The vilage name 'Marlow' is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'land remaining after the draining of a pool'. In 1015 it was recorded as Merelafan.
Little Marlow was once the site of a Benedictine convent dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The convent belonged to Bisham Abbey. In 1547 the convent was seized by the Crown in the Dissolution of the Monasteries and was eventually demolished in 1740.
Today the village is in a very pretty location on the River Thames, and is a popular home for rich and famous alike, particularly Melanie Brown (Scary Spice of the Spice Girls).