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