Hurley Celebrates Victoria's Jubilees

 Though Queen Victoria celebrated many jubilees in her long reign it was the 1887 and 1897 ones that inspired the greatest public celebrations. Small village though it was Hurley threw itself into the celebrations.

For both jubilees Sir Gilbert Clayton East of Hall Place, Lord Of The Manor of Hurley headed the village committees charged with organising events and his wife Eleanor was also heavily involved in preparations. They provided a barn at Hall Place Farm in 1887 in which 400 adult villagers rich and poor sat down to a dinner together. The children of Hurley later that day had a celebratory tea in the barn. For the babies a bun to chew! Catering was provided by Robert Rodwell of the Bell of whom a little more here.

 Elderly or unwell residents had presents delivered to their door. Later in the day a band played while the adult men in the village enjoyed races on bicycles, tricycles, ponies, donkeys, and on their own two feet plus a sack race. For the women there was a spoon and ball race, potato race and a tub race (rolling a tub??). Competitive children got barely a look in in this programme. We think of Victorians as straight backed and po-faced, all careful dignity but they loved an opportunity to play silly games and laugh with each other. If you are scratching your head as to how grown ups managed a tricycle race- over a mile no less- remember that tricycles were then only for grown ups and not that much less common than early bicycles. Prizes for winning the races were either Jubilee commemorative medals or money.

The men of the village had the chance to represent Hurley in a tug-of-war completion against the hamlet of Knowl Hill. Neighbourly rivalry must have been acute as the rope snapped under the strain and a replacement had to be found.  Knowl Hill the victor! 

There was of course also a church service of thanksgiving at St Marys.  The next year Sir Gilbert and Lady East had a new clock installed in the church to celebrate the completion of the 50th year of Victoria's reign.

The day ended with a firing of cannon and a fireworks display. 

Ten years later the village met once more in the schoolroom to decide how to celebrate the next jubilee. This time a barn near the church was used for a public dinner for the grown ups while the schoolroom served refreshments to the children. Once again a band played while the people of Hurley engaged in sports. Foot races, cricket and quoits this time round.

The village ladies used flowers to spell out "God Save The Queen" and to form a crown, both for display in the church during a special jubilee celebration service.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

For more Hurley content see this index.

To see how nearby Great Marlow celebrated the 1887 Jubilee see here and other royal celebrations here.

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

See Berkshire Chronicle 26th June 1897.

Reading Mercury 7th January 1888 and 25th June 1887.

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_county_families_of_the_United_Kingdo.html?id=TuHIDwAAQBAJ

Research of Aidan O'Brien.

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Bell / Olde Bell Inn Hurley *updated November 2025*

Hurley. Became known mostly as the Olde Bell /Ye Olde Bell from around the early 1880s. Part of the Temple House estate, and formerly part of the Monastery. 

Historic landlords:

1789- George Holgate

1815= Elizabeth Holgate

1840= Bell has new landlord but name eludes me at the moment. 

1847-67= Daniel Powell and his wife Rebecca. In 1857 the Bell was used for the inquest into the sad death of Daniel Emmett, butler at the Manor House in Hurley who had committed suicide.

1867 Maria Powell daughter of the above took over the licence from her mother. Earlier in life she had been a straw bonnet maker. Maria married Joseph Webb a long time lodger in the Bell who was a whitesmith but went on to run the pub.

1871-1877 Joseph Webb (see above). He died in 1877.

1877-1881 Maria Webb, widow of Joseph Webb, daughter of Daniel and Rebecca Powell as above.

1881- 1904 Robert Rodwell. Wife Rachel. She died in 1891 and was buried in Hurley. Funeral report 23rd Sept 1891 Maidenhead Advertiser [paper in British Library, accessed via the BNA]"She was well known and very well respected" Shortly before this sad event the Rodwell's had invested in enlarging the quaint old inn so it could now accommodate 50 persons. In 1894 severe floods engulfed the downstairs of the Bell and Robert had to live upstairs only until the waters retreated. In 1897 Robert did the catering for the village's 1897 Jubilee celebrations (more on them here). Robert gave up the "Olde Bell" 1904 to Mr Knight. On his doing so the contents were sold off prior to a potential sale of the property itself. From this we get a glimpse at the historic interior. On sale were the high back settles, the Queen Anne tables, pewter drinking vessels,  and an assortment of "Cromwellian horseshoes", blunderbusses, flintlocks, old paintings and horse  brasses that had collectively decorated its walls.   "Old fashioned and well appointed hotel ..rooms or beds may be ordered by the letter or telegram" [Dickens Dictionary of The Thames,1889 edition] Every accommodation for gentlemen and families. 

Advert, 1891 from The Marlow Directory and Tourist Guide to the Thames. The guide notes travellers will always find "a capital cold luncheon ready in the curious old fashioned bar-parlour." 

1904= Mr Knight

1916. Mrs Oliver.

Compiled from censuses, licensing information Berkshire Records Office, court cases, adverts, newspapers as quoted above, etc. Kelly's Post Office Directory by Kellys Directories Limited 1863,1883. Historic England Archives, The Marlow Directory and Tourist Guide to the Thames 1891, Marlow Guide 1903. Daily Telegraph October 20th 1904, and In Thamesland - Henry Wellington Wack (G P Putman & sons, 1906)

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

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

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

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