A Manly And Scientific Pursuit - History of Cricket In Great Marlow

In 1829 the local papers included a charming description of a "manly game of cricket" in Marlow between the "Knights of the thimble" of Marlow and their fellow tailors of Maidenhead. The latter were seemingly brim full of confidence (or bravado) and marched into town complete with a band playing "See the conquering hero come". They lost and made a somewhat muted departure. This was the earliest match I could find between teams formed of those following a particular occupation, but it would be the first of many. And 1829 was usually given in the Victorian era as the start date for Marlow Cricket Club although it ebbed and flowed and was re-organised several times and finally so in 1854. (I've also seen a mention of a Marlow Cricket Club in 1828 so it may have a few false starts even before 1829.)

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Above programme for a fundraising dramatic and musical performance by the Marlow Popular Promenade Pierrot Party in November 1907. Profits were shared with the Institute. Expect banjo performances, comic songs and dramatic sketches and humourous "absurdity in one act". 

The Aldermary

Where did our early teams play?  It was said in the 1880s that the Cricket Club had used the Crown Meadow as their first cricket ground (Riley Recreation Ground), and I believe this is correct although many reports do not give a location for their matches and they may have used more than one field at times. However by the 1870s the vast majority of matches I can find location details for describe play at "the Aldermary" or Alder Meadow as it was later known. This is roughly where the Marlow Cricket Club is now but the ground was smaller.  Note you can find several examples of the club playing at the Aldermary on occasion from the 1840s and it also hosted casual matches so has a longer heritage as the cricket ground than may be realised. 

A Gents Wager

An early descriptions of cricket matches at Marlow refer to games organised by a couple of unnamed gentleman to settle a wager. They may or may not have actually played themselves. The location in 1776 was Alms House Close - probably Crown Meadow again or nearby, as this was adjacent to the original Brinkhurst almshouses. 

A popular type of cricket spectacle in the early Victorian era was a one wicket match between two teams  gentlemen aside. Sometimes these preceded a team match but a lot of people turned up to watch them anyway. Usually some kind of forfeit was at stake - not including any unofficial wagers. The loser often had to stump up a dinner for the victor and his friends for example, or at very least a round or two. No doubt some of those participating took these matches seriously but generally they seem to have been held in a spirit of fun with some questionable techniques and rule bending hinted at. My favourite one wicket match is one played in 1842 between Messrs Hyatt and Brooks. [Henry Hyatt was the keeper of The Greyhound Inn* and Brooks was the baker occupying the premises now known as Burgers.] Hyatt's puffing and blowing was said to have reminded the spectators of an "old steam engine nearly exhausted". Henry Hyatt's exertion was worth it as he secured victory in 30 minutes flat. 

Any Excuse For A Match Will Do 

If your ancestor wasn't playing for Marlow Cricket Club, they might well be playing often in one of the huge number of  casual games organised, and almost always still hosted at Alder Meadow and Crown Meadow before. Games were arranged between the residents of different streets, workers from one employer versus another, men in the same or different occupations eg waiters v waterman in 1898, the choir and clergy, pupils at rival academies..the list goes on. Sometimes an additional element was added such as players performing in fancy dress, or in old fashioned costumes, or one team may have to play left handed or with some unusual instrument replacing a proper bat. An 1897 match between ladies on one side and men on the other saw the men playing left handed (or right handed if they naturally played left normally) and with a piece of  rough hewn wood instead of a bat. (Result was declared a diplomatic draw.)

The bigger private boys schools in the town had their own teams throughout the Victorian era such as Prospect House Academy and Marlow Place School. I should also mention the popular team of the Marlow Institute* who usually used the Crown Meadow for practice and matches - or sometimes the Alder Meadow. Formed 1896, they later amalgamated with Marlow Cricket Club with the members allowed a reduced subscription in return for playing fewer matches as a sort of B team. And lastly the Brewery had a formally organised cricket club from 1895 (but had fielded many teams before that) whose home ground was regarded as Star Meadow. 

Cricketing Whites ...Or Purples Or Stripes..

James Cranbourne Strode of Court Garden (then a private house) was a definite cricketing enthusiast.  He hosted a match between two invited teams of  Marlow boys aged 12-14 at Court Garden in 1828. The sides were distinguished by wearing different colours - purple and orange. Probably these colours were represented by sashes, hat/armbands or belts. Purple were the victors, with a young Strode amongst their members. After much "scientific" play the youngsters retired to a large tea on the grounds. It was the highest praise to have your play described as scientific then..technically skilful and considered rather than successful through brute force or so they thought. 

In 1843 the boys of Prospect House Academy* played in nifty blue and white striped shirts with white trousers and a straw hat finished with a blue ribbon. 

The Clayton's of Harleyford were another family of gentry who patronised local cricket matches, especially in the mid Victorian  era. They were hosting matches within Harleyford Park with the home team usually formed out of Harleyford estate employees/tenants or Marlow tradesmen. 

Fear The Men Of Beaconsfield 

 After an enthusiastic start around 1829, things became a little more complicated for the early members of the Marlow Club. It seems our nemesis was the Beaconsfield club. I can find a few reports of consistent defeats at their hands in 1830 and a little later but at some point prior to 1843 we received such a thrashing by the team that apparently Marlow Cricket Club was entirely broken up in despair. Before then the Club was described as as "good a club as far as funds were concerned as any in the country".  I suppose the well off benefactors were not keen to subsidise a team that was getting publicly trounced. Afterwards, according to contemporaries, a few informal games were held a year until 1843 when the club was revived to meet a challenge from the fellows of Waltham. But before long the matches begin to fall off again (although not due to those skillful Beaconsfielders as far as I know)  and by 1853 the club was described as fallen into decline. In September 1853 someone decided to organise a match between the residents of Chapel Street and those of West Street. It was hoped this would generate enough popular enthusiasm to encourage the revival of the club. West Street were the happy victors. In April the following year a meeting by the "youthful supporters of athletic sports" saw a resolution to re start Marlow Cricket Club passed. The curate Rev George Taylor was subsequently credited as being one of the main driving forces for getting funds and practical support pledged. 

The Married v Single gentleman of the club match was one of the most long standing features of the Victorian club, and so ended the inaugural 1854 season. After a game played with "considerable spirit" the  married team were victorious. Dinner at the Crown usually  followed - also the location for most early AGMS. 

In 1859 a juvenile club was established by William Brooks. It looks as though their first match was against the boys of Marlow Place school who won. All then retired to the National boys schoolroom for ginger beer, as gifted by supporter Peter Borgnis. I can find a few mentions of the juvenile side after this throughout the 1860s. 

Who Were The Players? 

As regards the Cricket Club, the earliest members listed as playing are familiar names from amongst the better off traders, inn keepers, clergy, school masters and gentry. There was much less of a set regular team than later. Complaints were made in the 1850s and 60s that few of those selected for the team actually lived in the town. The Club replied that while they had many townsman members, few turned up often for practice and so this was why they were not regarded as amongst the best players  from which the team would be selected from. To be fair, most of the teams I traced were in fact then present or former Marlow men and most that weren't were not quite from a million miles away - Little Marlow, Bisham etc. The press frequently complained about the selected sides performance in those two decades - for example the "miserable exhibition" versus Maidenhead in the August of 1860. Hard to say if the criticism was fair, as they did notch up a fair few wins too! 

As regards other casual teams, the players are more mixed in terms of economic background. And the "Night School and Juvenile Cricket Club" set up in 1861 was mainly formed of lower income youths. (Set up by the vicar and curates of Marlow, the Night School catered for young men and youths mainly from the Dean Street area. Read more here) Later the Great Marlow Working Mans Cricket Club was set up after a meeting in the Crown in 1906. The then Crown landlord offered the use of the rear Crown Meadow (Riley Park) to them for both matches and practice free of charge, and the use of a room in the inn for committee purposes, also free. A local paper hoped this new club would encourage a spirit of friendliness between the "better class working men" in the town. They subsequently played at the Star Meadow, Porter's Meadow and Marlow Football Club before arriving at Higginson Park and changing their name to the Marlow Park Cricket Club. 

A Pavillion 

By 1873 the Cricket Club was doing well for itself and so of course they needed a pavillion. Local engineer Edwin Clark (see link below for more about him) had promised a £35 donation towards the costs, at least according to some reports. It was resolved to fundraise in order to build a "substantial pavillion"  - no mention of whether it needed to be bigger than any Beaconsfield might have! In 1879 it was referred to as "somewhat elaborate" in design. Marlow builder Thomas Corby* won the contract to construct. Costing just over £117, it was newly completed in August that year, topped with a traditional thatched roof. The cost had not been fully paid off the following year as many promised subscriptions were late, although an influx of donations had reduced the deficit to £30 by April 1875. At least they now had somewhere of their own to host an AGM - and to sell luncheons plus wine and beer from. Catering was available when the ground hosted a bigger match at least. The proprietors of the Greyhound and George and Dragon inns would take care of the sales there. 

By the mid 1890s the pavillion was described as in a poor state or even "dilapidated" as they put it in 1897. Repairs had been made almost every year but it was now considered beyond remedy. They had started sporadically fundraising for this purpose around 1895/6 but at the time of the 1897 AGM, the work had not started and the scheme doesn't seem to advanced to the stage of anyone drawing up plans for that matter. Hopes that the structure would be imminently ready nevertheless were not realised and in November 1898 the old roof had partially fallen in. It was decided to get the pavillion scheme properly started and an official subscription list was opened. Three members of the Wethered family immediately pledged £70 between them, including the then Club Captain F O Wethered.  A committee would decide where the new pavillion should be - as the ground had been enlarged in the years since the first was built it was felt the old position was no longer the best one. Moving it would make available a larger or better area for play. I don't know where the old was in relation to the new though. Initial plans were also to raise enough for the construction of a residence for the caretaker / groundsman but I don't believe this was achieved. By March it was reported work had begun on the new pavillion even though not enough funds had yet been raised to pay for it. (Due to cost about £300, the contractor was local man Thomas Lunnon.) It was ready for the start of the new season that year. 

Problems In Play

As mentioned above the Alder Meadow ground was smaller at first and dissected by footpaths, official and otherwise. It sometimes suffered substantial flooding. There were frequent late Victorian complaints about groups of children, mostly little boys, who congregated in a field or two next to the cricket ground and got up to mischief. They had been seen climbing the wooden fence of the Club and it looked as though attempts had been made to wrench out some iron railings adjacent. Obviously the youngsters were feeling strong on that occasion! Police patrols were requested to make extra passes through the area on the evenings. Of course some children hanging about during the daytime just wanted to watch the play, and could not necessarily do so legitimately. It was actually debated whether children should be allowed in the ground at all. In the early years youngsters had been allowed to play on part of the ground, except on match days. After some serious vandalism in 1873 of both the fencing and new pavillion, this permission was withdrawn. But in 1899 they formalised the rules to state that while no perambulators or very young children would ever be permitted entry, well behaved youngsters who had applied in advance for a ticket of admission from Mr Lovell* could pass through the gates on match days. However if any of these lucky youngsters should misbehave they would be banished from the ground for ever! They stood no chance of getting into the pavillion it seems, which was restricted on match days to players and members and their one adult guest each. All had to sign a visitors book. 

Money Woes

The Victorian Marlow Cricket Club had to fund all the expenses you'd expect, and a few you perhaps wouldn't such as that of thatching the first pavillion roof. Routine costs include payments to the umpire and boys to "scout" on match and practice days, to a professional bowler for practice purposes (on a regular basis from 1879) and to the groundsman of course. And there was the rent of the cricket field from first the Davenports and Higginsons, and then from the Wethered family too. (The latter remitted the rent during the First World War.) Although the earliest version of the club was said to have a high level of financial support from the local gentry, this was less to be relied upon as time went on. The Wethereds of Remnantz and the Brewery were consistent in their support though and one or other of the family fulfilled the role of club captain from the time of the club's re organisation in 1854 throughout very many years of the Victorian period. Most importantly the family purchased the cricket ground when it was offered for sale as part of the Court Garden estate in the 1890s. It was feared that as the Club could not afford to buy the ground themselves, they would be evicted from their home by a new purchaser perhaps hoping to put up a riverside villa. (Although the ground was described as water logged in winter, it was believed conversion to residential use was likely.)

Frequent appeals were made to pay subscriptions on time, whether you were a playing or general member.  Sources of income included selling the grass cut from the field, rights to graze sheep** there when not in use for play,  and charging the Lawn Tennis Club for use of part of their ground, at least until the two organisations merged in 1908. They offered a joint membership then for a guinea a year or less if you didn't want to support both sports. 

The Wethered brewery bought the cricket field in 1920 for the sum of £1200 as the Marlow Cricket Club had sadly not re started after the war. It was to be used rent free by the Brewery Employees' Recreation Club for leisure purposes. So while Marlow has one of the oldest established cricket clubs, it does not have a continuous history.  

This post would be too long to feature individual players, umpires, score keepers etc especially as many get a post of their own. Search cricket using the blog search to find all mentions, or use the A-Z person index to find a specific individual. 

** In 1868 Arthur Brown, Augustus, Sidney and an otherwise unnamed young East were fined 5s each for cruelty to the grazing sheep - they had been seen attempting to ride them like a horse! 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

©MarlowAncestors

Further information:

All the people and places marked * have more detailed posts of their own eg Henry Hyatt. Find them in the A-Z person index on the top drop down menu. 

Other posts related to sporting history :

Athletics meetings at Harleyford 1870s and in Marlow generally here

Biography of Charles Miller Foottit- one of the founders of the Football Club, Rowing Club and Regatta, cricket player etc here

Football Clubs - more than 20 you've probably never heard of dating from Victorian and Edwardian times (with many players mentioned) in a post here. Easter matches of Marlow FC here

Gymnastics in Edwardian and Victorian Marlow - here

Marlow Horse Races- comprehensive history, updated October 2023 here

Nellie Creswell amateur Victorian sportswoman here

Richard Smith, amateur cricketer who played in front of a French prince here

Regattas  - here

Skating on the Thames and meadows here

Sporting opportunities in 1700s Marlow here

Victorian Marlow Athletes here

See also the general Great Marlow history index here

Sources include:

Dolby, I E A (ed) - Journal of the Household Brigade - Household Brigade, privately printed,  1875. 

Lillywhite, Frederick - Cricket Scores and biographies from 1746 to 1826, Vol 11. (1878)

The Badminton Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, Vol 43. (Longmans, Green & Co, 1915)

Kelly's Directory 1883, 1903, 1911 (Kelly's Directory Ltd)

Marlow town guides 1903 & 1905. 

Windsor and Eton Express - 2nd August 1828,  3rd October 1829, 4th April 1874 -  Slough Borough Libraries. 

Berkshire Chronicle, 24th September 1842, 9th September  1843, 15th June 1861 - Archive.org. 

South Bucks Standard - 31st Aug 1894, 5th July 1895, 23rd April & 27th August 1897, 27 May & 18 November 1898, 10 March & 2 June 1899, 2oth April 1906 British Library Archive, via the BNA. 

Bucks Gazette 26 July 1830, as above. 

Bucks Herald 26th April 1873, 16th & 30th August 1873, 3rd May 1879, 20th April 1889 as above

South Bucks Free Press 21st May 1859, 27th August 1859, 18th August 1860 as above. And South Bucks Free Press 6th August 1920, Wycombe library. 

Reading Mercury, 17th July 1776, 24th September 1853, 29th April 1854, 10 May 1873, 24th March 1917    - British Library. 

Who Lived Here In West Street?

For many years in the Victorian era Richard Smith Senior boot and shoe maker (baptised Marlow 1786) had his premises here. Wife Ann. Their son Richard Junior (baptised 1815 Marlow) was also a boot and shoe maker in the same premises and has the distinction of playing cricket at Harleyford House in 1846 for the entertainment of Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. The prince was a guest of William Clayton at the house during the week of Marlow horse races. For the history of Marlow Races see my blog post here.

Richard Senior died in 1856.

Richard Junior's 1895 obituary in the local press says that he was also a regular Marlow cricketer. Amongst the regular umpires listed was Thomas Bowen. This was Richard's very near neighbour in West Street Thomas Bowen of the Red Lion. 

One of Richard's matches was played just down the road in West Street in the meadow then behind Remnantz. He was on a team representing West Street who had challenged a Chapel Street team to a match.

Richard Junior's wife Jane appears on the census as being born in Mountfield Sussex which is quite a way away. I hope one day to discover how she winded up in Marlow. Sadly she died aged only 49 in 1878. She and her husband had suffered the loss of their five year old daughter Harriet in 1861 and only one of the twin daughters born to them in 1867- Gertrude- seems to have survived her earliest infancy.

Photographed November 2020. Post researched and written by Charlotte Day with some additional research by Kathryn Day.

To find historic occupiers of other West Street buildings see "Specific Shops, Streets...Etc" on the menu. All mentions of any individual on this blog can be found on the Person Index. Over 1200 people are listed so far. More individuals with sporting links can be identified by choosing General Marlow History on the menu and then the sub category Sports Related.

Sources:

1841-91 censuses. [I used census information transcribed from microfilm by myself or Jane Pullinger]

South Bucks Standard July 5th 1895 [obituary]. Copy held at the British Library archives and accessed by me March 2021 via the BNA.

Parish registers and GRO death registrations.

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

I have identified historic occupancy of buildings in some Marlow roads by cross referencing wills, photographs, property transactions, property surveys, censuses (which often do not give properties in actual order unfortunately), court cases and more.

It is a major task and a long term project, being uploaded here gradually. Occupancy of some properties can be traced to the 1700s.

This Way For Healthy Masculine Exercise

 In the 1890's gymnastics was undergoing a period of being strongly in fashion locally. Apparently a town of "any size could boast of a gymnasium" hereabouts, with one glaring exception - Marlow. Reflecting on letters it had recieved on this subject, the South Bucks Standard thought it inconceivable that a town that prided itself so much on sporting success should be so behind the times. The practice of gymnastics was very invigorating they thought. Soon after this a meeting was held, presided over by Mr F O Wethered, in which it was resolved to start a gymnastics club for young men, with Wethered as president.

So in March 1896, membership enrolment began with 100 names submitted. Sergeant Palmer, drill instructor at Borlase and Mr Baxter who was involved with other gym clubs, agreed to offer training. There was no young man for whom a course of properly directed gymnastic training would not be of benefit they thought. It would develop strength and discipline. The Music Room, aka the Lecture Hall (now the Masonic centre, St. Peters Street) was chosen as their meeting place. They met only during the winter season, twice weekly with the two instructors alternating attendance. All of their exercises were performed to piano music. 

They had a practice place, an instructor and eager pupils, but what they lacked at first was any equipment. Neighbouring gymnastics clubs kindly put on fundraising displays solely intended to benefit the new club, with Boyne Hill and Maidenhead at the fore. The latter had a gymnasium in Queen Street, Maidenhead and maintained a long bond with Marlow, the two often putting on joint shows. Maidenhead also had the habit of lending one or two of their experienced performers to assist Marlow in a display. When Instructor Palmer left to take on a position at the Merchant Taylor School, Maidenhead man G W Phelby took over. By November 1898, they had enough apparatus to declare themselves possessors of a gymnasium although this was just the Music Room in another guise, the equipment stashed away between gym sessions. 

Dozens of keen young gymnasts offered a good opportunity for the likes of WB Langston, boot and shoe seller. He had opened a second shop facing his first in Marlow High Street and this would specialise in sporting and leisure shoes including those designed for gymnastic use. 

Each year, the Marlow gymnasts would compete against each other in pursuit of medals, before an audience of ladies and gentlemen. The  overall champion was crowned for getting the highest score across the different disciplines. In 1897 this honour went to J Meakes. As well as this there were regular exhibitions of "strength and agility" presented in the form of a competition. The young men showed off their skills using barbells, Swedish dumbbells, horizontal bars, and a vaulting horse as well as performing jumps and tumbles, all to accompaniment of suitable piano music. To be honest some of these exhibitions sound like a endurance test for the audience, lasting several hours and encompassing comic and musical interludes. The end of season performance in 1900 came to well over 3 hours of "bright tripping music" and gymnastic stunts. No longer just showing off the likes of their barbell and horse skills, the boys included a performance of clowning, sword exercises, military style drill, "comic boxing" , and the formation of human pyramids. The audience showed no signs of fatigue according to reports, which may not be true of the young performers at the end! Relief for the latter came when a more serious boxing match took centre stage - Rippington V Broadbent - two well known local pugilists. After this, the evening came at last to a close.

The club acknowledged that the use of the music room was not an ideal space performance wise, but they were too short of funds to consider hiring bigger facilities. They did manage on one occasion to secure the use of a large temporary gazebo erected for a fundraising ball at the rear of the Institute when the latter had finished with it. But by 1899, the club was already facing a deficit in funds. They were nevertheless determined to continue as the club had been started to give the youth of Marlow an aid to "healthy development" and they still felt the cause was a worthy one. However membership began to decline, with fewer youths willing to commit to the twice weekly practice. This and the chronic lack of funds caused the club to be wound up in 1903. The equipment was sold off at a knock down price to the Boys Life Brigade, who would also use the Music room. Marlow's entertainment scene would never be the same!

Known members:

Alfred Davis Junior

L Smith Junior (treasurer)

J Carter Junior (hon.  secretary)

J Meakes

W B Taylor

A H Harman

Q Bird

A Young

A J Tugwood

L Holland

P Charter (Carter?)

S Arber

G David

Above, a part of the Borlase school gymnasium as it stood in c1905. There had been some argument about the relative access day and boarding boys got to this facility. 

To read a post on the Victorian cyclists of Marlow see here

To find all mentions of your ancestor however small, use the a-z Person Index on the drop down menu. For a shorter list of more detailed posts, select the Biographies Of Individuals or Biographies of Families menu options.

Other Marlow History posts can be found under the General Marlow History option on the menu. There is a sports subsection to that for more posts like this. Posts are currently uploaded daily so if what you need isn't here yet, check back soon! 

SOURCES

South Bucks Standard 20 September 1895, 9 April 1897, November 29 1898, 6 October 1899, 23 March 1900, 24 April 1903 - copies from the British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA.

Maidenhead Advertiser 21 December 1900, as above

Watson, James Madison -Handbook of Callisthenics and Gymnastics - a complete drill guide for schools, families and gymnasiums. (E Steiger, 1889)

©MarlowAncestors

 

No Rational Dress Allowed

This post is about the entertaining and sometimes bizarre history of the late Victorian and Edwardian Marlow men and women who took to up the cycling craze. It was a time when the cost of bicycles had come down and the comfort had increased thanks to the Safety bicycle with two equal size wheels. It gave new freedoms to the lucky woman able to buy or hire a cycle and must have made travel much easier for many working people. In 1910 even the parish surveyor got an allowance for the maintenance of his bike.

Join the Club

The Bicycle Touring Club (known as the Cyclists Touring Club after 1883) had a local headquarters in the George and Dragon. This was a national organisation that sometimes lead organised group rides as well as producing a magazine and route maps. Touring members could get advice on local roads from the representative, and they got preferential rates when staying at a HQ.  It's members wore a uniform, so they would be hard to miss on their jaunts. But they were not the only cycling club in town. 

Above, an example of an early Edwardian cycling map. One was also produced for Bucks.

In 1895, the Marlow Cycling club came into existence. They would be open not just to those intending to travel on two wheels but tricyclists as well. Tricycles were not so much a novelty in adult use as they seem to us.  Praised for their comfort and safety, they were the subject of a strong trend of their own. 

The first meeting was held in the new Coffee Room of the Chequers. There were important issues to discuss. Would women be allowed to join? Yes. Would these women be allowed to wear Rational Dress on club runs? Definitely not. What the Victorians called Rational Dress, we might call "practical" options. This meant bloomers/pantaloons or culottes for the women - "divided skirts". These were regarded as unfeminine, lacking in grace, and / or immoral by some. The alternative was to wear a skirt. Some woman had special cycling skirts with the hems stiffened with horse hair so as to lessen the risk of material catching in the mechanism of the bike or the pedals before that. Those who supported Rational Dress suggested that the slightly billowing nature of skirts loose enough to allow a woman to mount the bike in the first place could become unintentionally revealing as it floated outwards as the lady pedalled. There was also the argument that dispensing with skirts allowed women to use a wider range of bicycle frame types. But these arguments did not fly in Marlow as far as the Cycle Club was concerned. More on cycle outfits below. 

What everyone in the club would wear was a sort of uniform. No self respecting Victorian cycle club could be without one. Club colours were navy and gold and there would also eventually be a club badge in the form of a shield with scroll (from 1899). Subscription fees were set at 2s 6d a year, with membership open to those over 17. Their regular headquarters were to be at Timberlake's Cycle Depot in the High Street, from where trips would begin. 

Their first club run was to Henley on a fine May evening in 1895. In all 36 members went, led by Club Captain Ilsley and Sub Captain Miss Nellie Creswell. They arrived at the Catherine Wheel and spent time punting and boating, before returning home at 8 with gas cycle lamps lit. They dismounted at Timberlake's and congratulated each other on a successful trip with no punctures to contend with. 

And so they continued organising "gallant spins" to various local spots such as Beaconsfield and Windsor, with something like 30-40 men and women taking part each time on average. The Club also organised social events, even for a while an annual ball in the Crown. Then there was the "At Home" social gatherings in the large club room of Sycamore House, West Street, which was ran as a sort of private lodging house by Jacob and Hannah Ransome.  But after a while membership declined, and in 1902 the question arose as to whether to continue the club as few people attended on a regular basis but the existing members voted for yes. Their headquarters were now in Chapel Street. 

Mine's a "Marlow" model

There was a lot of places in Marlow which were eager to sell you a bicycle (or tricycle). Many of them started out in other guises but expanded into offering cycling "machines" and accessories. Many were actually manufacturing the bikes themselves either on the premises or elsewhere in the town. A lot also expanded into offering motor cycles. I'll mention a few. 

First up is Mr. W H Carter of Market Square who would offer to hire you a bicycle by the day, week, month or season. He also sold them, and now that cycling was ever expanding in popularity, he could be sure of offering a good supply of second hand machines as well. Repairs and replating would be done "at the lowest prices compatible with good workmanship." [1893]

Mr Barnard was advertising his Chapel Street shop as "the Cycle stores" in 1897. He offered lessons - ladies a speciality - with the assurance of his personal attention. He said he had taught many of the neighbourhoods distinguished residents to ride, and would come to you if the thought of taking your first steps in public was too off-putting. (Biography of Barnard available here)

Alternatively you could go to see cycle agent [Horace] Matthews in Station Road (where Hunts is now). A carriage builder as well, he was now specialising in bicycles. He had the distinction of being the official repairer for the Cyclists Touring Club and of course also offered lessons. In 1904 they claimed to be the cheapest shop in Marlow for cycle accessories. Bells would cost you 9d each and acetylene gas lamp 2s 9d. But they did not just offer cheap. They were the Marlow agents for the Coventry Cross Cycles "recognised by experts to be the best in the world."

Timberlake's Cycle depot was mentioned above. Their slogan was "first class goods at popular prices." Thomas Timberlake was a Maidenhead man and life long cycle enthusiast. In his premises in the High Street (no 18 & 19 in old numbering), you could see not only the very latest designs in bicycles but also one or two ancient models that Mr Timberlake himself had used as a young man. One, built in Marlow by Eustace O Jackson, had a 36" front wheel and rear of 24" both with puncture-less tyres made of steel. Next to this you could see the up to the minute 1899 Timberlake Roadster. If your existing bike was looking worse for wear then Timberlake said he could rebuild it for you so it would look as good as new, for 25s including enamelling and nickel plating. Timberlake also specialised in phonographs, a not uncommon pairing with cycles! 

Above, 1907 advert from the Marlow Almanac and Directory, printed by Marlow Printing Co, for Timberlake's Cycle Depot. 

If you wanted the "Marlow" bicycle, it was to C J Bateman "Cycle Expert" in West Street that you needed to go. It would cost you from £4 in 1904 with a 5 year guarantee and was built in the town. By 1910 the bikes were fitted with Thames Tyres, guaranteed for 15 months.  He could offer other machines built to order from £6 10s and up or ones from stock could be bought from £3 15s. [Prices from 1904-1908. Models included Centaur, Hudson, Premier, Swift, and Unity] Part exchange was also available although you may not get a high price for the boneshaker at the back of the shed. NB Bateman's became Baileys Motor and Cycle Engineers c1914. 

George Hitchings of West Street (opposite Quoiting Square) distinguished himself in 1909 as a "practical cycle maker" which sounds much better than an impractical one! He, like Timberlake, also repaired phonographs, and gramophones as well as prams and mail carts. A second hand bike from Hitchings cost 30s and up in 1909. 

Jasper Collins, of the late Victorian bicycle warehouse in Chapel Street claimed his "Star" bicycles were like thoroughbreds with a graceful appearance and easy running. Jasper would also hire you a bicycle and offered bike riding lessons - ladies a speciality. He said he had the largest selection of models in this district. 

You could also buy or hire a bike from Batting and Sons or from Henry Harris saddle and harness maker of Spittal Street amongst others. 

Don't forget your woolies

Above I mentioned the Marlow Cycling Club uniform and their rational dress policy. I have not found any Marlow shops advertising ready made ladies cycling costumes that might have appealed to those not subject to the club rules but of course many ladies would have expected to buy material and make the items up themselves, or have someone else do it for them. One item that you could buy here was the Platinum Anti Corset, available from George Hide in West Street. It was the only type of corset to be considered for athletic pursuits according to George. Morgan and Sons could offer you cycling gloves and W B Langston's had cycling shoes available. These had soles which apparently allowed for more efficient pedalling. 

General outfit advice for would be cyclists stressed the importance of avoiding chills and suggested woollen underwear was by far the safest choice. Mr Jaeger's brand was perfect, and available from Morgans. 

If on the other hand, engaging in outdoor sport had left you dealing with sunburn or gasp, freckles, then High Street chemist William Baxter would recommend a  tube of his exclusive Burnolia ointment. At 6d a time it will cool and soothe your skin. Others recommended rubbing soap into the inside of your socks to avoid blisters on long runs. 

Overall, your cycling outfit should avoid anything "loud or conspicuous" - perhaps not so easy for some cycling club members. Instead it should be characterised by "the quietness that always characterises the dress of a gentleman."

Cycle gymkhanas and the rest

If taking a conventional spin was starting to bore our Marlow ancestors, there was plenty of other cycle based entertainment on offer. Perhaps they would like to take part in the annual cycle gymkhana. (Later called a Cycle Fete.) It occurred over several years as part of "Marlow Week" or "Fete week", a series of entertainments that finished with Marlow Regatta. The gymkhana was organised by the Marlow Cycle Club, and was intended to show off their proficiency. The 1897 show attracted some 300 entries over two days!  It occurred alongside the Fete Week horticultural show, in Alder Meadow (where Marlow Cricket Club is and adjoining field). So what sort of events does a Cycle Gymkhana consist off? 

There was a ladies only mounted egg and spoon race, a tortoise race (slowest rider wins, much harder than it sounds!) and obstacle races. The latter involved weaving in and out of poles stuck in the ground, and pedaling along a plank or two raised off the ground. The gentleman's races involved more weaving between markers as fast as possible. All of this was to the accompaniment of suitable music. There was also a tilting at a ring competition but no cycle jousting as far as I can see! Prizes tend to go to Cycle Club members - Nellie Creswell being the lady to beat in woman's events, and a fair few of the mixed ones. The number of entries some years would suggest the event was open to non members too, with the exception of the first which was more of an exhibition. The gymkhana continued until just before the First World War. 

If gymkhanas did not appeal, there was a bicycle polo team active around 1900 -1912, with S.J Smith as the Captain. Exhibition matches took place as part of the Cycling Gymkhana as well. And in 1903 a bicycle paper chase was held. This started on Marlow bridge with 4 human "hares" setting off down Pound Lane, ahead of the "hunters" and dropping a paper trail as they went. It was presumably not too windy as the "hares" were  successfully tracked across Alder Meadow up to Red Pits hill taking in 4 styles on the way, round by Danesfield and down by Medmenham Ferry. They crossed the Thames using the ferry boat, and finally finished at the East Arms Hotel in Hurley where 30 weary cyclists sat down to tea. Let's hope they all had the more modern bikes for this cross country route. 

Cycling problems

The Cyclists did not have uninterrupted pleasure on the roads. They could attract the ire of other road users when travelling en masse, snazzy Club uniforms not withstanding. Some came to the attention of police for not abiding by lighting up time regulations in 1897. Then there was the issue of poor quality road surfaces. In 1904 Mrs Hall of Bridge House went out for a ride with her husband, the former riding in the lead. While pedalling through Bisham, she considered the road to be in so poor a condition that she decided to retreat to the footpath to continue. An off duty constable saw this and called out for her to stop and give her name and address. She claimed she did not hear him, and on seeing a man jogging along after her and then attempting to bring her to a stop by grabbing at her bike, she pedalled faster. Her husband heard a commotion and turned back. At this point they understood their pursuer was indeed a policeman and surrendered their details. The magistrates remonstrated with the Constable for not clearly identifying himself earlier and risking an accident by trying to seize the ladies bike. So Mrs Hall escaped with a nominal 6d fine and a warning not to trespass again on the footpath. 

Things did not always run smoothly for the cycle sellers either. In 1914, Vincent Aubrey Herbert Timberlake, had gone bankrupt a year after taking over his father's cycle store in Marlow. He had previously managed it for the family who also had a branch in Queen Street, Maidenhead. Vincent's problem was they had got stuck with a stock of older, more expensive machines that no one wanted any longer. And they could not afford to buy or make the more desirable modern models until they had got rid of this old stock. The trend for cheaper models was good for cyclists but the Timberlakes were paying the price for changing fashion. 

One last problem to consider was how much cycling was considered safe, especially for females. While it was generally considered good exercise, within moderation, there were some dangers to avoid other than chills. The Victorian era Idler Magazine, co edited by Jerome K Jerome, offered some advice to female cyclists in 1895. The writer supported rational dress and agreed on the necessity of chill preventing underwear. He added that over fatigue combined with a timid cycling style had been known to cause severe cases of nervous prostration, sometimes long term in nature. You have been warned cyclists! 

Two 1905 ads.

For a post about Victorian/Edwardian gymnastics in Marlow see here 

Sources

Cyclists Touring Club Monthly Gazette, November 1895, Vol 13-14, (Cyclists Touring Club). 

The Idler Magazine, Volume 8, 1895, (Chatto & Windus)

Pemberton, Max 1895, The Season of The Lady Cyclist, as published in The Album July 29 1895. (Ingram Brothers, 1895)

Grace, William G. Outdoor games and recreation: An Encyclopaedia for Boys (Religious Tract Society 1892) 

Post Office Directory 1883, 1891, (Kelly's Directories Ltd.)

The Marlow Guide, 1905. 

South Bucks Standard 24 March 1893,12 May 1895, 21 August 1896,  21 May, 13 August, 9 & 16 September 1897, 19 May, 2 June, 14 July 1899, 12 & 19 January, 08 June, 28 September 1900, 18 April 1902, 7 April 1903, 15 January, 22 April 1904, 2 November 1906, 21 February, 27 March 1908, 25 June, 23 &30 July 1909,10 January 1910 - copies from the British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA September 2020. 

Maidenhead Advertiser 25th July 1910, as above. 

Bucks Herald July 18 1914, as above

For more on the history of the touring club see:

https://www.cyclinguk.org/about/history/ctc-history-timeline 

And cycle outfits:

https://www.cyclemuseum.org.uk/Cycle-Clothing.aspx

©Marlow Ancestors.

Groundbreaking Women in Marlow History

*The only Marlow people to exhibit at the 1851 Great Exhibition that I have found were Ann Washbourne / Washbourn who exhibited children's clothing she had made, and Elizabeth Frewin who exhibited her lace.

*The first known Marlow meeting in support of votes for women occurred way back in 1872. Mary Sargant Florence of Lord's Wood house Marlow Common was a vocal Edwardian and 1920s era Suffragette. She was a founder member of the Tax Resistance League for whose supporters she designed pin badges and banners. The League advocated the refusal of women to pay any taxes until they received political representation. She was an artist and a feminist writer too. More will be published on Mary in the future.

Edith Hayes, another artist, joined Mary in refusing to pay tax. In 1913 possessions seized from the two women in lieu of unpaid taxes were auctioned by Marlow auctioneers Kendalls. The auction was picketed and disrupted by Suffragettes from Marlow and elsewhere. The embattled auctioneer stressed that he was not making any political statement against universal suffrage by holding the auction. The items were purchased by the ladies' supporters. 

Edith lived at Bovingdon Green.

(To read more about the cause of  women's suffrage in Marlow, including opposition to it see here)

*Marlow appointed one of the first female local Registrar of Births and Deaths in England, Louisa Russell, in 1882. See my previous post dedicated to her here

*One of the country's pioneering female dentists Olga Von Oertzen moved to Bisham in 1892 and held her practice in Marlow High Street 2 days a week. She was a big supporter of Marlow Institute. Sadly she died in 1895. Olga was German of origin and qualified as a dentist in the USA before moving to England specifically to aid the development of female dentists here. Previous to being a dentist she worked as a nurse, against the wishes of her noble family. She was decorated for her courageous devotion in attending soldiers in the Franco-German Wars. She left nursing when the conditions she worked in began to have a serious effect on her health. She continued to suffer ill health after her move to England and it was on her doctors orders to seek country air that she left London for Marlow. 

Above, the grave of Olga at All Saints, Bisham. Born 22 December 1842, died December 1895.

*Publicly attended women's hockey matches began taking place in the early 1910s in Marlow. There were also mixed gender matches and women could be members of the club unlike most other sporting clubs in the area. They did not however serve on the committee. During the 1st world war both women's and men's matches were  played at Star Meadow as well as the original playing ground of the Cricket Club in Pound Lane. Star Meadow is now built over but was next to Wycombe Road. By the early 1890s there had already been female events in disciplines like punting as well as rowing at the Regatta - although they could not join the Rowing Club as members until 1911. 

*Vera Terrington was one of the first female MPs when she was elected as the Liberal candidate in 1923 for High Wycombe. She lived at the now demolished Spinfield house in Marlow. She campaigned for men and women to have equal parental rights and for easier access to credit for farmers amongst other things. Interested in novel remedies for the shortage of affordable housing she built two experimental cheap cottages on her Marlow lands to demonstrate that such things were possible. 

Text by Charlotte Day with additional research by Kathryn. 

To find other posts about women in Marlow history, or everyday life here in the past, see the post listing here

Some Research Sources:

The Englishwoman's Review of Social and Industrial Questions Volume 13 edited by J Bourchet 1882 .

Annual Report of the National Society for Women's Suffrage 1872, digitized by Google. Accessed August 2020.

Museum of London.

National Portrait Gallery London Website [info about Mary Sargant Florence]

Wikipedia Article on Mary Sargant Florence.

South Bucks Standard September 9th 1892 and 3rd April 1913. Newspaper copies held at the British Library accessed June 2020 via the BNA.

1851 Great Exhibition Catalogue.

Grave Bisham.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to reproduce this material for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here so that the sources listed above do not lose credit for the information they provided.

Marlow Races- a History

Updated August 2023.

If your ancestors lived in Great Marlow or nearby they may well have had a fun, or fraught, day out at the horse races which were held in meadow by the river annually from the 1700s until 1847, probably with some breaks in service.

My first reference to them is in 1725 when William Lofting's animal was amongst the winners and the local MP Edmund Waller was one of those who put up prizes. The next references are from 1728 and 1731. There may not have been many competitors then as the same few animals seem to win most of the races. A minimum number of runners were usually required for the winners prize to be rewarded. In 1728 this saw two hacks entered into one race just so the single race horse competing could legitimately claim the prize for "winning". I believe the races took a break after 1731 before returning in 1752. 

 In 1755 Sylvester Law* proprietor of the Upper Crown in the Market Place offered transport from there out to the course. Sylvester was an early supporter and promoter of the races. Two years later, then of the Cross Keys, he hosted a meeting of the race subscribers at which the main order of the day was to decide how the event could be organised to do less damage to the meadow it was hosted in. Descriptions of the course in 1833 mention a standing crop almost ready to harvest within the field. The perimeter and space between the river and course had been kept clear for racing and spectators but the field as a whole was naturally not reserved exclusively just for 2 or 3 days racing a year. It was leased to a farmer and strict warnings were made about the trouble which would ensue if horses or spectators trampled the harvest! The course itself was marked by wooden posts put in before each year's racing. The Gentleman's Magazine description of the races in 1752 tells of male and female  spectators (the latter in their best colourful dresses) rushing this way and that way across the field both on foot and in their carriages so as to keep sight of favoured horses. The result was chaos with the writer fearing "one half of the company should be trampled down by the other". You can see why Sylvester was probably fighting a losing battle as to prevent damage to the field! 

 I struggle to find many later 1700s references to the races. By the mid 1820s they were certainly back by the river however and once again they gained some national notice. In between times they may have been run but on too small a scale to leave a trace in the historical record  There may also have been another minor lapse in early 1830s. 

Talking of small scale, these races were very much for ponies rather than horses. The minimum height of a horse for entry was given at just 11 or 12 hands at different times. The maximum height for most events where there was one was just 14 hands. They are frequently referred to as the "pony races" in contemporary sources. 

The early races were more geared towards the amateur performers. Only ponies that had won less than £50 prize money could attend the meeting. The animals ran in simple races, weight handicapped by the animal's age. There was a race just for "aged" animals, which seems to have been those of 6 years of age and upwards. In the 1800s however the sport was of a higher calibre thanks to patronage by Sir William Clayton who offered a silver cup trophy and was a honourary race steward. Some reports say that he was the one who started the races in the first place. Obviously not in the 1750s, but this may indicate that they did fall away for some time before an 1820s revival.

Races were certainly not over the flat only, jump races were just as much a part of the schedule on many a year's programme in the 1800s. Flat racing then tended to be restricted to just two or three races a day but with each spread into multiple heats so there was plenty of action. In between these races were 'matches*', races between the horses of (usually) two individuals as the result of a challenge issued in advance. Such matches were very common at smaller race meets at the time and were often the events held to have the keenest excitement for locals. Anyone who wished to propose such a match needed to register their interest in advance at the Crown and the organisers would accommodate them as the schedule allowed. It was also to the Crown you should go to register your horse for entry into any race, and to pay the entrance fee. (In the early years, the White Horse was also used for this role.) A very few races had no fee to enter, usually when the meeting was otherwise well supported. If you were lucky and won you would earn a prize purse, with some races quaintly requiring the winner to give a share of it to the owner of the horse that came second. In other years, the owner had to give some of the prize money to the Stewards to cover the costs of running the meeting. In 1756 this "gift" was one guinea and was to pay for "flags, drums, etc". In the same year the winner was also required to make a donation towards the cost of organising the following years races. Many later races were run for a mixture of the prize purse and / or plate plus a sweepstake taken from the stake paid by all entrants. The second place horse might get their stake back. 

Every year the mix of races and rules as to who could or could not enter each one varied so this information is based on lots of sources.  There was always at least one race solely for locally owned horses and another for those owned by subscribers to the event only. At other times entries for individual events were restricted to for instance horses beaten earlier in the day. On many occasions it was stipulated that the winner had to be offered to sale after the race - but the owner was not obliged to accept a low price for the animal. In 1840 the winner of the 20 sovereigns plate was to be to be offered for sale for £100, while the winner of a hurdle race would be presented for £70. 

All races and heats involved going either once or twice round the circular course. Contemporary descriptions describe how trees obscured part of the route from spectators. There were basic wooden stands erected between the river and the course to help. A spot in these could also be reserved at the Crown in advance. In 1833, the course got a temporary  more luxurious painted wooden grandstand, previously erected at Ascot, according to a sign displayed outside. This caused some mirth in fashionable visitors who thought it pretentious for a country race meet! 

There were also booths selling toys and gingerbread, and sideshows offering amongst other things "dancing booths" and a kind of coconut shy with meat replacing the coconuts atop of sticks. Let's hope the "prize" didn't hang round too long. A band always attended, but they halted playing during the race itself. 

Fashionable visitors came from a wide area to attend. A special "covered van" came from Reading to bring in visitors each day. The races were advertised long in advance by placards on the roads into town and also by notices in the press. Visitors spoke of the bustle apparent in the streets as the meeting drew near. Sweetly, the rising demand for ribbons to decorate caps and bonnets is mentioned. It was traditional to wave a handkerchief in the air as well as you cheered the riders along. Of course not everybody attending could necessarily afford to dress for the occasion. Visitors walking in with hob nail boots and shabbier clothes get somewhat sarcastically mentioned alongside the better dressed and their attractive prancing ponies and carriages. The image of passing bargemen on the river slowing up to try and get a glimpse of the action is a reminder not everyone who wanted to attend was free to do so. 

An image of the races, from an illustration dated 1833 that formerly hung in the Chequers Hotel, courtesy of Michael Eagleton 

So who was riding those dashing ponies? Local stable lads and younger grooms were the usual choices. However there were just-starting-out jockeys who went on tours of small events in the hope of getting noticed and being thus offered more lucrative rides elsewhere. Frank Butler* incorporated Marlow into just such a tour in 1839. He later won his place in racing history by bagging the famous St Leger, the Oaks, the Two Thousand Guineas and the Derby plus many other races. Frank was the nephew of the then famous jockey brothers the Chifneys but struggled at first to establish his own career, hence the Marlow outing. 

The 1839 race meet he visited was a few years later sneeringly described in the New Sporting Magazine. The trainers it said were just local tenant farmers, the whole event more like "playing at racing" than real sport. Frank's horse it claimed had been recently injured and wasn't the best quality even before that but it still had a good chance given the state of the competition at Marlow! Some of the horse and rider pairings were allegedly so inexperienced that out of control horses shot off and dumped their jockeys into the river. It is important to qualify this chaotic description with a note that the publication was snobbish and it was fashionable to sneer at anything "provincial" or involving the participation of working class / farming people.

The article did concede that the setting was beautiful with the ample nearby woods a great place to sneak off to for some flirtation if you met someone at the races. To get to the woods you could take a little ferry rowing boat across the river. Watching the races from the convenient hill on that opposite bank was still favoured by many it reported. 

Fourth rate as the magazine declared the competition to be it was exciting enough to have quite a significant effect on one elderly lady in 1824. Fearing a horse would run her over, she collapsed insensible. After several days of hovering near death she recovered so well that the lameness which she had suffered from for a decade was cured! No cure from illness is recorded for a stout lady who provided a soft landing for a jockey who was catapulted from his horse and into her chaise in 1833. Neither seems to have been hurt but the lady's parasol was broken. The horse had apparently been startled by the shadow of some streamers hanging from one of the booths falling across it's path. 

Some attempt was made to prevent spectators from getting close to flying hooves as there were rope barriers. A bell rung to tell you to duck behind those barriers before a new race started. The course was additionally patrolled by a steward armed with a club he was not afraid to use if you did not remove yourself from the course when asked. Parish Constable Sadler (employed in a private capacity by the race organisers to keep the course clear) was found guilty of inflicting a head wound on race visitor Mr Rawlins in 1836. A dispute had arisen on where racegoers could safely stand, and what authority these race marshalls had. Henry Stallwood, one of the tithing men at this time was implicated in the assault but was not proceeded against. As the wound was not severe, and a certain amount of rough justice had been inflicted on Sadler by the indigent crowd, a small amount of compensation was awarded to Rawlins. (The crowd had attempted to duck both Sadler and Stallwood in the river.) Small wonder all things considered that many ladies and young boys chose to watch the races from the slopes on the other side of the river in the 1700s - boys up the trees for a good view, ladies more decorously seated on the ground. They were still having trouble keeping the course clear in 1841 when the Bucks Gazette decried the "disgraceful manner in which numbers of persons persisted in crowding on the course while the later races were run." Several people were injured then, one man fairly badly. 

On arrival, the jockeys had to register and declare their colours. In 1752 these were displayed as coloured silk waistcoats for the jockeys. In the early 1830s the Marlow jockeys were described as wearing elegant coloured caps and silk jackets on their top half and a more workaday lower outfit of "corduroy unmentionables", worsted stockings and chunky boots. At the first bell they were required to weigh in. This was done in public. At the second bell, they had to mount and the course was cleared. At the third ring, they were off! And of course the winning jockey needed to be weighed again at the conclusion of the race. They were allowed to use both the whip and spurs on their rides. 

 In the 1840s the event was sufficiently big to have a Race Ball to celebrate it's conclusion. The patrons of this tended to be the same as the subscribers to the race meeting overall. It was hosted at the Upper Crown. The races were celebrated in quite a different way at the Three Tuns run by Widow Aycott. She hosted a special cock fight on the morning of each days racing, between the "gentlemen" of Bucks and Berks in 1753. 

The races happened over two (occasionally three) days either Tuesday and Wednesday or Wednesday and Thursday in either July or August with a ball (if held) the day after or the Friday after their conclusion.

The earliest mentions of the racing by the way refer to an Autumn event rather than a Summer one. (October often). Not that a Summer date guaranteed good weather. Twice a day's racing was entirely lost to a weather washout. At other times the weather at least put off the gentlefolk from attending.

Not everyone in Marlow looked forward to the races. Religious objection to the sport were always high and the event was responsible for a certain amount of crime. To be fair I found only four recorded case of pickpocketing (the inevitable silver pocket watches) at the race course itself. Coming and going to and from Marlow or leaving your Marlow home or business unattended while you watched the horses posed a greater risk. For instance the Windsor and Eton Express reported a spate of thefts from properties including the Coach and Horses public house in West Street which occurred while the occupants were at the races in 1841.

Religious objection sprung both from the fact the event offered a bar for public drinking and of course gambling. This happened unofficially between friends and discreetly between strangers too. The rules concerning gambling at the course varied over time, but in the 1830's descriptions given of the event by a comfortably off visitor recorded that everyone expected to lay wagers openly at the course. Reports of the meeting in the 1750s also tell of open wagering between sportsman. No mention is made of gambling ladies but they may have just been more discreet. Later notices that advertised the event sometimes stated that no "gambling devices" would be allowed on the field - this is not the same as banning gambling altogether as the devices mentioned refer to cards and dice played for money. In the first few decades of the 1800s at least the selling of alcohol on the course was restricted to subscribers of the meeting. 

With money at stake came the temptation for race fixing. In 1831 attempts were made to poison the mare Adelaide at the course. Fortunately her groom would not take the £20 offered to him by a stranger for committing the deed. The guilty man was caught but escaped. 

Lord William Pitt Lennox reported in his memoirs that the stable boy he hired to ride his horse Fidelio at Marlow failed to ride it to win in the first few heats of his race. Seeing the boy in close conference with a dubious looking man who was taking bets inflamed William's suspicion. At the last minute he mounted the horse himself and managed to win. The boy fled. 

A happier pairing was Marlow farmer and horse owner / trainer John Cresswell, and his jockey George Ward who lived in Quoiting Square. Several decades later their speed was still talked of. Mr Cresswell also participated in races for wagers outside of the official race meeting. His big rival, in a friendly way, was a Mr Andrews. This man bought a very old, one eyed, lame in both legs horse from John's brother James Cresswell (also a horse owner whose animals successfully competed at the races) and to satisfy a wager proved that he could tend and train it up to be a capable trotting horse. Not I should say at Marlow races. 

While most racing was of that good humoured fun-based nature rather than fiercely competitive, that didn't preclude matters getting fractious. The Clerk of the Course was sued for damages in 1836 by a man he got into a fight with and results of races were disputed all the way to courts of law at least twice.

The races occurred for the last time, formally at least, in 1847. The 1848 and 1849 meetings were planned but cancelled. Attempts to revive the meeting in the early 1860s got nowhere. There had been rumblings in the last few years of unnamed individuals wishing to "sabotage" the event. Clearly there is more to the cancellation of the races than meets the eye but everyone involved was careful to make only the broadest of hints, probably fearful of an accusation of slander or libel! It was latter said that Sir William Clayton, having lost both the 1842 and 1847 elections to be Marlow M.P became tired of supporting the town who did not support him. And so he withdrew his financial support and patronage from events such the races and town ball. They may be right. 

Later Victorian Marlovians turned their racing interest towards rowing races. Sporting challenges between individuals eventually came to be focused around getting teams together and having a football or cricket match rather than pitting horses together in competition. The loss of wealthy patrons who wanted to focus on more prestigious racing elsewhere or other sports probably had a role too. 

Some wealthier individuals did maintain race horses later, such as Colonel Owen Williams in the 1890s, they just had to go a bit further to compete. By then racing was much more professional and serious. One of William's jockeys, James Watkins, was killed while exercising a race horse at Temple Park. The horse stumbled and fell on James. He was taken to the Cottage Hospital in Marlow but never regained consciousness and died shortly after, age 22. [October 1890]

Mention should also be made of the occasional steeple chase held at Marlow, mainly before 1850. One in 1836 received coverage in the national press. It finished "over a hedge onto the turnpike road". The course was marked out with flags, at least partially. Going the wrong side of these, and the resulting back tracking required cost Mr Westbrook and his grey Grimaldi the race. He was beaten by a neck by Mr Webb's Holbeiness. 

*"Marlow Victoria", a local racing pony of renown, was advertised in national racing press in the late 1830s and early 1840s as available for the sort of matches mentioned above. (Not necessarily held at Marlow.) She would run against a fellow 13.1 hands high pony over 2 miles for a prize of £35 (sometimes more), with the money to be put down at the Greyhound Inn in Spittal Str. Handicaps would allow for a race against a slightly smaller or bigger pony. Her owner was John Creswell. (Cresswell) The Gaming Act of 1845 declared all betting contracts illegal so no action could be taken to legally recover money won by a wager and not paid.  

Researched and written by Charlotte Day with additional research by Kathryn Day.

More Information:

To find every mention of an individual on the blog use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu. Thousands of people get a mention! For more posts like this about sport in old Great Marlow and everyday life in general for our ancestors,  see the General History option here

*1 If you are otherwise interested in Sylvester as a man you will find a summary of his will as transcribed by me in an earlier post on this blog here. 

*2 To find out more about Frank's life and career see this Jockeypedia article https://sites.google.com/site/jockeypedia/butler-frank He was not of Marlow origin.

Some research sources:

General Evening Post, October 1756, September 27th 1757 - digitised by Google. 

The Newcastle Courant, 26th October 1725. Copy held at the British Library. Accessed by me via the BNA July 2020.

The Whitehall Evening Post or London Intelligencer January 1755 digitized by Google from a copy at the Bavaria State Library. Accessed May 2020.

The New Sporting Magazine 1854.

Celebrities I have Known, memoir by William Pitt Lennox 1876.

Colburns Kalender of Amusements for Town & Country  (H Colburn 1840), digitised by Google, accessed May 2011

Windsor and Eton Express 10th June 1843 and 21st August 1841 via the BNA, accessed June 2019.

Bells Weekly Messenger 30th August 1824,  as above

Bells Sporting Life clippings circa 1840.

Windsor and Eton Express 30th July 1831, as above. 

The London Magazine; Or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer. United Kingdom: C. Ackers, 1752.

Wikipedia article about Frank Butler accessed July 2020.

Private letter.

Victoria County History of Buckingham, ed. by William Page, Constable, London. 1908 edition. 

Spirit Of The Times: A chronicle of the turf etc (Volume 12, Issue 32, 1842)

A History of Steeple-Chasing by William Charles Arlington Blew. (J C Nimmo, 1901)

Bucks Gazette 21st August 1841. 

*1 If you are otherwise interested in Sylvester as a man you will find a summary of his will as transcribed by me in an earlier post on this blog here. 

*2 To find out more about Frank's life and career see this Jockeypedia article https://sites.google.com/site/jockeypedia/butler-frank He was not of Marlow origin.

©Marlow Ancestors.