Ringing In The New Year, Old Marlow Style

   

I've covered Christmas celebrations in Victorian Marlow. But I realised the town had many New Year traditions too, so this post is dedicated to them. 

In the late Victorian period a New Years Eve ball was a regular feature. The Crown Hotel/Upper Crown had hosted a Christmas ball for many years. The New Year one was usually arranged for others but still hosted by the Crown. For example in 1897, it was a ball for those attending the town hall dance classes. While it was a chance for the adult pupils to dazzle their friends and family with their new skills, anyone could apply for a ticket to attend. Did they stop to mark the transition from one year to the next? Original sources don't tell us! But the balls tended to start at 9 or 10pm and continued until dawn so those attending certainly were awake at the stroke of midnight. Marlow Football Club was another of many organisations that saw their annual ball hosted at the Crown in January. 100 people attended this in 1899. 

Thames Bank house hosted a servants ball for their staff,  friends and neighbours on New Year's Eve 1875. More than 100 guests were present. The evening was organised by housekeeper Mrs Taylor and butler Mr Wilson but everyone in the household was said to have contributed to the "very pretty" decoration efforts. After 2 hours of energetic dancing to the accompaniment of a quadrille band, the dining room was opened up for supper.  The company were said to be "deeply gratified at the richness, variety and profusion with which the tables were temptingly set out". After this rest, it was back to dancing until the early hours! 

Then there was many concerts advertised for the new year although not all took place on December 31st or January 1st. The Primitive Methodist Chapel (now known as Liston Hall) traditionally enjoyed a concert, usually performed by their enthusiastic choir (40 strong) and almost always followed by a public tea in the Sunday school room. The purpose of this was to fundraise for the never quite satisfied building debt fund. If anyone was an enthusiastic giver of teas, it was the Marlow Primitive Methodists. The Prince Of Wales offered frequent concerts for New Years Eve, such as a special smoking concert and supper in 1902. Unfortunately their licence required them to close at 11pm, so they sang Auld Langs Syne just before,  followed by God Save The King of course. 

One of the most touching traditions was the large dinner provided by John Langley at the Verney Arms in Dean Street. Those invited were all men aged over 50 from the Dean Street area, which was one of the poorest neighbourhoods in town. Langley really did invite everyone, with 70-100 men in attendance. This dinner ran for many years in the late Victorian and Edwardian era. "The dinner is looked upon as a sort of reunion and looked forward to by those that take part." The men sat down at 8pm to roast beef, mutton, steak and kidney and veal and ham pies, "xmas" pudding, mince pies, cheese and celery. (1908 menu) It may have occured after Christmas but the festive fare must have been welcomed. 

"Watch Nights" were popular on New Year's Eve in the chapels in town. These were late night religious services and prayer meetings. Although many had a very long heritage in one form or another, they were increasingly suggested as a more responsible and moral alternative to the alcohol based or secular celebrations.  The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists held a joint watch night in 1902, to pray "the old year out and the new one in." The Salvation Army's watch night was sold as a musical evening, with prayers. 

One thing that probably strikes us the most when looking at advertising material from Marlow retailers is how often New Year gifts and New Year greeting cards are specifically advertised in addition to Christmas offerings. Obviously those who could scarcely afford to celebrate Christmas were not going to celebrate in any way again a week later. But so many shops took the trouble to promote their New Year offerings in the late Victorian and Edwardian period that it must have been more common to exchange cards at the time. The gifts tend to be small, with one advert suggesting they were sort of little token gift you might bring when visiting friends or family you didn't have chance to see at Christmas time itself. "This is the month for new year's gifts - you are just in time for the small present you meant to give at Christmas." (Rowe the jewellers, High Street 1908).  The stationers Smith & Co advertised that they had a "large selection of New Year presents to choose from" in 1897, not to mention calenders and diaries of course. Other shops you could browse New Year cards include Charles Page Drye's Marlow Printing Works and W H Smith (stationer not the draper of same name). Smith's also sold every novelty in calenders according to their 1899 boast. Sadly it doesn't seem any have survived so we can't see just what counted as a novel calendar design! The Printing Works was also the place to go in January for your copy of the Marlow Almanac and Directory. This carried useful information such as details of church services and court sittings, and the name, address and occupations of all those involved in trade. A handy way to get the low down on all your neighbours. 

January sales are also nothing new. W H Smith advertised their "traditional annual sale" in January 1905 with bargains in every department. It would continue for most of January. If there was something more common than a January sale, it was one that was extended due to popular demand. 

The last tradition to mention is the bellringers new year eve supper, usually hosted by the Two Brewers. Members of the Bellfry (bellringers) met for the meal which sounds at times to be rather well lubricated. They sang songs and sometimes rang hand bells as well. The ringers would then make their way to All Saints to ring out the old year and ring in the new one. Usually they rang a peal just before midnight and then rang another just after. On other occasions they rang 12 strokes at midnight itself. How many must have waited to hear the sounds of the bells

Researched and written by Kathryn Day. 

© MarlowAncestors

Related Posts 

Victorian Christmas in Marlow part 1 here and 2 here, Edwardian Christmas here

Skating on the Thames etc here

Bonfire night in Victorian Marlow here

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

Easter and May day here

Sources include:

South Bucks Standard 3 & 31 December 1897, 6 January & 22 December 1899, 3 January 1902, 6 January 1905, British Library Archive. 

Bucks Herald 9 January 1875, 3 January 1908. As above. 

Notes from Elsie Coster. 

©Marlow Ancestors 

 

A Victorian Christmas In Marlow Part One

  

The celebration of Christmas in Victorian Marlow was obviously very different for individual families, depending on their income and how much leisure they could enjoy. Every lavish feast on a well provided for family table existed because a servant or more had spent time on Christmas day working to prepare it. But it was also a time when the better off made particular effort to cheer the homes of their less well off neighbours.

Hot beef and plum pudding

One of the earliest Victorian traditions was for the children of the National Schools to be given a hot beef dinner, complete with plum pudding, on Christmas Day itself. This was paid for by Colonel William Clayton of Harleyford, and James Simpson of Spinfield. The earliest reference I can find for this is in 1833, when it's described as something that happened "as usual." It should be remembered that for much of the Victorian era most people looked forward to a beef dinner at Christmas rather than turkey or goose as is often imagined. Even when these became more common roast beef was usually on the table alongside them. In fact roast beef and plum pudding was the go to celebration meal in Victorian England for ANY occasion at ANY time of the year. Only when topped with holly did the year round party dessert plum pudding become "Christmas" pudding specifically. 

Clayton also made an annual gift of clothing to the poor at Christmas - in 1839 400 individuals received something. Christmas was also the traditional time for distributing annual gifts provided for by various old bequests and charities, not all of them specifically associated with Christmas, but it provided a convenient and easily remembered time for an annual share out. And how well appreciated the gifts must have been in winter in particular with heating costs high and fewer opportunities for casual outdoor employment to supplement the income. Beef and clothing were both popular choices, given for example by the Wethereds of Remnantz for many years, in addition to the bequests by their ancestors. In 1887, 627 poor people received a gift of shoes or clothing from the church wardens acting for the charities they were then in charge of. Marlow had many many families in need of this aid. 

The town centre shops loaded their premises with extra supplies of tempting goods for those with spare cash to hand. Thomas Fullicks, said his currants and raisins were so superior in 1843 that there "were never such Christmas puddings in Marlow as there will be this year." Just under 50 years later Mr Clifton of the High Street (later Grays, on corner with what would become Institute Rd) had decorated his windows with all the "necessaries that go towards making the most toothsome plum pudding."  In 1899 the grocers were "loading their stores with the finest and best of everything for the production of plum puddings, mince pies and almost every dainty for the Christmas dinner table." Hungry yet?  Deaths the West Street bakers were offering a new trend in 1897 - Christmas cakes in all sizes "sugared and ornamented with Christmas mottoes". 

One tradition which has long gone is for grocers, butchers, fruiterers and the like to hold "Christmas Shows." By convention, many were held on the same day by shops of the same type, but not exclusively so, especially later on. This was a day in the week before Christmas when the shopkeeper would put on display their finest produce, hoping to secure the festive trade of as many households as possible. In general the customers were placing their orders to be delivered later. They went to great lengths to decorate their premises and windows for the occasion, and their "Christmas Show day" were advertised in advance. Many of the carcass covered butchers and poulterers that appear in prints were decorated for this occasion, with the images used in advertising thereafter. Some shows lasted a day, others a couple, Death the bakers often went to 3. A while before the butchers had their show, a Christmas fat stock show would take place. This was ostensibly a livestock show, with all the animals entered being offered for sale at the end. The butchers would then compete to secure the prize winning animals, and they would advertise they had bought the best in class exclusively for their customers. The extent that these shop shows were regarded as a big occasion is easy to underestimate. The newspapers sent reporters there and Marlow shops could report hundreds of visitors in one day aside from the everyday shoppers. For example the two day shows of Mr Westbrook and Mr Creswell in Chapel Street, chiefly of beef and mutton, received several hundred visitors each in 1843. Rachel Hall of West Street also exhibited her butchers stock on the Wednesday.  The animal carcasses were described as decorated with holly, ivy and mistletoe in 1897, with other shops making use of streamers and rosettes. In 1874 the journalist reported that "The grocers and confectioners show windows have been more than usually radiant with the good things of Christmas Tide." 

Christmas Balls and Suppers

For the well off, a Christmas ball could be enjoyed, at either the Upper or Lower Crown inns before the Victorian period, moving to the assembly room at the town hall when that opened. The Crown Hotel (Upper Crown) used the latter in connection with their hotel so they were the hosts there. In 1879 hotel proprietor Susan West decorated the ball room to look like a fairy palace. The guests (around 100 of them) arrived at 10pm and only finished dancing to the Burnham Quadrille band just before dawn. With supper also served during the evening, Susan and her staff must have been more than ready for some sleep the next day. 

A tradesman's festive ball is also recorded early on, resurrected briefly in the 1840's and attended by non Marlow tradesman too. In 1844, the tradesman ball was held at the (Upper) Crown and it was noted that "such a ball has not been known for some years." It was actually held in January, given that the tradesman had little rest during the Christmas period itself. Seasonal entertainments of a different kind were the regular festive concerts in the "large room" of the Verney Arms, Dean Street. In 1870, the Verney had attracted a group of vocalists from the Cambridge Music Hall in London no less, who performed to a full house. 

The week or so before Christmas was also the time for the pubs to host their grand share out of the Slate Club funds. These were sort of friendly society where members paid in a fixed weekly amount in exchange for accessing payments from the shared funds in the event of sickness or unemployment. In 1900, 6d was the usual weekly sum. Any funds left over at the end of the year were divided between members who had paid in regularly, and the event was usually marked with a special dinner. A simple but effective savings bank. Most of the pubs hosted one at one time or another, with those at the Clayton Arms, Prince Of Wales (with 70 members in 1900) and the Verney Arms among the most established. Because they were strongly linked to pubs, some of the chapels also started Slate Clubs more suitable for alcohol abstainers. Without the slate clubs it was acknowledged that many a Marlow workman's home would "perhaps otherwise be more or less cold or desperate" at Christmas. 

And of course many larger employers also organised special dinners or suppers such as the Brewery "Christmas Box Feast" at the George and Dragon, and at the Greyhound prior to that. 

The sounds of Christmas

If we think of a Victorian Christmas we quickly think of carol singers. The church choir of All Saints did indeed make a trip around the streets, sometimes accompanied by members of the congregation, and usually on Christmas Eve. Given that they hoped to gather donations, it's no surprise they were usually described as calling at the principle houses and streets in the town. In 1872, Rev George Cree set out with 20 singers from the Church at 9.30pm and arrived back at 1am on Christmas Day, having stopped at Remnantz, the Rookery in Chapel Street, Thames Bank, The Glade (now Cedar House, Glade Road) and Highfields (demolished, off Henley Road.) The singers were traditionally offered refreshments hence the length of the tour. And yes they carried lanterns - they would have needed them especially when heading out of town to Highfield. If you did not live in one of the "principal streets" then the Salvation Army band was likely to provide your doorstep entertainment, in the 1880's onwards. They also performed in the town centre, cheering up the shop workers still working hard on Christmas Eve. And you may well have found them about on Boxing Day too, hoping to catch people in the glow of festive feeling who might drop a coin or two in the collection boxes worn around the neck. Special collections for the poor were made at the Christmas Day services at Holy Trinity and All Saints church too. Marlow's various other bands could also be found performing in the Market Square, or as the Bucks Herald put in in 1882, they made themselves "harmoniously audible."  Given that the Lane End band also made a traditional Boxing Day visit, Marlow must have sounded very lively. Hopefully they all did not perform exactly at the same time as one another! 

The other sounds closely linked to Christmas in Marlow was the traditional "ringing in" of Christmas morning, in the form of a peel of bells performed by the bell ringers of All Saints at midnight Christmas Eve going into Christmas Day. 

More Christmas Shopping

Victorian shop keepers were good at commercialising Christmas in their own way. Shops that did not normally offer toys or novelties  stocked up on them at Christmas. Marlow had it's toy shops but surprisingly perhaps the other main place to buy toys were the drapers, with every one advertising some kind or another at Christmas, such as dolls at Morgans, and clockwork novelties at Hides. The other places to expand their gift  offerings and introduce toys for the season were the printers and stationers. They were also the place to go for your Christmas cards. And yes, they began advertising them long before December! Smith & Co (High Street) offered to show customers a sample book of 345 varied and artistic designs for Christmas and New Year cards, starting at 3s 6d for 25. (1899 price) In 1900 the same shop claimed to have 10,000 Christmas cards in stock, with envelopes provided free of charge. Elsewhere in the High Street Mr Toovey offered cards "at once elegant and cheap." Look where we will "our shops are ablaze with all sorts of novelties to tempt the giver of good things" as the South Bucks Standard put it. 

And if you wanted to buy a festive outfit, Sutton's Emporium in West Street offered the "cheapest,  best and most fashionable clothing for Christmas." 

School treats

In addition to any meals provided for the youngsters attending the schools, little gifts were also often given out. The children of the Parish Church  Sunday Schools were fortunate enough to enjoy a second treat from supporters of the church.  For example, the Oxford Lane infants Sunday school nearly always had a Christmas tree, bedecked with presents provided by sponsors. "Prettily dressed dolls" , mouth organs, spinning tops, and horns were some of the delights presented to the excited children in the late Victorian and early Edwardian period. They almost always got to take home an orange and iced bun too. The children attending the Catholic convent schools had their own treats and celebrations. A magic lantern show in the adjacent Music room (public hall) was a perennial favourite. 

Part two  here deals with Christmas Day itself, more food, the Marlow Common gatherings and Boxing Day. 

Written and researched by Kathryn Day. 

Related posts:

Victorian Christmas in Marlow part 2

 here

Edwardian Christmas in Marlow here

New Year traditions here

Skating on the Thames etc here

Bonfire night in Victorian Marlow here

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

Easter and May day here

 Go to the Specific Shops, Streets etc section  to find out more about historic Marlow shops and what you could buy in them. 

©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. 

Verney Arms History And Landlords, Dean Street, Great Marlow *updated June 2025*

Name spellings are as given in the original source, even if this differs from usual as this can help provide an alternative search term to use in other records.

*Updated June 2025 to include closure information and to add more landlords* 

The Verney Arms has been demolished. It stood on the Dean Street car park/Wethered Rd side of the road, not far from Verney Close. 

1858 - Date given for granting of first licence in 1872 list of pubs and their owners and occupiers in Bucks Archives. But must have had a different name then as the Verney Arms is said to have received the name from a popular but failed election candidate Captain Verney who stood in 1868 not 1858. Could be a slip of the pen. Multiple records actually show the pub opening in October 1869. These premises were new built specifically for use as a pub and with the input of first landlord John Langley. 

1869- John Langley moved into the premises in October 1869. He had an opening dinner for 200 friends! They were entertained by a group of 6 singers bought down from London.  John gave up some but not all of his farming concerns when he started the Verney, selling off a large number of pigs, some cart horses, waggons etc. He maintained his business as a fruiterer however. The Verney Arms was then new built. John had been landlord at the Royal Exchange until a month before that, a smaller concern (but one that could still host a club dinner for 150) but left after a last unsuccessful attempt to upgrade its licence from just a beer one. Within a few weeks of John opening the Verney Arms police were called in to break up a brawl on the premises! This was probably why John's application for a wine license for his pub was refused. Read more about John and his son also John here

1871 - John Langley, also listed as a fruiterer, employing 8 men and 3 boys. Wife Ann. Their youngest child Kate, age 2, has the middle name "Verney". In 1872 he wanted to open the Verney Arms for longer hours during Marlow Fair but withdrew the application when he realised he'd have to pay for the privilege! 

1874 - John Langley - also farmer and fruiterer. The next year he applied for an alehouse license for the premises but was refused. Hosted a dinner at the pub for 40 of his workers plus some neighbouring farmers also in 1875. 

1879- Lodgers John Dennis and Benjamin Hatch have their work boots stolen from the stairs of the pub where they left them overnight. A not infrequent hazard of lodging in a Marlow pub! But as labourers, this was a hard loss for the men. Two men from Wycombe who were drinking at the pub on the evening concerned are suspects. 

1880 - Landlord John Langley still. A presentation is made at the pub this year to John Langley Jnr son of the landlord, who has just been released from prison for his part (or supposed part) in the 1880 election riots. Read more here

1881 - John Langley, wife Ann. She died shortly afterwards and John moved to the Crown, marrying it's widowed proprietor Susan West in 1883.  To read more about this see the post here He was killed in an accident at the Crown 1886. Also in 1881 John is described as a farmer of 230 acres employing 50 men and 8 boys. They sell potatoes at the Verney Arms along with the beer, although John is mainly a wholesale fruit and vegetable dealer. This was an off extremely common Dean Street occupation.

1886 - James Edwards. Came from Chairmaker's Arms Dean Street (more on that pub here). He was sent to numerous Marlow pubs to keep things going if a previous landlord quit, was having difficulties or could not have licence renewed.

1888 - John Langley junior (Proposed transfer to William Wallace Symes of Reading falls through). This John is the son of the above John Langley for whom you can read a full biography here. His wife was Ellen nee Bristow/Biggs. Also farmer and fruiterer. See Ellen's grave at Holy Trinity church, Marlow  here. And read about Ellen's parents here.

1889 - 1.John Langley 2. James Edwards again (temporary) 3. Thomas Bryce Robinson (probably Robins in fact, see below) 

1890 - 1. Thomas Bryce (or Bryan) Robins. Accusations that he allowed drinkers on the premises during prohibited hours lost him his license. He had earlier in the year escaped charges of allowing drunkenness on his premises 2. WJ Knight (hold over) 

1891 -Thomas B Rob(b)ins moved to the Clayton Arms Chalfont St Peter. Sued next tenant Edwin Funnell for value of items left behind for that tenant's use which he said he was supposed to be compensated for.  Brief holdover for Mr Deverall prior to the proper changeover. 

1892 -E R Funnell

1893 - Transfer from Edwin Richard Funnel to George William Beale

1894 - G W H Beale to William James Knight (hold over - see also 1890 above)

1895 - Transfer from James Deverall Junior and his wife who had become insolvent to James A Young. In some records James Herbert Young not James A Young.

1896 - William E Young transfers to Henry Charles Gillett

1898 - Henry Gillett

1899 - Mr Gillett to William Mills 

1901- Herbert Alfred Mills transferred to John Richard Field. (Wife Sophia) Premises known then as The Arms. Herbert lived at Dukes Place in 1902 when he was accused of abandoning his wife and family. He made several further appearances over the next couple of years on the same charge and his wife applied for a separation order in 1904.

1901-1921 John Richard Field. Still sometimes known just as the Arms until 1910 when it was firmly back to Verney Arms. Attempted then to get a spirit licence. We are not sure if it is attempt was successful. John had a popular billiards table there and hosted the occasional tournament. He died in 1920.

1921-40 Sophia Field, widow of the above. In 1928 the premises is referred for closure under plans to limit the number of licenced premises in a given area. Sophia is then selling 3 barrells of beer a week. It survives this attempt but ..

Closure decided at last in 1939 and completed in 1940 - Closed for good by the powers that be who were trying to reduce the number of licensed premises in town. Last landlady Sophia Ann Field. The authorities said that as 43 houses in Dean Street and 18 in neighbouring roads had been demolished in a recent slum clearances (one of several involving Dean Street over the next 20 years), there was no need for the pub. The fact that many of the houses had been replaced by building in Seymour Court Rd a short distance from the Verney was brushed over. Sophia said her trade had actually been increasing, despite all the disruption she'd had to put up with. But it did no good, and Sophia lost her home and business, and the 70 member slate club she hosted was also no more. Sophia died in Marlow on Christmas Eve 1941. 

To look for similar posts see the Pub Related  option on the menu and to find all mentions of any individual person use the Person Index option on the top menu. More Dean Street related content can be found indexed here

Additional research by Charlotte.

SOURCES INCLUDE

1871,1881,1891 Census transcribed from microfilm by Charlotte.

South Bucks Standard 6th January 1893, 22 May 1896, 25 Jan 1912 . Bucks Herald 28th August 1875 and 10th Jan 1880. Reading Mercury 23rd October 1869. All held at British Library Archive and accessed via the BNA, September 2020 and May 2022.

Bucks Herald 22 August 1874, as above. 

Court Cases, trade directories, property transactions and adverts also consulted.

©Marlow Ancestors. 

The Sad Case of Harriet Boddy

It is a cold but fair February afternoon in Great Marlow 1903. Hannah Allen, of Hatches Row by Dean Street is about her housework when her teenage granddaughter Eliza runs in. The girl tells her that there's a baby lying on the ground outside. A boy from the Holloway family she says, saw it first and asked her to look. Hannah glances out of her kitchen window. In the grass next to the rubbish pit known as Langley's Pit, used by the local council she can see certainly something, and she goes to investigate. 

Lying face down at the edge of the pit, is a naked, bloody newborn. Hannah remains calm. Though the child is not moving she knows that does not mean it is hopeless. She places her hand upon the little girl but finds her stone cold. Hannah removes her apron to give the girl a decent covering and sends Eliza for a constable.

The constable notes blood on the grass and a gooseberry bush by the pit. Possibly also in a privy by it which upon inquiry he finds is used by the Boddy family headed by John and Sophia of Marefield Passage. (Aka Maresfield)  Harriet Boddy, the 24 year old eldest daughter of the house is known to be expecting. 

Theirs is not a happy home. John and Sophia are by their own admission living separate lives under the same roof. They no longer share a room. The fact that Harriet has for the second time become pregnant by an unknown father is causing financial worry and resentment from the main breadwinner, dad John. With only a labourer's wage he is already a man who leaves for work at 5am at the very latest, often at 4am. He has said the child might have to go to the workhouse. His wife and daughters are no longer talking to him as a result.

Under the cover of Hannah's apron the infant is carried to the Verney Arms pub in Dean Street to await examination by a surgeon.

In the meantime the constable seeks Harriet. She is not at home but her sister directs him to their grandmother's house. There he finds her sitting with her three year old son Albert playing on her lap. She denies having given birth but agrees that a doctor can examine her.

Her grandmother takes her upstairs to await Doctor Culhane. His examination when he arrives is brief. The constable waits outside the bedroom door. Doctor Culhane tells him that there is no question about it-  Hannah has just given birth.

The constable takes her and her grandmother back to to Harriet's house in Marefield Passage. A trail of blood drips runs from the back door, up the stairs and to Harriet's bedroom. Someone has tried to wipe up a large puddle of blood on the floor beside her bed. The blanket is bloodstained.....

So began a case that horrified Marlow though it would not have surprised them. I have found multiple examples in Marlow history of dead babies being discovered in fields and ditches. Usually no parent was identified for them. The suspicion was always that the child was an illegitimate one stillborn or the victim of infanticide. At least one other case was in the immediate vicinity of Marefield.

The coroner's inquest on baby Boddy returned a verdict of wilful murder and a warrant was issued for Harriet's arrest. 

Her initial appearance in a court of law was at a special hearing at the magistrate's court where it would be decided whether or not to send the case to the Assizes. Harriet had spent the time since her arrest in jail without access to any legal advice.

Such cases were always extremely difficult. It seems that the blood on the child probably came from the birth process and a bleeding umbilical cord. There were no obvious injuries to the body. Neither were there signs of disease or malformation in the child's internal organs. Cause of death was in other words "unascertainable" using only the scientific evaluation available in the early 1900s. If the mother claimed that the child was born dead it was hard to prove otherwise. This was exactly what Harriet claimed. She said that she had not realised that she was so close to term. Her mother Sophia had intended not to leave her side close to her time. As it happened Harriet found herself alone at home when she felt labour pains. Within an hour, she said she had given birth to a stillborn child. She admitting taking the body out to the rubbish pit. Of very low intelligence according to most people who knew her, she had no real explanation for doing this. Possibly the trauma of it all. Any jury at the Assizes would have to consider whether Hannah was telling the truth or had as the prosecution argued killed her daughter by leaving her to die of exposure and bleeding by the rubbish pit.

John Boddy, Harriet's father gave evidence that suggested that the child was in fact born between 4 and 5 in the morning, hours before Harriet claimed. He said that he had heard an odd sound outside which he later took to be a newborn cry as he laced his boots before work. He also heard Harriet come in the back door just afterwards. If this was the case the entire family was at home at the time. Sophia Boddy and two other daughters would even have been sleeping in the same bedroom as Harriet. No one else in the family agreed with this version of events. Perhaps Harriet was moving about because of early labour pains, whether she was able to recognise them or not. The sound may have been her not a baby.  Why she would deny this can't be told. One thing is sure- her father's evidence was dangerous if excepted by a jury as it would destroy her claim that the child was born dead, never having drawn a breath or making a sound. It could seem to imply complicity in the concealment of birth, or worse, on the part of his wife and daughters who surely could not have failed to notice someone giving birth inches from where they slept. 

The case was sent to the Assizes. John Boddy's evidence either mistaken or even malicious was not given much weight. There a jury decided that a murder charge was not appropriate without evidence of any premeditation leaving the possible charges of manslaughter and concealing a birth still on the table. 

At this point Harriet did have a defence lawyer. She plead guilty to the concealment of birth charge only. This matched the jury's opinion by the time they heard all evidence. Her lawyer hoped she could escape without penalty given that by then she had spent 4 months in jail, was mentally incapable of proper judgement and had suffered enough already by losing the child she had been looking forward to having. In concealing the birth there could have been no premeditation. Harriet had not sought to hide her pregnancy from anyone. Nor had there actually been any real attempt to conceal the body. It was plainly visible where she had laid it. Her 3 year old Albert was not neglected. In fact he seemed a happy boy loved by his mother.

The judge was more hard-line than the lawyer or jury and said in his opinion the case bordered on manslaughter. He clearly had doubts that the child was really born dead. He imposed a sentence of 3 months hard labour.

Within a few years of the case Harriet's father died leaving Sophia and Harriet to support the family as charwomen. I do not believe Harriet ever married.

BACKGROUND:

Maresfield Passage- AKA Gas Alley in the case notes- no longer exists, neither does Hatches Row. The Boddy household had lived at Maresfield passage for many years.

There were other Boddy households in Marlow at the time. While many of those other Boddy individuals were related to one another their tie if any to John Boddy was not obvious to me upon very superficial research. John lived in Lane End before moving to Marlow. Sophia was née Collins. They married 1877.

Eliza Allen lived in Cambridge Road. She was 15 years old. She had Holloway cousins which probably included the boy who first saw the body.

Research sources:

Marriage, death and birth certificates from the GRO.

1881 and 1891 censuses transcribed by me from microfilm census page images held at a LDS family history centre., London. These would now be available online.

1901 census from Find My Past UK accessed March 2018.

Newspapers at the BNA accessed March 2018 / June 2020: South Bucks Standard 13th February 1903, Reading Mercury 27th June 1903, Bucks Herald 20th June 1903.

Great Marlow parish registers, old transcriptions by me.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

To find every mention of a person on this blog use the person Index option on the drop down menu.

© Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes if you credit this blog and link here so that my sources remain credited for the information they provided.

So far this blog contains mention of

174

people from or associated with Marlow.