Don't take that tea! Drinks in 1700s Marlow

 This is a companion piece to my Food in 1700s Marlow

The fact that a Marlow house had a well of its own was a fact worth advertising to potential buyers and tenants in the 1700s. The norm for Marlovian households was to have to share a well with multiple other families. This would continue to be the case even in the 1800s. The Thames was the only water access option for some. While their friends would sympathise with anyone in this situation this wasn't because they had to use river water as such- for some recipes it was thought superior- but because fetching it involved of course so much more of an effort. Rainwater was gathered but not thought suitable for most purposes. Spring dew was collected from grass of a morning and used for the washing of faces by ladies careful of their complexions.

A thirsty traveller might take a few gulps of cool water from a stream (such as those at nearby Bisham) to slake their thirst but plain water was otherwise far from bring a normal drink in the 1700s. What Marlovians wanted their water for, apart from the obvious washing and cooking usages, was for the making of either hot drinks or alcohol. 

Tea came exclusively from China at the time. It was drunk from a dish early in the century and from a cup later on. It could be bought either from the shops of specialist tea dealers, of which we have found none recorded in 1700s Marlow, or from grocers of which there were definitely plenty in Marlow.

Green tea including the worryingly named "gunpowder tea" was consumed as well as black tea.

Brass "kettles' were being manufactured at Temple by 1725. The term referred to multiple articles however not just the one we think of as for boiling water. Covered vessels for cooking certain foods such as fish were also "kettles" and most if not all of the Temple kettles are thought to be of that kind rather than tea kettles. Most middle income houses had multiple kettles for boiling water as well as several food cooking kettles in different sizes. All of these were expensive items so could be singles out as individual gifts in wills. John Plater of Marlow in his 1737 will left his best kettle to his wife amongst other items. His will is on the blog here. John Duck left his servant a tea kettle in the 1780s.

The increased use of tea improved the accuracy of recipes in cookbooks (which you could have sourced from John Howe in Marlow High Street in the 1780s to name one known bookseller of the time). Writers could direct the home cook to add a teaspoon of this or a tea cup of that knowing that most households had those items to hand. Recipe instructions could still be bewilderingly imprecise to modern eyes however with plenty of recipes still containing directions to add simply "not too much" of one ingredient or "a good amount" of another one.

Brian Cowan in his book the Social Life Of Coffee writes that at the start of the century coffee sales far outstripped those of tea but increasingly lower prices for the latter saw it soon overtake it's rival. He also says that by the end of the century many working class families not just wealthier households also found themselves able to afford some coffee as well as tea. No coffee house is known to have the existed in Marlow before the 1800s though it would not be a tremendous suprise to find that there was one here. We know that Marlow men often visited London in the course of their business and there they could not have escaped the pull of the coffee house. The famous Garraways coffee tavern in London hosted the auction of a farm and property in Medmenham owned by William Clayton of Harleyford in 1786.

Green tea including "gunpowder tree" was drunk as well as black tea.

Brass "kettles" were being manufactured at Temple by 1725. The term referred to multiple articles however not just an article for boiling water. Covered vessels for cooking certain foods such as fish were also "kettles" and it is thought that most of not all of the Temple kettles were actually these. Most middle income houses had multiple kettles for boiling water as well as an array of food cooking "kettles". All of these were expensive items so could be left as individual gifts in wills. John Plater of Marlow in his 1737 will left his best kettle to his wife amongst other items while John Duck left his servant a tea kettle when he wrote his will in the 1780s.

The increased use of tea improved the accuracy of recipes published in cookbooks (which you could have sourced from John Howe in Marlow High Street in the 1780s to name one known bookseller of the time). Writers could direct the home cook to add a teaspoon of this or a tea cup of that knowing that most households had those items to hand. Recipe instructions could still be bewilderingly imprecise to modern eyes however with plenty of recipes still containing directions to add simply "not too much" of one ingredient or "a good amount" of another one.

Coffee served in such premises is thought to have been made to a much lower strength than coffee today. The titles "coffee shop" or "coffee tavern" are a bit misleading. Other hot drinks and sometimes alcohol were also on the menu.

For those who found even weak coffee too much for their constitution a herbal equivalent marketed as "English Coffee" made from an unspecified mix of native plant leaves, bark and roots (probably including chicory and dandelion) could be procured for home use by the late 1700s. This was advertised in the 1780s in the Oxford Journal newspaper which was one of the only Marlow-covering newspapers available at the time and widely read in this town. Supporters of English Coffee had something of an evangelical zeal when promoting it. Mr J Lee of London published a treatise extolling it's virtues and trashing all rival beverages. Lee tells us that the regular drinking of foreign, as in true, coffee, rendered many Turks blind and paralyzed by the age of 40 and destroyed the stomachs of the French so that they became unable to gain nourishment from their food. One French nobleman was allegedly so enfeebled by drinking coffee he could no longer walk across a room before his wise physician banned him from coffee and thus reinvigorated him. Tea was singled out for even harsher criticism with Mr Lee quoting from the Commons speech of William Young in which it was  stated that "if the poorer sort of people made tea their constant food, there would be but few poor in the land in a very short time as nothing could so effectively shorten their days as that perniciously deadly herb tea". Young thought drinking tea as dangerous as drinking gin, which given the moral panic over gin drinking in the 1700s was saying quite something. Nervous disorders were quite unknown in England prior to the introduction of tea the pamphlet thundered. Now thanks to it people were becoming so enfeebled and nervous they could not work and were slowly dying from this slow acting poison. To buy English Coffee you had to visit a single supplier near St Paul's in London but the long term advertisement of the product in the Oxford local press suggests that this was a worthwhile expense for the manufacturer and that people were being drawn in by these ads and coming to London from the local area to buy it. The stagecoach from Marlow's Crown dropped you in Fleet Street within walking distance (providing you were not incapable of walking thanks to your coffee drinking that is) of St Paul's so if any of our townsfolk felt the urge to buy English Coffee, they could.

Hot chocolate was a luxury drink. It was rather different from our modern hot chocolates as it was usually made with the addition of beaten eggs. Often other thickeners such as ground almonds or pistachios were also included. These thickeners were added in such quantities that the hot chocolate seems more akin to a thick sludge than a drink. You wonder how many supposedly dainty 1700s ladies accidently greeted their visitors with a "chocolate moustache"! And it was ladies that were characterized as particularly fond of the beverage. It was always drank spiced. Pepper and cinnamon formed the most common spice combination but some recipes added cardamon or ginger instead of the pepper.

The rich might drink chocolate at any time of day, including at breakfast. It was drunk from special chocolate cups and prepared in a dedicated chocolate pot. Before pouring out the mixture was whipped up in a chocolate mill. 

Home cooks usually prepared the drinks from "cocoa nuts" but ground cocoa was also available.

Hannah Glasse in her 1748 best selling cookbook offered a recipe for fake hot chocolate which I suspect fooled nobody. It was made from sweetened milk thickened with beaten eggs and flavoured with cinnamon. Probably quite nice but I don't think she and I would have been friends for very long if she served that up to me when I was expecting chocolate.

The desire to fake a hot chocolate came from the high cost of the product. A pound in weight of ground cocoa cost more than an agricultural labourer's weekly wage. That was before you added the necessary expensive spices to it. 

Chocolate could be bought in the early 1790s from grocer come soap boiler Mr Rackshaw in Henley Market Place and no doubt from several retailers in Marlow itself too. Marlovians could also write to London cocoa suppliers and have the nuts sent directly to their homes.

Cow's milk as a stand alone beverage was seen as suitable for infants and invalids only. Almond milk was made in the 1700s as a beverage for the delicately stomached and was also used in cooking. The most common drink recommended for the sick was "beef tea" which was the strained water that beef had been boiled in. It's use as a home remedy for the weak would remain almost universal for generations longer.

Lemonade was a still drink rather than a fizzy one in the 1700s. Charlotte Mason in her The Ladies Companion of 1777 offers up two recipes for it. Both included oranges as well as lemons. I've tried one of the recipes and it is delicious! 

The lemonade recipes contain sugar but hot drinks by no means necessarily did in the 1700s. The poor could not have afforded to use it and guides to hot beverage preparation, especially hot chocolate, aimed at the wealthier do not always suggest sweetening them. All sugar in this period came from the West Indies and was produced by slave labour.

For those that wished for a stronger beverage, larger Marlow homes were sometimes advertised as having their own detached brew houses. Borlase school trustees decided to build a "new" brewhouse at the northern end of the West Street schoolhouse in 1735. This was to provide for the pupils! It was also still common for public houses and inns to brew ale and beer on their premises rather than to buy from a brewery. Mary Phillips later called Mary Dark through her second marriage, landlady at the Lower Crown in the High Street, was one such independent brewer. Her brewhouse was to the rear of her inn.

Traces of the pubs and inns that existed in early 1700s Marlow are thin on the ground and you have to be vary wary of making the mistake of presuming that any pub is an old just because it occupies an old building. The conversion of an older house into a pub occurred all the time historically. We know that a the Crown in Market Square, existed from the dawn of the 1700s as did the Lower Crown aka Crown and Broad Arrow in the High Street, the Black Boy in the former Church Passage and the Three Tuns also in the High Street. An early pub called the Bear in the High Street is not recorded after 1735. Much later a pub of this name was re-established elsewhere in the town.

By the later 1700s much more information is available and we can say that the Ship and the Coach and Horses by those names were then trading in West Street. The Two Brewers in St Peter Street was well established as was the still very small Compleat Angler across the river. The little remembered Bowl and Pin nestled by the river. In Spittal Street the Greyhound existed under it's earlier name of the White Horse by the end of the 1700s. There was earlier in the 1700s a pub of the same name in West Street. In Chapel Street sat the White Hart (landlords here). It is reasonably probable, though not certain, that the Jolly Maltsters in Dean Street, the Chequers in the High Street and a inn of an unknown name in Chapel Street were all already in existence by the end of the 1700s. 

Pubs in Marlow, especially the two Crowns were used for auctions of both residential and business properties as well as for the meetings of those organising the local road tolls. Tenants often met their landlords or their agents in pubs in order to pay over rent charges. The Upper Crown was also the place to pick up sale particulars for any property being sold at auction elsewhere in the area.

Marlow had a brandy merchant in 1781, Henry Crockford, who was also a tallow chandler. Charlotte Mason advised her readers how to flavour purchased brandy with cherries, or more exotically, pineapples. At around the same time as Henry Crockford traded in Marlow, so too did Benjamin Moore as a wine and spirits merchant.

Housewives routinely made their own wines from elderflowers, raspberries, currants, raisins, gooseberries, cherries, oranges, cowslips and, more unusually, birch sap. If supplies of all of the above failed one recipe book had a recipe for wine of .....turnips.

At well-to-do dinners the ladies remained for 15 minutes with the gentleman before withdrawing to take tea, coffee or chocolate. The men remained together consuming alcohol for a period before rejoining the ladies. If any 1780s Marlovians were stuck for a toast High Street bookseller John Howe sold a guide to them plus "bacchanalian" songs for rowdier gatherings. You can read more about what John Howe sold in Kathryn's post.

Wethered's Brewery started in the later 1700s (using water from the Thames!). At Little Marlow / Well End there were numerous Roses involved in brewing. When Ralph Rose junior retired from that business in 1773 all of his equipment was sold off. It included a horse powered wheel which would have been used either for grinding malt or pumping liquids. Usually this would be housed in a separate building within the brewing premises.

As well as drinking their beer 1700s people sometimes used a mixture of it and water to stew or boil meat, especially beef. Presumably this was for flavour's sake but it is hard to tell as cookery writers of that era rarely explained their recipes.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day. 

Related posts: Food in Victorian Marlow. More general Marlow history posts can be found listed in this Index. Posts specifically about 1700s people and places in Marlow are indexed here.

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

Some Sources:

London Metropolitan Archives, Record= CLC/B/192/F/001/MS11936/296/452209LevelItemDate1781 Nov 29 From collection ROYAL AND SUN ALLIANCE INSURANCE GROUP.

Oxford Journal March 1778. British Library Archives via the BNA. Reading Mer ury 26th November 1786 as previous.

Cowan, Brian. The Social Life of Coffee: The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse. Germany: Yale University Press, 2008.

Glasse, Hannah. The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy: Which Far Exceeds Any Thing of the Kind Yet Published, Containing ... to which are Added, One Hundred and Fifty New and Useful Receipts, and Also Fifty Receipts for Different Articles of Perfumery, with a Copious Index. United Kingdom: W. Strahan [and 25 others], First published 1748. I used the 1784 edition.

Roe, J. Lee. A Treatise on the English Coffee: With Catalogue of Cures Annexed. By J. Lee Roe. United Kingdom: Printed and published for the proprietor, no. 9, Silver-Street, Fleet-Street., 1778.

Will of John Plater, PCC, proved 1738. Transcribed by me from a copy held at the National Archives, Kew. Will of John Duck 1785, ditto.

The Lady's Companion: Or, an Infallible Guide to the Fair Sex. Containing, Observations for Their Conduct Thro'all Ages and Circumstances of Life: in which are Comprised All Parts of Good Housewifry, Particularly Rules, and Above Two Thousand Different Receipts in Every Kind of Cookery .. The Fourth Edition, with Large Additions. United Kingdom: T. Read, 1743.

Edwardian Spittal Street and Spittal Square Part One

Odd Numbered Properties

Note: Our Marlow ancestors were terrible at giving precise or consistent street addresses for themselves or others, knowing exactly what number they lived at (!), and the authorities made some bizarre property numbering decisions (don't get us started on Berwick Road... ). Some properties in Market Square at the bottom of Spittal Street were officially numbered as if in Spittal Street and could be described as being in either Market Square or Spittal Street  depending on the whim of the describer. They are included here. Properties in Spittal Square were also numbered as if in Spittal Street (but could also be referred to as being in Chapel Street or Dean Street by local residents depending on the property). Throughout history Spittal Street and Chapel Street which run into each other were repeatedly confused. Never believe any property is definitely in one street rather than the other without multiple pieces of evidence!

Edwardian building numbers are not necessarily those of the modern day. Multiple of the properties mentioned below no longer exist.

In this post I follow the popular perception of the "Edwardian age" as extending 1901-1914. Some incidences in the earlier lives of the named residents are also included. This is an ongoing project, if anyone has been missed we hope to remedy that as soon as possible.

For unplaced people who were in unidentified buildings in Spittal Street or Spittal Square see that the end of the upcoming Edwardian Spittal Street Part Two post here

1-3 Anne "Annie" Badger's fancy goods repository. Anne (born c 1842) had been in the shop for some years, though initially as a boot and shoe seller. Late on the night of Christmas Eve 1896 the horse-drawn omnibus from the Crown Hotel next door crashed into Anne's shop, smashing the window glass and breaking the gas pipe used to fuel the illuminated lamps in her windows. This represented a major fire risk but thankfully the leak was swiftly spotted and contained. Not a great Christmas present for Anne nevertheless! At least the accident did not occur in the run up to Christmas, when fancy goods shops were especially busy (they were effectively gift shops). Giving New Year gifts to friends was common at this time period however so any disruption to Anne's business would still have been costly to her, and of course the premises were also her home.

The omnibus horse received cuts from the plate glass window but the driver and sole passenger of the vehicle were unharmed.

Anne was the widow of Joseph Badger who had first ran the boot and shoe shop on these premises. He died aged just 35 leaving Anne with 6 children but thankfully also the shop to support them. Anne already served in the shop before Joseph's death. Her daughter Mary assisted in the business. A son Joseph junior was a solicitor's clerk.  When Anne retired in 1903 she moved with Joseph Junior into the newly built house Lulworth in Claremont Road. Sadly Anne died of heart disease not long afterwards. She was a Roman Catholic and is buried in St Peter's churchyard in St Peter's Street Marlow.

The Badger's shop was properly in Market Square. Confectioner Elizabeth Bennett may have been in these premises at the end of the Edwardian age.

5 John Ford's wholesale and retail tobacconist's / newsagent and confectionary shop in 1912 and 1913. John sold some unusual tobacco varieties as well as cigars  according to his ads. He supplied publicans amongst his other customers. Gone by 1915. Site later a cafe. Previously the International Tea Company Stores (who also occupied other premises in Marlow at different times). Property usually considered to be in Market Square.

7 Allam's fishmongery, then George and Elizabeth Davis newsagents who would remain there to at least the late 1930s.  Alfred Allam took over his mother Sarah's fishmongers. It has previously belonged to his father who was also called Alfred and who operated it as both a fishmongers and fruiterers plus a horse and carriage hire business. To read more about the characterful Alfred senior and Sarah, not to mention their brush with a "poltergeist" see this post. Alfred also features in this post. 

9 The Wheelwright's Arms pub. For landlords Edwardian and otherwise and for the history of this pub see this post.

11 The home of a Mr Welch in 1905 but seems to have been the site of business premises too. Situation needs clarifying.

13 Emma Carter's butchers premises. A biography of Emma is on the blog here.

15 The Carpenters Arms. Ran by Charlotte Rose and then her grandson Thomas Probert. More on the history of this pub and it's landlords here.

17 -  updates to follow.

19 Henry Harris master harness maker and saddler, rope and twine maker and - early in the Edwardian era - agent for motorcycles and a seller and hirer of bicycles too. He also sold horse care equipment like blankets and cleaning sponges. A long standing business in Marlow. In 1904 his ad says that he also traded in Wooburn. Henry was born circa 1854. Wife Ellen. In 1915 their only son Edward, who had previously worked as an engineer, was killed in action when the Navy ship he served was torpedoed and sank.

21 Richard Bowles boot and shoe dealer. Richard was born c 1839. Throughout the Edwardian era he had several members of the Bailey family as his lodgers, previously he had himself been a lodger with Baileys. Richard died circa 1914. By 1920 his former premises were incorporated into no 23.

23 Charles Baker gentleman's outfitter and hatter. Charles was originally from Wiltshire and born circa 1856. His wife Catherine took over the business as a widow. By them number 23 had been incorporated into it. The shop was still in operation in the late 1930s as "Baker's Clothiers" with a live in manager.

25 Colonial Meat Stores ran by Grace and co. Employee George Tennant lived on the premises with his wife Eliza in 1910 and 1911 (at least).

27 Boot family. Eliza (nee Collins) Boot kept a confectionery shop. Her husband Henry Boot was a French polisher. The family housed several lodgers. Daughter of the family Florence attracted much sympathy when she was stood up at the altar in 1907 by her fiancee Arthur Henry Lynch. He left her family home where he was helping with final preparations on the Sunday in order to go home to London where he lived with his mother. He was due back in Marlow on the day of the wedding on the 9.15 train from Paddington. He sent a telegram to Florence saying that he had missed the 9.15  but would arrive on the 11.15 instead which would be early enough for the wedding. However he never turned up. Nor as it turned out had he even told his mother he meant to get married and she did not know where he was either. The couple had "courted" for 5 years. Poor Florence had used much money from her savings to help pay for the wedding and the necessities for their first home together. She had also given up her long standing job in readiness for her married life. Arthur had been given as a wedding gift by his employers Great Western Railway two free passes to Teignmouth in Devon for their honeymoon. Henry Boot died  in 1907, the same year as his daughter's marriage disaster. A tough time for the Boot family. Eliza died in 1927. She retired from the shop after 1911 but by 1915.

29 Sawyer family home, a small cottage. Ada Sawyer born circa 1876 with her husband George who was a builder's foreman in carpentry for Sellmans builders in Marlow. Amongst the Edwardian building projects George would have worked on for the Sellmans were six houses built in Station Rise in 1904, the new C of E Boys' School in 1913 (now Holy Trinity) and the Borlase School chapel in 1914. His brother Harry was also a house carpenter and in this era lived with him. 

In 1903 Ada and George's daughter Edith had a miraculous escape after being ran over by a cart in Spittal Street. The vehicle went right over her legs. After the initial swelling went down however Edith regained the use of her legs and was able to walk again.

George was one of Marlow's volunteer firefighters and in fact the deputy fire captain.

The building of this old number 29 longer exists.

31 cottage and premises of Henry Collins gas fitter and whitesmith born circa 1838. His wife was Eliza. She was born circa 1850. Building no longer exists. Henry also had premises in Chapel Street in 1915.

At end of this odd number side of street with numbers indifferently given, all really in Spittal Square=

S Dorrell wheelwright business premises. Building no longer exists. Probably Sidney Dorrell born c 1878 who lived in Station Road with his parents.

Albert Hillsdon blacksmith / farrier business premises. There by 1906 but had previously operated from premises in Institute Road. The buildings on both sites no longer exist. This Spittal Street forge were previously the premises of W.J Walker. Albert was born c 1874. Wife Kate born c 1876. Albert was the son of William who had been a blacksmith up at Marlow Common. 

Henry Arber's. Building no longer exists. Henry Arbor senior and his wife Rosa lived prior to this in Duchess Place off Victoria Road and their son Henry junior when grown up also lived in that street. It is not clear which Henry is the "Henry Arbor" recorded in a property in Spittal Square in 1907 though I'm reasonably sure it was Henry junior. In either case the Arbor occupation was not for long. Henry senior was originally from Cambridgeshire and had been a stone dresser in Stephen Smith's corn mill. He was born circa 1856. In 1898 he was one of those who formed a committee to set up a sick benefit club for women as an off shoot from the Clayton Arms pub slate club. A few years previously Rosa had been seriously ill and the couple's eldest daughter Lillian was kept home from school to help look after the other children in the family and her mum. This went on long enough to lead to Henry being summoned to court for neglecting her education. Extra money from a benefit club to pay for hired domestic help and extra medical support in such a situation would have helped this family tremendously so you can understand Henry's interest in such schemes. At around the same time his son Henry junior "Harry" was refusing to go to school anyway and staying out all night. His father repeatedly asked for him to be placed in an "industrial school" as he considered the young teen uncontrollable. This was eventually achieved when a place for him was found in an Isleworth industrial school. The school didn't work as after he arrived back in Marlow Harry soon found himself fined for  throwing stones in the station goods yard with other lads. Obviously he found self discipline in himself in the end as he became a regular player for Marlow Football club during the Edwardian era and also then won prizes for his punting on the river. He worked as a boat building labourer at Shaw's boatyard (who hired no one who wasn't hardworking and good at their job). While at work in 1908 Harry found in the river mud a diamond studded gold purse. It was realized to be the lost property of someone who had lost it when visiting Marlow seven years previously. Hopefully the eagle-eyed Harry got a reward!

Sadly Harry died of complications following an appendicitis operation while he was in service in France in the First World War. He left a widow Mary and three children. His bereaved parents had previously lost their baby son Edwin of convulsions caused by "teething".

By 1911 Henry senior appears to have moved to Water Eaton in Bucks to work at the Smith's corn mill there while Rosa was left behind in Marlow. This was probably a temporary job for Henry rather than evidence of a separation for the couple, however I do not know for certain. Rosa lived in Marlow Fields in the Newtown area of Marlow.

Lillian Arber became a domestic nurse.

Picture Palace cinema constructed 1913. Much more about the cinema on this post.

Post researched and written by Charlotte Day. © Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use my research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.

Compiled from a great many sources. It would take a blog of its own to list them all. Some are listed below.

Kelly's Post Office Directory of Buckinghamshire etc 1911, 1915, editions. Kelly's Limited. 

Kelly's Directory Of the Leather Trades 1881.

Marlow Directory and Almanack 1902, 1907 and 1914 editions. 

Marlow Printing Company.

Property and rental records, shop bills.

England and Wales Census 1901 and 1911 from the National Archives, Kew. Census information remains Crown Copyright.

South Bucks standard 7th Jan 1898 and 26th June 1903.

GRO death and marriage registrations from the National Archives.

"England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7XNJ-PCN2 : Tue Mar 05 23:44:45 UTC 2024), Entry for Henry Walker and Mary Ann Stockbridge, 25 Oct 1894.

The Vanished Houses of Marlow No 2 - The Original Thames Lawn

 If you had stopped to ask one of our Victorian Marlow citizens for directions to Thames Lawn, they would not have sent you to the current house bearing that name at the bottom of St Peter's Street. Instead they would suggest you stroll along the river a little further, into Mill Road as we call it. As you pass the house known as The Sycamores and look to your right, the sweep of grass stretching along the river front  would still be easily recognisable. This was also known as the Thames Lawn but it is not our destination. Look ahead, just before the lock, and you will see the handsome Elizabethan style riverside residence currently known as Three Gables and Unicorn Bridge House. But to our Victorian friends, a quite different property would have sat on that spot -  the original Thames Lawn House. It's this sadly forgotten but once very important home that is the subject of our post today. If you wish to know more about the house more recently known as Thames Lawn, see the linked posts below. 

A Word Of Caution 

As mentioned above, Thames Lawn and Thames Bank were both often used as the equivalent of street addresses for any of the homes fronting the river in Mill Lane as it was then. So for example The Sycamores could be referred to as "The Sycamores, Thames Lawn" or "The Sycamores, Mill Lane"  or "The Sycamores, Thames Bank".  Understanding this is the key to untangling who lived where and when. It means that any person whose address is given as Thames Bank, may be living in Thames Bank House, but they might equally be present at any of the nearby houses too. The story is complicated because most of the early homes that stretched along this riverside part of Mill Lane were either built or occupied (often both) by members of the Wright family of Marlow paper mills or by one of the other mill operators. Therefore the project of finding historic residents for the specific properties in that area has been a very long task. I have revised some of the below information first collected many years ago but it's still a work in progress. Be aware too of the riverside house, also Wright owned, known as The Lawn or Lawn Cottage, set back from Mill Road. Members of the Wright family seem to have signed themselves as of Thames Lawn or Marlow Mills regardless of whether they were occupying The Lawn, The Sycamores etc.

Early History 

Late Victorian accounts of Thames Lawn House said it was in existence in the 18th century. Unfortunately I can not be any more precise about a build date for this original property but it may well have been older still. The house was said then to have been purchased by the Wright family of Marlow Mills - with William Wright born there in 1798.  In that year, the Wright's were in occupation of one if not both paper mills but they did not yet own them. They were leased from mealman Thomas Ricketts who operated the third Marlow Mill - at that point a corn mill. Twenty five years before Ricketts was seeking a business partner to share grinding there, and he offered to supply a residence conveniently close to the Mill if required. This could refer to Thames Lawn House but equally to another house nearby such as Mill Cottage which was often occupied later by the various proprietors of the corn mill, or to Weir Cottage. When Ricketts died the three mills were put up for auction at Garraways coffee house, along with two residences associated with them one of which was almost certainly our subject. One of the paper mills - the Lower Mill, closest to the site of Thames Lawn - was eventually taken on by Salem Chapel stalwart Francis Pepper who operated it himself. He had formerly been in partnership with the Wrights but this relationship was dissolved in 1814. We know Francis lived adjacent to the mill complex, and I believe it was he who was resident at Thames Lawn House before the Rose family. Certainly the mill property came with a detached residence when it was sold on his death in 1831. An 1827 map of the Mill site shows "Mr Peppers Garden" and an unnamed house immediately adjacent. This is approximately where Thames Lawn was and where Three Gables is now. Presumably this house was the one occupied by Francis Pepper but many better off people possessed "gardens" separate from their homes in old Marlow! This residence was set back a little closer to where Mill Bank is in the present day so it had a slightly larger front garden then. (Certainly William Rose believed Pepper had been a former residence of his home.) 

Regardless of who was in residence, the house had a lucky escape in 1826 when a destructive fire broke out at Wright's paper mill. It started in the drying room which was very close to the property, under somewhat suspicious circumstances. Very quickly the large quantity of paper within was destroyed. A depression in the paper trade meant there had been more paper on the premises than usual. The blaze was considered to be the work of an incendiary and so a substantial reward was offered in return for giving up the culprit. I do not believe they were identified. The residential property closest to the mills (eg Mill Cottage too) were considered to be in grave danger during this blaze. The orange glow in the sky could apparently be seen from as far away as Reading! 

The Rose Family 

The most detailed early description of the house comes from the time it was occupied by wealthy solicitor William Rose and his "beloved wife" of 40 years Caroline in the late 1860s and early 1870s. William maintained a London office at Change Alley, aka Exchange Alley. This bustling and narrow lane and the area around was an historic centre for financial services in the capital including London's first Stock Exchange. It must have been some relief to retire from that part of the city to his elegant Thames side home. William inherited the property from his uncle Ralph Rose who had lived in it many years, followed by his widow. 

William's pride and joy at Marlow was obviously his carefully curated library. This contained some 900 volumes including a large number of legal works and a complete set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. The rest of the home was filled with some "very choice" furniture and all the home  accessories a gentleman of means could enjoy the possession of - from bronze figurines to old Wedgewood china. It then had 8 bedrooms and 3 reception room and a conservatory plus a coach house. The clear selling feature were the "tastefully arranged" gardens sloping down to the river with the enchanting views towards the bridge and Weir. The Roses spent time and money on improving the house, and possibly extending it. 

Did the garden include the grass running along the margin of the river in front of The Sycamores which was also referred to as the Thames lawn? That would prove to be a somewhat contentious issue! William Rose was said to have regarded it as common ground and paid little attention to who used it. He did apparently enjoy playing a game or two of quoits there. In fact when the Wrights tried to claim it as private property, enclose it, and prevent fishing from there, William Rose objected, and said in fact the area was listed as an appurtenance to his home. He did not wish to close access to it himself, and certainly wasn't going to allow anyone else to do so. He threatened the Wrights with legal action and seems to have succeeded in diminishing any threat to public access to the area then. William Rose pointed out that the property he inherited came with related exclusive fishing rights to this area. So nobody had any right to gather fish from the lawn or nearby - but they Wights had been doing so on a large scale and selling them out of town. Rose considered this not only illegal removal of his property but morally wrong as it was depriving locals of access to cheaper fish. It's fair to say the relationship between the Roses and the Wrights would not be a cordial one. 

A path ran across this disputed lawn which was used by those using the lock by either custom or right, although it's exact route I can't determine precisely.  When it was later (1886) decided to divert this path for aesthetic reasons the question of who actually had ownership would lead to a lot of legal wrangling on at least two occasions. No one has been paying rates for it it seemed, and no rent had been paid either. It seems likely that whoever did own it had forgotten. At least whatever documents William Rose had had that he said proved absolutely his ownership to the stretch seem to have been lost. The then occupier of Weir Cottage produced various deeds to suggest the lawn was his, but on the other hand it was said many of the older residents were certain it was originally  common land and that documents could be produced to support that. The Mill Road residents did not pretend that the path wasn't in general use (e.g public by custom) but they thought only those using it as a towpath had a legal right to do so. The outcome of this second  attempt to restrict public access to the grass was unsuccessful as the magistrates agreed that there was no public benefit to such a change, and it would create a bad precedent. A suggestion had been made that the occupiers of the Mill Road properties (not including Thames Lawn House) should pay a quit rent to the parish in return for continuing to use and maintain it but I do not think this compromise was adopted. Sanction was definitely given in 1893 to divert the then path to more or less its current route from Mill Road to the foot bridge over the mill cut however. It was to be lined with a red brick wall mounted by "rustic" iron railings as constructed by Marlow builder Lovells. And the Coxes would be obliged to pay for its maintenance for 5 years. 

Tragedy overcome the Rose family in quick succession in the early 1870s.  Caroline died in September 1871 and William himself followed a little over 4 months later age 64. Then in 1874, their son Alfred Valentine Rose died aged just 29 at Wooburn. The executors put the house up for let after William's death but in 1876 the house was auctioned off by the last surviving trustee William Rippington Rose. This auction took place in the historic riverside Complete Angler inn. Following this there was a few short term residents including some who hired it for the summer or "river season". Then in approximately 1880, a man would arrive at Thames Lawn who would bring the house to the attention of people far and wide. 

Edmund Yates in residence 

Thames Lawn House by name starts to get specifically mentioned in contemporary guides to the Thames at this time. They noted it was a "picturesque" building with a famous resident - the writer, magazine editor and critic Edmund Yates. Edmund was a friend of Charles Dickens or as some said, an acolyte or disciple who regarded the author as "some kind of God."

Mostly a summer resident, Edmund entertained many names of literary and theatrical Victorian London at Thames Lawn - not all of them household names now. The superstar actors Henry Irving and Ellen Terry and the then editor of Punch magazine were among his regular weekend guests. Not everyone well known appreciated Edmund's company however. During his time at Marlow he spent several weeks in a London gaol (out of a longer sentence) for publishing a libel in his gossipy magazine against a member of the aristocracy. He was not the author of the article and on reading it in draft had crossed out the most offending sentences with the intention these parts were not to be published. Unfortunately they were, and he was found guilty of the libel. Edmund was let out early on account of bad health. A banquet in London to celebrate his release was attended by over 200 people. 

Although Edmund did not live full time at Marlow, he certainly enjoyed the river while he could. He kept a small steam launch and was president of the Thames Steam Launch Association. Many regarded these launches as an unpleasant addition to the Thames, and they were associated with bad steering, noisy whistles and with speeding past other river traffic to the latters peril. So there were a lot of campaigns to potentially oversee their use more closely. The Association wanted to represent the launch owners and prevent what they considered petty restrictions, frivolous law suits and damage both intentional and deliberate to their craft. 

Edmund lived at Marlow for about 5 years. He had moved away at the time he died at the Savoy Hotel in London in 1894 after falling ill at the Garrick Theatre. He had been regarded as in delicate health for some time but it seemed his sudden collapse was still a surprise.  He had seemed to rally a little after spending part of the winter abroad on doctors orders. For many years after his death Thames Lawn would still be referred to as Yates former residence by the literature catering for Thames tourists.

The situation of Yates' Thames Lawn House is undoubtedly picturesque and romantic to our modern eyes but it would not have been quite a place of undisturbed peace disturbed only by the "hum" of the weir. It immediately abutted the Marlow mills and these were not known to be exactly quiet in operation. The adjacent Marlow Lock could see an eye-watering number of craft pass through it on busy summer weekends such as those around the time of Ascot or Henley regatta. The river was still a working one even if there were fewer barges passing by than before the railway came to Marlow. Sometimes too a dead body would be recovered from the river adjacent to Thames Lawn. 

But there were many compensations.  It was in a prime position to enjoy what must have been the most beautiful sight of the "Venetian river parade" of illuminated launches and punts which took place at the time of the annual regattas. Most of the riverside residents decorated their homes with bucket lamps and lanterns at the same time and those at Thames Lawn were no exception. People came far and wide to enjoy this glittering wonderland. 

Is that a lion I hear? 

In the 1890s there were two residents at Thames Lawn who had some interests in some rather unusual pets. Mrs Coppinger (who also rented another house along the river side at times) had a pet monkey which she enjoyed taking for rides in her launch. But this was tame compared to the ambitions of young Captain Marshall. Always interested in wildlife, Marshall bought a lion cub from a passing circus and this would form the nucleus of what would become the Marlow Menagerie complete with pumas, elephants, wolves and more. I have compiled a full biography of Marshall which you can read here. With a somewhat small garden to make into a zoo, he hired some land along the river bank towards Gossmore to house his collection. He soon out grew this and moved to a specially constructed residence with animal enclosures at the site of what is now known as Gossmore House. Marshall is remembered for a successful attempt to drive two ponies in tandem across the relatively narrow footbridge to the lock from the Thames Lawn. Don't try that at home! Mrs Coppinger and Captain Marshall were said to be lovers and sometime co residents at Thames Lawn. The vastly unsubstantiated Marlow legend is that she was suspected of an arson attack on Marshall's next residence motivated by jealousy at his forthcoming marriage to another and that she then left town never to return. Arson it certainly was believed to be by Marshall, but no culprit was identified despite a substantial reward offered. Initial investigations had identified an overheated flue as the most likely cause. Furthermore it's certainly not true that Coppinger left immediately and finally after the fire. She's still recorded here 6 months later and as a summer visitor for a couple years afterwards. Not did the fire occur on the eve of his wedding as some say - the events didn't in fact occur in the same year! 

Captain Lamotte and his family were the next residents. The Captain came to Marlow to take charge of the local Volunteers. (Forerunners to the Territorial Army - read about our Marlow company here). Described as a "most able and energetic officer" he was supposed to have won the "golden opinions" of all ranks. The couple certainly threw themselves into the local society, joining groups and fundraising drives of all kinds.  They remained there until 1897, with the Captain rejoining his regiment the following year. In the time between leaving Thames Lawn and leaving the country, the Lamottes moved to Quarry Wood House. (A post dedicated to that vanished property will follow shortly.)

Fire! 

In the summer of 1897 the "well known and attractive little property" with its "pretty garden" and landing stage was yet again offered for sale at the Complete Angler. ("Little" was obviously relative - it was described then as comprising 9 bed and dressing rooms, an entrance hall, a bathroom - yes just one - and three reception rooms.)  The purchaser was the wealthy author and magazine proprietor Mrs Ada Bennett Edwards. She was the co owner of The Field with her brothers, among other titles. Her father and other relatives were some time residents of other properties in Mill Road so it was an area she knew well. 

She had planned a significant overhaul and modernisation of the house. Unfortunately less than 6 months later, a fire would break out just as the works were nearing completion. This was serious enough, but the proximity of the Mills with their wooden buildings and abundance of combustible material within made it even more of a serious situation. The Mills own fire engine was bought out as it was the workers there that had first raised the alarm, and Marlow fire brigade were also quickly in attendance. The proximity of the river as well as a fire hydrant meant there was no shortage of water to hand. Nevertheless there was a time when the Mills were regarded as in severe danger of going up too. The flames burned with such ferocity that despite the frantic efforts of all, Thames Lawn was totally gutted. A heaven sent outbreak of rain prevented the numerous sparks taking hold at the mill. A smouldering  beam running through a fire place was blamed  - a surprisingly common cause of Marlow house fires! It's unfortunate for Mrs Edwards that much of the furniture had been moved back in and was if course destroyed too. Even more unfortunate, the insurance policy taken out against fire by Mrs Bennett Edwards was said to have lapsed. Fortunately she was a lady of considerable means, as well as a wealth of determination, and she decided to build a new house on the spot. A Who's Who entry for 1898 mentions that her hobbies include "artistic house decorating" which was something she was about to have ample scope to indulge. (Her other interests were "practical and experimental zoology", cycling and tennis.)

A description of the destroyed house mentions that at that time there has been on top of the house a sort of glass panelled tower. I believe this may have been part of Mrs Edwards additions to the house as there is no record of this distinctive feature earlier. If so it lived too short a while to appear in any photographs which is a pity. 

New life and new styling 

The local newspapers said that Mrs Bennett Edwards very quickly launched into a new contract with a London architect to get her house built. With a now blank canvas she was free to decide on a completely different style of architecture. She chose a "very pleasant half timbered style" with lattice windows. No expense was to be spared. Comfort and modern conveniences were her watchwords. There would now be not only a bathroom but 4 w.cs as well. Drainage was on "the latest scientific principles" and electric call bells were fitted throughout to summon staff as required. A noted striking feature was the "very handsome oak panelled hall of imposing dimensions" and the "fine oak staircase." There were 11 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, and a boat house which it was stated could easily be converted into a garage for a motor car. 

Mrs Bennett Edwards did not live at the house for long despite her efforts to create such a pleasant home. By April 1900 it was advertised as available to let for the summer season. In 1902 the house was sold for £5,120, the contents following shortly after. 

Edwardian Residents

Sir James Boyton arrived next, president of the auctioneers Elliott, Son & Boyton and an M.P. He like many of his predecessors also kept a London residence. James was a keen rower and something of an authority on all things River Thames. If he had any intention just to relax and enjoy river events as a spectator alone, he was an optimistic man. It was inevitable he would find himself invited to involve himself in organising the Marlow Regatta. In particular I can see he assisted on the committee behind the above mentioned Venetian fete. Sadly James suffered a serious motoring accident near Henley in 1905 which resulted in the partial amputation of one of his arms. While this may have curtailed his planned involvement in any veterans events, he did see his children including daughter Kitty row at the regatta. He acted as a judge of the illuminated craft competition, umpired various races, and his wife was co opted into giving out the regatta prizes on different occasions. James also caused a great deal of excitement when he acted several times as a host for the Cambridge rowing crew who would compete in the University boat race. The bridge was lined with spectators whenever they practiced at Marlow. 

The Boyton's retained possession of Thames Lawn during the beginning of the First World War. Their son was sadly killed in France in 1916. James himself also suffered yet another serious accident when the omnibus he was travelling in within London hit another vehicle and overturned with a loss of life. All of the passengers were injured to some degree - James by lacerations made by broken glass on his "full" arm. The news was met by an outpouring of sympathy back in Marlow. 

Above, Three Gables with the modern mill style apartments to the rear. 

James died in May 1926 but I think he had left Marlow a few years previously. (Certainly the freehold of the house was for sale in 1919) In his will he left a request that his wife and children should pay a sum of £15 to any grandson of his that competed within Henley Regatta. Rowing devotee to the last! 

Next resident was race course manager Frederick Henry Cathcart who was there by 1926. We've reached the limit of the period our research deals with but Henry deserves a mention as the honorary treasurer of the Higginson birthday fund that raised the money to purchase the Court Garden estate so it could become what we know as Higginson Park*. The first mention I've seen of the use of "Three Gables" as a new name for this Thames Lawn comes in 1926 - so he may well have been the person to make that change. UPDATE  - biography of Frederick Cathcart is available here

Written and researched by Kathryn Day

Related posts

*More on Frederick's role in securing the park can be found in a post about its early history here here

Index of posts about other specific property including the "other Thames Lawn" - here

To look for more about any particular person or family - see the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu. There's many thousands of people listed there with more names added weekly. 

Sources: 

Boyd, Frank M - A Pelican's Tale. (H Jenkins 1919) 

Krausse, A D - Pictorial History of the Thames. (Krausse 1883)

Who's Who, 1898. 

Parish Assessment assessor's notebooks, 1833. Transcribed by Charlotte Day.

Census data 1871-1891 - from the transcripts from the originals at the National Archives by Jane Pullinger and Charlotte Day.

1827 Great Marlow Mill Plan. 

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News February 1874, 14th August 1926. 

Bucks Herald - 19th June 1886, 8th December 1888

Berkshire Chronicle 15th April 1826, 19th March & 14th May 1831, 23rd September 1871, 3rd February 1872

Country Life 19th April 1919 

Dundee Evening Echo 8th December 1897

Galignani's Messenger -  the spirit of the English" qv Paris, May 5 1826 - digitised by Google and accessed May 2021. 

Gloucestershire Echo February 13th 1934. 

Henley Advertiser 13th May 1871

John Bull 28th April 1826 

London Gazette 25th October 1814 

Maidenhead Advertiser May 28th & 27th October 1884, June 16 1886, 5th December 1888, 8th October 1890, 23rd May 1894

Morning Post 8th July 1897

Morning Leader 3rd November 1902

Newcastle Journal 23rd December 1916

Reading Mercury 5th February 1798, 13th June 1831,  19th February 1876, 6th January 1917

Sporting Life 29th April 1882

South Bucks Standard 6th February 1891, 20th May & 2nd December 1892, 11th August 1893, 18th June,  6th August & 10th December  1897, 28th December 1898, 20th April 1900, 10th October & 14th November 1902, 2nd June 1905, 12th March 1914, 2 November 1918

The Gentlewoman 12th July 1890 

The Globe 3rd November 1902

Walthamstow and Leyton Guardian 7th December 1894. 

Westminster Gazette - 8th December 1897

Windsor & Eton Express 15th April 1826,  6th June 1874

Kelly's Directory of Bucks, Berks &  Oxon - 1911, 1913, 1915, 1920. 

Ordnance Survey map 1876. 

Wilson, David Gordon - The Middle Thames, Spurs Books 1977. 

South Bucks Free Press 1st & 15th May 1867. 

© MarlowAncestors

1833 Parochial Assessment Great Marlow High Street East Side Part One

I am gradually transcribing onto this blog the original handwritten assessment working notebooks used to compile the official assessment. These are held by my family. They were to be used to readjust the local taxes for 1834. Our notebooks contain some information updates written in during the later 1830s and related correspondence. I will add these updates if present for any properties below. I have also included my own research notes into the people mentioned and links to posts dedicated to some of them. Parts of the assessment are uploaded by me as and when they chime with research I am doing for myself or others. Lots are already available in the blog

To see the others available already look here

Transcription by Charlotte Day.

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

Format for transcription:

Name

Property occupied

Annual value of property

Additional research notes by me in square brackets.

High Street [East Side]

Rolls and Son [auctioneers]

House, storehouse, cellars, yard, offices and garden

£24 10 shillings

Furniture warehouse

£5

Garden belonging to Baines

10 shillings

*****

Benjamin Baines [a confectioner and foreign fruit dealer. I have a picture of his grave and a dedicated post about him on the blog here]

House, bakehouse, yard, stable and garden

£20

*****

Frederick Wyatt [stagecoach proprietor. Post about him and his family here].

House, stable, barn, yard, garden and orchard

£20

*****

Thomas Evans Brinsden [a surgeon]

House part of barn and 2 gardens

£15

****

William Chamberlain [a hairdresser]

House and garden

£14

*****

Miss Sneath [the Miss added in pencil. This was Katherine Sneath, a much loved Marlovian. Daughter of surgeon William Sneath and Elizabeth née Webb. Her mother's will is here and more about her family property here. Please see the Person Index for all other mentions of Katherine].

House, lawns, yards, storehouses, stables and large gardens

£30

Orchard occupied by Mr Aveling

£4 

*****

Richard Aveling [a grocer. Biography here]

House, yard, shed, barn, garden, stable and orchard

£20

*****

Thomas Corby jnr [builder. Thomas lost his right to vote because he did not have a separate entrance to his part of the property. Detailed post about him and his father here]

Part of house and garden [Dad below in other half]

£11

*****

Thomas Corby [builder, see above for link to a post about him]

House, storeroom, lofts, yard and garden

£14

*****

Widow Stevens [this property no longer exists]

House, yard and sheds

£12

*****

Hone [no first name] [Building now demolished. It was empty in 1831 but owned by Hone family].

House, lawn, stables, greenhouse, pleasure garden, large kitchen garden, coach houses, orchard, large store house and other conveniences

£50

*****

Edmund Mealing [he was an upholsterer and cabinet maker. Post about him and his family here ]

House, shop and yard

£9

*****

W. H Mathew [William Henry. Son of the below]

House and yard

£10

*****

Widow Mathews [Ann Mathews. She was running a grocery shop].

House and yard

£14

*****

Edward Griffiths [A tailor. In same premises 1832]

House and yard

£10

*****

Steadman Camden [a shoemaker and clothes seller. Biographical post on him here]

House, shop and lofts

£12

*****

John Way [he was a poulterer]

House, yard, sheds etc

£10

*****

William Bond [he was a builder, carpenter. Full biography here]

House, yard, workshops, counting house and shed

£18

Chaise house etc by Mrs Ralphs [Charlotte Ralfs on other side of High Street]

£1

Part of wharf and workshops at Bankside

£3

*****

Late Palmer [no first name]

House and garden coach houses, shrubbery etc

Hard to read property value.

*****

Sir John Mortlock [This was Alfred House later known as Cromwell House. More on him and this property here]

House, lawn, greenhouse, 2 large gardens, yards, stables, barn, coach houses

£70

*****

Revd Thomas Coxwell [this the old vicarage. Thomas Tracey Coxwell]

House and garden

£26

*****

Ralph Rose [a brewer]

House and garden 

£12

*****

Morris and Son [John Morris and son, drapers. Post about this family here].

House, yard, store houses and garden

£20

*****

George Davis [Landlord of this pub since at least 1826]

Chequers house [pub], yard and garden

£14

*****

John Wade

House and garden

£14

*****

Thomas Burrell [ironmonger and blacksmith. He was still in these premises 1851. More about him and his family here].

House, shop, garden and iron house

£10

*****

John Heppard

House and garden

£8

*****

Transcription and research by Charlotte Day.

To be continued...

Bovingdon Green and Marlow Common Parochial Assessment 1833

 Updated August 2023, with additional research notes.

The next part of my gradual transcription of the original handwritten working notebooks used to compile this assessment along with related correspondence. These faded notebooks are in the possession of my family, and also contain some pencilled in corrections from the later 1830s, though not in this section. The assessment was compiled Autumn 1833 and was to be used to calculate tax rates for Marlow for the following year.

Transcribed by Charlotte Day.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this transcription with credit to this blog.

Bovingdon Green

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

Thomas Frith [still in Bovingdon Green 1838]

Richard Fletcher

Thomas Jones

*****

Ephraim House

House and yard 

£5

*****

William Davies

House, yard, garden and woodhouse 

£10

*****

Marlow Common

Each in cottage and garden with annual worth of £4 10 shillings:

John Swadling

Thomas Mead [Described as in Bovingdon Green 1838]

William Howard [see below for another man of this name]

James Winkworth

*****

Henry Higgins [a Mr Higgins, poor man, was threatened and burgled by two men who forced themselves into his cottage home at Marlow Common in 1840. This may well be the same Higgins as here. If so his cottage was on the edge of Wolmer Heath "some three or four hundred yards from the other cottages on the Common"].

Cottage and garden

£4

*****

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

John Rose

Jesse Collins [ Will coming up on the blog in the next few months]

*****

Joseph Keep

Cottage and garden

£3

*****

John Blackwell [he was a blacksmith]

House, shop [this would mean workshop], garden and orchard

£9

Piece of ground on the Common

10 shillings

*****

William Howard

House and garden

£6

*****

Edward Collins [more on him including will notes here]

The Royal Oak House [pub, actually in Bovingdon Green]

£9

*****

James Martin

Cottage and garden

£5

Note: a "Mrs Butler", probably Ann,  died at Marlow Common a few weeks before the assessment. She was perhaps the widow of the "Mr Butler" who died there in 1825. Mrs Butler may have lived in one of the households above, or it may have been that one of those households was one that has just moved in to Mrs Butler's property after her death.

For more posts on either place see here

To see more of the 1833 assessment for individual streets in Great Marlow see this index

All mentions of any individual on this blog can be found on the A-Z Person Index on the top menu. Thousands of people are mentioned.

Marlow Celebrates Victoria's Diamond Jubilee

This post covers some of the ways our Marlow predecessors celebrated the Diamond jubilee in 1897. A post on the charming celebrations in nearby Hurley is linked to below. 

Marlow was made up of individuals with all kinds of opinions regarding the Queen and criticism had been made in the past about the lack lustre nature of some local acknowledgement of royal events. But the 1887 Jubilee involved many people and had been regarded as a big success. It was used as a blue print for the Diamond Jubilee. You can read about the 1887 event  in an earlier post linked below.

The celebrations were held in late June in somewhat mixed weather conditions. The "terrible roaring hissing mist" of the dramatic summer storm of that year threatened chaos on the evening of the 25th and saw celebrants at the Little Marlow sports and tea run for cover. See the link below! Thankfully much of Marlow's events had already taken place, although rain had put in an appearance then too. 

A meeting was held in May to thrash out a plan for the main day. Three elements were pretty much guaranteed to form a part of any Marlow high day and holiday - a free dinner for the "aged", a free tea for the children, and sporting events for all. All three were present and correct. The aged in this occasion were those over 60. The children were to be aged 5-14. All of these were paid for by donations from the better off citizens, and it was also suggested that an endowment fund would be set up to pay for a nurse at the Cottage Hospital. The hospital was at this point still in Cambridge Road and acutely understaffed. They had great trouble retaining the nurses they did manage to recruit due not least because of the exhausting workload and difficult working conditions in an building not ideal for their purpose. I can not see evidence in the annual reports of the hospital that a nurse was paid for specifically from a Jubilee endowment fund, however a number of subscribers were recruited to give a annual subscription for terms of 3-5 years in honour of the event and an overall donation of £300 was made to the hospital by the Jubilee organisers. The fact that many of these did not renew their regular donations once the terms were over caused the hospital some difficulty. See links below for more. 

The Wethereds at Remnantz in West Street offered the use of their meadow for the sports. Two refreshment tents would be set up and a band was in attendance. A large number of children were apparently expected to attend, freed from the afternoon schooling. 

On the Sunday before the jubilee, special services of Thanksgiving for the Queen's reign were held at both All Saints and the Catholic church. To the latter the congregations of the non conforming chapels in town were invited, although they naturally also wanted to host their own services. Some members of the chapel choirs joined the Parish church choir which must have made for a delightful performance. A Church parade was also organised on this day, that is a parade to the Church, by both the Bucks Volunteers and the volunteer fire brigade, both of whom had some reserved seats in the full to capacity All Saints. The Bucks Volunteers marched from the Armoury in Institute Rd, and were joined by a few members of the Royal Bucks Hussars in uniform. 

On the 22nd June, Remnantz opened her gates. Most likely the direct entrance to the meadow from West Street, the large green gates closest to Borlase School, were the ones used. Those entering that way would have passed the dairy and chicken runs, and wondering through a little cluster of trees out into the meadow, formerly used as the parade ground for the Royal Military College cadets. It was not an unfamiliar sight for fun loving Marlovians as the meadow often housed events at this time from church fetes to agricultural shows. The children's sports events, with no entry fee, started at 1.30pm for under 14's. The children competed for a mixture of practical and cash prizes. Another race for boys only was planned for the High St  with a 2s 6d prize for the winner and 1s 6d for the runner up but I'm not sure this actually came off. 

 One event that certainly did was a donkey race down Chapel Street, round a post set near the Junction of Glade Road and back. No sticks or whips allowed. Donkeys have a long if forgotten association with Marlow, in particular the traders and residents of the Dean Street and Marefield areas who used them as an affordable transport option for businesses both legal and shady. See linked posts below. This was also a race with a cash prize for those coming first and second. Another donkey race was held as part of the  sports at Remnantz. (Winner there was John Bowles on Victoria, the donkey that is! And George Bowles triumphed in the Chapel Street race) A cycle race was also held in Chapel Street, under starter Mr Barnard's watchful eyes. 

Those aged residents had sat down for dinner at noon, in the oft used celebration spot of "the music room" (now the Masonic Centre, St Peter's Street) and the adjoining girls school. In the previous Jubilee the wall between the two had been knocked down to allow more room but nothing so dramatic had  been thought necessary this time around! Around 200 residents were in attendance then, out of 300 that had applied for a free ticket to attend. The event includes loyal toasts to her Majesty and the National Anthem, as well as music by the Reading Excelsior band who had paraded up the High Street earlier. The catering for this tremendous dinner was left to the very able hands of the Marlow Volunteers who used some military ovens at their disposal to roast 336lbs of meat! Full credit to the cooks Corporal S East and Private W Hardwood - let's hope they were remembered when the "flagons of strong ale" donated by Wethered's brewery were handed round! All those attending left with a small gift of tea or tobacco. 

At 4.30 pm some 1,000 children were expected to take part in a parade from Remnantz, up the High Street to the Music room and school where they would be treated to a tea, served in sittings. The mammoth organisation of this fell to a committee mostly of local ladies who also inveigled donations in money or tasty treats for the young marchers. All the youngsters recieved a mug bearing a portrait of the Queen Victoria on her succession to the throne in 1837 as well as a current image of her majesty. Catering was by Death & Sons, the Marlow bakers who had been working flat out to provide more than 1,400 buns and 900 rock cakes, not to mention ordinary loaves. 

The day was not yet done, for those who were neither old or young were invited to Remnantz at 5.30pm to enjoy a summer evening of sports.  That is mostly light-hearted races such as the needle and thread and egg and spoon races for both men and women run for money. These were run in heats accorded to age and gender e.g 60+ but officials were instructed not to "enquire too closely" into the stated ages of the ladies taking part!! The band was back and the marquees humming with thirsty runners and their families. 

A traditional end to many Marlow celebrations was some kind of river based event from water dramas to flotillas. Chosen on this occasion was an evening "river fete" starting at 8.45pm ending a little later with fireworks. This means a parade of patriotically decorated and brightly lit boats and that the riverside properties were also adorned with lights, flags and bunting. And music came from bands on their lawns and aboard. 

The individual shop keepers in the main streets competed to offer the best window displays, with lots of VR banners and motifs in evidence. The South Bucks Standard reported the church tower, Marlow bridge, the station, the gas works and the Enclosure were all specially decorated too. (The Enclosure is the area of grass in the Causeway where the War Memorial and flagpole  would later stand. It was indeed originally enclosed by fencing.) It was noticed that bunting, flags and the like had long sold out from the town's ships and even some of the very poorest homes were seen to be decorated. An unusual display was given by baker John Birdseye who exhibited some bread and cakes which he had made for the 1887 Jubilee, still in very good condition. 

 Outside of the immediate High Street area, there was a fire set up in Spittal Square in order to roast two sheep which were given away along with a vast quantity of boiled beef for free a little after midday. This was a considerate option to provide a celebration meal to the poorer adults in Marlow who did not qualify as aged and so who were not part of the main dinner. (The idea of butcher Mr Copcott who did the roasting)  If on the other hand, a leg of mutton was what a Marlow man  had set their heart on, they could compete in the afternoon greasy pole contest in the same location where it was the prize. A tall and sturdy pole was set up in the middle of the square, which must have made any horse traffic impossible given the numbers if bystanders gathered about it. The pole was spread with grease and the mutton was set on the top. Contestants would then attempt to climb to the top - the first to do so and seize the leg of mutton could keep it. I believe I have the record of the winner somewhere and I will update the post if I find it! 

Some of the pubs held their own celebratory dinner of which the most remembered is that provided by William Rose of the Wheelwrights Arms, Spittal Street. ("The Wheelers" in popular Marlow speak.) He entertained 50 grateful men and women to a "cold ham and roast beef dinner" complete with a champagne finish. 

Above I mentioned the terrible storm that would affect Marlow shortly after the main Jubilee celebrations. Little Marlow was less fortunate in their timing and so some of the planned  sporting races had to be cancelled. There there had been a special church service offering thanks for the queen's long reign (as there had been at the Parish church in Marlow, and at the Congregational church in Quoiting Square). After this a procession headed to the Ferns, its use donated by Mr Roberts for the villagers games and feasting. The kitchens of Westhorpe had been bought into service to roast 20 joints of meat and some plum puddings. Other householders volunteered their kitchens to cover the production of yet more plum puddings - used as part of many many Victorian celebrations, outside of the Christmas season. First off was a cricket match, then an amazing 500 people sat down inside two terrific tents to enjoy the hot dinner. The logistics of organising this is mind boggling. The meal fine shed with the singing of the National Anthem, music and dancing. A beautiful baby competition was won by the unnamed 4 month old son of "Mrs Harris" with the runner up the little 6 month old Miss Allen. At 4pm it was the children's turn to enjoy the tea, after which they received a medal to mark the occasion, provide by the Mrs Ellames of Little Marlow Manor who had also donated substantially to make the events possible. A little later events were disrupted by the torrential rain and high winds but eventually the villagers ventured back out from the tents to at least enjoy a few sports - the tug of war and yet another greasy pole competition, with a leg of mutton at stake. 

 Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

RELATED POSTS:

To find all mentions of an individual here use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu or the biographies of individuals section there...

Biographies of families index - here

1887 Jubilee in Marlow - Here

Hurley village Jubilee celebrations for 1887 and 97. here

Roaring hissing mist, the 1897 storm - here

1902 Coronation celebrations in Marlow - here

The Other Royal Celebrations in Marlow (Victoria's Coronation, marriage etc) - here

Other posts about Little Marlow here

Other posts about everyday life in Victorian Great Marlow  - here

© Marlow Ancestors. 

SOURCES INCLUDE: 

South Bucks Standard 4& 18 June, 2 July 1897. 

Queen Victoria  - Diamond Jubilee, Stokes & Co 1898. 

 

Every Family Has A Black Sheep - William Humphrey Shaw

 

As our post title says, every family has a black sheep, and I would suggest William Humphrey Shaw as the Victorian candidate for his family! William's older brother Robert was the well known Robert Shaw of Robert Shaw and Sons boat builders. A fondly remembered and respectable man, his brother William was on the other hand something of a trouble maker. 

The father to both was another William Humphrey Shaw, (wife Susannah). He was an Oxfordshire butcher who moved to Marlow after Robert's birth and so William Humphrey junior was born in Great Marlow in 1841. (Later William senior is working as a watchmen) The family lived in Dean Street before settling at St Peters Street where they would remain for a long time.  This street finishes at a dead end formed by the River Thames. If the young William was to walk to the end of this street, he would look across at the Compleat Angler hotel where his brother Robert would eventually go to live and work as a "fisherman" or anglers guide. William also became a fisherman. He continued to work in this role for decades, so presumably he was good at it, mixing this work with the less seasonal work of a waterman. Robert became a famous river guide, one that people from London would ask for by name. It was suggested that in order to successfully secure his services, you would need to write several months in advance. William seems to have done fairly well in the same role initially but perhaps it was hard to follow in the steps of his successful brother. For soon the two brothers paths diverged. Robert would go on to run his boat hire and boat building business, and did very well for himself building an impressive riverside house to boot. William on the other hand seems to have developed a talent for getting himself into trouble. 

Many of Williams tussles with the law involved the "demon drink". For example in 1864 William was involved in a scuffle at the Red Lion in West Street. He accused a Mr Andrews of assaulting him there after the pair exchanged "words". However after hearing the evidence of witnesses, the magistrates decided that Andrews was direly provoked and Shaw thoroughly deserved the punishment inflicted on him! 

10 years later, William was convicted of a much more serious assault, or rather a string of brutal attacks on his wife Emma (nee Jones).  The pair had married in 1869.  William admitted suffering from attacks of jealousy and dared to justify his beatings on the fact he suspected her of adultery. In 1873 Emma went to the police and got a warrant issued for Williams arrest based on his attacks on her person, but in the end she got cold feet and refused to appear against him when the matter came to court. But according to Emma, the violence continued, usually precipitated by William's late night arrival home drunk. The neighbours continually complained at his shouting and the couple were asked to leave several homes they rented as a result. In 1878 a particularly bad spell for Emma resulted in William finally getting his turn in front of the magistrates. Emma had been told to leave a 4th house due to Williams outbursts. The events of the 5 or so days before William's arrest make extremely sad reading. He broke her nose, punched her throat, shoved her head against a bed post, kicked her in the face, dragged her from the bed by her hair and repeatedly locked her outside, including in her night dress. Twice she was taken in by her neighbours during the night. Sadly Williams unproven fears of Emma's unfaithfulness were able under the laws of the time to make sure his conviction was for "aggravated assault". His punishment? A fine of 40s and 12s costs. However crucially for Emma, the court was satisfied that "future safety of the wife was in peril" and made an separation order that meant she was free to live apart from him. Without such an order, William could have, in theory sued for Emma to return to their marital home had she left him. He was also ordered to give her a set weekly sum for her maintenance with the promise of time in gaol should he fall behind with this. Yes, William was more likely to go to prison for falling behind with his maintenance payments than assaulting his wife seriously for 5 consecutive days! 

Sadly the reality of being a seperated wife was difficult in its own way. Although the court could order that William would maintain her financially, the sum granted was relatively small because allowance was also made for the fact William needed to maintain his own seperate household out of his not too high earnings. She could not of course marry anyone else  This is a factor, as well as any psychological or emotional ones, that means we often see Victorian victims of domestic violence return to their partner. This is sadly what Emma eventually did, and we can only hope he treated her better. Unfortunately he certainly did not learn to control either his temper or his drinking. 

A further conviction for drunkenness in 1881 saw William plead guilty and receive a 5 shilling fine. The following year, William was back in court for refusing to leave a licenced premises when asked to do so. The rolling drunk William arrived outside the Greyhound Inn in Spittal Street late in the evening. Landlord Thomas Willis heard the swearing William outside but the latter pushed his way into the bar before he could be refused entry. Thomas then asked him to leave at which William let forth the "most foul, disgusting and blasphemous language". He was then ejected. William was not someone Thomas said he would ever serve, drink or sober, based on past behaviour. Another fine was added to the Shaw tally, then one for poaching a rabbit. At this point they were living in Station Rd. 

In December 1887 both William and Emma found themselves in trouble. William was convicted of stealing some fowls from James Field, of Wood End Farm near Medmenham. Emma was convicted in turn for recieving the stolen goods, as was Eliza Bowles who had sold them to various people in Marlow on behalf of the Shaws. (Eliza said the fowls had been raised either by her son who had gone into the army, or by a nephew who said she could sell them to pay for her Christmas dinner.)  I can't find consistent information as to their sentence. William certainly went to prison, for either 2 or 3 months, and Emma for 1 or 3 months and Eliza for one month. William was described then as a fisherman still, and Emma was working as a charwoman. Later she was a needlewoman. Two low paid occupations. 

The following year William was summoned for illegal fishing at Bisham. He was using eel baskets, against the Thames Conservancy's regulations. Another fine followed, but the conviction must have an impact on his ability to work successfully as a fisherman. 

Emma died in 1898. Later the same year William married widow, charwoman (and former furrier) Sarah Rose previously of Cambridge Rd. The pair lived in Dean Street. I do not know whether Sarah suffered at Williams hands. Unfortunately his step daughter Harriet did. He was accused of unlawfully wounding her in 1901 when she was 30.  She lived nearby in Dean Street with her husband Thomas Pearce. Her two youngest sisters Elizabeth "Lizzie" age 14 and Mary age 10 had the misfortune of still living with their step father.  He tried the old trick of "punishing" the girls by locking them out of the home for an unspecified reason. 

At 9pm they went for help to Harriet having been stuck outside for 4 hours.  She keep them with her for an hour then took them home, and found the front door still locked. The back door was however open, and she told the girls to go in and go quickly up the stairs to bed. But William was waiting inside and smashed a pottery jug into Harriet's face, before hitting her on the head with a poker. The terrified girls ran to get their brother in law Thomas Pearce, who arrived to find William  on top of Harriet who had a blood soaked dress. He pulled him off, giving William a minor head injury of his own. The police were called and William was found, drunk, in the High Street with a bandaged head.  He claimed it was blood loss that made him appear drunk to Sergeant Crook. His excuse this time? That Harriet and the girls were "jealous" and sulky about not being able to do as they pleased at home. He said he had been knocked about by them. Astonishingly, while the jury took only 10 minutes to find William guilty of common assault they also expressed they felt there had been much "provocation" and asked for leniency. While the bench said they thought the jury had taken a very lenient view, they would be lenient in sentencing and gave William a 7 day prison sentence with hard labour. 

By 1908 William had moved to Wooburn and was working as a common (that is general)  labourer.  At least one more conviction for drunk and disorderly behaviour is attached to his name. A few years later William is unemployed and Sarah was a peddlar, another low paid job. Things must have been financially very difficult. I have not traced Williams death. It was never going to be reported in the same way as brother Roberts, whose passing in 1908 bought Marlow to a standstill as the community queued to pay their respects. 

The end of St Peters Street, Marlow. Photo courtesy of R Martin. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Related Posts:

Robert Shaw king of the river here

To find all mentions of a person or family here, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. 

Sources include:

Ashby-Sterry Joseph, Tiny Travels (Tinsley Bros 1874)

Fennel, John Greville The Rail and The Road or Tourist Anglers  Guide to Waters and Quarters  (H Cox 1867)

Bucks Advertiser and Free Press 6 July 1901 - thanks to Michael Frew.

Bucks Herald 27 August 1881, 15 April 1882, 22 January 1887, 5 Jul 1901 - copies from British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA 2019

Northants Mercury 7 January 1888, as above

Reading Mercury 27 February 1864, Reading Library. 

Reading Observer 18 July 1888

South Bucks Standard 3 January 1908, 6 July 1901 BNA as above. 

"England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4GPM-Z3Z : 22 February 2021), Emma Shaw in household of William H Shaw, Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom;  citing PRO RG 12, Buckinghamshire county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.

"England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4GG5-33Z : 22 February 2021), Sarah Rose, Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census," 

Judicial research of Jane Pullinger,  1970. With thanks. 

Census 1871, transcript from microfilm by Charlotte. 

"England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2D2Z-6V9 : 13 December 2014), Emma Jones, 1869; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1869, quarter 3, vol. 3A, p. 659, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. 

Ginger Frost, « «He Could Not Hold His Passions»: Domestic Violence and Cohabitation in England (1850-1905) », Crime, Histoire & Sociétés / Crime, History & Societies [En ligne], Vol. 12, n°1 | 2008, mis en ligne le 04 avril 2011, Accessed Feb 2022. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/chs/64 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/chs.64

Little Marlow and Well End Victorian Shopkeepers

Shops in Victorian Little Marlow and Well End.

I have found these whilst researching other things rather than dedicatedly researching them so there is likely more info to be unearthed on some of them. There was a grocers next to the Queen's Head pub in 1899. Whose premises that was I am uncertain.

Note that the Well End I am concerned with here is the hamlet of Well End near Little Marlow not the street now called Dean Street Marlow formerly known as Well End, Great Marlow.

Dates given next to the names are when I have personally found evidence of the below traders keeping a shop in Little Marlow. They may have been in business earlier or later too.

*UPDATED JULY 2024*

Richard Barber

Greengrocer Little Marlow 1898. Also sold lemonade and ginger beer and was a nurseryman.

William Clifford

William Clifford, born circa 1846. Baker who went bankrupt in 1881. But he was still in business in 1891 and to at least 1911 on The Moor, Little Marlow. Trained in Great Marlow under his maternal uncle William Brooks of the High Street. Whilst working there he was a witness to an accident involving the delivery cart of Little Marlow baker William Goldhawk who appears on the list below. 

Wife Mary was from Chertsey, Surrey. Their 17 year old son Harry also baker at home 1891. 

Charles Frederick Creswell

Baker 1866 to his death in 1888. Summoned 1866 for using unjust scales. Born 1833-35. Though there are many local Creswells / Cresswells his census entries suggest a birth for him in Middlesex or Norfolk. Wife Eliza, née Smith (married 1854).

Samuel Doney

Baker and grocer from at least 1851 to his death in 1863. Wife Ann. Will trustee was William Goldhawk below who was engaged to marry his daughter Ann - see below.

John Franklin

Grocer at Well End 1876.

William Goldhawk

William Goldhawk baker and Post Master at the Little Marlow sub post office from at least 1861 to at least 1869. In 1863 also dealt meal. In 1869 sued Great Marlow baker John Millward for damages when his horse was killed and cart damaged by a delivery cart belonging to Millward running into it at speed in what we now call Station Road, Marlow. Goldhawks' cart was in the care of his young apprentice George Kirby at the time. Millward's cart, driven by his empoyee Mr Fasey, had rounded the corner at speed and without looking. By coincidence the accident happened outside the premises that of Brooks, another baker. And who was one of the witnesses in the case? William Clifford who worked for Brooks, and would later move to Little Marlow and run his own bakery there. See above. The case is interesting as it shows that Little Marlow bakers delivered to not only their own village but Great Marlow town too. 

William was described as a bankrupt baker 1871. Born 1814-21 Staines Middlesex. In Little Marlow as a resident by 1857 but no earlier than 1851. He and his wife Elizabeth moved from Egham where William had had a shop. She died and William remarried 1864 Ann Doney of Little Marlow in London. When Samuel Doney above died in 1863 the beneficiary of his will listed in probate records was William Goldhawk, his future son in law. He was in fact acting as trustee for Samuel's young son (and William's brother in law) Samuel Doney junior.  This was an unfortunate choice as Goldhawk seemingly took advantage of Samuel juniors youth and lack of business experience (he'd just turned of age) and persuaded him to sell him the family property at much below it's actual value. He then took a mortgage out on it, but didn't stop there. Instead he persuaded Samuel Junior to sign multiple deeds and conveyances for the property, using each one to get a different mortgage without revealing there was any existing one on the property. He told Samuel Junior he'd had to destroy the previous paperwork for various reasons. He then went and bought a number of cottages and building plots and flashed the cash so to speak, of which poor Samuel had none and so continued to go to work. This caused some gossip locally. Eventually events caught up with Goldhawk who became insolvent and at a meeting of creditors, some of those with mortgages came forward as well as a man who'd recently been "sold" the Doney property. With his lies revealed, Goldhawk absconded and Samuel Junior found himself in court facing serious charges of fraud. However he could produce many character witnesses, and as it could be proved he'd never personally benefitted in any way from Goldhawk's schemes, he was set free. It doesn't look as though he even recieved the money for selling the house to Goldhawk in the first place. 

 William was a relative of chemist Joseph Goldhawk of Staines. He played cricket for Little Marlow.

Arthur Hester

Shopkeeper 1911. Though on censuses as domestic gardener also. 

John Holmes

Baker 1866. Fined for unjust scales. Just "shopkeeper" 1869.

Henry James Hussey

Son of James Hussey below. Grocer at Little Marlow 1843 until he died in 1880 aged 69. Possibly moved from premises in West Street Great Marlow. At Little Marlow also sold petroleum and gunpowder. His wife Sarah took over his business assisted by their son Henry Valentine Hussey. Note he apparently had 2 sons called Henry, one of whom was also  Henry James but known usually by his middle name James. The other was Henry Valentine Hussey, occasionally known just as Valentine. This shop was next to the Queen's Head pub.

Henry Valentine Hussey

Grocer. Born 1852. Assisting his grocer mother Sarah 1881 and 1891. He was then a baker and a grocer. Also the village Post Master. The sub post office premises were on The Moor, Little Marlow. Note that he apparently had an older half brother also called Henry Hussey, though more often known by his middle name James. Henry Valentine was the village sextant, parish clerk and constable. He gave up the shop and Post Office and sold up all his furniture and household goods in 1910 and emigrated to Canada.

James Hussey

Retired grocer 1851. Born circa 1785. Father of Henry Hussey above who was running his shop for him by 1847. Grandfather of Henry Valentine Hussey.

Sarah Hussey

Grocer 1881 and 1891 with her son Henry Valentine Hussey. Widow of Henry James Hussey above. She also worked in the sub post office her son ran on the premises. They were located on The Moor, Little Marlow. She died in 1897. Born circa 1823, Holyport Berkshire.

John Jarvis

Baker 1837-52. Born circa 1802, Penn. Wife Martha.

Hugh Jones

Grocer, baker and general shopkeeper who became insolvent in 1864. Had also operated a shop in Newbury at one point.

Henry Lane

Baker and butcher of Well End. Insolvent 1828.

James Lawrence 

Shopkeeper 1863.

Joseph Parslow

Grocer. Insolvent 1856.

Thomas Rackshaw

Born circa 1820. General shopkeeper 1873. His shop was adjacent to the Ferns. Had notepaper and biscuits stolen from his shop that year. His main income was as a boot maker while his wife Mary was a dressmaker. They married 1870, she being née Mary Clark.

Emma Rose

Grocer 1847. Mrs.

Joseph Sworder

Grocer and hirer of horses and carts. 1870.

John Wells

Grocer of Well End, Little Marlow. Found to have all his weights light in 1871. In other words if you thought that you had bought a pound of sugar from him you took home a little less in fact. Had the weights confiscated and received a fine. 

More information:

For more Little Marlow content see the option Nearby Places on the menu  here  or the Graves option in the top drop down menu  for those specifically.

For all mentions of an individual here use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. 

For Well End Great Marlow see Dean Street post listing in the Specific Places index. 

Some Sources:

Census, transcriptions from microfilm by me. Census information remains Crown Copyright. 

Parish Registers, St Martin's In The Fields.

Bucks Herald 17th April 1864 and 10th February 1866. British Library Archives. Via the BNA. South Bucks Standard May 21st 1897. As above.

"England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2D3J-N3H : 13 December 2014), Charles Creswell, 1854; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1854, quarter 4, vol. 3A, p. 609, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. 

The Goldhawk Fraud - pamphlet, anon, 1871. With thanks to Jane Pullinger. 

Kelly's Directory 1884 & 1889

Robson's Directory 1839

Musson & Craven's Commercial Directory 1853. 

South Bucks Free Press 10th March 1871

©Marlow Ancestors. Freely use this research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.