The parish Beadle was a brightly uniformed official responsible for enforcing the rules of the parish in which he served. Though working for the church he was in no way an ordained person. He dealt with problems concerning anything the parish owned or had responsibility for- the parish workhouse, poor relief, poor rates levied by the parish, and any issues involving church owned land such as trespass on them or boundary damage. He also enforced discipline in church, in particular stopping kids talking or playing when they were supposed to be paying attention to the sermon. He would be armed with a staff of office!
The Beadle's uniform at Marlow was a long plum-coloured coat, knee breeches, and steel - buckled shoes.
In the memoir of George Stevens published in the South Bucks Standard Aug 28th 1896 Marlow's beadle "Mr Pocock" was described as the terror of small boys of the town when Mr Stevens was little, probably for the above reason.
I have managed to trace this Mr Pocock and found him to be George Pocock. Before taking on the role of beadle he worked as a shoemaker. There was no specific qualification for the office.
In that memoir of George Stevens Mr Pocock was said to live in a one room cottage near the old pound. (At the time the pound was up what we now called Station Road near Marlow Place.) On the 1841 census George is indeed in this location, called Agleton Green (Aggelton Green/Haggelton, Aggerton) with his wife Sarah. On the census form George indicated he was 65 years old and not born in Buckinghamshire. He arrived in Marlow by the time his son John was baptised there in 1822.
Parish beadles are pretty universally satirised in literature of the time as puffed up, arrogant little Hitlers strutting about in their uniforms and annoying everyone. Perhaps there was some truth in a portrait so frequently painted of the type of person attracted to this sort of role. But our George can't have been too pretentious otherwise he would not settle on a job that gave him and his wife (and by 1841 three sons as well) one of the smallest homes in the town! One advantage George did have however was the use of the Agleton Green pond on which he kept his ducks. This is long gone.
George died in 1846. The era of power for these officials faded as an organised police force and wider level administration of things like poor relief came more into play.
Sarah died in 1861. Her census entries as a widow suggest that she was born in Dartford Kent. She was still living in the old Pound House in the year of her death, along with her son Joseph and his family.
Written and researched by Charlotte Day.
To find out more about Marlow's 17&18thc crime fighting societies, petty constables, tithing men and night Watchmen see this post here
And the first police station and petty sessions courts here
To find all mentions of an individual here, see the A-Z drop down menu and to find more Marlow crime and disorder related posts, see the General History option on the same menu here
References:
Bishops Transcripts for Great Marlow Buckinghamshire Archives [Baptism of John Pocock].
Copy of South Bucks Standard held at the British Library. Accessed by me October 2020 via The British Newspaper Archive online.
1841 census my transcription from microfilm.
GRO index online of deaths registered.
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