Price & Bowles Grave, Marlow cemetery

Above - in loving memory of a dear son Raymond Francis Price d August 1939 age 7 "just a ray of sunshine called back to heaven". *

ALSO OF

Edith May Bowles his grandmother - died 23rd October 1937 age 44 years "time can never dim the memory of those happy days".

 This grave can be found in Marlow cemetery. 

Further information: 

Little Raymond was drowned in the river near Riverwoods. His parents were Mr & Mrs Nelson Price of "Greenwood" New Town Rd. He was picnicking on the river bank with his mother and some friends when he wandered off, it is believed to look for an ice-cream seller. But the young boy fell into the river somehow and in a flash he was gone. The touching inscription seems entirely appropriate. 

Edith lived at 26 Dean Street in the 1920s and prior to that in South Place.  Her husband was Frederick. Edith clearly had many ups and downs in her life. If you are interested in her please contact us directly (may be upsetting).

To look for information about any particular person on this blog use the A-z person index on the top drop down menu. 

For other grave images see the index here

Index of posts about general Marlow history here

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

Edwardian /WW1 Trinity Road Part One

 This was previously Gun Lane and at times during the Edwardian era was also referred to as "Trinity Lane".

A poor area with many homes consisting of just three rooms (two bedrooms and a kitchen come family room) and at least one having only two rooms. Piped water arrived here at the close of the 1800s but not before the only well for the residents had run dry. The road surface was not properly made up until near the end of the era. Most houses here were demolished long ago.

It is likely some residents have been missed due to the rapid tenant turnover in poorer streets. We will endeavour to add in anyone found to be missing as research opportunities permit. 

Odd numbered* properties were on the left as you came in from Dean Street. Numbers given as they were then=

1.) Richard Cook, born circa 1861, unmarried farm labourer. Richard seems to have lived in Trinity Road or in Trinity Place just off it all of his life. He was the son of Richard and Keziah Cook.

3.) In 1907 Mrs Price. Then carter Robert Bowles and his lodgers the Hall family headed by laundress Mrs Hall. After that Bertie (agricultural labourer bn circa 1885) and Jane (bn circa 1883) Bryant and their children. 

Mrs Price was PERHAPS Clara Price who lived at an unknown number in Trinity Road in 1901 with her husband Francis, a vegetable hawker, and their children. However she wasn't a widow at this point so the 1907 Town Guide wouldn't usually list her as the head of household, and the guide says Francis is in Dean Street. You would expect Clara to be with him there but this couple did go on to separate in later years so PERHAPS this is evidence of an earlier separation that didn't last. They were together in Dean Street in 1911. The couple's son Nathan died at Trinity Road aged 7 months in 1895. They had a daughter called Freedom!

A Wesley Hall, presumably of the above Hall family was in 1912 fined for swearing in his home in Trinity Road for two whole hours! It was a risky business raising your voice in Trinity Road, or swearing with the window open given the fact that the Police Station was in the same street. Prosecutions for swearing so that it could be heard outside were very common in Edwardian and Victorian Marlow. Trinity Road was a major hotspot for such offences. You definitely needed to stop up your ears if you went by.

The Bryant's two month old baby daughter Rosamond suffocated while sharing her parents bed in 1913. The potential dangers of co-sleeping were understood at this time but the benefits in most people's eyes outweighed them and it was a very common practice. A verdict of death by misadventure was recorded.

Jane Bryant was the daughter of Joseph and Charlotte Budd who will feature in the second part of my Edwardian residents of Trinity Road post as they lived on the other side of the street. Her baby daughter Rosamond was named after her sister.

5.) W Aldridge. Then uncertain others. Then Rose and George Jones and their children. This couple came to Marlow from Wooburn between 1912 and 1914. At Wooburn George (bn circa 1879) had been working at the board mills as well as assisting at times in a coal business. He admitted stealing a small piece of coal from that business and was bound over as a result. It is possible that this precipitated the family's move to Marlow. He was a private in the Royal Berkshires when he was injured in 1914 and was evacuated to an English hospital. Still resident 1915 however in the next few years the couple separated and only Rose (nee Harmsworth) and the children remained at no 5.

 7.) A Winkworth then labourer James Bowles. The latter was born circa 1855 and continued to live here for many years.

9.)William Beaver a domestic gardener /labourer, born circa 1852-54 but has a variable birthdate. Moved in to number 9 late 1901 or very early 1902. Continued to live in this tiny cottage for many years. He lived alone as he had separated from his wife Rachel (nee Stacey). In 1902 he took out an ad in the paper warning traders in the town he would no longer be responsible for any bills she ran up. They were already living apart at the time of the census the previous year. Rachel had taken the children and gone to live in High Wycombe. William was the uncle of Richard Cook, above. That is, he was the brother of Richard's mother Keziah who was born a Cook. 

11.)Rapid turnover of tenants. Charles Higgins and his wife Esther, Miss Hunt, then laundress Selina Austin (who gives her address on the 1911 census as no 6 but she can't live there as it was certainly the home of someone else at that time and her censused neighbors show her to be in fact in no 11. See the note far below about Marlow's atrocious street numbering record).

Charles Higgins was born in the early 1840s Bucks and grew up in Skirmett. He was a labourer. Esther's birthdate wanders on censuses. They moved to Trinity Road from Hayes Place Marlow between 1901 and 1907. They also lived up at Marlow Common and out at Burroughs Grove for a time. While at the latter Esther was called to give evidence at the inquest into the death of a newborn baby. The mother of the child could not afford even the cheapest midwife. These typically attended not only the birth but visited washed and dressed the newborn child for the next day or few days. When Esther heard about the mother's situation she offered to help in any way she could and said to send word to her when she was needed to attend. Unfortunately Esther fell ill at the crucial time and the mother decided she could not fairly call on her. Instead she gave birth without assistance and passed out towards the end. The child died within minutes of being born for want of attention. Another woman fetched by one of the mother's children, saw that the mother was unwell immediately after the birth but did not check on the child or stay with them because she had supper to prepare. She did return 45 minutes later but found the child dead. The coroner's jury were not impressed by her actions.

As a young man Charles Higgins spent a short time in jail for failing to pay the fine levied on in for assaulting a man helping to clear a Skirmett pub of some disorderly customers.

Selina Austin moved to Marlow some time between 1908 and 1909. She lived in Trinity Road with her children / step children. Selina was born circa 1868, the daughter of Richard and Ruth Jewell of Turville. As a young woman she worked as a servant in Henley and got into trouble for obtaining a silk blouse under false pretences. As a first time offender she was bound over rather than jailed. She married her recently widowed husband Thomas Austin in 1901. Within a matter of weeks he had deserted her and his children so Selina had to ask for poor relief. Though he returned to her he deserted again in 1908. At this point he was a rag and bone man. She wished for a separation order but he promised to return. Shortly afterwards she moved to Marlow, seemingly without him but taking her children and step children.

In 1909 her stepson Henry Austin age 15, of "weak intellect" was convicted of stealing 6d from her. She had sent him to pay for certain goods she had requested but he instead spent it on toffee and having fun in Cookham. This offence saw him ordered to a reformatory school. Soon after his return he was arrested for begging for food and jailed for 14 days. The local police inspector had found him a job but said the young man was "idle" and ended up in the workhouse, from which he stole clothes. In 1914 he was jailed again for stealing sacks from a barn.

Selina moved to Dean Street, probably by 1915, and then later went to Berwick Road.

13.) William Collins or Colyer, a council employed road scavenger and his wife Florence for most of the era followed by Henry and Emily Nash and their children. The Nash family moved here from Chapel Street. Henry was a carpenter born circa 1864. Emily was born circa 1860. Towards the end of the era Henry as a widower became the lodger here rather than the tenant and the household head was Henrietta Bidmead (nee Rockell, widow of William Henry Bidmead). Henrietta was the niece of John Lovegrove and she had previously lived with him on the opposite side of the street and therefore both these residents feature mostly in Part Two of this Edwardian Trinity Road post. Later Henry Nash moved to number 22 Trinity Road to live with his then adult and married son Reginald. 

15.) A brick and timber semi detached house with some stucco. Two bedrooms. Initially the home of John Boot (bn circa 1855), beater at the paper mills and his wife Harriett (born circa 1859), their son also called John plus Harriett's widowed sister Mary Ann Francis. The Boots were very long standing residents of Trinity Road. They paid 3 shillings 6d a week rent in 1905. Their son John became a postman.

After the Boots left Mr and Mrs Harry Bowles made it their home. Harry was already a soldier in the Royal Berkshires before the First World War and then saw active war service before his capture and retention in a German POW camp in 1917. He was held in Westphalia.

Police Station and Court (17-19) - the Sergeant and his family typically lived in. Police officers will form separate posts on the blog so are not included here. Buildings stand but in different use.

Holy Trinity Church

21.) Trinity Cottages Brick, Flint and tile two up, two down home attached to number 23. Alice Player, then Mr Smith (not the Eli Smith who appears in Part Two of this post) who was followed sometime between 1905 and 1907 by Samuel Todd, a carter born circa 1880, his wife Mary born circa 1878 and their children.

This cottage still stands.

23.) Trinity Cottages . A two up two down brick, flint, and tile cottage. James (bn circa 1859) and Annie Mitchell (bn circa 1868) with their children occupied the cottage at the start of the era along with the teenage Florence Cheetham who was cousin to James. The Mitchells, who paid 3 shillings a week rent in 1905, Were followed by  A Hickman, then Eliza Atkins and her husband James Atkins a brewer's labourer. Both the Atkins were originally of Stokenchurch. They moved into this particular house between 1905 and 1907. In 1901 they lived in Chapel Street, Marlow. Eliza was born circa 1853 and James circa 1846. 

This cottage still stands.

Even numbered properties will be in Part Two along with some Edwardian Trinity Road Residents that can't be certainly placed in any particular house number.

*Note= Marlow was beyond terrible at organizing street numbering, displaying house numbers, or making sure everyone knew what number they lived at. Some people refused to acknowledge the fact that their home had been officially renumbered and carried on using the old number. Others don't ever seem to have understood what their house's number was even after it was officially given one. Some people without moving house would give a different number for their home each different time they were asked, based presumably on guesswork. We often have to use multiple sources to repopulate an Edwardian street in this town reliably.

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

Similar Posts 

Victorian residents of Trinity Cottages Jeremiah and Emma Harding here

General earlier history of Trinity Road here

Edwardian St Peter Street here.

Edwardian Cambridge Place here

Edwardian Spittal Street and Spittal Square Part One here and Part Two here

Edwardian wedding gifts in Marlow here

Some Sources=

Marlow Town Guide and Almanack 1907 and 1915 editions. Marlow Printing Company.

South Bucks Standard 24th July 1913, South Bucks Standard 18th April 1912, . Reading Mercury 24th November 1914. South Bucks Standard 12th November 1909. All British Library Archives via the BNA.

South Bucks Standard February 7th 1902. Directly from the British Library.

Maidenhead Advertiser 17th October 1888. Baylis Media Archives.

Williams estate sale papers, copy kindly given by Adam Baxter of the Marlow Society.

Rent receipt from Jane Pullinger.

Excerpt Henley advertiser 26th June 1897.

GRO marriage Index, GRO online.

https://www.rootspoint.com/record/1881-UK-Census/Slian-Jewell-1869-Turville-Buckinghamshire-Turville/45eac361-6400-40dd-968a-5910b9edb3fd/l

https://www.rootspoint.com/record/1901-UK-Census/James-Atkins-1846-Stokenchurch-Buckinghamshire-Marlow-Urban/50235109-fac7-40e6-ae41-0874082aee1d/

https://www.rootspoint.com/record/1901-UK-Census/John-W-Boot-1859-High-Wycombe-Buckinghamshire-Marlow-Urban/d4b375a0-a0ad-44f9-842a-51474bcabaea/

Other 1901 census information from the transcription from microfilm by Jane Pullinger.

"England and Wales, Census, 1891", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4GGX-Z3Z : Thu Jan 16 07:18:41 UTC 2025), Entry for William Beaver and Rachel Beaver, 1891.

"England and Wales, Census, 1901", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9YY-186 : Thu Feb 13 03:33:37 UTC 2025), Entry for Henry Lunnon, Robert Lunnon, Rachel Beaver 31 Mar 1901.

Marlow's Extraordinary Victorian Gardeners

 This is a tribute to our Victorian Marlovians who took their gardening so seriously that a particularly choice apple could attract crowds when displayed in a grocers window. Horticultural shows could raise strong passions and petty squabbles, mostly amongst those organising them. The shows nevertheless were visited by the local gentry who might bring a party of "fashionable persons" to peruse the magnificent carrots and sweet little nosegays gathered by local children. We have featured biographies of some of the local head gardeners and nurserymen before but this post deals mostly with our talented amateur growers. (See below for a link to a history of Marlow allotments.)

First up we have Henry Allnutt, best remembered as a solicitor. In 1868 he published a book called "A System For Cropping A Kitchen Garden" resulting from his careful horticulture experiments. More particularly he based the book on some "ancient" notes kept by his grandfather who took the same scientific approach to his gardening. Henry aimed his book not at those who could afford a team of gardeners but those with more modest gardens who were most in need of maximizing their returns from the space at their disposal. The magic system uses crop rotation, successional sowing and inter-cropping and as such still contains very relevant tips and advice. Perhaps not quite so exciting is one of Henry's other main publications, aimed at farmers  - The Wheat Diagram. This was a large pull out diagram mounted on rollers that could show you the average price of wheat from 1641 to the present. It was an "interesting and valuable read" so they say. 

As mentioned above, growing a large vegetable could cause someone to become quite the local celebrity. Prize specimens can be found on display at pubs and grocers. John Price's 36lb marrow was on show somewhere in the High Street in 1890. It was noted that his success was remarkable as his Cambridge Rd garden was only small.  The fact that Wildsmith Badger had pulled a carrot in his garden 4 and a half feet long was considered entertainment enough to grace the pages of newspapers nationwide in 1806. And Mr Janes, of Valley View, Little Marlow Rd had an apple weighing around 1lb on display at the Greyhound Inn in 1900. If size did not impress you how about a 29 year old marrow, as preserved by Jeremiah Harding of Trinity Cottages? This, along with a 23 year old example was displayed somewhere in the town in 1893. 

In 1905 journalists were visiting Harleyford this time to see a bunch of bananas 60lbs in weight when cut, as grown by James Sharpe. A picture of this crop appeared in the Morning Leader. For many years banana plants were offered for sale from the estate but how many purchasers had success with growing them is hard to say. 

The Horticultural Journal visited W J Morgans in the High Street in 1892, not to admire their magnificent drapery and millinery, but to see the junior deputy of the business "Mr Morgan" who had a secret Eden at the rear of the premises. He was an orchid grower who produced blooms to astonish the professionals. This was especially so considering the limited space and lack of professional help at his finger tips. The London journalists were followed by those from local papers. Those specimens that Mr Morgan could allow out of his tender care sometimes graced the stage of the Music room during concerts and other events. 

The first Marlow Horticultural Society started in 1846 with a show in "Mr Hewett's meadow" - it's usual venue up to the 1850s. We are told that it was "very numerously and respectably attended." There were classes for gentleman's gardeners, as well as amateurs. Unfortunately it was held on a Tuesday, so the majority of working men and women could not attend. Over the next few days the event grew bigger and there is some indication that some businesses declared a half day holiday. The church bells were allowed to give a merry peel to indicate the start of the show while various bands entertained the guests. The main tent in 1850 was said to be some 300ft long with a second 60ft in length. With prizes totalling £40-50 it is no wonder that many locals entered a class or two. It was as the Bucks Advertiser out it "a useful exhibition of nature's sweetest gift." While almost everyone agreed the shows were a great success, unnamed individuals involved in their organisation fell out and the wealthy patrons lost interest. So the shows came to stop in the 1850s before the Horticultural Society was resurrected in 1861 with the first show in 1862.  Court Garden was the usual venue at this period, the host F W Berger extolling the virtues of a society to "encourage friendship and good feeling amongst the labouring classes" by promoting healthy competition. It's a shame the same mutual good will did not exist amongst it's promoters as apparently more ill feeling (and lack of funds) ended the society again in 1867. A Cottagers Horticultural Society was active for a while in the 1870s with shows in Spinfield park, before it too disappeared. A few shows popped up again in the late 1880s and early 1890s but in 1894 we are told there is no Horticultural Society at present due to "petty jealousies" and "bad management". The following year there was a horticulture show at Gyldernscroft which attracted 500 entries for yet another incarnation of the Horticultural Society. The aim was similar to before - to "encourage healthful and honest industry." After a few years this was more often held in Alder Meadow as part of the Marlow Week celebrations leading up to the Marlow Regatta. If looking at tasteful dinner table flower arrangements or champion cabbages began to pall, there was the companion event on the same day to entertain you - the bicycle gymkhana aka the bicycle fete and dancing until late. This society finally flourished, also organising chrysanthemum shows and rose ones (latter / from 1908 usually at either the cricket ground or Gyldernscroft)

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Related Posts:

History of Marlow allotments here

List of head gardeners at the "big houses" in and around Marlow with links to biographies if available - here

General posts about Marlow History - here

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

Sources:

A System For Cropping A Kitchen Garden - Henry Allnutt (Estates Gazette 1868)

Journal of Horticulture and Practical Gardening - Vol 9

Journal of Horticulture and Cottage Garden - 1892 collected edition. 

The Gardeners Chronicle And Agricultural Gazette, January 1849

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News  - 27 June 1846 & 6 July 1850

Bucks Herald 6 July 1850

South Bucks Standard 12 September 1890, 21st July 1893, 31st August 1894 & 23rd August 1895. 

Allotment history research by Kathryn. 

1905 Marlow Guide

Morning Leader March 1905 digitised by Archive.org

Slough and Eton Observer Match 25th 1905  (Slough Borough Libraries)

The Amateur Garden Guide - Messrs Elliott & Co, Great Marlow 1882. 

 Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - 07 August 1806 (British Library Archives)

The Garden: an illustrated journal of gardening in all its branches. 1903. 

Royal Horticultural Journal - July 1909. 

© MarlowAncestors

1833 Parochial Assessment Marefield Passage

 My family has the original working notebooks used to compile this assessment by the surveyors and I am gradually transcribing them. The point of the assessment was to set tax rates for the year 1834. The occupiers rather than the owners for each property were recorded. The notebooks contain pencilled in additions and correction up to circa 1839. Where these occur on this assessment I have added the relevant notes in square brackets. Any research notes about the people mentioned are also in square brackets.

Marefield Passage [This address no longer exists. It was behind Dean Street, running between what is now Queen's Road and Cambridge Road. This was a poor neighborhood on the edge of town in those days]

Each occupying a cottage and garden with an annual value of £5:

Richard Moores

Edward Smith

Thomas Garner

William Mead

William Frith

Thomas Frith

William Clark

Robert Roberts [in pencil added later name George next to Robert but Robert not crossed out]

James Lomax

*****

Each in house and garden with annual value of £6:

Edward Aveling

John Harris

Thomas Brookes

Charles Ford [he died 1837 aged 55. His widow Elizabeth Ford may be the woman of that name who ran a baby linen business in West Street in 1839]

Richard East [he also down as having a gravel pit with an annual value of £2 10 shillings]

*****

In a cottage and large garden with annual value of:

George Clark

*****

Each occupying a cottage and garden with annual value of £3:

Joseph Clark [19 year old labourer Joseph and his new wife Maria nee Harding]

Joseph Smith

Ann Carr

Richard Price

Charles Brown

William Blake [a labourer, wife Mary]

Thomas Johnson

John Goldswain

*******

Occupying cottage and large garden worth £8:

George Clark (second one of same name Marefield)

Annual value of property: £8

*****

Each occupying a cottage and garden with an annual value of £4 10 shillings:

William Heffard

Elizabeth Harding

Thomas Mitchell

*****

Each occupying a house worth £5 and an additional garden each with an annual value of 10 shillings:

William Heather

John Holloway

*****

Each in a cottage with an annual value of £3:

Ann Archer

Joseph Keep [who married his wife Mary nee Godfrey in 1827]

Thomas Easley

Robert Almond

*****

Occupying a house worth £8:

School of Industry [trained poor children].

*****

To find more posts about historic residents of Marefield Passage or other Marlow streets please see our streets index here.

Thousands of people are mentioned on this blog. Look on the A-Z index for every mention of any individual.

©Marlow Ancestors.

Tales Of A Marlow Policeman - Sergeant Maneely

Sergeant John James Maneely has had a walk on role in several of the stories we have already told about life in old Great Marlow. So we thought it was time to feature the man himself centre stage. 

As you have probably guessed from his name, Sergeant (later Superintendent) Maneely was born in Ireland [Co Tyrone, 1841. His wife Maria was Welsh.] So he was not, in common with most of our Bucks Constabulary police from days past, a Marlow man as such. But he certainly had a big role to play in the lives of many here! 

At the time of his retirement in 1901 we are told that Maneely had served for 38 years up to that point. He came to Marlow from Burnham in 1881, having previously been stationed at Amersham. 

Marlow may be a relatively small town but we mustn't assume that Maneely and his colleagues had anything like a peaceful time here.  Maneely is frequently to be found rounding up the drunk and disorderly, the users of "disgraceful language", the domestic abusers and those "trespassing after game." Such was the bread and butter work of Marlow Police.

However Maneely had been less than a year in his role in Marlow when he narrowly escaped being stabbed by Mary Ann Grace. He was struggling with her to gain possession of a knife she had used to stab her husband in the head during an argument. He managed to overcome her and secure the weapon for evidence. Mary Ann recieved a year in prison for the attack on her husband - you can read about the incident in a post here

The Sergeant was involved in executing warrants and interviewing suspects. He also laid a trap or two to catch a criminal. For example, in 1881 he worked with bookseller, stationer and printer Robert Hayes Smith to catch the person responsible for stealing from the the shop till. One Sunday Robert had heard a sound at the shop door (the shop being closed). He realised afterwards it was the sound of someone checking to see if it was locked. However at the time he was not alarmed, and on seeing no one trying to come in, he actually unlocked the door as he realised his children would shortly be coming back from church. This was clearly a gift to a thief who had not gone far away, and when the children arrived home they found the street door wide open. On checking his till, Robert realised several coins were gone. He decided to quietly speak to Sergeant Maneely about the matter. They thought that the thief might try the same trick having got so easily away the first time. So Maneely agreed to hide in the shop the following Sunday, and Robert marked some coins and placed them in the till drawer. The door was left unlocked and the shop was also watched from the outside. Before Maneely arrived to assume his position, Robert saw the door pushed open but it was only 13 year old Elizabeth Price. Elizabeth said she had a message to deliver to one of Roberts daughters from "some person" who wanted to complain that the girl had interrupted the play of the message sender's children. The message didn't make much sense, and Elizabeth couldn't say who had sent it via her. It seems she then left the shop but sadly not for long. For Robert was surprised when Sergt Maneely called him to come to the sitting room where he had placed young Elizabeth under arrest. She had been observed to hang around the shop door, re enter, take a purse off the shop shelf and then remove the coins from the till. The marked coins were found on her. Robert was surprised at the youth of his thief and asked in court for her to be treated with mercy given her age. His pleas were only partially successful. The judges thought Elizabeth's actions showed much pre mediation and so she was sentenced to a month in prison with hard labour. The work would be suited to her age they assured Robert. They added that they could have given her a 3 month term. 

A more bizarre watch was instigated by Sgt Maneely in 1886 when he set some constables to stake out Colonels Meadow (behind Borlase school). Reports had come to him of someone working their way around the perimeter breaking down and then carting off the fence. The constables caught our fence gatherer at work the following night - labourer Henry Stroud. He plead guilty - perhaps not surprising given he was found with the fence railings in his hands! He was charged with two similar offences and fined £1 plus costs for each. 

A particularly sad case came to the Sergeants attention in the summer of 1887. Two "little boys" belonging to the Neighbour family decided to go fishing for minnows in a ditch that bordered The Croft (now Gyldernscroft) near the Alder Meadow (Marlow Cricket Club ground). They had been done so many times before. On this day the boys saw what they thought was a parcel dumped in the water. They fetched it out with a stick, and found it was actually a sacking wrapped bundle weighted down with a length of metal chain. On starting to open it, the poor little lads discover the partially decomposed body of a new born baby girl. They ran to get their parents who in turn fetched Maneely. The sergeant gathered up the "parcel" and carried his sad bundle back to the police station. The identity of the infant was never established.

It was not all hard work for Maneely in Marlow. He played cricket for the Bucks Constabulary team when they played the occasional fixture, against other police or works teams. Perhaps he found time to watch a match or two at Marlow also. Maneely was also a member of the Christian Policemans Association. In 1886, 16 year old daughter Annie entered one of the Associations regular Bible knowledge quizzes and earned a "highly commended" for her efforts. This was organised through the group's monthly journal where the questions were published. The answers were then sent in by post and scored by a vicar. Annie recieved her name in print as a result. 

In 1890 Maneely was moved to Fenny Stratford, to fulfil the role vacated by the sudden death of his predecessor. He did not however remain there long as he was promoted to Superintendent and went to join the High Wycombe County Police in 1892. He replaced Superintendent Summers who was retiring - Summers had also served in Marlow. Maneely remained in Wycombe until his retirement in April 1901. Granted a "handsome pension" he also recieved gifts from his fellow police officers. This included an inscribed clock and silver cruet set as well as a "purse of gold". The local magistrates were sorry to see their efficient officer depart. He had they said been "most excellent" in his role and they could not imagine a better choice could have come their way for Superintendent. Maneely retired to East Sussex and died there in 1923 age 82. 

NB. Maneely had a son also named John James. He was an electrical engineer who settled in Penshurst, Kent. (Husband to Jane nee Card, married 1900)

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Related Posts:

Crime and disorder in old Great Marlow: Early policing - crime fighting societies, parish constables, sheep stealing and the night watch here

The Old Police Station and Police Court History: here

General index of posts related to crime and policing: here

* More about Robert Hayes Smith here

To find every mention of an individual here, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. As of June 2022 there are more than 4,000 people listed there. 

Sources include:

Census 1881, 1891 : transcripts by Jane Pullinger from the original records. 

On and Off Duty - February 1886 (International Christian Policemans Association,1886)

Grace and Card family research by Charlotte. 

South Bucks Standard 29 July 1892 & 15 March 1901 British Library Archive. 

 Bucks Herald 12 February 1881, 27th April 1901 as above. 

Kellys Directory of Buckinghamshire... 1869 & 1883 (Kelly's Directories Ltd)

England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVHQ-PXM6 : 22 August 2020), John J Maneely, 1923.

© MarlowAncestors

Not You Again Reuben!

Today's subject is Reuben Anderson, a man who is fair to say kept the police constables and J.Ps more than a little busy! 

The age of Reuben differs by a few years here and there when he gives it in court, on censuses and the like. He generally decides on a birth year of 1845, although he may have been a couple of years older. He was the son of George and Emma Anderson of Dean Street (more commonly known as Well End, Great Marlow at the time Reuben was born, not be confused with Well End, near Little Marlow.) Another Reuben Anderson living in Marlow in the early Victorian era was our Reubens uncle, born in Maids Moreton, Bucks. 

Reuben's father spent several spells in prison throughout the boys childhood, usually lasting a month or two, mostly relating to petty thefts and trespass after game. His was not a wealthy family, and George's work principally as a general and agricultural labourer was not necessarily regular. Dean Street was a poor and populous neighbourhood, the haunt of many a poacher. Many lived on the edge of destitution in a way that's much underestimated now. Those that didn't tended to supplement their income in many  ways, not all of them quite legal. 

Starting Young 

Reuben therefore started his somewhat shady career rather young. In 1858 the boy found himself called to the petty sessions, suspected of stealing a quantity of iron from the premises of baker John Millward in West Street. (Formerly Gibbons the tallow chandlers - see the premises here) At this point the petty sessions were held in a small and often raucous room in the Crown at the Market Square. In court, his age was given as 11 but I think he was more likely 13-15 years. Generally speaking if a resident of Dean Street was bought to the sessions room, a crowd of friends and relatives from the area would attend to offer vocal support much to the magistrates annoyance. Perhaps the same thing happened to young Reuben. Regardless, he was found guilty and sentenced to be privately whipped. This was regarded as a lenient punishment compared to time in gaol. Two months before either Reuben or his uncle of the same name had been summoned and fined for stealing underwood at Little Marlow. I suspect it was the elder of the two. 

 Reuben is often recorded as either an agricultural labourer or general labourer, that catch all term for a variety of unskilled and semi skilled work. But the type of crimes he tends to get arrested for, indicates a slightly different story. By far the most common is wilful damage to a tree or stealing underwood. Reuben isn't gathering firewood, he is collecting the type of material he needs for his sideline as a "skewerter". That is he makes wooden skewers that are sold wholesale to butchers, usually in London. It was a very common and perfectly legitimate trade in Marlow, centred around Dean Street. However it was not legal to help yourself to the wood wherever you found it locally, as almost every tree belonged to someone specifically. Some landowners sold the right to collect the skewer materials to an individual, who naturally would be at a serious disadvantage if it all had vanished come harvest time. But skewer makers like Reuben could not afford to lease woodland and it's unlikely that buying the materials from a middle man would be profitable. Snarky comments were often made about how "wealthy" the skewer makers of Marlow were, given that it was pure profit to make goods from materials obtained free and illegally. But the reality was those we have identified as long time workers in the trade were in poor (sometimes shockingly so) houses and never escaped them. It was hardly a road to riches! Reuben is also identified later as a fruiterer - another classic Dean Street occupation. In this case it was the wholesale trade that involved Reuben along with his father - he did not have a shop. This was a seasonal source of employment for him, something to add to his other sources of income. 

Reuben's punishment for the wood rustling and tree damage tended to be a fine. (For example 2d plus costs in 1861 for damaging trees belonging to magistrate Benjamin Atkinson of the Rookery.) If he could not pay, he would be forced to spend time in gaol in lieu. Sometimes the fine was demanded immediately after the case was heard, on other occasions a week or two to gather the required finds was allowed. (Two weeks in the case mentioned above.) In 1862 he was imprisoned for 3 months for stealing the lunch of a farm labourer William Harris who was working in the fields. (His accomplice James Grace recieved 2 months)

A Familiar Defendant 

1863 was an especially busy year for young Reuben. He plead guilty to 3 offences in the same petty session in January. He was at this point described as a youth "well known to police", as was his co accused in two of the offences, James Grace. First up was two charges for stealing swedes and turnips, both offences committed on the same day. The quantity of swedes was large and they were likely intended for selling on as fruiterers had the connections to sell vegetables too. The second offence occured at Blunts Farm. In both cases the young men were bought to the intention of the authorities by an "informer" Thomas Tilbury. When Reuben heard this, he had gone after Thomas and threw stones at him several hitting their mark. Hence the 3rd case for which he was summoned. For each of the first two offences, Reuben was sentenced to 1 months imprisonment with hard labour. The same sentence was awarded to his co accused who had like Reuben plead guilty. For the stone throwing, Reuben was set a high fine of £1 plus costs. As he could not pay, he was taken to prison for an additional 2 months. As he was led away, our miscreant was heard to mutter threats of dire vengeance against the informant. Thankfully for both, nothing cane of these dark mutterings - as far as public records show at least! Come October Reuben was back in front of the magistrates again. This time he was accused of stealing a higher value item, and this along with his string of previous convictions meant Reuben was remanded for trial at the Assizes. The theft involved a large quantity of straw belonging to surgeon William Hickman. This time the sentence was for one years imprisonment. His age at sentencing is given as 18. 

Father George Creates A Scene

A little under a year after his release, Reuben's father was yet again in hot water. The cause this time was a very public act of rebellion. It was November, and he was out of work as many of those with partially seasonal occupations naturally were. He applied to the Relieving Officer Mr Russell for some parish aid. Mr Russell refused to sanction any "outdoor relief" - that is an allowance of bread or money paid to George while he continued to look for work and live in his existing lodgings. Instead he said he would issue an order that George should go to "the House". That is the parish workhouse. George was furious. No one wished to be admitted there, but the parish officers had decided to crack down on the giving of aid that would allow the poor an alternative to the house. It was considered the provision of out relief made things too easy for the poor and prevented the workhouse acting as proper deterrent to the merely idle. It was noted in the newspaper reports of the events that followed that George had a "good" summer income as a fruiterer and skewer maker, the inference being if he had no money now it was because he had not spent it wisely or saved enough. (This was of course usually an attitude espoused by those who had never had to manage on such wages or live in the condition of those that did.) But it's obvious from study of others in the Anderson families position that the debts and rent arrears speedily increased over a winter when little money came in. These then had to paid out of the next summer's income.  

The following evening, George was heard to declare publicly that he would "wreck" the relieving officers home. He took a bludgeon and smashed 15 panes of glass. He made no attempt to disguise himself and was arrested immediately. It may be that Reuben acted heedlessly out of bravado or anger or both. It may also be that his situation was dire and he did what many others in Marlow did and commited a public crime certain that he would be sent to prison and provided for. We have found many examples of people doing just that, often going to confess immediately at the police station. Was prison better than the work house? Unlikely, but it perhaps carried less stigma for men in Georges situation who had often been in prison before. Whatever the motivation, George's attack earned him two months behind bars, with hard labour. It just be said the conditions of providing parish aid were not set by poor Mr Russell and he could have been dismissed if it was considered he was too lenient. 

Happier Events

In 1879 Reuben married Martha Sparkes, daughter of Maria and William, the landlords of at various times the Barge Pole, Black Boy and Fisherman's Retreat inns in St Peter's Street/Church Passage. Martha was just over a decade younger than he. The couple made their home in Oxford Road, and then St Peter's Street. See links below for detailed information about Martha's family. 

It was not exactly the quietest start in life for the couple, as in 1880 Reuben was arrested for his supposed role in the wide scale election riots in Marlow. The case against him was dismissed over uncertainty about his identification although Reuben himself did admit to being present in the area - as an innocent bystander of course. The riot is covered in more detail in a post here

And now at last we have a report of Reuben in which he is the hero. A few months after the riot, he stepped in to rescue a women who was being threatened and harassed by her brother after the siblings had quarreled. It must have been quite the novelty to appear in court as a witness! But old habits die hard and less than two months later Reuben was back at the petty sessions in the role of defendant, along with John Price. The pair had stolen some wood and both recieved hefty fines based on previous convictions for both. 

Throughout the 1880s minor convictions continue to be earned by Reuben. Charges of drunk and disorderly behaviour, being asleep while in charge of a horse and cart, and tresspass in pursuit of game for example. All resulted in fines. 

Reuben died in 1890. He was only in his forties. Poor Martha was of course even younger when she entered her widowhood. She went to live with her brother George at first, then her elderly widowed mother and youngest  brother Thomas in West Street. At this point she took to working as a laundress or washerwoman.* 

*Tragedy struck in 1907 when Martha's brother Thomas went missing and was subsequently found drowned in the Thames. The circumstances were not known. He was working for Lovell's the builder as a labourer  and carter at the time. It was considered by some that he may have been worried about a summons he had recieved for drunk driving a horse and cart presumably because a conviction may have lead to the loss of his job. He had been sleeping rough at times over the few weeks before, although he had returned home by the time he was last seen alive. Verdict: Found Drowned. Age given as 49.  

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Related Posts

Sparkes family of the Barge Pole here

Index of posts about life in Dean Street when Reuben was growing up - here

The skewer trade in Marlow here

Posts linked to crime and disorder in old Marlow - here

To find every mention of an individual or family here use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu. There's more than 4,000 people mentioned there! 

Sources:

Census 1841,1851,1861,1891 - transcript made by Jane Pullinger. 

Sparkes family and 1880 election rioters research by Charlotte. 

 Bucks Chronicle and Bucks Gazette 5 May 1858. From the British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA. 

Bucks Herald 27 March 1858, 25 May 1861, January 24th 1863, 10 December 1881 as above. 

Windsor and Eton Express 24 Jan 1863. As above. 

Buckinghamshire Advertiser and Free Press 24 October 1863,as above

Reading Mercury 3 December 1875, 

Slough, Eton and Windsor Observer, 21 September 1907. Slough Reference Library. 

© MarlowAncestors 

The Life of Emma and Dennis Wargent

Today we are featuring former Marlow and Hurley residents Emma and Dennis Wargent. 

"Emma Price That Was"

Emma Price, the future Mrs Wargent, was born in 1827 in Great Marlow to John and Sarah Price. John worked in the most typical of Marlow occupations of the time - he was the captain of a barge or "barge master," which ran between Marlow and London. He transported goods not just originating in Marlow itself, but from a wide area around bought to one of the several Marlow wharves to move onwards. The family lived in Dean Street, or as it was often known at that time Well End (not the same as Well End, Little Marlow). This area contained the largest concentration of working class homes and especially later a (not always deserved) reputation for roughness. However much of the worse of that, with the association with poaching and skewer making, was a little in the future when Emma was born. The number of beer houses were yet to explode with the relaxed licencing of the 1830s. The occupation and income of the residents was of a mixed type than later, and some later subdivided homes were still intact with largish and pleasant gardens. The home of John Price, a cottage with garden, cost £4 a year to rent when it was up for sale in 1829. Crucially it was of sufficient value to qualify the occupier the right to vote in the Marlow elections. This was an open selling point for the property, in a time when local elections here were rarely without some claim of bought votes, corruption or indeed rioting! See the linked posts below for more on this. 

When she was  approximately 17 Emma married young tailor Thomas Davis*, of Spittal Street, son of Richard. (1843) Thomas and Emma settled in Dean Street too. While Thomas seems to have been successful in his business - he was described as a master tailor (that is one fully and professionally trained) he later chose to change occupation and became a grocer. A little obituary of Emma says this business was located at the corner of Quoiting Square - we are in the process of confirming this location. Most grocers lived on their trading premises at this point, and Emma and Thomas still lived in Dean Street at the time of the 1861 census although his occupation had changed to grocer. Prior to that change though, the young Emma worked as a satin stitch worker doing fine embroidery. This was probably the single biggest employment category for young women in Marlow outside of domestic service and lace making at this period. There were baby linen warehouses employing the women directly on the premises. Much however was done at home. It was not always well paid considering the skill and patience required but it was considered reliable employment. Amongst the bigger employers were the Flints of West Street of whom more here. Take a look at our recreated trade directories linked below to get a flavour of some of Marlow's other past industries. Some of Emma's younger unmarried sisters still residing in the Dean Street Price family home were also engaged in this work and dressmaking. 

Emma was bereaved young (1877). But she was not long a widow. In 1878 she married widower Dennis Wargent...

Dennis, gardener par excellence

Dennis Hignell (Hignall) Wargent was born in the late 1820s in Remenham near Henley. As a 14 year boy he was working as a servant at Remenham Lodge. Very probably in the garden. This was a very typical age to have begun a career as a domestic gardener. 10 years later he is specifically described as a garden labourer at Remenham. Although he as an under gardener may have had to do a considerable amount of the gardens "donkey work", he was also clearly trained in the finer art of producing superlative flowers and produce which was the point of these sometimes long "apprenticeships". Gardeners tended to move on to other positions once they were proficient unless the head gardener was perhaps likely to retire soon. 

Dennis scored a job at the significant Marlow property known in the whimsical style of the time as "The Cottage". This was in fact the 9 bedroom home later known as Quoitings/ Quoitings House/ Quoiting Place and now demolished. This had a gardener's lodge off Oxford Road, which would become home to Dennis and his then wife Hannah nee Bailey**. He was there by the time of the 1861 census. Mrs Sarah Faussett (Fawcett/Faucett) was resident in the main house. Quoitings had gardens known for their fruit as well as a small dairy - a common accessory for Marlow homes at this period including the grandest. In all around 13 acres. 

Throughout the 1860's Dennis romped home with prize after prize at the local horticultural shows and events. Balsams, roses, ferns...all grown to perfection by the hardworking gardener. Among the events he attended were the early versions of the Great Marlow horticultural society shows at Harleyford Park and Court Garden, and the charming sounding "rural fete" at Danesfield. 

One of Marlow's forgotten industries was that of wholesale fruit dealing, especially based around the Dean Street area. This meant the less scrupulous hoping to pilfer something with an easy resale value were fond of targeting fruit and nut frees in private gardens and on farms. Others of course just like to enjoy some free fruit. Whatever the motive, labourer Daniel Lovegrove of Marefield stole into the garden at The Cottage on a quiet Sunday in 1874 and made off with some prize apricots. Dennis however caught him at it, and Daniel was bought before the petty session court in Trinity Road. He received a 3s 6d fine for his trouble. 

A few years later, Hannah  Wargent died. She was buried in Remenham. 

Marriage Again

Emma and Dennis, both now widowed married each other in 1878. They lived in Hurley village a little along the river from Marlow. Dennis would continue to work as a gardener (for the Vicar Rev F T Wethered) and later a cow man there until his late 70s. He also spent many many years as the Hurley Parish clerk and also at times served as churchwarden there. 

Farewell to Emma

Emma sadly fell ill in 1892. She was advised to go to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington for more specialised care, but I am not certain what condition she had been suffering from. She died after a few weeks stay, and is buried in Hurley.  Her grave marker states her age at 70, some local death notices gave it as 68. 

The following year, Dennis would marry a third time, to Louisa. (Born Hagbourne, Berkshire). Would his senior years prove quiet? Not perfectly! As a respected local man and former parish clerk, he was invited to be the treasurer of the East Arms Slate Club in around 1896. The first 9 years were uneventful. Local men paid in a fixed sum (a shilling in 1904/5) per month to the Club, in exchange for claiming a certain amount of the pooled funds in the event of a calamity such as illness or the death of a spouse befalling them. Any unused funds were divided out between members who had kept up their subscriptions, usually just before Christmas at a special share out supper or dinner. Most were hosted by a pub, although chapels also ran them. A very large number were run locally, and there is a high chance of an ancestor belonging to one at some point. In 1905 the club secretary was Thomas Reed, a carpenter of Temple Cottages, Bisham who had held the role for 7 years. Thomas had unfortunately suffered regular periods of unemployment that year. Ahead of the December 1905 share out he went to Dennis and collected the Club funds to distribute to the expectant members. Dennis gave him a receipt and waved him off towards the East Arms. Thomas arrived about 7pm and found 40 members there ready to have a good time. He however announced that he had forgotten a few important documents and would need to go back and get them. He excused himself and the others got on with their celebration supper. The share out usually happened last and so Thomas had time to go. But come midnight, Thomas has not returned. Some of the members, initially concerned for his welfare, went to his home. There they met his puzzled wife who had not seen her husband since he had left telling her he was going to the East Arms. Some then began to feel a little doubt and recalled Thomas had seemed on edge. They went to the home of Dennis Wargent who confirmed Thomas had left him whilst carrying the club funds. The following morning Thomas had still not appeared and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was apprehended close by and confessed to spending the funds. He admitted it had been an act of foolishness but he said the unemployment he had suffered had made him do it. He could not however account for what he had done with the money. He said his heart had failed him when he knew he would have to face the music so he had fled. He was sentenced to 2 months in Reading gaol with hard labour. The poor savers got none of their money back. Dennis testified in court during the trial. 

In 1910, Dennis passed away aged 83. He had worked as a gardener until at least the age of 79. He is buried with second wife Emma at Hurley. See grave image at bottom. 

NOTE

* There was more than one Thomas Davis in Marlow at this time. Our Thomas was the son of Richard and Mary Davis of Spittal Street. The "other" Thomas Davis was resident in Oxford Lane at this point. They were a similar age.

** Hannah and Dennis married 1856 in Kensington. She was born circa 1821 in Waltham St Lawrence.

Related Posts:

The Flint family embroiders here

Potted history and landlord listing for the East Arms, Hurley here

Other posts related to Hurley: here

Slate clubs and poverty in Victorian and Edwardian Marlow - COMING SOON 

Where your gardening ancestor worked: here

Bargemen of Marlow - here

Posts related to the election violence and everyday life in old Marlow, plus links to the recreated trade directories: here

Every mention of an individual can be found in the A-Z person index top drop down menu where you will also find listings of more detailed biographies of people and families. 

Sources include:

Kelly's Directory Berkshire 1883. 

South Bucks Standard 28 October 1892. 

Reading Mercury 12 September 1863, 08 August 1874. 

Maidenhead Advertiser 29 May 1872. 

Census 1841,1851,1861,1871,1881 and 1891 - transcribed from microfilm by Jane Pullinger and Charlotte Day. 

Horticultural show records compiled by Kathryn - ongoing project. 

Emma Wargent died 1892. 

Dennis Wargent died March 8th 1910. Born Jan 1827.

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

© MarlowAncestors 

Grave and info Benjamin Leach and Emma Leach

 Lovely grave in the now disused Holy Trinity churchyard.

It is quite worn unfortunately but in summary:

Benjamin Leach died 1901 aged 54 beloved husband of Emma Leach. 

Emma died looks like 1920 aged 74.

Research:

Benjamin, born in Medmenham, was the landlord of the Hare and Hounds at Red Pits just outside Marlow. Previously a general dealer, he took over the pub from his elderly father George in 1883. George died the next year. Benjamin's mother Hannah retired to the almshouses before her own death in 1896. Local obituaries say Benjamin had suffered badly from gout and had had to access sickness benefits from the Oddfellows friendly society of which he was a member, for some time. 

Benjamin was accused of selling adulterated gin at the pub in 1886 (see Bucks Herald 4th December 1886. Copy held at the British Library. I accessed my copy via the BNA online October 2020).

Emma was née Watts Price. She seems to have been raised by her grandparents John and Sarah Price though her mother Eliza was in her life.

Related Posts:

Historic list of Hare and Hounds landlords here

For a full list of pub related history posts for Marlow, Little Marlow, Hurley, Medmenham and Lane End see here

Holy Trinity church: Early history of the church- here and modern exterior photos here.

Marlow's 100+ pubs etc  A-Z here

Sources for this post included:

Marlow Parish registers my transcription, General Registry Office online index of births, marriages and deaths, Medmenham parish registers transcribed on Familysearch, ran by the LDS.

UK Census transcribed by me from microfilm in case of 1881 and 71 and from Familysearch International, Intellectual Reserve Inc, ran by the LDS in the case of other censuses. Accessed in the latter case October 2020.

©Marlow Ancestors. You may freely reuse this image as you will, with credit to this blog. Quotations from the text should link here so my sources remain credited for information they provided but you are very welcome to reuse my research for family or local history purposes

 

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. 

Price Grave, Marlow

 Memorial stone to William Edward Waters Price. Died November 20 1925 age 6- years. 

Grave at Marlow Cemetery. Stone is lying on it's side at an angle.

Look under Graves on the menu for more grave photos for Marlow, Little Marlow and Hurley.

All mentions of any individual on this blog can be found on the Person Index.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this image for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog.

Early History of York Road, Marlow *updated*

 Updated by Charlotte October 2024.

York Road was officially adopted as a name for this new road in December 1884. There were a few houses already there which went by the name of  York Villas so the new name made sense. York Road was one of the earliest streets in the town laid out with all properties having running water available.

Despite this foresight the street was not favoured with universally high standards of building. Serious concerns about the structural integrity of some of the houses (which ones not specified) soon occurred. Their owners  on pain of the houses being condemned to demolition otherwise were forced by local authorities to carry out remedial work. Jerry building was very common in late Victorian times in the rush to build enough new homes. Properties in nearby Eton Place and Queens Road built around the same time were also problematic with some being pulled down scarcely a generation after being put up due to low quality workmanship. The remedial builders in York Road thankfully did an excellent job and we still have this attractive street in the town today.

Most of the early development seems to have been on the Dean Street side. The land in both sides had previously been in agricultural use. Though mostly residential there was also space in York Road for some businesses. Thomas Lomax ran a flour, coal and petrol dealership there in the late 1880s and there were two marine store dealers too. These had nothing to do with marine occupations despite the name. They were second hand sellers which dealt with goods primarily of interest to trade and business buyers- old pipes, nails, rope, agricultural implements, hand tools, barrels, timber etc. Some marine store dealers had shops but many like the York Road ones traded simply out of sheds and open yards. Daniel Clark's premises seem to have been at the Queen's Road end on the Oxford Road side. Though marine store keepers had to be licensed it was seen as a low class and slightly suspicious occupation. Many operated close to the edges of the law or beyond them. Daniel Clark, in York Road by 1891 and for many years later, was certainly a ne'er do well, pulling dodgy deals and, much worse, ill using both his horse and his wife Annie. She successfully applied for a separation order from him in 1908 after years of cruelty, seemingly fueled by alcohol. She later returned to him.

His proper name was Cooper Daniel Clark.

In 1917 Daniel and Annie, given as residing at number 19 York Road, received news that their two sons, previously listed as missing after "the fight for Kut" in January were now regarded as both presumed killed in action. These were Private S and Private Harold Clark, 4th Hampshire Regiment [Sidney born 1892 and Harold 1895]*

The couple's daughter Lydia was a cook but also helped her father out in his business, sometimes driving his "van" (horse drawn) though not without some brushes with the law as a result. 

In 1920 Daniel's marine stores were said to be at no 21 and his home at no 19. By 1927 the business is listed as A Clark. It has by then something of a flavour of a rag and bone business too by then. See the ad below.

The other late Victorian marine store dealer of York Road was the apparently respectable Mr Simmonds. He dealt hay and straw from the address too but while he had his sheds in the road he himself lived in nearby Dean Street.

What about other occupations?

In the male residents there was a noticeable number of gardeners mentioned in various records, mostly domestic but there were commercial market gardens off nearby Queen's Road that also would have potentially employed some of them.

Charles Sellman was an Edwardian and 1920s painter and decorator resident at no 20. 

Also in the 1920s I find adverts for the dairy of F.E Phillips who was based at no 52 York Road. The below ad dates from 1927.

As for the women, Gertrude Sherwin was a dressmaker there in 1915. The same occupation  was followed by Florence Sellman, daughter of Charles above. To read more about midwife Sarah Ann Price of number 7 York Road in the early 1900s see this post dedicated to her.

As you can see most of the first residents of York Road were working class but there were a few with more money to burn. When resident of Merton Cottage York Road Mary Plaistowe died in 1892 the contents of her home were auctioned off giving us via a report of this in the South Bucks Standard of 19th February 1892 [via the BNA / British Library Collaboration] a glimpse into her comfortable home. Mary could boast a marble topped wash stand, multiple pieces of mahogany furniture, a good pianoforte and a harmonium. She must have enjoyed games as she had a loo table (for the card game loo) and a bagatelle board too. She was probably the only York Road resident with buffalo horns on the wall but there were possibly others displaying that staple of Victorian interior design - a case of stuffed birds.  

Mary was the widow of Richard and had moved to the town from Great Missenden.

Post researched and written by Charlotte Day with photos by Kathryn Day.

To find posts dedicated to other specific streets or houses in Marlow see on the menu under "Specific Shops, Streets...Etc". All mentions of an individual on the blog can be found listed on the Person Index.

*posts on Marlow in World War One

1914

1915

1916

1917

1918-19

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

Other Sources included:

Census, Charlotte's transcription from microfilm.

Marlow Almanack and Directory 1907 by Marlow Printing Company.

Kellys Directories of Bucks etc  published by Kelly's Directories Limited 1911, 1915.

Maidenhead Advertiser 24th December 1884, held at the British Library and accessed via the BNA, October 2020. 

Thanks to Jane Pullinger for access to private family material.

The People of Linden Villa, Marlow

 Linden Villa alias Linden House was the left hand portion of the left side brick property in this photograph. Now knocked into the home next door. Situated Wycombe Road. It was an 8 room residence. Note: there was also a Linden Villa in Station Road in the late 1800s.

The first certain residents of the house were Harry and Rosa Calcutt and their children who lived there in 1880. Rosa's father was George Cannon the Marlow bookseller/stationer/chemist. Amongst his large property holdings was Linden Villa. He may well have built it. Following his death in 1882 all of his property was sold off. Harry and Rosa had just moved back to Little Marlow village anyway, where Harry farmed at Westhorpe Farm. Rosa however continued to run her father's shop in the High Street as a printers, stationers, circulating library and music sellers [Calcutt and Elgie]. On these premises Rosa had grown up.

Memories of Linden Villa would have had a touch of sadness for them, as it was there that their 4 year old daughter Mabel died in 1880.

Rosa herself had serious health problems for some years and died in 1891 following a bout of influenza and an operation.

By the late 1880s elderly widow Jemima Price, sometimes known by her middle name Susannah was the resident at Linden Villa. She was née Griffiths. Her census entries indicate she was born Sheerness, Kent though as a young woman she lived in Lambeth with her parents and she married her husband John Price (originally of Marlow) in Plumstead Kent in 1842. He is described as a foreman at a "works" on the census and in other sources as a contractor at the Woolwich docks. Yet another source says he ran a barge between London and Marlow. He retired to Marlow to run a pub. Unfortunately I do not yet know which one.

Jemima was without family in Marlow but reports of her death indicate plenty of friends. Suffering from some type of lung or breathing condition which occasioned mustard poultices for her shoulders, she was found unconscious on the floor of Linden Villa by one of those friends Mary White in 1891. Sadly she died without regaining consciousness. Mary White also lived in Wycombe Road.

In the 1910s the house was ran as a boarding house by Emma Smith. Her husband George was a market gardener.

The grave of Rosa Calcutt is shown above. Says died 1891 age 50. Also dedicated to her little girl Mabel Emily. It can be found in All Saints parish churchyard, lying back to back with Rosa's dad's grave. See separate post here for more about George and his business. 

You can find other posts about the history of specific houses, or streets etc in the index here

And to find every mention of an individual or family here see the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu where you will find over 4,300 names. 

©Marlow Ancestors. You may reuse this blog post and / or the image of Linden Villa for family and local history purposes if you credit this blog and link to it so all my sources remain credited for the information they provided. 

Sources:

Great Marlow Parish Registers

GRO death certificate Jemima Price

GRO death Index, online accessed from them November 2020.

Bucks Herald 10th January 1880, copy of paper held by the British Library, accessed online by me November 2020 via the BNA. [Death notice Mabel Calcutt]

Ordnance Survey map Great Marlow 1899.

My transcription of England and Wales census 1841-81 censuses.

To read more about Rosa Cannon's death and her illnesses before it see:

South Bucks Standard 26TH June 1891. British Newspaper Archive in collaboration with the British Library.

Midwife Sarah Price

If you had an ancestor born in Great Marlow between the late Victorian era (at least) and 1910 you may well have Sarah Ann Price to thank for their safe delivery. She had by 1903 delivered according to her around 900 Marlow babies- and counting. 

Sarah was born in 1836 as Sarah Ann Waters. She was baptised at Iver to Elizabeth and Richard Waters. Dad Richard was a miller, and moved around with his family several times to different mills including to Bray Mills and Temple Mills. The latter are by Marlow.

In 1859 Sarah married Marlow man William Price. I am uncertain at what point she began practising as a midwife but it was well before 1901. Her experience meant that when midwife's came to be registered she was able to continue despite not having medical qualifications.

In 1903 Sarah was a witness at an inquest when a baby which she had delivered died around 12 hours after birth. This was the child of Mr and Mrs North of West Street Marlow. The jury had to consider whether the mother might have accidentally rolled over in bed and suffocated the child, whether foul play may have occurred or if the child had been improperly attended to at birth. It must have been an anxious time for Sarah but the surgeon who had examined the dead child said that she had done a proper job at the birth Mr North who also gave evidence in support of Sarah. Nor were any signs of violence on the child which might have cast suspicion on the North family. A verdict of natural causes due to debility at birth was returned.

It is a sign that Sarah's expertise was highly valued that when the North parent's thought their child to be dying it was to her and not a doctor or surgeon they went to for help to save him.

On the midwives roll of 1905 Sarah is registered as living at number 7 York Road. She was still there in 1910. Earlier in her married life she and her husband had lived in Dean Street.

Sarah died in 1917 and was buried in Marlow Cemetery.

Related Posts:

Biography of Dr John Dunbar Dickson, of Marlow Cottage Hospital and council medical officer: here

Call the Apothecary here

Marlow Hero Nurse Cassidy here

Matron Mary Cole here

Benjamin Atkinson, surgeon here

The first Cottage Hospital and Provident Nursing Club here

More about the Cottage Hospital and the move to Glade Rd site  here 

©Marlow Ancestors.

Sources:

Marriage certificate.

The Midwife Roll, The Wellcome Trust London. Ref b24389596-:377959x. Ancestry. Com Operations Inc Provo, UT. Database online. 

Census Great Marlow 1861-1891. Transcribed by me from microfilm.

Census for Bray and Hurley transcriptions by Jane Pullinger.

GRO Death Registration Index.

South Bucks Standard 10th April 1903. Paper copy held at the British Library. Accessed via the BNA [Inquest].