The Most Difficult Job In Marlow History?

 Marlow is a place where even the election to an unpaid parish position could result in civil disturbances, accusations of bribery and corruption and occasionally bloodshed. Elections to parliament were even worse. The 1880 election riot, and women's bread riot of 1800 are probably the best known. Someone had to officially call these elections or polls and announce the often unpopular (with the disenfranchised) results, and for the first half of the 19thc the man with the short straw was Henry Stallwood. 

Hidden history of Quoiting Square

Henry was of relatively humble origins and yet he came to wield some power and responsibility. Born in 1807, I believe he was the son of William and Maria Stallwood and therefore brother to influential Chartist Edmund Stallwood whose biography I've linked to below. William ran the small Three Loggerheads beerhouse in Quoiting Square (later The Queen), and Henry lived next door for a while. He worked as a young man as a shoe maker like William. (Combining beer selling and boot and shoemaking is almost a cliche in Marlow at this time.)  But it's Henry's parish roles we are going to focus on. Quoiting Square was the centre of non conformity in Marlow, home to the Congregational Church or Salem Chapel as it was then known. It was also the centre of liberal and "radical" politics (the Clayton Arms pub was in particular, named for local landowner and liberal political  candidate Sir William Clayton of Harleyford Manor.) So many of the residents of West Street, Oxford Rd and Quoiting Square  were identified at this time with being "independent" either in terms of how they voted or how they worshipped (and usually both). 

Marlow was regarded as a pocket borough, which returned two M.Ps. In other words, it was in control of the majority land owners the Williams family of Temple House. Generally it was considered, rightly or wrongly, that if you were one of the minority of Marlow residents with the right to vote, and you were one of Williams tenants, you'd better vote for him and his running partner or you might find yourself promptly evicted or trade withdrawn from your business. Accusations of voter bribery and intimidation were common on the other side too. Who you voted for was publicly known after all. So in 1835 Henry, and William Stallwood, found themselves commemorated in a list of 34 "Independent Voters" who'd dared to vote against the status quo, unsuccessfully as it turned out.  This list was intended to mark the bravery of those concerned but it probably marked them out for a certain amount of abuse from opposing quarters too. 

Parish Constable - A Bloody Business

I've mentioned one fairly thankless task Henry will have, that of returning officer for the borough. But Henry may have come to mind to those who voted him in because he'd already fulfilled another clutch of very difficult roles in Great Marlow history. These were those of parish constable, tithing man, and hayward. You might think a little country town might not be an especially stressful place to be a petty constable. Unfortunately for Henry you'd be wrong. Marlow had a reputation as a centre for poaching and some of these men were violent, both to keepers, witnesses against them, and to the arresting officers. Generally Henry took the option of  safety in numbers and a group of tithing men and petty constables did their best to surprise the offenders at home. The tussle to arrest one of the most notorious poachers, watched by a 100 strong crowd in 1840, is covered in detail in this post here. You will see from that that in 1842 Henry inflicted some severe injuries on the same suspect during an arrest. Henry was not afraid to use the staff given to him shall we say. Were the suspected criminals violent on arrest because the police were rough to them or was it the constables felt they were entitled to give as good as they got? Hard to say but it's fair to say Henry and his colleagues often had the crowd against them, and they were very much outnumbered. When Henry as tithing man was attending the Marlow horse races* in 1836, his attempts to keep the course clear nearly got him a ducking in the river. He was implicated in an assault by a parish constable on a race goer who had apparently ignored instructions to stay behind a line. The man received a head injury, and the crowd thought the constable and Stallwood had used excessive force to make their point. No action was taken against Henry but the constable was successfully sued for damages. 

Henry the sleuth 

Henry was a parish constable for much of the 1830 and 40s. Technically any householder could be selected for this role, which was then unpaid, and the position lasted a year. But if you were selected, and didn't want to do it, you could nominate a substitute and pay them to do the job for you. Henry was obviously one who was willing to take more than his fair share of turns. He was regarded as a brilliant constable, at least by those who didn't feel the brunt of his official staff. 

He took the role seriously, and very frequently we can find him patrolling the streets at all hours of day and night looking for the criminally inclined. (In this age of violent arrests, Henry was nevertheless usually patrolling alone. There were not enough police to do otherwise even if they wanted to.) He seems to have been a vigilant soul. To give one example from 1838.. One night, Henry sees William Meads lurking suspiciously outside the shoe shop of John Beck. He waits and watches as William breaks open the shutters, and goes inside. William then emerges back  through the window and sidles off. Henry follows him back to his lodgings, collars his man, and finds 12 pairs of shoes about his person. William Meads had a previous conviction for theft and so the sentence was inevitable - transportation for life. 

A bold thief attempted a break in at Henry's own house in 1854. (He was then living in Chapel Street.) The bolts were too strong to break through. They did manage to get into a store and liberate 2lbs butter though. 

More jobs for Henry

In 1839 Henry was elected to the position of surveyor of the parish roads. It was a hotly contested affair with numerous candidates, and allegations yet again of nefarious tactics.  Why did anyone care so much about what seems a role of only very local importance? More people had the right to vote for these parish positions than had the right to vote, and candidates were promoted by one political party or another so it became a way to show support for them. Many of those who won were the "liberal" or "independent" voters in political elections and they said it showed what the result would be in terms of their choice of M.P if the franchise was wider. Henry obviously did a good job as he was returned with little opposition the following year. In this role he had to check the roads were in good order and repaired in good time if not. 

Then in 1842 he was nominated for the joint position as registrar and relieving officer  (eg for the administration of poor relief funds) for the Marlow district of the Wycombe Poor Law union. The previous man in the job has been sacked due to numerous "defalculations" in his accounts.  How many of these roles Henry wanted to fulfil in their own right is hard to say, but I suspected he was generally put forward to represent the liberal interest whenever an opportunity arose. On this occasion he was unsuccessful at the poll, although he did come second. 

This was a time the parish position contests were getting yet more political. A sustained attempt to ensure Conservative voters turned up at the parish vestry in 1843, meant all "rad" holders of parish positions were ousted - including "Lord Chancellor Stallwood" as one paper put it. No more parish constable Stallwood either. However any attempt to keep our man out of local affairs were doomed to failure. 

Dirty tactics of another kind

Henry was still occupying parish positions in the 1850s and 60s. He continued in the unpopular (elected and this time paid) role of parish rate collector for more than 20 years from 1849. In other words, he issued demands for payment of the local taxes 3 times a year, and then came to collect the money due. Marlow people did not like paying their rates in general. In this job he would clash with some of those on his own side politically who objected to some specific rates or how they were administered. But Henry showed no favour and was not averse to applying a little pressure on the late payers. One  complained that Henry employed a group of "dirty boys" to "huzaa" (shout and create a hullabaloo) outside the house of anyone who wasn't ready to pay the first time he called to collect his dues. The magistrates were sceptical that someone in a respectable position would do any such thing, but when asked Henry happily admitted that he did employ one boy to create a disturbance! He suggested the youngsters' friends probably tagged along. The J.Ps responded that Henry had "a painful duty to perform".

He was obviously doing his best to be impartial as regards collecting the rates but I suspect he sympathised with those who felt they were too high. He was one of the founding members of the Marlow rate payers association, and at its inaugural meeting in the Clayton Arms in 1866, he was elected to the chair. Their brief was to watch over parochial spending  and ensure everyone got good value for money. 

From 1859 he was also the parish inspector of nuisances and chair of the Nuisance Committee. This usually meant investigating reports of overflowing cesspits, stinking drains and overgrown piles of farmyard manure. The scale of the challenge facing Henry here is hard to imagine. In his first year he reported  605 cases of nuisance within the town! This only accounts for those cases where he found there was a legal cause for complaint, not every one he had to investigate. Let's hope he didn't have a good sense of smell.

These kind of offences were not just unpleasant but often dangerous to health. In 1866 Henry chaired a meeting which aimed to prevent another cholera outbreak in the town. (In recent years there had been ones in 1832 when 49 people died, 1849 with 12 deaths, and 1850 with "many" fatalities.) It was settled upon to begin a house to house inspection to look for dodgy wells whose water would be tested. It was also decided to organise a subscription for a new parish pump to provide access to clean water.  I'm not sure which pump this was - the ones in Quoiting Square and St Peters Street are both possibilities. 

I will mention one last role, which he kept up to his death - county court bailiff. 

At election time

As mentioned above, one of Henry's most eye catching roles was the one of returning officer.  He took this on in 1836 and continued it for decades. This involved him taking the official public nominations for "right and proper persons" to represent the borough in parliament. Special hustings were erected outside the town hall/ Crown in Market Square for this to take place. If only as many candidates were bought forward (and seconded) as there were seats, this was straightforward. If not, a show of hands in favour of each would be M.P was requested. Henry had the job of deciding if two people had a clear majority of support. If not, he would declare a poll was necessary, and formal voting would take place on another day shortly after. If Henry's decision was disputed by either side, a poll could also be requested by those present. I don't think the show of hands ever actually settled the election, it was more of a formality. Henry usually gave some speech appealing for calm and good conduct.  He was present on the platform throughout voting  and supervised the recording of each eligible persons vote in the poll book. He then had to announce the winner. The actual voting part of the day was usually accompanied by some shouting and jostling but the real trouble generally began once the victor came forward. I don't think Henry was ever injured as a result, but as missiles were recorded as thrown at the stage more than once, he may have just learned when to make a speedy exit.  Winners and losers almost always make a point of thanking Henry for his even handed behaviour and diligence in this position. 

Henry himself was not prevented from engaging in political causes. In 1867 he was present at a reform meeting at The Greyhound Inn. Almost all those publicly recorded as attending were non conformists. He put forward a proposition that the franchise should be extended to the working class and that there should be a clamp down on voter intimidation and bribery. This was unanimously carried. In particular Henry wanted to see those accused of either offering bribes or accepting them punished properly. Other votes were to support the use of a secret ballot. 

Family man

I've not mentioned much of Henry's personal life because his public one has taken up so much room! Married to Mary (b c 1809), he had several children including little Clara who died after 3 weeks illness in 1853. Another daughter, Mary Ann would be a school teacher as a young woman. As such she was considered for the position of schoolmistress at the Union workhouse school at Bledlow but in the end was unsuccessful. I've wondered whether this Mary Ann may have been one of the juvenile pupil teachers of the Marlow girls British school but more research is needed. Henry was definitely an early supporter of the Marlow British schools (that is ones that were non denominational in their religious teaching) and was on the committee to start the first one (boys only originally) in 1852. Mary Ann also worked as a dressmaker. 

The Stallwoods were members of the Congregational Church in Quoiting Place (Quoiting Square now). Henry was a proud teetotaler like so many of his fellow worshippers. He said he took the pledge in 1841 and never looked back. He addressed the local temperance society several times. 

It's hard to imagine Henry had much leisure time but we know where he could be found when he did -  at the Great Marlow Literary and Scientific Institute reading room in the High Street. He was a supporter of this from the start, and often sat on the committee. 

Goodbye Henry

Henry died in the summer of 1872 age 65. The Bucks Herald declared he had been a "shrewd, industrious and diligent man" who was "painstaking and efficient" in his work. At that point he had moved to Cambridge Terrace (Cambridge Rd). Marlow would have to find someone else to do their dirty work!

Additional information:

Chartist Edmund Stallwood : here

 Early policing - crime fighting societies, parish constables, tithing men, sheep stealing and the night watch here

Index of posts related to Quoiting Place / Square: here

Index of posts about riots, dodgy elections, bribery and other crimes here

*Marlow Horse Races- comprehensive history, updated October  here

The British schools in Marlow: here

The Literary and Scientific Institute - here

Three Loggerheads beerhouse : here

All mentions of a person or family here can be found in the A-Z person index on the top drop down menu. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day.

 

SOURCES INCLUDE:

1833 parish assessment, from original in our possession. 

Robson's Commercial Directory 1839. 

Census - transcript from the originals by Jane Pullinger. 

Windsor and Eton Express February 11th 1854, 13th December 1862, 11th August 1866, 23rd March 1867 - Slough Borough Libraries

Report of The British Schools Society 1856. 

Bucks Herald 6th January 1838,  31st March 1860, 2nd Jan 1862, 27th July 1872. Bucks Gazette 28th March 1840 & 5th November 1842, Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News 20th July 1872,  Berkshire Chronicle May 11th 1842, Reading Mercury 5th November 1853 & 23 March 1867  - all British Library Archive. 

"England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2JT4-32Z : 31 December 2014), Henry Stallwood, 1872; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.

© MarlowAncestors

1833 Parochial Assessment Great Marlow Quoiting Square / Oxford Terrace Continued

My family has the original working notebooks written up for this assessment. It was to be used to set the 1834 rates. 

It's age means the material is faded and falling apart so I am transcribing it in parts starting with the house and building information. The notebooks have some corrections and additions added up to circa 1839. If any are present for these entries I will indicate so. I have been adding the different parts to this blog as and when they chime with other bits of research I am doing.

Format I use:

Name

Property

Annual value of property

Any notes of mine added in square brackets

Quoiting Place [Quoiting Square] and Oxford Terrace [in Oxford Road] in book but the assessors made a hash of this section. Many of these properties were actually round the corner in West Street and I have noted this below as appropriate.

Continued [1st part of Oxford Terrace and Quoiting Square is here]

Thomas Davis

House, woodhouse, garden, stables and shed

£11

*****

William Harper [tinplate worker. Apparently actually West Street. Certainly was West Street earlier]

House, two gardens, workshop and yards

£10

*****

George Wyatt

House, woodhouse, stable and lofts

£10 10 shillings

Large garden

£2

*****

Thomas Wyatt 

Cottage and garden

£3

*****

Edward Tyler [a tallow chandler and market gardener who was sent to a debtors prison in London in 1834. Property actually West Street though probably by Quoiting Square turning].

House, storehouse and large garden

£9

A large market garden 

*****

Henry Stallwood [The Marlow parish constable and hayward for Marlow manor. Very good at his constable job! His dad William lived next door see other 1833 assessment posts]

Cottage

£3

*****

Miss Lord [Eleanor Lord. This was a boarding School. See my Schools In Marlow History post published here. Premises actually West Street].

Dwelling house, yard and convenient offices

£23

*****

Widow Clark [Actually West Street]

House and garden

£8

**

Widow Puddifant [Sarah Puddifant. Died 1840. Actually West Street. Post about her here].

House, yard and garden

£12

[Added in pencil after the name of widow Puddifant without crossing her name out is the name James Thomas Lovegrove and added to the annual value column in pencil words "raised to £22". More on James here]

*****

John Musprat [Actually West Street]

Three Tuns [inn] house, yard, stables and garden

£11

[More on John and also the Three Tuns here ]

*****

Samuel Carter

House and garden

£5

*****

George Greenwood

House, garden and shop

£13

Large garden

£2

*****

George Gale [master of the National School in Oxford Road]

House, play ground, stable and gardens

£17

Large Garden

£2

*****

William Windsor [a baker. Also actually West Street. He still there 1844]

House and garden

£5

*****

Richard Musprat [actually West Street]

House, yard and garden

£6

******

William Smith [actually West Street]

Cottage and garden 

£4 10 shillings

*****

James Allum [actually West Street]

House and garden

£6

*****

William Humphrey [West Street]

House and garden

£7 10 shillings

*****

Francis Pearce

House and garden

£7

*****

William Pusey [Surely this too is actually West Street?] [A straw bonnet maker and chair turner. See here for more about him and his family]

House, washhouse, shop, yard and large garden

£11

*****

Robert Sawyer [West Street again]

House, part of yard, stable, sheds, piggery and large garden 

£15

Tolls of the market 

£3

*****

George Westbrook

The Crown [Inn. This was in Market Square though the grounds and back of it could be accessed from Oxford Road], house, pleasure gardens and garden adjoining, large garden at the top of the yard, stable yard, stables, coach houses, skittle ground and other convenient offices

£60

The Town Hall card room [next door to the Crown, again not in Quoiting Place or Oxford Road!], parlour etc belonging to it

£10

*****

Oxford Road

Late Charles Bowerie Esq [probably Bouverie]

House, yard, stable, coach house and garden

£30

*****

Sarah Pimm [nee Hale, widow of Richard Pimm, hurdle maker who had died that year aged 62]

Cottage and garden

£4 10 shillings

*****

Richard Frith

Cottage and garden

£4 10 shillings

*****

Alexander Higginson Esq

House with offices, lawn, garden and green house

£45

To find all mentions of an individual here, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. There are thousands of people listed there.

For other posts about Quoiting Place, Oxford Road or West Street see the index here

For a full list of former schools like Miss Lord's school see Schools in the index here

Index to posts about the every day life for Marlow people at the time of the assessment and others see - here

© Marlow Ancestors

James Haynes - Boatbuilder & Thief Catcher

 

James Hayne(s) was born in Marlow in the first few years of the 1800s. Perhaps not as famous as the late Victorian boat builders of Marlow and Bisham, he deserves a post of his own because of the many roles he played here - from preserving law and order, to preserving Marlow Bridge. 

As a young man James followed in his father's footsteps and worked as a carpenter. His dwelling house and work premises were in the High Street and Causeway at this point. In 1828 the workshop is described as located 200 yards from his home and were also separate in 1833. In any event, in 1828 a thief broke through the shutters of the workshop and stole a saw and an axe from James. This kind of theft was taken very seriously at the time as depriving a workman of his tools of the trade could too easily lead to him loosing the means to provide for himself. James was lucky in that the tools were recovered and the thief caught. The young man responsible, John Green, was an apprentice to another carpenter. It was James himself that recovered the tools, after he received something of a tip off. They had been hidden under some wood shavings in a loft. The judge expressed a regret that John had begun "a career of crime at a very early period in life" which seems perhaps a little strong given it was a first offence and he had previously borne a good character. Luckily for John, his master was willing to keep him on and spoke of his general steadiness. The judge therefore decided to be merciful and sentenced him to 2 months in prison. 

James did well in his carpentry business and seems to have been well regarded by his fellow traders. By 1833 he was working from a workshop and yard "at the wharf" with a residence in the High Street, still officially a carpenter. There were many buildings at the wharf, some quite ramshackle, that this could have been, used for all kinds of purposes over the years. 

James worked on Marlow's new suspension bridge and like so many others involved had to put in a few requests to actually get paid. This would be the start of a long involvement with the bridge. He was regarded as someone who could get things done, so it is no surprise he also later fulfilled the then elected role of parish surveyor. But the biggest role for James was as one of the parish constable in the days before a regular paid police force. If a warrant was issued for someone's arrest, James and his colleagues were supposed to stop their day jobs and execute it without delay. If they failed to do so without sufficient energy, they could themselves end up in court for neglect of duty. They also had to fit in routine patrols. James fulfilled the role for at least 10 years in the 1830s and early 1840s. He was required to follow up leads as regards to suspects or locating stolen goods, such as the parasol he found hidden in a water storage tank in the yard of Bond the builders in 1843 (not stolen by a Bond!) His finest hour was probably policing Marlow Fair in the same year. His patrols with fellow constables Henry Stallwood and Steadman Camden (biographical post about Steadman here) were completed with such a sharp eye and energy that not a single robbery was reported, despite the massive influx of visitors. 

It was not all hard work for James at this time. He was a regular participants in the charming Sunny Side v Shady Side of the High Street cricket matches which ran for several annual contests in the 1840s and 50s. It was usually played at the Aldermary - that is the meadow more or less where Marlow Cricket Club is now to be found off Pound Lane. So which side was the sunny one? The West Street / Higginson Park side. The Shady, Liston Court / Station Road side had the best level of success and was the one that James played for. It attracted a good crowd, no doubt including wife Elizabeth (nee Osborn) and their several children. One of these, Caroline, would go on to marry Robert Shaw, son of "King of the River" Robert Shaw, of boatbuilding fame. 

A little after this time, James begins to be more consistently described as located at the Causeway or "Bridge House" (of which there have been more than one in Marlow) and eventually his former home was taken over by Sellmans plumbers and painters. James also begins to be described as a boat builder at this time. He chose this occupation when filling his census return in 1851. He may well have always had a side line in repairing or maintaining boats but the hiring of them for leisure purposes was exploding in popularity at this time. Marlow was becoming more and more of a fashionable destination for visiting anglers from London and elsewhere - it's easy to underestimate just what a role tourism played in Marlow's past even at this period. See below for some linked posts about this. At some point James began to use what was known as the old tithe barn by the suspension bridge* as part of his business, or at least he used part of the area. It seems he may have shared usage of the actual barn building itself, apparently with a wheelwright at some point. (In 1872 the barn was let by the new Buckinghamshire Chair Co as a temporary workshop, although they were still there several years later)  James sold second hand boats and fishing punts as well as making his own river craft to a customer's specifications. It seems he specialised in punts in fact. He would also hire you a boat, house yours out of season, or do routine maintenance such as varnishing the timbers. The Marlow Amateur Rowing Club which started in 1871, used Haynes as their boathouse too, before they had their own premises. 

Next to James at the riverside was of course the suspension bridge. The story of its construction was frankly a tale of misery, and you can read about it in the posts linked to below.  James must have been only too aware that before the bridge was very old, it needed quite a bit of maintenance. He was Clerk of the Works for the repairs done in 1860 - facing some difficulty due to the reluctance of some to stop attempting to use the bridge while it was worked on. The surveyor assessing this work asked James to provide a boat so he could take a good examination of its state from the water. Finding one suitable proved difficult it seems. When the surveyor was taken ill, James was asked to make a report on the bridges condition himself. But the work was nevertheless completed on schedule. (The deal platform was replaced at "considerable expense" but by 1869 dry rot had set in and more work was needed.) By 1863 James was Surveyor of Bridges for the district, and under his care the bridge was repainted and repaired further. He was responsible for gathering tenders for this work. 

In 1866 James was one of a number of local men that testified before a parliamentary committee on improving the condition of the Thames. He made it very clear that he regarded the existing Thames Navigation Commissioners should all be sacked for incompetence. He claimed they had neglected to do routine maintenance on the river for many years and so had made it less appealing for those who wanted to use the river for commercial transportation of goods. While the rival attractions of the railway he acknowledged, he considered that the Commissioners had done nothing to make the river stand up against the competition. Instead James said the Commissioners had bought shares in the Railway and effectively given up!  I find his information concerning the river at the time Marlow had a flash lock the most interesting. He said the flash (surge of water) was made twice a week in those days, and this required the "draining" of the river for 4 miles (not literally drained dry of course!) so in "short water time" there was "no water" for days together - that is the water level was comparatively very shallow. 

By 1865, the business was known as James Haynes and Son(s) and its location was "Marlow Bridge". The eldest son Joseph James, who initially worked as a carpenter, sadly died aged just 32. It was less than a year after his marriage to Mary Poulton of Ferry House, Cookham. James himself would not live much longer. In May 1879, he passed away at Marlow. Wife Elizabeth survived until 1883, living in her later years in the High Street with son George and unmarried daughter Ann. George defined himself as a boat builder on the 1881 census, but it seems the business under the name of Haynes was largely over. Robert Shaw, mentioned above, would take over the site.  Eventually he would build a fancier boathouse by the bridge, the "tithe barn" having been demolished "recently" in November 1877, to make way for a never built hotel that faced strong local opposition. James was to quote one contemporary guide to the Thames, "a grand character" and I'm sure he was sorely missed by the boat men of Marlow. 

*This building was where Tierney Court is now. It was known at that time as the tithe or conventual barn but this was not probably its actual purpose. It's the "curious old building" that James Joseph Sheahan described in his History and Topography of Buckinghamshire. He was correct to describe how it was generally referred to by the locals (as there are a number of sources using this title before he did) but I have a suspicion that he got his information about the Marlow building confused with the tithe barn at Bisham. He described the roof of the Marlow barn as Spanish chestnut, which it was not, but the Bisham one was according to several earlier sources.  Both were also used to house Napoleonic war prisoners. I wonder if Sheahan might not have poached his description of the Marlow barn from the 1860 John Murray Handbook for Travellers in Berks, Bucks, and Oxfordshire. (John Murray, 1860) in which the description "curious old building"  is also used. That book goes on to describe the "monastic barn of Bisham abbey in which French prisoners were kept during the war" and also mentions that the "conventual barn" at Bisham has a roof of Spanish chestnut. So possibly Sheahan confused the two if he helped himself to a little reused information!? 

 Owner of the "barn" at its demolition (autumn 1877) was Owen Williams who seemed confident his hotel plan would go forward. He had apparently got as far as inviting tenders for its erection. However, this was premature and in the end Mr Williams sold the site to "Mr Burt" for the creation of a 50 bed hotel with stabling for 20 horses, a  coffee room and 100ft long covered balcony. The authorities scuppered this plan by making it clear that they would refuse the alcohol licence on the grounds that there were too many others suppliers of liquor in the area. The real reason was probably the objection of existing traders to such competition, in particular that voiced by Charles Miller Foottit of the Compleat Angler who had recently invested in improving his own premises! At this point the barn had descended into a place that tramps and the destitute sort shelter. It was described as dilapidated but also a picturesque feature of the river side and there were clearly many who did not want it to disappear but to no avail. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

More related Posts:

To find all mention of an individual here, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. 

James' daughter Eliza features in a post here

The amateur who built a barge in his back garden, 1860s here

Life for the parish constables of Great Marlow here

Robert Shaw - here

Marlow Fair here

The troubled building of the Suspension Bridge here

1820s recreated trade directory Great Marlow here

Bellows, bricks and brandy - reviving the drowned here

Picnics and Punts- Summer leisure in late Victorian and Edwardian Marlow here

Biography of Charles Miller Foottit of the Compleat Angler here

The Bucks Chair Co here

SOURCES INCLUDE:

1833 Parish Assessment, original copies held by us. 

Census 1841,51,61,71, 81 - transcribed from microfilm by Charlotte and Jane Pullinger. 

Harrods Directory 1847, J G Harrod & Co. 

Slater's Royal and Commercial Directory 1852

Thames Navigation Improvement Commission, (1866) Parliamentary Papers Vol 33, Great Britain Houses of Parliament. 

The Architect, April 17 1869, digitised by Google. 

Reading Mercury, 6 April 1839, 24 April 1858

Oxford Journal 26 April 1828. 

Bucks Herald 2 July 1836

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News 8 Feb 1873

Berkshire Chronicle 4 November 1843

Bucks Chronicle and Bucks Gazette  4 July 1863

Bicester Herald, 6 June 1879.

GRO BMD index

Q/AB/43/515,Letter, Bucks Archives. 

Dickens, Charles - Dictionary of the Thames, 1880 edition. 

Pask, Arthur Thomas - From Lock to Lock, "Judy" 1882. 

Salter, John Henry. River Thames: a guide, 1881. 

© MarlowAncestors. 

Chartist Edmund Stallwood

Edmund Stallwood, son of Maria and William was born at Marlow in 1810. Their boy would grow up to be one of the more well known Chartists in England - something that would perhaps not have surprised them. As a boy he was hired by wealthy local landlord Sir William Clayton to assist on a game shoot at Harleyford. Clayton did not expect to pay the child more than a pittance to which Edmund had the temerity to object, naming a higher price which he thought fairer. Clayton said he could get a boy from the Workhouse easily enough if Edmund didn't want to do the job at a low price. Edmund retorted that Clayton probably could as his father like other taxpayers were made to pay to maintain those children so that such low wages could be paid to them by men like Sir William. He wasn't invited back to help with any more shoots! 

Although his father William Stallwood is often listed simply as a "labourer" he also kept the Three Loggerheads beerhouse in Quoiting Square (later The Queen). This was very small premises then. Most landlords of similar premises needed to have additional jobs to survive. On a day to day basis it was thus usually their wives that ran the beer selling business. Though it was small in size William occupied sufficient property to be entitled to vote in elections. He voted for independent candidates rather than the conservative powers that be locally. So there is some sense of rebelliousness in Edmund's father but Edmund's mother Maria was also credited with the formation of her son's Chartist beliefs.

In 1830 Edmund married Mary Blackshaw. The couple settled in Hammersmith then Fulham in London before moving eventually to the Gillingham suburb of New Brompton, in Kent. 

In 1836 as a newsagent and bookseller in Hammersmith, Edmund advertised that he would be ignoring the requirement to add tax stamps to the low cost working people's newspapers which he sold. This was illegal and saw Edmund fined. Upon refusing to pay Edmund was sent to the House of Correction for a spell instead. Obviously he was not deterred by a prison sentence. In 1842 he was one of the delegates at the Chartists' Convention in London.

Though he no longer lived in Marlow Edmund never lost touch with his hometown. To him townspeople sent financial contributions to the Chartist cause, and in 1841 Edmund returned to give a speech at the Baptist meeting rooms in Dean Street. Not this time on the subject of Chartism but of  Temperance, a cause to which he was nearly as devoted as to Chartism. Edmund travelled up and down the country speaking up for both causes as well as campaigning for the abolition of the death penalty and the abolition of the custom of primogeniture.

On Chartism Edmund spoke to audiences of both working men and working women. He appeared in public halls, working men's clubs, temperance hotels, pubs and if nowhere else was available out in the open or under a tree.

Edmund wanted to establish Chartist newspapers in every corner of Britain. He himself became a journalist for the radical Northern Star newspaper. Though this was Northern based it had correspondents from other areas.

The paper took his side when he was accused of pocketing the takings from a fundraising ball, concert and raffle held by the Chelsea, Brompton and Kensington branch of Chartist supporters. When tracked down and challenged on this point Edmund was said to have submitted false accounts exaggerating the costs of expenses paid like the musicians wages to cover his theft. The local members of the society found him guilty after investigation and were angered when the Northern Star failed at first to make any report of it and then as only did so in a grudging way. This was not the only time Edmund faced suspicion as to his financial probity. The National Cooperative Benefit Society in 1849 appealed for members to stop sending money to him whilst his management of the Society was investigated. I am unsure as to the outcome as to that. While some distrust of Edmund clearly lingered he had no difficulty in obtaining further positions of trust in Chartist linked groups. The sheer busyness of his life may have been in part to blame for any poor quality accounting rather than dishonesty.

Mary died at New Brompton in 1861.

Edmund died in 1866. He was politically active to his death and was also a churchwarden and one of the singing teachers of the Gillingham church choir.

Written and researched by Charlotte Day.

Related Posts:

Swing riots in Marlow here

More on the Six Bells here

1847 election riots here

James Croxon here

More biographies of individuals on the blog are listed here

General posts about everyday life in old Great Marlow and Little Marlow here

Don't forget to check out the Person Index in the top drop down menu for every mention of someone on this blog.

1833 Parochial Assessment Great Marlow Quoiting Square / Oxford Terrace

 The original assessment working notebooks with related correspondence from 1833 (to be used for the 1834 parish rates readjustment) have been preserved by my family. There are handwritten corrections to circa 1839. The notebooks are fragile however so I am gradually transcribing it on this blog so it is not lost. I am transcribing the parts in the order that chimes in with other research I am doing.

Layout I have used is:

Name

Property

Assessed Annual Worth

Any notes by me in square brackets

By Charlotte Day.

Quoiting Place [Quoiting Square] and Oxford Terrace [in Oxford Road. Note the assessors went out of property order in parts of this section. They did not say which properties were in Oxford Terrace and which in Quoiting Place, though in many cases I do nevertheless know where the properties mentioned were located].

Widow Dolby

House and yard

£8

*****

Robert Wakelin [a bricklayer. Wife Hannah]

House and yard

£8

*****

David Jones

House and yard

£8

*****

George Reading

House, yard and sheds

£9

*****

John Boulter

Crown and Anchor house [pub] and garden [This was Oxford Terrace, in Oxford Road]

£8

*****

David Evans [a chimney sweep who employed at least 2 men by 1842. May also have worked c.1848-53 as a "fire defender". Biography of his wife here] 

House and garden

£5

*****

Levi White [Later landlord of the Three Tuns]

House and garden

£5

*****

John Beaver

Cottage and garden

£3

*****

John Suthery

Cottage and garden

£4

*****

William Bryant

The Lodge house and garden [Oxford Road]

£6

*****

Thomas Piggott 

House and gardens near the Lodge [Oxford Road]

£8

*****

Sir William Robert Clayton M.P [At The Cottage, later Quoitings House, not to be confused with Oxford Cottage]

Dwelling house with conservatory, stables, coach houses, coach yard, shrubbery, walks, kitchen garden, green house, lawn and other convenient offices [off Oxford Road]

£70

"A small cottage at The Cottage" [usually gardeners lodge]

£2

*****

John Lloyd Locke Clayton

Dwelling house, yard, stable, coach house, offices and garden

£30 [Oxford House?]

*****

William East

Six almshouses in the occupation of poor widows "if rateable" [Oxford Road, William presumably a trustee or guardian of these charity properties] each:

£3

*****

John Flint

House, yard, stables, coach house and large walled garden [probably at end of Hayes Place, which opened onto the side of Quoiting Square]

£15

Wood house and garden adjoining

£2

****

Robert Looseley

Cottage and garden

£5

*****

John Cox

Shop and garden 

£5

House in front, woodhouse, gardens and yard

£6 10 shillings

****

John Tanner Hitchcock [in 1832 acquitted on a charge of stealing an umbrella from a fellow drinker at the Red Lion in nearby West Street. He had simply picked up the wrong umbrella. His wife was Ann nee Badger of Bisham who died in 1847. John was of Colnbrook at the time of their 1805 marriage. A corn dealer. In same property, which he rented, in 1840]

House yard and garden

£5 

*****

Joseph Martin

House and garden

£5

*****

William Gunnell [Quoiting Place]

House yard and garden

£5

*****

James White jnr

Cottage and garden

£4

*****

Joseph Cox [wheelright, likely working for Thomas Cox below]

Cottage and garden

£3

*****

William Bavin [Quoiting Place, a chairmaker there since at least 1830. Later a beer retailer who moved to St Peter's Street to run the Two Brewers by 1837 and was later at the first incarnation of the Carpenter's Arms. For more see here] .

House, shop and shed

£6 10 shillings

*****

Michael Field [Marlow doctor and horse racing enthusiast. He died 1834]

House etc

£4

*****

Gilman [a blacksmith, no first name]

House, shop, Shoeing house, yard etc

£10

*****

William Ward [Quoiting Place]

Six Bells Beer House, yard and garden

£9 ( Read his will here) List of proprietors of the Six Bells is available here

*****

Robert Ward [Quoiting Place]

House and garden

£6

*****

William Creswell [Quoiting Place, he was a shoemaker, who had previously ran the Six Bells]

House and garden

£5 10 shillings

*****

Thomas Cox [Quoiting Place, a wheelwright. Had workshop premises behind this that don't seem to be mentioned here!]

Cottage and garden

£4 10 shillings

*****

Joseph Horne

House and yard

£8

*****

Robert Clark (probably a builder).

House and garden 

£6

*****

Richard Way [came to Marlow in the early 1800s from Ockley. Wife Rebecca. He died 1836, Rebecca in 1821. Richard was a farmer in the 1820s. I am unsure if he was still farming in the 1830s. Their son Richard was a carpenter in West Street (later High Street), while another son was a poulterer in the High Street - see here - and another a publican. For the latter see here].

House and yard

£5 10 shillings

*****

William Stallwood [died 1837].

The Three Logerheads [Quoiting Place. Three Loggerheads pub, later the Queen], house and yard

£7

List of occupiers of the Loggerheads/Queen - see here

This assessment continued in a second post here

1700s Quoiting Square residents here.

1700s Oxford Road residents here

1700s West Street residents here

To find all mentions of an individual or family here, use the A-Z Person Index on the top drop down menu. 

To find other streets/areas in the assessment, search for them in the Specific shops, streets etc index here. 

 For posts about everyday life in Marlow for the people mentioned here see the post index here

That Furious Mob - 1847 Great Marlow Riots

there The destruction caused by the 1880 election rioters in Marlow is well known, not least because some excellent photos have survived of the damage to property. (See this post here for more) But Marlow has a history of election related violence going back a lot longer. This post focuses on one of the most lively contests, which was the 1847 General Election. We are not going to detail the political arguements, instead we are going to describe the effect on the everyday life of our Marlow ancestors. 

The Background 

Two candidates represented the Conservatives - Colonel Thomas Peers Williams of Temple House, and Colonel Brownlow Knox. The third was the Liberal or Whig candidate, Sir William Robert Clayton of Harleyford. A few years before they had been involved in a lengthy battle relating to the ownership of the brick kiln at Marlow Common. The Clayton family had sold the Marlow manor lands to Williams ancestors but there were later disputes about what exactly had been included in the sale. Clayton said the kiln was not included, the Williams that it most certainly was. It's fair to say no love was lost between the two and they were very frequently at each others throats in a legal sense. They were both substantial land owners with many tenants in Marlow. Both Williams and Clayton had sat in parliament for Marlow before. And yes, both had been accused of pressurising their tenants to vote for them, or of bribing voters. Clayton had his victory in the 1841 election overturned when some of the votes for him were thrown out for being invalid. He had had a majority of just one. Williams had evicted tenants for failing to vote for him  before and he was accused of regarding the borough as his own. 

The "Blues" or blue and whites were the liberals and the Conservative colours were the red or red and white although they were popularly known as the Coppers here. 

Marlow was already well known for troubled elections therefore. In March 1847, the Windsor and Eton Express voiced the hope that at last "party feeling" had subsided in Marlow and there was an "improved tone and better feeling now prevailing".  The previous bad atmosphere in town interfered with the friendly society they said. This hope was to prove very wrong. In the same month, William Robert Clayton declared that he would be a candidate in the coming election, and Williams had already indicated he would run. As Marlow returned two members at this time, it was hoped that there would be effectively no contest. But a little later, a second Conservative candidate was declared - Colonel Brownlow Knox. His wife was of the Williams family. 

Polling Day Panic

The polling was held in the summer.  Voting then was not by secret ballot. It was very public. A wooden stage was erected in front of the Town Hall, large enough to accommodate 100 persons. On these hustings were the candidates and some of their prominent supporters. Some of their less prominent but vocal supporters also found their way up at times, and lined the two sets of  steps leading upwards. Onto this stage, voters would go and vote. Before they could do this, they had to give some personal details to the returning officer such as by what right they were a voter (only those men leasing, owning or occupying a property of a certain value were entitled to vote) and their occupation. They were also required to answer out loud who they wished their two votes to go to. The supporters of the side you picked would let up a cheer so even those not close to the clerk recording the votes would know who you voted for. It was described as an intimidating experience to vote the "wrong" way according to the crowd gathered around the stage. Many men were jostled and had their hats knocked off or were on the recieving end of mocking chants but there was as yet no serious outbreak of violence. The polling started at 8am and continued until 4pm with periodic updates given to the crowd below. 

Before the voting started, the atmosphere was already tense. Most of the pubs and beer houses in town were associated with one side or another and did a roaring trade. It was said that the pubs of each side hung banners from their upper windows to indicate their support for either the Blues or Coppers.  The candidates grand arrival at the hustings had seen some scuffles. Williams and Knox were met by their supporters at Marlow Bridge. According to the (extremely) pro Conservative Berkshire Chronicle, their carriages were stopped by an adoring crowd of working class people who unhitched the horses and insisted on pulling the carriages themselves up the High Street. The same source says Clayton arrived shortly after and was amazed at the support given to his rival by the more humble citizens who were said to generally support the Clayton cause. This information has to be taken with some salt as the paper really was very partisan! All agree that a band had lead the Williams procession.  After the riot their instruments were left in pieces. 

 The Well Enders On The Rise

Williams and Knox took the two seats for Marlow. When this was announced, even the pro Conservative papers admitted that there was a loud groan from the crowd. What happened next is something I've had to pick out from many different accounts, trying to balance the differing versions of the opposing supporters. What is undoubted is there was an outbreak of fury, from a largely working class crowd, who were vocally supportive of the defeated Clayton. They were not it seems especially surprised by yet another Williams victory but did not like Knox taking the second seat. The Conservative supporters claimed that the Clayton's had in their pay a set of "blood thirsty ruffians" during the week before the election.  What's more they said the Claytons had "placed in their hands" cudgels and staves with which to cause trouble if the vote did not go Clayton's way. Clayton could not have expected to have any result overturned just because some armed men caused trouble in the town, however unpleasant that may be for those around. It would hardly help their cause with the more respectable householders for Clayton to be associated with riots. But another writer, William Mitchell, recalling his time as a polling clerk at this election, gives a similar story and another potential motive for the rioters. He said that a core group of Well End [what we know as Dean Street, not Well End, Little Marlow] residents lead by the three brothers East, had feared a Clayton loss. They had apparently sent to London for some staffs and policeman's batons.  He says the Easts and their friends gathered at an appointed meeting place at 6am on election day - the one mile stone, presumably the one near Seymour Court. They had organised for a Clayton supporter on the stage to keep them informed of the running total of votes and if near the end of polling, Clayton was behind, they were going to protest in the town, assuming Williams had used undue influence to succeed. In particular they were going to rush the stage and destroy the polling books and with them all records of the voting. This would cause the polling to be conducted again, presumably with less opportunity for bribery beforehand. However the apparent Clayton supporter on stage was not reliable. William Mitchell does not name him but did say this man was stood close by and he continually heard him shouting out "We are all right" to the Clayton supporters. He continued this until the poll stopped, but as this was not the correct result the men were even angrier when the truth of the victory was known. What this unnamed supporters motives can have been is hard to say, if indeed he was a Clayton supporter at all. The updates given earlier in the day had not generally shown Clayton to be loosing and the result often came down to a handful of votes. But the Conservatives had a late afternoon surge. 

  William Mitchell may have had time to personally attend the 6am Well End meeting before his official duties started but it seems unlikely it would have continued in his presence. He does not give the source of his account of events there so it may  have come from a partisan source. (However he seems generally fair, in that he reports unfavourable behaviour from both sides.) He says that about 31 men came forward as their names were read from a list and they were then given a half crown and either a baton or staff from a stack. The Well End residents were generally quite poor and if this is true, someone else must indeed have subsidised the violence. It is certainly true that tumult was feared much earlier in the day, as several businesses pulled shutters while voting was ongoing and did what they could to protect their windows. And in the afternoon, most of the Copper supporting beer houses are said to have closed. It was said those carrying the batons and staffs of the Well End gang could get free drinks at the Clayton supporting pubs all day on showing them. 

To be seen emerging from the headquarters of a particular group on the way to vote was also problematic. The supporters of Brownlow Knox, which had used the premises of lawyer William Ward in the High Street up to polling Day, switched base that morning. They used the house of Ward's clerk Mr Seagrave instead. This was supposedly placed so those inside could take advantage of a back entrance through a garden to get near the poll without attracting much attention. 

A Chairing Is Attempted 

Reports agree the tumult started as soon as the result was announced by Returning Officer Mr Stallwood outside the town hall.  No mention is made in the newspaper reports of an to attempt to rush the stage or steal the polling books which is not to say that was not the original intention, just perhaps it was considered now too late. The focus of their work was Brownlow Knox, and in particular the tradition of "chairing" him. This meant the carrying of the successful candidates through the town carried aloft in a (usually specially constructed) chair. The rioters, generally reported to be in varying states of drunkenness, thought that the chair for Knox was housed in the Market Square property of Rolls the auctioneer and wine merchant. They broke in and - according to the Knox supporters- threatened to murder everyone within if the chair was not produced. It does not seem to have been there, as the crowd went on to a second property which they attempted to search but found was already barred against them. Mitchell thought could not remember exactly what had happened to the chair but thought it had been at the Rolls after all and was thrown into the street through the windows and demolished.  Wisely, it was decided Knox would not be chaired on this occasion. It doesn't seem Williams was either. 

The Fleeing Constables

"Respectable citizens" who had turned out to hear the election result risked being "knocked down like beasts" (Berkshire Chronicle) if they were not considered to support Clayton. A number apparently sort shelter in whichever house would let them in. The two Misses Cocks, of Thames Bank, hid in Mrs (Eliza) Brighton's bakers shop in the High Street when confronted by the mob. The Conservative banners were reduced to ribbons and stones broke windows and thudded against shutters. A number of people were hurt and one man seriously. (Some reports gave his name as Mr Nugent, presumably one of the Nugent's of Westhorpe. He was pulled into the safety of the Rolls house, although the crowd followed initially.) William Mitchell the poll clerk, watching from the hustings, personally saw many men knocked down by a blow to the head with a staff, farmer John Gibbons among them. (Of Seymour Court farm, Blounts and Copy farms)

 The 26 Special constables were accused of fleeing as soon as they saw what was afoot and so parish Constable Thomas Walker was bravely left virtually single handed to deal with the situation. He was of course completely outnumbered. This probably explains a lack of prosecutions arising from the destruction. In the end, the magistrates, fearing that the "peace and property of the inhabitants in a serious state of jeopardy" were apparently able to appeal to the more respectable amongst the unhappy crowd to encourage all to disperse. All agree this happened quite quickly. 

Clerk William Mitchell was not hurt on the day but did experience a volley of stones and sticks thrown at his head as he was driving back from Maidenhead a little later! He escaped injury then too, thanks to a fast pony. 

Poor Henry Hyatt

Henry Hyatt (Hiatt) was the longstanding proprietor of the Greyhound Inn in Spittal Street. His landlord was a Wethered and it was therefore assumed he would vote Conservative in the election. William Mitchell recalls that Hyatt had "against all the efforts and threats of his landlord" publicly declared his intention of voting Liberal. What's more he was steadfast in this resolution. William Mitchell's eye witness account here is sad to read. He noticed that as Henry declared his vote for Clayton, his lips quivered. William heard a voice which he believed to be Wethereds, say "Hyatt, you are ruined man". Hyatt replied "I have voted conscientiously".  Henry must have known life was going to become very difficult indeed for him. Mitchell recalled that the inn keeper was given notice to quit, but refused to leave, and so Henry found various legal attempts was made to eject him. These failed. 

Mitchell personally witnessed the vindictiveness poor Henry was subject to. If they could not force him out, they would make it as difficult as possible for him to do business. His landlord had the windows removed, then the doors, floorboards and roofing materials. But Henry stuck on and William Mitchell saw him sitting in the roofless building at night, with a few loyal Blue customers perched on casks around him. The situation was not sustainable though, and in 1848, Henry left the Greyhound. Mitchell's says he had heard that Clayton had given him £150 so he could start again somewhere else. Let's hope that is true. 

The End? Not Quite

Sir William Robert Clayton thought he had been robbed of his seat. In October 1847, the unfortunate Henry Hyatt  invited Clayton to a dinner in his honour at the Greyhound. Among those present were long-standing liberal supporters who praised Clayton for his efforts. The Windsor and Eton Express described the company as some gentleman of the neighborhood and "a highly respectable assemblage of influential yeoman." Clayton was described as moved almost to tears and replied in fulsome terms. Samuel Barnes (parish clerk of St Peters Street), Ralph Spicer (the lawyer) George Cannon (bookseller and chemist), John Morris, Mr Morgan, Samuel Horrod, William Tyler, Mr Blackwell and Charles Susan are some of the people familiar to readers of this blog who were present. Some of these contributed some songs to liven up proceedings! A bench put together a bit hastily perhaps by a local carpenter collapsed during the proceedings, depositing several gentleman onto the floor, to much laughter.  Interestingly, a Wethered, no first name given, was also there and gave a speech in support of the Claytons. As his family were strongly associated with the Conservative cause, this was a probably awkward attendance! Interestingly, the large feast was said to have been prepared partly at the Crown, which was a Williams owned property. The Franklyns of the Crown had put their kitchen at Henry's disposal. A somewhat brave decision given Henry's treatment. 

 

Aftermath

In December, a petition was presented to Parliament to investigate the return of Brownlow Knox. This was partially because a number of people had promised to vote for Williams with one of their votes but not Knox with the other. (About 31 voters in all) These individuals had apparently decided at the last to in fact cast their ballot for both of the Conservatives. The suspicion was that the supporters of Knox had offered bribes to these voters. The petition itself went further and accused Knox himself of directly offering money for votes while out canvassing. The Berkshire Chronicle naturally rubbished this suggestion and thought it amusing that a gentleman such as Knox would be seen asking for votes after dark, knocking at shutters like a"timid lover." They mention a supposed £20 payment to a Well End resident (Dean Street)who after accepting the money had gone to Harleyford to report the action of Knox to Clayton. At the investigation into these events, it does not seem that Clayton's supporters were very well prepared with their evidence. They had failed to provide a list of suspected bribed voters when the committee first sat. Later they did bring forth witnesses from Well End/Dean Street who admitted taking money to vote for the Conservatives. Beer house keeper  Thomas Frith was the principle one. (He was of the Nags Head, Dean Street) He said that in coming across Mr Wethered on the road a little before the election, he had asked Mr Wethered out right for money. He said Wethered had said that if he promised to vote for both Williams and Knox, he could go to the counting house of the Brewery and claim his reward, which he had duly done. However Frith was discounted as a witness after he admitted on cross examination that he had spent time in both Oxford and Aylesbury gaols (for taking wood from private property, not taking bribes but it was enough to create an impression of dishonesty) He had also spent some time living at Sir William Clayton's estate in Goldstone and had received an allowance from him. Farmer John Miller also testified that an elector who had promised to vote for Clayton had not done so on the day, and when quizzed had admitted selling his vote to the other side. John was listed as of Little Marlow at the investigating committee but I believe he was at Marlow Bottom Farm. More on him here.

However what they could not find was an acceptable witness who would say he had received money from Knox himself, as stated in the petition. The Committee admitted that Knox had aroused suspicion by his habit of canvassing inhabitants in the evening - it was assumed he must have ulterior motives to be visiting under the cover of nightfall. His supporters did admit this had proved unpopular with many voters who had dismissed him with some forceful language! 

For a post on a voter said to have been bribed by Clayton in 1842 see here!

Researched and written by Kathryn Day. 

Related Posts:

To find other posts about general history of Marlow and life here for our ancestors, see our index here

1880 Election riots here

Swing riots 1830 here

Women's riots 1800 here

Posts related to some of the people mentioned above include:

Charles Susan, Radical and Emigrant here

George Cannon - Consumption cures and ball tickets here and here

Henry Hyatt - Greyhound Inn/hotel timeline and landlord listing here

Ralph Spicer - here

To find all mention of an individual here, use the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. There's over 3250 people listed there, and new posts are added daily. 

©Marlow Ancestors 

Sources Include:

Dod, Charles Roger Electoral Facts from 1832-1852 (1852)

Great Britain Houses of Parliament, Accounts and Papers Vol 11, 1880.

Martin, Frederick. Handbook of Contemporary Biography (Macmillan 1870)

Walford, Edward - The County Families Of The United Kingdom (Robert Hardwicke, 1871)

Bucks Gazette 13 March 1847  

Berkshire Chronicle 7 August, 25 December 1847 

Bucks Herald  4 December 1847

Dublin Evening Mail - 03 December 1847

Bedford Mercury -  7 August 1847. 

Windsor and Eton Express 6 August, 2 Oct 1847, 19 Feb 1848. 

Memories of the Past, volume LIV , 10 August 1897, digitised by Christchurch City Libraries. 

Landlord research for licenced premises by Kathryn Day.

 

Becking Farm / Beacon Farm Marlow Occupiers

Becking Farm later known as Beacon Farm, Great Marlow was near to Booker. The farm was 120 acres in extent in 1709 and 109 acred in 1861. Note this farm is often owned and sold in tandem with Seymour Court, Seymour Court Farm and Tippocks/Triphooks. 

Historic occupiers (who are not usually also the owners):

1709- farm existed. Unknown occupier but Etheridge family look to have owned it. (Etheredge)

1789 - freehold owner or possibly leaseholder (conflicting primary sources) John Johnson Esq of Seymour Court. John died 1821.  

1791-1811 Benjamin Stallwood. Left the farm and moved to Old House Farm, Handy Cross as all the protected game in Sir William Clayton's private game preserve next to Becking Farm kept escaping onto Benjamin's farm and destroying his crops. The damage done was to the tune of £80. Benjamin faced ruin but was mocked by Clayton when he appealed for compensation. His sympathetic landlord John Johnson of Seymour Court Marlow tried to help by advertising for people who knew what they were doing to shoot the straying game and then, when that was insufficient, offering him the rental of Old House Farm instead. Benjamin remained at Old House until 1831. In the years after the game fiasco Benjamin wrote several times to the press to describe the pain he felt at what had happened. His case was also widely used to illustrate the injustice of the Game Laws that allowed rich peoples "sporting" interests to override the basic needs and wellbeing of other country people.  

1814- James (?) Johnson owner as above seems to have been farming it himself.

1822-1830 George Lunn. Wife Mary who died 1822. He died 1830. He also by then farmed at nearby Seymour Court Farm where he actually lived. In his will he left all his farm stock to his nephews Edward and William Poulton. Grew oats, barley and wheat and kept cattle at Becking.

1833- 1838. Richard Lovegrove was the farmer though he lived in Bray, Berkshire. In his 1838 will he left his farm stock on Becking and his leases of both there and Widmere Farm Marlow to his nephew John Lovegrove who was already farming Widmere. Richard was only able to make a mark, not sign his will.

1840 - farm freehold up for sale, by executors of George Rogers Esq. 103 acres and a farmhouse. Note there were two men called George Rogers in Marlow at the same time.

1838-1843 John Lovegrove as above. (Yearly tenant) Also farmed Widmere Farm, where he lived. By 1847 had given up farming and was running the King's Head, High Wycombe. He faced bankruptcy then. 

1848- 1858 James Taylor. Wife Harriet. Raising turkeys was a big part of their trade. Seventeen birds were stolen from the farm in 1857. Also farmed at Prestwood Common. Previously of Little Missenden - he initially remained living there when he took over Beckings. He had been ejected from his last farm after a dispute with his landlord. At that time he'd suffered insolvency but managed to dissolve his debts of £664 in 1851. 

1861- 1865 Stephen Stevenson. Moved from Iver Bucks after January 1859. In 1865 worker on the farm was jailed for 6 weeks with hard labour for stealing a fowl from his employer.

1881-1901. Whoever is farming there does not live in. Carter James North however does live on site on the farm throughout this period. His wife Sarah died there in 1892. In 1889 Beacon and Moor Farms are offered  at auction as a sporting estate in one lot of altogether just over 660 acres. They are described as currently let to a tenant bar 220 odd acres of woodland in hand.  

1928- H Daniel.

Our blog focuses on people in Marlow up to the 1920s so I will leave it there.

Dates next to a person are when I have firm historic evidence of that person farming there. They may have been there earlier or later too. This is ongoing research and I hope that I will be able to fill in any gaps eventually.

Farm occupancies are determined by me from the study of wills I have transcribed, property records, adverts, agricultural journals, censuses, court cases etc.

For other farm related posts see the Specific Shops, Streets Etc option here for Marlow farms or for farms at Little Marlow or other places see the Nearby Places option. Use the Person Index option on the menu to see all mentions of any individual on the blog.  Thousands of people are mentioned.

©Marlow Ancestors. If using this research credit this blog. You are very welcome to do so.

The Sad Death Of Mary Ann Wigginton

 Mary Ann Wigginton has featured on our blog before, as a footnote to a story about suspected fraudulent voting in the 1831 election and relating to a fraud case involving her father James Lee. (See the post here for the full story)

But today we are going to pierce together the events of Mary Ann's sad death in 1865 as it's caused a minor sensation in the town. And it also tells us something about how ordinary people managed chronic sickness before the days of the National Health Service. 

Mary Ann seems to have suffered ill health for several years, in particular in the two before her untimely death aged 52. She was still running her father's former shop in Dean Street, as she had done for more than 30 years. She lived on the premises, with her husband William, a bargeman and timber dealer. It was not possible for Mary Ann to take extended time away from her work. The couple had suffered financial ups and downs and presumably could not manage on William's income alone. Mary Ann believed she was suffering from a liver complaint and had periodically sought treatment for it from one doctor or another. The doctors agreed with the idea of a diseased liver, which also explained her "dropsy" or swollen legs. Mary Ann did not take regular medication for her trouble, despite the fact she was gradually becoming weaker and weaker. Perhaps she could not afford another regular expense or perhaps she was in denial about the fragility of her health. 

The sad truth is, Mary Ann was described as virtually skeletal at the time of her death. Her condition had deteriorated but for several months she did not see a doctor despite this. Nor does it seem did she try to self medicate with any of the very many patent medicines available within Marlow chemists and booksellers (yes booksellers) at the time. Liver pills were very popular based on the number of them promoted within Marlow.  Whether any of them could actually have helped Mary is hard to tell, as the unfortunate woman had other as yet unseen health problems. 

One week in December 1865, Mary found her legs were swollen more than usual. She felt unwell and asked her husband to send for a doctor who had assisted her successfully before, Dr Oliver (he may be from either Henley or Marlow, reports differ. I will try and trace him in the future). Dr Oliver was due to attend another case so could not attend Mary until later in the morning. He seemed to have been most concerned with the fact she had been constipated for 3 days and prescribed medication for that as well as her liver. She was also told to eat some nourishing food. When Dr Oliver arrived, Mary Ann had been taking tea with her son, and Dr Oliver asked the son to leave so he could ask some more delicate questions about Mary's health. He does not seem to have actually examined her though. Victorian doctors were keen to behave in a proper manner to ladies even if this was not unfortunately conducive to helping them. But when Dr Oliver later did attempt some sort of exam on the seriously ill but still fully dressed Mary, her husband objected to his manner of putting his hands "down her bosom and pressing her" . William suspected him of drunkenness however at this point, so perhaps Dr Oliver did need to improve his bedside technique! 

Oliver prescribed some medicine, which he would also supply and make up himself. A draught to be drunk and two pills. Mary Ann's daughter Emma Wigginton would collect this from him later. The doctor advised Mary to take the first dose promptly but this did not happen immediately. For Mary Ann went to work in the shop and was seen there by her husband on his return home. He then left again to keep an appointment. William's name was above the door, but the work was Mary's, as it had been when she managed the grocers shop for her father. 

Mary took her first dose of medicine sometime later, and immediately felt worse. Within 15 minutes, she felt icy cold all over, sick to her stomach and her throat was burning. She was put to bed, and her sister Hannah Croxon came to attend her. Hannah believed on seeing poor Mary that the ill woman was dying. Dr Oliver was called back, but again there was some delay with him getting the message. It was not possible to quickly alert William to his wife's decline as he was out of town. When he returned, he found Dr Oliver present, and William was not at all happy with what he saw. He noticed that the doctor staggered as he crossed the room and had a strong smell of alcohol on his breath. He told the doctor he did not consider him in a fit state to care for his sick wife and insisted on calling another medical man, Marlow surgeon Mr George Robson. Surgeons were more expensive than doctors and were more often the first port of call if an accident occurred for example. 

When Robson arrived at the door, it was opened by the anxious daughter Emma who said Dr Oliver was under the influence of alcohol. Robson said at the inquest that he thought this accusation to be absolutely true. Once he had arrived, William Wigginton ordered Oliver out of the house. But Robson asked him to wait a while as he was coming late to what looked a hopeless case. But William insisted Oliver leave as soon as he had debriefed Robson. William had found Mary Ann unconscious on his return from work and sadly she never regained consciousness. She passed away late that evening, aged 52. 

William could not help but connect the sudden end in his eyes of his wife with the medicine she had taken. He believed that the doctor had hastened her end by prescribing it to her. This was clearly a serious charge. He wrote a note to the police at Marlow and also mentioned the drunkenness of Oliver. The police contacted the coroner who would host a coroner's inquest at the Greyhound Inn. He ordered a post mortem for Mary, and the bottle containing the medicine she drank was held as evidence. The post mortem was conducted by a doctor from Slough. 

It was discovered that Mary had severe heart disease and old lesions on her lungs. The post mortem doctor said it was a miracle poor Mary had survived so long, and sudden death was not unexpected. The timing of the medicine dose was coincidence. He said the medicine given was appropriate for the condition she had presented with and analysis of the remains showed it to have been properly made up. So the doctor was exonerated for immediate blame for Mary's death by the coroner's jury. This comprised of 18 men -  led by Henry Stallwood. Oliver denied drunkenness strongly but his reputation must have suffered from several witnesses evidence to the contrary. It seems it was concluded that by the time the tipsy Oliver had arrived, Mary was beyond help and that he had been sober at the crucial earlier visit when he had diagnosed her medical needs, albeit not fully. 

OTHER INFO

In 1839 two men broke the window and forced entry through the shutters of Mary's shop. She heard a noise and cane downstairs and confronted the burglars. She said she recognised them as fellow Dean Street residents and warned then of that fact.  They had already made a mess of the shop and taken some tobacco. They did leave the premises and thankfully without hurting Mary. One of the pair, Richard Clarke /Clerk was subsequently transported for this theft. 

 To find other medical related posts see the post index here

To find every mention of an individual or family here, see the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. 

© MarlowAncestors. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Sources include:

South Bucks Free Press 22 & 23 December 1865, Reading Mercury 23 December 1865. Windsor and Eton Express 23 December 1865. 

Census 1851,1861, Jane Pullinger from microfilm. 

Harvey's Medical and Chemical Cyclopaedia ( F Harvey, c1860)

Croxon family research by Kathryn. 

© MarlowAncestors. 

   

Monkton Farm Little Marlow

Description 1860= 240 acres 1875= mixed farm including fruit orchards. One reference I found of the farm, in the 1600s, called it "Monken" Farm. The farm house is in part very old. The farm is thought to represent the site of the medieval Monkton Manor.

Historic Occupiers:

Note that these are rarely the same as the owners of a property in the past.

1561 - John Borlace / Borlase  (even Burlas)

1698 - "Moncken farm" Thomas Harding. 

1781 - John Simons who had come from Great Missenden.

1784- William Curtis. Came from Oxfordshire to farm here.

1846 - William Simmonds senior, assisted by Aaron/Aron Simmonds. Charles Frith sentenced to 7 years transportation for stealing a sheep from the farm, his second such offence. A full biography of Charles will follow soon. 

1851 - William Simmonds. Born circa 1785. Wife Mary. 

1860- Mary Simmonds. Widow of William above.

1861 - Young farmer William Simmonds age 28 on census. Child of William and Mary above. His cousin Aaron Simmonds had Wymers Farm. For more on Aaron and Wymers see here.

1875 - Sale of stock and machinery (including animals and crops of wheat, barley, vetches, oats and peas over 130 acres) following death of tenant Mr Rickett.

1880 - 1882 John Pennington. Insolvent 1882.

1883 - 1887 William Collins. Summoned twice for not paying his poor rates.

1899 - 1901 William Stallwood born circa 1867. As was traditional on farms his wife Ella kept and managed the poultry side of the business.

1920 - John Seymour

1929 J Seymour

1939 - E J Miller. Escart Miller? Mixed farm . He was assisted by his sister's Minnie and Gladys once war broke out if not before. Also at this point if not before the farm had a worker's cottage as well as the farm house.

For more farm occupier posts for Little Marlow and Great Marlow see the Specific Shops, Streets Etc option on the menu. You will also see an A-Z Person Index option on the menu to help you find every mention of a person on this blog. For more Little Marlow content in general see here

Researched and compiled by Charlotte Day.

Farm occupancies calculated from wills, adverts, trade journals, censuses, property records, court cases etc.  I hope to fill in the gaps in dates as I wade through my Everest sized mountain of research notes. 

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

Crime And Disorder In Old Marlow

This is a post about crime and apprehending wrongdoers in the late 18th century and the first half of the 19th in Marlow. 

Before there was an organised police force in Bucks, Marlow relied on it's parish constables, tithing men, night watchmen and the parish beadle to keep law and order.  For more on the role of the Beadle and a bit about George Pocock who held this position for some time, see a dedicated post here

Parish Constables were unpaid and selected from local householders in theory. You couldn't refuse the role as such, but you could pay someone else to do the job for you. If you didn't put sufficient effort into the role, you could find yourself in court yourself. The standard of policing therefore varied year on year. Some parish constables were summoned in their own right, usually for failing to execute an arrest, or delaying it at least. 

In Marlow, the same people often appear to hold this role for several years, probably because they were known to be willing to take on the job. They were effectively therefore paid by whoever was supposed to take on the role for that term, and they could also claim back certain expenses and get a payment for apprehending some offenders. (See Note 1) Marlow seems lucky to have gained these semi professional constables, because a number of them were known to travel far and wide in the pursuit of offenders in the 1820's - 40's. Constable John Boulter in the mid 1820's stands out as one of these. Some of those working with Boulter were regarded as much less satisfactory, and in the end an additional Special Constable William Sawyer was brought back out of retirement to bring something of a local crime wave under control in the later 1820s. It seems they were partially successful at least, with a number of members of a robbery gang based in Marlow sent to the Assizes after Boulter and Sawyer tracked gang leader George Edmonds to a pub in Flackwell Heath, a village with a very rough reputation, and arrested him. George's brother was hung for horse stealing. See a post here.

But before these dedicated men came along, and in the gaps between them, the constables were said to be extremely wary of apprehending offenders such as poachers given the fact they were frequently outnumbered and arrests could lead to bloodshed. Even in 1840, an attempt to arrest Well End (modern day Dean Street, not Well End, Little Marlow) poacher William Perry involved a 100 strong crowd calling for the law mans blood, an attack by a dog and eventually the knocking out and disarming of the outmanoeuvred Parish Constable. A full account of this tumultuous day can be read here. This is an extreme example, but it is no surprise that unpaid men were not going to necessarily go looking for troublemakers if they could avoid it in a not too overt way. In the interests of balance I must add we have also found examples of parish constables here acting in a violent manner with little provocation, and more on this will follow. 

From 1842, paid constables could be directly employed by the parish. I'm not sure when Marlow got their first constable of this type but it would appear the regular constables in this period were some of the men performing the role prior to 1842. In the same year, the magistrates became the ones responsible for appointing the paid constables as opposed to the parish vestry or manor. But Marlow does not seem to like this change for in 1842 after the magistrates appointed their choice of parish constables, an old style "court leet"  was held at Harleyford and another batch of constables were appointed and sworn in. Some men were actually appointed by both! 

   The early 1840's did see something of a crime epidemic in Marlow. The Bucks Gazette claimed that house breaking and robbery were so prevalent in Marlow in 1841 that few evenings passed without a home being attacked. Draper Mr (Edward) Hewett of the High Street had just became the latest victim. (His premises are shown below, read more about him here)

Despite this, a meeting by Marlow inhabitants to decide on the "propriety of establishing a police force" in the town resulted in a vote resoundingly in favour of doing no such thing. No doubt the issue of paying for this was foremost in the voters minds. The issue was taken out of the locals hands when Buckinghamshire Constabulary was formed in 1857.  However Marlow continued to elect Parish Constables for decades. The cost of maintaining both was a very frequent cause of complaint, because the parish constables were entitled to certain fees and payments even though they did not receive a wage as such. Arguements relating who should receive a fee for executing a warrant on behalf of the Marlow Petty Sessions magistrates are common in the late 1850's and 60s. A dual system of constables had some advantages though. If you wished a summons to be issued on your behalf for certain offences eg to a husband for deserting his family or for an affiliation order in the event of an illegitimate child, you as the victim actually had to pay the police to execute the warrant under some circumstances. (Who is deemed liable to pay is very variable) The parish constables were often willing to do so for free, on the basis that they would claim back a fee from the court in the event of a successful prosecution, paid out of costs awarded. 

Parish Constables were still appointed by the magistrates in the 1890s, from a list of "fit and proper persons" provided by the parish vestry. At this point they were normally 4 in number and their everyday duties light. 

DIY CRIME FIGHTING

Although Marlow was fortunate to gain several diligent Parish Constables, they did have limited time and training. So if you suffered a crime, and were rich enough, it was down to you to take many of the steps that might bring the perpetrator to justice. You could circulate a description and advertise an reward for the suspects apprehension for example. It seems some people were reluctant to spend money on this kind of activity, as it involved more outlay when you had already suffered a loss, with no guarantee of success. This in turn upset others who were anxious that criminals should feel it likely they would be pursued until caught. So in an effort to increase convictions, a couple of anti crime related subscription societies were set up in Marlow. 

One was the Society for Prevention of Sheep Stealing which was active by 1775. If a sheep was stolen, the subscription funds were used to cover the cost of advertising for information as well as providing a reward should an arrest result. There was for example a hefty 10 guinea reward in 1775 for the capture of the person responsible for stealing a "fat ewe" from Lower Temple Meadow. The same amount was offered in 1778 for the recovery of some sheep last seen grazing in a turnip field in Well End, Little Marlow. If an accomplice to the theft should come forward with information, the Society would they said, endeavour to procure them a pardon. There was no guarantee they would be successful in this appeal however! 

In 1788, Marlow had an "Association for Prosecuting Felonies, Robberies and Thefts" which was also a subscription organisation. It was open to those living in Great and Little Marlow as well as Bisham and Wycombe. If a member suffered a crime on their person or property, and their subscription was up to date, they could be paid back for costs incurred in the pursuit and apprehension of the offender. So should you discover that you had been a crime victim, the first thing you needed to do was record this fact with either the treasurer Mr Herne, or the secretary Mr Henry Allnutt (an attorney who was also secretary of the anti sheep stealing association) as well as two other members. Either of the first would then go to all of the trouble of organising the advertising of a reward and doing whatever they could to trace the offender. Expenses incurred yourself to the same end would be settled at one of the bi annual subscribers meetings at the Crown. One thing you could not do however, and that was chose not to press charges in the end. If you did not play your part in bringing the criminal to trial, you would have your membership terminated for good with no subscription payments returned. Membership was restricted to those who could make the minimum 5 shilling payment a year, in addition to additional fees based on the amount of land you owned and it's value. You were covered even if you were away from home, outside the membership catchment area. 

The amount of reward offered by the above depended on the punishment that could be inflicted on the wrongdoer. You could get £10 for information securing the conviction of someone for a capital offence, and £7 7s if they were transported for a minimum of 14 years. Other crimes not leading to transportation could earn an informant just over £1.

In the 1820's there are also mentions of a Great Marlow Society for the Protection of Property with similar aims and adverts offering rewards.

THE NIGHTWATCH

Originally adult males were supposed to take it in turn to participate in the night watch, or they could pay someone to deputise for them. The Parish Constables were responsible for organising and supervising this. Some towns had an exclusively paid night watch organised by the parish but I have not found evidence of this in Marlow until the 1840's. Organised watching seems to have faded away here but some citizens got together in 1828 to pay for a private night watch in "consequence of the numerous depredations committed in and about the town." The three men would be employed during the winter months only. Other references to the watch in this period refer to it being introduced to deal with specific events such as during the period of canvassing before the 1830 election. This particular night watch doesn't seem to have been too effective as under it's nose the town became victim of a spate of night burglaries supposed to have been committed by a Berkshire gang. (Many of these crimes are blamed on Berkshire residents over time, no doubt Berkshire people blamed Bucks gangs for the same!) But in 1840's Marlow did have a paid designated night watchmen, Mr Shaw, who patrolled all night, calling out the time and weather as they went. "Past twelve o'clock and a cloudy night!" was a typical phrase as remembered by a later Victorian looking back. 

I have also found descriptions of parish constables themselves coming across a crime in progress at night, perhaps while out checking on the public night watch when it existed. Parish Constable Henry Stallwood for example is described as on patrol at 2am in Marefield when he comes across a man who has been robbed.  He subsequently catches those responsible as he had seen them lurking suspiciously a little before. Interestingly, he does not approach these suspicious men when he first sees them, despite noticing that one had his face disguised and they were standing about in the early hours of the morning. He obviously recognised them and thought it better to apprehend them in the daylight. 

NOTE

1. The Constables were required to present signed accounts not less often than every 3 months, to the overseers of the poor. The books could be examined by rate payers and the payment had to be approved by them. It was paid out of the poor rates. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Related Posts:

To read about the first police station and the later police court extension see here. 

Light fingered Marlow here

Charles East, transported for 14 years - info within the post here

Webb's gang of marauders - bringing terror to 1820s Marlow here

For other crime related posts see the General History option  here or use the top drop down menu 

SOURCES

The Parish Officer: Comprising the Whole of the Present Law Relating to the Several Parish and Union Officers, as Well as of the Guardians of the Poor in England, Comprising Also the Law as to Church Rates, Highway Rates, Vestries, Watching and Lighting, &c - Archbold, Frederick John, Shaw 1858

The Complete Parish Officer, Clavering, Henry. Pub: J Stratford 1802. 

Reading Mercury 19 July 1775, 21 January 1788, Copy from the British Library and accessed via the BNA. 

Oxford Journal 24 February 1778, as above. 

Berks Chronicle 26 March 1825, 2 February 1828 as above.

Oxford University and City Herald 25 November 1826 as above

Bucks Gazette 17 April 1841, as above. 

 Windsor and Eton Express November 15 1828, 13 November 1841 as above

Bucks Herald 17 April 1858, as above

 British Library Online: https://www.bl.uk/georgian-britain/articles/crime-and-punishment-in-georgian-britain Accessed April 2021

https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/laworder/policeprisons/overview/watchmenconstables/ Accessed March 2021

©MarlowAncestors