GREAT MARLOW
Merelafan, Merlaue (xi cent.).
The whole ecclesiastical parish of Great Marlow,
to which Ackhampstead in Lewknor-up-Hill, Oxon.,
was added by Local Government Board Order in
1885, was divided for civil purposes into two parishes
by a further Local Government Board Order (fn. 1) which
came into operation 1 October 1896. One of these,
comprising the area of the urban district, was known
as Marlow (Urban) and the other consisted of the
remainder of the old civil parish, including Bovingdon
Green, Harleyford, Lane End, &c., called Great
Marlow. By another order (fn. 2) which came into operation at the same date part of the former civil parish of
Great Marlow, now called Marlow Urban, was constituted an urban district by the name of Great
Marlow. This was altered to that of Marlow by
order of the County Council 11 February 1897. (fn. 3)
Under the Local Government Act of 1894 a council
of nine members governs the urban district and the
regulation of Great Marlow parish affairs is vested in
a parish council consisting likewise of nine members.
The area of the urban district is 968 acres, of
which 28 acres are covered with water, (fn. 4) 105 are
arable land and 431 grass. (fn. 5) Great Marlow parish
comprises 5,706 acres of land, 26 of land covered
by water, and has 2,505 acres under the plough,
1,612 laid down in permanent grass and 846 covered
by woods and plantations. (fn. 6) The soil in general
consists of flint, chalk, gravel and loam with a varied
subsoil.
The land, which is throughout well wooded, falls
from a height of 600 ft. in the extreme north-west at
Lane End to under 100 ft. above the ordnance
datum in the south, where the River Thames marks
the southern boundary. Marlow grew up on the
banks of the river, and probably owed its importance
to its position on the high road between Reading
and High Wycombe, the connexion between which
towns is secured by the bridge, formerly of timber, for
the repair of which an indulgence was granted as
early as 1294. (fn. 7) Leland refers to it about 1535. (fn. 8)
It suffered during the Civil War, and was partly
destroyed in 1644, when Major-General Brown and
his soldiers were quartered in the church, about
which they threw up bulwarks. (fn. 9) Another bridge of
wood was built by subscription in 1789, (fn. 10) but was
superseded in 1831 by the present suspension bridge,
erected at a cost of £22,000. The old bridge crossed
the river at the end of St. Peter's Street (formerly
Duck Lane), but the suspension bridge is placed
higher up the river in line with the High Street.
The erection of the bridge and the convenience of
Marlow as a place of call probably led to the grant
of a market, and this became a centre for the surrounding country. The proximity of the river was
also a great asset to mediaeval Marlow, which placed
its church on the bank near the bridge; but the
town did not develop along these low-lying grounds,
but extended northwards and upwards on the more
healthy parts. The value of the river as a pleasure
resort and the beautiful views to be obtained of the
Berkshire side have led, however, in modern times
to the erection of several houses, which succeed one
another along the bank, their lawns sloping down to
the water-side. The swans which frequent these
reaches of the river were at one time a source of
profit, and numerous grants of their custody were
made by the Crown in the 15th century. (fn. 11) The
swans with the right to a 'Swanne marke' were
specially mentioned in the grant of the manor to Lord
Paget in 1554, (fn. 12) and a game of Swans on the Thames
and the marks belonging to it were bequeathed in
his will by John Sandes of Great Marlow to Henry
his son in 1555. (fn. 13) By the 19th century the ownership of the swans was vested in the king and in the
Dyers' and Vintners' Companies, which still send
swanhoppers every year to count and mark them. (fn. 14)
Attached to the manor were the right of free fishing
and a ferry across the Thames. (fn. 15) Private wharves,
too, were of considerable value. (fn. 16)
There was formerly an old building near the
bridge, now destroyed, known as the Conventual
Barn of Bisham Abbey. It was used as a prison for
Frenchmen during the war, and was turned into a
coal dépòt about the middle of the 19th century. (fn. 17)
It was pulled down in 1878, but the bulk of the
timbers of the roof were re-used in the new church
at Lane End.
The vicarage, close by the church in the Causeway, is a compact well-built house erected in 1863
from the designs of the late Mr. G. E. Street. It
stands on the site of a picturesque 16th or early 17th-century inn, 'The Swan.' The previous vicarage
was a small house on the east side of High Street,
referred to in the early 19th century, (fn. 18) and succeeded
one on the west side. The old parsonage-house, behind
the church in St. Peter's Street, still exists, however,
and is at present the residence of Mr. W. Morgan.
It was built late in the 14th century, and, though
partly rebuilt in the 17th century and much enlarged
at a later date, it still retains the hall of the original
house. The north and south walls of this hall each
have an original window of two trefoiled lights with
tracery under a square head and the truss of the original
roof also remains. Other 14th-century features are
now reset in parts of the house, which also contains a
large amount of good carved 17th-century panelling
and the upper part of a staircase of the 17th century.
Part of the old parsonage-house, now an entirely
separate building, the residence of Lady Frances
Legge, is called the Deinery, from confusion between
the name of the former owner (Deane) and the
modern Roman Catholic convent close by.
Borlase School, Great Marlow
At the head of St. Peter's Street, facing south, is
Marlow Place. Once the property of the Farmer family,
it passed to the Borlases and was inherited by Alice
daughter and co-heir of William Borlase, who brought
it in marriage to John Wallop, the owner in 1690. (fn. 19)
He is said to have built the present house, which was
occupied from 1720 to 1751 by George II when
Prince of Wales. (fn. 20) It is a stately house of brick three
stories in height with attics and red-tiled roofs. In
the early 19th century it was used as a hostel of the
Military College, and later, on the removal of the
college to Sandhurst, was used as a boarding school. (fn. 21)
It is now the property of Mrs. Owen Williams and
occupied by Mr. William Niven, F.S.A., J.P.
The Roman Catholic chapel in St. Peter's Street,
a small but beautiful building of flint and stone
after the designs of the elder Pugin, was founded by
the late Mr. C. R. Scott-Murray in 1846. (fn. 22) Near
to it are the school and school-house built from the
design of the younger Pugin. Opposite the chapel
is the public hall and near the bottom of the street
is the 'Fisherman's Retreat,' an inn much resorted to
by anglers.
The High Street is fairly wide and contains several
old houses of good appearance, but all refronted
with the exception of the butcher's shop in the
middle of the west side. It opens at the north
end into the so-called market
square, formed by its junction
with West and Spittal Streets,
which run at right angles. Here
is the town hall, a building of
stone, with turret and clock,
erected in 1807 on the site of
the market hall which Langley
describes at the end of the
18th century as 'a very old
miserably heavy building of
timber.' (fn. 23) Adjacent to it is
the Crown Hotel, which with
the market-house and manor
passed in 1735 to the Claytons. (fn. 24) They also acquired at
that date the 'Bear' and a
malt-house, formerly the 'Black
Boy.' (fn. 25) The latter building,
of 16th-century or probably
older date, was in Church
Passage and was pulled down
in 1870 when the passage was
reduced to an alley. (fn. 26)
In Spittal Street are a Wesleyan chapel, rebuilt in 1901,
and the Greyhound Hotel. The name of the street
probably points to the location here of the hospital
of St. Thomas, which was in great poverty in 1384,
when licence was obtained by the master and
brethren to acquire property to the value of 100s. a
year. (fn. 27) Spittal Street is continued west as West
Street, one of the older portions of the town. Here
is the Borlase school, founded in 1624, in memory
of his 'good son' Henry, by Sir William Borlase,
as a free school for twenty-four boys. (fn. 28) The almshouses in Oxford Lane were originally founded by
John Brinkhurst of the More (Moor Farm, Lane
End) in 1608 and added to by James Rolls in
1874. (fn. 29) A two-storied building in West Street
arrests the attention by an inscription on the parapet
to the effect that the poet Shelley once lived here.
The house, now divided into three cottages, is a
long, low structure of simple proportions covered by
climbing plants. Shelley was induced to settle here
by a visit to Thomas Love Peacock at Marlow in
1816, and spent the greater part of 1817 in this
house, where he composed 'The Revolt of Islam.' (fn. 30)
Opposite Shelley's house is Remnantz, a fine 18th-century house of red brick with a stable block and
clock tower of admirable design. It is the property
of Mr. Thomas Owen Wethered, J.P., of Seymour
Court, whose family has been settled in Marlow for
about 150 years. George Wethered, son of Edward
and Susannah Wethered of Penn, moved to Marlow,
where he died in 1783, leaving a son Thomas. (fn. 31) He
acquired Remnantz, which had been occupied by the
Royal Military College from its establishment at
Marlow in 1799 to its removal in 1811, and is
described as of Remnantz at his death in 1849. (fn. 32)
He left a widow Sarah and a son Owen who died
in 1862. At the death of his widow in 1881
Remnantz descended to their son, the present proprietor. The old-established brewery of Messrs.
Thomas Wethered & Sons, Ltd., stands a little to
the south, with the entrance in High Street.
On the western outskirts of the town are several
other good houses standing in their own grounds,
among them Spinfield, the residence of Mrs. Robert
Hay Murray. It is a fine red brick building in the
Italian style with beautiful gardens, whence extensive
views over the river valley are obtained. Highfields,
in the same advantageous situation, is the recentlybuilt seat of Mr. A. L1. Griffith-Williams. The house
called Gyldernscroft, formerly known as Townsend
Cottage (after a family of that name), and later The
Croft, incorporates the walls of a 16th-century building. It was once the property of the Pagets and
afterwards of the Langleys. It was bequeathed by
the historian to the family of the present owner, (fn. 33)
Gen. Sir George W. A. Higginson, G.C.B., who
came into possession on the death of his father,
Gen. Sir George Powell Higginson, in 1866. (fn. 34)
West of Highfields is Beechwood, the property of
the trustees of the late Mr. R. S. B. Hammond-Chambers, K.C., who built the new house. The
house stands in well-wooded grounds on a height
commanding a wide view towards the river. The
old house near the Henley road was purchased in
1863 by Frank Smedley, the author of Frank Fairlegh,
who died here the following year. (fn. 35)
In the north of the town is the poorer, more
thickly-populated quarter served by Holy Trinity
Church. Here are also the new Church of England
boys' school, the cemetery and the police-court.
The station is a terminus on a branch from Bourne
End of the Maidenhead and High Wycombe section
of the Great Western railway, and is situated on the
outskirts of the town to the south-east. There are
many handsome villas and smaller bungalows along
the banks of the river. To the east of the High
Street is Thames Bank House, the residence of
the late Mr. Thomas Somers Cocks, D.L., formerly
M.P. for Reigate. He inherited the property from
his father, to whom it was left by his sister, the
widow of Vice-Admiral Sir James Nicoll Morris,
K.C.B., the commander of the Colossus at Trafalgar,
who died here. The house is now sold and let to
summer visitors. Beyond is Thames Lawn, the residence of Mr. James Boyton, M.P. Beyond Thames
Lawn are the Marlow paper-mills. To the west of
the bridge is Sunny Bank, the residence of Mrs.
Stanley Edwards, and north of this stands Court
Garden, the seat of Mr. Robert Griffin, J.P. It
was formerly the property of the Pagets and was sold
by Henry Earl of Uxbridge in the middle 18th century to Dr. Battie, who built the house, a tall red
brick building. (fn. 36) Dr. Battie died in 1776, (fn. 37) and his
eldest daughter sold Court Garden to Richard Davenport, (fn. 38) Sheriff for Buckinghamshire in 1789. (fn. 39) At
his death, ten years later, (fn. 40) the property passed to
Davenport Bromley, who never lived there. (fn. 41)
About 2 miles west of the town on the river-bank
is Harleyford House, the seat of Sir William Robert
Clayton, bart. The original manor-house of the
Pagets suffered greatly during the Civil War, and
the present house was built near the site of the old
one pulled down in 1755. (fn. 42) It is a red brick building in the Palladian style, designed by Sir Robert
Taylor, (fn. 43) two stories in height with attics and a half
basement; the drawing room walls are decorated
with some good plaster-work. The house stands in
the midst of well-timbered, park-like grounds, but its
charm is in its gardens with lawns sloping down to
the river.
The country round Marlow is exceedingly pretty
and covered with beautiful beech woods. To the
north-west of the town is the small hamlet of
Bovingdon Green and beyond it stretches Marlow
Common. Across the parish runs Marlow Bottom,
one of the narrow, deep valleys so common in this
county, which leads about 2 miles north of Marlow
to the old farm-house of Munday Dean. The principal road north of Marlow leads to Oxford and
rises continuously to Lane End, on the parish
boundary. About 1 mile north of the town it
passes Seymour Court, a square-built modern house
and the seat of Mr. T. O. Wethered. The old house
was practically destroyed in the Civil War, and
portions of the garden wall were all that was left of
it at the end of the 18th century. (fn. 44) The tradition
that this house was the birthplace of Lady Jane
Seymour, queen of Henry VIII, seems to have no
foundation in fact; the Seymours who lived here
before that date appear to have been an entirely
distinct family. To the west of Seymour Court is
Copy Green Farm. (fn. 45)
A mile beyond Seymour Court a lane leads west off
the high road to Widmere Farm House, belonging to
Sir William Clayton and occupied by Messrs. David
White & Sons. The situation is a remarkably fine
one, with beautiful views of the quiet country-side
with its woods and valleys. Most of the farm-house
is modern, but the chapel of the Hospitallers still
exists. It adjoins the east end of the farm-house, of
which it now forms a part. It is a rectangular
building consisting of chapel with undercroft dating
probably from the early 13th century, and appears to
have been attached to a large building of that period.
Windows were inserted in the south wall in the 14th
century, and about 1600 the chapel was divided into
two floors and converted into a dwelling-house. The
building, which is roofed with tiles, is of flint and stone
and the north and east walls are coated with roughcast. The undercroft, lighted by holes in the south
wall, is vaulted in two aisles of four bays each, and has
a central row of circular columns with plain capitals
and bases and semicircular wall shafts with grooved
capitals and high square plinths. The arches are
segmental with chamfered edges, and the vault,
probably of Totternhoe stone, is now thickly coated
with whitewash. The chapel has a large early 14th-century window on the east, now blocked, above
which is a vesica-piscis light. In the south wall are
three 14th-century windows, the westernmost entirely
blocked, while the other two have been blocked in
the upper parts, their sills cut away and modern
doorways inserted. Each of these was of two trefoiled lights with tracery above under a two-centred
head. The tracery of the easternmost has been
destroyed. In the north wall are two blocked 13th-century lancets and a modern window, and at the
south-west is a 17th-century dormer. A blocked
doorway and parts of windows built into the walls
of an out-house on the west are probably re-used
15th-century work. The undercroft, which is said
to be connected with Seymour Court by an under-ground passage, is now used as a dairy.
Remnantz, Great Marlow
Finnamore Farm, west of Widmere Farm, and the
old workhouse in the south-east of the parish are
both of 17th-century date, but the former has been
much restored in modern times.
The country to the north of Marlow is chiefly
under cultivation and there are many farm-houses
scattered over the parish. Among them is the old
farm-house of Homers with a fine cluster of chimneys,
which lies on the eastern boundary about 3 miles
north of Marlow. Oldhouse Farm, Hill, Burford
and Lower Farms farm the land eastward of
Marlow.
The road continuing north from Widmere skirts
the woods called High Heavens and Hill Green, and
leaving Beacon and Redbarn Farms on the left and
Cutlers Farm on the right, reaches Lane End about
2 miles distant. The parish of Lane End formed
from Great Marlow, Hambleden, Fingest and West
Wycombe has an area of 1,270 acres. The soil is
sandy and the subsoil gravelly, producing crops of
wheat and barley, but the inhabitants are principally
engaged in the manufacture of chairs and in an ironfoundry and agricultural works. The parish is served
by the church of the Holy Trinity on Ditchfield
Common. There is also a Wesleyan chapel built in
1865 and a Gospel mission hall dating from 1888
at Moor End. At
Moor Farm, to the
south of Lane End,
some of the buildings are of 17th-century origin and on
the land belonging
to the farm are the
ruins of Ackhampstead Chapel, of
which only fragments
of the walls remain.
It is said to have
been rectangular on
plan and to have
been lighted by lancets. Moor Farm
was the residence in
the 17th century of
John Brinkhurst, the
founder of the Oxford Lane almshouses, who died in
1614 owning land
called Mooreland. (fn. 46)
The monument in
Marlow Church to a John Brinkhurst who died in
1681 is probably that of his nephew and heir, who
forfeited his lands in 1653 for recusancy. (fn. 47) Among
the seats in this parish is Wycombe Court, the residence of Mr. H. H. Worthington, J.P., a house in
the oriental style surrounded by beautiful grounds.
It was built by — Forjett, of the East Indian Police,
who settled here on a pension received for giving
important information during the Mutiny.
Neolithic celts of chipped flint have been picked
up at Great Marlow and principally dredged from
the river, (fn. 48) and a timber boat of the Bronze Age was
found in the river in 1871. (fn. 49) The Roman remains
consist of two small bronze human figures and a fibula
which were discovered in the late 18th century. (fn. 50)
Among place-names those of Oxenford and Eliote
Streets occur as far back as the 14th century. (fn. 51)
Akenhanger and Radelisgrave Lane are also 14th-century names. (fn. 52) Chapel Street occurs in the 15th
century (fn. 53) and Gomme Lane, Spittle Street, Marefield
are mentioned in the 16th. (fn. 54) There are references
to West Street and Prentis Street in the 17th
century (fn. 55) and also to lands called Stalys (fn. 56) and Platts
and Over Dells Farms. (fn. 57) Among 18th-century names
are Loogtrough Close, Oster Paddock and Virgins
Coppice. (fn. 58)
BOROUGH
As no town records exist for Great
Marlow, very little is known of the
history of the borough, but as a mesne
borough held by the lords of Great Marlow Manor, (fn. 59)
with which it was granted to William Lord Paget in
1554, (fn. 60) it never in the mediaeval period achieved
any real independence. The position of the town
where the highway crossed the river must have
attracted traders at an early time and burgage rights
had been obtained by 1183. (fn. 61) The records of the
following century show that the traders of Marlow at
that time dealt not only in wheat and hides but in
cloth as well. When offenders against the assize of
cloth were fined in 1241 one of the pledges is
described as Richard the Dyer
of Marlow. (fn. 62) The rent paid
by the burgesses was assessed
at 13 marks in 1280, (fn. 63) but
was farmed by the Earl of
Gloucester in 1307. (fn. 64) Entries
in the old church books for
1592 and 1616 record that
it was paid to the bailiffs of
the lord. (fn. 65)
Return of writs and other
regalian rights, together with
pillory and tumbril, were
claimed in the borough by the
lord, (fn. 66) who had also view of
frankpledge with common
fine, courts leet and baron
and free warren. (fn. 67) These
privileges were said to be attached to manor and borough
throughout the 17th and 18th
centuries. (fn. 68) A complaint was
made in 1276 that while the
borough was in royal hands the bailiffs of the lord
had taken the fines of the assize of bread and ale
without warrant. (fn. 69) The organization among the
burgesses appears to have been of the slightest
character and chiefly in connexion with the chantry
of St. Mary, the presentation to which was said in
1394 to have been vested in them from time
immemorial. (fn. 70) There was probably a close relationship between the founding of the chantry and the
upkeep of the bridge over the Thames which secured
communication between Reading and High Wycombe
and upon which the welfare of the town largely
depended. Reference to the warden of the bridge
occurs as early as 1227, when John de Waltinton,
the officer at that time, received an oak for the works. (fn. 71)
To ensure its good repair grants of pontage were
continually given, at first to the Earls of Gloucester,
who received one for four years in 1310, when the
bridge was decayed and broken, (fn. 72) and one for three
years in 1315, (fn. 73) but when the manor was in the
hands of the Despensers the burgesses appear to have
seized the opportunity given by their various periods
of disgrace, as grants of pontage from 1353 to 1405
were made to the 'good men' of Marlow or to the
bailiffs and good men. (fn. 74) John Seymour, who came of
a burghal (fn. 75) family, by his will dated 7 October 1565
left to the bridge 'one convenient oke' for every year
during the next sixty years after his death that repairs
should be needed, the bridge-masters or wardens to
bear the cost of felling and carrying; he also
bequeathed to it 20s. for the same period from a
wharf there. (fn. 76)
Gyldernscroft, Great Marlow
An attempt to incorporate the town was made by
John Rotherham of Seymours, who by his will dated
24 September 1600 left £40 towards procuring a
charter and purchasing a market. (fn. 77) No steps,
however, were taken in the matter. Among the
privileges exercised by the lords of the manor in
Marlow was that of holding a market, (fn. 78) from which
the town was sometimes called Chipping Marlow. (fn. 79)
The market was established as early as 1227–8, when
the town demanded that new customs should be
settled by the justices of assize, the bailiffs of the
Earl of Gloucester having against the custom taken
½d. from every good measure of corn sold there. (fn. 80) In
1280, however, it was stated that the Earl of Gloucester purchased the market from the king about 1260. (fn. 81)
The market-place (forum) was then said to be later
than the former eyre of the justices. (fn. 82) The tolls were
placed out at farm by the earls, (fn. 83) but the market had
lapsed before 1600, when John Rotherham left money
to re-establish it. (fn. 84) This proviso never came into effect
and Great Marlow appears to have remained without
a market until 1780, when one held on Saturday
was purchased by the ancestors of General O. L. C.
Williams of Temple Park, Bisham, the owner in 1891. (fn. 85)
It was said to be ill supplied before the middle of the
19th century (fn. 86) and shortly afterwards lapsed.
In addition to the market there were two fairs
mentioned in the early 14th century as occurring on
St. Luke the Evangelist Feast Day and Wednesday in
Whitweek, (fn. 87) the latter being extended in 1525 to the
two following days. (fn. 88) At the end of the 18th century
these fairs were held on 29 October and 1,2,3 May, (fn. 89)
but by 1813 the May fair occupied two days (fn. 90) only
and had been further reduced to one day and had
died out before the middle 19th century. (fn. 91) Since then
only the fair for cattle on 29 and 30 October is held.
Great Marlow returned two members to the Parliaments of 1301, 1304–5, 1306, 1306–7 and 1307, (fn. 92)
when the right was permitted to lapse for over 300
years. It was re-established in 1624 (fn. 93) with that of
Amersham (q.v.), and two members were regularly
returned until the Act of 1867 reduced the number
to one. (fn. 94) The representation of the borough was, however, merged in that of the county by the Act of 1885.
The borough was wholly within the parish until
1831, when Little Marlow, Medmenham, and Bisham,
Berkshire, were added. (fn. 95) The right of election was
in the inhabitants paying scot and lot, the constables
of the town acting as returning officers. (fn. 96)
MANORS
In the second quarter of the 11th
century land at Marlow which he had
purchased of his father for 250 'mancuses'
of gold by weight was given by Athelstan to St. Peter. (fn. 97)
GREAT MARLOW MANOR was held before the
Conquest by Earl Algar and was bestowed upon
Queen Maud, among whose lands it was assessed
at 15 hides in 1086. (fn. 98) It became attached to her
honour of Gloucester, as a part of which it was afterwards held of the Crown in chief, (fn. 99) and descended with
it to Robert Fitz Hamon. (fn. 100) After his death in 1107
it was bestowed with his eldest daughter Mabel on
Robert Fitz Roy, illegitimate son of Henry I, (fn. 101) created
Earl of Gloucester c. 1121. (fn. 102) His son William Earl
of Gloucester held Great Marlow, which passed at
his death in 1183 to his eldest daughter and co-heir
Mabel wife of Aumary de Montfort, Count of Evreux. (fn. 103)
She is mentioned in connexion with Marlow in 1195, (fn. 104)
and on her death three years later the manor descended
to her son Aumary Count of Evreux. (fn. 105) On account
of his resistance to King John his lands in England
were forfeited, with the exception of Marlow, which
was exchanged for Evreux in Normanday. (fn. 106) Aumary
therefore retained the manor until his death, (fn. 107) which
took place between 1210 and 1213, at which latter
date his widow Millicent received one-third in dower. (fn. 108)
His heir Gilbert de Clare Earl of Hertford and afterwards Earl of Gloucester, son of his mother's sister
Amicia, (fn. 109) was ordered in 1217 to restore Great
Marlow to Millicent and her second husband William
de Cantelupe, (fn. 110) but by a subsequent arrangement
Millicent renounced her rights (fn. 111) and the manor passed
on Gilbert's death in 1230 to his son Richard de Clare. (fn. 112)
A claim to the manor seems to have been made by
Richard Plantagenet Earl of Cornwall, (fn. 113) who had
married Gilbert's widow Isabel, but it was of a
transitory nature and Marlow was inherited at
Richard de Clare's death in 1262 by his son Gilbert
Earl of Gloucester and Hertford. (fn. 114) On his marriage
in 1290 with Joan daughter of Edward I Marlow
was settled on them, (fn. 115) and was inherited by their son
Gilbert at his mother's death in 1307. (fn. 116) He died
without issue in 1314, (fn. 117) Marlow being allotted to his
widow Margaret in dower, (fn. 118) but by 1316 it was the
property of Hugh le Despenser, jun., called Earl of
Gloucester, (fn. 119) who had married Eleanor sister and
co-heir of Gilbert de Clare. (fn. 120) He remained in
possession of the manor until his banishment in
1321, (fn. 121) when it was disposed of by the king, (fn. 122) but
regained it on his return in the following year. (fn. 123)
Notwithstanding his hanging and forfeiture in 1326, (fn. 124)
Marlow was bestowed in dower in 1328 on his widow
Eleanor, (fn. 125) who with her second husband, William
Lord Zouche de Mortimer, alienated it in 1332 to
Anthony Citeroun and Nicholas de Salvo for their lives. (fn. 126)
Hugh le Despenser, her son and heir by her first
husband, died without issue in 1349, leaving as heir
Edward the son of his brother Edward. (fn. 127) He, who
received licence in 1362 to grant to Little Marlow
Priory 2 quarters of corn and 3 of barley from his
manor of Marlow, (fn. 128) was succeeded in 1376 by his son
Thomas, aged two, (fn. 129) during whose minority the custody
was granted to John Salesbury. (fn. 130) Thomas le Despenser
was beheaded in 1400 and Marlow was obtained by
his widow Constance in dower, (fn. 131) although in 1405
Joan, queen of Henry IV, received the custody during
the minority of Richard son and heir of Thomas le
Despenser. (fn. 132) Richard having predeceased Constance,
whose death took place in 1416, his sister Isabel wife
of Richard Beauchamp Earl of Worcester inherited
the manor. (fn. 133) As widow of her second husband,
Richard Beauchamp Earl of Warwick, she made a
settlement of the manor in 1439 (fn. 134) and died in the
same year, leaving Marlow to her son and heir Henry
Earl and afterwards Duke of Warwick. (fn. 135) At his
death in 1446 he left a daughter Anne, (fn. 136) who died
an infant three years later, when her father's sister
Anne wife of Richard Nevill Earl of Warwick (fn. 137)
inherited Marlow and also Buckland, (fn. 138) with which it
descended until about 1515. In that year a twentyone years' lease of the manor was granted to Tucher
Bold, (fn. 139) and in 1529 a twenty-one years' lease in
reversion was obtained by William Roper. (fn. 140) Roper
transferred his interest to John Daunay, (fn. 141) but in 1536,
about the time of the expiration of the lease to
Tucher Bold, the latter obtained another twenty-one
years' lease for Thomas Bold. (fn. 142) Further complications
arose on the grant in 1554
of the manor in reversion to
William Lord Paget of Beaudesert. (fn. 143) The Bolds conveyed
their leasehold interest to
Lord Paget, (fn. 144) whereupon Bartholomew Daunay, to whom
his brother John had mortgaged Marlow in 1553, (fn. 145)
brought an action to recover
his rights. (fn. 146) The parties
arrived at a settlement, which
in its turn was challenged by
John Daunay on the ground
that his brother had tricked
him over the mortgage by
absenting himself when the payment became due. (fn. 147)
William Lord Paget also owned Iver (q.v.), with
which Great Marlow descended (fn. 148) until 1669, when
it was conveyed by William Lord Paget, son of the
William who died in 1628, (fn. 149) to Thomas Moore. (fn. 150)
By his will proved 24 March 1672 Thomas left his
lands to his brother Robert Moore, (fn. 151) lord of the
manor in 1673, (fn. 152) but it passed shortly afterwards to
Sir Humphrey Winch, bart., who was already living
here in 1670 (fn. 153) and who represented the borough in
the Parliaments of 1679 and 1685. (fn. 154) In 1686 he
sold the manor to the trustees of Lord and Lady
Falkland, (fn. 155) but Lord Falkland, who was M.P. for
Marlow in 1689, (fn. 156) parted with the manor in 1691
to Sir James Etheridge, kt., (fn. 157) member for Marlow
from 1695 to 1713. (fn. 158) He retained the manor until
1719, (fn. 159) when it was acquired by Sir John Guise,
bart., (fn. 160) member for Marlow, 1722–7. (fn. 161) After his
death in 1732 (fn. 162) his son Sir John Guise, bart., acting
in accordance with the terms of his father's will, (fn. 163)
alienated Great Marlow in 1735 to Sir William
Clayton, bart. (fn. 164) He died in 1744 (fn. 165) and his son and
heir Sir Kenrick in 1769, (fn. 166) leaving a son and heir
Sir Robert. (fn. 167) On the death of the latter without issue
in 1799 Great Marlow was inherited by his cousin William
Clayton, (fn. 168) who appears to have
been recognized as heir in
1784. (fn. 169) He, who was sheriff
in 1810, 1812 and 1814, (fn. 170)
was succeeded in 1834 by his
son Sir William Robert Clayton, bart., (fn. 171) who was member
for the borough from 1831
to 1837. (fn. 172) On his death in
1866 his estates passed to his
grandson Sir William Robert
Clayton, bart., the present
lord of the manor.
Clare. Or three cheverons gules.
Despenser. Argent quartered with gules fretty or a bend sable over all.
Beauchamp. Gules a fesse and six crosslets or.
Nevill. Gules a saltire argent charged with a rose gules for difference.
Paget of Beaudesert. Sable a cross engrailed between four eagles argent with five lions passant sable thereon.
Clayton of Harleyford, baronet. Argent a cross between four roundels sable.
HARLEYFORD MANOR
HARLEYFORD MANOR
in Great Marlow, which probably took its name
from Hurley-ford, being opposite to Hurley, Berkshire, originated in 1 carucate of land subinfeudated
before 1183 by William Earl of Gloucester, (fn. 173) of
whose descendants it was afterwards held. (fn. 174) The
tenure was unknown in the early 17th century. (fn. 175)
This land was obtained from Earl William by
William Pincerna, whose son Humphrey maintained
his right to it in 1195 against Richard son of Roland. (fn. 176)
Walter Pincerna had succeeded by 1207, (fn. 177) but by
1269 this estate had passed to William de Harleyford. (fn. 178) In 1289 and 1290 William and Geoffrey de
Harleyford made settlements of land in Marlow, (fn. 179)
and other members of the family are John, mentioned
in 1307, (fn. 180) Geoffrey, whose name occurs in 1308, (fn. 181)
and Thomas, 1340. (fn. 182) A Thomas de Harleyford had
lands here about 1362, (fn. 183) but the family appears to
have died out and their possessions were purchased by
John Flegg, who is called of Harleyford in 1464,
when he was pardoned for debts incurred while
escheator of Beds. and Bucks. (fn. 184) The manor so called
for the first time was settled on him and his wife
Agatha and their issue, but after his death was settled
by Agatha on her second husband, James Cawood, for
life. (fn. 185) Agatha died in 1478 (fn. 186) and James Cawood in
1481, (fn. 187) when the heirs were Agatha and Joan Lovell,
daughters of Richard Lovell and Agatha, whose
mother Joan, the wife of Sir Theobald Gorges, was
daughter and heir to the Fleggs. (fn. 188) Agatha and Joan
Lovell immediately brought an action against the
feoffees, who refused to make an estate of it to them. (fn. 189)
It was afterwards sold by Robert Wright to William
Sandes, (fn. 190) who died in January 1492–3. (fn. 191) His son
Robert called of Harleyford died in the summer of
1509, leaving as executrix his widow Margaret, (fn. 192)
against whom and her second husband his son and
heir John had some trouble later in establishing his
claim to the estate. (fn. 193) By 1533 Edmund Lord Braye
was in possession of Harleyford, (fn. 194) but conveyed it in
1536 to Tucher Bold. (fn. 195) In 1542 the latter obtained
licence for a priest to officiate in his house at Harleyford on account of the distance from the parish
church, (fn. 196) and in 1543 he settled the manor on himself and his wife Agnes for life with reversion to his
nephew Richard Bold of Bold, Lancashire. (fn. 197) Richard
Bold held Harleyford in 1556 (fn. 198) and was succeeded
in 1558 by his son another Richard, (fn. 199) who made a
settlement of the manor in 1571. (fn. 200) During his
absence in the Low Countries his manor-house was set
on fire, 1,000 marks damage being done, for which
one Heywood was summoned in 1586–7 before the
Privy Council. (fn. 201) In 1597 Richard Bold conveyed
Harleyford Manor to Miles Hobart, citizen and clothworker of London, (fn. 202) at whose death four years later it
descended to his infant son Miles, (fn. 203) who attained his
majority in 1621. (fn. 204) He was knighted in 1623 and
sat in Parliament 1627–8 as member for Marlow. (fn. 205)
During the debate of 2 March 1629 he locked the
door of the House of Commons and pocketed the key,
for which action he was sent to the Tower and not
released until 1631. (fn. 206) In the June of the following
year he was killed by the overturning of his coach
down Holborn Hill, (fn. 207) leaving as heirs his second
cousins John Rous, clerk, and Margaret Holborne, wife
of Oliver Ridge. (fn. 208) Harleyford was divided between
them, (fn. 209) but both moieties were acquired in 1638 by
William King and Ralph Chase. (fn. 210) Trouble arose
through Margaret's father William Holborne having
been attainted for piracy in 1592, and her moiety
was said in 1640 to be in the hands of the escheator,
William Lord Paget, Rous's claim being allowed in
the same year. (fn. 211) Lord Paget finally obtained the
manor in fee, (fn. 212) the manor-house of which became his
chief residence in this parish, and it henceforward
descended with his manor of Great Marlow (q.v.).
Bold of Bold. Argent a griffon sable with beak and legs or.
Hobart. Sable a star or between two flaunches ermine.
Six hides 1½ virgates in Marlow held formerly by
Godric, a man of Asgar the Staller, were among the
lands of Walter de Vernon in 1086. (fn. 213) These may
have formed the nucleus of WIDMERE MANOR,
the property of the Knights Hospitallers, who are
mentioned first in connexion with Marlow in 1248,
when the prior acquired lands in free alms from the
master of St. Thomas's Hospital, Southwark. (fn. 214) The
prior was accused in 1254 of neglecting to make suit
at the hundred court for his land here, (fn. 215) said in 1268
to consist of a messuage, 2 carucates of land and 2s.
rent in Marlow and a messuage and 2 carucates of
land in Widmere. (fn. 216) Their property was augmented
in 1307 at the dissolution of the Templars, (fn. 217) who
had claimed view of frankpledge in 1254 from lands
here and in Little Marlow mortgaged by the chief
lord of the fee, by which transaction the king had
suffered an inestimable loss, the Taylard family ceasing
to owe foreign service to him. (fn. 218) Although it was
expressly stated at this date that Widmere Manor had
belonged of old to St. John of Jerusalem, (fn. 219) the acquisition of the Templar lands in Marlow caused Widmere to be described in 1338, when it was farmed at
15 marks, as the ancient property of the Templars. (fn. 220)
The live stock and wool on the manor were sold in
1333 to the Bardi and Peruzzi, (fn. 221) and in 1336 the
manor was leased to William de Langeford, (fn. 222) who
was excused in 1339 from finding men-at-arms for
the defence of Southampton. (fn. 223) In 1357 the prior,
when cited by the Bishop of Lincoln to appear before
the Bishop of London, ill-treated the messenger,
Simon Ward, by throwing him into a stank of water
at Marlow and wounding him, afterwards leading
him through the town on his horse, worth 100s.,
whose tail and ears had been cut off. (fn. 224) Widmere
Manor was leased in 1518 to William Harris for
fifty-one years at £12 per annum, (fn. 225) the interest in
which rent was transferred by the prior in 1539 to
Sir Francis Tanfield of Gayton, Northants, who
likewise obtained a thirty years' lease of the manor,
dating from Michaelmas 1570, at 20s. rent. (fn. 226) A
grant of Widmere in fee was made in 1541 to John
Lord Russell, (fn. 227) lord of Isenhampstead Chenies (q.v.),
with which it descended (fn. 228) until its alienation in 1623
by Francis Russell, Lord Russell of Thornhaugh, to
Sir William Borlase, (fn. 229) lord of Little Marlow Manor
(q.v.), with which Widmere descended until 1648,
when a rent issuing from it appears to have been settled
by Sir John Borlase, bart., on his brother William, (fn. 230)
M.P. for Marlow 1659, 1660 and 1661–5, (fn. 231) who
died in 1665. (fn. 232) His son John Borlase, (fn. 233) who was
M.P. for Marlow 1679–81, (fn. 234) was in possession of
the rent in 1679 (fn. 235) and died in 1681, (fn. 236) when his
sisters and heirs, Ann wife of Thomas Wingfield,
Mary, Alice and Henrietta Borlase, spinsters, (fn. 237) united
with their cousin Sir John Borlase, bart., of Little
Marlow, to levy a fine of the manor. (fn. 238) These four
sisters, Henrietta and Alice having married Sir Richard
Astley, bart., and John Wallop respectively, alienated
the manor in 1687 to Richard Grenville, (fn. 239) their
cousin, (fn. 240) lord of Wotton Underwood, with which
Widmere descended until 1747, when it was conveyed
by Richard Grenville-Temple to Daniel Moore. (fn. 241)
The latter sold it in 1763 to William Clayton, (fn. 242)
brother of Sir Kenrick Clayton of Great Marlow
Manor and M.P. for Great Marlow in 1761, 1768,
1774 and 1780. (fn. 243) He was succeeded in 1783 (fn. 244) by
his son William, (fn. 245) M.P. for Marlow 1784, (fn. 246) who
inherited the title and Great Marlow on the death of
his cousin Sir Robert Clayton in 1799, (fn. 247) since which
date the two manors have had a similar descent.
The so-called MANOR or FARM of SEYMOURS
was held by Muchelney Abbey, Somerset, before the
Dissolution, and was bestowed with it on Edward
Seymour Earl of Hertford. (fn. 248) In 1542 he exchanged
these lands in Marlow with the king, (fn. 249) by whom they
were bestowed in the same year on the Dean and
Chapter of Bristol Cathedral in free alms. (fn. 250) They
were held on lease under the dean and chapter (fn. 251) until
about 1862, when the freehold rights were purchased
by the Wethereds (see below).
A lease of Seymours had been obtained in 1541
from the Earl of Hertford by John Seymour (fn. 252)
(Seamer), of whose family there is record in Marlow
from the 14th century (fn. 253) ; this lease was confirmed to
John Seymour by the dean and chapter in 1549. (fn. 254)
After his death, c. 1567, trouble arose over vestments
of cloth of gold worth 100 marks which had been
entrusted to him as 'gardeyn or well wyller' of
Marlow Church, and one cope of which had been
bestowed on St. Peter's in St. Albans by his widow
Alice. (fn. 255) The churchwardens brought an action in
Chancery to recover them, and denied that they had
been sold by the commissioners of Edward VI to
Seymour. (fn. 256)
By his will Seymour had left the farm to his
widow for twenty-nine years, with reversion to his
executor Hugh Dawson, cook, in case of her marriage
or death. (fn. 257) The lease came to Dawson, who at his
death, c. 1580, left it for fifty years to his widow
Katherine. (fn. 258) She afterwards married Thomas Symond,
and the leasehold interest in Seymours passed to her
daughter Cicely and her husband George Horde, who
sold it to John Rotherham, (fn. 259) called of Seymours
in 1587. (fn. 260) By his will dated 23 September 1600
Rotherham left the use of the mansion-house for two
years to his wife Lettice. The Old Hall, with the
'newe buylded Garners,' the kill-house and maltinghouse and the lodging wherein his nephew William
Willoughby dwelt with his children, was left to the
latter, whom he made his executor. His widow and
Willoughby were to have the joint use of the kitchens,
ovens, cellars, ponds, &c., and after Rotherham's debts
were paid the residue of the estate was to be divided
among the 'poor infants' of Willoughby by his late
wife Katherine. (fn. 261) John Rotherham died in December
of the same year, (fn. 262) and William Willoughby inherited
the lands settled upon him, among them Cublington
(q.v.), with which Seymours descended until the
expiration of the lease.
In 1633 two leases of Seymours were assigned by
the dean and chapter to the trustees of Eleanor wife
of Sir William Herbert, Lord
Powis. (fn. 263) By her will dated
1650 she ordered them to be
sold for the payment of her
debts, but the farm was sequestered in 1652 for the delinquency of Lord Powis, (fn. 264) whose
estate at Great Marlow was
assessed at £140 in 1647. (fn. 265)
It was afterwards discharged
from sequestration and sold to
John Wildman, (fn. 266) but the
Powis family later recovered
their rights and the lease remained in their descendants
until the death of the Marquess of Powis in 1748. (fn. 267)
It was then sold to Mr. Martin and descended to
Mr. Johnson, in whose family it was still vested in
the middle of the 19th century. (fn. 268) The estate was
afterwards purchased by Mr.
Thomas Owen Wethered of
Remnantz, M.P. for Marlow
from 1868 to 1880, (fn. 269) the present owner.
Herbert, Lord Powis. Party azure and gules three lions argent.
Wethered. Gules a cheveron between three fleshopts or with theree molets gules on the cheveron.
The so-called BORMER
MANOR originated in 20
librates of land and quit-rent
given in the early 13th century from his demesne called
Bormerefield by Gilbert de
Clare Earl of Hertford and
Gloucester to St. Thomas's
Hospital, Southwark. (fn. 270) This
was assessed in 1535 at 53s. 4d.
with wood there worth 10s., (fn. 271) and the capital messuage
afterwards passed into the possession of Nicholas
Theed, who died seised of it in 1629. (fn. 272) Bormers is
marked as a farm on a map dated 1796, (fn. 273) but the
name is now spelt Barmoor.
The most important item of the hospital's estate
in Great Marlow consisted of three mills called
Gosenham Mills, one of which, however, is sometimes spoken of as Harleyford Mill. This was probably situated furthest west near the present Harleyford
Mill, while the other two would lie towards the east,
where there are now two mills, adjoining which on
the east is meadow land called Gosmer, probably the
modern form of Gosenham. (fn. 274) Two of these were
bestowed in the middle 13th century by Geoffrey de
Marlow, clerk, in return for several bushels of grain. (fn. 275)
Geoffrey's ancestor Matthew de Marlow had received
them at the beginning of the century from the Earl
of Gloucester, and in 1227 he gained a suit brought
against Walter Sealy and Ellis de la Launde for neglecting to do service there for the four past years. (fn. 276)
Fresh arrangements concerning the payment of grain
were made in 1269 (fn. 277) and 1277, at which latter date
Geoffrey son of John de Marlow took 12 quarters of
the best corn yearly. (fn. 278) John obtained in addition
the remission of toll for grinding his corn and right
of fishing near his land, for which 6 silver marks and
1d. (fn. 279) were paid. The sum was still owing in 1298,
when John's widow Alice was ordered to pay 40s. a
year until the debt was paid. (fn. 280) The third mill was
given to Southwark Hospital by Richard de Clare
Earl of Hertford and Gloucester, who at the same
time confirmed Geoffrey de Marlow's gift, (fn. 281) but in
1315 Gilbert de Clare, the then earl, acquired the
three mills from the hospital in exchange for lands,
&c., elsewhere. (fn. 282) Matthew Miller obtained a lease
from the earl at 14 marks yearly, of which one was
to go to the canons of Missenden, (fn. 283) but the hospital
evidently recovered the two mills given by Geoffrey
de Marlow, as only one was included in Great
Marlow Manor in 1416, (fn. 284) and a lease of the other
two was made in 1362 to Thomas Pynell by the
Prior of St. Thomas's. Thomas was to pay 5s. for
life and his heirs 10s. (fn. 285) This latter rent probably
accounts for the 10s. in Gosenham credited to the
hospital at the valuation of 1535, other property
there being assessed at 6s. 8d. (fn. 286) In 1560 John
Brinkhurst received a lease of a mill here, (fn. 287) but by
1609 these two mills with Gosenham Meadow and
plots of osiers were in the possession of Thomas
Farmer, at whose death in that year they descended
to his son John. (fn. 288) On account of his recusancy,
however, they were granted for forty-one years to
Sir Richard Coningsby. (fn. 289) John Farmer died in 1631,
and the water-mills, said to be three, passed to his
son John, (fn. 290) whose estate in Marlow, as that of a
Papist, was returned in 1647 at £124. (fn. 291)
Four mills in Great Marlow were in the possession
of John and Mary Ferrers in 1723, (fn. 292) and by 1797
there were corn and paper-mills on the river, (fn. 293) which
exist at the present day.
Leland, writing in the early 16th century, speaks
of two mills at Marlow, one for making linseed oil and
the other 'erected for the machinery of thimbils.' (fn. 294)
The thimble-mill was afterwards the property of John
Lofting, a manufacturer and inventor of fire engines,
who settled here in the early 18th century. One
of his seven sons founded the charity now called
'Loftin's' charity. (fn. 295)
CHURCHES
The church of ALL SAINTS consists of a chancel, nave with aisles and
a western tower with a lofty spire.
It was built in 1832 in place of an earlier church,
of which the tower and spire fell on 21 December
1831. (fn. 296) This church contained, among other fittings,
at least three beautiful brasses, which were destroyed.
Rubbings of these, however, are preserved in the
Craven Ord collection at the British Museum and in
the Franks collection at the Society of Antiquaries.
One of these, to William, John, Louis, and John, four
sons of Sir John and Dame Joan Salesbury, who died
in 1383–8, was extremely fine; in the upper part was
represented the Resurrection, and below the kneeling figures of the sons in adoration with a shield of
Salesbury, all within a marginal inscription with the
symbols of the Evangelists at the corners. Another
was to John Warner, rector, who died in 1421, and
included a figure of a priest in mass vestments and
part of a marginal inscription. A third included two
priests in mass vestments of about 1450 and an
inscription on one slab. Besides these there were
some other inscriptions and fragments.
Several monuments from the former church have
been refixed in the present building. In the south
aisle is an alabaster and marble monument to
Katherine wife of William Willoughby, 1597, with
figures of themselves and their family. On the west
wall of the narthex is a monument to Sir Miles
Hobart, kt., erected by Parliament in 1640; he
died in 1632 as the result of a coach accident, which
is represented on the tomb. A monument with shields
of arms in the north aisle is to William Horsepoole of
Gray's Inn, 1642, his wife Mary daughter and heir
of Lawrence Washington, 1644, two daughters and
four grandchildren. There is also a tablet to the
Rev. Thomas Langley, the author of the History of
Desborough Hundred, stating that he died in 1801 at
the early age of thirty-two. (fn. 297) In the vestry is a
curious picture painted by Coventry of a black and
white spotted boy who died in 1812. His master,
John Richardson, spent his early years in a workhouse here, but afterwards amassed a considerable
fortune as an itinerant showman. (fn. 298) A stone in the
churchyard marks his burial in the same grave as the
spotted boy.
The tower contains a ring of eight bells, the treble
and tenor by Thomas Mears, dated 1834, the second
also by Thomas Mears, 1827, the third, fourth, fifth,
sixth and seventh by R. Phelps, 1719. There is also
a sanctus bell of 1694 by Samuel Knight of Reading.
The plate includes a perforated stand paten of 1619
given by Christiana Haward, a cup and stand paten
of 1629 and a cup and stand paten of 1634. The
two later cups and patens have the initials R.C. (for
Ralph Chase) and the date 1629 engraved on them.
The registers begin in 1592.
The church of HOLY TRINITY, Marlow, consecrated in 1852, is built of flint with stone dressings,
and consists of chancel, nave, north aisle, south porch
and a turret containing one bell. The living is held
with that of All Saints.
The ecclesiastical parish of HOLY TRINITY,
Lane End, was formed in 1867. (fn. 299) The church,
which was rebuilt in 1878 from designs by J. O.
Scott on the site of the former building erected about
1832, is of brick and flint with Bath stone dressings
in 13th-century style. It consists of chancel, nave,
vestry, organ chamber, north porch and a tower containing six bells. The nave roof, which is of sessile
oak and of 13th-century date, was brought from the
tithe barn near Marlow Bridge. The living is a
vicarage in the gift of the rector of Hambleden.
ADVOWSON
Marlow Church was appurtenant
to the manor and was bestowed by
Robert Fitz Hamon on Tewkesbury
Abbey, (fn. 300) Henry I confirming the gift after the death
of Robert in 1107. (fn. 301) It was seized by John in 1203
on pretext of a vacancy in the abbacy, (fn. 302) and Stephen
Ridel resigned in favour of William de Necton,
though he was granted a pension of 1 bezant in
compensation. (fn. 303) In 1221 the abbey received from the
pope an indult to re-enter the church when void and
to present fit vicars. (fn. 304) A forced vacancy occurred in
1234, when all the clerks in England of Roman
nationality were deprived of their benefices, and
Michael de Spinevile was presented by Tewkesbury. (fn. 305)
The church was confirmed to the monks by Hugh
Bishop of Lincoln, (fn. 306) but his successor, Robert Grosteste,
treated them very harshly when they sought to
appropriate the church in 1241 on the death of
Nicholas de Spinevile, (fn. 307) and though the abbot was
permitted to present William de Staneway, a pension
of 26 marks was to be paid in compensation for the
benefice to Gilbert de Clare, pupilli, until other provision should be made for him. (fn. 308)
All right in the church was finally renounced by
the abbot in 1247 to Richard de Clare Earl of
Gloucester, lord of the manor, (fn. 309) with which the
advowson henceforward descends. (fn. 310) On the partition
of the Earl of Warwick's land in 1472 it was obtained
by his daughter Anne and her husband Richard Duke
of Gloucester, (fn. 311) who in 1477 received licence to
alienate it among others to found a college for a dean
and twelve priests. (fn. 312) This intention seems to have
proved abortive, for in 1494 Henry VII granted the
advowson in free alms to Tewkesbury Abbey, (fn. 313) by
whom it was retained until the Dissolution. The
church had been assessed at £33 6s. 8d. in 1291, (fn. 314)
and in 1535 the vicarage was said to be worth
£13 6s. 8d. (fn. 315) and the farm of the rectory £20 3s. 4d. (fn. 316)
£4 16s. 8d. of the latter sum was annually divided
among the poor on 18 February in accordance with
an order of George Duke of Clarence and his wife
Isabel, dating from the appropriation of the church. (fn. 317)
In 1541 a grant of Great Marlow rectory and
church was made to the Dean and Chapter of
Gloucester Cathedral, (fn. 318) by whom the advowson was
retained until 1855, (fn. 319) when it became the right of
the Bishop of Oxford, (fn. 320) the present patron.
Among the leases of the rectory granted from time
to time (fn. 321) was one given in 1520 to John Sandys for
the longest life of himself and sons. (fn. 322) At his death
in 1552 he left it to his son Thomas, (fn. 323) to whom
also was left in 1567 the interest of John Seymour, (fn. 324)
who in 1549 had obtained a sixty years' lease in
reversion. (fn. 325) Another reversionary lease had been
granted in 1553 to John Apercharde, of whom it
was purchased by William Newberry and Richard
Langley. (fn. 326) In 1602 the dean sued the two latter
for wrongful entry into the premises, but the defendants were successful. (fn. 327) The Langleys' moiety was
the cause of a quarrel in 1626 between two Richard
Langleys, son and grandson respectively of the said
Richard, who had died in 1612. (fn. 328)
The rectorial tithes have been commuted and are
now vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
The first reference to the chantry of the Blessed
Virgin Mary in Great Marlow Church dates from
1387, when the burgesses presented (fn. 329) ; a further presentation in 1394 records that the patronage had
been vested in them from time immemorial. (fn. 330) At
the dissolution of the chantries in 1547 it was valued
at £10 6s. 10d., whereof the priest, Sir James Gray,
received £6 13s. 4d. as salary. He was 'allowed to
teach children and to help to minister in the quier,'
since the parish was 4 miles long with a compass of
17 to 18 miles (fn. 331) ; 13s. had been paid to '2 poor
foulks' for seven years past because 'thei be verie
olde, ympotent, poor and not able to paie their
rents.' (fn. 332) Grants of the possessions of the dissolved
chantry were made in 1549, (fn. 333) 1585, (fn. 334) 1593 and
1600, (fn. 335) and in 1607 the chantry was obtained in fee
by Sir John Ramsey, kt. (fn. 336)
Lands and rents in Great Marlow worth 37s.
yearly were given for an obit, and others worth 9s.
sustained a lamp in the church. (fn. 337)
CHARITIES
The united charities are regulated
by a scheme of the Charity Commissioners of 21 December 1895
and are administered by one body of trustees.
They comprise the charities of:—
William Willoughby, founded by will, proved in
the P.C.C. 23 January 1587–8, consisting of a rentcharge of £8 6s. 8d. receivable every fifth year out
of certain lands in the county of Nottingham and
applicable in gifts of £1 to each of six poor men,
10s. to each of four poor women, and 6s. 8d. to the
vicar.
Robert Boothby, founded prior to 1610, being a
rent-charge of 10s. issuing out of land near the
market-place, distributed in sums of 1s. to each of
ten poor persons.
Agnes Fryar, will 1615, being a rent-charge of
20s. out of two cottages in West Street, distributed
in sums of 1s. to each of twenty of the poorest
women.
The Turville charity, founded by deed 1613, by
Sir William Willoughby and others, consisting of an
annuity of £10 issuing out of Northend Farm in
the parish of Turville, applied with the income of
the poor's estate (see below).
Thomas Drew, will 1651, being a rent-charge of
£2 12s. out of tenements in West Street, applied in
the distribution of bread among twelve aged poor
persons every fortnight.
Henry Pendleton, will prior to 1675, being an
annual payment of £1 out of the income of the
poor's estate applied in gifts of 1s. each to twenty
oldest and poorest persons.
The poor's estate.
The trust property consists of
4 acres in Marlow Field where race meetings were
formerly held, 6 acres at Bovingdon Green, 6 acres,
or thereabouts, of allotment land, and four cottages
and gardens at Berwicks, the gross rental value being
£76 a year; also a sum of £1,981 13s. 10d. consols,
producing £49 10s. 8d. yearly. The income is
applicable under the provisions of a scheme of 14 June
1872 for the general benefit of the poor. In 1909
the net income, amounting to about £100, was applied
in the distribution of thirty-six tickets for beef, 144
sacks of coal and 580 drapery tickets.
Richard Davenport, as mentioned on a tablet in
the church, dated 1798, (fn. 338) by will charged his estates
with £5 per annum, to be paid to five poor widows.
The annuity was redeemed in 1904 by the transfer
to the official trustees of £200 consols.
The Rev. John Cleobury, a former vicar, as
recorded in the churchwardens' book, 1799, gave
£100 stock, now £100 consols. In 1909 the
dividends were applied as to £2 2s. in flannel garments to old men and women, 5s. to the parish clerk
and 3s. in money.
Mrs. Sarah Hawes, who died in 1799, by will
bequeathed £100 stock, now £100 consols, the
dividends to be expended in shoes and stockings
amongst children regularly attending Sunday school.
Sarah Wethered, deed 6 December 1852, trust
fund, £700 consols, the dividends of £17 10s. to be
applied in the distribution of beef on Christmas Eve
among poor widows and widowers. In 1909 167
tickets for beef were so distributed.
Susanna Hone, for poor, deed 10 September
1853, trust fund, £90 14s. 2d. consols, producing
£2 5s. 4d. a year, to be distributed at Christmas
among twelve poor men and twelve poor women,
applied in the purchase of hose for the same.
Susanna Hone's educational foundation by same
deed, trust fund, £100 consols, annual dividends of
£2 10s. to be applied in the distribution of stockings
at Christmas to deserving girls and boys attending
Sunday school.
The Oxford Lane Almshouses, founded by John
Brinkhurst by deed 20 July 1608, are regulated by a
scheme of the Charity Commissioners of 9 August 1907.
The trust property consists of eight almshouses for
eight poor people and a sum of £5,139 9s. 11d.
consols, producing an income of £128 9s. 8d. a year,
arising as to £3,196 14s. 7d. stock from sales of
land and of a public-house and cottages in St. Peter's
Street and accumulations of income, and as to
£1,942 15s. 4d. stock from an augmentation by will
of James Rolls, proved in 1874. Each of the inmates
receives not less than 3s. 6d. per week or more than
5s. The stock is held by the official trustees, who
also hold a sum of £108 5s. 1d. India 3 per cent.
stock as a repair fund, being a gift in 1906 by
Gen. Sir George Wentworth Alexander Higginson,
G.C.B., in memory of his deceased sister, Miss Frances
Alicia Higginson.
In 1874 Ann West by will, proved at London
14 March, bequeathed £100 consols, the income
(subject to the keeping in repair the tomb of herself
and her husband in Trinity Church) to be distributed equally among six poor widows.
In 1875 Thomas Rolls by will, proved at London
31 March, bequeathed a legacy now represented by
£53 3s. 8d. consols, the dividends, amounting to
£1 6s. 4d., to be distributed equally among six poor
men.
In 1877 Joseph Henry Rolls by deed 22 May
gave £200 consols, the dividends of £5 to be
divided on 24 January yearly between twelve poor
persons of the age of sixty years and upwards.
The recreation ground, comprised in an award
of the Inclosure Commissioners 13 September 1855, (fn. 339)
consists of 5 acres of land, producing £3 10s. yearly,
and a sum of £246 5s. 9d. consols, arising from
accumulations of income; the annual dividends,
amounting to £6 3s., are with the income derived
from the land applied towards the relief of the rates.
The charity is regulated by a scheme of the Charity
Commissioners of 30 January 1900.
Educational and apprenticing charities.
The free
school was founded in 1624 by Sir William Borlase,
kt., of Medmenham. (fn. 340)
The Islington charity.
William Drew by his
will, proved in the P.C.C. prior to 1651, devised an
annuity of £10 payable out of his estate in Islington
for the use of the poor, which, together with the
dividends on £71 0s. 4d. representing accumulations
of income, is applied in apprenticing poor boys.
In 1759 William Lofting by deed dated 10 December conveyed to trustees a farm known as Copy
Green Farm, containing 80 acres, or thereabouts,
now let at £50 a year, the rents to be applied in
apprenticing poor children. The trustees also hold
a sum of £427 consols, producing £10 13s. 4d. a
year, arising from the sale of timber. The income
is duly applied in the payment of apprenticeship
premiums.
This parish also participates in the distribution of
Bibles and other religious books under the charity of
Philip Lord Wharton.
In 1875 Miss Jemima Anne Cocks by her will,
proved at London 3 May, bequeathed a legacy, now
represented by £333 6s. 8d. conso's, the dividends,
amounting to £8 6s. 8d., to be applied for the benefit
of the infants' school.
The several sums of stock, unless otherwise stated,
are held by the official trustees.