CROWN AND CUSHION
Updated by Charlotte October 2023 and Kathryn in Jan 2024.
Note that this pub was located in Dean Street but it may be given the address of Well End in early sources, this being one of the early names for the street. This is not the same place as Well End, Little Marlow. Well End for Dean Street was a name in popular and official use mainly pre 1850's although it can be found in the 1860s. If you go up Dean Street in the direction of Lane End, that is moving away from the town centre, you would have found it on left hand side about half way between the tyre shop and the entrance to Cambridge Rd. The building itself was demolished many years ago.
*All spelling is uncorrected from original sources, so you may find variations of your ancestors name that could prove useful when searching for them elsewhere*
Had yard and stables. Also operated as a lodging house.
Start date of 1835 given for this given in 1872. Did not exist under this name in 1833 certainly.
1841 - Jeremiah Humphries. Also a grocer. Wife Mary Ann. Jeremiah Humphreys is listed as a Dean Street resident in the 1833 Parish Assessment that we have but his house is not identified as a pub or beer house. He does however seem to be resident in the same building as would become the pub. He was however apparently in Spittal Street running a pub in 1839. See our post for more on Jeremiah and a bit of trouble his son also called Jeremiah got into with some relatives- here
1844 - Jeremiah Humphries (Humphreys) also tobacco pipe maker. Also a lodgings house.
1851- Jeremiah Humphreys. In this year lodger Samuel Lewis (alias William Craig) commits suicide by hanging himself on the premises. They say he was a "confirmed drunkard" and that his mind had become diseased because of it.
1853 - Jeremiah Humphries also a shopkeeper. Fined £1 with 8 shillings costs for not whitewashing the sleeping apartments of his lodgings house as required by law for hygiene purposes. Fined.
1855 - "Mr Humphreys Lodging House"
1857 - Rag and bone man James Webb dies after falling and hitting his head during an incident there. Known for his "excitable nature" , several men delighted in teasing and provoking James. One decided to sneak up and pinch James while he was drinking, at which he jumped up and hit his head. He clearly suffered a serious head injury and his condition deteriorated. James was sent to the Union Workhouse to receive medical attention but died age 57. Those responsible were not charged for their role as the doctor involved in his post mortem said there was evidence of disease in the brain and he could not rule out this as the cause of death.
1861 - Jeremiah Humphreys also shopkeeper and lodging house keeper. Age 45. This is the son of Jeremiah Humphreys above.
1864 - Jeremiah Humphries
1869- Jeremiah Humphreys attempts to upgrade his premises to an ale house.
1870 - Jeremiah dies age 55. We have a photo of his grave and will upload it in future.
1871 - Maria Humphrey(s), also grocer and lodging house keeper. Widow of the above. Maria later remarried a Jones.
1872 - Charles Price, brother in law of Maria Humphreys above. He was also a general dealer.
1873- Charles Price lost license for letting his premises be the resort of thieves and drunkards. Later in the year that decision was overturned on the condition that Price immediately made arrangements to gave his license up to new tenant George Langley. This presumably was because the charges for which Charles would have lost his licence if guilty had not yet been heard in court at the time of the first licensing hearing and therefore should not have been cited as a reason for him to lose his licence, but that all concerned knew he was likely to be found guilty when the charges were heard. (He was fined for both and the licence endorsed). Later worked as a skewer maker. Charles was previously at The Anchor, Dean Street. The magistrates were in any case not keen to renew his licence in the grounds that accommodation for travellers was "filthy". A party of Hussars billeted there while passing through the town refused to sleep in the house and resorted to the stables instead. Another condition made for renewing the licence overall was that the lodging house should be separated entirely from the beer house (business wise). During the court case, it was said that the lodging house had been supervised (in theory) by Thomas Bradley, who was also a convicted thief. (21 days hard labour in 1872).
1873 - George Langley then Frederick Brook(e)s.
1877- Frederick Brookes.
1878- Frederick Brookes charged with selling beer during prohibited hours.
1883 - Frederick Brook(e)s. More on the Brooks family of this pub here.
1885- man fined £1 for drinking on the premises during prohibited hours.
1886 - Harriet Brooks, takes over from husband Frederick upon his death.
1891 - Harriet Brooks dies, and James Edwards takes on licence briefly before transfer goes to James Gibbs.
1897- pub declared unsanitary (building condition not the fault of the tenants cleanliness). At this point it is licensed to house 14 lodgers.
1901- James Gibbs landlord assaulted by a customer. A lot of lodgers with him on the census that year.
1902- Italian organ grinder Thomas Offo robbed while staying at Crown and Cushion.
1904 - Found to not be abiding by Public Health Act provisions for common lodging houses. There was not enough screening between the beds of married couples (they did not have their own rooms), there were insufficient basins and the yard and stables were in an "unsanitary" condition. Notices served for improvements to be made. The idea of a total rebuild is floated.
1907- still James Gibbs
1909 - Forcibly closed under measures to limit number of licensed premises in an area. However it lingered on as a common lodging house for a few more years. Building now demolished. Last landlord James Gibbs and his wife - "a most respectable couple". The brewery argued for the premises to remain open on those grounds. Sadly this was not enough and they lost their business and home.
Researched by Kathryn Day and Charlotte Day.
Related Posts:
There are posts on this blog about individual families associated with certain pubs, as well as on individual pubs themselves so have a look at the Pub Related index here & don't forget the Person Index for all mentions of someone on this blog. Find it on the top drop down menu.
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
©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this information for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.
