Queen's Head Little Marlow Historic Landlords.

Note that it has usually been stated that the Queen's Head began as the King's Head but changed name when Victoria ascended to the throne. However, there was a pub called the Queen's Head in Little Marlow some years before Victoria became queen and a pub called the King's Head continued to exist. I have heard that the two pubs agreed to swap names, but certain details don't quite match up, and it looks very much like the landlords around the time of the coronation were at odds with each other rather than co-operative. Below I simply give landlords and events listed at "The Queen's Head" on the understanding that these probably do not all refer to the same physical premises.

Gaps in dates are gaps in our knowledge.

1826 - pub "The Queen's Head" existed in Little Marlow.

1830 - 32 - Joshua Phillips landlord. He moved to the King's Head.

Until 1870 there is no further mention that we have found YET of the Queen's Head however James Twitchen who had the Queen's Head in 1872 had been a beer seller in the village from 1843 in premises that never seem to be given a name and it is probable for several reasons that he was in fact at the Queen's Head all the while. He opened his premises in 1842 after two cottages were knocked together to form a single property of sufficient rateable value to qualify as a licensed premises. He had been trying to get a licence for the property for a while but complained that his Liberal politics meant that he was deliberately rated under true value to thwart his business plans. Politics in Marlow were very corrupt and sometimes violent in this era so his claims of political persecution are very believable. Other cases are known. After he managed to start his beer shop, James said that a prosecution for him remaining open for longer hours than legally allowed was also politically motivated. The case was dismissed in court. The property he was using having been two domestic cottages up to that point, can't be the old Queen's Head pub unless having fallen out of use it had been converted into two cottages and James wanted to convert back. More likely it was simply a new site for a new pub. More research will hopefully bring some charity to this confusing situation. In particular we need certainty that James Twitchen's pub did indeed bear the name the Queen's Head before 1872. Joshua Phillips who was at the King's Head opposed Twitchen opening his pub as it would of course represent competition for him. The premises which James opened in 1843 stood next door to the shop of Henry Hussey. In 1863 James Twitchen of Little Marlow beer seller was also a job master. There was a younger James Twitchen, also a Liberal, and a publican in Great Marlow in this era. 

1872 - 78 James Twitchen as the Queens Head, but probably there years earlier, see above. In 1878 his son Henry took over.

1878 - 91 Henry Twitchen, son of James above. In 1878 he was accused of opening during forbidden hours. In 1885 he opened a little grocery shop next door as an additional to his business.

1891 - Moses Tranter took over.

1895 - beerhouse to let with immediate possession. Includes the little grocery shop too.

1896 - Henry Hester to  Thomas Hughes failed transfer. 2 . Henry Hester to Joseph Pope, briefly, then successful transfer this time to Thomas Hughes.

1897 - Thomas Hughes to George Taylor

1899 - up for sale.

1900- 07 George Taylor

1907 - George Taylor transferred licence to Henry Owen Alma Harris. 

1908 - Henry Owen Alma Harris transferred licence Fred Patterson (but note Pattenden given as his name later)

1910 - Fred Pattenden - (Patterson?) to William Foster, a proposed transfer of the licence to Arthur Turner having been refused. 

1920-  possibly William Foster 

1929 - T.R Whiting took over the licence.

1934- 1952 at least Frederick Hobbs and wife Bertha. They were previously at the  Crown skirmett. In the early 1950s the pub had a Thrift Club and Slate Clubs for both men and women. There were nearly 100 members to the Thrift Club alone in 1951.

1955 - Victor Woolmore.

Written by Charlotte Day. Researched by both Charlotte and Kathryn Day.

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

Sources Included:

1863 Dutton's Directory of Buckinghamshire etc

Bucks Free Press Nov 7th 1952, Bucks Free Press Archives.

England and Wales census 1851,61,71, 81, 91 transcribed from microfilm by Charlotte Day.

Bucks Gazette September 3rd 1842, British Library collection via the British Newspaper Archive.

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News October 14th 1843, as above

South Bucks Standard 11th October 1895 and 25th August 1899. British Library collection, London.

Personal Interview.

Prospect Road, Marlow

Above a decaying street sign for the road. Its very first sign was put up on a Mr Taylor's house in 1899. This will be a later replacement presumably.

 Originally called Marefield Place then Prospect Place and then finally the modern Prospect Road. The first six homes there had an additional collective name Prospect Row but be warned cottages in Wycombe Road near Prospect House were also referred to as Prospect Row (not to mention there being elsewhere Prospect Cottages and Prospect Villas- in case you haven't already noticed it Marlow people were very careless when inventing house names and haphazard at rendering addresses).

The road was built up from circa the 1850s but it was never fully developed, with market gardens and allotments rather than homes taking up most of the space down one side. A carriage building premises was the only commercial property firmly within Prospect Road. More on that in the post "A heroic former resident" linked below. There was also by the early 20th century a shop on the corner of Prospect Road and Queens Road but the entrance was in the latter.

In 1891 4 brick cottages within the road each consisting of 5 rooms and having a garden and outhouse were put up for sale "with good tenants" in place. The character of the street was what Victorians would have classed as "respectable working class" but there were several "rough" streets in the immediate vicinity and conditions weren't physically great in Prospect Road either. The road was taken over by the council in 1892 because its private owner had left the road surface in a "disgraceful state".

In 1894 Dr Dickson complained that a well used for drinking water by 6 of the cottages was at high risk of contamination due to it having been dug only a few feet from a privy and scarcely any further from a cess pit. He finally managed to get the well closed off six years later. 

You have to wonder if gas was not laid on until late in the street for in 1905 some wind blew over the lighted candle that George Sadler was using to light his room, nearly burning the house down. Thankfully both he and his neighbours were on the ball and sprang into action swiftly both to fight the fire and summon further help. It is possible George did have a partial gas supply as in this period some people did not fit gas lighting upstairs even if they did below. There was a fear of dying in your sleep from a gas leak if gas lights were used upstairs.

Prospect Road residents didn't cause much trouble compared to their nearby neighbours elsewhere in the Marefield area or Dean Street but there were a few incidents of fallings out that came before the courts. Eliza Allen newly arrived in 1901 from the virtual shanty town outside Marlow known as "Cape Town" soon fell out with her neighbours Nellie Harvey and Edith Howse. She was fined 5 shillings for assaulting each with the threat of a week in jail per fine if she didn't pay them. She hadn't turned up to court. Her husband William, who worked at the paper mills and as a bootmaker, had previously spent a month in jail for stealing a barrel when they lived at Cape Town. Eliza sometimes worked as a needlewoman. There's a post all about Cape Town on the blog here.

William and Elizabeth Todd, residents of Prospect Road, lost two sons during the First World War - William and Augustus. William had just married while Augustus died in Turkish custody in 1917 after months as a prisoner of war.

The road today, above, shows no historic buildings. The first homes there were all on the left side of the street with market gardens and allotments on the other side and at the end.

More related posts:

Grave of one time resident John Lunnon Taylor here.

An heroic historic resident here

Grave photo and info about former resident Alfred Peddle here

Sources Included:

Maidenhead Advertiser 22nd July 1891. South Bucks Standard 10th November 1899 and 8th September 1905. British Newspaper Archive.

England censuses, my transcription from microfilm.

Private correspondence.

Horror In Quarry Woods

 In a summer Sunday evening in 1840, 23 year old dressmaker Patience Martin and her younger  sister Maria decided to walk from their homes in Marlow to Cookham Dean, via Quarry Woods. It was a favourite place for a Sunday stroll and the young women had often made the journey. They were accompanied by their friend Harriet Clark. It should have been an enjoyable way to spend a beautiful evening, but the women could not have anticipated the horror that awaited them. 

 Patience was described as an especially beautiful young lady. She  worked at the baby linen warehouse, a not particularly well paid job. Unmarried, she lived with her parents John and Harriett and her sister Maria in Dean Street. They were not a well off family. John was working as a agricultural labourer at this time. 

  On arrival at Cookham Dean, the women walked across the common, before going into the beer house of Mr Copas. There they shared a pint between all three of them. This was a common thing to do, especially for woman.  They then walked to another pub on the common. On going inside they were greeted by three young Marlow men whom they knew. (Robert Moore, Thomas Eustace, and John Frane) All three worked for the Rolls family. Some rumours suggest that Moore was the "paramour" of Patience. Perhaps their meeting was not quite a coincidence, but it is only a rumour. Moore was married but living seperately from his wife who he said needed constant watching due to ill health - she was "subject to fits". The men invited Patience and her companions to take a little beer with them, they would then join the women for the journey back to Marlow. So far, so peaceful. 

As they left the beer house a short while later, at 9.30pm, they were accosted by 4 men. (Richard alias "Daisy" Smith, Henry Harding age 19, John Taylor 26 and William Bishop, 22, all described as labourers of Bisham). Bishop grabbed at Patience and suggested he would walk home with her. Patience naturally objected as she said he was some one she only knew by sight and had never had as much as a brief conversation with before. On this, Bishops companion Smith, who was clearly out to make a nuisance of himself, challenged Moore to a fight. Moore dismissed this request as he said Sunday was not "a proper day for fighting" and carried on walking, the others now a little way ahead. They were followed by the 4 troublemaker's, who again challenged Moore to a fight. Moore refused again, and was then knocked to the ground by Smith.  

Our party hurried on their way to Marlow but discovered a group of 20-25 men and some women blocking their path which lead from a lane off the common, over a stile and into Quarry Wood. This group were obviously just as much in a belligerent mood as the previous lot, and would not let Patience and the others pass. Patience said that at this point she was very frightened and wanted to retreat to the relative safety of one of the pubs they had left. But they could not get through the crowd in that direction either. After 15 minutes of insults and arguements, one of the gang said if Patience's party would shake his hand, they would be allowed to pass. This they wisely decided to do. But they had not got far into the woods when Smith, Harding, Bishop and Taylor ran after them. Harriet, Patience and Robert were all knocked to the ground by the thugs. Harriet got up quickly, aided by Eustace and it seems these two now ran off, leaving Patience and Robert in the rear. This is when things turned really ugly. Patience was the focus of the group's malevolence, perhaps in punishment for refusing the attention of Bishop. She was raped at knifepoint, first by Smith then by Harding with the others holding her down by the shoulders. Robert was punched to the ground at least three times while trying to rescue her. Harriet was screaming murder, and her cries were heard at Cookham Dean...but no one went to investigate them. Harriet heard the cries too, but Eustace told her to go on to Marlow and summon help. Robert knew he was outnumbered, and retreated a little distance to deal with a bloodied face. He then decided to try a trick of shouting loudly and pretending to be in a conversation with another as he went back towards Patience. He hoped the gang would assume he was part of a larger group and be frightened off. As it happened they had left by the time he came to her. He did his best to help the distraught Patience home, her bonnet ripped and shoes missing. As they left the woods, they must have hoped to have left their attackers behind them. But as they went to cross the meadows at Bisham, they were approached by a man who turned out to be Smith, although he had apparently made some attempt to disguise himself by swapping his jacket and speaking differently. Patience however recognised him and screamed. Smith was apparently insulted that Robert had knocked off his hat when the latter was attempting to rescue Patience, and wished to demand Robert's as a replacement!  Robert was yet again knocked to the floor, and Patience assaulted. Her screams this time were heard by a farm worker...who went home and put his horses away before investigating the source of the sound. Frane who was a carter, also put his horses away before returning.  As it was, Patience had got free and made it with Robert back towards Marlow, where they were finally met by Eustace and Frane who had returned to find Patience. These two men admitted to have feared being overwhelmed by the larger party they had left at the Quarry stile and were perhaps waiting for help from Marlow that never arrived. The following morning warrants were issued for the arrest of the 4 men, but Richard Smith Aka Daisy had fled, and was never bought to trial. The others were apprehended within a couple of days, and bought before the authorities at the Berkshire Summer Assizes. 

Harriet had, on arriving at her home, done the most extraordinary thing of going to bed without calling anyone to her friends and sisters aid.  This was seized on by the men's defence at the trial as evidence that Harriet did not think her sister really in danger, despite admitting hearing Patience specifically scream that she was being murdered. The lawyers suggested that the 3 Marlow couples had all intended to meet and then pair off for immoral purposes. The Cookham gang had gone after them in the spirit of causing mischief and had at most committed a minor assault. The evidence of rape was "only" based on Patience's say so they said, ignoring the collaboration of Moore, and others who saw Patience's torn clothes and distressed state. 

The reason we have covered this case in detail the because it demonstrates the difficulty women such as Patience faced when becoming a victim of sexual violence. Patience Martin must have felt on trial herself when a righteous juror at the trial stood up and asked if she was in the habit of going to a public house on a Sabbath? She replied she did so sometimes. The public houses were legally open at the time she was there. The newspapers gave Patience credit for the calm, clear and intelligent way that she gave her evidence. It was they said done in a fashion becoming such a serious crime, and they said she looked "most respectable." The men's defence were however keen to make another fact known..had not Patience given birth to an illegitimate child some time before? She "admitted" that she had. The men were not asked about their previous relations of course. 

The jury were told they could find the men guilty of assault if they did not believe all the evidence. After two hours of deliberation, the jury declared all the men guilty of their respective offences. Extraordinarily in our eyes, they were recommended to mercy by the male jury based on the perceived "loose" character of Patience. The judge does not seem particularly impressed by this request, but said he would honour it. Interestingly he did so partly because of the general lack of appetite for capital punishment. He said that despite the peculiar behaviour of sister Harriet, he had rarely seen evidence given so "conclusively". He could not think of some prisoners that more deserved to feel the full weight of the law for their act of "shameless brutality". He therefore recorded a sentence of death for all three present, but immediately commuted it to transportation for life on the condition the men were put to hard labour in a chain gang until the end of their lives. They would be "compelled to endure a life of the hardest labour upon very strict regulation."

Patience's character may have been smeared at the trial, but it was nothing compared to what came afterwards. The case stood out for its brutality and was reported in newspapers from the length and breadth of the country. The guilty men were taken to Reading gaol. From there, they wrote letters asking for further mercy. Their excuse? They were drunk. It is telling that the fact Patience had been in a public house on a Sunday was considered evidence against her, but correspondingly, the prisoners who had done the same could consider using the fact to get a lighter punishment. Somewhat strangely, the convicted men also said that a group of local unnamed farmers were behind the "malicious prosecution",  the latter party prejudiced against them. I presume this is a reference to the fact that Harding had been suspected of, but not convicted, of poaching previously. A total of 59 people from Marlow also signed a petition on the mens behalf, using the excuse of Harding's youth, and lack of previous conviction to ask for leniency. And of course they said Patience had a "depraved" character and was in fact a prostitute. This was something even the men's defence had not suggested, probably because it would also have suggested the prisoners had been or wished to be her clients. Both Patience, and Moore also signed a letter asking the judge to be merciful - while this may seem strange to us, it is not at all uncommon in similar cases in the period. They were certainly not asking for the men to go unpunished. The stated reasons for Patience and Roberts appeal is not given, but something like an awareness of the hardship dependents faced with a son or brother sentenced to life overseas, or suggestion of a general wish to rise above a situation and show Christian mercy is often given in similar situations. The judge reviewing the case upheld the convictions in entirety and refused the appeals except to grant that Harding could be merely incarcerated for life, without the added chain gang participation, in light of his youth. As was standard, the gaolers were asked to report on the prisoners conduct since arriving under their care. Harding was rated good, Bishop bad and Taylor "very bad". 

All three men were transported in the same ship, the Lady Raffles. This left for Van Diemens land in Australia on the 30th November 1840, and arrived there on the 17 March 1841. A total of 331 convicts were abroad on its departure. (They had the company of Marlow resident Charles East who was transported for 14 years - read about him here)

As for Patience, she died sadly young. She continued as a dress maker or related occupations. In 1846 she married cordwainer Anthony Savin(s) of Cookham Dean. She died just 5 years later aged only 38. I do not know what happened to her illegitimate child, the youngster does not seem to have been living with her at the time of her attack or subsequent marriage. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day,  with additional research by Charlotte Day. 

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

For other posts related to crime, women's rights and general Marlow history see the index - here

Crime and disorder in old Great Marlow here

For content about Cookham Dean see the menu here

Sources include

https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/lady-raffles/1840. Accessed May 2020

Home Office Convict Petitions, series 11, Harding et al, Reference: HO 18/31/10, National Archives Kew. 

Census 1841,1851. 

The Examiner, 2 August 1840 volume, digitised by Google. 

The Spectator, Vol 13, 1840, digitised  by Google. 

Morning Herald 21 July 1840

Bells Weekly Messenger July 1840

Bucks Gazette 4 July 1840

Berkshire Chronicle 27 June 1840

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.

Black Boy, Hurley History and Landlords

The Black Boy, Hurley Bottom

Historic landlords with history notes:

1842 George and Ann Godfrey. Ann died that year.

1842-45 George Godfrey as above. George died that year aged 67. In 1843 thieves made an unsuccessful attemot to rob his premises by cutting hole in the outside wall. They did make their hole but they didn't manage to get away with anything. My own ancestors in Kent were robbed of all their possessions when thieves cut through their kitchen wall so don't think such attempts never worked!

1851-1855 James Leech. Wife Sophia. James died 1855.  

1855-65 Sophia Leech widow of James above. 

1865 David Leech

1863-68 Martha Leech. 

1869 Alfred Woodeson.

1871 "Mr Woodson" gave up and Thomas Street took over.

1871-1883 Thomas Street. Thomas went on to run Hurley Flour Mills. He made a great success of himself and moved into Ladye Place Hurley. After he left the Black Boy the premises were put up to let with outbuildings and orchard. Described as a fishing and boating inn. [Reading Mercury 29th September and 24th Nov Fishing Gazette both newspapers in British Library Archives accessed via the BNA].

1885 bakers horse and cart stolen from outside the pub! 

1886 license transfer from Thomas Ballard to James Bolton who still there 1887. In 1887 used for Inquest on 17 year old drowning victim William Goodall who fell out of a punt at Hurley.

1890 to let furnished. [Reading Mercury 11th October]. 

1894 Samuel Bailey.

 1894-1895 Archibald Lonsdale/ Lansdell 

1895 Joseph Edwin Lane, briefly.

1895-97 Thornton Tailor / Taylor.

1897-98 George F Cranmore. Summoned for being drunk and disorderly. 

1911 Tooke Holmes. 

1913 Arthur Frederick Taylor gave up to Albert H Eyre / Ayre.

1913- 1916 Albert H Eyre gave up licence as he was serving in the army during the First World War. You had to be resident on the premises to have a license. I am unsure if he ever returned. 

1920 Sidney Tanner

1922 Frederick Taylor

1946 to let with orchard and 1 acre.

Compiled from censuses, licensing information, court cases, adverts, directories newspapers as quoted above, etc. Kelly's Post Office Directory 1847, 1863, 1869 and 1887 editions, Kelly's Directories Limited.

Looking for the Black Boy, Marlow? Landlords listing in this post.

More Hurley pub history and landlord listings in the future. We have a large number of similar posts for pubs in Marlow, Little Marlow, Medmenham and Lane End (all Buckinghamshire). These are listed here.

 Our main focus is Marlow on this blog but we do cover places like Hurley because of frequent connection between them and Marlow. For a list of Hurley, Harleyford and Temple related posts see here

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

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

The Eventful Life of James Croxon - Prisoner & Friend To The Poor

There have been Croxons/ Crocksons/ Croxens in Marlow and Bisham for a long time. The James who is the subject of this (long!) post was born in Reading circa 1807 before moving to Marlow where he had family connections. He was not the wealthiest man in Marlow. He was a baker for most of his life. To some he would become an advocate for the poor, and a stubborn defender of the rights of the many. To others he was a fraudster and troublemaker. What he undoubtedly did was draw attention to a number of issues affecting the lives of the less well off. It was his motive and credibility that was sometimes questioned. 

In the beginning...

Back to the beginning. In the 1833 Parish Assessment, James Croxon is listed as a West Street resident occupying a cottage and bakehouse with a relatively high value. This was near Borlase School. A few years later he had the valuable contract to provide the bread and flour for the Union Houses of the Wycombe district - that is the workhouses under another name. But then he lost this contract. His critics say this inspired a campaign to malign the Wycombe board of Poor Law Guardians in every way he could. He began an extremely prolific letter writing career, keeping the pages of the local newspapers busy with his complaints. 

James lands in gaol

However just after his loss of the bread contract in 1840, he was implicated in a forgery case and sent to Aylesbury Gaol. It was a little complicated to unravel, but in a nutshell James was accused of forging his father in law James Lee's signature on bills of exchange, and thus defrauding the Stephens & Co bank of money paid to Croxon on the strength of Lee's signature. It was said Croxon had been doing so for about 5 years. Eventually the bills were dishonoured, Lee denied ever having issued them and therefore refused to pay back the money given to Croxon by the bank. He said he was illiterate and so could never have made a signature, nor had he ever authorised anyone else to do so on his behalf. So Croxon found himself committed to gaol on a serious charge.

 The 1841 census finds him in the prison, with his wife Hannah nee Lee back in Marlow, alongside several of their children. At this point the family were living in Dean Street, home to several other bakers. At the trial, the case against Croxon fell apart. Several witnesses, including 2 lawyers clerks said that they had previously presented dishonoured bills under his own name to James Lee, and he had eventually paid them, including those presented by Croxon and had never questioned the right for Croxon to hold them. They also said another of Lee's married daughters Mary Ann Wigginton, had managed his affairs and been authorised to sign bills of exchange for him. Both Lee and Mary then changed their sworn statements made on two earlier occasions, that no bills of exchange had been issued. Lee said he did get Mary to organise these, but had meant to say it was only ever in relation to settling his own financial affairs, and never Croxon's. Mary said something similar, that she had meant to say only she had not organised any for Croxon in particular. She also said she thought the signature on the bills was in Croxon's handwriting but could not be certain. The case was dismissed but James Croxon's trouble was not over.  (See note 2 below for an contested election vote involving James Lee and Mary Ann Wigginton.) 

A second charge of forgery related to another signature on one of the above mentioned bill of exchange, that of farmer George Brangwin (Branguin in London news reports, an incorrect spelling) who had endorsed one for 50 shillings. George denied having done so. At trial, George did say he had put his name to another bill for the same amount some time before and Croxon's defence was the contested bill was just a renewal of that. The court decided against him, and James Croxon found himself sentenced to 2 years imprisonment with hard labour. 

Guilty?

At his trial, James Croxon was described as a most respectable looking person (although appearances can deceive of course!) and he was able to provide a number of character witnesses. He was not questioned directly, but his defence  did not change their story. It must be said that Croxon seems to have upset a number of local people, and at least one of them was the writer for the Bucks Gazette. He called James a "whining fanatic" and "canting hypocrite".  He poured scorn on Croxon for being a man who had tried just before his own trial to secure the release of three "desperate ruffians" who had been sentenced to transportation for life for a brutal assault on a young woman. These three men (Bishop, Taylor and Harding) had apparently paid Croxon to write an appeal on their behalf which was then refused. (For the full sad story of this horrifying attack on Patience Martin and the aftermath, see the post here)

The Gazette also accused Croxon of being a "meddling busybody" who put off people from the cause of teetotalism that he was said to promote. In fact they said with Croxon off in gaol, the idea of becoming a teetotaler had suddenly become more appealing. Croxon was most likely a non conformist. We believe he worshipped as one of the Salem Chapel congregation, this we will hopefully confirm later. He clearly upset those unwelcoming to his message. So reports of his conduct have to be filtered through this prejudicial reporting locally. There is also a political element as James sympathised with the liberal & radical cause in town, rather than the Tories who held Marlow as a pocket borough. In 1835 he was listed as amongst the 34 "independent and spirited voters" who had voted against the continuance of Williams as MP. Votes were not secret then and it was said there were many who had wished to vote the same way but had expressed fear of doing so as Williams was their landlord. 

Aftermath

What can poor Hannah Croxon have made of the case with her husband pitted against her father and sister? Whatever the truth of the story, it is a definite fact that the Croxon's had long standing financial problems and they had just lost their main breadwinner for two years. Things must have been very difficult indeed for Hannah and her children. Hannah was present on the day of Mary Ann's sad death in 1865 so any estrangement between the sisters was not permanent. 

I suspect the financial implications of his imprisonment cast a long shadow. He appeared as an insolvent debtor in court in both 1850 and 1853 spending 40 days in prison for debt on the last occasion. At these hearings he gives his occupation as baker. On the 1851 census he is listed as living in the poor and populous Dean Street. Ten years later he is in Chapel Street. In both 1851 and 1861 he had two of his adult unmarried daughters living with him (both working as satin stitch workers or dressmakers) as well as his young son Laban and later a lodger too. The young women's income must have helped the family budget although satin stitch was usually low paid work. Mrs Croxon was a victim of theft in 1859 when a quantity of washing was stolen from her garden along with articles from at least a couple of other houses. Such as lost must have hit hard. 

James Croxon wields his pen

James was not a man to let those in authority off if he suspected laziness or incompetence, rightly or wrongly so. Throughout the 1860's in particular he filled the columns of the local papers with letters (those that would print them anyway) in particular disputing how the poor law guardians did their work. This group set and administered the poor rate and managed the workhouses, including that at Marlow. James thought he could do it better, but he was unable to stand for election to the board as it seems he did not occupy property of sufficient value to meet the requirements. He thought the rules should be changed to allow him a chance for election. The guardians did read out his letters at meetings but say he made a number of vague accusations and seemed confused about the law and what was in their power. James was not easily deterred and continued to hold the guardians to account. He noted they had failed to have their books open for inspection by ratepayers on the required number of days for example, and got that rectified. He also rightly questioned why those receiving poor relief were expected to queue outside in all weathers, rather than receive it indoors as formerly. The previous distribution place was the Clayton Arms but it came to be felt that using a public house was inappropriate so the spot outside the distributor's house was used instead. A letter supporting James in this matter spoke of his "humane efforts" to support the poor. Poverty was a sufficiently heavy burden for the aged and sick to carry it said without further indignities being heaped upon them. Some suspected James himself wrote these letters of support. If he did, he was an eloquent writer who spoke with awareness and compassion. He had other battles, refusing to pay the church rate after protesting on its unfairness to non conformists and the inflated costs, as he felt them, of collecting it. He also tried to get the tender for doing work for the new sanitary inspectors in 1865, but failed. We will leave James with his most successful project. In 1865 he was one of prime movers to set up the Marlow Rate Payers Association. No chance now for parish books to linger uninspected! 

I have not found the death of James, but his wife Hannah died in 1880. 

Notes: 

1. 

Bill of exchange. Lee signs the bill promising to pay Croxon (or whoever has the note) 50s at a set time in future. Instead of waiting for his money, Croxon takes this to the bank and they give him a portion of the value owed (minus a handling fee as they are inconvenienced by not being able to claim the funds back from Lee until the note is due to be paid) When the note expires, Lee has to pay the bank who bears the note the full amount stated plus any interest applied. Bills could be renewed, sold on etc. It seems Croxon had paid most of the bills off himself, Lee only being chased when he did not. The banks would not accept bills signed by just anyone. You had to be someone thought a respectable citizen likely to be able to fulfil the amount. 

Note 2. 

Previous brush with authorities for grocer come timber dealer James Lee and daughter Mary Ann Wigginton. The vote of Lee in the 1831 election was considered by some to be invalid. You could only vote if you occupied property of sufficient value in the right area. Lee's vote in the election was based on his occupation of a Dean Street house with shop, stabling and small timber yard. (Dean Street was known as Well End then, it's not the same as the hamlet by Little Marlow) This shop had been managed for some time by Mary Ann, even before her father retired from this part of his business. 

James was however discovered to have left the premises 2 or 3 years before the election, to go and live in Little Marlow. His daughter Mary Ann and her new husband William Wigginton, a barge man, had taken over the shop, and Wigginton's name was above the door. Mary was however still the one managing the business. James claimed that he still paid the rent and used the outbuildings for storage but this was not considered enough to make him resident by those contesting the vote. Their complaint was thrown out however and the vote stood. 

Mary Ann Wigginton was the subject of an coroner's  inquest, held at the Greyhound in 1865. Her husband had accused the doctor (Dr Oliver) attending her of being drunk on duty and hastening his wife's end by giving her the wrong medicine. The full story of that is available here

Written and researched by Kathryn Day 

Related posts: 

To find every mention of your ancestor here, look at the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu. There is over 3025 people there. For general Marlow history posts see the General History option here where there are also links to other posts related to crime. 

Chartist Edmund Stallwood here

1847 election riots here

©Marlow Ancestors

SOURCES

Archibald, Thomas Dickson, Streeton, Arthur Towers - Analytical Digest of cases published in the New Series of Law Reports. (1847)

Barron, Arthur Report of Cases of Controverted Elections in the Fourteenth Parliament. (S Sweet, 1849)

1847 Kelly's Directory. (Kelly's Directory Ltd)

Slater's Commercial Directory 1852

The Law Journal papers 1847.

The Sun(London) 22 Jan 1841, 7 Aug 1851, 6 April 1853 - copies from British Library Archive through BNA partnership. 

Bucks Gazette 23 Jan 1841, as above

Windsor & Eton Express 26 Dec 1840

Bucks Herald 31 Jul 1880, as above

South Bucks Free Press 02 May 1862, as above

List of Insolvent Debtors, 1850-1855, (R Jenkins 1974)

1841,51,61 Census transcript from microfilm by Jane Pullinger. 

Blacksmiths Arms Well End Little Marlow Landlords

Compiled from court cases, adverts, property records, censuses and more.

Not to be confused with the Blacksmiths Arms Handy Cross.

For similar posts choose the Pub Related option on the menu here.

More Well End and Little Marlow content indexed here

1845 - Thomas or Samuel  Veary. Also a blacksmith on same premises. Said to have recently moved into the parish. Is fined for keeping his beer house open late in this year - 50s including costs. The informant was rival blacksmith Joseph Meakes! 

1884 - Thomas Henry Taylor

1886- Mr Taylor

1891- Thomas Taylor. Also a blacksmith.

1892- Sarah Ann Taylor widow of above. Transferred to George Duffin in September. 

1894- George Duffin. Moved later that year to Eton where he ran "the Thistle" pub - that is The Rose, Shamrock and Thistle. Had previously been a farrier in the Royal Artillery [South Bucks Standard 5th October 1894].

1894-95 Thomas Navin

1895-1920 George Pauley / Pawley. Also a carpenter and cabinet maker. He died in 1924 but I am uncertain if he was landlord up to the time of his death. In 1898 starts a Slate Club to help the working man afford medical expenses and time off work. To find out more about slate clubs, see the post here

1933- Frank Pawley. Pub forcibly closed 1933/34 as part of efforts to reduce the number of alcohol sellers in the area. The premises were then described as in "third rate" condition with poor sanitary arrangements and the police said there was no need for the business to exist as it had only a very tiny taproom and there was another fully licensed pub in the Black Lion only 44 yards away in Well End. Tell that to poor Frank whose business and home had just been condemned! He and his brewery  tried to fight the decision without success. The building was sold off. (Report Bucks Herald 23rd June 1933 & Bucks Free Press 3rd March 1933)

For more pub related posts see Pub Related on the menu. To find all mentions of an individual here on the blog, use the A-Z person index on the top drop down menu. 

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

More Dean Street Landlord and Beer Seller Listings *Updated*

Updated by Charlotte Feb 2026.

If the premises you are searching for isn't listed here, search for it in the Pub Related option in the top drop down menu. 

Well End was one of the original names of Dean Street. It was used mainly pre 1850's, although some trade directories still utilised it in the 1860's. It is not to be confused with Well End near Little Marlow. 

THE FOX AND PHEASANT

Note there was also an early The Fox in West Street.

1851 - William Perry, age 52

1859 - William Perry fined £1 for having his beer house open during illegal hours on a Sunday.

1860 - William and Avis Perry. Lots more on these in our Poaching Perrys post. His brother Samuel was landlord of the dean Street pub the Rose and Crown. More on him in the Poaching Perrys post here . William was fined this year for using short measures, one of 4 establishment so caught. 

1864 - William and Avis Perry. William was fined £2 and 10 shillings plus costs for opening the premises on a Sunday morning (and thus was attracting people away from attending divine service instead). Avis is the one in court on William's behalf. 

1868 - William Perry fined £5 for opening up his beer house for sale of beer on a Sunday

1871- William Perry transferred to John Larkin who came to this pub from the Carpenters Arms (see this post) Also a carpenter. Wife of Larkin was Eliza. 

1872 - John Larkin.

1881 - John Larkin?

THE ROSE AND CROWN 

Beer house with yard

1833 Richard Clarke. Came from The Jolly Malsters Dean Street. Died 1836. More about him on that post.

1840 - described by the Bucks Gazette as an "obscure beer shop in Dean Street" when a drinker who fell asleep in the tap room was relieved of more than £6 by a pick pocket. 

1842 - Samuel Perry. Brother of William Perry above. See the Poaching Perrys post for more on him and his family. Dead by 1851.

1844 - J Carr. Almost certainly Josiah Carr who this year was involved in a very long (over two days) fight with another man that started in the Rose and Crown, carried on in the street outside then moved to "Crown Close" (near the back of Boots today). All over a game of cards being played for money. Josiah was a serial poacher convicted of offences at Fawley and Marlow. See also The Anchor below for more Carrs.  

Gone by 1872.

THE ALMA presumably named for the 1854 battle, however records suggest the premises first received a licence in 1830. This would indicate that this was one of the many pubs that changed name over time. On Queens Road / Gas Works side of the road. 

1860 - James Patterson (fined for having defective measures, and unusually one was an "over measure" rather than a short measure!) Having a defective measure was a very common offence and seems often to stem from manufacturing defects in the measure rather than dishonesty on the publican's part. In 1861, he was living elsewhere in Dean Street and working as a cordwainer with wife Ann. By 1871 he and Ann have taken on The Nags Head, also in Dean Street. Possibly the James "Pattison" at the "Blue Bonnets" [Bonnet O' Blue] West Street 1855. 

1861 - James East, also market gardener. Wife Charlotte. A James East was listed as a Well End / Dean Street beer retailer in 1849 at uncertain premises. This was not necessarily the same James as later at the Alma however. The James that was at the Alma looks to have been the cousin of  Mrs Diana Smith landlady of the Bricklayers Arms in Chapel Street. More on that pub here.

1869 -William East of The Fighting Cocks applied for the licence as he said that he only put his name down for the Cocks to save it from closure but he had no intention of staying there. William was unsuccessful though, as he'd faced trial at a Quarter Sessions.  He wasn't found guilty but this was regarded as a "moral stain" and only those of good character were allowed a licence - in theory at least!  John Finch took on the Alma instead temporarily.

1870 - James Meakes had it briefly (he was a brewer and he may have been running his own pub until he could find a live in landlord)  then Henry Harding (hold over). William Brown applies for the licence but the magistrates feel the local character references he supplies are not sufficient as he's only been in town for 3 months. Therefore they  don't represent a satisfactory insight into his character they feel. NB this is not the same William Brown who was a landlord at The Mint or Jolly Maltsters. 

1872 - Mr Finch. William Thatcher was spotted going intothe  premises during prohibited hours and was fined 1s, a nominal sum for his first offence. His defence? He just wanted to borrow some salt for his vegetables from Mrs Finch.

1873 - John Finch to George Allen. John appears to have moved to The Bank of England, where the brewers were required to find a new tenant after the previous one was accused of harbouring criminals. 

1877 - John Finch qv (lodging house also) 

1878 - William West  (hold-over)

1879 -Henry Hester with wife Charlotte. Licencing authorities are assured Henry has a character of excellent "sobriety, industry, and honesty". An attempt to transfer the licence little later that year to Daniel Price is refused due to lack of sufficient character references for Daniel. He did succeed taking it on briefly the next year it seems. 

1880 - 1. Henry Hester transferred licence to Thomas Price or Daniel Price. 

1881 - Daniel Price transferred licence to George Allen.

1882 - Licence renewal for George Allen refused. The premises had been closed several months at time of the licencing sessions. In April two homeless women, Sarah Brewer junior and senior were arrested for sleeping in the empty building. Sarah senior spent 7 days in prison for this, the younger was released without charge. By September the owner of the premises, James Meakes (Meekes) was extremely frustrated that he had been unable to find a suitable tenant (or rather one the licencing magistrates will accept as suitable) So he decided to apply to take over the licence himself. If they did not grant this, James said that the property would become valueless as it will have to stay closed. His pleas were unsuccessful. Probably because they suspected that the other business interests of James would not in reality allow him to personally manage things with the close attention they felt the Alma needed. In October the licence was refused again to George Allen. This refusal came after the magistrates went to view the property - for reasons we cannot yet discover but the most common reasons for refusal on grounds of the property itself rather than the behaviour of the landlord were too low a rateable value to qualify for a licence, the perceived condition of the building or a physical feature that was considered likely to make the premises hard to police - eg entrance on to a back alley.

1884 - "The Alma Inn". We are uncertain if the premises were still actually open for business but the name still seems to have been up.

THE FIGHTING COCKS

Was immediately next to the Nag's Head

1840 - Samuel Beckett. John Perry was convicted of shooting at and damaging the sign of the Fighting Cocks.

1844 - S. Beckett. Also a carpenter. 

1851 - Samuel Beckett

1853 - Samuel Beckett

1861 - Samuel Beckett (also a carpenter). Wife Emma nee James. Samuel was born circa 1812, the son of James (a carpenter) and Ann Beckett who lived Quoiting Square Marlow. Samuel was dead by 1882. Emma died in 1883.

1868- William East. Probably had come from The Nags Head.  

1869 -William East transferred to Joseph Perry. William applied to take on The Alma as he said he'd just stepped in when the Cocks was at risk of closure and so put his name on the licence with no intention of staying long term. He was not successful in his application for The Alma. See below. One local report states the licence transfer was to a James Perry, not Joseph but the majority of evidence suggests that Joseph is correct. The new Perry in charge said on his application for the licence that he was already resident at the Cocks. He said he currently worked seasonally on threshing machines and at hawking fruit. He however did have experience of running an unnamed beer-house in Canterbury about 12 years previously. He did so for a year after which time he "could not make it pay". 

1871- Joseph Perry born 1834 (also an agricultural labourer, former skewer maker -more on his family's involvement in this trade here). Wife Ann. 

1873-  a lodger had coins and buttons stolen from the premises.

1878 - Joseph Perry (also labourer)

1881 - Joseph Perry (also agricultural labourer)

1883 - Joseph Perry to his widow Ann. 

1884 - James Perry 2. John Bryant

1884 - John Briant /Bryant (later a greengrocer/ shopkeeper/ market gardener in Queens Road. John was a retired soldier) 2.) Mrs Perry (unknown first name). She was given notice to quit by Wethered's Brewery as she was caught selling beer outside of legal hours. At court she received a 15s fine for this.

1885 - proposal to close The Fighting Cocks if the immediately adjacent Nag's Head was awarded a spirit licence. An identical proposal had been accepted the previous year but paperwork wasn't filed in time so the Nag's Head spirit licence had to be applied for again this year. Proposal accepted in principle but Fighting Cocks did not close. See below. 

1889 - Proposal again made by owners to close this down in exchange for being granted full licence for Nags Head. It doesn't seem to have happened as in 1892 a second proposal is made to close it in exchange for the Wethered Brewery getting an off licence that would allow it to sell smaller quantities of bottled beer off the premises to trade customers who came from small beer houses. Their existing licence only allowed them to sell beer by the large cask or in a minimum of 24 bottles at once, which they said was too much for some of the smaller concerns who would happily come and collect their own bottled supplies direct from the brewery if permitted. Seems The Fighting Cocks was still open however until 1897. When the off licence was considered, Wethered's had suggested they would close the Cocks to encourage the magistrates to find in their favour, and the magistrates intimated they would like to see this happen. However it doesn't seem they made it an actual condition of granting the licence, so perhaps that gave the brewery no sense of hurry in the matter. 

THE ROYAL EXCHANGE 

1860 - John Langley. Fined for using short measures this year. Wife Ann. 

1861 - John Langley (John aka John Langley Senior was at the Verney Arms by 1871, see also The Crown).

1863 John Langley tried to get a spirit license for the premises but it was refused.

1869- John Langley tried again to upgrade premises to an alehouse in September. Not successful. His existing premises were large enough to host a club dinner for 150 persons in May. He opened the Verney Arms in October with an official grand opening in December. It was described as newly built premises.

Not listed in an 1872 list of beer houses. 

THE ANCHOR, on the Queen's Road side of the street.

Primarily a lodging house, albeit one with beer selling licence. Not the same as The Crown and Anchor. 

1840 Joseph Carr?

1841 - George Carr (beer seller and lodging house keeper, premises not named, but right street). Carr's Beer house "Near Marefields." . Wife was Ann.

1844 - George Carr 

1853 - George Carr 

1854 - premises for sale, "that well accustomed Beerhouse" the Anchor, Dean Street. Includes tenement adjoining and large yard.  

1857- George Carr fined 50s for having his beerhouse open for longer than the legal hours. This was a large fine for that offence. Mrs Carr represented him in court and said she had kept a beerhouse for 20 years without being summoned so we know Mrs Carr was equally involved in the business. It also suggests the possibility of the Anchor existing as far back as 1837, or of the Carrs having previously been at another house.

1860 - George Carr. Fined 2s 6d for giving short measures, one of several beer sellers caught doing the same in Marlow that year.

1861 - George Carr 2. Ann Carr widow of George.  She was a lodging house keeper and marine store dealer on the same premises as well as being a beer seller. 

1862 - Ann Carr "Anchor Beer House". Fined for having 5 people drinking in her bar after hours. She said she had lost track of time. Ann was said in the South Bucks Free Press (Nov 1st 1862) to be a good looking, blonde woman (or as it was said precisely "fat, fair and forty") who did a good trade as lodgings provider for itinerant people on the fringes of society. This made her a desirable match. A widowed man called Richardson had been playing court to her seemingly with success even though they sometimes physically fought but eventually they fell out for good. Ann told him to leave. In revenge for one night he let anyone who wanted to put their horses in her meadow and eat the grass for the sum of 6 shillings. He broke the lock in order to do this. Presumably she was keeping the grass for hay or it was thought the animals might damage the hedges or just startle Ann by their unexpected presence. An odd sort of revenge anyway. She had him arrested but chose not to appear in court to press the case and the charges were dismissed. Ann by the way was nearly 50, not 40.

1863 - Ann Carr, still also lodging house keeper and marine store dealer. 

1867 - Charles Price. Fined 21s for keeping the premises open after hours on one occasion and 10 shillings on another. Went by 1871 to Crown and Cushion Dean Street, first to live with his sister in law the landlady then to run the place himself.

1876 - George Carr, now a lodging house only. Believed to be no longer licensed at this point. Perhaps son of George and Ann above though we couldn't see such a baptism.

1897 - is still in existence and apparently licensed again as there was reference at a local coroner's inquest to a man who lived elsewhere in the town going for a drink in the Anchor, Dean Street Marlow. A resident of the premises then was an Alice Hurst.

Related Posts:

There are posts on this blog about individual families associated with certain pubs, as well as on individual pubs themselves so have a look at the Pub Related index here  & don't forget the Person Index for all mentions of someone on this blog. Find it on the top drop down menu. 

Posts about life in Dean Street and neighbouring streets here

More beer sellers than bakers -Temperance in Marlow here

Lists of posts about everyday life in old Great Marlow here

* For more on the dramatic life of William and his wife Avis see our post here.

SOURCES

Licence hearing reports, property transactions, court cases, advertising, wills etc and...

1853, 1863 Mussons and Cravens Commercial Directory from University of Leicester Archives.

Kelly's Post Office Directory - 1859, 1864, 1869, 1877. By Kelly's Directories Limited.

1833 Parish Assessment. Original record held by my family and transcribed by Charlotte Day.

1872 Beer House Listings, Old Bucks County Council Archives

Pigots Directory 1844

Census 1841,1861,1871,1881,1891 transcribed from microfilm.

Bucks Herald 3 October 1840, 17 July 1841, 9th August 1873, 22 May 1902 - held at British Library and accessed via the BNA March 2021.

Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News 14 July 1860, as above

Reading Mercury -10 November 1855, 25 September 1875,  29 November 1890, as above

South Bucks Standard July 14 1876, 20 September 1899, June 10 1904, December 25 1908, March 25th 1909 as above. 

Windsor & Eton Express January 25 1868, January 9th 1909 as above

South Bucks Free Press July 14 1860, as above and August 8th 1884 via the Bucks Free Press archives.

Maidenhead Advertiser September 4 1889, as above

Slough Eton and Windsor Observer Aug 29 1885 - Slough Library. 

Post researched and written by Kathryn Day

©Marlow Ancestors. 

Musical Chairs At The Chairmakers Arms, Dean Street, Marlow

 THE CHAIRMAKERS ARMS Great Marlow

Updated by Charlotte April 2026.

The Chairmaker's Arms in Dean Street seems to have been a pub dogged by misfortune. No one seemed to want to stay there long. As a fully licensed house, it was not subject to quite as much competition from its numerous beer shop neighbours in Dean Street as might be supposed but it never seemed to thrive.

IMPROPER PERSONS ALERT

The pub is known to have existed in August 1874, but was no more than a few years old then. It was on the Queen's Road side of the street, at the town end, very close to the Jolly Malsters pub. The first few years of the Chairmakers were marked by a rapid turnover of landlords and intermittent closures.

In 1885 John Hodgkins left the pub after a couple of years at the helm. The previous year the pub has been shut up for a while and not trading and then John had tried to have the pub transferred to a Thomas White of Wendover but this was unsuccessful. In February 1885 the brewery holding the premises was granted "holdover"  of the licence from John Hodgkin's to the brilliantly named Neighbour Wilcox, who had come from London with excellent references including from a clergyman. Neighbour Wilcox applied for a permanent licence transfer in March but this was refused after the police objected. They said that Wilcox had been harbouring "improper persons" - known thieves, prostitutes and poachers -on the premises. He was also caught in possession of nets the police believed that he was hiring out for the purposes of poaching on land and in the river. Neighbour said he'd accepted the animal catching nets as part payment of a debt from an ex lodger or, according to other reports, as security on a loan made by him to an associate at Ealing.Wilcox explained away the fishing nets on the basis he had formerly been a fisherman. He insisted that had not been aware anyone drinking on his premises had a bad reputation, he being but an innocent stranger to town. The police answered that they had physically pointed out to Wilcox those he must not serve but spot checks had found that he did serve them. Some spent what was considered a suspicious amount of time there. It was also said that on one occasion when a policeman had entered the pub, Wilcox had made a signal to another man who then hot footed it out of the premises a little too quickly for the suspicious constables liking. Especially as the man concerned was convicted thief Mr Boddy. And the so called undesirables on his premises had come by just to pay for some beer. Their habit of suddenly scrambling over the back fence of the pub on other occasions when the police were about had apparently gone unnoticed by Wilcox. (They are not named other than "Butcher" Lloyd. This is convicted poacher etc George Lloyd ) After Wilcox had the transfer refused, the pub was closed for several weeks. 

In May the temporary holdover licence was granted to Reading publican Thomas White on his second attempt. But only a month later, White said he wanted to give it up. He declared he was ill and asked for the licence transfer to A H Neighbour (Alfred Henry Neighbour previously of the Red lion and Dog & Badger, not to be confused with Neighbour Wilcox. See link below for biography of Alfred.) The bench impatiently refused yet another change so White said he'd continue a while longer. A month later a continuation of this licence was refused as the police again strongly objected to it's continuance. They said that Thomas White was in charge in name only, and in fact did not live on the premises, a condition of the licence. (Although the brewers lawyers argued the necessity of this point.) 

Of course the magistrates were more than a little annoyed by this merry go round and asked the brewery Fullers a few awkward questions about how they were choosing their candidates to put forward for licencing. 

The authorities favoured stable guardianship, with tenants there for the long term. In Marlow, they were more often disappointed in this regard than satisfied. The magistrates expressed frustration at brewery owners for effectively borrowing experienced landlords with reputations for running steady premises and parachuting them into more notorious haunts to avoid those premises being closed. There was no intention of making them stay long term. They hopefully turned a place around, or at least left as soon as the brewery could find someone else to take over. This new person was often someone less experienced who was just treading water there and getting basic experience until a more profitable pub became available. 

A full as we can landlord listing for this pub at the end of the post.

THOMAS WHITE IN CHARGE ...OR IS HE?

In the case of Thomas White, the police alleged that the person actually resident at and presiding over the Chairmakers arms was A.H Neighbour who the authorities had already refused a transfer of the licence to. Mr Neighbour denied this..but applied for the licence anyway in August. The magistrates were not impressed and refused the application. However Mr Neighbour was a determined man and applied again, only to to be refused. (You can read about him in detail here). They noted White appeared to be one of the landlords who'd never intended to stay at the Chairmakers, and in fact his wife and children had never joined him there (assuming White himself had actually ever taken up residence himself.) White admitted he'd spent a number of nights away, and that his family did not live with him. He now said his wife had taken objection to the Chairmakers and refused to come and live there, and this was in fact the real reason he wanted to give the place up. 

The town was awash with rumour that the Chairmakers might finally be breathing its last. But the brewery Fullers would not let that happen just yet. They found a man who they thought the authorities could not object to in experienced landlord and Marlow man, James Edwards of Trinity Court. (Aka Trinity Place) He was able to call several people to attest to his good character, so at last the Chairmakers had an acceptable custodian. But if the authorities breathed a sigh of relief at this, it was premature. Because just 2 years later, James Edwards was on the move again, to the Verney Arms elsewhere in Dean Street. In fact James moved around premises fairly often as a sort of "fixer" and temporary safe pair of hands for the brewery. You will find him listed under many pubs in our landlord listings.

 This latest move was not quite to the liking of James though. The Chairmakers lease had been sold by Fuller's to Henley brewery Holmes and Harper and James had been given notice by the former. Holmes & Harper asked him to stay on as manager on a temporary basis once his notice period was up, for £1 a week. This was because, surprise surprise, they did not have someone immediately available to take over. When they did, James demanded his full notice again. The brewers disputed the need for this, tried to get him ejected and were not immediately successful. Ambrose Frith eventually took over the Chairmaker's Arms.

A CRIME AGAINST YOUNG EDITH

In 1904, the pub was the scene of a crime that gives a window into life in the area at the time. Eleven year old Edith Hillsdon (in some reports Hillsden) of Dean Street was sent by her father Joseph to sell a bag of walnuts. In doing so she called at the Chairmaker Arms. Walnut trees grew at a number of locations around town and there have been many many convictions of those allegedly trespassing to gather them, or indeed steal them. There's no suggestion Edith had got hers in any underhand way, but the crop had more value relatively speaking than would be obvious to us now. On entering the pub, Edith put the bag of walnuts down on a table and turned away for a moment to speak to the landlord. Turning back round she found them missing. A tearful Edith had then to explain to her father what had happened. A witness saw her receiving a beating for the loss. Edith managed to tell her father that she believed a drinker in the pub, William Collins, had been the one to take her bag. A furious and apparently drunk Joseph went into the Chairmakers and collared Collins, throwing him to the floor and pinning him to the ground. A passing constable heard the furore and rushed in. He conducted a search and (acting on a tip off according to some) found the bag, with just one nut in it, hidden amongst timber in the yard. Collins denied wrong doing, but was charged. He later claimed to have legitimately bought the walnuts but he could not say from whom. He was fined 10s for the offence, as it was not his first conviction. 

LANDLORD LISTING-

1878- pub to let (September 14th Reading Mercury advert). Doing good trade it was said and able to sell spirits. "Chairmakers Arms Inn". A Fullers Brewery of Maidenhead pub. A Mr Cooke applied to the magistrates for the licence later that year but was refused as he could not offer sufficient testimonials as to his character.

1880 - 1.) William Holford who left the pub in March 2.) John Treadwell. He was sent to the pub by Fullers brewery several days before the Magistrates' licensing meeting could officially grant the licence to him. It was understood that though the licence was going to be in John's name, his son Frederick would run the business on a day to day basis, and both would live on the premises. The brewery and the Treadwell's thought that the magistrates would not mind a slight gap between the Treadwell's arriving and getting their alcohol licence. However an undercover police inspector charged Frederick for selling beer without a license within minutes of the pair opening the premises, which resulted in Frederick being fined 3 shillings - he was the one behind the bar. Nevertheless John was allowed to take on the licence officially. He lasted 6 months at the pub 3.) Thomas Miles.

1881 - 1). Thomas Miles 2.) John Hodgkins (alt. Hodgeskins)

1884 - John Hodgkins (proposed transfer to John Windsor falls through. For more on John Windsor see the Bricklayers Arms landlords listing) to Neighbour Wilcox then to Thomas White, (then unsuccessful attempt to transfer to A. Neighbour), then to James Edwards. See above for explanation.

1887 - James Edwards  2. Ambrose Frith.

1888 - 1. James "Jim" Stonor 2. James Millett.

1889 - 1.William Brown. 2. Alfred Lee.

1891 - Alfred Lee.

1893 - Alfred Lee -transfers premises to William Henry Taylor (latter had been granted holdover previous year).

1894 - WHF Taylor/William Taylor 2. William Herniman.

1895 -William Hernaman qv. Proposed transfer of licence back to Alfred Lee refused. Alfred would later run a grocery shop and dairy in Dean Street.

1896 - William Oliver Hernaman 2. James Cox.

1897 - Fred Herniman/Hermanean (authorities don't seem to know what spelling to fix on!) James Edward gets a holdover for the premises late this year, a second stint. See above.  He is the usual choice to temporarily take charge of a premises in Marlow when a landlord leaves until a permanent choice is made. As such he's served behind the bar in a large no of Marlow's pubs. 

1898 -  James Stroud.

1903 - James Stroud.

1906 - is reported to be shut up for a few weeks. James Stroud has left and a holdover was granted to James Henry Belchar. 

1907 - James Belcher* Fully licenced. 

1911 - James Belcher. Moved to the Carrier's Arms, Wycombe Road. More here.

1913 - Closed Permanently? Yet 1915 trade directory gives Mrs Belcher as landlady. It is common for these books to contain out of date information however.

* For more on James Belcher, see Here.

Researched by Charlotte and Kathryn, written by Kathryn.

For similar posts look under Pub Related menu here. And to find every mention of your ancestor here, use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu. More Dean Street content can be found on the menu under "Specific Shops, Streets ...ETC".

SOURCES 

Numerous adverts, licence hearing reports, premises details, and crime reports and:

Maidenhead Advertiser,19 March, 1st October 1884, held at the British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA. 

Bucks Herald, 09 February, 22 March 1884, as above. 

Bucks Free Press 21st March 1884 Bucks Free Press Archives.

South Bucks Standard 14th October 1892, 06 January 1893 , 04 November 1904, as above. 

Kathryn's landlord listing index and Charlotte's property ownership research. 

Kelly's Post Office Directory, 1903, 1907, 1920 Kellys Directories Ltd. 

This Way For Healthy Masculine Exercise

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

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

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

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

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

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

Known members:

Alfred Davis Junior

L Smith Junior (treasurer)

J Carter Junior (hon.  secretary)

J Meakes

W B Taylor

A H Harman

Q Bird

A Young

A J Tugwood

L Holland

P Charter (Carter?)

S Arber

G David

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

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

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

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

SOURCES

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

Maidenhead Advertiser 21 December 1900, as above

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

©MarlowAncestors

 

John Lunnon Taylor Grave Great Marlow

 Grave at Holy Trinity Church (no longer a place of worship). 

Grave is for John Lunnon Taylor who died 1906 aged just 38. Husband of Martha Jane.

Stone photographed September 2020.

Research:

Martha was née Fenner, the couple marrying in 1891. John's middle name came from his mother's maiden name.

John is on the 1881 census with his parents in Queen's Road, on the 1891 with his parents at nearby Marefield Place (now Prospect Road) working as a Prudential insurance agent, and on the 1901 census at Oxford Road with Martha and their children Mabel* and Arthur. John was then a furniture dealer.

Mabel junior was later in service at Caxton Villa, Mill Rd. You can read about the house and families occupying it here

For more Marlow, Little Marlow and Hurley grave pics see this index.

All mentions of someone on this blog can be hunted down on the A-Z Person Index.

Sources:

Marriage certificate GRO.

GRO birth and marriage indexes online from the GRO accessed January 2020.

Census info my transcription from microfilm except 1901 census which was from 1901 Census Online (now defunct).

©Marlow ancestors. Reproduction of photo freely permitted with credit. Reproduction of text also welcome if with a link here so sources cited remain credited for the info they provided.

Avert Your Eyes..Bathers About!

People have always bathed in the Thames, sometimes for necessity, sometimes for pleasure. The trouble for Victorian Marlow residents was quite a lot of them liked to do so in the nude. 

If you read reports of those swimming and bathing in the river early on, often in terms unfortunately of their escape or otherwise from the prospect of drowning, it's clear they are swimming naked. Or at least the men were. It was expected and not commented on in a shocked way - it's more that the fact was revealed by statements about where their clothes were found and how the fact that they were wearing none was taken as an indication they had deliberately entered the water to bathe. This wasn't something restricted to youths and it cut across class boundaries. But as the Victorian era progressed, this changed. Mutterings begin about "bathing nuisances" and "public indecency" and it became an issue that got some people very hot under the collar indeed. 

A hygienic and life preserving exercise

Back in the late 1850s, swimming was said to be "quite the rage" among the (male) youths of Marlow. A Mr Goggs had taken it upon himself to teach a number of the boys to swim. Some of the private boys schools taught their pupils to swim, for example William Faulkner's Prospect House Academy and later Marlow Place School where swimming lessons cost a "moderate fee" in 1863.

Given that many of the boys would have grown up to work on or near the river, this sounds like a good idea. The boys' minds then turned to competitive swimming. Some unnamed gentleman thought that this craze for swimming was a hygienic and life preserving exercise and to encourage the lads, set up a swimming competition in August. There were also races for men but none for females of any age. This was the start of an annual but long forgotten sporting event that attracted big crowds. About the same time an Amateur Swimming Society was formed and they took on the organisation of the swimming races, as well as matches between two close rivals. There was a cup for the most successful competitor under 16 and other races were swam for prizes like fishing rods. In 1863 the juvenile cup was won by the ever sporty Augustus Creswell. In 1865 the annual swimming race was swam between Bisham Abbey and the suspension bridge with "many hundreds" of people watching from the bridge and along the tow path. Everyone expected Augustus Creswell to win as always but he was pipped at the last by Master Povey. Povey had a very successful day overall, as he also won the diving prize. And where were the boys diving from? Marlow Bridge! The winner succeeded by diving the greatest distance and remaining the longest underwater. Thankfully all the young men resurfaced without any broken limbs. Other names mentioned as competitors include Shaw, White, Rose and Blacksmith. The younger boys had shorter races - winners include Shaw, Gibbs and Honey.  These races continued for a number of years, and were revived in the late Victorian period. 

In 1873, the Reverend Cree wanted to create a designated safe bathing place. He knew that many used the back waters behind the mill to bathe but this was not always considered very safe. Funds were raised and a committee formed but then they hit a problem. None of the landowners owning the river bank land would give up even a small part to allow the project to be realised. So the plans came to nothing. Later that summer Dr Shone's young assistant surgeon William Henry Anderson, drowned whilst swimming in those fore mentioned mill back waters. He was 23. It was said that his death meant the poorer classes in particular lost a kind, patient and skillful friend. The jury at his inquest publicly made a plea that a proper bathing place should be provided for without delay.

Wash the London dirt away

Visitors to the town were advised to get one of the fisherman (fishing guides) to take them by punt to a suitable spot for a swim. They advised only good swimmers to attempt it, but the rewards would be worth it. Joseph Ashby-Sterry, writing a travel guide for 1874, said bathing at Marlow was a pleasure for which he would "gladly give a good part of my limited earthly possessions." It was just the thing for washing off the dust of London. He recommended bathing at the weir itself, holding on to the paddles, for an exhilarating experience. He may have enjoyed this, but he was obviously unaware of the number of people who have drowned in that vicinity. 

A perpetual infestation of nudists

In the late 1870's, the problem of nude bathing was starting to be treated more seriously. In 1877 High Street chemist Charles Miller Footitt went along to the Petty Sessions to plead with the magistrates to do something about the issue. Robert Hayes Smith seconded this and said the river banks were "perpetually infested" with those who not only bathed nude but wouldn't confine themselves to the water but were to be frequently seen running along the bank, sans clothing. The magistrates were sympathetic but could only act on the transgressors if they were bought before them. 

Six years later, a meeting was held to consider the issue of a bathing place again. If everyone had somewhere particular to bathe it could be sheltered from sight and limit the spread of our streaking friends. One of the speakers William Shone, made the good point that very many of the poorest in town had no real facilities to wash themselves properly in the summer unless they used the River, with the result the river banks were constantly covered by boys and men bathing. Everyone agreed that providing a spot for comfortable and decent bathing was a good idea, but what they could not decide was where it should be. Around 1900 Colonel Clayton offered the use of Slough Pond "near Gossmore" for conversion into a bathing pool. It would be equipped with an inlet and outlet so a constant supply of Thames Water would keep it fresh. But the work and expense involved made the Council shy away from this proposal. 

Beware the young savages of Marlow

Thames Conservancy bye laws to ban bathing without wearing a suitable costume were in force here by 1891. These rules also restricted bathing to before 8am or after 8pm. But the rules were routinely flouted. The police received many complaints, and so decided in 1891 to send a plain clothes constable duo strolling by the river to catch the offenders in action. And this they did. The police said they found a pack of boys dashing about the river banks entirely unclothed like a parcel of "young savages". They managed to round up 5 boys and they duly appeared before the magistrates. They were described as "poorly dressed lads". It is not hard to understand how unrealistic it would probably have been for their families to provide them with bathing costumes, or even a spare set of dry clothes to change into if they bathed in their others. Henry and William Rockell, Joseph Boot, George Thorpe, and William Tubb were fined 2s6d each but they were warned that a second appearance would result in a  sharp fine. General Sir George Higginson, as magistrate said it was "monstrous that ladies were deterred from walking by the river in the summer evenings" because of the risk of coming across such a group. The police should have stuck with the plain clothes approach. In 1905 some groups of boys, missing their garments, were reported to be having a riotous time in the water and on the river bank, splashing and running about. A constable in uniform attempted to creep up upon them but his helmet showed him up and the boys scattered. The constable did not catch any young savages this time! 

Progress was lacking on any public facility, but a privately owned island near Marlow Lock, the property of A G Lovell and later the High Street builder Young Lovell, was by the 1890's in use as a permitted bathing spot. It was said Mr Lovell seldom refused permission to anyone asking to use it as a base for swimming. It was secluded and regarded as a safe spot. He had generously erected a shelter there for the bathers use but after this was trashed in 1892, he restricted the use of the island for a while and introduced a small charge to use the hut. It was not manned, instead you could get a ticket to use it from the lock keeper at Marlow. It was still possible to use it at the time just before the First World War. The Boys Life Brigade had also secured a piece of land adjoining the backwater of the lock for their swimming base in 1903. Non members could get a ticket to use the facilities by applying to Mr Lunnon. This was also used unofficially by other young bathers who did not want - or could not - pay. 

Not for improper purposes

By 1900 the reports of illicit nude swimmers are a little less frequent but there were those worried about the potential for indecency during the dressing and undressing process. The Thames Conservators considered the solution was for local councils to provide wood and canvas screens not less than 4ft 6 high for people to change behind. They advised the council to take steps to make sure these screens were not used for any "improper purposes". The council noted the suggestion but took no action to construct the screening. 

I go by violence!

It was this issue of changing on the river bank that seems to have caught out Munday Dean resident William Macdonald in the summer of 1908.  He was bought before the magistrates for bathing without proper dress 300 yards from Marlow Bridge. He said in court that he had a bathing suit with him and must have been observed when only briefly nude as he was changing in or out of it. The constable who witnessed William's bathing session said he had been observed standing with nothing on, in the water and splashing himself.  He then began lounging on the river bank, still undressed, while reading a newspaper and keeping an eye on his 3 unconcerned young daughters and their three friends. At the time of his arrest William said he had bathed all over the world but had never been told it was indecent and Marlow should put up some warning signs if they thought it was. The magistrates disagreed and fined him £1 plus costs. William protested strongly and shouted "I go by violence" when forcibly removed from the court - something that took several policeman. 

But what of the ladies?

The idea that women might also want to bathe was now being considered by some. Mr John Foster wrote to the local paper in 1904 wondering why such a town as Marlow, which prided itself in facilities for visitors wanting to enjoy the river, should have no bathing place for ladies. The swimming race meeting of 1911 had events for women and girls. This was open to those living in or visiting the area between Henley and Maidenhead, and made use of the Marlow Rowing Club lawn. It ended with an "aquatic drama" enacted by members of the rowing club, entitled "Attack on the Settlers Camp". Sounds an interesting entertainment! 

A bathing place at last

 The arguments about providing any kind of bathing place were still rumbling on and 20 years of council meetings on the subject produced almost identical conclusions. They loved the idea, but not the cost of putting it together. Finally in 1912, Mr Vansittart Neale offered to provide a spot to construct a bathing space in exchange for a yearly fee. This would be accessible from the Bisham side of the river and while access from Marlow was considered best, no one on this side of the river would allow it. Mrs Taylor of Stoneyware,  threatened to ban public access to the tow path if bathing was not more tightly controlled. This was in her power to do as technically she only had to allow access to those involved in towing boats. If somewhere for swimming could be properly provided, she would however donate £50 towards the initial cost. This and a promise from the Thames Conservancy that they would ban bathing from the towpath altogether if Marlow provided a free bathing place, prompted the council to action. Tenders were sought to build a 21ft long and 8ft wide dressing hut. The bathing pool itself would be 75ft long, 20ft wide, and 3-6ft deep. The bathing hut would be on the eyot with plank bridge to gain access to it from "the new road leading to Cookham" (Quarry Wood Road). In the end a 7ft diving pool was also provided, with a 16ft long springboard (6ft projection) set 3ft above the summer water line.  

Progress on getting things going was slow thanks to bad weather but the bathing place finally opened in 1913. It had a timber and iron changing hut complete with earth closet behind. It would be open all year from 7 or 8am to 7-10pm depending on the season. An attendant was present although only in the evenings and on Sunday mornings. Boys under 12 had to leave by 7 and there was signs up reminding bathers that swimming without proper costumes or drawers was forbidden and you could only get changed within the hut. Anyone hoping to laze around on the island before or after their swim was out of luck. Loitering after coming out of the water was not allowed, nor was entry if you didn't intend to bathe personally. The Thames authorities were good to their word and banned bathing from the tow path between Marlow Bridge and Bisham Grange.

Female only bathing times were introduced in 1914, although none were on Sundays. Later the changing facilities were extended and you could pay to use boxes to store your things securely while you swam. This helped to make the bathing place self supporting as it needed regular dredging and cleaning. 

Death at the bathing place

Learning to swim here probably saved many lives. A large number of people especially children have drowned in the Thames at Marlow. Sadly even the bathing place saw a drowning in 1917. The then attendant George Higgins of Dean Street, (see note 1 below) died on entering the water to save two young ladies within the bathing place who had got into difficulties. He jumped in but never resurfaced. He is believed to have suffered a heart attack. Rose Maddox Morse, a young lady of Bourne End, who was bathing there at the time managed to retrieve the unconscious George and performed artificial respiration on him although sadly he could not be saved. Rose also rescued one of the two girls who had initially got into difficulties, with the other saved by a man who nearly drowned himself in the effort. Rose rightly recieved a medal for her bravery. Thank goodness women were allowed in the bathing place! 

This spot continued to be used until the 1950's. A proposed bathing lido for Higginson Park in 1933 never took off. 

NOTES 

1. At George's inquest questions were raised about whether he had rightly been appointed. Although he had been a strong swimmer at one point, he had suffered a paralytic stroke 18/19 years before which had left him with a limp. He had told those responsible for appointing him that he was confident he could swim across the bathing place 4-5 times if necessary.  They did not ask him to prove this. It seems his death of a heart attack could not be foreseen though. He was only 59. Some of the witnesses criticised the fact that the life preserver was only half filled with cork and had no rope attached. They said Mr Higgins had complained about it. The council denied he had raised the issue. 

Related Posts

Little lives lost in The Thames here

Bellows, bricks and brandy - reviving the drowned here

The Sorry Youth of Today - 1896 style here

Biography Robert Shaw, king of the river here

All mentions of an individual here can be found under the A-Z person index in the top drop down menu. For more posts related The Thames, see the River sub category under the General Marlow History section of the same menu. 

SOURCES

Ashby- Sterry, Joseph. Tiny Travels. (Tinesley Bothers, 1874)

Taunt, Henry - A New Map of the River Thames from Oxford to London (Taunt, 1872)

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

South Bucks Free Press August 26 1859. Copy from the British Library, and accessed via the BNA. 

A Guide To Marlow 1905, anon. 

Royal Humane Society - For the Reviving of Persons apparently dead by drowning -( R.H.S - London 1783) 

South Bucks Standard August 15 1863, August 21 1891, September 16 1892 April 6 1900, May 29 1903, January 15 1904, August 4 1905, 26 July 1907, June 26 1908, June 17 1910 , July 18 1912 as above

Reading Mercury August 15 1863, June 23 1917, as above

Berks County Paper July 22 1865, as above

Bucks Herald - August 2nd 1873, June 23 1877, August 22 1891, February 10 1933, as above

Maidenhead Advertiser September 6 1911, as above

Researched and written by Kathryn Day

©Marlow Ancestors.