Young Offenders At Marlow

This post is to give an idea on how children who committed crimes (in the eyes of their elders) were treated in Victorian Marlow. Some of our juvenile offenders have already received a post of their own. This is a more or less random selection of a few others that we came across during our research. 

The first thing that is obvious is the child's family would have a bearing on the sentence the young one recieved. If the miscreant was considered to come from an otherwise respectable family, this fact is carefully noted in reports and considered a mitigating factor come sentencing time. But if the child's parents were considered lacking in such respectability, the child was feared to be more likely to commit another misdeed and was without doubt treated more harshly.  It's unlikely a middle class child committing a theft would get sent to a  reformatory for example. So the child's appearance in court and that of their parents mattered. 

Thomas Plumridge

Going in date order, our first case is from 1843 and it involves Thomas Plumridge who is described at "about 11". He was caught stealing a piece of pork from grocer Joseph Eagle* of Spittal Street. There are two possible candidates for this young man - one the son of William and Ann of Gun Lane, the other from Handy Cross. The tearful lad presented a truly penitent appearance in their eyes.  He was able to present witnesses as to his "excellent character" which along with a guilty plea helped him escape with just 3 days in prison. He had been put up to the theft by other unnamed boys he said. Sometimes a explanation like this worked in a child's favour, in other cases it had the opposite effect and bought down warnings against a moral failing and inability to resist sin. Thomas does not seem to have erred again regardless! 

Emily Grace

Moving to 1860, we come to a contrasting case, that of twelve year old Emily Grace**. Emily was up in court for theft. She had gone into the Washbourne's Seminary for Young Ladies (a small private day and boarding school) and removed several items belonging to the young pupils from the place where the girls hung their clothes. These were later detailed as a hat and coat valued at 4 shillings and a hat and cape valued at the same. At the same time she was accused of stealing an umbrella from the parish church. Umbrellas were relatively more valuable as well as easy to abstract so were not infrequent subjects of thefts at the time. Emily was seen at the Washbourne's when the clothes were missed and a search at her home revealed the missing items hidden away. It may well be they intended to pawn them. Young Emily confessed and plead guilty at trial. Unfortunately for her, she was not regarded as coming from a strictly respectable home. The wider Grace family were frequently before the bench. PC Nash considered her a victim of bad parenting and suggested it would be "beneficial to remove her from the scene of her vice for a time."  The newspaper reports were also quick to accuse her elders as providing "very indifferent training" to Emily. A household that was considered likely to encourage their offspring into a life of crime, or at least one that did not prove capable of controlling an errant child was just the sort the authorities feared. And so Emily was considered the ideal candidate to be sent to  reformatory. This was a sort of prison come school where the children were taught "honest industry" in the hope they would gain legitimate employment on release. She was put into prison for 2 weeks first, which was at the time a requirement, and then was handed over to a representative of Hampstead Reformatory for Girls where she was sentenced to spend the next 3 years. (The minimum term was 2 years.) These institutions varied hugely in quality, but Hampstead was thought to be one of the better ones at the time. Let us hope it was. The father of Emily, Richard Grace, was summoned a few months later for failing to make the compulsory maintenance payments towards his daughters upkeep at the Institution. The newspapers headed that reported again that Emily was a victim of "bad bringing up". The court considered that Richard was earning good money and could easily afford to pay for Emily but "cared little" about doing so. 

There was no possibility of remaining annoymous if you were child criminal. Public shame was no doubt meant to act as a deterrent. But it must have made it difficult for the girls trained in their "honest industry" to get jobs thereafter, at least in their home area. Emily was 15 on her release. Obviously many young unmarried women were servants and this might well have been the job Emily was always destined for. But now she had a public bad character it was going to be difficult for her to access  this big source of employment. In the end she went to work as a servant for Elizabeth Keene, who is supposed to have taken her on out of charity. But less than a month into the job, Elizabeth missed a pair of boots which were found in Emily's possession. Emily confessed to taking them and this time she was sentenced to serve 9 months in Aylesbury gaol with hard labour. She was 16. On release Emily returned to live with her parents. She would go on to have two illegitimate children, before marrying James Smith in 1879.  (She was unable to prove paternity for the second child born 1871 so no money was forthcoming from the alleged father, John Howard. At the hearing where that was settled there was said to be raucous scenes with much swearing from both sides!!) The couple moved to Essex, the birthplace of James.

George Robinson

Next "criminal" is 12 year old George Robinson. He was guilty of doing what seems at first to be simply behaving as a child - running through a Marlow Bottom field with some other boys while playing a game. However corn was growing there and crop damage was taken seriously at a time when many farmers were operating on a small margin. The other lads got away, but George was recognised and somewhat unfairly was made to pay costs amounting to the whole estimated value of the corn damaged by all the group - 10s. His mother Emma said George was a good boy and she appealed for mercy as he "had no father". In this case it meant she was a widower. She explained that George worked to help support his household, along with brother William age 14. Both were working as furriers then but George was previously a shoemaker. Emma was a needlewoman. The court said they would be as lenient as possible and so George recieved a 6d fine plus costs and the compensation mentioned above. If his mother had not been able to pay, George would have been required to spend two weeks in jail. 

 Owen Hatch 

Lastly we have a case from the end of the era. Owen Hatch age 7 had set alight two pig styes and a shed at Cookham Dean. All were completely destroyed. It would cost elderly  owner Henry Clark at least £5 to replace them. As he had "respectable parents" and was normally well behaved, he was let off with a telling off.  It seems that Owen had been playing with matches and acting only out of misplaced curiousity. The petty sessions established that Owen's family could not afford to compensate Henry Clark for his heavy loss as the father was not in regular employment at the time. Therefore it was decided to set up a subscription fund so well wishers could make good his loss. I believe the amount was comfortably raised. 

Related Posts:

*You can read about Joseph Eagles grocer shop here

 **More about the Grace family (caution, some distressing content) here

The Washbourne's school here

Crime and punishment in old Marlow: here

Pictures of the old police station and police court and it's history : here

Case of Mary Ann Burt, child thief  here 

To find all mentions of an individual or family here, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. There's over 4,000 people listed there. 

Cookham Dean and other areas near Great Marlow - post list here

Written by Kathryn Day. 

Sources: Washbourne family research by Charlotte. 

Judicial record summary by Jane Pullinger 1975. 

Census 1841,51,61 - transcript from microfilm  by Jane Pullinger. 

Reports From The Commissionees Vol 38, Great Britain House of Commons. 1866.

Wilkinson, Robert  - The Reformatory and Industrial Schools Acts 1866 with notes etc  (Knight and Company 1867)

The Reformatory and Refuge Journal 1860.  (Reformatory and Refuge Union,1861)

Slough, Eton and Windsor Observer 28 September 1889. Slough Library. 

© MarlowAncestors.

Burrell Research and Graves Great Marlow

See "Research" at the bottom of this page to read more about these people and how they connect to each other.

Above - Harriet, wife of Thomas Burrell d. Feb 20 18(..4?) age 40, name Thomas is inscribed below but the other details too worn to read.

Above, another grave. Thomas Burrell. Smith of this town, d. Sept 9th 1776 age 48

ALSO OF

Elizabeth his wife d. Feb 16 1799 age 67 years. 

Above, John Burrell, d. Sept 30th 1819 age 52

"Under this stone here lies a stone living with GOD above/ built on the rock was such a one/ whom force nor ...   could move/Near this place lay the remains of ..

Thomas Burrell d. Oct 8th 1818 age 57 years. 

John Burrell as above. Another view of same.

HB 1850, TB 1860, ?B 186?

AB 1829, WJB 1865

 Above, Sarah Burrell died Mar 1st 1825 age 65 years.

Research:

Harriet Burrell née Badger married blacksmith and ironmonger Thomas Burrell at Bisham in 1833. They lived, and Thomas worked, in premises on the East side of the High Street, Marlow by what is now Institute Road corner. That year his premises consisted of his house ,"shop" as in workshop, garden and an "iron house" and was worth an estimated £10 a year. Thomas was baptised at Little Marlow in 1801 to Thomas and Alice Burrell. His family was however of Great Marlow origin. Harriet died between the 1841 and 51 censuses leaving behind several young children. Thomas's married sister Elizabeth East (married Charles East 1822) moved in with him to help look after the family. In 1841 Thomas inadvertently bought for 3 shillings some copper wire stolen from the cellars of James Bavin in Marlow by William Heather and George Perry. The thieves initially used the wire to poach game but having been seen by a gamekeeper and fleeing, they decided to sell the guilty wire to various Marlow business people instead. They were jailed but no summonses were sent to those who had innocently bought the wire. The family had had a much more shocking brush with the law in 1839 when that Charles East, husband of Elizabeth was found guilty of sheep stealing and transported. More on this case here.

 On a more positive note Thomas Burrell came to the rescue of one of the Marlow church bells which had developed a crack in 1849. An iron band was made for it in his High Street forge, and a man, perhaps Thomas himself, ran with the red hot ring to the church. There it was heated a little more in a temporary fire made in the bell fry before being successfully fitted and quenched with water. 

Thomas was the victim of a robbery himself in 1862 (Windsor and Eton Express 20th December 1862) during a town crime spree. Old coins and 45 shillings in current money were stolen from his premises, as discovered by his daughter upon her returning from church.

It is possible Thomas eventually took over the smithing and ironmongery business of his uncle John. 

The Thomas Burrell in the second grave photo (d 1776) was the grandfather of Thomas, husband of Harriett. His wife was Elizabeth (d 1799) who appears in a grave photo further down this page. The couple married at Great Marlow in 1757. Elizabeth was née Saunders. In her will written in 1794 she mentions her sisters Jane Saunders to whom she left £5 and Ann Cork, wife of John Cork whom she left £150 invested in stocks. A share she had in 3 cottages in Wooburn went to her son Thomas while son John got 2 sheets and 2 pillows. Her two daughters (unnamed but one was Sarah) got to share all her wearing apparel. All the rest of her money and property was to be equally divided between all her surviving children. Sons Thomas and John were made joint executors.

The John Burrell on the grave (d 1819) was also a blacksmith, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth. He left his stock in trade and business to his unmarried sister Sarah who also features in the graves above and in her mother's will.

John's will was witnessed by his close neighbour George Davis landlord of the Chequers, William Hatch the baker from across the road and attorney Robert Goldsmith. Executors of the will were John Mossenton the cordwainer (of Chapel Street) and Sarah the primary legatee.

The Thomas Burrell who died 1818 was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth, brother of John, and father of the Thomas who married Alice.

Alice is presumably the AB 1829 on the grave above as she definitely died that year.

The HB 1850 may be Harriet, daughter of Thomas and Harriet who was born circa 1838, and the T.B may be her brother Thomas born circa 1836.

Photos and grave transcriptions by Kathryn Day, research and will transcriptions by Charlotte Day.

More information:

To find all mentions of an individual here, use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu. New posts / people added daily. Over 4,000 people get a mention!

More grave photo posts for Marlow, Little Marlow and Hurley here

Will transcription posts listed here

Posts about everyday life in Marlow for the Burrells and others here including links to posts about specific trades, recreated trade and address directories etc. 

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

1820s Address Directory Great Marlow

 After exhaustive trawling of wills, property records, court cases, advertisements and more I have compiled a directory of addresses for Marlow residents in the 1820s. To find address references isn't easy. Nowhere near everyone will be included here of course but I will add any future finds as I wade through my mountains of research notebooks. House numbers were not used in this period. This is to supplement our recreated 1820s trade directory which is available Part One here  Part Two here

Many of these people have multiple mentions on this blog. See the A-Z Person Index to find every mention of anyone. Several thousand people are listed there!

This post does not cover Little Marlow or Lane End.

Beech Lodge

Wyndham family. 1823+. Biographical post about them here

Bovingdon Green

Joseph Pratt. Tenant of land. 1820.

Burford Farm, Marlow Bottom

Richard Webb. 1817-32. Also at Marlow Bottom Farm, see below.

Causeway

James Brooks. Baker. 1823+

William Lloyd. Roebuck. 1823+. A man of the same name was a butcher at the same time in an unknown location.

Robert White. Swan landlord. 1823.

Chapel Street

Thomas Archer. Running White Hart 1829 to post 1820s. Possibly 1827+. More here

James Bowles. Fruiterer.

John Collins. Tenant 1824.

John Coster. Watchmaker.

James Creswell /Cresswell. Baker 1823+

William Crouch. Corn merchant. 1822-25

Mary Fletcher. Running White Hart 1824 to at least 1829 More here

Henry Goldsmith. Attorney. 1823.

John Green wheelwright.

Joshua Meakes. Blacksmith. 1823.

Thomas Meakes. Blacksmith. 

John Mossenton. Cordwainer/ shoemaker. 1819-24. John was probably the "Jno" Mossenton who in 1814 witnessed this will.

Charles Plumridge. Bricklayer. 1823.

Church Passage

George Davis. Landlord Barge Pole.

William Sparkes. Landlord Black Boy 1823+

Court Garden

J.C Stroude. More here

Dean Street

...Blackall. Tenant 1826.

Ann Beaver. Tenant 1826.

Richard Clark. Landlord Jolly Masters. 

Ann Davis. Tenant 1826.

Martha Downer. Tenant 1826.

Zachariah East. Butcher. 1823-25.

Ambrose Frith. Tenant 1826.

John Glover. Lace merchant.

George Goldsmith. Plumber. 1823.

Mary Gray. Tenant 1826.

James Grove. Tenant of cottage there.

John Hackshaw. Harness maker. 

William Plumridge. Grocer 1823. (Probably also beer seller)

John Price. Tenant 1829.

William Sparks. Tenant 1826.

Gun Lane (now Trinity Road)

John Gunnell. Tenant 1826.

William Hoare. Landlord Three Horseshoes beerhouse 1827+

Handy Cross

James Ayres. (Ayris) Blacksmith 1827.

Harleyford House

John Beaver, servant there aged in his 90s.

Sir William Clayton. Owner.

High Street

Thomas William Allum. Bricklayer. 1823+

William Allum. Tailor 1821-23. 

Richard Aveling, grocer. Find out more about him here

Benjamin and Sarah Baines, he a confectioner 1822+. She died 1824. For more on him see here and here.

John Badger. Ironmonger. To at least 1825. In business the previous decade, unknown street address but likely the same.

Emily Blackbourne. Bookseller. 1823-24.

Thomas Burrell. Blacksmith. 1823. See here

Samuel Carter. Bootmaker.

William Cock. Bootmaker.

Theophilus and Sarah Clifford. Theophilus was a stonemason. 1823+. More here

George Davis. Landlord the Chequers.

John Goodman. Surgeon. 1823.

East and Harriman. Grocers. 1828 to post 1820s. A tragic pair. Both would go on to commit suicide in 1837. Said to have lived together 30 years on their deaths. More here

George and Mary Ellison. Alfred House, now known as Cromwell House. Pre 1820 to post 1820s. More here

Mr Flint. Tenant of a cottage. 1829.

Avis Gibbons. Lived with John and Charlotte Ralfs, see below. Had done so for years.

George Hammond. Tenant 1824.

Sarah Hatch. Baker. Before 1820 till 1840s. Her son William assisting later. The notorious William Hatch! More on him here

Francis Hewitt. Tenant of a cottage 1829.

Thomas Hewett. Tenant 1824. [A butcher of this name was in High Street 1832].

John Hone Esquire. Died 1823 aged 32. See also one in West Street below.

William Humphrey. Harness maker.

William Irving. Insurance Agent. 1824+

James MacLean, High Street. More on him and his wife here

William Mathews. Grocer and tea dealer. 1817 to post 1820s. Wife Ann. More  here

John Meadows. Draper. 1829 to 1839. More here

John Morris. Draper, and family. Pre 1820s to post 1820s. To see the site of his premises and more about the family see here

Thomas Jonathan Oxlade. Draper. Will 1822.

Charlotte and John Ralfs and children. John was a draper. 1824. He owned his property. This was West side of street. John died 1826. He was also an insurance agent.

John Rolls draper.

Misses Rolls. Running school in Brampton House. 1823. 

Rolls and Sons auctioneers. Pre 1820 to post 1820s. Also estate agents by 1829.

William Rose. Died at his residence High Street 1829. Aged 94. A William Rose was a cooper in the High Street earlier in the 1820s but this likely a younger man.

John Shaw. Surgeon.  1822. See his grave and will here

John Tonge. Bookseller. Selling up 1823.

Mr Wright. Attorney. 1822-29.

Frederick Wyatt. Coach proprietor. Tenant 1824. Began business 1820 but not sure if then in High Street. In business post 1820s. More here.

Market Square

Richard Furnell. Upper Crown. Died of a fit of apoplexy on premises 1820.

Daniel Humphries. Pawnbrokers 1821-26.

Richard Westbrook at Upper Crown. 1824. Mr Westbrook 1826 [a George Westbrook was there 1830-35].

William Westbrook. Butcher. To post 1820s.

Marlow Bottom Farm

Richard and Mary Webb. 1829+ More here

Marlow Common

Mr Butler. Died 1825. His widow died 1833.

Medmenham Mills

Mr Thatcher. Died 1827.

Moor Farm

Joseph Webb giving it up 1827.

Munday Dean Farm

Thomas Oxlade. To 1822. Also at Widmere Farm.

Elizabeth Oxlade and Thomas Wyatt. 1829. Elizabeth became by marriage Meadows and then Sawyer.

Oxford Road 

William Robert Clayton. The Cottage (a reasonable sized house!) 1826.

Ann and William Hales. William owned a messuage, warehouse stable, garden and yard by Oxford Road next to Marefield stile in his will written 1824, proved in 1826. He was 75 at death. Left the property to Ann. William looks to have been of Deptford Origin. Ann moved to 19 Lower Phillimore Place Kensington in 1827 and died there in 1831.

Prospect House (junction of Wycombe Road / Chapel Street)

Henry and Mrs Terry. Running a boys boarding school till went bankrupt 1826. More here

William and Rose Faulkner. William there 1826+ running it as a school. He married Rose, daughter of Ann and William Bond in 1828. More here

Quoiting Square

William Bowles. Six Bells landlord 1823-24. Probably moved to the Greyhound.

Thomas Cox. Wheelwright. To post 1820s. These premises later burnt down.

Joseph Langley. 1820+. Draper.

Seymour Court Farm

George Lunn. 1822 till death 1830, seemingly jointly with Mr Poulton.

Mary Lunn. Wife of George Lunn above. Died 1822.

Mr Poulton. Seemingly jointly with George Lunn 1822. Also there 1824.

Spinfield Lodge

Caroline and Henry Pearson

Spittal Street

William Bowles. Greyhound Inn 1825 to post 1820s. Mrs Bowles his wife died there 1825. Probably previously at the Six Bells.

Robert Mossenton. Greyhound Inn before William Bowles took over. 1819-25.

St Peter's Street

William Cresswell. Tenant of a cottage 1823. Probably sub let it as William was of the Compleat Angler.

James Downer. Tenant of a cottage 1823.

Richard Gibbons. 1823. His father Thomas owned this property and left it to him 1824.

Thomas Gibbons. Coal merchant.

Thomas Grovesnor. Tenant of cottage 1823.

George Hawkins. Of Two Brewers. Died of smallpox 1826.

Richard Heath. Tenant of a cottage 1823. Still in the Street 1833 and 1841. Labourer. Also Mary Heath his wife.

Mary Horniman. Tenant and chandlers shop keeper. West Street 1825+.

James Peters. Blacksmith.

Joan Sparks. Tenant of cottage 1823.

Temple House. Also called Templegate House.

Owen Williams. 1820-post 1820s.

Thames Bank

Sir James Morris. 1820.

Town End Farm

Mr William Bullock. Pre 1820s -1824.

"Under The Bridge"

Elizabeth and John Rolls the Elder.  John was a coal merchant. Also had property Bisham.

Sarah Russell. Servant to Elizabeth and John Rolls above 1820.

West Street

Misses Bond. Running a school.

Thomas Bowen, Red Lion 1824 to post 1820s. More here

Mrs Burrows. Albion House, leaves for London 1825. 

Mrs Carter. Albion House West Street. Circa 1821.

Joseph Fryth. Tenant 1826.

Abraham Clark - 1825, house  adjoins that of John Langley. 

George Clark. Tenant 1826.

Henry Clark. Tailor. 1823.

Samuel Clark. Tailor. To post 1820s.

William Clark. Landlord the Ship. 

Edward Collins. Tenant 1826.

Richard Cowper. 1824. Clearly well off. Leaving his home 1824. Wife of unknown name died earlier that year.

William Cox. 1828. Tenant but had sub let to another.

...Dalby / Dolby. Tenant 1826.

William Derrick, Tenant 1825. A small tenement "behind" his property is let to Sarah Sparks 1825. (In another source she is merely "adjacent". William possibly the shoemaker active in the 1810s. 

Misses Field. Running a school. Probably Matilda Field and her sister.

John Gibbons, grocer and tallow chandler 1820 to post 1820s. For more on him and his family see here

Elizabeth Guppy, tenant 1825. Her home lies between the residences of Mary Horniman and Moses Wyatt. 

Rachel and Robert Hall. He was a butcher. More here

Henry Harmon. Tenant 1826.

William Harper. Tinplate worker.1823 to post 1820s.

Charles Herbert. Resident 1825. House known.

Ann Hone (Miss). Owner and occupier 1827. Will 1831.

Mary Horniman. Chandler. 1825 to post 1820s. Tenant. Shop and residence. Adjoins the residence if Sarah Guppy. 

Mr Howard. Tenant 1826.

Edward Jackson. Watchmaker.

Lydia Lane. Ironmonger. More here

Mr J Langley. Late resident 1825. Believe he was evicted when he was foreclosed upon. Next to Abraham Clark. His house is described as recently built in 1825. It has a stable as well as a yard, garden and wash house. 

Henry Lovegrove. Lace Merchant. 1823.

John Lovegrove. Died at his home there 1827. 

Joseph Mead. 1823+. A painter and glazier.

Mrs Mossenton. Tenant. 1827.

Mr Owen. Tenant 1826.

John Pierce. Landlord Coach and Horses. 1823.

John Plumridge. Tenant 1828 but had sublet to another.

John Prytherick / Prytherock, tenant 1825. Adjoins the home of Moses Wyatt. 

John Sadler. Butcher.

Wethered family. Remnantz.

Moses Wyatt. Resident 1825. Tenant. House adjoins Elizabeth Guppy's. 

Widmere Farm

Thomas Oxlade to 1822. Also had Munday Dean Farm.

John Webb. Lately in 1829.

Wood End (near Medmenham)

William Townsend. Pre 1820s to at least 1820. (Townsends were at Wood End for a long time)

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

 

Link to index which includes posts about specific trades and general Great Marlow social history  here

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog and a link here.

Part 2 1820s Marlow Trade Directory

After exhaustive trawling of wills, property records, court cases, adverts etc I have put together a trade directory for Marlow in the 1820s. It will never be complete, especially for women who make less of a mark in surviving records, but it may be interesting to you anyway. For some of those listed the exact premises are known, and some of the traders have dedicated posts about them already on the blog. See the A-Z Person Index for any mention however small of any particular person or Biographies of Individuals for full length dedicated posts only.

This is ongoing work. I have lots more names to add.

Part one contained occupations Auctioneers to Insurance Agents alphabetically and is available here

Can't find your ancestor? Look at my 1820s Street Directory of Marlow. This lists for every street not just those with a known trade but anyone we have found as a tenant of land or property there but for whom no known trade has been identified.

Ironmongers

John Henry Badger. 1822+ High Street.

Lydia Lane, West Street. To death 1844. More on Lydia here.

Lace Makers

Samuel Washbourn (business owner). Probably Chapel Street, was later.

Lace Merchants

John Glover. Dean Street. 1822

Henry Lovegrove. West Street. From pre 1820s. In 1822 Henry was injured when his gig was run into by the Greenwich stage coach. He received £10 compensation for his injuries and the damage to his vehicle.  

Lawyers / Solicitors

Henry Allnutt. Died 1821. Keen amateur gardener whose detailed notebooks of his success and failures in his Marlow kitchen garden were used by grandson Henry to produce "A system for Cropping a Kitchen Garden" published 1867. 

Henry Goldsmith. Chapel Street. 1823. Started as clerk to Robert Goldsmith, in Marlow.

Ralph Spicer 1826 to after 1820s. Biographical post on him here.

Mr Wright. Pre 1820s. High Street 1822-29. Probably John.

Liquor Merchants

Charles Wethered. 1820+. High Street. Earlier described as a malster.

Malsters

Samuel Barnes. St Peter's Street.

James House. Medmenham.

Thomas Webb.

Millwrights

Charles Moss. 1828.

Papermakers

John Dell. Will proved 1821.

John Jacques.

Francis Pepper. From pre 1820s.

Joseph Wright. From pre 1820s.

Pawnbrokers

James Clark from at least 1806 to at least 1823.

Daniel Humphries 1821. Will written 1826. Also a substantial landlord. Market Place. Someone tried to sell him a stolen velveteen waistcoat in 1822.

Plumbers

Mr Cox. Market Square. 1826.

George Goldsmith. Dean Street. 1823.  In business to at least 1836 but not necessarily in Dean Street. 2. George Wilmer Goldsmith, plumber and glazier, died July 1834.  

John Rance Lovegrove. West Street. Also glazier. Pre 1820+. Died 1827. Will proved 1828. First wife was Susanna. Second was Henrietta. Third wife Harriet (all as per will). Business left to his son James Thomas Lovegrove who worked with him by 1823. John witnessed the will of fellow West Street resident William Sawyer. See  here. Will summary of John's daughter Mary is available here

Joshua Phillips. Little Marlow. Also Publican etc. See here

Postmaster 

James Field, also insurance agent. Also teacher, see schools below. Will here

"Publicans", Innkeepers, beer sellers etc - for more on all these pubs and publicans see our Pub Related Index of posts here NB publican as job description was not in common use at this time, it is included to aid modern readers. 

Thomas Archer. White Hart number 2 (Spittal Square) see Mary Fletcher below. 1823 to post 1820s. 

James Biddle. Unknown premises. 1826.

Thomas Bowen. Red Lion. 1823 to post 1820s.

William Bowles. Greyhound Inn. 1825. Greyhound landlord listing - here

William Bowles. Six Bells. 1823-24. Probably same as above.

Richard Clark. Jolly Maltsters. Dean Street. More here The name Clark has a very long pub / innkeeping heritage in Marlow. Later at Rose and Crown Dean Street.

William Clark. The Ship. West Street. 1823-24. Wife Ann.

Robert Collins. Victualler. Will 1826. Premises unknown.

William Cresswell. 1823 to post 1820s. Complete Angler/ The Angler(s), Angler Inn. Read more on him here

George Davis. The Chequers.High Street.

George Phelps Dell. Barge Pole, to into the 1830s. See the grave of him and some others of his family here

Mary Fletcher. White Hart number one (Chapel Street). To post 1820s. There were two White Hart pubs at the same time.

Richard Furnell. Upper Crown. Died on premises of a fit of apoplexy 1820.

John Green - at the Three Horseshoes, Burroughs Grove. 1826. More on him.and his family 

William Harding. Throughout period. Turks Head. High Street.  Also shoemaker.

George Hawkins. Two Brewers 1823. Wife Mary. This may be a mistake for John.

John Hawkins. Two Brewers. Died 1826. Wife Mary then ran.

Mary Hawkins (nee Hewett). Widow of John above. Two Brewers. 1826+. 

William Hoare. Three Horseshoes Gun Lane. 1823+

William Lloyd. The Roebuck, Causeway. 1823+ A man of the same name was a butcher. Probably not the same man though many beer sellers had other occupations at the same time.

Robert Mossenton. Greyhound Inn. Started 1819. Left 1825. Also a horse dealer. Went Uxbridge. Coach from his premises to and from London Piccadilly via Maidenhead. Only a five hour trip each way! For more than on this and other stagecoach services, see here

Joshua Phillips. Kings Arms, Little Marlow. See here.

John Pierce / Pearse. Coach and Horses. West Street. 1823+ There was another man who was a butcher with this name in town at the same time.

Richard Ruddle.1829. Was a few years later at the Hare and Hounds and was most likely already there in 1829 too. Earlier in the 1820s was described as a tallow Chandler.

William Sparkes. Black Boy.

Richard Westbrook. Upper Crown. 1823-24. Mr Westbrook 1826.

Robert White. The Swan. 1823.

Thomas Wyatt. Horns Inn. 1823 to post 1820s. Much more about him and his family here 

Rope Makers

Richard Gibbons. From at least 1822. Also Hemp and Flax Merchant. In the 1840s Gibbons of Marlow provided ropes for ringing the church bells at Hambledon on several occasions. Lived St Peter's Street. Also brewer etc 

John Muspratt. 1819+. Labourer rope spinner.

Saddlers 

Hackshaw and Son. (And harness makers) Thomas and John. Partnership dissolved 1821 (insolvent) West Street. Thomas provided ropes for ringing the bells of Hambledon church 13 times between 1803 - 1839. He may be the parish constable mentioned here. John was again insolvent 1823. See under harness makers for more on him.

Sawyers

Robert Rose. 1828+

Shoemakers - see Bootmakers and Cordwainers. 

School Teacher's see the Education section on the General Marlow History menu here for more on these schools and teachers.

Misses Bond. West Street. Perhaps Mary Ann and Elizabeth who were apprentice teachers early in the 1800s to Sophia Tylecote at Albion House set up their own school later.

George Cole. Day School for boys Chapel Street. 1812 to post 1820s.

William Faulkner. Great Marlow School at Prospect House. 1826 to post 1820s.

William Francis. Borlase.

James Field. High Street. Also post master. To post 1820s.

Misses Field. West Street. To post 1820s. Probably Matilda and her sister.

Mary Garland Lovegrove. 1829+. West Street. Day and boarding g school for girls. Her will on the blog and more on her here.

Misses Rolls. Brampton House. High Street. 1823 to post 1820s.

Henry Terry. Prospect House. 1823-26.

Servants (selected)

William Hackshaw. 1822.

Skewer Makers -more on this trade in Marlow here

Mr Robinson. 1829. (Business owner)

Mr Todd. 1829.

Stone Masons

Theophilus Clifford, High Street 1823 to post 1820s. Post on him here

Surgeons

Robert Colbourne. Started in town in 1823. Also apothecary. To post 1820s.

John Creighton. 1828. 

Henry Riggs Goodman.  1825-27 at least. By 1831 he was living in Portland Place Islington and was the Surgeon for an orphanage. Looks to have emigrated to Canada with his second wife shortly afterwards.

John Goodman, High Street 1823,24.

William Hickman. Pre 1820s to post 1820s. See here for more on him.

John Shaw. From pre 1820s. Will proved 1823. Also apothecary. High Street. See his grave and will summary here. Robert Colbourne takes over his practice. 

Robert Colbourne : see Shaw above. 

Tailors

James Allum. 1821.

William Allum. Through period to at least 1840s. High Street. A Mr Allum senior tailor died 1830. Perhaps a father to William?

Henry Clark, West Street 1823

Samuel Clark. West Street. To post 1820s.

Joseph Grey. 1824+. In High Street 1830s, may already have been.

William Massey. 1820.

Tallow Chandlers

John Gibbons. See Grocers above, same man. 

Mary Horniman. West Street. 1825.

Richard Ruddle. 1823. By 1829 was a publican at unknown premises and by 1833 ran the Hare and Hounds pub. 

Thatchers

William Higgins. Died 1829. Well End near Little Marlow. 

Tinplate Workers

William Harper. West Street. 1823.

Turners

George Ball. 1828.

James Ball. 1826.

George Bavin. 1825. Brother of William below.

William Bavin. Chair maker and publican later. See here

Henry Hawes. 1823+

James Pusey. To 1822.

Watchmakers

Mr Costar. Chapel Street. 1829. May be same as below.

John Coster. Chapel Street. 1821

Edward Jackson. West Street. Pre 1820s to 1823.

Wheelwrights

George Butler. 1820.

James Cox. 1826+ Probably working for Thomas below.

Thomas Cox. Oxford Road / Quoiting Square. To post 1820s.

Stephen East. 1823 to post 1820s. Was later in Spittal Street running the Wheelwrights Arms pub too.

John Green. Chapel Street.

Wine Merchants

Charles Wethered. High Street.  Earlier described as malster.

Wire Manufacturers

John Washbourn. Bankrupt 1822.

Wood Cutters

Francis Friar. 1827.

Related Posts:

Recreated 1600s trade directory Part One

Recreated 1700s trade directory here

Index of posts related to specific shops and businesses here

Call the Apothecary! here

 

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

By Charlotte Day. Additional research Kathryn Day. 

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

Will Samuel Smith of Great Marlow 1721.

 Will written and proved 1721. Bricklayer. 

Says sick and weak in body but of sound mind and perfect memory, thanks be to God.

Dear and living wife Susannah is the executor. Burial at her discretion.

She also gets all pieces of land he owns in Cookham and Bray. These are in the occupations of William ....ers and William Hatch. Also the house William Hatch dwells in with all outbuildings, yards, orchards and appurtenances. Also any other freehold or leasehold property he has in Cookham and a messuage or cottage with all closes, hereditaments etc that go with it in Wooburn, Bucks. Also the mortgage on the Wooburn property made to the testator by Mr [might possibly read Mrs not Mr] Butterfield.

My sister Parsons £10.

Jointly between my sister Margaret Johnson and her children Dorothy and Jeffrey £10.

Niece Elizabeth ?Boyd £50.

All remaining money after debts paid to wife who also gets all household goods, implements and furniture.

Witnessed by Thomas Bidle, William Parsons, Robert Bidle and ....Tripp.

For more will transcriptions see the Wills option on the menu. All mentions of someone on this blog can be found on the Person Index. Over 2,300 people are mentioned.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to reproduce this transcription for family or local history purposes, with credit to this blog.

William Hatch Will Summary

 William Hatch. Baker. Will proved 1814.

Says he is ill but of sound and disposing mind.

To each of his twelve children who reach the age of 21 £150 in capital or joint stock in the Navy he has in the books of the Bank of England.

After his debts, funeral and probate expenses paid, all other of his bills, bonds, annuities, stock in trade, household goods, furniture, chattels and personal estate to dear wife Sarah as long as she stays unmarried. If she marries it is to be equally divided between any living children he has at the time of her marriage.

His wife, brother James and brother in law Richard Maby the executors.

Witnessed by John Allnutt and James Suthery.

Note:

It was later alleged that William had been a failed highwayman!

William was not being mean spirited in leaving Sarah goods only while she remained unmarried. Under the law if she married everything she owned became her new husbands and could not be inherited by her children unless her husband gave her special permission to leave a will of her own or gave items to her children of his own free will. William was ensuring his and Sarah's children would get final use of his property and not some other man.

Sarah took over the bakery business. In her time it was on the West side of the High Street (which was probably the same premises her husband had, though people did move premises so it is not absolutely certain). 

William and Sarah's son William has his own biographical post on the blog here

Transcribed and summarised by me Charlotte Day from a PCC will at the National Archives Kew.

Other wills can be found on the menu under Will Transcriptions. See the Person Index for all mentions of any individual on this blog. You will find more on Sarah and William Junior for instance by looking there. Over 2,300 people are mentioned as of December 2021.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to reuse my summary if you credit this  blog.

Proverbial For It's Wickedness

Side of the chapel building. Photo taken October 2020.

POST UPDATED NOVEMBER 2024.

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

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

 

Humble beginnings

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

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

Handsome and commodious

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

Time capsules set in place

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

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

The Chapel in everyday life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 J Watson [Superintendent of  the Sunday School]

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOTES

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

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

Related posts: 

The Wesleyans at Marlow: 

here

Index of posts related to places of worship: here

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

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

SOURCES

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

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

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

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

1861 Census, transcribed from microfilm by Charlotte Day 

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

Reading Observer, 17 October 1874, as above. 

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

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

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

©Marlow Ancestor

The Notorious William Hatch

William Hatch was baptised in Great Marlow in 1795 to William Hatch and Sarah who ran a bakery in the High Street. 

When the father William senior died he left all his surviving children who reached the age of 21 £150 each invested in stocks. William junior would have been one of them. The will is available on the blog here. Extraordinarily, one later report which accused William junior of acting out of pure malice as a police informer, also said that his real father had been a failed highwayman.

Whatever the truth of that William junior grew up to follow the respectable trade of baker. Initially he assisted his mother Sarah as a baker and corn dealer, then he traded briefly in Slough and Reading, both in Berkshire, before returning to once more help his mother. In 1831 he, but not his mother, who had not made him a partner in the business, was declared bankrupt. The bankruptcy notice also calls him a farmer.

This bankruptcy William survived and he continued baking. But he was not much liked and some kind of rumour or suspicion tended to be always around him. In 1828 John Boswell took out an ad in the Windsor and Eton Express apologising for circulating a false report as to William's character saying he was "extremely sorry" for his actions. The ad says he is taking it out as if he does it is agreed that William will not take legal action against him. Perhaps not the best wording if you want to suggest sincerity of apology but it worked. There is no hint as to what had been said about William.

Just a few weeks later however William won £5 damages from George Creswell of Marlow for calling him "Buffer the Hatch" when they were both in the Horns, Chapel Street. William claimed that "buffer" meant homosexual and that chalk scribblings using the same terms had been found on walls all around town. There was no suggestion George had been responsible for any of those. It is clear from the lawyers' arguments and witness statements that if buffer did signify homosexual to some it was not generally known to do so. The tone of George's voice and the fact the words featured on street graffiti meant they were presumed to be disrespectful words but without specific meaning. One of the lawyers said "buffer" had once long ago been used for lowly employees in law firms who had to do the unpleasant tasks like delivering eviction notices. I myself found evidence of the word being used as a term for someone who is willing to do other people's dirty work. Given that William when insulted was in a meeting with one of the Overseers of the poor, Thomas Broadway, then it may well be that outdated meaning was meant. It may also refer to Hatches electioneering work for the Williams family who held Marlow as a pocket borough.  George didn't explain his choice of words. The judge said it didn't really matter, an insult of some kind had been intended so damages were due to William. He however warned the offence did not warrant anything substantial. William had by the way formerly been an Overseer of the poor in Marlow himself.

In 1830 school master Mr Francis of the Bluecoats school (now known as Borlase), was convicted of assaulting William, when in drink. There was some amusement expressed at the senior, slight and short teacher taking on the 6ft tall and sturdy Hatch, and it seems Francis came off the worst.  Two witnesses on each side contradicted themselves altogether, but Francis was found guilty and had to spend a week in the house of correction. He also had to pay a £5 fine and find sureties for his future good behaviour. William said that Francis had called him a "sodom-ite" and he had retaliated with his fists. At this point the local magistrate presiding intervened to say he was aware of chalked graffiti in Marlow making a similar point but to the best of his knowledge there was no truth to the remark! However, the incident was widely regarded as politically motivated, as the two supported opposite candidates and feeling was still running high after a recent election. Hatch had been accused of brandishing a knife at an opposition voter at the previous election (which he denied doing), along with allegations that he had been banned from several public houses for violent conduct. It is true that certain establishments were strongly associated with one political candidate or another, and William may not have been too welcome in some simply for taking the other side publicly. He did say he did not regard his involvement in electioneering as very extensive. However the magistrates on summing up were no doubt politics stood behind it all. They expressed the wish that the school teacher would not let the electioneering spirit move him to breach the peace in future. 

William had plenty more court appearances. In 1829 he was fined 12 shillings for pulling up a crop of potatoes in a poor man's garden, a Mr Harding. This man may have been a tenant of his as the next year William had to pay the court costs when he failed in his attempt to prosecute his tenant Hannah Frith and her husband for picking fruit in the garden of the cottage they rented from him. The judge told William he didn't own the fruit, they did. In the same session the judge threw out William's suit against one John Simpson for allegedly throwing a stone at his window.

In 1829 William was also summoned for failing to support his illegitimate child with Ann Beaver and ordered to start paying up.

Three years later he was fined a shilling for trying to purposefully run down a servant of Mr J Clayton with his bakery cart. The judge condemned his reckless violence.

The next year William prosecuted Christopher Wildego for an alleged theft of a loaf from out of that cart.

In 1834 he stabbed a young boy who had formerly worked for him and stole the boy's knife. He was allowed to escape further penalty if he paid the boy 6 shillings compensation and give him back his knife!

The same year George Creswell was once again pitted against William. The Windsor and Eton Express said William was an "Ill looking man generally known as the appellation of the Buffer upwards of six foot high" who appeared in court with a cut face, two black eyes and 4 teeth knocked out. William said George had committed this assault on him. The paper said his usual "appalling" face was rendered more disgusting than usual as a result! Once more the setting for George and William's confrontation was a public house. William had used provoking language to the other man until he lost his temper. George was able to produce witnesses to prove that he was a respectable and "truly peaceable and steady man when unmolested" while William was the reverse so William's request that the defendant be bound over to keep the peace towards him was refused. George was however fined for the assault. The Creswells were renowned for being tall, strong and well built men. 

In 1835 William reached his lowest point being arrested for a "brutal attack upon his wife with intent to murder her". He had then run off for a few days but was arrested upon his return. He was unable to pay his bail, nor find anyone who wished to help him in this way ("no person having the remotest claim to respectability would become his security" said the paper) so was sent to Aylesbury Gaol to await trial. After three months in such custody he managed to prevail upon his wife to withdraw the charges on the grounds he would behave better in future.

He is referred to in reports at the time as the "notorious Will Hatch" and "Buffer the Hatch".

He had married a "Miss Spicer" in Henley, Oxfordshire in 1832. I have seen a marriage notice not a parish register so I am afraid I do not at the time of writing know the bride's first name. 

I find no further mention of William Hatch in Marlow records or any wife of his. They may have moved away to escape their recent scandals. William was still alive when his mother Sarah wrote her will in 1838. She had by then moved to Eton and left him besides money a bible. Making a point Sarah?

Sarah died in 1844. She was the owner of the row of houses in Dean Street called Hatches Row, which were sold off after her death.

For all mentions of a person on this blog see the Person Index. Over 2,300 people are listed as of December 2021. You will find more on Sarah Hatch for instance there.

Some Sources:

Wills of William Hatch and Sarah Hatch. Transcribed by me from wills held at the National Archives Kew.

Great Marlow Parish Registers, transcribed by me from the originals.

Windsor and Eton Express 8th May 1828, 12th Jan 1833, 25th Jan 1834, 29th August 1835, 19th Dec 1835.

Paper copies held at the British Library and accessed by me via their partnership with the BNA.

The London Gazette (compiled) Volume 2 by Thomas Neumann 1831. University of Iowa Archives, digitized by Google.

GRO Death Registration Index, online from the GRO.

1833 Parochial Assessment High Street Great Marlow Part One

I have transcribed this from the original handwritten assessment working notebooks which have been in my family for some years and are in a fragile and faded condition. The books were annotated with corrections and changes until about 1840. I will add any such information and flag it as such. Other notations are from my other research.

Transcription by Charlotte Day.

© Marlow Ancestors. You can use this transcription for local or family history purposes if you credit this blog.

Town- Houses and Buildings (land is a different record I also have and will transcribe in the future). 

No Street Address Given

Edmund Flemming (late)=

Property occupied= Marlow Place with suitable offices, large garden, lawn, green houses etc [Their "etc" not mine]

Annual value of property= £110 

High Street West Side [West Street side]

John Snelling Wright=

Dwelling house, yard and garden

£22

*****

Misses Rolls [this is Brampton House. The sisters ran a school for girls]:

House with yard and garden

£25

*****

Jane Fowler=

Cottage with small yard 

£4

*****

Thomas William Allum [brickmaker and bricklayer. Multiple properties] =

Dwelling house, shed with loft and building, late malt house and garden

£16

Loft over Mr **** store house 

£1

Also a Kiln at Bovingdon Green

£9

*****

John Frith [multiple pieces of  property]=

Dwelling house and garden

£11

Woodhouse and loft on the opposite side of the yard

£1

*****

Theophilus Clifford [Stonemason. See my previously published post on Marlow Bridge for more on him here. Also, a fuller biographical post on him is available here ]

Dwelling house, yard, shops, loft and garden

£12

Shed etc at the Wharf 

£2

*****

John Collins (carpenter, builder. Later at pub next door)=

Dwelling house, workshops, garden and yard

£10

*****

James Creswell [publican and carpenter. Occupier till at least 1838]=

The Fountain Head [This was a beerhouse whose occupier had a carpentry business out back] which is a house, 2 shops, paint house and garden]

£9 [when property sold 1838 the rent was up to £12 12 shillings per annum]

*****

Mrs Sarah Aveling. [Note: title Mrs is mistaken or given as mark of respect to a popular and respected but unmarried woman. Will 1844]=

House, garden and yard

£9

*****

Owen Wethered esq=

House with requisite offices, shrubbery, kitchen garden and orchard 

£75

*****

Wethered and Son [Brewers]

Garden adjoining above

£1

Large timber yard, sawpits, sheds, piggery and store room for timber

£10

Store rooms, 7 in number. Large extensive building with counting house etc 

£35

Cooperage, scalding shed, dray house and stables

£8

Two stables, coach house etc

£8

Carpenter's shop, malt loft, and store houses

£18

Table beer run room (?) with the loft over it

£12

Brewhouse and buildings in the centre of yard with malt lofts etc 

£70

Flow room in Miss Roll's yard

£2 10 shillings

Malt house and shed in Mr Hatch's yard

£15

Ditto in Mr Maddock's yard with store house [Robert Maddocks, further along the same side of the High Street. Sometimes given as Maddox]

£20

Store cellar under Juggins and  Stallwoods' houses

£3

Malthouse and lofts in yard behind Steadman Camden's [this was other side of High Street, near where Sainsbury's Local is now]

£15

Store house and loft adjoining Mr Wade's

£3

Small store house in Mr Wade's garden with loft over it and small garden

£3

In yard leading from High Street 2 large stables and lofts over them 

£4

Two stables, cart house, dung yard, piggery, large cart shed and store house

£12

Small store house in yard

£1

Malt house, late Mr C Wethered's [Charles Wethered, liquor merchant. Active by 1823. Will 1827], barley lofts and coal houses

£25

Screening rooms and lofts and a malthouse

£20

Two stables with store rooms and barley lofts adjoining

£6

*****

Thomas Wethered

Orchard at Bovingdon Green

£3 10 shillings

*****

Late Mrs Gordon [Jane, widow of George who was originally of Croughly Banffshire Scotland. Couple had lived in Marlow since at least 1808].

Dwelling house with convenient offices, stables, greenhouse, yards and garden

£45

*****

William Hatch [baker, a VERY troublesome character who is featured in a post of his own here]=

House, bakehouse, flour loft, yard, 2 gardens, cart house, stable and piggery

£10

Large garden called Hanging Acre

£5

*****

Ann Washbourn [an embroideress and maker of children's clothing and later a teacher. She later moved to both St Peter Street and West Street. See her West Street school premises and read more about it here]

House and garden

£8

*****

Robert Maddocks [a carpenter and, tut tut, party to electoral fraud in the early 1830s. Electoral fraud was to be fair a Marlow speciality. Biographical post on him and his wife Jane here]=

Part of a house for billiards etc 

£6 (This was the "News Room")

Dwelling house, stable, 3 chaise houses, shed, work and store shops, yard and garden

£12

*****

William Allum [a tailor]=

Dwelling house and garden

£6

*****

George Rogers [plumber painter and glazier]

House, shop, yard, garden

£8

*****

Thomas Hewett [butcher, in this property by 1826]=

Dwelling house, butcher's and baker's shop and garden

£7 10 shillings

Slaughter house up the yard

£1

Stable and loft

10 shillings

*****

Matilda Newell [bonnet maker. Not in this property 1826]=

Dwelling house and garden 

£8

*****

To find every mention of a person on this blog use the Person Index option on the drop down menu.

To find more High Street content see the"Specific Shops, Streets, Etc" menu here

To be continued....