Will James Harman 1759

James Harman of Great Marlow. Written 1758. Proven 1759.

Bequeathed soul to God.

Requests private burial.

To dear and well beloved wife Elizabeth £50 a year for her life. To divided into four payments and be paid quarterly on Lady Day, Midsummers Day, Michaelmas Day and Christmas Day by Jane's heir and executor. Also to her all household goods.

To only daughter Mary wife of Richard Ray of Cookham Berkshire £1000 over the marriage portion she has already had.

Only son James and his heirs gets all rest of testator's personal estate. He is also appointed the will's executor.

Witnessed by James Crockett, John Snelling and William Allen.

I transcribed and then summarized this P.C.C will from a copy held at the National Archives, Kew.

James MAY be the man of this name who was the secretary of the failing Borlase charity school trust in 1721. That James who at first refused to give up any documents and papers to examiners sent to sort the trust out. When pressed further he gave up keys to a chest in the church where he said relevant papers could be found but when opened it was found to be empty.

Ref Borlase 1624-57, 3rd ed, J c Davies.

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

Harman's Chemist

Bernal Harman was a chemist with a shop in Market Square / Spittal Street Marlow in later Victorian and early Edwardian times.

He was born in High Wycombe in 1846. His full name was Bernal Osbourne Ralph Harman. His unusual first name comes from his godfather Wycombe M.P Ralph Bernal Osbourne, who in turn had it in the family as he was paternally of Jewish ancestry. Bernal Harman's father Charles, a solicitor and Mayor of High Wycombe was a political ally of the Liberal M.P.

Our Bernal had a privileged but tragic childhood, losing his mother Ellen (née Tatem) in his third year and his father in his ninth. He appears on the 1851 census living in Easton Street High Wycombe with his widowed father Charles and siblings plus two servants. Bernal still lived in Easton Street in 1861 this time with his older brother John but by 1868 he was married and operated his own "family chemist" in Magdalen Street Glastonbury, Somerset. From there he mixed up his own tooth powder guaranteed to give you a winning smile for life.

Then, by 1870, he moved his shop to Park Street, East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. His advertisements in local papers bear the legend that he was the chemist for the royal household at Osborne at this time. But he must have struggled as he appears in court reports as a debtor and he went into liquidation there in 1871. Finally, in 1881 Bernal and his wife Ellen (née Duckett, married Somerset 1867) and their children moved to Marlow so that Bernal could take over Banbury's Chemist and Druggist in Spittal Street.

As well as being a chemist his shop acted as a parcel agents and Bernal was one of the principle movers and shakers behind the establishment of a Literary and Scientific Institute in the town.

In 1891 Bernal faced serious trouble when the landlady of the nearby Wheelwrights Arms in Spittal Street, Mrs Lucy Jeffs, died after taking an opiate based sleeping draft which he supplied to her. The doctor and surgeon who attended her before her death suspected that the draught contained more opium than Bernal claimed and had poisoned her. A post mortem revealed that taking opium had brought on her death but that she was about to die anyway. She was a consumptive of long standing and very close to death from that. She asked for the draught because she was in too much pain to sleep. The expert opinion was that as her condition had deteriorated significantly the normally safe dose Bernal insisted that he gave her was not a dose she could withstand in her condition and made her exhibit symptoms of overdose. It is likely that he did not realise how much nearer to death she had become in the hours before he handed the sleeping draught to her young son in his shop. The inquest jury recorded a verdict of homicide through misadventure. Bernal seems to have escaped further scrutiny as far as our research can so far find. The verdict meant that Bernal had while acting lawfully and without intent to do harm nevertheless caused death. 

Above 1905 ad. Sole proprietor of the  "Carrington Bouquet" refers to a locally created perfume with a contentious history - see here for more. 

Bernal died in 1906 following a long illness. His wife Ellen survived him and lived later at 15 Claremont Road. She died there in 1921 age 72. Their son Henry "Harry" Harman fully qualified as a chemist and druggist in 1896-7 and had already taken over the day to day running of Bernal's business before Bernal's death though even afterwards for a while afterwards the name above the door still said "Bernal Harman".

Harry supplied bandages and disinfectant to the local council. He continued to act as a parcel agent like his father had done, as well as being a chemist. He was a successful rower for Marlow Rowing Club in his spare time. He married May Flint from West Street. Sadly, he died aged just 45 in 1920.

Written and researched  by Charlotte Day. 

Related posts:

For other posts about specific shops/businesses and other content related to Spittal Street see the index here

Information on other chemists and pharmacists in Great Marlow plus apothecaries, surgeons and other medical related posts see the index here

Index of biographies of other individuals connected to Marlow here

For every mention of an individual or family here see the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. There's more than 4,000 people listed there. 

Some sources:

Kelly's Directory of Buckinghamshire etc 1883 and 1907. Kelly's Directory of Hampshire 1880. Kelly's Directories Limited.

The Post Office Directory of Chemists and Druggists: Containing Lists of the Chemists and Druggists Throughout England, Manufacturing Chemists, Wholesale Druggists, Patent Medicine Vendors and Manufacturers, and Every Trade in Connection Therewith. (1870). United Kingdom: Kelly. 1885 edition also.

1851 census High Wycombe and 1881 East Cowes via Rootspoint.

The Pharmaceutical Journal Volume 51 printed by J Churchill. 1921.

The Chemist And Druggist. February 10th 1906. 

South Bucks Standard 12th Feb 1897 and 6th March 1891. Bucks Gazette 4th April 1846. British Library Archives via the BNA.

The Weekly Notes. United Kingdom, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales, 1877. Via Google Books.

"England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2DK3-W4K : 13 December 2014), Bernal Osborne R Harman, 1867; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1867, quarter 1, vol. 5C, p. 814, Wells, Somerset, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. 

Bucks Free Press 27 June 1921. 

Harman Grave Great Marlow

Begins with "also here" so presumably was one of a pair of monuments. 

"Jeremiah Harman son of Richard and Jane Harman died Sept 23rd 1789 age 75 years"

His death notice in the Reading Mercury* calls him a yeoman. 

Research added by Charlotte August 2023= Jeremiah married Mary Quick of High Wycombe at High Wycombe in 1736. He was described as a yeoman farmer of Marlow when he took out a 21 year lease of a messuage which was probably "Swaines Tenement" in Marlow in 1754. Rent was to be £7 a year. Jeremiah farmed Limmers Farm.

For other graves in Marlow, Hurley and Little Marlow see the Graves Index. All mentions of any individual on this blog can be found under the Person Index - thousands get a mention!

*Reading Mercury 26 October 1789 - held at British Library and accessed via the BNA Feb 2021.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use the content of this post for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.

This Way For Healthy Masculine Exercise

 In the 1890's gymnastics was undergoing a period of being strongly in fashion locally. Apparently a town of "any size could boast of a gymnasium" hereabouts, with one glaring exception - Marlow. Reflecting on letters it had recieved on this subject, the South Bucks Standard thought it inconceivable that a town that prided itself so much on sporting success should be so behind the times. The practice of gymnastics was very invigorating they thought. Soon after this a meeting was held, presided over by Mr F O Wethered, in which it was resolved to start a gymnastics club for young men, with Wethered as president.

So in March 1896, membership enrolment began with 100 names submitted. Sergeant Palmer, drill instructor at Borlase and Mr Baxter who was involved with other gym clubs, agreed to offer training. There was no young man for whom a course of properly directed gymnastic training would not be of benefit they thought. It would develop strength and discipline. The Music Room, aka the Lecture Hall (now the Masonic centre, St. Peters Street) was chosen as their meeting place. They met only during the winter season, twice weekly with the two instructors alternating attendance. All of their exercises were performed to piano music. 

They had a practice place, an instructor and eager pupils, but what they lacked at first was any equipment. Neighbouring gymnastics clubs kindly put on fundraising displays solely intended to benefit the new club, with Boyne Hill and Maidenhead at the fore. The latter had a gymnasium in Queen Street, Maidenhead and maintained a long bond with Marlow, the two often putting on joint shows. Maidenhead also had the habit of lending one or two of their experienced performers to assist Marlow in a display. When Instructor Palmer left to take on a position at the Merchant Taylor School, Maidenhead man G W Phelby took over. By November 1898, they had enough apparatus to declare themselves possessors of a gymnasium although this was just the Music Room in another guise, the equipment stashed away between gym sessions. 

Dozens of keen young gymnasts offered a good opportunity for the likes of WB Langston, boot and shoe seller. He had opened a second shop facing his first in Marlow High Street and this would specialise in sporting and leisure shoes including those designed for gymnastic use. 

Each year, the Marlow gymnasts would compete against each other in pursuit of medals, before an audience of ladies and gentlemen. The  overall champion was crowned for getting the highest score across the different disciplines. In 1897 this honour went to J Meakes. As well as this there were regular exhibitions of "strength and agility" presented in the form of a competition. The young men showed off their skills using barbells, Swedish dumbbells, horizontal bars, and a vaulting horse as well as performing jumps and tumbles, all to accompaniment of suitable piano music. To be honest some of these exhibitions sound like a endurance test for the audience, lasting several hours and encompassing comic and musical interludes. The end of season performance in 1900 came to well over 3 hours of "bright tripping music" and gymnastic stunts. No longer just showing off the likes of their barbell and horse skills, the boys included a performance of clowning, sword exercises, military style drill, "comic boxing" , and the formation of human pyramids. The audience showed no signs of fatigue according to reports, which may not be true of the young performers at the end! Relief for the latter came when a more serious boxing match took centre stage - Rippington V Broadbent - two well known local pugilists. After this, the evening came at last to a close.

The club acknowledged that the use of the music room was not an ideal space performance wise, but they were too short of funds to consider hiring bigger facilities. They did manage on one occasion to secure the use of a large temporary gazebo erected for a fundraising ball at the rear of the Institute when the latter had finished with it. But by 1899, the club was already facing a deficit in funds. They were nevertheless determined to continue as the club had been started to give the youth of Marlow an aid to "healthy development" and they still felt the cause was a worthy one. However membership began to decline, with fewer youths willing to commit to the twice weekly practice. This and the chronic lack of funds caused the club to be wound up in 1903. The equipment was sold off at a knock down price to the Boys Life Brigade, who would also use the Music room. Marlow's entertainment scene would never be the same!

Known members:

Alfred Davis Junior

L Smith Junior (treasurer)

J Carter Junior (hon.  secretary)

J Meakes

W B Taylor

A H Harman

Q Bird

A Young

A J Tugwood

L Holland

P Charter (Carter?)

S Arber

G David

Above, a part of the Borlase school gymnasium as it stood in c1905. There had been some argument about the relative access day and boarding boys got to this facility. 

To read a post on the Victorian cyclists of Marlow see here

To find all mentions of your ancestor however small, use the a-z Person Index on the drop down menu. For a shorter list of more detailed posts, select the Biographies Of Individuals or Biographies of Families menu options.

Other Marlow History posts can be found under the General Marlow History option on the menu. There is a sports subsection to that for more posts like this. Posts are currently uploaded daily so if what you need isn't here yet, check back soon! 

SOURCES

South Bucks Standard 20 September 1895, 9 April 1897, November 29 1898, 6 October 1899, 23 March 1900, 24 April 1903 - copies from the British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA.

Maidenhead Advertiser 21 December 1900, as above

Watson, James Madison -Handbook of Callisthenics and Gymnastics - a complete drill guide for schools, families and gymnasiums. (E Steiger, 1889)

©MarlowAncestors

 

Will Summary Ann Dolben of Great Marlow 1783

 Ann Dolben, widow. Will written 1780 and proved 1783.

Ann says she is in health and of sound mind.

 Two properties St Peter's Street also known as Duck Lane in Great Marlow in trust to her friends Buckle Hawes and Joseph White who are both drapers of Great Marlow. They are to give the rents and profits of these properties twice a year to her daughter Jane Medwin, wife of Luke Medwin. Any husband of Jane's is not to have any claim on it [This was a common clause attached to women's legacies to protect them however Luke faced bankruptcy in 1781 suggesting Ann had good reason to be cautious]. The yards, backsides, gardens, stables, wells, ways, rights, waters, outhouses etc that go with these properties similarly willed. Ann herself at time of will writing occupied one of them. The other is occupied by Thomas Rolls. Previously these properties were occupied by William Hayward and Jeremiah Hollis. Before that she says they were occupied by William Harman and Thomas Rawlins.

After Jane's death Jane's son and daughter James Medwin of Little Marlow a husbandman and Patty Medwin to get the rent and profits instead.

All Ann's ready money to be added to money raised by selling all other possessions she has to pay any debts and funeral expenses. Whatever remains to be invested for the profit of Jane and after her death for the profit of James and Patty.

Witnessed by: Elizabeth Price, Henrietta B....,  John Marshall of Beaconsfield.

The will was proved by Buckle Hawes only as Joseph White had died.

Patty Medwin looks to have been by marriage Patty Morris.

Transcription by Charlotte Day

You can find a copy of the original PCC will at the National Archives, Kew.

To find other wills on this blog see the Wills option on the menu.

©Marlow Ancestors. Please feel free to use my transcription summary if you need to for family or local history reasons, with credit to this blog.