1833 Parochial Assessment Great Marlow Spitalcrofts, Marlow Bottom etc

The next part of my gradual transcription of the original handwritten working notebooks used to compile this assessment. These faded notebooks are in the possession of my family, and also contain some pencilled in corrections from the later 1830s, though not in these parts, and related correspondence with some landowners etc.

This properties are all on the outer limits of the historic Great Marlow parish.

Transcription by Charlotte Day.

©Marlow Ancestors. Feel free to use this transcription with credit to this blog.

White Hill

Late Richard East, George Carr [not clear whether the late Richard and George had been joint occupiers or if George had recently replaced Richard]

Property Occupied:

Cottage

Annual worth of property:

£3

*****

Hill Green

William Ryder

Cottage and garden

£4

*****

Dirty Bottom [!] [Nr Marlow Bottom]

John Wing

Thomas Holmes

[Illegible property]

*****

Red Barn [Farm]

William Collins

New cottage and garden

£4

*****

William Hobbs

New cottage and garden

£4

*****

Booker Common

William Li... (Illegible)

Cottage and garden

£3 10 shillings

*****

Alfred Hawley

Cottage and garden

£3 10 shillings

*****

Charles Johnson

Cottage and garden

£3

*****

Widow Barlow

Cottage and garden

£3

*****

Spittle Croft [Aka Spittalcroft, Spitalcrofts etc]

John Stanmore

Cottage and garden

£3

*****

James Hawkes

Cottage and garden

£4

*****

George Brooker of Juniper Hill

Cottage and garden

£4

*****

Black Boy, Hurley History and Landlords

The Black Boy, Hurley Bottom

Historic landlords with history notes:

1842 George and Ann Godfrey. Ann died that year.

1842-45 George Godfrey as above. George died that year aged 67. In 1843 thieves made an unsuccessful attemot to rob his premises by cutting hole in the outside wall. They did make their hole but they didn't manage to get away with anything. My own ancestors in Kent were robbed of all their possessions when thieves cut through their kitchen wall so don't think such attempts never worked!

1851-1855 James Leech. Wife Sophia. James died 1855.  

1855-65 Sophia Leech widow of James above. 

1865 David Leech

1863-68 Martha Leech. 

1869 Alfred Woodeson.

1871 "Mr Woodson" gave up and Thomas Street took over.

1871-1883 Thomas Street. Thomas went on to run Hurley Flour Mills. He made a great success of himself and moved into Ladye Place Hurley. After he left the Black Boy the premises were put up to let with outbuildings and orchard. Described as a fishing and boating inn. [Reading Mercury 29th September and 24th Nov Fishing Gazette both newspapers in British Library Archives accessed via the BNA].

1885 bakers horse and cart stolen from outside the pub! 

1886 license transfer from Thomas Ballard to James Bolton who still there 1887. In 1887 used for Inquest on 17 year old drowning victim William Goodall who fell out of a punt at Hurley.

1890 to let furnished. [Reading Mercury 11th October]. 

1894 Samuel Bailey.

 1894-1895 Archibald Lonsdale/ Lansdell 

1895 Joseph Edwin Lane, briefly.

1895-97 Thornton Tailor / Taylor.

1897-98 George F Cranmore. Summoned for being drunk and disorderly. 

1911 Tooke Holmes. 

1913 Arthur Frederick Taylor gave up to Albert H Eyre / Ayre.

1913- 1916 Albert H Eyre gave up licence as he was serving in the army during the First World War. You had to be resident on the premises to have a license. I am unsure if he ever returned. 

1920 Sidney Tanner

1922 Frederick Taylor

1946 to let with orchard and 1 acre.

Compiled from censuses, licensing information, court cases, adverts, directories newspapers as quoted above, etc. Kelly's Post Office Directory 1847, 1863, 1869 and 1887 editions, Kelly's Directories Limited.

Looking for the Black Boy, Marlow? Landlords listing in this post.

More Hurley pub history and landlord listings in the future. We have a large number of similar posts for pubs in Marlow, Little Marlow, Medmenham and Lane End (all Buckinghamshire). These are listed here.

 Our main focus is Marlow on this blog but we do cover places like Hurley because of frequent connection between them and Marlow. For a list of Hurley, Harleyford and Temple related posts see here

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

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

Little Marlow and Well End Victorian Shopkeepers

Shops in Victorian Little Marlow and Well End.

I have found these whilst researching other things rather than dedicatedly researching them so there is likely more info to be unearthed on some of them. There was a grocers next to the Queen's Head pub in 1899. Whose premises that was I am uncertain.

Note that the Well End I am concerned with here is the hamlet of Well End near Little Marlow not the street now called Dean Street Marlow formerly known as Well End, Great Marlow.

Dates given next to the names are when I have personally found evidence of the below traders keeping a shop in Little Marlow. They may have been in business earlier or later too.

*UPDATED JULY 2024*

Richard Barber

Greengrocer Little Marlow 1898. Also sold lemonade and ginger beer and was a nurseryman.

William Clifford

William Clifford, born circa 1846. Baker who went bankrupt in 1881. But he was still in business in 1891 and to at least 1911 on The Moor, Little Marlow. Trained in Great Marlow under his maternal uncle William Brooks of the High Street. Whilst working there he was a witness to an accident involving the delivery cart of Little Marlow baker William Goldhawk who appears on the list below. 

Wife Mary was from Chertsey, Surrey. Their 17 year old son Harry also baker at home 1891. 

Charles Frederick Creswell

Baker 1866 to his death in 1888. Summoned 1866 for using unjust scales. Born 1833-35. Though there are many local Creswells / Cresswells his census entries suggest a birth for him in Middlesex or Norfolk. Wife Eliza, née Smith (married 1854).

Samuel Doney

Baker and grocer from at least 1851 to his death in 1863. Wife Ann. Will trustee was William Goldhawk below who was engaged to marry his daughter Ann - see below.

John Franklin

Grocer at Well End 1876.

William Goldhawk

William Goldhawk baker and Post Master at the Little Marlow sub post office from at least 1861 to at least 1869. In 1863 also dealt meal. In 1869 sued Great Marlow baker John Millward for damages when his horse was killed and cart damaged by a delivery cart belonging to Millward running into it at speed in what we now call Station Road, Marlow. Goldhawks' cart was in the care of his young apprentice George Kirby at the time. Millward's cart, driven by his empoyee Mr Fasey, had rounded the corner at speed and without looking. By coincidence the accident happened outside the premises that of Brooks, another baker. And who was one of the witnesses in the case? William Clifford who worked for Brooks, and would later move to Little Marlow and run his own bakery there. See above. The case is interesting as it shows that Little Marlow bakers delivered to not only their own village but Great Marlow town too. 

William was described as a bankrupt baker 1871. Born 1814-21 Staines Middlesex. In Little Marlow as a resident by 1857 but no earlier than 1851. He and his wife Elizabeth moved from Egham where William had had a shop. She died and William remarried 1864 Ann Doney of Little Marlow in London. When Samuel Doney above died in 1863 the beneficiary of his will listed in probate records was William Goldhawk, his future son in law. He was in fact acting as trustee for Samuel's young son (and William's brother in law) Samuel Doney junior.  This was an unfortunate choice as Goldhawk seemingly took advantage of Samuel juniors youth and lack of business experience (he'd just turned of age) and persuaded him to sell him the family property at much below it's actual value. He then took a mortgage out on it, but didn't stop there. Instead he persuaded Samuel Junior to sign multiple deeds and conveyances for the property, using each one to get a different mortgage without revealing there was any existing one on the property. He told Samuel Junior he'd had to destroy the previous paperwork for various reasons. He then went and bought a number of cottages and building plots and flashed the cash so to speak, of which poor Samuel had none and so continued to go to work. This caused some gossip locally. Eventually events caught up with Goldhawk who became insolvent and at a meeting of creditors, some of those with mortgages came forward as well as a man who'd recently been "sold" the Doney property. With his lies revealed, Goldhawk absconded and Samuel Junior found himself in court facing serious charges of fraud. However he could produce many character witnesses, and as it could be proved he'd never personally benefitted in any way from Goldhawk's schemes, he was set free. It doesn't look as though he even recieved the money for selling the house to Goldhawk in the first place. 

 William was a relative of chemist Joseph Goldhawk of Staines. He played cricket for Little Marlow.

Arthur Hester

Shopkeeper 1911. Though on censuses as domestic gardener also. 

John Holmes

Baker 1866. Fined for unjust scales. Just "shopkeeper" 1869.

Henry James Hussey

Son of James Hussey below. Grocer at Little Marlow 1843 until he died in 1880 aged 69. Possibly moved from premises in West Street Great Marlow. At Little Marlow also sold petroleum and gunpowder. His wife Sarah took over his business assisted by their son Henry Valentine Hussey. Note he apparently had 2 sons called Henry, one of whom was also  Henry James but known usually by his middle name James. The other was Henry Valentine Hussey, occasionally known just as Valentine. This shop was next to the Queen's Head pub.

Henry Valentine Hussey

Grocer. Born 1852. Assisting his grocer mother Sarah 1881 and 1891. He was then a baker and a grocer. Also the village Post Master. The sub post office premises were on The Moor, Little Marlow. Note that he apparently had an older half brother also called Henry Hussey, though more often known by his middle name James. Henry Valentine was the village sextant, parish clerk and constable. He gave up the shop and Post Office and sold up all his furniture and household goods in 1910 and emigrated to Canada.

James Hussey

Retired grocer 1851. Born circa 1785. Father of Henry Hussey above who was running his shop for him by 1847. Grandfather of Henry Valentine Hussey.

Sarah Hussey

Grocer 1881 and 1891 with her son Henry Valentine Hussey. Widow of Henry James Hussey above. She also worked in the sub post office her son ran on the premises. They were located on The Moor, Little Marlow. She died in 1897. Born circa 1823, Holyport Berkshire.

John Jarvis

Baker 1837-52. Born circa 1802, Penn. Wife Martha.

Hugh Jones

Grocer, baker and general shopkeeper who became insolvent in 1864. Had also operated a shop in Newbury at one point.

Henry Lane

Baker and butcher of Well End. Insolvent 1828.

James Lawrence 

Shopkeeper 1863.

Joseph Parslow

Grocer. Insolvent 1856.

Thomas Rackshaw

Born circa 1820. General shopkeeper 1873. His shop was adjacent to the Ferns. Had notepaper and biscuits stolen from his shop that year. His main income was as a boot maker while his wife Mary was a dressmaker. They married 1870, she being née Mary Clark.

Emma Rose

Grocer 1847. Mrs.

Joseph Sworder

Grocer and hirer of horses and carts. 1870.

John Wells

Grocer of Well End, Little Marlow. Found to have all his weights light in 1871. In other words if you thought that you had bought a pound of sugar from him you took home a little less in fact. Had the weights confiscated and received a fine. 

More information:

For more Little Marlow content see the option Nearby Places on the menu  here  or the Graves option in the top drop down menu  for those specifically.

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

For Well End Great Marlow see Dean Street post listing in the Specific Places index. 

Some Sources:

Census, transcriptions from microfilm by me. Census information remains Crown Copyright. 

Parish Registers, St Martin's In The Fields.

Bucks Herald 17th April 1864 and 10th February 1866. British Library Archives. Via the BNA. South Bucks Standard May 21st 1897. As above.

"England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2D3J-N3H : 13 December 2014), Charles Creswell, 1854; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1854, quarter 4, vol. 3A, p. 609, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. 

The Goldhawk Fraud - pamphlet, anon, 1871. With thanks to Jane Pullinger. 

Kelly's Directory 1884 & 1889

Robson's Directory 1839

Musson & Craven's Commercial Directory 1853. 

South Bucks Free Press 10th March 1871

©Marlow Ancestors. Freely use this research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.

The Stewart Forgery Scandal

 

This grave was erected by James Cranborne Strode esq of Court Garden House in Marlow, for his loyal servant John Stewart who died Mar 13th 1827, age 65. Note: Strode said he had put the age of 65 on the grave as a sort of "best guess" from what Stewart had told him of his life. A brighter image is below.

John was the gardener at Court Garden and the aftermath of his death seemingly without an obvious inheritor caused a sensational criminal case. He was Scottish, unmarried and died without a will. He had spoken of a brother but nothing had apparently been heard of this relative for some time, some believing him dead, others that he had long ago emigrated to America. Some years passed with no one claiming Stewart's estate, which included some valuable stocks. His personal belongings, including receipts relating to the purchase of the stocks were sent to the Strode family attorney Mr Pickering of London, for safe keeping and there they remained. The laws at the time meant that if no dividends were claimed on stocks for 10 years, the unclaimed money, and the stocks themselves were transferred to a fund for paying off the national debt. This is what happened at first to that belonging to Stewart. But relatives could claim them back under certain circumstances.  This gave rise to a woman purporting to be Elizabeth, a previously unknown sister of the deceased, and Stewart's sole heir.  She claimed to have recently returned from America, where she had gone many years before with her aunt. On arriving back in Bristol, she had asked a family friend named Mr Jones who had accompanied her on the return from America, to travel down to Marlow and deliver a letter to her long lost brother. This he attempted to do but on making enquiries found that Stewart had died. He returned to the sister, delivered the news and then returned to America. Elizabeth claimed the money and stocks back with the help of 36 year old solicitor William Henry Barber. 

Or so Elizabeth's story went. But Jones was really Joshua Fletcher and the enquiries he made at Marlow were not to trace a long lost brother for his friend, but to gain information to establish a false claim to the estate. He used what the locals told him to invent a sister, and got a Mrs Richards to play the part. He provided a birth register entry for  the brother and sister, using what is believed to be a real John and Elizabeth Stewart, only ones born in Marleybone rather than Scotland. 

Suspicion was raised when "Elizabeth" on receiving the £630 in the form of a cheque from a stockbroker on the sale of the stocks, asked for all of it to be transferred immediately into gold. The stockbroker had not had such a request with such a large sum before as people usually preferred ready money.  But solicitor Barber laughed this off, claiming his clients were foolish, and apprehensive of a war so preferred the security of gold. Then both Fletcher and Barber were involved in two other similar cases involving forged wills and the impersonation of a missing beneficiary. Fletcher, Barber, Mrs Richard's two married daughters Georgianna Dorey and Lydia Sanders (Saunders) and son in law fishmonger William Sanders were all arrested for involvement in one or more of the frauds. The trials followed each other, with "Elizabeth" (Mrs Richards) dying before they began. 

A number of Marlow men went to London to give testimony about the questions asked by "Jones" - namely William Windsor, James McLean and William Holmes. Chief among them though was Greyhound landlord Henry Hyatt. He also said that solicitor Barber had visited Marlow under a false name. ("Clarence Peckham") although he had given his correct address in London and Hyatt had visited him there when on business in the City. The prosecution said Barber was fully involved with the fraud, but he said he had acted in good faith and after all "Elizabeth" had been granted administration of her alleged brothers affairs. He denied using a false name and claimed innkeeper Hyatt was misremembering old events. When arrested, letters written by "Jones" to a Scottish parish asking for a certificate relating to a marriage register entry were found in Barbers papers. This was significant as Jones had asked for the entry to be altered so it matched the details on the birth records for the Marleybone brother and sister which he had used to prove Elizabeth's claim. He said the mothers name should be changed for Janetta to Jane as it was the English version. The Scots refused. It seems the fraudsters had been caught on the hop by the fact Stewart was clearly Scottish when they claimed an English birth for the siblings. 

Stewarts former employer, Strode said he had never heard of a sister. His solicitors had initially refused to co operate with Barber as he had not provided the birth certificates (certified entry of birth register) he asked for. But on being presented with the fact Elizabeth was granted administration they handing over the documents in their keeping. When Barber then tried to claim for unpaid wages for the long dead Stewart from Strode, he wrote back to say he did not believe in the sisters claim and nothing further was heard. Barber said this was because the amount owed was not significant. 

All were found guilty except Barber in the matter relating to Stewart. But it was different when the court got to the second fraud case, relating to an Ann Slack. I won't go into detail of this, but the result was that this time the court did not believe Barber acted in innocence, and he was found guilty along with all the others bar William Sanders who nevertheless plead guilty relating to a third fraud.  Barber was sentenced to transportation for life along with Fletcher and I believe he was actually sent to Van Diemens Land. But he was then granted a pardon, which caused outrage in some quarters. Barber was however then struck off on the basis of wilful blindness about the antics of his clients. The fact he was in possession of a letter from them asking for evidence to be tampered with (the Scots marriage record in the Stewart case) was regarded as especially damning. William Sanders was sentenced to 7 years transportation and Lydia Sanders and Georgianna Dorey to two years imprisonment each. It was believed to be Lydia who - not very convincingly - acted as the "aged" Elizabeth at the stockbrokers and Bank of England, the older Mrs Richards being in poor health. 

It does not seem that Stewart's real sibling ever was traced. "Jones" was taken to see the gravestone in Marlow Churchyard that is shown above and made note of the inscription that you can still just about be read. So this is the story behind the innocuous grave. 

- Sacred to the Memory of John Stewart who died March 13th 1827 aged 65 years. "Erected by order of James Cranborne Strode of Court Garden to whom he was a faithful and attached servant". 

More crime related posts can be found under the General Marlow History menu  here

All mentions of someone on the blog can be found listed on the Person Index in the top drop down menu. There are now over 6,000 people mentioned there. 

Some images of other graves erected in the memory of faithful servants in Marlow can be found here

 SOURCES

John Bull, Vol 24 (J C Bunney 1844)

The Spectator Vol 17 1844, digitized by Google. 

The Legal Observer Digest and Journal Vol 40, (Spettigue and Farrance 1850) 

The Examiner: A weekly paper on politics, literature, music, and fine arts. 1844. Bavarian State Library, digitized by Google. 

Carrington, Frederick Augustus. Reports on cases argued and rulex Nisi Prisi .. (S Sweet, 1844)

©Marlow Ancestors.