LITTLE MARLOW
The parish of Little Marlow, which contains the
village of that name and several outlying hamlets,
consists of 3,328 acres, (fn. 1) of which 1,525 acres are
arable land, 997 acres are laid down in grass and
485 acres are covered by woods and plantations. (fn. 2) The
soil is chalk, flint and gravel, producing crops of
wheat. The Thames forms the southern boundary,
and the low-lying land along its banks nowhere rises
to a greater height than 100 ft. above ordnance
datum. North of the village, however, the rise in the
ground is marked and reaches 476 ft. at Handy
Cross on the north-west boundary. From here one
of the familiar 'bottoms' of Buckinghamshire, Winchbottom Lane, which forms the northern boundary,
dips down to 262 ft. at Winchbottom Farm, and
then rises again to over 450 ft. on its way to Flackwell Heath in the east.
The village, which is very small, lies in a low
position, not far from the Thames bank. The church
of St. John Baptist stands in a churchyard entered
by a lych-gate at the southern entrance, with the
vicarage, a substantial late 18th-century building,
opposite. Higher up the street, on the left, an
avenue of fine elms leads to the Manor House, the
seat of Mrs. Bradish-Ellames. The house is an
irregular building, with a modern front, though
other parts date from the early 17th century. The
staircase is original, and the hall is lined with panelling of the same date brought from elsewhere. The
house stands in well-arranged gardens. Little Marlow
Farm at the top of the street, with a group of
cottages, the usual smithy, public-houses and post
office complete the village.
The high road, which runs westward from Little
Marlow to Great Marlow, skirts the park of Westhorpe House on the western boundary. The house
was built by James Chase, who was M.P. for Great
Marlow in the reign of Queen Anne, and is a large
square building in the classical style with an imposing
porch. During the 18th century it was successively
occupied by Dr. Maddox, Bishop of Worcester, and
Mr. Everard Faukener, ambassador to the Porte and
postmaster-general. (fn. 3) It was later the seat of General
Nugent, and is at present the residence of Major
H. S. C. Gordon. In the grounds, where is a lake,
there are some fine old cedar trees.
The Marlow branch of the Great Western railway
runs through the parish close to and parallel with
the north bank of the Thames. At Spade Oak, near
the eastern boundary, there is a ferry across the River
Thames, and on the road leading to it are a few
cottages of early 17th-century origin.
The stream which flows eastward from Westhorpe
and passes the village on the south divides further on
near the Ferry Hotel and Cold Moorholm, a group
of 17th-century cottages and a farm, and empties
itself into the Thames near the site of the priory of
Little Marlow. The remains of this nunnery are in
the grounds of the 'Abbey,' a modern house, with
parts, however, built of ancient materials. The priory
was a small and never wealthy house of Benedictine
nuns, and occupied a site with a plan of somewhat
irregular setting out on level and marshy ground by
the river. It was surrounded by streams watered by
the springs that rise to the east and west and gave it
its name 'de fontibus de Merlawe.' The grantees
at the Dissolution seem to have allowed the buildings
to remain unoccupied, and though as late as 1719
a great part of the conventual buildings were standing
they had been used as a quarry for the neighbouring
farms and had fallen into ruin. The hall, 60 ft. in
length, was pulled down in 1740; part of the church
tower was still standing in 1797; and in 1813
Lysons records that 'there are now no remains of
the convent buildings.'
In 1902 a fragment of rough stone wall which
formed part of a summer-house in the grounds of the
abbey was identified as the north-east angle of the
frater, and excavations revealed the footings and
lower courses of several walls of flint and chalk with
angles of red tile. The subsequent digging out of
the remains of the nunnery by Mr. Vaughan
Williams in 1902 has given a practically complete
plan of this interesting establishment. (fn. 4)
The aisleless church had a nave about 50 ft. long,
a quire of half that length, each having a width of
20 ft. 6 in., to which in later times were added a
western tower 12 ft. 6 in. square with foundations
6 ft. wide, an eastern extension of the quire for 15 ft.,
and a north transept 19 ft. by 24 ft. having a small
eastern chapel 24 ft. long by 11 ft. 9 in. wide. To
the south of the nave lay the cloister, roughly 50 ft.
square, having on its eastern side the chapter-house
17 ft. by 18 ft. 10 in., separated from the south wall
of the quire by a passage 6 ft. wide; extending southward beyond it for 69 ft. 9 in. was the warminghouse with dorter over.
The frater, 40 ft. 6 in. by 19 ft., with a narrow
passage to the infirmary between it and the warminghouse, was on the south side of the cloister, while the
cellar (with guest hall over) 17 ft. wide, extending
southward from the tower of the church for 60 ft.,
formed the western range of the conventual buildings.
The kitchen, approximately square, was added at a
later date at the south-west angle of the frater. The
infirmary, 67 ft. by 19 ft. 6 in., lay to the south of
the frater, running parallel with it and with the
L-shaped reredorter further east formed the southern
range of a second inclosure.
Of these buildings the earliest are the church,
those about the cloister, and the reredorter. These
belong to about the year 1220. The transept of the
church with its chapel is apparently not earlier than
1250. The eastern extension of the quire may be
dated as 1292, for in that year Bishop Sutton of
Lincoln dedicated the high altar on the feast of
St. Agatha. (fn. 5) The date of the tower cannot be
determined, but it is not considered to be part of the
original church. The kitchen and infirmary are
perhaps work of the 14th century, a conclusion suggested by Bishop Dalderby's indulgence in 1311. (fn. 6)
The walls of the buildings generally are 3 ft. 6 in.
thick, those of the infirmary are 2 ft. 6 in., of the
chapel 2 ft. 3 in.
Many flooring tiles of the 14th and 15th centuries were found in course of the excavations, one of
which had a shield of Clare.
Of the outer buildings nothing remains except an
old timber barn, now converted into cottages, lying to
the west beyond the stream, and signs of masonry in
the dry ditch to the north, which are perhaps remains
of the bridge to the precincts of the priory. (fn. 7)
This part of the parish, now called the Abbey
Estate, Bourne End, which extends into Wooburn, has
been cut up into building sites. Recent years have
witnessed the erection of bungalows and thatched
cottages, so arranged that their gardens slope down to
the edge of the stream which flows through the estate.
Easy access to London has been established by the
Great Western railway, which has a station just over
the boundary in Bourne End, and thus the district
has become a favourite summer resort of visitors.
LITTLE MARLOW
Plan of Little Marlow Priory
Well End, which was transferred to Little Marlow
from Hedsor under the Divided Parishes Act, is a
continuation of Bourne End on the north and is
a large-sized hamlet with several good houses and
a Congregational mission hall built in 1886. From
here a road leads north past a gravel-pit and quarry,
leaving Pigconhouse Farm on the right and Sheepridge
and New Farm on the left, to Flackwell Heath, a
large hamlet in the north-east, with Sedgmore House
and Farm to the south. Several of the roads run
straight north from the Marlow road. One, leading
from the village, passes an old quarry and leads
through Bloom and Warren Woods to Hard-to-Find
Farm. Winchbottom Farm and Ray Farm are
reached by a road leading past Lower Winchbottom
through Horton Wood. Further west, near the
entrance to Westhorpe, a road runs north, branching
at about half a mile distance. The left fork climbs to
Harper's Heath and Handy Cross, while the right
leads to Monkton Farm, a building with an old wing
of three gables, which probably marks the site of
Monkton Manor.
Among place-names occur those of Lachenes Croft,
Smethmeres, Walendes, (fn. 8) Colmers Croft and Wadbrecke (fn. 9) (xvi cent.); Caspanter Wood (fn. 10) (xvii cent.);
the Gibbs, the Linnards, Ivory Field, Vineyard
Close and Little Sandell Common Field (fn. 11) (xviii
cent.).
MANORS
Five hides in Marlow, held formerly
by Queen Edith and assessed in 1086
among the lands of the Bishop of
Bayeux, with Tedald as tenant, (fn. 12) afterwards became
the LITTLE MARLOW MANOR held by the
priory there. This holding escheated to the Crown
after the forfeiture of Odo, and appears to have been
given to the Earls of Gloucester, who afterwards held
overlordship rights here. (fn. 13) They seem, however, to
have given the greater part of their estate in free alms
to the priory of Little Marlow, to the election of the
heads of which religious house they gave their consent
in the early 13th century. (fn. 14) On the other hand,
this estate, said to be 4 hides in 1196, when Brian
de Britwell granted one-third to William and
Matilda Barbell his wife, (fn. 15) was held by the prioress
in the 13th century of Geoffrey de St. Martin, (fn. 16) who
had overlordship rights in 1 carucate of land here in
1225. (fn. 17) In 1242 the prioress obtained a renunciation of all claim to this carucate from Isabel daughter
of Alexander, (fn. 18) who in the same year gave up certain
rights to Geoffrey de St. Martin. (fn. 19) In 1247 the
prioress acquired John de Hedgerley's interest in onethird of 4 hides here for 5 marks (fn. 20) and later made
additions to the estate. (fn. 21) In 1339 the Bishop of
Lincoln was allotted a pension of 20s. from the manor
in consideration of his good services to the nuns, (fn. 22)
and his successor was still in receipt of the same in
1540. (fn. 23) The prioress's cattle were distrained in
1345 for non-payment of the subsidy granted to the
king, but they were restored on proof that the
2 carucates of land had been granted to the priory in
free alms before the Statute of Mortmain. (fn. 24) After
the Dissolution the priory's estate, assessed at
£7 6s. 10½d. in 1535, (fn. 25) was leased in 1537 to
Elizabeth Restwold, (fn. 26) and the rent reserved was
bestowed later in the year on the new foundation of
Bisham Abbey. (fn. 27) It was dissolved, however, in the
following year, (fn. 28) and the manor was bestowed in fee
in 1540 on John Tytley and Elizabeth Restwold,
later his wife, (fn. 29) by whom it was alienated in 1556 to
John Lord Williams of Thame. (fn. 30) Thomas, Anthony,
John, Arthur and James Wilmot acquired the rights
of Lord Williams two years later, (fn. 31) and in the following year Thomas Wilmot alienated his one-fifth
to William Bury, (fn. 32) by whom it was conveyed in
1561 to John Borlase. (fn. 33) He was at once called upon
to prove his right, (fn. 34) the Crown contending that a
grant of the manor made in 1541 to Anne of Cleves
was valid. (fn. 35) Borlase, however, remained in possession, and was sheriff for the county in 1567 and
again in 1588. (fn. 36) He acquired another fifth of the
manor from John Wilmot in 1570, (fn. 37) a third fifth
from Arthur Wilmot in 1573, (fn. 38) and a fourth share
from James Wilmot in 1574. (fn. 39) The remaining fifth
must have been acquired from Anthony Wilmot, as
at John Borlase's death in 1593 the whole manor
passed to his son William. (fn. 40) He was sheriff in 1601 (fn. 41)
and in 1616 received a grant of a court leet and view
of frankpledge twice a year in the manor (fn. 42) and a
grant of free warren in 1620. (fn. 43) He continued to
hold Little Marlow (fn. 44) until his death in 1629. (fn. 45) His
son and heir, another William, (fn. 46) died in the following year, leaving a son John, then a minor, (fn. 47) who
with his step-father, Gabriel Hippesley, (fn. 48) represented
Great Marlow in the Long Parliament. (fn. 49) He was
created a baronet in 1642, (fn. 50) and both he and
Hippesley compounded in 1647 as delinquents for
their estate in Little Marlow. (fn. 51) At his death in
1672 (fn. 52) he was succeeded by his son John, (fn. 53) member
for Great Marlow from 1685 until his death without
issue in 1689. (fn. 54) His whole estate was inherited by
his sister Anne wife of Arthur Warren (fn. 55) and was
held by their son Borlase Warren in 1701. (fn. 56) By
1754 the manor had descended to his son John
Borlase Warren, (fn. 57) who died in 1763, leaving Marlow
to his son Admiral John Borlase Warren, (fn. 58) who
represented the borough in Parliament 1774–84 (fn. 59)
and was made a baronet in 1775. (fn. 60) On the occasion
of his marriage in 1780 he vested the manor in
trustees, (fn. 61) and in 1781 it was
sold to pay his debts, the
purchaser being William Lee
Antonie. (fn. 62) He was in possession in 1786 (fn. 63) and was member for Great Marlow in
1790, (fn. 64) but sold Little Marlow in 1810 to General Sir
George Nugent, bart., (fn. 65) lord
of the manor until his death
in 1849. (fn. 66) His son Sir G. E.
Nugent, bart., conveyed the
estate in 1862 to the trustees
of John Pattison Ellames,
then a minor, (fn. 67) in whose
family it has remained, (fn. 68) the
present owner, Mr. J. E. M. Bradish-Ellames, succeeding on the death of his father Colonel W.
Bradish-Ellames in 1905.
Borlase. Ermine a bend sable charged with two hands and arms coming out of clouds all proper and rending a horseshoe or.
Warren. Checky or and azure a quarter gules with a lion argent therein.
Nugent, baronet. Ermine two bars in a border engrailed gules and a quarter gules with a dagger erect therein.
The overlordship rights retained in Little Marlow
by the Earls of Gloucester were exercised by them
and their descendants, as in Great Missenden, (fn. 69) until
probably 1521, though 1460 is the last date recorded
of their connexion with this holding. (fn. 70)
The manorial rights appear to have been obtained
by Richard Lord Fitz John with those of Singleborough in Great Horwood (fn. 71) (q.v.), with which this
portion of Little Marlow descended until the end of
the 16th century, after which date its history is lost.
Eight and a half hides and half a virgate in Little
Marlow held formerly by Haming, a thegn of King
Edward, were among the lands of Miles Crispin in
1086. (fn. 72) His possessions afterwards formed part of
the honour of Wallingford, to which this portion of
Marlow remained attached (fn. 73) as late as the 16th
century. (fn. 74)
There were two tenants at Domesday, Ralf and
Roger, (fn. 75) and this dual holding was afterwards represented by two distinct manors. They are said to
have been sons of the Roland de Anvers who came
over with William of Normandy, (fn. 76) and the part of
this holding which appears to have been assigned
to Ralf acquired from their family the name of
DANVERS MANOR. The connexion between the
early members of this family is obscure. Roland
Danvers held under the honour of Wallingford in
1165 (fn. 77) and 1186–7 (fn. 78) and died in 1196, when the
custody of his children and lands was given to Jordan
de Valognes and his son Robert. (fn. 79) A Ralf Danvers,
who may have been his son, was holding about
1201–2. (fn. 80) The Denise Danvers who in 1203 called
her son Roland to warrant in connexion with lands
in Little Marlow (fn. 81) was probably Roland's widow.
Ralf Danvers died about 1213, when William Archdeacon of Huntingdon gave £100 for the custody of
his lands and heirs with their marriages and that of
Ralf's widow. (fn. 82) In 1218 this custody was acquired
by Peter du Bois (fn. 83) and also by the Bishop of
Chichester. (fn. 84)
The name of the son appears to have been Ralf, (fn. 85)
and the Agnes Danvers who was patron of Little
Marlow Priory in 1230 (fn. 86) was
doubtless his mother. By 1234
Ralf appears to have attained
his majority (fn. 87) and gave permission for the election of a
prior in 1236 (fn. 88) and again in
1244, when he is called Sir
Ralf. (fn. 89) He may be identical
with the Ralf son of Ralf
mentioned in 1272, (fn. 90) who
was succeeded by William
Danvers by 1275. (fn. 91) He held
the manor until the late 13th
century, (fn. 92) when it descended
to his son, another William, (fn. 93)
in possession in 1346. (fn. 94) His son Hugh in 1372
conveyed the manor to John atte Hull of Wooburn
and his wife Agnes for their lives with twenty years'
remainder to their heirs. (fn. 95) The history of this manor
is by no means clear for the subsequent twenty years.
In 1383 John de Gayford and his wife Joan for 400
marks renounced for themselves and the heir of Joan
any right in the manor to Hugh de Cotyngham,
clerk, and others, (fn. 96) who in the following year transferred their interest to Nicholas Salesbury, clerk, and
John Salesbury the elder, merchant. (fn. 97) In 1388
Nicholas Salesbury, clerk, acquired the whole right,
and in the following year paid a fine of £80 for the
confirmation of his claim, Sir John Salesbury, kt., to
whom the manor had been leased, having forfeited
the same to the king. (fn. 98) The above transactions were
probably connected with the lease granted by Hugh
Danvers in 1372, which doubtless had expired by
1391, when Joan widow of William Danvers of
Stanton, Derby, quitclaimed her interest in the manor
to Thomas Chelreye and
others. (fn. 99) Nothing further is
known of it until its alienation
in 1445 by Sir William son
of Sir Walter Lucy to Ralf
Ingoldesby, (fn. 100) who with Agnes
his wife was living in 1463. (fn. 101)
It was doubtless his widow
Agnes who was the wife of
Thomas Restwold in 1483,
when a settlement of the
manor, held in her right, was
made. (fn. 102) Mention occurs of
Thomas and his wife Agnes
in 1492, (fn. 103) but she died in the following year, when
she is styled widow of Ralf Ingoldesby. (fn. 104) Her son
Thomas Ingoldesby having predeceased her, his son
John, then aged eleven, succeeded to the manorial
rights, (fn. 105) which, in conjunction with his son and heir
Richard, he alienated, under the title of Danvers
Manor, to Sir John Baldwin, chief justice of Common
Pleas, in 1536. (fn. 106) The transaction appears to have
been completed in 1539, (fn. 107) and on the death of Sir
John Baldwin in 1545 it descended to his daughter
Parnel's son John Borlase, (fn. 108) by whom it was settled
in 1575 on his wife Anne for life. (fn. 109) John Borlase
afterwards acquired the chief manor of Little Marlow
(q.v.), with which Danvers has since descended.
Danvers. Gules a cheveron between three pierced molets or.
Ingoldesby. Ermine a saltire engrailed sable.
Roger, the other tenant of Miles Crispin in Little
Marlow, (fn. 110) also held in conjunction with Ralf in
Hitcham, where he appears to have acquired sole
right, and with which his share of Little Marlow,
known from the 14th century as LOSEMERE
MANOR, (fn. 111) descended through the Beauchamps,
Ramsays and Clarkes until 1660. (fn. 112) In 1684 it was
alienated by John and Theophila Langham to James
Chase, (fn. 113) whose family had been connected with
Marlow for some time. (fn. 114) The manorial rights appear
to have been dispersed about this time, and there is
no further reference to Losemere, but the Chases
settled on the estate, where James the purchaser built
Westhorpe House. He represented Great Marlow
in Parliament in 1705 and 1708, (fn. 115) and tied with
George Bruere in 1710, when his name was erased. (fn. 116)
After his death in 1721 his widow held the estate
for life with contingent remainder to Dr. Stephen
Chase, the son of his cousin Stephen, (fn. 117) who came
into possession in 1736. (fn. 118) At his death in 1740 his
son Stephen inherited (fn. 119) and was in possession in
1761. (fn. 120) Westhorpe House and estate were later
owned by Alexander Winch, after whose death in
1780 they were sold to Thomas Wilkinson, (fn. 121) sheriff
in 1786, (fn. 122) of whom they were purchased towards the
end of the century by General afterwards Sir
George Nugent, bart. (fn. 123) He later acquired Little
Marlow Manor, with which Westhorpe has since
descended.
An estate in Little Marlow, known from the 16th
century onwards as MONKTON MANOR, probably
derived its name from its owners, the Abbot and
monks of Medmenham. The abbey is first mentioned in connexion with Little Marlow at the end
of the 13th century, (fn. 124) and its possessions in 1291
were valued at £2 1s. 4d. (fn. 125) Additions to the estate
were made during the 14th century, (fn. 126) and about
1535 the rent of their place or mansion called
'Moncion,' or 'Monkeken,' was £3 6s. 8d., and other
rents 13s. 4d., of which 19s. was paid to the priory
of Marlow in recognition of certain claims on the
holding. (fn. 127) Monkton was granted in 1540 to John
Chaundler of London, goldsmith, (fn. 128) who with Robert
Traps obtained licence in 1543 to alienate it to Sir
John Baldwin and Alice his daughter. (fn. 129) The conveyance took place in the same year, (fn. 130) whereupon
William Lovejoy, tenant of the manor, sued Chaundler
and Traps for breach of contract, alleging that he
had supplied the money to purchase Monkton from
the Crown. (fn. 131) The claim proved abortive, and
Monkton was inherited on the death of Sir John
Baldwin in 1545 by his daughter Alice and after her
death by John Borlase, (fn. 132) and henceforward descended
with Little Marlow Manor, with which it doubtless
amalgamated, as it is not specified by name after 1820. (fn. 133)
CRAWLTONS MANOR
CRAWLTONS MANOR in Little Marlow may
have taken its name from Thomas de Crowelton, who
witnessed a charter here in 1312. (fn. 134) It belonged to
Bisham Abbey and was granted to the new foundation in 1537. (fn. 135) It was afterwards granted with
Monkton to John Chaundler, (fn. 136) and passed with it
to John Borlase, whose right was contested by the
Crown in 1561 on the ground that Crawltons had
been bestowed on Anne of Cleves in 1541. (fn. 137) It
was proved, however, that the previous grant in 1540
to Chaundler, though it did not mention Crawltons
by name, comprised lands late of Bisham Abbey
which corresponded in extent to Crawltons, (fn. 138) and
the manor henceforward descended with Little Marlow
Manor, being last mentioned in 1820. (fn. 139)
A small portion of land here which was held in
1284–6 by John de Somery of Nicholas de Segrave
and by him of John de Hedsor, who held of the Earl
of Cornwall, (fn. 140) appears in 1488 with the manors of
Segraves in Penn and Wing in the possession of
William Berkeley, Earl Marshal and Earl of Nottingham, as the manor of Little Marlow. (fn. 141) It can
never have been of any importance, and nothing is
heard of it after the middle 16th century. (fn. 142)
Among the possessions of the priory in Little
Marlow was PROFITTS FARM, which was leased
in 1528 to Robert Lovejoy for fifty-eight years at
£2 0s. 8d. per annum. (fn. 143) The Lovejoys were a
numerous family in the place, (fn. 144) and several of them
were tithing-men for the different manors or on the
list of jurors. (fn. 145) At the Dissolution Profitts was
obtained by Thomas Clarke, who conveyed his interest
to John Borlase. (fn. 146) The lease made to Robert
Lovejoy in 1528 was due to expire in 1586, but
Thomas Lovejoy, who then enjoyed it, had forged
later leases and not only refused to give up his copy
of the original lease, but also transferred the lease to
Thomas Page of London, at the instigation of
Rowland Hynd. (fn. 147) Thomas Lovejoy died in 1612,
leaving a son Thomas, (fn. 148) whose widow Christian
quarrelled in 1618 with her brother-in-law Nicholas
Lovejoy. (fn. 149) The family seems to have died out after
the 17th century.
CHURCH
The parish church of ST. JOHN
BAPTIST consists of a chancel 25 ft.
by 13 ft., south chapel 24 ft. by
10 ft. 6 in., nave 39 ft. by 18 ft., north aisle 11 ft.
wide, south aisle 11 ft. wide, north porch and west
tower 13 ft. by 12 ft. These measurements are all
internal.
The walls generally are of flint rubble with chalk
dressings, plastered; the roofs are tiled, and the porch
is of timber and plaster. The south wall of the
chancel and the chapel date from the end of the
12th century, which was probably the original date
of the nave; while the north, and perhaps the east,
wall of the chancel was rebuilt about a century
later. About the middle of the 14th century the
nave was widened on the north, the north aisle was
added, and the tower either added or rebuilt. The
south aisle was built in the 15th century, perhaps
by Nicholas Ledewich, who restored the church, (fn. 150)
and possibly the south chapel was lengthened eastward at the same time. The gabled porch with
barge-boards and oak door is work of the early
16th century. Modern restorations were effected in
1866, when a gallery and high pews were taken
out, and in 1902, when the 17th-century ceilings
of the nave and chapel were removed, exposing the
15th-century roof timbers, and the dormer windows
of the nave were inserted in place of the 17th-century dormers.
The chancel is lighted from the east by a restored
late 14th-century pointed window of three lights with
tracery, and from the north by two late 13th-century
windows of two lights with tracery and moulded rear
arches springing from attached shafts. A 15th-century
depressed arch opens into the eastern part of the south
chapel, and to the east of it is a decayed piscina with
a credence shelf. The late 12th-century western arch
of the chapel is of one plain semicircular order with
moulded imposts. The contemporary pointed chancel
arch is of a single order.
The south chapel is lighted from the east by a 15th-century window of three lights which retain a few
pieces of contemporary glass, including a shield with
the arms, Argent three crescents and a border sable
charged with molets or, impaling Argent a cheveron
between three fleurs de lis sable. In the south wall
is a square-headed 15th-century window of two lights,
also retaining some fragments of contemporary glass,
one of which bears the name 'Ledewych.' On the
sill of the east window is the square bowl of a 12th-century pillar piscina. There is a plain 15th-century
arch to the south aisle with semi-octagonal responds and
moulded capitals and bases. The roofs of the chancel
and chapel are of 15th-century date.
The 14th-century north arcade of the nave is of
three bays with arches of two moulded orders and
octagonal columns with moulded capitals and bases,
which seem to have been recut in the 16th century.
The octagonal columns of the 15th-century south
arcade, which is of the same number of bays, have
been similarly treated. The arches are of two orders,
the inner having a plain chamfer and the outer being
moulded. To the north of the chancel arch is a late
13th-century reredos niche with a trefoil head enriched
with the dog-tooth. At the north-east corner of the
nave is the upper doorway to the rood-stairs.
The windows of the north aisle are all of 15th-century date. The east window has three lights with
tracery. The two north windows are square-headed
and are each of two cinquefoiled lights with tracery.
Some original glass with figures of angels remains in
the north-east window. The restored north doorway
has over it an inscription now indecipherable. The
west window is a single trefoiled light of mid-14th-century date. The south windows of the south aisle
are of the same type and date as the corresponding
windows of the north aisle. The pointed south
doorway between them is continuously moulded, and
in the west wall is a single cinquefoiled light.
The tower arch is of the 14th century and is of
two orders. In the west wall of the ground stage is
a restored doorway with a window above it, also
restored. The side walls have each a single pointed
light placed high above the floor. Externally the tower
rises in two stages and has angle buttresses on the west,
the walls being crowned by an embattled parapet.
The four bell-chamber windows are of the 16th century. The tower contains a clock.
The lower part of the font is modern, but the
circular bowl appears to be of the 12th century.
With the exception of the 17th-century altar table,
the other fittings are of little interest. Some mediaeval
tiles are laid in the floor of the porch, one of which
bears a shield of Clare with two other shields.
Under the western arch of the chapel is the table
tomb of Nicholas Ledewich (d. 1430). On the
covering slab was a brass with figures of himself and
his wife Alice, an inscription and three shields of
arms, but only the figure of his wife, the inscription
and two shields now remain. The first two lines of
the inscription are as follows:—
'Armis ornatus Nichol' hic ledewich tumulatur
A quo fundatus locus iste deo decoratur.'
A tablet in the north aisle commemorates Henry Corker
(d. 1696–7). There are also 17th-century floor slabs
commemorating members of the Freeman, Newbery
and Hippesley families, and later monuments to the
families of Wethered, Gardner, Hoare and Pepper.
There is a ring of three bells, the treble by Mears
& Stainbank, 1873, the second and third by Thomas
Swain, 1757 and 1777.
The plate includes a cup of 1569.
The registers of marriages and burials begin in
1559, those of baptisms in 1562. The baptisms and
burials of Hedsor are included up to 1590.
ADVOWSON
The church of Little Marlow was
attached in two moieties to the
manors of Danvers and Losemere, (fn. 151)
and is first mentioned about 1219, when Richard de
Horton presented to a moiety in right of his wife
Avelina. (fn. 152) The Danvers' moiety of the rectory was
assessed at £8 in 1291 and the Beauchamps' at
£7 6s. 8d., (fn. 153) but in 1338 a petition was made by
Sir John Stonor for the appropriation of these two
moieties to Little Marlow Priory, (fn. 154) which accordingly
took place in 1339, (fn. 155) and in 1343 an agreement was
made between the prioress, Sir John Stonor and the
vicar of the church, of which there were two parsons,
as to the vicar's share. (fn. 156) The Stonors retained the
right of nominating the vicar for presentation by the
prioress, and thus nominated in the late 14th and
early 15th centuries during successive minorities in
the Stonor family. (fn. 157) In 1535 the rectory was
assessed at £10, (fn. 158) and the vicar received £8 8s. 9d.
in salary. (fn. 159) The advowson and rectory were bestowed
on Bisham Abbey together with Little Marlow Manor (fn. 160)
(q.v.), with which they henceforward descended, (fn. 161) but
about the middle 19th century the advowson was
alienated and was vested in 1862 in Samuel Birch, (fn. 162)
the patron also in 1877. His trustees were patrons
in 1899, and the living is now in the gift of the
trustees of Little Marlow Estate.
A yearly rent given for an obit in the church
amounted to 4s. (fn. 163)
CHARITIES
In 1633 William Allanson gave the
profits of £50 to the poor annually
in bread. The gift was laid out in
the purchase of 5 acres in Great Marlow, known
as the Churchwardens' Field, let at £11 5s. a year,
which, less a deduction for tithe rent-charge, is
distributed in bread usually among poor widows.
In 1847 Field-Marshal Sir George Nugent, bart.,
by his will bequeathed £300, now represented by
£300 8s. 4d. consols, the annual dividends, amounting to £7 10s., to be divided equally between the
schoolmaster and schoolmistress so long as the children
are instructed in accordance with the doctrines of the
Church of England.
The same testator further bequeathed a legacy of
£300, represented by £295 17s. 10d. consols, the
dividends, amounting to £7 7s. 8d., to be applied in
the distribution of bread every alternate Sunday
among twelve poor persons.
In 1863 Mrs. Margaret Birch, by her will proved
11 December, bequeathed £100, now £113 6s. 4d.
consols, the dividends, amounting to £2 16s. 8d., to
be given as a subscription to a clothing club or laid
out in the distribution of flannels and blankets for
poor women.
The several sums of stock are held by the official
trustees.