Recreated 1920's Marlow High Street Trade Directory with notes

Part One - odd numbers

With notes

Recreated from adverts, letters, trade directories, property transactions, newspaper stories, court cases etc.

The property numbers quoted here are not necessarily going to match up with modern numbers because of demolitions and amalgamations or other reasons and remember that the High Street had already been renumbered in the 1910s so that any 1920s property numbers will not usually be referring to the same property as their Victorian counterparts. 

Some properties on this side of the High Street were residential at this time and are not included in this post. The post office was also in the High Street, and the entrance to the brewery.

Many people mentioned here already have multiple mentions on this blog. To see all posts featuring any person looking for that person on the A-Z Person Index on the top drop down menu. More High Street history posts are indexed here, including

1-3 Lawrence and Son estate agents for domestic and commercial sales and lettings, auctioneers, valuers, insurance agents. The surveyor at the company was John Robert Laird who lived on the premises with his family. The business was later "Lawrence Son and Laird". One of the Mr Lawrences was a director of the Marlow Water Company.

5 Harold John Welch hairdresser in 1920 (bn 1879). (Sometimes given as being at 3 but was not) / The Cafe (that was the official name!) ran by Rose Owles.

7 National Provisional and Union Bank  - previous occupants of this building are listed here. The bank manager Cuthbert Raymond lived on the premises with his family. This was normal for banks at the time. More history of this premises here

9 Mrs Bonner Wellicome antique and furniture dealer 1920,21 (in business by 1911) New Branch of London County Westminster And Parr Bank mentioned as opening at no 9 1922. Head clerk on opening was Mr G. W Cousins.

11 Welbourne and Simpsons printers. Simpson was Herbert Edward Simpson born c1872. Earlier Smith & Co stationers, printers and circulating library. By 1942 was just ran by Herbert as H.E Simpson's newsagent, tobacconist and lending library. At some point in the 1920s the printers also apparently used number 15 High Street.

13 Lawrence J Smith office insurance agent, correspondence address for Great Marlow Water Company. Also in 1920 custom and excise office of James Gauld and the premises of confectioner Bert Jaynes. Lawrence at least was still there in the early 1930s. Presumably the offices  were above or behind the shop.

17  Harrell Limited grocers. Below is an ad from 1929. Possibly had moved from the other side of the High Street.

Harrell's were still at no. 17 in 1939. In the early 1930s there was an off licence at no.45 High Street called Harrell's which must have been a related business. Number 17 was later taken over by Barksfield Brothers for a second Marlow premises. 

19-21 Charles Drye "coach builder" of long standing but was already moving into the field of motor cars. Business known initially as the Marlow Motor works, then  came to be known as the "Marlow Carriage and Motor Car Company". A lot more on the early days of motoring in Marlow in this post. Now W H Smith. 

23 British and Argentine Meat Company. There by 1915. Some staff seem to have lived in. Formerly the base of royal furniture makers the Mealings

25 Phillip Brothers fishmongers from at least 1911. Some staff lived on the premises. By 1931 was Mac Fisheries. 

27 George Frederick Hill offices? Later amalgamated with number 29 into one premises.

29 Arthur George Hill upholsterer and cabinet maker. Arthur was in business with James Henry Tugwood until 1900 when they dissolved their partnership as furniture dealers, upholsters and decorators under the name Tugwood and Hill. Thereafter Arthur continued under his own name only. He witnessed his neighbour Gutteridge (below) being burgled in 1912. In the 1930s this was Hill and Son Upholsterers and in 1942 "A.G Hill and Son".

31 William Guttridge  hairdresser, perfumer, fancy goods /Harriet Guttridge toy seller on the same premises. Husband and wife. William had been in premises some years. In 1912 he was was described as a hairdresser and tobacconist when he was burgled. [Building demolished]

33 Ellen Arnold confectioner. The toy shop today. Formerly the Way family premises see here, also Kempster's. 

35 Lovell's building company offices. Edward Turner the manager lived in the premises. Their builder's yard was behind some of the neighbouring buildings along here. They also had a bit of yard in Dedmere Road. Offices still here 1942. Lovells as a whole became a national business. In Marlow they also functioned as undertakers and house decorators. History of other former builders who occupied this property here and about Young James Lovell himself here.

37 Daisy Ilsley's Prep School 1921. Her sister Emma Ilsley taught music and shorthand here too /Leo Redver Ryan electrical supplies and radio seller/electrician in 1929, probably earlier too. Moved premises to number 44 by 1938. Killed when a bomb fell near Bovingdon Green in WW2. His son was also injured. They were delivering a radio. A WW1 Navy veteran. The Imperial War Museum has a photo of Leo as a young man see here (leaves this site). The man for whom Ryan's Mount in Marlow is named. 

41 [Cromwell House] Gerald Berkeley Wills offices several businesses. Surveyor and architect by 1920. He was still in the High Street several years later but I am not certain if his premises were still at Cromwell House. Gerald designed the Marlow Cottage Hospital in 1914. He built Wolmer Cottage Bovingdon Green and lived in it with his family. Prior to his marriage to his wife Kathleen, Gerald lived at Stratton House, West Street Marlow. By 1921 also offices of Cripps and Shone solicitors. 

The building became by 1926 the offices of the Marlow Urban District Council. It housed the Post Office from December 1897.  The council clerk Llewellyn Shone had an office in the building. 

Full history of Cromwell House here

47 Alfred Davis junior journalist. Prominent in the organisation of local sports - and the Olympics! 

49 Walter Davis tailor, hosier, hatter etc. A Long standing business. 

The Chequers Hotel / pub [53] Billiards room. RAC approved. Pub also mentioned as a "masonic hall" 1927. In 1920 and 21 run by Lillian Long (bn 1888) who took over the premises in 1917, having moved from London. Her husband William was a motor engineer. Could be something to do with the below motor company. There is some reason to believe William and Lillian also rented no 55 in the early 1920s. They had moved to Aylesbury by 1932 where William worked as the manager of the Aylesbury Motor Company.

55 Marlow Motor Company. Newly formed with £500 capital in 1920, most likely involving William Long above. Also the premises of an unknown electrical engineer in the same year. / The Corner Restaurant in 1927 which also offered boarding. In 1927 proprietor was Charles J Paul. Restaurant still there late 1930s. Charles was also an insurance agent. On corner of High Street/Institute Rd. 

57 Grays' Stores. Henry Gray born c1867. Took over the Clifton grocer's and wine merchant's in 1901. Initially ran the shop with his brother James who was also a rent collector / letting agent but James had left the shop by about 1906 to concentrate on the latter business. Henry's shop was one of the fancier places in town to buy your provisions. He lived in Glade Road in this period. James lived in the Old Vicarage then later the house Thamesfield.

59 Residential address of Harry Redgrave jobbing gardener as well as the office (and possibly rooms of) T.N.W Watts who was secretary to Hambledon Council. Long term surveyor and inspector of nuisances for Marlow Urban District Council. Today is Fego.

61 William and Thomas Sellman builders, plumbers and painters. Here by 1911. William lived in. The Sellmans left these particular premises before 1939. In 1942 no.61 was Tillion's florists. 

"Palmers" Dr George Downes. Physician. His home and medical premises in one. His wife Aileen Downs was instrumental during WW1 in setting up an Infant Welfare Centre in Marlow, which suffered from high infant mortality due to poor housing and poverty at that time.

67 James Eyre Jackson artist.

73 "Quarry House" Francis Culhane doctor, surgeon, councillor. Biographical post on him here

75 William Jackson dentist 1920. This building does not exist anymore. Not in same spot as modern 75. Formerly a doctor's premises.

77 George Morton antiques. By 1939 was Kendall and Morton antiques dealers. Not in same place as modern 77 due to renumbering.

79 William Robinson pianoforte tuner and music warehouse in 1920.  Had been there for some years. He probably also gave piano lessons. In 1921 his widow Lily Robinson operated as a piano and music dealer here. Not in position of modern 79 due to renumbering. 

81 Thomas Wheeler refreshment rooms. Also tobacco seller. These premises were on the corner with Station Road. Not the same as modern 81 due to renumbering. Thomas  was not there 1915. He had previously ran a restaurant in Slough. Born c1863. 

Also Honourable mention to 

Charles Carter baker and confectioner on the Causeway which is a continuation of the High Street. (In recent times was Burgers. A  long standing bakers premises)

- Unnumbered - Currall's Garage (sales and service) plus radio agents. (Building demolished) 

Part two will contain the even numbers plus selected references.

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

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War Dead Congregational Church

The Imperial War Museum has transcribed the memorial to the members of the Congregational Church (as it was then called) in Quoiting Square Marlow who fought in the First World War.  The transcribed names are listed below and I have added some research into those young men.

Bartlett, Gilbert

Batting, Horace

Grove, William B

Keates, Ronald

Loaring, William J

Peddle, Alfred 

Plumridge, Albert E

Robinson, William

Smith, Henry J

Research:

Gilbert Bartlett. Son of Mrs and Noah Bartlett. Born 1891. His dad ran a grocer's shop in West Street overlooking Quoiting Square. I believe Gilbert is also memorialised in the WW 1 memorial in Sir William Borlase School, which he certainly attended. He had emigrated to South Africa by the time the war started and was thus serving in the South African infantry when he died in 1916. More about his parents in this post where you can find a picture of their premises as they are today.

Horace Batting. Born Horace John Batting 1897 to Charlotte and John Batting. Dad was a gardener. He himself was a grocer's assistant. Lived York Road as a small child. As a 13 year old Herbert was soloist in the Congregational Church's choir. Lance Corporal in the Royal Fusiliers. Died 29th April 1917. On the war memorial at Arras. Parents had previously suffered the loss of their 3 year old daughter Gertrude.

William B Grove. Born 1897 to George and Emma Grove. Lived 1901 Cambridge Place, Cambridge Road. Died 1915. Kings Royal Rife Corps. Featured on the Menin Gate memorial. Dad George worked on the river as a boat building labourer, waterman and a steam launch driver as well as being an amateur rower.

Ronald Keates. In full Ronald Sidney Keates. Born 1895 to Anne and James. Grew up West Street Marlow. Age 10 won a prize in Marlow Horticultural Show 1905 for a bunch of wildflowers he had picked. I know it is a minor thing to mention but the image of the child Ronald wandering peacefully in the fields enjoying the flowers struck a chord with me when I read it considering what he would later live through. Private in the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry. Before the war he was a clerk. His father James was a builder's foreman, elected parish constable and town councillor.

William J Loaring. Private in the Royal Fusiliers 13th Battalion. Killed 4th August 1917 by a sniper. Included on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres. Employed at Morgan's the drapers in the High Street before the war. The Morgans were also Congregational Church members. To see an historic photo of the premises where William worked or to read more about the Morgan family see my post here

Alfred Peddle. Born 1894 to Alfred and Helen Peddle.

Above, grave of Alfred Harry Peddle. Killed In Action in France March 2nd 1917 age 22. Of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.  Grave is in Marlow Cemetery. He is buried with his parents who lived in York Road at the time of his death. He was a plumber.

Albert E Plumridge. Albert Ernest. Born 1881 in Bisham. Did not die until some years after the war. It may have been considered that his military service caused his death nevertheless. He was badly gassed in 1917 and was sent home to hospital in Stourbridge England. Albert was a worker at Temple Mills before becoming a motor launch driver on the river. He lived at Bisham with his wife Edith (née Finch) at first before moving to West End Gardens Marlow. These houses still exist but are not now known under that name. They are in Henley Road Marlow. Albert had been a regular player for Bisham football team as a teen / young adult, sometimes serving as the Vice Captain. I think he may also have been a rower.

William Robinson. Possibly born 1885 to Alice and William Robinson.

Henry J Smith. The town's main war memorial gives the name H.W Smith which was Henry William, who may be a relative. Henry J was a Private in the Buck's Battalion.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

For detailed posts on Marlow in WW1 see Kathryn's Posts 1914  1915  1916  1917  1918 and 1919

For more church related content see the Church Related option on the menu. There are also A-Z Person Indexes, Graves  and Wills options on the menu.

Sources Include:

Transcription of the memorial is ©WMR-8379. Imperial War Museum. Available on a Creative Commons BY-NC licence. 

Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Details of memorials on the continent and dates of death.

Bucks Herald 25th August 1917. Copy held at the British Library archives. Accessed March 2021 via the BNA.

South Bucks Standard 23rd December 1910. As above.

Reading Mercury 25th August 1917.

1891 and 1901 Census transcribed from microfilm images by me.

World War One Service Records 1914-20 database online. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVBG-1V55 WO 363. National Archives, Kew.

War Memorial All Saints Church, Marlow (commemorates all denominations).

Written and researched by Charlotte Day. 

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to reuse our research if you link here so that the sources listed above remain credited for the information they provided.

Robinson Wills

 1.) Will of Nicholas Robinson, gentleman of Great Marlow. Written 1837. Proved 1840.

See notes below.

Nicholas says he is of sound mind but of bodily infirmity. 

Debts and funeral expenses to be paid.

All he has to dear wife Elizabeth for the term of her natural life then at her decease it all to be divided equally between his sons and daughters (not individually named).

Mr Richard Stephens of No.12 York Place, City Road, St Mary ....don, Middlesex to be sole executor.

Witnessed by Thomas Rolls junior draper of Great Marlow and Solomon Green draper of Great Marlow.

Notes:

Nicholas Robinson was a retired London merchant who lived at Seymour Court, Marlow by 1831. In 1838 he witnessed the will of Hannah Webb of Marlow Bottom Farm. He died on the 7th April 1840 but I could not see him amongst the C of E burials in the town.

Elizabeth died on October 16th 1847 at Great Marlow aged 72 as announced in the relevant issue of the Gentleman's Magazine. The Reading Mercury of 23rd October 1847 (British Library Archives) called her "much and deservedly lamented". The couple had at least 4 daughters: Hannah who married into the Gibbons family of Marlow, Mary whose will is below, Sarah, and Rachel plus at least 3 sons.

Thomas Rolls was in the High Street.

2.) Mary Robinson will. Written 1840. Proved 1848. Spinster. She was the daughter of Nicholas above.

All she has to her three sisters Rachel, Sarah and Hannah equally.

Sole executor her friend Richard Stephens esquire of York Place, City Road, Middlesex. 

Witnessed by the curate of Little Marlow and Thomas Rolls of Great Marlow.

Notes:

Probate was granted to Mary's sister Sarah Robinson as her appointed executor died before he could prove the will. 

Mary was born in 1805. Hannah in 1815, Rachel in 1803 and Sarah in 1811. For some reason most were baptized as adults.

These P.C.C original wills held at the National Archives, Kew was transcribed by me Charlotte Day and then summarised here.

More wills from Marlow transcribed and indexed here.

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

WILL OF ANN FULLER

Ann Fuller of Great Marlow, singlewoman. Will written 1851 and proved 1852.

Margaret Hickman has kindly offered to be her executor so she is appointed as such.

Just debts, funeral and costs for proving the will are to be paid first.

1 guinea each to:

Sarah Truss, widow.

Elizabeth Piggott, widow.

The wife of Edward Edwards.

The wife of Benjamin Marcham.

Elizabeth ?Mayor? 

The wife of Thomas Robinson of Harleyford.

To the wife of Joseph Austin her fire irons, fender, and sheets.

To Hannah Austin her best ....ing.

Tea caddy to ....Hickman.

Chest of drawers to Margaret Hickman.

From the rest of the furniture and clothing Martha Atkins, Susan Cleobury, Ann B.... and Caroline ?Dark? can choose something to remember her by.

Rest of her possessions: half to the said Mrs Austin and half to be divided between the children of Mrs Austin.

Witnessed by Ann Fry and William Fry both of Marlow.

The will was proved by Margaret Hickman wife of George Hickman.

Notes:

Ann lived with an elderly William Hickman, a surgeon, in West Street Marlow at the time of the 1841 census. I am unsure if she was related to him as the 1841 census did not record household relationships. William died aged 94 in 1850. George Hickman was his son and also a surgeon. Margaret Hickman was nee Aitchinson.

Benjamin Marcham and his wife lived in Oxford Road.

The wife of Thomas Robinson of Harleyford was named Mary. He was a Chelsea Pensioner.

Elizabeth Piggott was a laundress in Chapel Street Marlow.

Sarah Truss was an elderly laundress of Spittal Street.

William Fry was a servant (live out) who lived in West Street. It is uncertain whom he worked for. He had a daughter called Ann but she would have been only in her mid teens in 1851 which seems young for a will witness, though not unprecedented. The grave of William and his wife Phebe / Phoebe can be seen on the blog here, and their home here

More Marlow will summaries indexed here.

All mentions of any individual on this blog can be found by looking at the A-Z Person Index.

©Marlow Ancestors.

Will is held at the National Archives Kew. Transcribed by me and then summarised here.

Young Offenders At Marlow

This post is to give an idea on how children who committed crimes (in the eyes of their elders) were treated in Victorian Marlow. Some of our juvenile offenders have already received a post of their own. This is a more or less random selection of a few others that we came across during our research. 

The first thing that is obvious is the child's family would have a bearing on the sentence the young one recieved. If the miscreant was considered to come from an otherwise respectable family, this fact is carefully noted in reports and considered a mitigating factor come sentencing time. But if the child's parents were considered lacking in such respectability, the child was feared to be more likely to commit another misdeed and was without doubt treated more harshly.  It's unlikely a middle class child committing a theft would get sent to a  reformatory for example. So the child's appearance in court and that of their parents mattered. 

Thomas Plumridge

Going in date order, our first case is from 1843 and it involves Thomas Plumridge who is described at "about 11". He was caught stealing a piece of pork from grocer Joseph Eagle* of Spittal Street. There are two possible candidates for this young man - one the son of William and Ann of Gun Lane, the other from Handy Cross. The tearful lad presented a truly penitent appearance in their eyes.  He was able to present witnesses as to his "excellent character" which along with a guilty plea helped him escape with just 3 days in prison. He had been put up to the theft by other unnamed boys he said. Sometimes a explanation like this worked in a child's favour, in other cases it had the opposite effect and bought down warnings against a moral failing and inability to resist sin. Thomas does not seem to have erred again regardless! 

Emily Grace

Moving to 1860, we come to a contrasting case, that of twelve year old Emily Grace**. Emily was up in court for theft. She had gone into the Washbourne's Seminary for Young Ladies (a small private day and boarding school) and removed several items belonging to the young pupils from the place where the girls hung their clothes. These were later detailed as a hat and coat valued at 4 shillings and a hat and cape valued at the same. At the same time she was accused of stealing an umbrella from the parish church. Umbrellas were relatively more valuable as well as easy to abstract so were not infrequent subjects of thefts at the time. Emily was seen at the Washbourne's when the clothes were missed and a search at her home revealed the missing items hidden away. It may well be they intended to pawn them. Young Emily confessed and plead guilty at trial. Unfortunately for her, she was not regarded as coming from a strictly respectable home. The wider Grace family were frequently before the bench. PC Nash considered her a victim of bad parenting and suggested it would be "beneficial to remove her from the scene of her vice for a time."  The newspaper reports were also quick to accuse her elders as providing "very indifferent training" to Emily. A household that was considered likely to encourage their offspring into a life of crime, or at least one that did not prove capable of controlling an errant child was just the sort the authorities feared. And so Emily was considered the ideal candidate to be sent to  reformatory. This was a sort of prison come school where the children were taught "honest industry" in the hope they would gain legitimate employment on release. She was put into prison for 2 weeks first, which was at the time a requirement, and then was handed over to a representative of Hampstead Reformatory for Girls where she was sentenced to spend the next 3 years. (The minimum term was 2 years.) These institutions varied hugely in quality, but Hampstead was thought to be one of the better ones at the time. Let us hope it was. The father of Emily, Richard Grace, was summoned a few months later for failing to make the compulsory maintenance payments towards his daughters upkeep at the Institution. The newspapers headed that reported again that Emily was a victim of "bad bringing up". The court considered that Richard was earning good money and could easily afford to pay for Emily but "cared little" about doing so. 

There was no possibility of remaining annoymous if you were child criminal. Public shame was no doubt meant to act as a deterrent. But it must have made it difficult for the girls trained in their "honest industry" to get jobs thereafter, at least in their home area. Emily was 15 on her release. Obviously many young unmarried women were servants and this might well have been the job Emily was always destined for. But now she had a public bad character it was going to be difficult for her to access  this big source of employment. In the end she went to work as a servant for Elizabeth Keene, who is supposed to have taken her on out of charity. But less than a month into the job, Elizabeth missed a pair of boots which were found in Emily's possession. Emily confessed to taking them and this time she was sentenced to serve 9 months in Aylesbury gaol with hard labour. She was 16. On release Emily returned to live with her parents. She would go on to have two illegitimate children, before marrying James Smith in 1879.  (She was unable to prove paternity for the second child born 1871 so no money was forthcoming from the alleged father, John Howard. At the hearing where that was settled there was said to be raucous scenes with much swearing from both sides!!) The couple moved to Essex, the birthplace of James.

George Robinson

Next "criminal" is 12 year old George Robinson. He was guilty of doing what seems at first to be simply behaving as a child - running through a Marlow Bottom field with some other boys while playing a game. However corn was growing there and crop damage was taken seriously at a time when many farmers were operating on a small margin. The other lads got away, but George was recognised and somewhat unfairly was made to pay costs amounting to the whole estimated value of the corn damaged by all the group - 10s. His mother Emma said George was a good boy and she appealed for mercy as he "had no father". In this case it meant she was a widower. She explained that George worked to help support his household, along with brother William age 14. Both were working as furriers then but George was previously a shoemaker. Emma was a needlewoman. The court said they would be as lenient as possible and so George recieved a 6d fine plus costs and the compensation mentioned above. If his mother had not been able to pay, George would have been required to spend two weeks in jail. 

 Owen Hatch 

Lastly we have a case from the end of the era. Owen Hatch age 7 had set alight two pig styes and a shed at Cookham Dean. All were completely destroyed. It would cost elderly  owner Henry Clark at least £5 to replace them. As he had "respectable parents" and was normally well behaved, he was let off with a telling off.  It seems that Owen had been playing with matches and acting only out of misplaced curiousity. The petty sessions established that Owen's family could not afford to compensate Henry Clark for his heavy loss as the father was not in regular employment at the time. Therefore it was decided to set up a subscription fund so well wishers could make good his loss. I believe the amount was comfortably raised. 

Related Posts:

*You can read about Joseph Eagles grocer shop here

 **More about the Grace family (caution, some distressing content) here

The Washbourne's school here

Crime and punishment in old Marlow: here

Pictures of the old police station and police court and it's history : here

Case of Mary Ann Burt, child thief  here 

To find all mentions of an individual or family here, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. There's over 4,000 people listed there. 

Cookham Dean and other areas near Great Marlow - post list here

Written by Kathryn Day. 

Sources: Washbourne family research by Charlotte. 

Judicial record summary by Jane Pullinger 1975. 

Census 1841,51,61 - transcript from microfilm  by Jane Pullinger. 

Reports From The Commissionees Vol 38, Great Britain House of Commons. 1866.

Wilkinson, Robert  - The Reformatory and Industrial Schools Acts 1866 with notes etc  (Knight and Company 1867)

The Reformatory and Refuge Journal 1860.  (Reformatory and Refuge Union,1861)

Slough, Eton and Windsor Observer 28 September 1889. Slough Library. 

© MarlowAncestors.

The graves of faithful Clayton servants - Trent, Bennett, Boyle, Robinson, Gray

 Above two, the substantial grave of Elizabeth Boyle erected by her emoloyer Sir William Robert Clayton. 

In memoriam of Elizabeth Boyle, d. Mar 29th 1844

Age 6? years. 

"Nearly 20 years ....proved herself a faithful and (attached?) housekeeper to Sir William Robert Clayton Bart, who enscribes this stone in memorial to the strict integrity and ....fidelity with which she ..  ably perform the duties of her situation"

Above, A faithful and honest servant, above, Ann Trent, 8 years in the service of General Sir William Robert Clayton, Bart. D. Monday, Feb 1? 1858 age 50 years. Stone erected in token of her "strict integrity." 

ABOVE, Sir William Robert Claytons faithful and honest servant Mrs Sarah Bennett, d June 24 18?? age 56. Stone also erected in honour of her "strict integrity"

Hard to decipher grave of Thomas Robinson, servant to Lieut. General Sir William Robert Clayton during military service.  In honour of a "brave soldier and good servant"

Above, grave of Sarah Gray Died May 17th 18(17?) At Harleyford for (25?) years. Erected by "her attached master"  Sir William Robert Clayton, Bart in honour of her exemplary fidelity and honesty  and excellent character. 

In 1827, the funeral of another Clayton servant was reported across the country. The unnamed servant had spent 45 years in service to the family and the funeral was attended by 14 male servants of Harleyford, with a combined 771 years of age between them (and a total of 461 years of service to the Clayton's between them)

One - J Beavor - aged 92 had spent 77 years there. 

More Information:

To find every mention of an individual or family here use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu.

Grave/memorial image index here

Posts related to Harleyford here

Sources

John Ball 16 Apr 1827 - copy held in the British Library and accessed via the BNA

Lancaster Gazette, 21 Apr 1827, as above.

Bells Weekly Messenger, 16 Apr 1827, as above. 

Windsor and Eton Express  14 April 1827

©Marlow Ancestors. Reproduction welcome with credit.

Will Summary Joan Robinson of Great Marlow 1753

 I obtained a copy of this PCC will from the National Archives, Kew and transcribed it. This is a summary.

JOAN ROBINSON WIDOW LATE OF BRAY BERKSHIRE BUT NOW OF GREAT MARLOW. WILL PROVED 1753.

Commends soul to God. Burial at executor's discretion.

Puts £50 in to custody of Charles Jones of Cookham yeoman and Charles Robinson her "son in law"* of .... Bucks bargeowner. This £50 is in trust for the benefit of testator's kinsman Thomas and William Hunt sons of William of Upton. These boys will receive the interest of the money until they 21 then they will receive half of the £50 each. If either dies before the other then the survivor gets their share.

Son in law Charles Robinson £100 for himself

Sister in law Mary Hunt of Maidenhead £20 and half share of all testator's wearing apparel and household linens and woolens. Other half to the wife of testator's son in law John Robinson of Great Marlow, waggoner. 

Grandson Edward White £5. If he dies the money to testator's sister Mary Hunt. Similarly if she dies before receiving her financial legacy as above then Edward is to receive it.

That John Robinson gets all residual money, household goods, plate etc and is made executor.

Witnesses William Willis and William Allen.

©Marlow Ancestors. Reproduction freely  permitted for family or local history purposes with credit.

To find all mentions of an individual or family here, look at the A-Z person index in the top drop down index. 

Great Marlow Stagecoach Services

  This is a follow up post to our entry on the Wyatt family who did so much to make coach travel faster for late 18th and early 19thc Marlow residents.  Their service to London, run with a series of partners and finally alone, was known as The Original and then The Wyatts coach. You can read more here.

But there were others services and this is an overview of the main other ones. 

The coaching trade boosted income for the innkeepers who provided a starting or finishing point for a journey. Coach building and maintenance for those owning their own private coach or carriage also provided work. We will mention Marlow resident Mr Lovegrove who advertised his coach painting services in 1770.  He had he said, been "regularly bred to the profession in London" and would do the job in the best and most professional manner. 

At first Marlow did not have a daily stagecoach service. In 1773 there were journeys made three times a week to London in the summer and twice weekly in winter. 

In May 1788 a new daily post coach run by Saunders, Smith and Co started running from Mr Dixon's the Lower Crown. Sundays were of course excepted. It left at 7am and returned to Marlow on the same day at 2pm. It arrived at the bustling coach interchange known as  The New White Horse Cellar Piccadilly. It's route went via Little Marlow, Wooburn and Taplow. The newspapers at this time carried advertisements for a coachman to serve this new route.  So what qualities would a coach driver need? Mr Dixon was mindful of the reputation some drivers had for being drunk in charge and reckless with both coach and horses. So his ideal candidate should be steady and sober, and must have held a similar role for some time. Experience with driving in both London and country areas was essential as was a good temper. What especially dates the ad is a requirement for the successful candidate to be free of smallpox.  

In 1790, the Lower Crown's London coach was leaving an hour earlier. It took an hour to get to Maidenhead, and 4 hours to reach London itself. Three years later, a "neat, new, elegant" London coach was run from the same Lower Crown by Minchener's [also occurs as Miltchener, this was Elizabeth of Colnbrook], later a partner of Wyatts. The first service set forth on the 8th April 1793, promising lower fares. The charge for travelling in the more expensive interior seats was 8s from Marlow to London in 1797, one shilling less if travelling from Maidenhead. There was also a special rate for small parcels at 4d. This coach went via Maidenhead (Swan Inn) to Piccadilly as before, but it also now advertised that it stopped at the New Inn, Old Bailey. It took longer to arrive in London than the previous coach, at 5 hours. But it was "safe, easy, and expeditious", at least if no highwayman were about. Sadly Minchener went bankrupt in 1806. A daily service departing from the King's Head, Old Change at 10am is also mentioned in 1793. 

Moving on to 1798 a new Marlow coach to the capital was started from Mrs Chapman's Upper Crown. This went through Maidenhead and arrived at the Bolt and Ton, Fleet Street via the inevitable New White Horse Cellar, Piccadilly. If the thought of getting up early to catch this coach was off putting and you wanted the luxury of selecting your own departure time, then the proprietors would allow you to hire out the entire coach and it would then set out when you chose. That however was an expensive option.  Around this time or a little later William Williams was running a post coach from the Lower Crown. William moved his post business to the Corporation Arms in High Wycombe in 1808, still promising to make travel as comfortable as possible for all those "pleased to honour him with their favours". 

It was not just the two Crown Inns that were coach stops. In 1819 Robert Mossington (Mossenton) had recently taken over the Greyhound Inn in Spittal Street. He was keen for everyone to know he had spent a great deal of time and effort on fitting up the premises in the most modern manner. He would also be running a new service to London, known as The Accomodation coach -  "All possible attention will be paid to safety, convenience and comfort of passengers". This took 5 hours so no real improvement had been made on earlier running times. Robert seems to have done very well at the parcel carrying part of his business, and so he also recruited the Two Brewers in St Peters Street to act as a parcel booking office. He offered a slightly later start from Marlow than his rivals at first - 8am with a return from the city at noon (later 2.30 pm) the following day. He did eventually bring his start time from Marlow back more in line with that of his rivals. The route was via Little Marlow, Maidenhead (the White Hart), Burnham and Slough to the Bull Inn, Holborn, the Belle Savage, Ludgate Hill and The Gloucester Coffee House.  Fares were 12s for a hopefully more comfortable interior seat, and 7s for an outside one, to London. He obviously was doing something right as a little over a month after starting his coach, he decided to make it a daily rather than thrice weekly service. (Sundays excepted)

WS Williams and Co obviously thought there was demand for another London service and so they launched a new post coach from The Greyhound in 1820. I believe they may have already run to London via Little Marlow, Wooburn and Taplow as they tell us in the adverts launching the new service that the coach serving these places will run unchanged bar an earlier start time.  They followed this by The Favourite in 1823  - more or less following the route and timings of Wyatt's the Original which was still going.  The Favourite went via Bisham (the Bull), Pinkneys Green (the Golden Ball), Maidenhead (White Hart), and Taplow (The Dumb Bell Inn) to Gloucester Coffee House, Piccadilly, and the Belle Sauvage, Lydgate Hill  London, daily, except Sundays. And why should you use Mr Williams service? He carried only 4 inside passengers in The Favourite, so was offering more leg room! He said his service had been timed not to interfere with existing services but this was only true on the return leg, which also took in Aldgate. Both the Favourite and The Original left Marlow at 9am (The first Williams coach left much earlier). The Favourite departed from the Greyhound, and also used The Two Brewers and The Bull Bisham as booking offices. Relations between the old and new service were naturally strained. When the two coaches met at the famous coaching stop the White Horse Cellar in London in September 1823, (before the timings had been moved further apart)  Wyatt and his rival Marlow coachman, a Mr Bonus came to blows. Wyatt accused Bonus of assaulting him, by punching and kicking but Bonus said he was provoked and warned Wyatt he would do just so if he did not leave off annoying him. Witnesses agreed with Bonus who was therefore unpunished. The trigger for the squabble was the sight by Wyatt of a lady who had formerly been a regular passenger of his was now a customer of Bonus. Wyatt said he had merely approached her calmly and asked for her to consider using his coach again. At this, he claimed Bonus had approached him and attacked. Bonus said the lady was actually already inside his coach at the time and Wyatt had been standing on the coach step conversing with her and offering to undercut Bonus. A very competitive market! The Favourite deposited it's passengers, purloined or otherwise at Marlow at 7.30pm.

Then there's the services that ran from Wycombe to Henley or Reading via Marlow. The coach and especially the numerous carrier services changed over time so this is just a summary. The Industry also known as Hone's Coach after it's operator, is probably the best known post coach. It started in 1828 and initially ran every day except Sundays. But within a few months, the service was reduced to running 3 times a week. (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, with Wednesday replacing Tuesday by 1830, left Reading at 4.45pm, later 3pm) However some services tweaked their timetable to reduce services over the winter when travel was less appealing, so the service was naturally changeable. The Industry is interesting because operator Hones & Co was a big concern in Reading and they timed their departures for Marlow and Wycombe for after the coaches from other major destinations had arrived, such as Bath, Brighton, Portsmouth and Bristol. So if your ancestor came to Marlow from further afield, this may well have been the route they took to arrive in town. In 1830 the mile stones between Marlow, Henley, and Reading were "newly painted and fitted up" so a traveller "has now a chance of knowing how far he is progressing". Those showing Marlow 1 mile must have elicited a silent cheer for the weary passengers. On the return from Henley, the coach pulled up at The Upper Crown at 7pm, but in the reverse direction passengers boarded at the Red Lion in West Street. Another service running from The Falcon, Wycombe to the White Hart Henley via the Three Tuns, Marlow was The Sociable by Thomas Hall, later known as "The Van", on Tuesdays and Fridays. The Van was afterwards ran by Lofting then Farley, from The Greyhound and the Tuns with the Halls operating a service from the Clayton Arms. Other carriers in this pre Victorian period include Thomas Wyatt's "Wagon" which went daily to London from The Horns, Chapel Street via Maidenhead and Salt Hill, Slough, and James Druce who ran to Wycombe on Fridays.

The Wonder omnibus with its beloved charismatic driver Charlie Burns went from the Crown (upper) to Maidenhead to meet the trains before the line came to Marlow. He will be the subject of his own post in the future.

Notes : In 1670 the carriers to London from Marlow came there every Tuesday, stopping at the Swanne in the Strand.  

1842 - carriers to London - Johnson, goes to the Bell, Warwick Lane, returning to Marlow on Thursday at noon. Robinson, to the The Rose, Smithfield, returning from there Tues and Fri mornings, and Wyatt's to the King's Arms, Holborn and White Bear, Piccadilly, returning Tues and Sats. (In 1807 the stop is called the Black Bear)

 Other later Victorian carriers include:

James Johnson of The Plough (to London once a week returning two days later), Charles and Tracey Wyatt (a man, Tracey was a male name then!)  from the Horns Inn Yard to The New Inn, Old Bailey and Piccadilly twice weekly, returning the next day each time, Wyatts from the Horns to Maidenhead and Slough, Richard Robinson from the Greyhound to Wycombe twice weekly. And there was a coach service from The George and Dragon once a day each to Henley and Windsor in the 1880s. And an omnibus to Windsor from the Greyhound to meet the South Western trains once a day.

Related Posts

More transport related posts can be found in the listing here

 All posts relating to an individual can be found under the A-Z person index on the top drop down menu. 

Marlow highwayman Peter Rivers here

Marlow's toll gates here

For posts related to the inns mentioned, use the Pub Related option, yes also on the top drop down menu! 

Researched and written by Kathryn Day. 

SOURCES

Extract of the annual returns of the Great Marlow and Stokenchurch Turnpike Trust. Great Britain House of Commons. 1851, Vol 18

Kent's Directory for the year 1793 (Richard & Henry Causton, 1793)

Taylor, John. The Carriers’ Cosmography. The Map of Early Modern London, Edition 6.6, edited by Janelle Jenstad, U of Victoria, 30 Jun. 2021, mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/6.6/CARR1.htm.

Reading Mercury 19 March 1770, 9 March 1773,  17 May 1780, 17 & 24  April 1788, 1 August 1789, 4 March 1793, 27 June 1796, 17 April 1797, 14 May 1798, 16 September 1811, all copies from The British Library. 

Oxford Journal 28 July 1787, 4 August 1804, 30 April 1808. As above. 

Windsor and Eton Express 05 September 1819, August 6 1820, 9 August 1823. As above. 

Berks Chronicle 6 September & 15 November 1828, 21 August 1830. As above. 

Bucks Gazette 19 February 1831, 31 March 1832, 24 October 1835 As above. 

Pigots Directory 1830, 1831,1842, 1844

Bucks Herald 3rd October 1840, As above

Bucks Chronicle and Bucks Gazette  24 November 1849

Statesman, 4 Oct 1823. 

Enrolment books, deposited with Clerk of the Peace, ref Q/RX 1835, Bucks Archives. 

Robson's London Directory 1842. 

Slaters Commercial Directory 1851

High Wycombe Directory and Handbook 1885

Crosby's Complete Pocket Gazette (B Crosby & Co, 1807, 1815)

Dutton, Allen and Co Directory and Gazetteer 1869

Kent's Directory for the Year 1793 (Richard and Henry Causton 1793)

©Marlow Ancestors

Skewer Makers of Dean Street

UPDATED JULY 2024

If you took a wander down Dean Street in Great Marlow, early in the morning in the first half of the 1800s, you would have seen a stream of men and donkeys heading out of town. Their mission was to gather hazel or privet wood known as "prickwood" from hedgerows for the making of skewers. The skewers these men fashioned supplied much of the London meat industry although they were also used by butcher's shops throughout the South. So associated with skewer making were these men with their donkeys that anyone in Buckinghamshire who saw a passing man and donkey presumed that there went a Marlow "skewerter." They then proceeded to lock up their hedgerows so to speak! More on that below. Dean Street was colloquially known in town as Skewer Street. The skewer makers sat in their doorways on Sundays making their skewers, having spent the rest of the week gathering the wood. Some women as well as the children learning the trade sat making them too. The family donkey would be in the passage of the house looking on.

Skewer making was a major industry for the town but one that doesn't get the attention of the lace, thimble or paper industries for which Marlow is well known.

Late Victorian references to the by then mostly vanished trade said many of those involved had been of gipsy origin. It is certainly the case that a number of Dean Street families had gipsy roots. Even though most were living a settled lifestyle as early as the beginning of Victoria's reign their descendants could still recall their origins and would define themselves as gipsy into the modern day.

Not all families involved were gipsy however, not by any means. 

Some of the gathering of wood ("prick wood") from hedgerows around Marlow itself rather than further afield, was also done by the women of skewer making families travelling on foot.

One of the problems the skewer makers always had was getting the wood both in the Marlow area and further away. The hedgerows belonged to the landowners and taking any amount of wood from them was theft. Many convictions for such were accrued by the Dean Street men. However considering the scale of operations even those levels of prosecutions suggest that some tolerance may have been exercised by some landowners. Either that or the skewerters were good at a speedy getaway!

Prosecutions often involved wood stolen from the richest local landowners. Marlow skewerters sometimes expressed in their defence at those times that they did not regard their taking of skewer wood to be a crime. They were pursuing a traditional occupation complicated by no fault of their own and without them having any power to prevent it by Enclosure acts which cut the poor off from traditional common land. Some of the wood taken was from coverts which the landowners themselves maintained purely for leisure game shooting. Popular opinion amongst the poorer people in Marlow was firmly with the skewerters and their right to gather.

The first conviction we have found for wood theft by skewer makers was in 1829. Then "Todd and Robinson" skewer makers of Great Marlow received 2 months in Aylesbury Gaol for stealing prick wood at Burnham.

Most thefts were small but in 1839 three Marlow men were convicted of stealing EIGHT THOUSAND sprigs from the undergrowth of a hedgerow at Gray's Court near Henley. Charles Bowles aka Guinea Bean was committed to Oxford Castle for 12 months and was ordered to be whipped twice in addition. Thomas Bowles was fined £8, and Thomas Frith the same but in default of payment was also imprisoned.

A probable relative of the two Bowles men above was John Bowles who was fined 9 shillings including costs for cutting wood for skewers in 1846. 

The youngest skewer maker I have seen so far is aged 16 on the 1851 census, Joseph Perry (later of the Fighting Cocks Pub). His 19 year old brother James and dad also James followed the same trade. The mum in this family Ellen [correctly Eleanor] was a lace maker like a high percentage of other women in Dean Street both married and unmarried. That women like Ellen also worked for pay, outside of the socially preferred model of family life at the time which would have them be full time housewives, is a sign that skewer making was not a high income occupation for their husbands. That is likely also why such a high number of Dean Street skewer makers were also convicted poachers. 

In the opinion of many being of a thieving disposition and being a skewer maker went hand in hand. The London Daily News for instance in 1848 thought that because the profession was built upon the habitual use of stolen wood something like a moral infection crept into the souls of these families and they couldn't resist poaching or other stealing. It was too much like second nature for them. The paper more or less labelled theft in the town as being down to the malign influence of these skewerters. Why the country courts throughout England were perpetually full of poaching or other larceny cases despite the absence of the skewer trade they didn't say.

Skewer making was seasonal, as suitable wood could not be found all year. Thus although many defined themselves predominately as skewer makers, none could follow this occupation year round. In between times most men were day labourers (which could get little work in winter and were always very poorly paid) while other men and some women became hawkers of fruit and veg, especially cherries. The transitory nature of skewer making work didn't seem to be understood  by the powers that be.

Investigations by the government into the poor laws in 1834 heard evidence from Marlow officials. These said that the part time skewer makers were often on poor relief and committing fraud by working at the same time for good wages. This makes little sense as by the officials own admission those on poor relief were required to work from 6 am to 6pm for the parish. This would be the hardest work in all weathers. No one would do this if they were, as alleged, making a good wage from just a few hours work of an evening skewer making. One Marlow poor relief officer a Mr Gibbons said the guilty skewerters of Dean Street could "live very extravagantly in reference to their station in life" and be "excellent customers to the public houses for beer". These would be the tiny beer houses in the street which made so little money most families who ran them needed to have an additional occupation and take in lodgers in order to survive. And by living extravagantly he must have meant living in overcrowded conditions in poorly maintained houses as that is what the skewerters did. Many went to gaol as they couldn't pay the fines given to them upon their conviction for taking the prick wood. They may have been seen at certain times of the year buying multiple articles, such as new clothes, but that was because those were the good times when skewer making season was on again, and the involved families finally had money to spend on essentials after often months of hardship.

The skewer trade began to fade in the 1860s but it took a while to die. Edward James Mortimer Collins writing in 1869 still said that Marlow was famous for skewers without putting that fact in the past tense. There were still skewerters in the early 1880s too and as late as 1889 John Bowles skewer maker of Marlow was fined for letting his donkey stray onto the highway.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

To find ancestors on the blog look at the Person Index option on the drop down menu.

Some Sources:

Newspapers at the British Library, accessed via the BNA:

Bucks Gazette December 12th 1829.

Bucks Herald 13th April 1833 and 8th June 1889.

Oxford University and City Herald and also the Bucks Gazette 13th April 1839.

Oxford Chronicle 31st Jan 1846. As above.

Above copies held at the British Library and digitized by the BNA. Accessed by us April 2021.

London Daily News. London Daily News 30th November 1848.

Windsor & Eton Express 19 July 1831, as above. 

1851 census Charlotte's transcriptions from microfilm.

Two Reports Addressed To His Majesties Commissioners Appointed To Inquire Into The Poor Laws. 1834.

The Ivory Gate Volume One by Edward James Mortimer Collins. Published by Hurst and Blackett 1869. Oxford University Library. Digitized by Google.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this content for family and local history purposes with credit to this blog and a link here so that our sources listed above remain credited for providing information.

Landlords / History Royal Oak Bovingdon Green

 

Updated May 2026

Historic landlords listings are compiled from censuses, court cases, advertisements, wills, property records (some uniquely held by us) etc.

The pub building dates from the 1600s apparently. In the 1800s it was often used for coroner's inquests and sometimes for auctions too. A lovely place now but a pretty rough establishment in late Victorian times. You can find out more about Edward Collins and the pub in general in my Bovingdon Green in the 1800s post here

1794- Mr Langton the brewer leased it. 

1833-54 Edward Collins. Licence upgraded to alehouse from beerseller 1843. This was at first refused by the licensing magistrates as Edward had done nothing to stop two of his arguing customers from taking their disagreement out onto the green and brawling until one of them died. What's more he was alleged to have given the fighters lights to see by during the brawl. After the license upgrade refusal many Marlow and Bovingdon Green people wrote to the magistrates in support of Edward saying he was a man of good character who could be trusted to sell more than beer responsibly and they relented. There were greater standards expected of those who sold more than beer because other drinks were seen as more potent and thus more likely to result in addictive or unsavoury behaviour. Edward died 1854. In his will written in 1848 and proven 1854, he left all he had to his daughter Sophia Collins and niece Elizabeth ?Foley?

1859-63 Joseph Lee. A William Lee, James Lee both mentioned as living on the  premises 1863, presumably family.. James fined for being drunk at Bovingdon Green and "putting himself in a fighting attitude near the public pump" (?!?).

1863-69 James Leach

1869 - up to let for an annual rent of £15. 

1871-80 James Twitchen. Wife Alice nee Croxon. James later became a cattle dealer. James had moved from the Prince of Wales pub in Marlow when he came to Bovingdon Green. A different, older James Twitchen was at the Queen's Head Little Marlow.

1881-91 William Robinson who was originally from Scotland.

1891-93 Henry Tilbury. Wife Fanny. Henry became a farmer at Fingest. In 1892 came to assistance of a badly burned worker following a fire at nearby Blounts Farm but sadly the man passed away in Marlow Hospital. The man with his fellow workers had been drinking in the pub earlier that evening.

1893-97 Leonard Wheeler. Wife Mary. Became a farmer at Copy Farm Marlow after he left the pub. He came from a farming family at Wargrave.

1897-1902 George James Baigent. (Often referred to as James) Also a building contractor who occupied a field next to the pub in that capacity. Grew peas in a field near the pub. Victorian pub landlords often had their fingers in many business pies! Sold up 1902 and later moved to Haddenham to run a pub (Ye Olde Cider House) and building contactor business but became insolvent 1906. In 1897 James finds a dead body in a meadow adjoining his field of peas. The man thankfully died of natural causes while out gathering firewood. It was 82 year old farm labourer Richard Harris of Oxford Terrace, Marlow. 

1905-12 Charles Chantler who also kept pigs and cows and cultivated hay at Oak Farm Bovingdon Green. In his free time he played for the Marlow Working Men's Cricket Club. Wife Elizabeth. In 1909 James Chantler the brother of Charles was killed in a fight with Charles in the kitchen of the Royal Oak that began after Elizabeth refused a drunk James any whisky when she was serving at the bar. He then insulted her in her kitchen calling her a "dirty skunk". She fetched her husband saying James must be turned out of their house. James tried to hit her and attack Charles himself and so Charles fought him. James died after hitting his head when Charles pushed him down. A coroner's jury decided James had died due to his own misadventure and Charles did not have to face a manslaughter or murder charge. He and Elizabeth emigrated to Australia in 1913. Afterwards Charles wrote a letter to one of the local papers here describing his long voyage to Fremantle via South Africa on an "assisted passage scheme" He travelled to St Pancras Station, thence to Tilbury Docks where he took a tender out to his ship the Demosthenes. After examination by a doctor, he is free to find his cabin which he finds rather nice. A stop at Plymouth sees many more emigrants arrive on board. He finds the food better quality on board than he expected if very monotonous. He is also pleasantly surprised with how he manages the heat at South Africa, and the fact they are allowed a full day off ship to do some sightseeing at Cape Town. Other pleasant surprises are the good humour the other passengers manage rolling sea conditions near Africa which sees many meals upset and the fact Charles himself does not seem to have been very sea sick. On the negative side he is surprised at how roughly the luggage is handled, with many trunks burst open before they've even left London. He also encounters several fellow passengers not traveling under the assisted scheme who say they did not want to travel on an emigration ship, and that emigrants should be put in their own vessel. Charles says they did not know he himself was an emigrant when stating their prejudices! The ship crew he says treat all third passengers the same (and well ) regardless of their status otherwise however. 

1912- Joseph Podmore given licence. 

1913- Joseph Podmore transferred licence to Samuel Cluett.

1913-15 Samuel Cluett.

1915 - Temporary transfer of licence to Maurice Pitcher from Samuel Cluett granted.

1916 - Maurice Pitcher, aged 34, ran the pub and a small 20 acre farm where he raised sheep and bred cattle. He had recently married but didn't think his wife would be able to manage his businesses if he was forced to fight in WW1. There was a large number of soldiers up at Marlow Common training so there was a much larger clientele at the pub that had ever been known before. In April Maurice was granted temporary protection from military service. At the end of June his appeal for a further exemption was denied. He had tried unsuccessfully to dispose of his business in the meantime.

1917 - 39 Herbert Church.

1939-51 at least Hugh Bartlett. Hugh was an ex police sergeant who spent 4 years serving at Marlow immediately before retiring to run the Royal Oak. Hugh was one of those in the Welcome Home committee for Bovingdon Green that raised funds for returning service personnel men and women as the war came to an end.

Compiled by Charlotte Day and Kathryn Day.

For more pub related content see the Pub Related option on the top drop down menu.

For all posts related to Bovingdon Green, Marlow Common and nearby see the index here

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