Edwardian St Peter Street / St Peter's Street

 Marlow St Peter /St Peter's Street residents in the Edwardian era (taking the popular definition for the era as extending 1901-1914). Some earlier and later incidents in the lives of those mentioned are also given to give a rounder picture.

EDWARDIAN PROPERTY NUMBERS (used here) ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME AS THOSE OF TODAY. Some of these properties no longer exist. A few people may be missing here, we will work to get them added. 

Odd numbered properties=

The Old Parsonage - Mrs Fanny Havell  Morgan, a widow with her unmarried adult children Alice and William James. William was the manager of the Morgan family draper's shop in the High Street / Market Square. More on this long standing business and William here . By 1915 Mr H L Slocock was the resident.

The Deanery - Heneage Legge, a retired unmarried army colonel from 1907 to 1911. Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds 1906+ and former Conservative M.P for St George's Hanover Square constituency in London. One of the many Vice-Presidents of Marlow Regatta. He gave a speech to the local schoolchildren as part of the Empire Day celebrations in 1909 in which he told them that within the British Empire there lived a total population 90 thousand times greater than that of Marlow. All of the children present should work for the Empire and pray for the King he said. He then warned the little boy's amongst them that they might have to fight to defend the Empire one day and they should be prepared to die as a result. Way to go top of the list of people not to invite to a children's party, Heneage. You can see a photo of him on the National Portrait Gallery website here. Heneage died November 1911. The Deanery seems to have been empty for a little while afterwards.

Catholic Church. Exterior restored in 1904. Interior redecorated 1910.

Catholic Mixed School (infants) This was considered upon official inspection in 1910 to be poorly lit and with too few toilets. Grace Crowther of the Convent School (see below) also supervised this school which had around 90 pupils. Unlike the Convent  School this was not a private school.

No 7 Catholic Rectory  Canon Bernard Smith until his death in 1903 (full biography of him on the blog here ) then Father Squirrell, then from 1909 Father Arthur Tillet (bn c 1875-76). Arthur was the priest at Marlow for many years. He had been a student at St Mary's Roman Catholic College, Erdington, Warwickshire though he was of Norfolk origin. In 1912 he held a mass for those who died in the Titanic disaster.

Convent School (the Catholic Upper School) - supervised by Miss Grace Crowther who also lived on the premises. This school on this site was formerly ran by nuns hence the popular name but they left in the early 1880s. Back then it has been a mixed school for children of all classes but in Edwardian times it had been transformed into a school for girls. Grace had been the head since at least 1886. In 1889 money was stolen from her desk in a robbery by a hungry and homeless Henry Lacey, a boy whose father routinely locked him and his siblings out of their home and refused to let them back in. He wanted to buy himself some food. He was jailed for 2 weeks for the offence but no one seemed to do anything to punish the father, the real cause of the problem. The Convent upper school of the Edwardian era was described as a prestigious if small school for the children of rich Catholics. Four of her pupils aged between 12 and 18 boarded with Grace at the time of the 1901 census and she had two live in domestic servants. She later described herself as working for Buckinghamshire County Council as a teacher, at the Catholic mixed school above. Grace originated from Todmorden. Her date of birth wanders all about in the census but it would appear that it was correctly 1856 and that her parents Crossley and Mary and her siblings emigrated to the USA in 1873 on the Royal Mail Steamship the SS Algeria. Grace was already living away from home in 1871. Nevertheless to be willingly left behind in Britain without her parents or siblings at the age of just 17 must have been quite something. It certainly suggests a spirit of independence. 

Unplaced property somewhere around this point in the street later Victorian times to early 1900s - The boarding house of William and Mary Ann Betts (nee Hawks). Mary was the main head of the business and was assisted by her niece Sarah Godfrey who lived in. The Betts had previously operated the Queen public house in Quoiting Square. Following the death of her husband Mary took her niece and moved away from this street. Her "boarding house" seems to have consisted of two rooms rented out as one piece of accommodation. For many years  Charles Gibbons a commercial traveller for the wine and spirits trade had taken the rooms. He had once had a brewery in St Peter Street but the business collapsed. Though he moved to Maidenhead in around 1876/77 he kept up his friendship with Mary Ann and visited her whenever his business brought him to Marlow. Sadly in 1880 Charles was found dead with horrific injuries on the train line between Marlow and Maidenhead. It was supposed four different trains had gone over him while he lay on the track. Earlier in the day he had been visiting the Betts. Mary Ann Betts gave evidence at the inquest into his death, saying that both she and her niece had spoken to Charles and though he had some new money troubles he did not seem to be in low spirits. An open verdict was recorded.

The Nook - W Gibson then Charles Berry who remained into the 1920s. Not to be confused with Glade Nook in Glade Road.

River Cottage  mysterious. Seems to have been empty or non existent for most of the era but just afterwards in 1915 the home of Mrs Zuccani.

No. 13 William John Hutchins / Hutchings, sometimes known simply by his middle name and his wife Florence. Their ancient cottage consisted of just two rooms. William had worked as a boilersmith for Great Western Railways as well as formerly being the lock keeper at Temple Lock. Florence informally provided food for some of those who camped at the lock or passed through it in a boat. The campers, most of whom were from privileged backgrounds, often rented a spot on the lock island for the whole season and left their tents up whether they were there or not. Back in 1896 a teenage boy presented himself to Florence at the Lock Keeper's cottage and said he had been sent by one of the absent campers to keep an eye on his tent and he was to be kept and fed by her, bills to be sent to the camper at home in London. The boy disappeared after 3 days. Investigations revealed the camper had never seen him before in his life!

No. 15 Mary Butler born circa 1871, a self-employed needlewoman. Her niece Ethel Butler a teacher lived with her. She was appointed to the Infant School in St Peter Street in 1902. Their home was a very old cottage.  Ethel has retired and was still living at no 15 in the late 1930s.

No 17 a very old cottage of just three rooms at this point. Mrs Kezia(h) Corby, a widow, and her sister Caroline Smith. Earlier in the Edwardian era Kezia's children Charlie (bn circa 1873 a hotel barman) and Kate (bn circa 1886 an embroiderer) lived at home too. When Keziah died Caroline continued to live there alone. Both of these women were embroiderers too. Keziah had lived in St Peter's Street for some years with her husband Henry before his death.

No 19 Mrs Sparks early in the era. 

Fishermens Retreat former pub now small hotel ran by Mrs Elizabeth Hoddinott assisted by her daughter also called Elizabeth. Catered for boating and fishing parties. Was seen as a "high class" place of accommodation. More info here

Buckinghamshire Chair Company (behind)- detailed history of this business here.

Weir House let out as apartments 1903 by John Clark(e) Truss (see below). Had been split into apartments for at least 12 years at this point. Members of the Truss family were still hiring out apartments there in the late 1930s. In 1911 Eliza and Hugh Sutcliffe (a bookmaker) seem to have let the whole premises and sublet one or more rooms to a man described as their lodger, Stanley Smith. Jack Langley who was later a very successful bookmaker on his own account worked for him and became a St Peter Street resident himself when he bought Bridge House in 1913. See below. A Miss Lupton by the end of the Edwardian era was also a tenant of Weir House.

The Two Brewers pub Emily Sophia Truss then John Clarke Truss and his wife Henrietta. Like many pubs of the Edwardian era this one had a Slate Club. Pub was popular with early motoring visitors as it had a lock up garage.

Even numbered properties=

The Public Hall / Cinema combined. Both under the management of Horace Lacey of Station Road. A detailed post about the silent era film shows in the building is already on the blog here.

6-8 National School, Girls (built 1871) and Infants School (built 1868) front part of the site had  two houses for the head teachers. National School (Girls) =Miss Elizabeth Hunt head in 1907, previously head of the Infant's school on the same premises. She retired due to ill health in 1909 after 40 years of service to education at the school. In a presentation upon her leaving Elizabeth was given a gift of £35 collected by well wishers. A little more about Elizabeth can be found in this post. The girls' school had been expanded with two new classrooms and additional cloakrooms during the Edwardian era but was still considered cramped. After Elizabeth left she was replaced as head teacher by Mrs Mary Collins. As Mary lived with her husband Henry /Harry in Chapel Street the live in accommodation due to her within the school premises (numbered no 6 St Peter Street) was  instead let out to William and Annie (nee Jesty) Alloway. William was a house painter. / Infants School (built 1868) whose head was Victor Kibblewhite in 1907. In 1905 he became the Secretary of the Marlow Literary and Scientific Institute. He was also a member of the Rifle and Cricket clubs in the town. Victor was later a town councillor. The school heads usually resided on the premises in St Peter Street and Victor, his wife Ella and their children were no different (their living portion was officially no 8 St Peter Street).  When the new Boys' C of E school opened in Trinity Road he transferred there and the family made a new home at St Ronans Claremont Gardens. During the First World War Victor served on the town Food Control Committee. 

Dial House- Mrs Winter and Selina White, at end of era Mrs Ward. I have a post on the blog already about the Winter family of Dial House see here.

Dial Cottage - ?

The Old Malt House Mrs Emma Hoare of next door Bridge House bought this property in 1897 for £1600 from the executors of Mrs Greenwood. It was used as a summer home by some of her children. Rear Admiral Sir Sydney Marow Eardley Wilmot (bn 1847) made the property his home from circa 1909 and remained there till at least the early 1920s with his wife Grace nee Hoare daughter of Emma Hoare above. The property may have in fact been Grace's inheritance from her mother. Sydney was a twice published novelist and the author of two naval history books. One of his novels The Battle Of The North Sea was written during the time he was officially a resident of Marlow however he and Grace often travelled abroad so I can't guarantee that he actually sat down and wrote any pages in Marlow. He was knighted in 1909 for his Naval services. In an accidental explosion during a training exercise he had lost one of his hands.

Bridge House - Mrs Emma Hoare, widow of Thomas Rolls Hoare who had died in 1892. House put up for sale by auction in 1909 following her death aged 86 at her London house. Bridge House was described then as a Jacobean style home with 15 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, a boat house, summer house and tennis court. Emma had apparently lived in Hastings and London jointly prior to moving to Marlow but she had visited the town as a regular summer guest before the move. She bought Bridge House in 1898 and if she was away on her summer holidays let out it out to tourists for the river season. She found the garden prone to flooding and her home to have drainage issues so soon after moving in asked the council to improve the drainage and provide a curbed pavement for St Peter Street down both sides. She offered to demolish the part of her stables that jutted 8 feet into the road to enable this. The council accepted her offer but did not end up kerbing the whole street as she had asked. The was the cause of an inordinate amount of discussion and trouble. 

After Mrs Hoare, Mrs Stephenson Smith briefly kept Bridge House as her summer holiday home. She was robbed while the house was shut up. The teenage thief got away with her fur lined coat, a pearl cross, an ornamental dagger and various other items. Not all those pieces of property were successfully recovered.

In 1913 Bridge House was bought by John "Jack" Langley, the chairman of Marlow Urban District Council. See here for a biography of John and Jack Langley. See above also. 

Sources=

Regatta Programme 1911.

Marlow Directory and Almanack 1891,  1907 and 1915 editions by Marlow Printing Company.

Kelly's Post Office Directory of Bucks etc 1895, 1911, 1915 editions.

1901 census of England and Wales, transcribed from microfilm, National Archives by Charlotte Day or Jane Pullinger except 1901 Erdington Warwickshire which was https://www.rootspoint.com/search/?CollectionKey=UK1901&FirstName=Arthur&MiddleName=&LastName=&BirthPlace=&LivedIn=Warwickshire+erdington+court&BirthYear=&MatchType=defaultex&submit=Search

South Bucks Standard June 1909 and 11th March 1898 from the British Library Archives, accessed via the BNA.

Maidenhead Advertiser clipping March 18th 1914.

Maidenhead Advertiser 12th June 1889, via Baylis Media Archives online.

Wikipedia article on Eardley-Wilmot https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Eardley-Wilmot

Advertising literature, personal letters.

 G.R.O death registrations from the G.R.O online except m of William Alloway which was 

"England and Wales, Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2D6G-DLL : 13 December 2014), William Thomas Alloway, 1909; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1909, quarter 4, vol. 3A, p. 1554, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. 

Will Summary John Rolls Proved 1857

 John Rolls of Great Marlow, coal and timber merchant. Written 1854. Proved 1857. See codicil below too. I found this will quite hard to read. I have done my best but recommend you obtain your own copy from the National Archives if this will is particularly important to your family.

Wants just debts and funeral expenses paid.

John Rolls Hoare and Thomas Rolls Hoare sons of my sister Ann Hoare 1 shilling each to mark my ....e of their....

My brother and I occupy a freehold property at the foot of Marlow Bridge in the parish of Bisham Berkshire which formerly belonged to our father. It comprises grounds, warehouses, ....., a meadow and gardens bounded in the North by the River Thames, and in the East by the Compleat Angler's Inn and in the South partly by the road to the Compleat Angler's Inn and partly by the old road called Bisham Lane and in the West by Church Meadow or land belonging to ...Davenport Esq. This property is being used by the brothers in their joint business partnership as coal and timber merchants. This all to my brother's use for his life, him keeping the buildings in good repair. Afterwards estate to go to Reverend Green of Shepton M...w in Gloucestershire who was the son of Mary Green who used to live in Great Marlow and his heirs. If he has none then estate to Osmund Rolls Green another son of Mary Green. If Osmund has not disposed of the said property in his life or in a will and has no legal heirs then property to the eldest of my bothers or sisters then living.

Dial Cottage on the Causeway which is in the occupation of Frederick Berger under a lease assigned by me to Robert Collins is willed to "the said" John Green (the Revd?). If John has no heirs, and has not disposed of it in his lifetime or by a will then to Osmund Rolls Green and his heirs. If he too has no heirs and has not disposed of the property in his lifetime or by way of a will then property to the eldest then living brother or sister of mine.

£10 each to brothers Thomas, Charles and George Rolls. Thomas's is in addition to what he is left as a thank you for being an executor of the will.

Sisters Ann, wife of John Hoare, and Jane Rolls £10 each.

£10 to be equally distributed between the sons and daughters of my bargeman Thomas Sparkes late of the Barge Pole pub. [More on Thomas here]

Executors £10 each as thank you.

My residual estate to the said John Green with one moiety of it left to Osmund Rolls Green.

Executors brother Thomas, John Green as above, Osmund Rolls Green as above, Edward Mason of Thames Side Windsor, coal merchant.

Witnessed by MJ Rippingham Great Palson Street London and Charles Tompkins of 20 Colet Road, Commercial Road, East London.

CODICIL. WRITTEN 1855.

John Green my gold ring and the rest of my jewellery to Osmond Rolls Green.

The legacy given to the children of Thomas Sparkes to be divided equally between John and Osmond above.

Codicil witnessed by Ralph Spicer*, solicitor of Great Marlow, and William Weaver, clerk to Mr Spicer.

The will was proved by three executors only. Edward Mason had renounced his role as executor.

Transcribed and summarized here by Charlotte Day from the original will at the National Archives, Kew.

*biographical post on Ralph Spicer here

©Marlow Ancestors.

Fight to the Death at The Bear

In its early life The Bear in Chapel Street was known as a "Tom and Jerry shop" or small-scale beer shop. Its landlords always had another job to run along side the beer selling, usually shoe making, a traditional pairing in Marlow and elsewhere. And on top of that a few lodgers were squeezed in too, until The Bear became just as known as a "common lodging house" as a beer seller. It led a quiet life for much of its existence, but in the 1870s that would all change in shocking circumstances. 

In the late 1860s the premises was taken over by the very experienced couple of Charles and Charlotte Hoare, formerly of the Travellers Friend, Dean Street and The Three Horseshoes, Gun Lane (Trinity Road) Charles died shortly afterwards, but the capable Charlotte continued. 

At the time of the 1871 census Charlotte had 9 male lodgers aged between 34 and 67 plus one female one with two children. It's clear from the complaints made about common lodging houses, that the sharing of rooms, and sometimes beds was normal. It would be inevitable in a premises the size of Charlotte's. But to those needing affordable lodgings they were a lifeline.  She managed to attract a number of longer term lodgers which must suggest they were happy with her accomodation  - there was plenty of rivals within Marlow, chiefly in Dean Street. (David Banks mentioned below had been with her 8 years for example)

A little minor trouble affected the Bear in 1872 when the vigilant P C Parsons heard some sounds coming from within at 11.15pm, after last orders should gave been called. He tried the door to the taproom which was unbolted. Within were 4 of Charlotte's lodgers plus a female visitor with an incriminating "cup of beer" on the table next to them. Charlotte was hauled before the magistrates to explain her apparent selling of alcohol after hours. The constable made something of the fact that the other woman present was a Mrs Brewer who was, according to him, a known prostitute. Charlotte was indignant. She said Mrs Brewer was a married mother of two, quite respectable and what's more had merely called in on the subject of some washing she was doing for Charlotte. Perhaps the constable thought it a little late to be making such a errand. No charge was made in relation to harbouring prostitutes in any case. It was the fact a non lodger was on the premises, seemingly drinking alcohol that was the problem. But Charlotte wasn't pleased with that accusation either. She said she had been selling alcohol for 30 years and never had a single complaint been made against her before. She had just lost track of time she said, blaming the fact it was hay making season, and she so had been especially busy (many of her lodgers were agricultural labourer, full time or seasonal). She bought forward one of her neighbours, coal merchant Mr Brown, to speak up for how quiet the Bear usually was and even Inspector Breene agreed it was a well conducted beer house. So she was let off any fine with a mild finger wagging and a reminder to keep a closer eye on the clock in future. 

Two years later things were very different. Quiet as the Bear may seemingly have been, it was a premises where a lodger might pass out drunk on the floor and be left to come to in their own time. This was to have a tragic consequence. 

Two lodgers, George "Topper" Frewin(g) and George Blewitt, had fallen out. Frewing had borrowed tuppence from Blewitt, and the latter thought its return was over due. So late one evening in the tap room, he asked for the money back. Frewin didn't have it, Blewitt wasn't happy and drunkenly suggested he would go and fetch a policeman. Frewin told him to do just that, it would do no good, at which Blewitt lost his temper altogether. He hit the seated Frewin, and a tussle ensued. Frewin was knocked to the floor (possibly hitting a fire place) and on attempting to get up, was kicked back down by Blewitt. He was by this time unconscious with a bloodied face. The reaction of those present, (Charlotte Hoare, two other lodgers, a young couple and the 8 year grandson of Charlotte, Charles Neighbour) suggest such an encounter was not unusual in the tap room. For no one did anything at all for the injured man for half an hour. A female customer coming inside, not known to those present, was concerned at his state and asked Charlotte for a basin of water to wash the blood away from the face of Frewin. She then thought she had made him fairly comfortable. A little later Charlotte shut up and left Frewin lying where he was. The answer everyone gave was they did not think he was really hurt, more drunk than anything, and because he very often slept things off lying on the tap room floor, they thought he may as well stay there. Time and time again the lack of understanding of potential head injuries or the dangers of concussion comes out in similar Marlow tales. 

Lodger David Maxwell Banks, aged about 38, came downstairs at 4am for a glass of water (or so he said later). He heard moans coming from the tap room but was surprised to find Frewin where he had been left. He told him to get up "my dear fellow" and try and get to bed. Poor Frewin could not answer and so..Banks went back to bed himself. Eventually another guest came down and Charlotte was fetched. She now suspected something was wrong and called a doctor but it was too late. Topper died, aged in his early 40's. 

Blewitt was  supposed to be aged 30 and at the time was working as a general labourer. He plead guilty to "feloniously killing or slaying" Frewin. His punishment was 6 months in gaol. In 1875, as a resident of the Wycombe Union workhouse in Saunderton, he was accused of a savage assault upon another resident. This earned him another trip to the assizes and a 14 day prison sentence. 

Frewin was the son of Joseph and Amey of Chapel Street. As a younger man he had lived with his widowed 66 year old mother in the Oxford Lane Almshouses. Later Amy would lodge with the Allum family, also in Oxford Lane at which time she was described as a lacemaker. 

Charlotte Hoare gave up the licence of the Bear later that year. She herself died rather young  - you can read more on that and see her grave here

 Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

RELATED POSTS:

Life of Charles and Charlotte Hoare at the Three Horseshoes here

Bear landlady Catherine Neighbour nee Sparkes here

List of landlords of The Bear, Black Horse etc here

Link to the Pub Post Index here

Post about Charlotte's son in law Alfred Neighbour, an innkeeper here

More beer sellers than bakers - temperance in Marlow here

Everyday life in old Great Marlow post index including crime related content - here

To find every mention of an individual or family here use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. (4,000 names and counting) 

Sources include:

Kelly's Directory Bucks 1847 

Parish Assessment 1833, original notebooks in our possession. 

Duttons Directory 1863. 

Reading Mercury 25 July 1874 ,British Library Archive 

Bucks Advertiser 25 July 1874, 7th January 1878 as above 

Northants Mercury 25 July 1874, as above. 

Bucks Herald 18 July 1874 - thanks to Jane Pullinger for view of this. 

1841,51,61,71,81,  - transcript from microfilm made by Jane Pullinger and Charlotte Day. 

© MarlowAncestors

Alfred Neighbour - Innkeeper And Duck Wrestler

 This post is a summary of the life of Alfred Edmund Neighbour, landlord of the Red Lion in Marlow, and the Dog & Badger inn at Medmenham. 

Gardening in the blood

Alfred was born in 1840 to 34 year old gardener John who was in charge of the gardens of Remnantz in the 1850s. The family lived for decades in "Potlands" or the Portland's area off West Street - for more about this time see the People Of Potland's post here Alfred's older brother William would grow up to be the celebrated head gardener at Court Garden and later Harleyford (read more here), while 3 other brothers Edward, John and Edwin also spent at least some time working as gardeners too. The kitchen gardens of Remnantz could be accessed from Portland's Alley as well as from West Street. It's possible the younger brothers may also have spent some time working at Remnantz in their junior roles. I believe Alfred's mother Hannah Maria died shortly after his birth. 

Young Alfred however took another path and came to work on the railways. By 1861 he was at Leatherhead in Surrey* working as a railway guard, a responsible position for a young man. Like many youthful railway workers who were unmarried, he lodged with another family, in this case the Walkers at the Plough Inn. By the time of his first marriage in 1864, he had been promoted to a railway inspector (that is of safety rather than tickets). 

His bride was Marlow's Hannah Elizabeth Hoare, daughter of beer sellers and lodging house keepers Charles and Charlotte. Hannah grew up in Gun Lane (now Trinity Rd) where her parents kept the small but respectable The Three Horseshoes. They always had lodgers, as beer sellers often did, so conditions were cramped. Later the Hoares moved to run the rather less salubrious by reputation Travellers Friend in Dean Street. This functioned more as a common lodging house than a beer seller by this time but it was licensed. Sometimes as many as 16 mostly young single men were slotted in with the family - no one expected their own room. Finally the Hoares would run the The Bear in Chapel Street, again a licensed premises that functioned chiefly as a lodging house, and not a very spacious one given the sometimes high number of residents. 

At The Red Lion

A couple of years after their marriage, Alfred and Hannah were back in Marlow. Hannah would find herself yet again serving beer as the couple decided to take over the Red Lion in West Street. This was just next to the Neighbours original Potland's home. The Red Lion did have the odd longer term lodger and regular overnight paying guests but it  was definitely a few steps up from the "common lodging houses". The Neighbours time there was relatively peaceful although Alfred went through that Marlow rite of passage of recieving a summons for allowing illegal gambling on the premises. (1867) This was related to the playing of card games there.  Alfred was caught by a plain clothes constable who found several games ongoing in the back room, with Alfred frequently present. Alfred argued that he was new to the publican business and he had observed other licensees allowing card games so he thought there was no harm in it. He would however promise to abide by the terms of his licence in future. The court was fairly sympathetic and issued a low fine. Perhaps they did not realise his wife had been bought up in the trade and probably knew the regulations very well! 

Sadly Hannah passed away when her youngest son Edward (b.1870) was just an infant. Soon afterwards, Alfred gave up the licence, and we loose sight of him for a couple of years. By 1877, however Alfred was in Medmenham and preparing to marry again..to another publicans daughter. 

The Dog & Badger

Emma Sawyer grew up in Medmenham with parents James and Mary, innkeepers at the historic roadside Dog and Badger inn. By age 14 she was helping her parents as a bar maid, no labour restrictions relating to the employment of minors selling alcohol were yet in place! It was the tradition role for young unmarried publicans daughters, and good training - there is a reason a very high number go on to marry into other innkeeping families. When Emma and Alfred took over the Dog & Badger in turn from Emma's widowed mother, they would describe their 14 year old son/ step son Charles as their ostler and and 13 year old Hannah as a bar maid in turn. (1881). Alfred's son Edward age 11 was still obliged to go to school but he did not escape beer selling entirely. The adult Edward would (after a stint as a carpenter) be a beer dealer and grocer at Neighbours Stores in Quoiting Square with wife Catherine nee White. 

Enter the duck

Things were not always peaceful for Alfred and Emma. In 1879 Alfred got into a tussle with a customer that landed him in court. It was the day of Marlow October Fair, and so there was a lot of traffic passing between Henley and Marlow. It was therefore a busy day for Henry too, in his position on the roadside between the two. Henley licensed victualler Joseph Ball was amongst those stopping by on both the way in and out.  Shortly after Joseph and two friends arrived, Alfred encountered them and showed them a (dead) duck in his possession. (It seems Alfred thought it a good example, and drew their attention to it) Joseph took hold of the bird and made an offer to buy it that was presumably cheekily low. Alfred contended the encounter was a jocular one and he thought they were joking so laugh over he reached to retrieve the bird. But Joseph said he had made a bargain and would insist Alfred kept to it and so refused to hand the duck back. Some arguments went on for 5-10 mins, including a tug of war involving the thankfully dead animal. Alfred then lost what was left of his temper and threatened to hit Joseph if he didn't hand back the duck. Shortly afterwards he followed through with this, making several blows and drawing blood. There were plenty of witnesses and it was admitted Joseph had had quite a bit to drink. The court found Alfred guilty but expressed regret that they felt obliged to do so as they felt he had been much provoked. They set his fine as low as possible and relieved him of the obligation to pay some of the costs. Whether the duck was left in a fit state to be of use to either is unrecorded! 

Afterwards

In the early 1880s the Neighbours decided to leave the Dog & Badger. Many people were not landlords for long and a great number of past Marlow people with diverse backgrounds can include a stint as a beer seller in their history. They lasted longer than many. They did have one last attempt to take on another premises, that of the troubled Chairmakers Arms in Dean Street in 1884 but their application was refused. The authorities were sick of trouble at the Chairmakers and a constantly changing set of landlords and would not consider someone with any kind of question mark against them. For the Neighbours it was the fact they had been operating the premises in practice for a short time without a licence while someone else was technically in charge. You can read about that here

The couple moved out of our area to London where Alfred would remain for the last 15 years or so of his life. He is described as a engineers labourer on the 1891 census. Half brother Edwin was not too far away, working as a gardener in Hanwell. There appears to a number of more distant Neighbour relatives in the general area which may have provided a different incentive to move there. He died in 1907. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day with extra research by Charlotte Day. 

RELATED POSTS:

Pub index where you will find proprietor listings for the pubs and lodging houses mentioned above: here

Other posts related to Medmenham: here

To find every mention of an individual here, use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down - 4,000 individuals are currently listed. 

The Allams - details of Hannah Hoares sister Sarah, who married into the Allam fish monger family, as well as information on the sad death of mum Charlotte  - here

Every day life in old Marlow : here

Biography of individuals index here

 * Trip points for researchers:

Some online research databases have misread the birthplace of Alfred on the 1861 census as "St Marleybone", Bucks which does not exist. It actually reads Great Marlow but that's old handwriting for you! Always best to check several sources if you can. Beware too of the similar aged ALBERT  Edmund Neighbour which again some sites (and only some) have accidentally listed as ALFRED, born Beaconsfield. There were many Neighbours there but our Alfred was born in Great Marlow. Both married Lambeth, but different years. The Hoares other daughter Sarah Tilleard also married at Lambeth. 

 The Neighbour families of Bucks /Oxfordshire/ Surrey include people who work in the kind of trades that mean frequent moves further afield such as domestic and market gardening, railway workers, publicans and soldiers.  It is therefore best to cast the net widely when looking for them. 

Posts on gardener William Neighbour, Waterman Arms landlord Henry Neighbour and wife Catherine, and tollgate keeper and convict William Neighbour are available by searching this index here

SOURCES INCLUDE:

Census 1841 -1891 transcripts from the originals microfilm by Charlotte and Jane Pullinger.  

Journal of Horticulture and Cottage Gardener -  Article by George W Johnson FRHS and Robert Hogg LLD, September 1864

South Bucks Free Press 9 March 1867, from the British Library Archive via the BNA

Bucks Herald 7 November 1867. 

Reading Mercury 09 March 1867

The Horticultural Domestic Journal collected, 1870-1880. (1881)

Landlord listing research for the Dog and Badger by Charlotte. 

© MarlowAncestors

Great Marlow Strays

Marriages of Great Marlow people I have discovered by sheer coincidence while trawling through the parish registers of other places. Spellings are as they appear to me. I have done my best with old writing.

Anthony, John married 27th November 1802 at Medmenham Bucks Elizabeth Hoare of Medmenham. This could be John Anthony the carpenter.

Breach, Ann married 2nd June 1730 All Saints church Maidstone, Kent John Chambers of Sonning Berkshire.

Carter, Mary and William Phelps both of Great Marlow married March 1st 1741 Stoke Poges Bucks by licence.

Fletcher, Henry married May 11th 1676 at St Helen's Bishopsgate London Anne Seale of Bledlow Ridge, Bucks..

Hall, Robert a widower married 20th October 1814 Medmenham Bucks Rachel Thatcher of Medmenham. More on Rachel here

Harman, James married 1st January 1717 by Licence at St Paul's Cathedral London Elizabeth Rowley of St Dunstan's In The West parish, London.

Heather, Mary a widow married August 24th 1791 at St Stephen's Walbrook church in London John Benson of St Stephen's Walbrook parish.

Ingram, Margaret married 26th April 1703 Bisham Berkshire Ralph Spicer of Chipping Wycombe. The latter place is now called High Wycombe. One of their descendants also called Ralph Spicer was a lawyer in Great Marlow - read about him here

Law, Mary married Bisham Berkshire 9th November 1699 Christopher Welder "a Dutchman".

Norton, Benjamin married February 3rd 1754 at St George's Hanover Square, London Sarah Jones of Cookham, Berkshire.

Tafield? Tofield? Athaliah married at Hughenden Bucks 30th March 1814 William Cock of Bisham Berkshire. By licence. Athaliah was not uncommon as a name at this period especially in this area.

Use the Person Index to find all mentions of a person on this blog. New people are added there daily and there are currently over 3,250 individuals listed there. 

I have more of these strays, mostly from London, Kent and Sussex where my own family history research has focused. I will add to this list as I sift my notes. 

Trinity Road (Gun Lane, Trinity Lane)

The earliest reference I have found to homes in Gun Lane as was, Trinity Road as is, is 1619. Then and frequently in other early records it is rendered Goune Lane. I have also seen Gunne. The form "Gun" was hardly ever used until the late 1700s.

In 1771 5 tenements with garden plots were up for auction in Gun Lane. 

In 1786 there was a gentleman's house called The Garrison there. Previously this had been used as a military Garrison but went out of that use circa 1777. Whether it was actually built for military use is uncertain.

 There was a family by the name of Gunne in Marlow at that time, interestingly so the name Gun Lane may not derived from any military linkage.

The Garrison building went through various uses of which this post gives details. 

Beyond the cottages shown above with the white painted chimney on the side (which had been built by 1824) there are no historic homes still standing though there are the buildings once used as the Police Court and Police Station as well as Holy Trinity Church which opened in 1852.

One of the cottages above was the Three Horseshoes pub from at least 1824 to at least 1851, not to be confused with the pub of the same name outside of town. In 1833 the pub had sheds and two gardens, one of them a large one. The combined estimated value of the property was £14 a year. 

The landlord between 1824 and his death in 1838 was William Hoare. After him Charles Hoare and his wife Charlotte took over. These two left at some point in the 1850s, going on to run other pubs in Dean Street and Chapel Street. I found no further trace of the pub after the Hoare's departure, indeed their daughter said it closed when the church opened. (See here for more on this pub and the Hoares). One of the cottages was later the home of the sexton of Trinity Church Jeremiah Harding who was also the gardener for the house The Glade in Glade Road, later known as the Cedars.

The Police station dates from the 1850s with the Police Court extension added 1869.  It has a dedicated post of it's own here

Gun Lane, Gun Place and Dean Street were amongst the poorest parts of town throughout the 1800s and early 1900s. Dean Street was also the most densely populated area and thus a regular address to which Marlow criminals belonged. Erecting the police buildings in Gun Lane just off from there was the authorities sending a message of intent!

I am sure that was welcomed by many Gun Lane residents. In 1829 "a poor woman" was robbed of her watch in the lane for instance. 

The wall on the left in the photo marks the boundary of the garden grounds of the former house The Rookery. They are now a park. For a full history of this house and the people associated with it see the post

here.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day. Photo by Kathryn Day. 

Sources:

Reading Mercury 30th December 1771 and 27th March 1786. Bucks Gazette 25th April 1829. Copies held at the British Library Archives and accessed by me via the BNA March 2021.

1841-61 census my transcription from microfilm.

Original property records held by my family and transcribed by me.

Historic pubs research by Kathryn Day.

1833 Parish Assessment original copy owned by our family. Content uploaded here gradually. 

© Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this image or research for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here so that the sources listed above do not lose credit for the information they provided. Thanks.

Traveller's Friend AKA Traveller's Rest Dean Street

 Updated by Charlotte November 2024

The Traveller's Friend [sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Traveller's Rest which was actually a different pub in nearby Chapel Street. This was itself sometimes mistakenly called the Traveller's Friend], was a small beer house and low lodging house in Dean Street Marlow, an area dense with other sellers of alcohol, and other low lodging houses. The establishment wasn't the absolute roughest of the Dean Street places but it wasn't far off. Repeatedly the men lodging there were described as tramps or vagrants. They often got in trouble for being drunk and disorderly. It should be understood however that the poorer and shabbier dressed you were the more quickly you would be targeted by police if thought to be tipsy. Drunken rich people generally were advised just to go home and sleep it off, it being considered not fair to embarrass them by making them appear in court to answer charges. The sort of destitute people who used this pub would usually receive no such kindness and were often drinking on a empty stomach which meant a rapid absorption of alcohol. 

The pub was fairly close to the corner of Spittal Street and Dean Street, just a few feet from the Cherry Tree, the Jolly Maltsters and later the Chairmaker's Arms too. That was 12 ft from the Cherry Tree and 9ft from The Mint across the road to be precise.

There was only three bedrooms in the property so if you stayed there you weren't getting a bed let alone a room to yourself.

Out back the pub had stabling for three horses though visitors were most likely travellers on foot. Many Dean Street pubs hired out sheds and stables to other residents of the street who had donkeys or ponies for use in their veg hawking, cherry selling or skewer making businesses.

There was a back alley entrance to the Travellers from an alley that also ran behind and could be accessed from the nearby Cherry Tree. This alley was eventually forcibly stopped up as it was seen as a place for bad behaviour such as the exchange of stolen goods or as a means of a quick getaway from the police.

Charles Hoare ran the business from at least 1861 to at least 1864. At other times he ran the Three Horseshoes in Gun Lane and the Bear in Chapel Street both very near the Traveller's. (See this post on his wife Charlotte here). The pub had probably existed as an unlicenced lodging house for some twenty years before Charles took over.

 William Price was the landlord for some time. (Possibly from 1864) He said in an 1871 licencing hearing that he had had a licence to sell beer by retail for some 20 years, although it would appear he was not at the Traveller's premises all of that time- he was at the Cherry Tree in 1861 ( See here ). He was also a fruiterer, a very Dean Street occupation - in the late 1840s there had been an orchard out back of the Cherry Tree and there may still have been one later. At one point he and his wife Lydia had trouble with one of their guests whom William suspected of stealing wood from the yard at the Traveller's. William offered to fight him, Lydia politely asked him to leave but he would not. Police had to be called.

William died at the pub in 1874 . Lydia took over the licence. This was a technical detail as she was already described long before that as the landlady but previously only William's name was on the licence. She ran the premises for only a short time before her tragic and horrific death at Bourne End Station later that year, aged 65. On the way to visit her daughter in Goring, she was dragged under the wheels of a departing train after risking a dart back to it, apparently to retrieve something forgotten in the carriage. Her injuries were such that the elderly lady stood no chance of survival. Her son Thomas took over the beer house. Then by 1877 came a William Price followed by a Henry Price (also a dealer in fish, poultry and veg) landlord until 1894 when a Charles Price took over temporarily. He was considered to have conducted the premises badly, allowing things to get close to riotous inside so that his attempts to take over the pub permanently got short thrift from the magistrates. The revelation by the police that Charles had once been convicted of poaching (albeit 8 years ago) and had recently been seen walking into town with two notorious poachers and an unexplained three dozen dead rabbits didn't exactly help matters. Henry Price had to take back the licence. There then followed an unsuccessful attempt to transfer the premises from Henry to Richard Wilson, a coffee shop proprietor from London. It seems the magistrates did not want someone inexperienced in charge of a house that was described as a haunt of poachers and the favourite drinking hole of all the "lowest" people in Marlow. When it emerged that Richard had not yet managed to sell the coffee business when he applied to take over the Friend, that was it. The only thing worse than an inexperienced host on the premises, was an inexperienced host who wasn't even going to be able to be on the premises  because he had other business to attend to at the same time in a different town. After Richard informed the Bench he hadn't secured a buyer, a hold over was given to George Stroud. 

In 1897 it was licensed as a common lodging house for a maximum of 6 lodgers but anecdotal evidence suggests this limit was often exceeded.

The poor state of the building meant significant repairs were needed in 1901 if authorities were to permit it to continue to operate. During the works the then proprietors Annie and George Stroud (from 1894) had to move out. They were forced to stay in a Dean Street house left empty after it too had been condemned as being unfit for human habitation. In the end, the Travellers Friend was practically rebuilt at a cost of £400 in order to satisfy the authorities. 

Above, now a cycle shop, the former Travellers Friend, largely rebuilt 1901. There was 2 doors on the front and one at the side after the rebuild.

Maybe the Strouds enjoyed their enforced hiatus from their beer house business as some of the Dean Street customers were a lot of trouble. In 1901 Annie was threatened with being hit with a beer cup by an itinerant woman. This woman along with her husband was allowed to purchase beer on the premises but refused lodgings there as they had caused trouble during a previous stay. The complaining woman when turfed off the premises retaliated by smashing the window of the Traveller's Friend.

The next year the spruced up pub ceased to be used as a lodging house. Officially that is. I found a lodger referenced in 1908! The original dedicated lodging house portion attached to the main part of the premises was removed in the renovations. The works also gave the pub a separate jug and bottle entrance for takeaway alcohol. At this point the pub had three bedrooms and a stable that could take 3 horses.

A James Humphrey, who took over from George Stroud in 1902*, was there until 1904. Humphrey passed the premises onto Frederick Clifton after a brief hold over of the licence was granted to William Henry Noble. Fred Clifton passed it on again the following year to William Henry Blair. In 1906 Frederick Elmy took over briefly.  John Henry Westman had it in 1907-1909 and was the final landlord. 

The pub was forcibly closed in 1909 under local measures intended to reduce the concentration of beer retailers in any area. As mentioned above, it was described as 9 yards from the Mint and 12 yards from the Cherry Tree, 73 yards from the Cross Keys in Spittal Square plus 33 from The Verney Arms. It was selling 59 barrels a beer a year at this point.

One of the reasons counted against its remaining open was the high turnover of landlords in the proceeding 5 years of its life.

When the Travellers was closed down in 1909 it became Alfred Lee's grocers (later Chapple's general store) with his dairy behind. David Webb the corn merchant occupied the adjacent building to the left, now demolished, (later Hoars cycle shop.)

*George Stroud and his wife moved to Cambridge Road by 1907 when George was fined for using "disgusting" and "indecent" language in front of several witnesses. He said then in his defence that he had run The Traveller's Friend for 8 years without any complaint against him or his conduct.

Related Posts: 

Travellers REST here

 Pub Related post index here 

Posts about life in Dean Street and neighbouring streets here

More beer sellers than bakers -Temperance in Marlow here

Lists of posts about everyday life in old Great Marlow here

 Many many Marlow publicans and beer sellers etc had connections as a family or as an individual to several different premises. There was a high turnover in licence holders at many locations! To find all mentions of your ancestors here, see the A-Z person index on the top drop down menu. This lists more than 4000 individuals from Marlow's past and new content is added daily. 

Sources:

Censuses from my transcriptions of microfilm images of census pages supplied by the LDS at a Familysearch family history centre.

Bucks Herald 11April, 29th August and 11 July 1874, South Bucks Free Press 22nd September 1865, South Bucks Standard 4th January 1901, 16th February, 13 April and 8th June 1894, 8 October 1897, 4th January 1901, 1st and 22nd August 1902, 27 May and 13th April 1904,26 May 1905 13th March 1908, 05 March 1909 at the British Library via the BNA. Accessed July 2020.

Property deed/sale research and licence hearing reports. 

©Marlow Ancestors. 

Note: There was also a similarly named Traveller's Rest at Wheeler End, and also at Wooburn.

Previously published pub related posts can be found under the Pub Related option on the top drop down menu. Many many Marlow publicans and beer sellers etc had connections as a family or as an individual to several different premises. There was a high turnover in licence holders at many locations! To find all mentions of your ancestors here, see the A-Z person index on the top drop down menu. This lists more than 4000 individuals from Marlow's past and new content is added daily. 

Landlords and History The Three Horseshoes - both premises!

Written by Kathryn Day. Researched by Charlotte Day and Kathryn Day.

Updated December 2025

The Three Horseshoes pub most familiar to us now is located at Borroughs Grove just outside Marlow on the road to Handy Cross and High Wycombe. The old spelling of this place was frequently Burrow's Grove. Marlow however also had a Three Horseshoes pub / beer shop in Gun Lane (now Trinity Road).  In fact the two were for a period operating at the same time. 

THREE HORSESHOES -

BURROUGHS GROVE

Location is sometimes given as Wycombe Road.

*Note, there was more than one beer seller at Burroughs Grove. Sometimes confusion has been caused by a presumption that anyone listed as a beer seller there was trading from the Three Horseshoes, the only pub a modern person would know of at that location. All those listed below are certainly specifically at the Three Horshoes. Often informally called just "The Horseshoes". 

1826 - John Green.

1833-  John Green. Wife Elizabeth.. They were originally of Purley Berkshire. In 1828 their son John was sentenced to 14 years transportation for stealing a flitch of bacon. He was removed to the local penitentiary instead on the grounds that he was truly sorry for what he had done. His parents and 75 other locals signed a petition for him to be released even from that prison on account of his being led astray, being young, and being a newly married man with an infant child. The fact that John junior does not appear at home on the 1841 census suggests the appeal failed but he is back by the 1851 census so did not serve a long a sentence as he might have done.

1835 - Mrs Green had a narrow escape when a fully laden hay cart runs into the front of the premises, smashing into the tap room. One of the horses was killed instantly. The front horse had came out of the traces as it descended the hill at a pace, causing the other to career out of control with no braking possible. This horse had then failed to take the corner and had ran directly into the pub. The family heard the commotion while sitting down for breakfast, and were thankfully able to run clear. The carters also survived.

 1848 - J Green "Burrow's Grove"

1851 - John Green

1852 - John Green who died this year. In his will he left all he had to his daughter Sarah Silver wife of Joseph Silver and daughter in law Ann, wife of his son John. The couple lived with the widowed John already. Ann was nee Keen.

1854 - J. Green. This was John son of above.

1859 - John Green

1861 - William Leach (see also Hare and Hounds)

 1863 - William Leach "Wycombe Road"

1871 -  William Leach. Wife Caroline. 

1876 -  William Leach

1877 -  1. Sidney Young ? 2. John Northcote/Norcott

1878  - John Northcote/Norcott  transferred premises to William Plumridge

1883 - William Plumridge "Wycombe Rd" 2. James Saunders

1886 - Licence transferred from James Saunders to Henry Tilbury 

1890 - William Harraway (born Wilts) In this year William's daughter Emily Maud Mary age 17 died suddenly at the inn. She was taken ill at Miss Barton's down in Marlow where she was employed as a servant. This was put down to catching a chill after sleeping with damp hair. She took 5-6 of Beecham's pills to relieve her illness but this was above the recommended dose. After she was sick repeatedly, Dr Dunbar Dickson was called. He told her she had taken too many pills but she said she had done so repeatedly before without problems. He advised her to rest and so her sister Elisabeth Christine fetched her home in a fly. Emily then complained of pains in her body and indigestion but sadly her condition was more serious than anyone realised and Emily took a sudden turn for the worse. The post mortem put the cause of death as an inflammation of the stomach and a small rupture there. It was considered that the pills had aggravated an existing inflammation. There does not seem to have been any investigation into why Emily had this pre-existing inflammation No was it answered why she took Beecham's Pills for a suspected chill or why she apparently took multiples of these pills on a regular basis. Beecham's pills were a laxative and remedy for billiousness or nervous disorders (which were often thought to spring from poor digestion).  

1897 - William Harraway. In 1897 William gave evidence relating to "very bad language" to be heard about Burroughs Grove, thanks to the expressive Charles Boddy who received a 5s fine for this offence.

1903 - William Harraway

1906 - Tom Stroud. Samuel Peppall took over on September 26th that year. He had been a publican elsewhere for 23 years previously. Also rendered as Pepple.

1907 - Samuel Peppall . Fined for allowing drunkenness on his premises.

1911 - Samuel Peppall

1912.  Samuel Peppall

1920 - Samuel Pepall qv

1923 - Arthur Thompkins/ Tomkins

1932 - Arthur Thompkins

1933 - Arthur Thompkins transferred to Fred (Frederick) Brett

1936 - Henry Sheridan given temporary holdover. 

1939 - Frederick Brett, then Leslie Atkins.

1961 - D Aldridge

1963 - Mr L Aldridge who is leaving. John and Margaret Dickson take over.

THREE HORSESHOES, GUN LANE (Address given as The Garrison according to 1833 Parish assessment but it was not one of 5 premises that made up the subdivided Garrison itself. It was instead in the cottages nearby, abutting Holy Trinity Church when that was built. A post outlining history of Gun Lane can be found here)

1823 - William Hoare. .

1833 - William Hoare. Charles Hoare his son was assisting and took over fully in the next year. William's wife Hannah (nee Tilbury) died 1834. William died 1838 as "late the landlord of the Horseshoes Inn", aged 65. Died at Ramsgate. 

1841 - Charles Hoare (Wife Charlotte nee Tilleard - the grave of Charlotte can be viewed, along with the sad story of her death here, and a post about life for the widowed Charlotte at The Bear is here )

1843 - Charles Hoare. In this year Charles attends Marlow Races only to have his hat pinched! 

1850 - Charles Hoare. Fined this year for having his beer house open on a Sunday during prohibited hours (before the morning divine service). Fine £2 10s plus 8s costs. 

1852 - Charles Hoare

According to the daughter of Charles, the Three Horseshoes here closed when the church was erected in 1852. 

By 1861 Charles is at The Travellers Friend,  See also The Bear. His daughter Hannah married the Red Lion landlord Albert Edmund Neighbour who would after Hannah's sadly early death go on to run the Dog and Badger Medmenham. Daughter Sarah married Alfred Allam in 1865 - for more on the Allams see here. Charles other business interests included the Marlow gravel pits, which he owned for a period. 

We mainly focus on pre WW1 listings but sometimes list later names if it ties in with research we are helping with.

Use the Pub Related menu here

 To find all mentions of your ancestor however small, use the A-Z person index.  

Marlow's 100+ beer sellers A-Z see here

SOURCES  

1833 Parochial Assessment original working notebooks and correspondence held by my family and transcribed by Charlotte Day.

1853 Mussons and Cravens Commercial Directory

Kelly's Post Office Directory 

1847, 1859, 1863,1869,1877,1883, 1895, 1907,1911

Census - 1851,1861,1871,1891,1891, transcribed from microfilm made by Jane Pullinger. 

Slaters Royal, National, Commercial Directory 1852 (Isaac Slater 1852)

Duttons Directory 1863

Pigots Directory 1823,1831,1844

Oxford Chronicle 11 March 1838. Copy held at the British Library. Digitized by the BNA.

Bucks Gazette - 1 August 1835, 21 October 1843. As above. 

Bucks Examiner - 27 August 1890 as above

Inquest report notes- Emily Maud Harraway 1890. Plus coverage in the Maidenhead Advertiser December 10th that year.

©Marlow Ancestors. 

The Spittal Street Poltergeist??? Allam / Hoare Family

 

Allam grave in All Saints Parish Church. 

Alfred Allam died October 26th 1888 age 51 years

Also Sarah Tilleard Allam

Also Charlotte Hoare,  died  - 17th ? 1890

Also Charles Frederick Allam died Jan 29 1940 age 7(2?) years.

Research notes:

Alfred Allam in true Victorian shopkeeper fashion managed to be a fishmonger, fruiterer, potato merchant, hirer of pony and traps, minor farmer and gravel seller all at once with premises on Spittal Street plus a field at Hillside. Census entries suggest he was born Wooburn or Wooburn Green. Alfred's father Francis had also been a fishmonger. Although the business was left to Alfred's mother, she agreed to give it up to him subject to his paying her an allowance. He fell out with older brother Absalom about this arrangement, and other business dealings. Alfred in 1863 sued his brother for withholding money earned by him for selling fish on Alfred's behalf. Absalom said he'd done so because Alfred was keeping a watch that belonged to him and also had withheld goods due to him under his father's will. 

In 1876 Alfred was prosecuted for renting out a windowless wooden hovel not fit for human habitation to the large Moody family.  This wasn't his only brush with the law. Both he and his son Alfred junior seem very ready to get into fights with others.

At one point some thought the family had got on the wrong side of a far more unusual foe than your standard Marlovian- an "evil spirit". 

The back windows of the family premises were repeatedly broken by "unseen hands". At one point breakages were occurring every few minutes. Constables and neighbours were baffled and the household frightened for several weeks until it all suddenly stopped. This was an age of intense interest in Spiritualism and inevitably some people insisted only a spirit could be responsible for the broken windows. Myself I think someone Alfred had had a dust up with was likely having a little fun at his expense.

To read about an incidence of Alfred getting into a legal dispute with a flesh and blood Marlow family see here.

The Sarah on the grave above was Alfred's wife who ran the fishmonger's shop after his death for some years. She was assisted by her sons Alfred and Charles Frederick the latter of whom is also on the gravestone. Alfred would eventually take over the business from his mother. Sarah was born Sarah Tilleard Hoare in 1840 to Charles and Charlotte Hoare.

Charlotte Hoare on this gravestone was her mother. She was born circa 1815 according to census but we believe that she was baptised in Marlow 1814 nee Tilleard, to parents William and Elizabeth. She ran the Three Horseshoes Gun Lane, The Traveler's Rest Dean Street and The Bear, Chapel Street with husband Charles who predeceased her. He owned gravel pits in Marlow which probably explains Alfred Allam's gravel sideline.

Poor Charlotte's death came from shock after she fell over in her yard and fractured her hip [Reading Mercury 30th August 1890 and Buckinghamshire Examiner 28th August 1890. Copies held at British Library. Accessed via the BNA ]. She lived with her widowed daughter Sarah Tilleard Allam at the time and Sarah gave evidence at the inquest. Reports of this inquest tell us that though she is memorialised in All Saints graveyard she was a worshipper at the Wesleyan Chapel at the time of her death. The alarm that she had fallen was raised by close neighbour Emma Carter the butcher who heard Charlotte scream.

Charlotte's death report in the paper called her a much respected woman of the town. [To read about dramatic events at The Bear just before Charlotte gave it up, see the post Here]

To read a post about Emma Carter the butcher see here.

Written and researched by Charlotte Day.

©Marlow Ancestors. You may freely reproduce the grave images for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog. 

Will Summary Moses Medwin And Family Notes

 Moses Medwin of Great Marlow. Yeonan. Will proved 1762, written 1760.

Says he in good health, sound mind and memory.

To be decently buried at discretion of his executor.

Nephew Aaron Medwin of Little Marlow sole executor and main legatee.

Inherits all freehold messuages, cottages, land, tenements, woods and woodgrounds with appurtenances in Great Marlow. Also all copyhold messuages, cottages, wood ground and their appurtenances in West Wycombe, Bucks. From these properties he must pay an annuity of  £25 to testator's widow "my loving wife" Mary. Payments to be due quarterly. If any payment is over 40 days late she can enter into the properties until her annuity installment is paid.

Aaron also gets all bonds, debts, securities, mortgages, goods and chattels except those household goods that testator's wife brought into the marriage, which are given to her. To pay funeral expenses and all other legacies.

********

Legacies to following nephews and nieces:

Nephew Luke Medwin draper of Marlow £150 and Luke's brother Thomas, broker of Little Marlow £150.

Offspring of brother Thomas Medwin= Elizabeth wife of Henry Lawe of Wooburn, bargeman £100.

Offspring of brother Richard Medwin=  Matthew Medwin of Chepping Wycombe [High Wycombe] carrier £80, Richard Medwin £30, Elizabeth née Medwin wife of William Fields £20.

Offspring of dead sister Ann Childs: William Childs labourer of West Wycombe £20.

********

Legacies to people whose relationship to testator is not specified: To Moses and Mary ..?er children of James ..?er £10 each.

******

Witnessed by William Hoare, Henry Newell, William Deeley.

Notes : William Deeley was an attorney.

Possible marriage for Moses and his wife Mary = Moses Midwyn to Mary Fryer both of Hitchenden at Hughenden (not Hitchenden) Bucks in 1726 https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FBUCKINGHAMSHIRE%2FMAR%2F000244079%2F1

More on Aaron and Luke Medwin the nephews of Moses here

Aaron, Thomas and Luke Medwin were sons of Andrew Medwin of Little Marlow. His will is available on the blog here. Andrew was the brother of Moses, and they the sons of Mathias and Mary Medwin of Marlow. The brother of Mathias Medwin was another Moses Medwin of Little Marlow who left his nephews Moses and Andrew Medwin property in his 1701 will. Andrew was also the executor of that will.

To find all mentions of someone on the blog see the A-Z Person Index. Thousands of people are mentioned.

More posts like this are under Will Transcriptions on the menu.

©Marlow Ancestors. Use this transcription summary for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.