate person in the court. 

Centre, the former Colonial Meat Stores, occupying the left and central portion. 

Frank Baker died young in 1896 but his wife continued to run both branches of the stores until at least 1899. Subsequently it was run under the same name by the Wise family then Grace & Co. 

Above, advert 1907. 

*Emmanuel was a grocer and farmer who lived in Spittal Square.

Find more shop histories or Spittal Street specific posts on this index

Thousands of Marlow people are listed on this blog. Look for anyone you are interested in on the Person Index on the top drop down menu. 

Sources included:

1891 census England and Wales, my transcription. 

The London Gazette. (1896). United Kingdom: T. Neuman.

Bucks Herald 24th December 1892.

Marlow Almanack and Directory 1907. 

©Marlow Ancestors. Reproduction welcome with credit to this blog for family or local history purposes.

Not You Again Reuben!

Today's subject is Reuben Anderson, a man who is fair to say kept the police constables and J.Ps more than a little busy! 

The age of Reuben differs by a few years here and there when he gives it in court, on censuses and the like. He generally decides on a birth year of 1845, although he may have been a couple of years older. He was the son of George and Emma Anderson of Dean Street (more commonly known as Well End, Great Marlow at the time Reuben was born, not be confused with Well End, near Little Marlow.) Another Reuben Anderson living in Marlow in the early Victorian era was our Reubens uncle, born in Maids Moreton, Bucks. 

Reuben's father spent several spells in prison throughout the boys childhood, usually lasting a month or two, mostly relating to petty thefts and trespass after game. His was not a wealthy family, and George's work principally as a general and agricultural labourer was not necessarily regular. Dean Street was a poor and populous neighbourhood, the haunt of many a poacher. Many lived on the edge of destitution in a way that's much underestimated now. Those that didn't tended to supplement their income in many  ways, not all of them quite legal. 

Starting Young 

Reuben therefore started his somewhat shady career rather young. In 1858 the boy found himself called to the petty sessions, suspected of stealing a quantity of iron from the premises of baker John Millward in West Street. (Formerly Gibbons the tallow chandlers - see the premises here) At this point the petty sessions were held in a small and often raucous room in the Crown at the Market Square. In court, his age was given as 11 but I think he was more likely 13-15 years. Generally speaking if a resident of Dean Street was bought to the sessions room, a crowd of friends and relatives from the area would attend to offer vocal support much to the magistrates annoyance. Perhaps the same thing happened to young Reuben. Regardless, he was found guilty and sentenced to be privately whipped. This was regarded as a lenient punishment compared to time in gaol. Two months before either Reuben or his uncle of the same name had been summoned and fined for stealing underwood at Little Marlow. I suspect it was the elder of the two. 

 Reuben is often recorded as either an agricultural labourer or general labourer, that catch all term for a variety of unskilled and semi skilled work. But the type of crimes he tends to get arrested for, indicates a slightly different story. By far the most common is wilful damage to a tree or stealing underwood. Reuben isn't gathering firewood, he is collecting the type of material he needs for his sideline as a "skewerter". That is he makes wooden skewers that are sold wholesale to butchers, usually in London. It was a very common and perfectly legitimate trade in Marlow, centred around Dean Street. However it was not legal to help yourself to the wood wherever you found it locally, as almost every tree belonged to someone specifically. Some landowners sold the right to collect the skewer materials to an individual, who naturally would be at a serious disadvantage if it all had vanished come harvest time. But skewer makers like Reuben could not afford to lease woodland and it's unlikely that buying the materials from a middle man would be profitable. Snarky comments were often made about how "wealthy" the skewer makers of Marlow were, given that it was pure profit to make goods from materials obtained free and illegally. But the reality was those we have identified as long time workers in the trade were in poor (sometimes shockingly so) houses and never escaped them. It was hardly a road to riches! Reuben is also identified later as a fruiterer - another classic Dean Street occupation. In this case it was the wholesale trade that involved Reuben along with his father - he did not have a shop. This was a seasonal source of employment for him, something to add to his other sources of income. 

Reuben's punishment for the wood rustling and tree damage tended to be a fine. (For example 2d plus costs in 1861 for damaging trees belonging to magistrate Benjamin Atkinson of the Rookery.) If he could not pay, he would be forced to spend time in gaol in lieu. Sometimes the fine was demanded immediately after the case was heard, on other occasions a week or two to gather the required finds was allowed. (Two weeks in the case mentioned above.) In 1862 he was imprisoned for 3 months for stealing the lunch of a farm labourer William Harris who was working in the fields. (His accomplice James Grace recieved 2 months)

A Familiar Defendant 

1863 was an especially busy year for young Reuben. He plead guilty to 3 offences in the same petty session in January. He was at this point described as a youth "well known to police", as was his co accused in two of the offences, James Grace. First up was two charges for stealing swedes and turnips, both offences committed on the same day. The quantity of swedes was large and they were likely intended for selling on as fruiterers had the connections to sell vegetables too. The second offence occured at Blunts Farm. In both cases the young men were bought to the intention of the authorities by an "informer" Thomas Tilbury. When Reuben heard this, he had gone after Thomas and threw stones at him several hitting their mark. Hence the 3rd case for which he was summoned. For each of the first two offences, Reuben was sentenced to 1 months imprisonment with hard labour. The same sentence was awarded to his co accused who had like Reuben plead guilty. For the stone throwing, Reuben was set a high fine of £1 plus costs. As he could not pay, he was taken to prison for an additional 2 months. As he was led away, our miscreant was heard to mutter threats of dire vengeance against the informant. Thankfully for both, nothing cane of these dark mutterings - as far as public records show at least! Come October Reuben was back in front of the magistrates again. This time he was accused of stealing a higher value item, and this along with his string of previous convictions meant Reuben was remanded for trial at the Assizes. The theft involved a large quantity of straw belonging to surgeon William Hickman. This time the sentence was for one years imprisonment. His age at sentencing is given as 18. 

Father George Creates A Scene

A little under a year after his release, Reuben's father was yet again in hot water. The cause this time was a very public act of rebellion. It was November, and he was out of work as many of those with partially seasonal occupations naturally were. He applied to the Relieving Officer Mr Russell for some parish aid. Mr Russell refused to sanction any "outdoor relief" - that is an allowance of bread or money paid to George while he continued to look for work and live in his existing lodgings. Instead he said he would issue an order that George should go to "the House". That is the parish workhouse. George was furious. No one wished to be admitted there, but the parish officers had decided to crack down on the giving of aid that would allow the poor an alternative to the house. It was considered the provision of out relief made things too easy for the poor and prevented the workhouse acting as proper deterrent to the merely idle. It was noted in the newspaper reports of the events that followed that George had a "good" summer income as a fruiterer and skewer maker, the inference being if he had no money now it was because he had not spent it wisely or saved enough. (This was of course usually an attitude espoused by those who had never had to manage on such wages or live in the condition of those that did.) But it's obvious from study of others in the Anderson families position that the debts and rent arrears speedily increased over a winter when little money came in. These then had to paid out of the next summer's income.  

The following evening, George was heard to declare publicly that he would "wreck" the relieving officers home. He took a bludgeon and smashed 15 panes of glass. He made no attempt to disguise himself and was arrested immediately. It may be that Reuben acted heedlessly out of bravado or anger or both. It may also be that his situation was dire and he did what many others in Marlow did and commited a public crime certain that he would be sent to prison and provided for. We have found many examples of people doing just that, often going to confess immediately at the police station. Was prison better than the work house? Unlikely, but it perhaps carried less stigma for men in Georges situation who had often been in prison before. Whatever the motivation, George's attack earned him two months behind bars, with hard labour. It just be said the conditions of providing parish aid were not set by poor Mr Russell and he could have been dismissed if it was considered he was too lenient. 

Happier Events

In 1879 Reuben married Martha Sparkes, daughter of Maria and William, the landlords of at various times the Barge Pole, Black Boy and Fisherman's Retreat inns in St Peter's Street/Church Passage. Martha was just over a decade younger than he. The couple made their home in Oxford Road, and then St Peter's Street. See links below for detailed information about Martha's family. 

It was not exactly the quietest start in life for the couple, as in 1880 Reuben was arrested for his supposed role in the wide scale election riots in Marlow. The case against him was dismissed over uncertainty about his identification although Reuben himself did admit to being present in the area - as an innocent bystander of course. The riot is covered in more detail in a post here

And now at last we have a report of Reuben in which he is the hero. A few months after the riot, he stepped in to rescue a women who was being threatened and harassed by her brother after the siblings had quarreled. It must have been quite the novelty to appear in court as a witness! But old habits die hard and less than two months later Reuben was back at the petty sessions in the role of defendant, along with John Price. The pair had stolen some wood and both recieved hefty fines based on previous convictions for both. 

Throughout the 1880s minor convictions continue to be earned by Reuben. Charges of drunk and disorderly behaviour, being asleep while in charge of a horse and cart, and tresspass in pursuit of game for example. All resulted in fines. 

Reuben died in 1890. He was only in his forties. Poor Martha was of course even younger when she entered her widowhood. She went to live with her brother George at first, then her elderly widowed mother and youngest  brother Thomas in West Street. At this point she took to working as a laundress or washerwoman.* 

*Tragedy struck in 1907 when Martha's brother Thomas went missing and was subsequently found drowned in the Thames. The circumstances were not known. He was working for Lovell's the builder as a labourer  and carter at the time. It was considered by some that he may have been worried about a summons he had recieved for drunk driving a horse and cart presumably because a conviction may have lead to the loss of his job. He had been sleeping rough at times over the few weeks before, although he had returned home by the time he was last seen alive. Verdict: Found Drowned. Age given as 49.  

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Related Posts

Sparkes family of the Barge Pole here

Index of posts about life in Dean Street when Reuben was growing up - here

The skewer trade in Marlow here

Posts linked to crime and disorder in old Marlow - here

To find every mention of an individual or family here use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu. There's more than 4,000 people mentioned there! 

Sources:

Census 1841,1851,1861,1891 - transcript made by Jane Pullinger. 

Sparkes family and 1880 election rioters research by Charlotte. 

 Bucks Chronicle and Bucks Gazette 5 May 1858. From the British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA. 

Bucks Herald 27 March 1858, 25 May 1861, January 24th 1863, 10 December 1881 as above. 

Windsor and Eton Express 24 Jan 1863. As above. 

Buckinghamshire Advertiser and Free Press 24 October 1863,as above

Reading Mercury 3 December 1875, 

Slough, Eton and Windsor Observer, 21 September 1907. Slough Reference Library. 

© MarlowAncestors 

The Resilience Of Jane Moody / Anson

*Please be aware that the contents of this post includes historic information that may be distressing to read related to the Anson, Moody, Bowles, Anderson and Neighbour families.* 

Jane Ann Moody was born to agricultural labourer William and wife Jane of St Peter's Street, Great Marlow in 1856. We have chosen to feature her as she represents a tale of survival. Life for the men and women of the working class Victorian Marlow was often extremely tough and the reality of the existence of those on the lowest income bracket can be shocking to read to modern Marlow residents long separated from this period. We will tell Jane's story honestly but also fairly. She did not conform to the moral standards of the day and as such was always going to be looked down upon by some in authority. We want to flesh out some the official details of her life so her struggles can be put into context. 

By the time she was 15 years old Jane had moved to Dean Street with her parents and siblings, a densely populated working class area of town. It was about this time that the young girl met the teenage William "Billy" Bowles, grandson of the then landlady of the Cherry Tree pub also in Dean Street. He worked as a hawker. William's grandfather  Thomas Bowles had died under tragic circumstances when still young - you can read more about it and the Cherry Tree here. He was therefore from a family that knew hardship. But it was also one that had came back from disaster, thanks to the strength and determination of his grandmother Emma. William and Jane began to court each other openly - their young age and relative lack of supervision was commented on later but they remained together for something like 7 years. Their relationship was by all accounts tempestuous at times, driven by mutual jealousy. They began to fight both verbally and physically. When Jane was 18 she took out a summons on William for assaulting her but the case was settled out of court. 

A Poor Diet Leads To Tragedy

If Jane and William had to deal with gossip about their relationship before, it was going to get a lot harder after 1876 when Jane fell pregnant. At the time of the baby's birth, the couple had not married which was another black mark against them in the eyes of society. This infant would sadly not live beyond a few months. An inquest was held at the Duke Of Cambridge, and the doctor described the child's emaciated condition. But the coroner's jury was quick and specific to state that they cleared Jane of any charge of neglect. She had made a mistake it was said, and had weaned the child when it was just a few days old, feeding the little one on cornflour and sugar paste with milk. Surgeon Shone who completed the post mortem said such a diet was nutritionally insufficient and the child had never thrived and therefore died of natural causes hastened by malnourishment. It should be noted that very early weaning of children was not at all uncommon in this period. Some of the papers made much of the fact that the bereaved mother was called into the court room and given a "severe reprimand" as to regards her future conduct. (Moral that is, not as regards to infant care). But let's also look at what the more sympathetic sources had to say. They stated that Jane was at this point living in lodgings with one of her sisters, and both girls had gone to work all day every day. As an unmarried women Jane could not simply become a stay at home mother and still support her child, nor could she take the baby to work with her. She needed to have the baby fed while she was away, and while the cornflour and sugar mix seems to us a strange feed, it was in fact a standard feeding mixture of the time for babies old enough to be truly weaned. The surgeon stated that the diet should have been primarily milk based and Jane's error was in the thinking the balance should be different. What's more the initial decision to "dry nurse" or wean the child was made because of Jane's poor physical state of health immediately after the birth. 

Two years later, Jane was pregnant again and William Bowles was the acknowledged father of this boy, known as William Moody. He paid a weekly sum for maintenance, as ordered by a court. The couple still did not marry however, which further blackened her reputation.  

Body Found In The River

In 1878, the relationship of Jane and William was going through a particularly difficult time. She had begun to see other men, at least according to rumour, but William declared he still loved her. Sadly, a young woman, Matilda Neighbour*, decided to cause a little trouble, although she may have been motivated to protect William too. In any case she went to the Cherry Tree where William was to be found and told him that Jane was with another man (a relative of hers) and that if he didn't believe her perhaps he should come and see. William left, and his grandmother told Matilda off, asking her not to come to her premises with such gossip. It seems William did see Jane walking with another man, as well as others, and according to some, a fight broke out although who was involved exactly is hard to pick out from confused accounts given later. Jane said William had threatened to kill her, struck her, and dragged her by the hair. John Neighbour, of whom William had been jealous, intervened. She said they had actually agreed to separate a few days before, but William did not want to be replaced as a sweetheart so soon. (Jane denied there was a successor to her affections and said John Neighbour was actually the sweetheart of another.) Ultimately Jane was said to be aggrieved at William acting in an possessive way as she saw it, and told him to go home as she did not want him. These words were alleged to weigh heavily on the young man. A few days later, William was found floating face down in the river near the bottom of St Peter's Street. His lifeless body was retrieved by John Clark Truss of the adjacent Two Brewers pub, where the inquest into his death was also held. Much was naturally made of the events of the days leading up to his death and the reports tend to hold Jane to blame for it, although a verdict of "found drowned" was recorded rather than suicide. One declared that Jane was a young woman of "considerable notoriety" in the neighborhood of Marlow, and that the case shone a dark light into the immoral "going ons" in the Dean Street area. 

But there is another fact the newspapers skip over. Jane was living with her sister in a cottage in Dean Street that had been previously declared as unfit for human habitation. Numerous orders were made to force the owners to clean it up and provide proper sanitation, most of which were ignored. Finally some work (but not all that was required) had been done and Jane had found a home there. Would those who criticized Jane for being always out, have happily stayed in in such a premises? The neighbouring cottage was let to another woman tarred with the same brush as Jane, the "notorious" Eliza Anderson.**

What's That In Your Apron?

By 1881, Jane and her little boy were back living with her parents and numerous younger siblings elsewhere in Dean's Street - sometimes they were also living in Hatches Row, off Dean Street. The next few years were eventful for her. It started with a 10 shilling fine for stealing some rape greens (used like spring greens, a common edible of the past and only recently "rediscovered" here as a gourmet vegetable) growing in a farm field. A number of other woman were caught in the same sweep - this kind of harvest or turnip greens were a common subject of crop rustling as they were easy to gather quickly. The woman had collected them in their aprons and when challenged they claimed to be gathering primroses. This claim unfortunately fell apart when the ladies were ordered to empty their aprons! Some time after this, Jane was also amongst a group of woman caught taking mushrooms from some fields belonging to the Wethered family. In this instance she escaped a fine despite pleading guilty as the Wethereds declined to press the charges further. They had suffered a plague of mushroom thefts and so wanted to make a point without making a particular example of the women. They hoped the summons to court would act as a deterrent for others. 

A little later Jane fell out with a lady, Sarah West*** of Marefield Passage, also located off Dean Street. What the two bickered over the records don't really make clear but Sarah went to court asking that Jane be bound over to keep the peace against her. Sarah said Jane would follow her up the street and swear at her and call her names, to the point Sarah was in fear of her life. However once Jane had spoke in her own defence, the case was dismissed.

 

In 1884 Jane was pregnant with another illegitimate child, young Nellie. It was her fifth child according to statements reported as uttered by Jane during a maintenance order hearing. This does not quite tally with the numbers of her then children given elsewhere. Regardless, she said the current babies father was William Price but she was denied a maintenance order for "lack of corroborating evidence". 

Jane would go on to marry William Anson. He was usually described as a general labourer at this time. 

Happily Ever After?

Jane, her husband, and her two illegitimate children moved eventually to Primrose Lea, another fairly crowded group of houses adjacent to Dean Street (the place name remains but none of the housing). Was this the start of happier times for the troubled woman? Sadly for her children in particular, the answer is no. We have written many posts about the number of drinking establishments to be found in Marlow, and in the Dean Street/Marefield area of Marlow in particular at this time. If you had sorrows to drown, there was plenty of opportunity to do so on your doorstep. Tragically, William appears to have been an alcoholic, or at least a heavy drinker unable to hold his drink. Numerous convictions for drunk and disorderly behaviour and/or using obscene language while under the influence came his way. But William was not a happy drunk winding his way home singing merrily with a few swear words thrown in. In the words of Inspector Pearce of Marlow police, Anson became "nearly mad" when in drink. On one day in 1908 the officers were called because Anson was rolling drunk and carrying an axe. He chopped up every single piece of furniture in the couple's home. (In Church Road. In this period both of what's now part of Trinity Road and Wethered Road were called Church Road but in this case Wethered Road was meant).The next day he was drunk and armed with an axe again, this time he was apparently attempting to chop up some wooden clothes pegs and the washing. Without much success naturally. It's a miracle he didn't loose a limb! He bravely plead not guilty to behaving in a disorderly fashion on this occasion but given the witness and obvious state of his belongings, he was found guilty and fined. This was not his last conviction for something similar. A few weeks later, Jane had finally had enough. She said he had deserted her and so begged for a separation order to be made. This entitled Jane to live apart from him without legal harassment to re join the marital home. She was granted it along with a maintenance order for a weekly sum to be paid by her husband for the care of her youngest daughter Maude. Jane explained that her husband had even before this time frequently stayed away from work. She had found him at the Cherry Tree or slumped drunk on their doorstep on such occasions. He in his defence accused her of being a heavy drinker herself but I have found no convictions for any public misdemeanours on her part of this kind.  At the separation order hearing, a weary policeman stated that really Anson's problems were all alcohol related and if only he could stay sober, he'd get on well. (In 1891 William Anson was described as a labourer at the Gas Works which were off Dean Street very close to the couple's home. He may have still been working there at this point.)

Afterword

Anson did not learn his lesson straight away as at least one more drunkenness related conviction followed in 1909. But let us hope he did so eventually, because as is so often the case, Jane would return to live with her husband. In 1911 both he and the couple's son Charles who lived with them were described as wood cutters. A tragically comic occupation for Anson given his form with an axe. In the 1910s the couple lived in what is now called Wethered Road. This blog deals with the pre First World War period primarily but we must finish by saying that Jane lived to the age of 83, dying in 1939. 

* Matilda Neighbour age 17 was the daughter of Dean Street general dealer William Neighbour and wife Jane a needlewoman. 

** The owner of the two cottages (James Meakes) wrote a defensive letter to the South Bucks Free Press after the Moody/Bowles case. He does not mention the fact his properties were in a poor state or that they had been condemned. Instead he wishes to defend himself from the charge of renting to two girls of poor repute. He says they were not in fact his tenants but their respective fathers were. He said Jane Moody's father had declared he wanted the property for a daughter of his who was soon to get married. Mr Anderson had rented the other because he declared he had a small home and large family so wanted a second cottage to put some of the children in! The landlord added that both girls had now moved out and so "all difficulty in the matter as far as I'm concerned is removed". Except of course terrible living conditions for the next tenant! 

*** Sarah West's son William John Stacey features in a post here

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Other related posts:

All mentions of a person can be found in the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu where you will find more than 4,000 people mentioned. The same menu has options for post listings of  more detailed entries relating to specific individuals and families. 

More beer sellers than bakers : temperance in Marlow here

Crime and disorder in old Marlow -  here and images of the police court at which Jane made her several appearances here

History of the gas works where William Anson worked: here

More on the history of some of the streets/addresses mentioned above can be found here

Every day life in old Great Marlow when Jane lived here here

SOURCES INCLUDE:

Census 1841,1851,1861,1871,1881,1891 - Transcribed from the original microfilm by Jane Pullinger and Charlotte Day

Judicial case notes for Great Marlow Petty Sessions compiled by Jane Pullinger in 1975, and used with thanks. 

Maidenhead Advertiser 5 April 1876, copy from the British Library archive. 

Reading Mercury 1 April 1876

Berkshire Chronicle 28 April 1883

Bucks Herald 8 November 1884.

South Bucks Standard 7 August 1908. 

England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVHP-QKBB  Jane A Anson, 1939. 

South Bucks Free Press 23rd August 1878. 

© MarlowAncestors

 

The Sad Death Of Mary Ann Wigginton

 Mary Ann Wigginton has featured on our blog before, as a footnote to a story about suspected fraudulent voting in the 1831 election and relating to a fraud case involving her father James Lee. (See the post here for the full story)

But today we are going to pierce together the events of Mary Ann's sad death in 1865 as it's caused a minor sensation in the town. And it also tells us something about how ordinary people managed chronic sickness before the days of the National Health Service. 

Mary Ann seems to have suffered ill health for several years, in particular in the two before her untimely death aged 52. She was still running her father's former shop in Dean Street, as she had done for more than 30 years. She lived on the premises, with her husband William, a bargeman and timber dealer. It was not possible for Mary Ann to take extended time away from her work. The couple had suffered financial ups and downs and presumably could not manage on William's income alone. Mary Ann believed she was suffering from a liver complaint and had periodically sought treatment for it from one doctor or another. The doctors agreed with the idea of a diseased liver, which also explained her "dropsy" or swollen legs. Mary Ann did not take regular medication for her trouble, despite the fact she was gradually becoming weaker and weaker. Perhaps she could not afford another regular expense or perhaps she was in denial about the fragility of her health. 

The sad truth is, Mary Ann was described as virtually skeletal at the time of her death. Her condition had deteriorated but for several months she did not see a doctor despite this. Nor does it seem did she try to self medicate with any of the very many patent medicines available within Marlow chemists and booksellers (yes booksellers) at the time. Liver pills were very popular based on the number of them promoted within Marlow.  Whether any of them could actually have helped Mary is hard to tell, as the unfortunate woman had other as yet unseen health problems. 

One week in December 1865, Mary found her legs were swollen more than usual. She felt unwell and asked her husband to send for a doctor who had assisted her successfully before, Dr Oliver (he may be from either Henley or Marlow, reports differ. I will try and trace him in the future). Dr Oliver was due to attend another case so could not attend Mary until later in the morning. He seemed to have been most concerned with the fact she had been constipated for 3 days and prescribed medication for that as well as her liver. She was also told to eat some nourishing food. When Dr Oliver arrived, Mary Ann had been taking tea with her son, and Dr Oliver asked the son to leave so he could ask some more delicate questions about Mary's health. He does not seem to have actually examined her though. Victorian doctors were keen to behave in a proper manner to ladies even if this was not unfortunately conducive to helping them. But when Dr Oliver later did attempt some sort of exam on the seriously ill but still fully dressed Mary, her husband objected to his manner of putting his hands "down her bosom and pressing her" . William suspected him of drunkenness however at this point, so perhaps Dr Oliver did need to improve his bedside technique! 

Oliver prescribed some medicine, which he would also supply and make up himself. A draught to be drunk and two pills. Mary Ann's daughter Emma Wigginton would collect this from him later. The doctor advised Mary to take the first dose promptly but this did not happen immediately. For Mary Ann went to work in the shop and was seen there by her husband on his return home. He then left again to keep an appointment. William's name was above the door, but the work was Mary's, as it had been when she managed the grocers shop for her father. 

Mary took her first dose of medicine sometime later, and immediately felt worse. Within 15 minutes, she felt icy cold all over, sick to her stomach and her throat was burning. She was put to bed, and her sister Hannah Croxon came to attend her. Hannah believed on seeing poor Mary that the ill woman was dying. Dr Oliver was called back, but again there was some delay with him getting the message. It was not possible to quickly alert William to his wife's decline as he was out of town. When he returned, he found Dr Oliver present, and William was not at all happy with what he saw. He noticed that the doctor staggered as he crossed the room and had a strong smell of alcohol on his breath. He told the doctor he did not consider him in a fit state to care for his sick wife and insisted on calling another medical man, Marlow surgeon Mr George Robson. Surgeons were more expensive than doctors and were more often the first port of call if an accident occurred for example. 

When Robson arrived at the door, it was opened by the anxious daughter Emma who said Dr Oliver was under the influence of alcohol. Robson said at the inquest that he thought this accusation to be absolutely true. Once he had arrived, William Wigginton ordered Oliver out of the house. But Robson asked him to wait a while as he was coming late to what looked a hopeless case. But William insisted Oliver leave as soon as he had debriefed Robson. William had found Mary Ann unconscious on his return from work and sadly she never regained consciousness. She passed away late that evening, aged 52. 

William could not help but connect the sudden end in his eyes of his wife with the medicine she had taken. He believed that the doctor had hastened her end by prescribing it to her. This was clearly a serious charge. He wrote a note to the police at Marlow and also mentioned the drunkenness of Oliver. The police contacted the coroner who would host a coroner's inquest at the Greyhound Inn. He ordered a post mortem for Mary, and the bottle containing the medicine she drank was held as evidence. The post mortem was conducted by a doctor from Slough. 

It was discovered that Mary had severe heart disease and old lesions on her lungs. The post mortem doctor said it was a miracle poor Mary had survived so long, and sudden death was not unexpected. The timing of the medicine dose was coincidence. He said the medicine given was appropriate for the condition she had presented with and analysis of the remains showed it to have been properly made up. So the doctor was exonerated for immediate blame for Mary's death by the coroner's jury. This comprised of 18 men -  led by Henry Stallwood. Oliver denied drunkenness strongly but his reputation must have suffered from several witnesses evidence to the contrary. It seems it was concluded that by the time the tipsy Oliver had arrived, Mary was beyond help and that he had been sober at the crucial earlier visit when he had diagnosed her medical needs, albeit not fully. 

OTHER INFO

In 1839 two men broke the window and forced entry through the shutters of Mary's shop. She heard a noise and cane downstairs and confronted the burglars. She said she recognised them as fellow Dean Street residents and warned then of that fact.  They had already made a mess of the shop and taken some tobacco. They did leave the premises and thankfully without hurting Mary. One of the pair, Richard Clarke /Clerk was subsequently transported for this theft. 

 To find other medical related posts see the post index here

To find every mention of an individual or family here, see the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. 

© MarlowAncestors. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Sources include:

South Bucks Free Press 22 & 23 December 1865, Reading Mercury 23 December 1865. Windsor and Eton Express 23 December 1865. 

Census 1851,1861, Jane Pullinger from microfilm. 

Harvey's Medical and Chemical Cyclopaedia ( F Harvey, c1860)

Croxon family research by Kathryn. 

© MarlowAncestors. 

   

Avis and William Perry

Avis Butler married William Perry in Great Marlow in 1829. She was baptised there in 1805, the illegitimate daughter of Ann Butler. William's census entries indicate that he was born in Marlow too but I can't find his baptism. There were certainly other Perrys about the town, including in Dean Street where Avis and William settled.

William was an agricultural labourer early in life, with a significant sideline in poaching! An attempt by two Marlow constables to arrest him on one such charge in 1840 led to a riot of some 100 people (and an angry bulldog) in Dean Street and the virtual lynching of one constable who was left unconscious by a blow to the head. The reports on the case tell us that William and his friends used backwards speech to secretly communicate with each other when anyone else was listening. That is if I wanted to say "look out!" to you I would say "tuo kool!" instead. I was aware of such speech in London amongst the "criminal classes" but this case was the first I heard of it being used in Marlow. Full story here

None of the rioting helped William ultimately avoid arrest however. On the 1841 census he was in Aylesbury gaol. Avis was home in Dean Street Marlow on the same census, living with Ann and Richard Carr. 

William, a large man, also made some money from cudgel fighting. A sport in which the more heads you split open the more you won! For a report of a cudgel match organised at the Crown in Marlow see my post on "The Crown Inns" here.  Competitor names then are not known. William fought at Windsor as well as Marlow.

By 1851 Avis and William had the Fox and Pheasant beer house in Dean Street. Given his notoriety as a poacher and fighter it seems extraordinary that William could get his name on an alcohol license! You were supposed to be a person of good character. On a day to day basis Avis probably ran things as William still worked as an agricultural labourer during this time. As the license was officially in his name he was the one fined in 1859 when a constable found the premises open during illegal hours. The charge was not denied. He was also fined for using short measures for his alcohol and twice more over the years came convictions for selling beer during illegal hours.

Most Dean Street pubs operated as lodging houses too but there is only minor evidence of that with Avis and William. 

The couple were apparently without children.

Shortly after the 1871 census the licence of the Fox and Pheasant was transferred to a Mr Larkin. More on him and other landlords of the pub here.

William continued to work for John Langley the Marlow fruiterer, farmer and keeper of the Verney Arms also in Dean Street. Sent by him to Datchet to pick apples, William fell from a ladder. He was carried, paralysed from the waist down, to the hospital in Windsor. The next day aged 73 he died.

To spare Avis, his body was formally identified by his niece Harriet Bowles.

Avis became a pauper dependent on the parish, still living Dean Street on the 1881 census. She died in 1882.

John Langley the fruiterer mentioned above has a long biographical post here.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day. 

Related Posts

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

 Interested in other pubs or beer house keepers? See the list of pub etc related posts: here

Crime and disorder in old Marlow here

More Dean Street related posts are listed in the "Specific Shops, Streets...Etc" menu here

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

Sources included:

Census my own transcriptions from microfilm.

Newspaper copies at the British Library accessed via the BNA October 2020: Reading Mercury 14th July 1860 and 26th March 1864. 

Bucks Free Press August 13th 1880. Bucks Free Press Archives.

Great Marlow Parish Registers.

Ringing In The New Year, Old Marlow Style

   

I've covered Christmas celebrations in Victorian Marlow. But I realised the town had many New Year traditions too, so this post is dedicated to them. 

In the late Victorian period a New Years Eve ball was a regular feature. The Crown Hotel/Upper Crown had hosted a Christmas ball for many years. The New Year one was usually arranged for others but still hosted by the Crown. For example in 1897, it was a ball for those attending the town hall dance classes. While it was a chance for the adult pupils to dazzle their friends and family with their new skills, anyone could apply for a ticket to attend. Did they stop to mark the transition from one year to the next? Original sources don't tell us! But the balls tended to start at 9 or 10pm and continued until dawn so those attending certainly were awake at the stroke of midnight. Marlow Football Club was another of many organisations that saw their annual ball hosted at the Crown in January. 100 people attended this in 1899. 

Thames Bank house hosted a servants ball for their staff,  friends and neighbours on New Year's Eve 1875. More than 100 guests were present. The evening was organised by housekeeper Mrs Taylor and butler Mr Wilson but everyone in the household was said to have contributed to the "very pretty" decoration efforts. After 2 hours of energetic dancing to the accompaniment of a quadrille band, the dining room was opened up for supper.  The company were said to be "deeply gratified at the richness, variety and profusion with which the tables were temptingly set out". After this rest, it was back to dancing until the early hours! 

Then there was many concerts advertised for the new year although not all took place on December 31st or January 1st. The Primitive Methodist Chapel (now known as Liston Hall) traditionally enjoyed a concert, usually performed by their enthusiastic choir (40 strong) and almost always followed by a public tea in the Sunday school room. The purpose of this was to fundraise for the never quite satisfied building debt fund. If anyone was an enthusiastic giver of teas, it was the Marlow Primitive Methodists. The Prince Of Wales offered frequent concerts for New Years Eve, such as a special smoking concert and supper in 1902. Unfortunately their licence required them to close at 11pm, so they sang Auld Langs Syne just before,  followed by God Save The King of course. 

One of the most touching traditions was the large dinner provided by John Langley at the Verney Arms in Dean Street. Those invited were all men aged over 50 from the Dean Street area, which was one of the poorest neighbourhoods in town. Langley really did invite everyone, with 70-100 men in attendance. This dinner ran for many years in the late Victorian and Edwardian era. "The dinner is looked upon as a sort of reunion and looked forward to by those that take part." The men sat down at 8pm to roast beef, mutton, steak and kidney and veal and ham pies, "xmas" pudding, mince pies, cheese and celery. (1908 menu) It may have occured after Christmas but the festive fare must have been welcomed. 

"Watch Nights" were popular on New Year's Eve in the chapels in town. These were late night religious services and prayer meetings. Although many had a very long heritage in one form or another, they were increasingly suggested as a more responsible and moral alternative to the alcohol based or secular celebrations.  The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists held a joint watch night in 1902, to pray "the old year out and the new one in." The Salvation Army's watch night was sold as a musical evening, with prayers. 

One thing that probably strikes us the most when looking at advertising material from Marlow retailers is how often New Year gifts and New Year greeting cards are specifically advertised in addition to Christmas offerings. Obviously those who could scarcely afford to celebrate Christmas were not going to celebrate in any way again a week later. But so many shops took the trouble to promote their New Year offerings in the late Victorian and Edwardian period that it must have been more common to exchange cards at the time. The gifts tend to be small, with one advert suggesting they were sort of little token gift you might bring when visiting friends or family you didn't have chance to see at Christmas time itself. "This is the month for new year's gifts - you are just in time for the small present you meant to give at Christmas." (Rowe the jewellers, High Street 1908).  The stationers Smith & Co advertised that they had a "large selection of New Year presents to choose from" in 1897, not to mention calenders and diaries of course. Other shops you could browse New Year cards include Charles Page Drye's Marlow Printing Works and W H Smith (stationer not the draper of same name). Smith's also sold every novelty in calenders according to their 1899 boast. Sadly it doesn't seem any have survived so we can't see just what counted as a novel calendar design! The Printing Works was also the place to go in January for your copy of the Marlow Almanac and Directory. This carried useful information such as details of church services and court sittings, and the name, address and occupations of all those involved in trade. A handy way to get the low down on all your neighbours. 

January sales are also nothing new. W H Smith advertised their "traditional annual sale" in January 1905 with bargains in every department. It would continue for most of January. If there was something more common than a January sale, it was one that was extended due to popular demand. 

The last tradition to mention is the bellringers new year eve supper, usually hosted by the Two Brewers. Members of the Bellfry (bellringers) met for the meal which sounds at times to be rather well lubricated. They sang songs and sometimes rang hand bells as well. The ringers would then make their way to All Saints to ring out the old year and ring in the new one. Usually they rang a peal just before midnight and then rang another just after. On other occasions they rang 12 strokes at midnight itself. How many must have waited to hear the sounds of the bells

Researched and written by Kathryn Day. 

© MarlowAncestors

Related Posts 

Victorian Christmas in Marlow part 1 here and 2 here, Edwardian Christmas here

Skating on the Thames etc here

Bonfire night in Victorian Marlow here

A listing of other posts about every day life in old Marlow  here

Easter and May day here

Sources include:

South Bucks Standard 3 & 31 December 1897, 6 January & 22 December 1899, 3 January 1902, 6 January 1905, British Library Archive. 

Bucks Herald 9 January 1875, 3 January 1908. As above. 

Notes from Elsie Coster. 

©Marlow Ancestors