Culture, Honour and Virtue - A history of the early Catholic schools in Marlow

St Peter Street in Marlow may be a place of quiet calm and gentility now but if you were to walk it in the early and mid Victorian era, a much more noisy and boisterous atmosphere would have prevailed. There were many reasons for this - more inns and beer-houses, the bustling Limbrook wharf, Gibbon's brewery and later the Buckinghamshire Chair Factory¹. 

One of the characteristic sounds of the street would also have been the sound of children playing. In the 1860s St Peter Street was home to 5 schools - the Catholic charity/infants school, the small Convent School, the National girls, the National infants,  and the private boarding schools for young gentlemen run from the Deanery². And then there was of course another "classic and commercial" boarding school at Marlow Place³ just a stone throw away. Our focus today is on the three Catholic schools. 

Undated and sadly very faded image of a group of pupils, identified by Michael Eagleton as coming from the Catholic infants school. Image used with thanks. 

NB. Most older historic references to the St Peter's school refer not as we would expect to the Catholic school whose modern successor goes by that name but to the two National schools in the road. The others were usually referred to just as the Catholic schools or the Convent schools. 

A start in West Street

The oldest of the two Catholic establishments was the infants charity school, as established by Charles Robert Scott Murray of Danesfield and Medmenham Abbey. Scott Murray was a wealthy and prominent Catholic convert and the person who paid for the building of St Peter's Church in Marlow⁴. The first version of the school was actually located at the Albion Rooms West Street, part of Albion House - a building which has a long connection to schooling⁵. It was established there by 1850. Initially it was ran by a couple of lay ladies and was definitely on the small side - about 20-25 pupils. It is curious that the property was let to the school managers by the Clayton family of Harleyford Manor as Sir William Clayton was outspokenly anti Catholic in the years leading up to the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829. (A speech he gave in 1827 at the Town Hall in Marlow equated Catholicism with evil, tyranny and "intellectual degradation". And that was just the warm up!) This illustrates the prejudice Scott Murray faced when securing space for this purpose. 

Help for the poor

In late 1852 Scott Murray had organised for the Sisters of Charity of St Paul the Apostle based at Banbury to start a small convent at Marlow. They were also to take over the running of the charity school. In 1853 they moved into their new premises adjacent to the Catholic church in St Peter Street. Scott Murray would pay for the day to day running costs of the school such as the heating and lighting, and the provision of books and writing materials. At a time when education was not generally free, the charity school became increasingly popular as it charged a lower fee than the other schools in town. It was not restricted to Catholic families - indeed for some time in this era the majority of pupils were technically protestant. It had only become legal for non Catholic children to attend Catholic schools in 1846. This legal change may well have been what precipitated the foundation of the school. The Catholic population of the town would probably have been too small to sustain an establishment by itself.  Prior to 1791, it was not legal to run a Catholic school - and up to 1778 the punishment for so doing was life imprisonment.

A price to pay?

 The demographic was unquestionably from the poor at this period. The families must have been grateful for the opportunity to educate their youngsters at an affordable price - but the decision to send them to a Catholic school was not without controversy in the town. Protestant families whose children did not attend the church supported schools felt they were under pressure to withdraw them from the alternative.  Some also believed that when their children got into minor trouble with the police they were more harshly dealt with that would be the case of they had not attended a Catholic run school. Nevertheless by 1860 there was around 60 - 70 children in regular attendance at the infants school. 

Treats and trips for the scholars

One advantage of having a wealthy patron who took a close interest in the school was that the little pupils were not forgotten on the occasion of any kind of celebration in Marlow. Scott Murray inevitably provided the youngsters with a Christmas dinner served in their school rooms. Roast beef and plum pudding all round. Royal celebrations were another common excuse to have a break from routine. When the then Prince of Wales married in 1863 Scott Murray provided the youngsters with all kinds of goodies from lemonade to sweets and oranges. Other treats including river boat trips to Danesfield - where sports and games were provided, and a special tea provided by Canon Bernard Smith⁶ to mark a 25th anniversary of his service at Marlow. (1878)

Life at the infant school had its difficult aspects though - the school inspectors inevitably noted that the two classrooms were far too cramped and that the toilet provision was abysmal! (In this they had something in common with the two National schools over the road.) The school was also, like others in the town, subject to periodic closures due to outbreaks of the likes of small pox and scarlet fever. 

Culture, honour and virtue - the Convent Upper School 

Right from the start, the Sisters of Charity were permitted to take in a handful of private pupils who would  be educated seperately from those attending the charity school. The fees charged to these weekly or monthly boarders (who tended to be fairly well off) could be retained by the Sisters. The proviso was that the education of the poor children had to come first - if the Sisters wished to increase the numbers of other pupils they had to provide another Sister to ensure this.

At a meeting of mainly non conformists to discuss the re-establishment of a British school in Marlow, a (concerned) comment was made that Scott Murray was going to expand the provision for middle class children at his Catholic schools. If accurate this seems to have been the start of the expansion of the private convent school to take in more day pupils. 

In 1885, a dispute of uncertain nature with the school managers caused the Sisters to withdraw from both the Marlow schools and their branch at Danesfield (also established by Scott Murray). They finally left in 1886, although Scott Murray begged them to stay. The schools were undoubtedly a success and had just been extended. A Miss Grace Crowther was then recruited to head both the infants school and what was then generally known as the Convent Upper School, which was mixed and took pupils up to around age 14. To quote a source from 1894, this upper school was where "the children of the wealthy and well to do are carefully trained by fully trained and efficient instructors to occupy their positions in the higher ranks of society with culture, honour and virtue."

The young people attending this second school followed a broader curriculum including subjects such as Latin and more in depth musical study. The two establishments remained closely linked however and shared a prize giving day and entertainments. Mrs Scott Murray usually presided over the former and ensured all those attending on a more or less regular basis came away with some prize. The younger and  poorer pupils recieved individual practical items such as clothing and the older pupils more decorative ones such as copies of old master paintings to hang on their wall. 

In 1891 it was decided that Miss Crowther's residence could be altered to allow her to take in paying guests during the lucrative river season. This was to permit her to increase her income. A straightforward pay rise was seemingly out of the question. This is the why the oft published Marlow summer visitors lists includes so many names for people staying at the Convent school.  Miss Crowther certainly earned her keep - she had some 90 children of the infants school in her care and only one assistant mistress beside pupil teachers. 

The 1890s and beyond 

By this time the schools founder Charles Robert Scott Murray had died, and although the wider Scott Murray family did not forget their school at Marlow they had a less immediate every day relationship with it. Many of the treats and trips now provided to the pupils were by well off Catholics who took homes at Marlow for the river season year on year. This is especially true of Eugene Kelly and his family who regularly took up summer residence at Temple House. Eugene had also personally defrayed most of the cost of an assistant priest to help the ailing Canon Bernard Smith in the last two years of his life. The Scott Murrays still could be depended on to provide a Christmas surprise for the children though. Mrs Charles Aloysius Scott Murray managed to find a Christmas tree that would reach the ceiling of the Music Room (now the Masonic centre, hired for the purpose) in 1899 and she festooned it with gifts for all.

Since the 1870s the infants school had been under government control. This meant they could access grants rather than rely solely on their benefactor,  but in return they had to submit to school inspections and payment was by results. It also meant a "conscience clause" was now formally in operation. So the religious education was to taken at the beginning or end of the day to allow those children not participating to more easily absent themselves. 

In the late Victorian period the school inspectors still lamented the state of the toilets, the rough stoney playground and the general state of the school buildings but praised the teaching at least. Grace Crowther remained in charge until just after the First World War which brings us up to the end of the period we deal with. But to answer the oft asked question of when the modern St Peter's school moved to Prospect Rd, it was 1974. The land was actually released for school use by the Ministry of Agriculture from allotment use in 1965! 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Links to related subjects referred to above:

1 - The Bucks chair co of St. Peter Street - here

2. The Deanery school - here

3. Marlow place schools here

4. Early history of St Peter's Church here

5. The Albion rooms as a British School here

6. Biography Canon Bernard Smith, 50 years at St Peter's and a Marlow Hero here

To find other school related posts search by school name here

For other church related content see here - all denominations

Sources include: 

Information from Sister Anne, archivist to the Sisters of Charity of St Paul the Apostle with many thanks. This included information from the undated draft of the foundation agreement for the school and convent. 

Slaters commercial directory 1850. 

Musson & Craven's commercial directory 1853. 

Kelly's Directory Bucks 1863

The Catholic Directory 1853 

Marlow Town Guide and Directory 1891

Marlow Almanack qv 1907 & 1915

South Bucks Free Press 2nd Jan 1857, 14 Jan 1860, 19th Jan 1861, 15 March 1863, 13 May 1868, 7th Oct 1870, 28 June 1878, 7 June 1888, 3 February 1889, 4 March 1910

Maidenhead Advertiser 2 July 1879, 29th September 1886

Bucks Herald 17 April 1886

The Tablet April 16 1887 Vol 69 p 630

Buckinghamshire Examiner 2  December 1891

South Bucks Standard 21st April &  22nd December 1893, 8th June 1894, 21st July 1894, 22 December 1899, 5th September 1902, 14 January 1910

Bucks Free Press 19 July 1919

© MarlowAncestors 

An Edwardian Christmas In Marlow

 

A Victorian Christmas in Marlow was the subject of a previous pair of posts. So this one is about how the Edwardian Marlow residents enjoyed their festivities but I recommend you read the Victorian posts too as much remained the same. 

The streets still sound with the music of carol singers performing their rounds. The Church choir was only one of many to tour the streets. Most were making collections for charity, but a few reports show that children formed impromptu groups and went about hoping to part generous minded adults with their spare cash to be used as pocket money. Some of the less well off have more money than usual thanks to the annual share out of the Slate Clubs which continue in most of the pubs and some of the chapels. The Slate Clubs were a savings club and a kind of friendly society. In exchange for paying in a regular weekly sum, workers could access sickness and unemployment benefits paid out of the funds recieved. Payments were usually made to pay doctors fees and for funerals of the member (and sometimes their spouse). Anything left over in December was then shared out between the members. The share out was a big event, and was usually accompanied by a celebratory dinner or "smoking concert" or both. Many of these have now been running for decades in Marlow but show no sign of loosing popularity. On the contrary, many report higher levels of membership than they did during the previous century. Some of those definitely having a slate club that was active in Edwardian times include the Clayton Arms, Greyhound, Prince Of Wales, White Hart, Verney Arms, King's Head (Little Marlow), Bricklayers Arms and the Jolly Cricketers and Royal Oak in Bovingdon Green. The Verney club was now one of the biggest, with 216 members in 1910. (You can read more about Slate Clubs and poverty in Victorian and Edwardian Marlow here)

A "rather young looking Santa Claus" was said to be stationed in the somewhat unlikely location of poulterer Mr Rippington's shop in 1908. This was presumably a figure in a window or other display. Father Christmas does not seem to visit Marlow very often in the run up to Christmas during these years. During the children's parties run by schools and clubs the children tend to get invited to pick a small gift directly off the tree or are handed a small bag of modest (in our eyes only)  treats by a benefactor hosting the event. (Standard gift bag offerings seem to be an orange, some nuts and a piece of cake.) 

Although Marlow has always been well supplied with dedicated toy shops, during the festive season other businesses introduced or expanded their own range of toys and festive novelties. This especially applied to drapers and stationers. Morgans the draper in Market Square for example bought in a range of dolls and toys to tempt shoppers. W B Langston's* (William Bradley) the boot and shoe warehouse open a "Christmas Bazaar" inside their already crowded premises in the High Street. Inside can be found "mechanical toys, picture books and dolls in great variety." Elsewhere in the High Street Timberlake's, who sell bicycles and phonographs, also have a special Christmas "department" offering more mechanical toys, and magic lanterns as well as "talking machines" and records. (A selection from 1905.) C J Bateman, the cycle depot in West Street (now also describing themselves as motor engineers) was one place to go for model steam trains, priced at 6d and above, as well as models of Bleriot, Wright and other planes. 

By now the shops are all closed on Christmas Day and most but not all are also shut on both Boxing Day and January 1st. The fact they are closed is something of a source of pride for some traders who want their customers to know that they follow their religious and social duty, as they saw it. Of course for those in domestic service, and in many other roles, the festive season included much less free time than average. 

Now for some of the delights available in the Marlow grocers and other shops. Alfred Ilsley in the High Street offers ready made mincemeat from Chivers, as well as the most plump fruit for making your own puddings. He had home cured smoked hams on sale too. Ready made Christmas cakes could be picked up at Carter's (now Berger's) and also at Browns in the High Street. Browns also offered Christmas stockings, perhaps not the obvious place to look for the latter! They made "Marlovian Shortbread" from 1910, a snip at 8d a lb. And Carter's could supply mince pies and plum puddings if you didn't wish to make your own. "Why bother about making puddings and mincemeat this Christmas time when Carter supplies some of the best at reasonable prices?"

Above, the former Morgan's store. 

But for those that did, Christmas pudding charms in solid silver could be bought at Rowes the jeweller for just a shilling a set. Mr Rowe, who could probably sell sand to Egypt, said they were selling by the hundreds and "great fun". 

The tradition of shops holding "Christmas shows" over one of two days to showcase their very best goods continues. The butchers and poulterers sometimes decorate the outside of their premises with animal carcasses (or imitation ones) for these events, but this is less often mentioned in Marlow specifically compared to other towns such as High Wycombe. The best quality meat is not put outside to get dusty in any case, it can be viewed in relative comfort inside. Some of the customers may have been a spectator at the Fat Stock shows held near the train station just before Christmas. The animals now lying on the butchers slab were paraded before them. All animals entered into the show are auctioned off at the end, and the butchers try to outbid one another for the animals that win their classes. They advertise their success so prospective buyers will know where to head to buy the best beef for example. The members of the Christmas Fat Stock Show Association include most of the dairy, mixed and beef farmers in the neighbourhood. They have an annual dinner hosted by the Crown, and held in the old assembly rooms. This is a big event at the time, with the numbers attending reminding us of just how many local families continue to be involved in agriculture. (More than 100 attendees in 1905) And for every farmer and landowner attending their dinner, there are many farm employees both casual and full time. The prizes from the show are distributed at the event. Afterwards there is music from a band performing in the minstrels gallery, and dancing. Here's a sample menu from 1903 - roast turkey, roast beef, boiled mutton, ham, boiled cod (yes, boiled), cauliflower, boiled turnip tops (greens), three types of potatoes (roast, boiled and baked), soup, Christmas pudding, mince pies, apple tart, cheese and celery. But no sprouts.

Many families would have dreamed of such a spread. The Salvation Army** did not forget the less well off. They hosted special Christmas teas and entertainments for the youngsters belonging to the large number of poorer families in town. In 1903 they hosted 200 of the poorest children for tea followed by an entertainment for 400 youngsters. Each child left with a bag of cake and an orange. The SA congregation was relatively small and the amount of fundraising they must have done to cater for such numbers is large, even if some goods were donated by kind hearted shopkeepers. In addition Sister Cole at the Cottage Hospital in Cambridge Road organised a Christmas tree for the patients there. In 1909 she was also organising a little party not just for any young patients spending Christmas there, but former ones who had been discharged as well as the children of current patients. All this with the help of Emily Dickson the untiring fundraiser and wife of Dr Dickson. 

All of the churches were decorated in their own ways, with evergreens, and if they were lucky, with the flowers forced in the hothouses of the larger gardens. Little Marlow Church used bunches of white chrysanthemums. In 1908, the Catholic Church of St Peter's was garnished with holly, ivy, and other evergreens as well as a host of blooms. Midnight mass was a full house so many could enjoy the display. Five years later, the children attending the Catholic day schools had a particularly fun treat. Not all of the young scholars were Catholic incidentally. The children had a Christmas tea with lots of cake, followed by dancing. The more eagle eyed of the guests may have noticed a large "curtain" partitioning a certain portion of one end of the room. After the dance, this curtain was whisked aside to reveal a tree with a branch bending under the weight of little gifts. There was "an elaborate collection of toys of every description." Once these were distributed the fun was not yet over. Father Arthur gave a show as an illusionist and then the children were lined up to receive yet another gift - a bags of nuts, sweets and oranges. 

 Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Related Posts:

Victorian Christmas in Marlow part 1 here and 2 here

New Year traditions here

Skating on the Thames etc here

Bonfire night in Victorian Marlow here

A listing of other posts about every day life in old Marlow  here

Easter and May day here

*More about William Langston's boot stores here

**The Salvation Army in Marlow here

©Marlow Ancestors

 

Early History Of St. Peter's Church, Marlow

Before the Reformation, most of Marlow's residents would of course have been Catholic. Later, Marlow saw its fair share of Catholic "popish recusants" who were hauled before the quarter sessions for repeated failures to attend Protestant church services which had become compulsory. The same names pop up repeatedly and were probably the tip of the iceberg. Some put in a token appearance at the parish church often enough to avoid punishment, if not suspicion about their sincerity. We will feature some of these early  Catholic recusants in other posts. 

This post is about the experience of Catholic members of Marlow's population during the regency and Victorian period. They were very much in the minority amongst the population and until the 1840's, had no church to worship at. How many Catholics were resident here is hard to judge, but we are gathering a list of names. 

 In 1827, there was an anti Catholic meeting in the town hall, which resulted in a number of Marlow citizens giving their support to a petition against further concessions being given to the Catholics nationally. This was presented to Parliament by the Earl of Winchelsea (Winchilsea), one of the leaders of opposition to the idea that Catholics could sit as M.Ps. The Earl actually fought a duel with prime minister Wellington over their different approaches to this issue in 1829! It seems that the success of Irish catholic Daniel O'Connell who won the 1827 by-election in County Clare despite technically not being allowed to take up a seat, had worried the local anti Catholics. What if other Catholics ignored the rules and started putting themselves forward for roles the law forbade them to accept? A vote was held after a number of  (virulently prejudiced) speeches and unsurprisingly, the motion was passed to send the petition forward. The meeting had been framed as a stand against popery and for patriotism so who would be brave enough to turn up and vote against the petition under such circumstances?  Sir George Nugent of Westhorpe House did speak against the motion but he was in the minority. He had previously voted in favour of Catholic emancipation. Those Marlow petitioners were out of luck however, as the Roman Catholic Relief Act was passed in 1829. 

A further flurry of anti Catholic petitions flew towards parliament from Great Marlow in the 1830s. Borlase head William Francis strongly criticized those who had gathered signatures for one such in 1835. He accused them of peddling hysteria, using "deception" such as inducing children to affix their names and of trawling the county looking for the "ignorant and superstitious" to sign. Francis was not a Catholic himself. 

On a more everyday basis, people who were not Protestant (or who were not regular parish church goers) could find themselves excluded from employment. I have found a number of local job adverts which specify that only Protestants or established church members need apply. Mostly this was positions of domestic service, but sometimes it's also shop work. 

Things began to improve for local Catholics when the wealthy Charles Scott Murray of Danesfield converted to Catholicism in 1841. He was an MP at the time so was forced to loose his vote until he'd taken oaths specially required for Catholic members. He immediately supported a mission in Marlow but his dearest aim was to build a Roman Catholic church. But given the anti Catholic feeling around, would he find someone to sell him the necessary land? Many of the significant landowners had a history of speaking out against Catholic rights. It was said later that Scott Murray secured a second rate spot for a an inflated price because the sellers agent thought beggars can't be choosers. But an alternative rumour was that the agent acting for Murray disguised both his purpose and client, out of desperation at ever finding a spot at any price. However I believe neither story is absolutely true, because the land was sold at auction by the Rolls auctioneers rather than through a private sale arranged through agents. Within a week it was reported in the local press who'd bought it and for what purpose, or at least it was stated that Murray wanted to use it for "furthering the Catholic faith" and for building a schoolhouse. In the end a field and farm yard  formerly belonging to George Cannon that had been part of the Platts Farm Estate was secured for £350. It was then in the occupation of farmer Hewitt later of Blounts Farm. A few ramshackle farm buildings had to go and a pond was filled in. George Stevens, recalling the site in 1895 said it was a "miserable swampy place". George was one of the early worshippers and it's organist. On the positive side, the church was designed by Augustus Welby Pugin and attracted praise (sometimes begrudging!) for its charm and attractiveness. 

 Scott Murray paid the entire cost of both the land (about an acre) and the building. He also built a small convent and school adjacent, and a chapel at Danesfield itself. 

St Peters Street as a name long predates the arrival of the Church. We are tracking its usage through property transaction and wills. It was in use for the church portion of the modern street as well as a portion of what is now Station Road ahead of Marlow Place. It was used at the same time as other former names for St Peters Street such as Duck Lane and Old Bridge Street. 

Above the church site (no 34 on plan) when it was part of the Platt's Farm estate, 1839. See "St Peter Street" shown to lead off the High Street (now Station Rd) while the current St Peter's Street is called Duck Lane. 

While the search for land was ongoing, Scott Murray supported the provision of services out of a hired room, possibly in St Peters Street although I have conflicting information about its location. He certainly had a "mission" in Oxford Cottage, Oxford Rd in the few years immediately before the church opened. The first mass was attended by a grand total of 3 people - Scott Murray, a relative of the Priest and an Irish woman from Cookham. Priest Peter Coop pressed on with two services on a Sunday, and one in the week.  He would also be the priest at the church once completed. At least he could rely on the arrival of Scott Murray and some of his servants! 

The first stone was laid in 1845 before a curious audience. I have not come across any reports of open hostility on this occasion, but it may not have been publicised much in advance outside of the Catholic community. This would limit the opportunity for trouble makers to make elaborate plans to disrupt proceedings. Members of the congregation looking back on this time in general recalled that their priests had suffered name calling and hissing in their direction as they went about their business. George Stevens mentioned above remembered experiencing much prejudice and bigotry in this period. Father Peter Coop recalled that he was stared at and pointed at wherever he went. 

About 1,500 people attended the stone laying. A procession went from the Deanery along the very short distance to the site of the new church in St. Peters Street. A platform was erected, with a beautifully decorated alter on top. Scott Murray entered fully into the proceedings, donning a cassock and surplice and carrying a large cross at the head of the procession. He also performed the stone laying.  Afterwards the event was marked by a dinner for 100 invited guests at the Town Hall and a gift of bread and a shilling to 80 poor families. 

A year later the church was opened. The stained glass windows were not all completed on the opening date however and poor Peter Coop had to endure the first winter with just canvas coverings over some of the openings. It was thought necessary to add wooden shutters as a temporary security measure when the windows delivery was again delayed. Perhaps it is no surprise that the chilly Peter Coop himself paid for one of the windows, which depicts him at prayer. In 1847 the last of the original windows were finally put in place although the requested image of St. Thomas of Hereford had mistakenly been replaced with that of St. Thomas of Canterbury. It was decided to keep the latter however. 

Above, Peter Coop at prayer. 

In 1849, the Christmas celebrations were regarded as a particular success. Attendance at the services were good and Rev Ludwig had, despite the "threats and intimidation resorted to by the Protestant clergyman of the neighborhood" secured a large choir that contained members of the parish church. (It may seem surprising that Protestant singers were willing to sing there given the feelings high at the time, but in fact it was a long standing tradition in Marlow for good singers from All Saints to appear at services in the non conformist  chapels in the town on special occasions. There were many who remembered singers from the Salem chapel appearing at the Wesleyan one and vice versa too. Unfortunately as time went on the parish church came down more heavily on their own choir members singing elsewhere until doing so was said to earn an expulsion from their choir.) Father Ludwig's day did not go entirely well however. When he arrived home he discovered that while he had been occupied in the church thieves had entered his property. They made off with several items of silver and £5 in gold and silver coins. 

The congregation might have been small at first but it grew steadily. In 1850, it was reported that 75 people had converted to Catholicism in Marlow in the previous 18 months. It is certainly true that many long standing Marlow families have Catholic converts amongst their number. 

Canon John Morris arrived in Marlow in 1851. He wrote many letters to Scott Murray, updating the latter about his work. His first week at Marlow was marked by the unfortunate locking in of worshipper Charlotte Beckett within the church overnight. It was door keeper Mr Harper who was directly responsible, but poor Charlotte was discovered praying at the altar by Morris on his arrival the following morning. She had apparently put her time to good use in contemplating various religious matters. Morris in his letters comes across as good humoured. However many who met Father John said they found him rather severe and forbidding on the outside. Others recalled his "great heart" - and how he was sometimes moved to tears even by his own sermons. All agreed that he was very hard working and energetic, with a brilliant capacity to recall facts and figures. He also acted as the chaplain at Danesfield. *

In 1850 Rev Tracy Coxwell, 40 years in charge at All Saints, Marlow (Anglican) was nominated to another parish. His parishioners petitioned for the curate Rev Frederick Bussell to take over. There were many reasons for this but among them was the fact the Rev was "thoroughly opposed to Romanism"  in any form. A local newspaper added that they were pleased to report that Bussell's influence had "tended very much to check the spread of its contaminating influence here". 

Shortly afterwards, the Rev Bernard Smith took up the post of priest. Bernard deservedly has a post of his own by Charlotte here, but I will just say in this post that he was responsible for mellowing many people's attitude to the Catholic church in Marlow. His kindness to all, whether a flock member or not, was legendary. The fact that his death in 1903 occasioned expressions of sorrow from all sects and parts of Marlow showed how far things had come. 

*Father Morris would eventually die in the pulpit of the Church of the Sacred Heart at Wimbledon while preaching a sermon there in 1894.

Post written and researched by Kathryn Day 

Related Posts

For more posts like this see Church Related on the menu here

Biography of Canon Bernard Smith here

Index of grave images at St Peter's and other Marlow area locations - here

History of the Catholic Schools in Marlow here

Edwardian St Peter Street residents here

Find all mentions of an individual here by using the A-Z person index, on the top drop down menu. There are currently over 10,000 people listed there with new content added weekly.

More about George Cannon, previous owner of the church site here

General Marlow history posts about everyday life here in the past: here

Posts related to St Peter Street here

Sources include:

Kelly's Directory 1847, 1883, 1911. 

Barrow, John Henry (1828) The Mirror of Parliament 

Corcoran, James Andrew, Patrick, John et al. (1892) The American Catholic Review Hardy and Mahoney

Gibbs, Roger. (1891) The Buckinghamshire Miscellany, R Gibbs Publisher. 

Kelly, Bernard W. (1907) Historical Notes on English Catholic Missions, W Trench. 

Morris,John. (1892) Catholic England in Modern Times, Burns & Oates

Pollen, John Hungerford (1896) The Life and Times of Father John Morris 1826-1893, Burns & Oates

Shepherd, Stanley A. (2009) The Stained glass of A W N Pugin Spire Books

The Catholic Directory and Register (Burns & Lambert 1858)

The Catholic Magazine & Register Volume 11, 1850. 

Sadliers Catholic Directory, Almanac and Clergy List 1885 & 1895

The Rambler, a Catholic Journal. Vol 8, 1851. 

Memories of George Stevens, as recorded 1892.  

Copies of the Berkshire Chronicle 1827, Windsor & Eton Express 1827 & 1845, Reading Mercury 1845, South Bucks Standard 1892, Bucks Herald 1845, Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News 1848 from the British Library Archive, and accessed via the BNA. 

Petitions presented to Parliament 1827, Great Britain House of Commons, digitised by Google. 

The Tablet 1st August 1846. 

Hill, Rosemary, (2007) God's Architect - Pugin and the building of romantic Britain, Penguin 

 

Canon Bernard Smith *Updated July 2026*

 Above: A tablet set into St Peter's church reads-

"Outside of this church was restored 1904 in memory of Bernard Canon Smith."

Bernard died in 1903 aged 88. He was believed at the time of his death to be the oldest serving Catholic priest in England. He had been at Marlow for 50 years.

He was born to an Anglican family in Great Ponton, Lincolnshire where his father was the rector. He was given the Anglican living at Leadenham near Lincoln in 1839 but resigned and joined the Catholic church in 1842/3. For an ordained minister to "go over to Rome" was horrifying to some and a malicious (or hopeful) letter was sent anonymously to the Morning Advertiser newspaper saying reports that Bernard had resigned and converted was a lie put about by "dishonest Catholics". Bernard quickly wrote to the paper to refute this. 

In 1845 he was ordained as a priest after studying under Dr Wiseman at  Oscott college at which place he was subsequently granted a professorship. In 1853 Bernard  came to Marlow to take over from John Morris who was also a Catholic convert. He later said that his first impulse on arriving here was to not get out of the carriage and go straight away again. Quite why his first impression was so so daunting I'm not too sure! 

Bernard's friend R. W Sibthorpe visited him at Marlow in 1865 and wrote to a mutual friend of the visit "I found Smith grown considerably stout but as usual very cheerful, very kind and giving me a hearty welcome." Bernard's church he said was "perfection of its kind..beautifully kept" with a congregation of about 180. The letter also mentions that attending one of the two schools* attached to the church was two younger brothers of the Marquess of Queensbury, whose mother had converted to Catholicism. Mr Morris said that this was not popular with the Marquess or the boys' guardian and so Bernard had always to be on the alert for a potential abduction of the boys!

Another friend of Bernard was the dramatist Charles Reade. Bernard also helped Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin with translations when Pugin was working on his Glossary of Ecclesiastical Ornaments and Costume, a work Bernard later revised and enlarged. Pugin was friends with Bernard prior to the latter joining the Catholic Church to which Pugin already belonged. When he learnt that Bernard had converted he wrote of his joy and of that fact that he had long suspected things were "going that way" with him.

Pugin had worked on Bernard's church in Leadenham, something which was not very popular with some who thought the finished style too decorative and suspiciously Catholic in tone. Bernard had already made changes to the church interior that were reminiscent of more opulent Catholic church interiors - as considered at the time. For example he had a Sanctuary painted blue with gold stars and introducing a processional crucifix, church candles, and an altar cross. The local gentry were quick to air their distain for this and Bernard felt unsupported by his church superiors in dealing with their anger. (He had aligned himself to the Tractarian or Oxford movement.)

After he left his position those changes in Leadenham that could be easily reversed were so. Bernard had been reciting some prayers in Latin too, so objections of his congregation were more than  about cosmetics. 

The living at Leadenham was in the presentation of his mother Justina who must have had some difficult conversations with parishioners when Bernard converted.

Leadenham's loss however would become Marlow's gain.

Working in any church doesn't give someone too many leisure hours but when he did get some free time Bernard could indulge his hobby of being a butterfly fancier, logging any unusual specimens that fluttered through Marlow and breeding his own butterflies at home. Some mulberry trees in the garden, covered with light muslin protected some of the grubs he raised. He was ever ready to swap knowledge or pupae with others interested in the creatures or to invite people to see his collection. And that's the thing about Canon Smith- he was generous and friendly to all. Every single mention of him I have read says this. His collection of butterflies and moths was regarded by many as the finest in private hands in the country - and indeed better than many held by natural history institutions. A visitor to his home mentioned that every inch was stuffed with display cases, specimen boxes and the like - making it at times somewhat difficult to navigate! 

His death triggered an outpouring of letters and other tributes to him in the press and journals and his funeral was conspicuously attended by those from all denominations. He was known to give charitable and friendly support to anyone in Marlow he heard needed it without asking or caring what denomination they were.

He was also a keen gardener and liked to visit his parishioners gardens to swap tips and plants. Bernard was knowledgeable about very many subjects in fact. When he first arrived in Marlow he'd spent time correcting classical texts for the publishers Longman, and others. He also tutored young men seeking to enter universities such as Oxford. He was regarded as an authority on Latin translations and liked to fill the time between Sunday Mass and lunch by reading some Virgil in the garden. 

  

Father Bernard had early in his days in Marlow suffered vocal abuse from a minority who could not abide the renewed presence of a Catholic church in the town. The fact that he was a well publicised convert probably did not help matters. It is a credit to him that it was said that some of those same abusers would later be sincere mourners at Bernard's funeral due to his kindness to them when they were in need. Bernard himself recalled the anti Catholic prejudice that he himself had entertained as a younger man. As an Oxford undergraduate he said he had made his mind up not to befriend any Catholics in the future and to end friendships with any who introduced a Catholic to him! As a child he had in his own words, been  "thoroughly imbued with the deepest prejudice" and "very slowly and unwillingly did I give up my cherished prejudices".  Perhaps this experience helped him to "turn the other cheek" more effectively when the tables were turned. (He would not have expected to find a Catholic at the university itself, they were barred by means of a religious examination from entering Oxford at this time.)  When the 50th anniversary came around of his ordination in to the Catholic priesthood a presentation of a bag of gold coins was made to him. The subscribers that paid for this included members of the other churches in the town - how times had changed! 

Bernard's habit in his younger days of riding a donkey up to and into the church at Easter was also said to have endeared him to some, as an amusing eccentric. This was actually something occasionally done in other churches in England but presumably not locally as the sight was sufficiently novel for parties of High Wycombe chair makers to make a special journey to Marlow to watch it every year. Some of these came initially to mock (mounting the donkey wasn't too easy for Bernard as he was a rather hefty man) but he took it in good spirit and that won them over. (You can read about other Easter, and May Day traditions in Marlow here)

Father Bernard died in 1903 at the Presbytery. Ill health in the last few years had finally meant he consented to the employment of a helper at Marlow in the form of curate the Rev James Purcell. He was too physically  weak to take an active part in services in the final year of his life but his home and counsel remained available to his parishioners to the end. It was said that the Father had become almost beggared by the extent of his generosity in his later years. He was certainly sorely missed by the poor in particular - of all denominations. Among the final compliments paid to this long standing priest by the local press was to his "genial and unassuming kindness to all" and  to his "quiet life of unassuming piety". 

*There was a private upper school for fee paying pupils (girls and kindergarten) and a mixed ordinary school.

Bernard's grave at St Peter's Church, Marlow.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day. Photos and additional research  by Kathryn, who updated it July 2026

Related Posts

Early history of St Peters Church including anti Catholic prejudice here

Menu of posts related to the churches and chapels of Marlow here

 To search for an individual person use the A-Z Person Index option in the top drop down menu. 

©Marlow Ancestors. You are welcome to use this content for family or local history with credit to this blog and a link here so the sources I list below remain credited too. Thanks.

Sources:

Maidenhead Advertiser 28th October 1903 and Essex Standard 14th June 1839. Copies held British Library and accessed by me via their partnership with the BNA 

The Entomologists Journal and Record of Variation. Vol 15. Ed by James William Tutt. Digitized by Google.

Recollections of A.N Welby Pugin And His Father Augustus Pugin by Benjamin Ferrey and Edmund Sheridan Purcell. 1861. Published by E Stanford.

A Register Of The Presidents, Fellows, Demies, Instructors In Grammar And Music, Chaplains, Clerks, Choristers And Other Members Of St Mary Magdalene College In The University Of Oxford From The Foundation Of The College To The Present Time. By John Rouse Bloxam. Published by W Graham 1881, Oxford. This contains the letter about the 1865 visit to Smith.

Census as transcribed by me from microfilm.

The Bengal Catholic Herald 1843, Volume 4. Digitized by Google.

The Life of Cardinal Wiseman - Wilfred Ward (1902 edition)

Letter dated June 25th 1878 from Canon Bernard Smith to his flock on the occasion of his silver jubilee in charge at Marlow.

The Tablet. (1878). United Kingdom: Tablet Publishing Company.