Addison had signed the appointment papers making the governor's father, John Wentworth, lieutenant-governor of New Hampshire in 1717.

As a result of the French and Indian War, few original grantees settled here, so it was regranted on October 7, 1761, to William Noyes and 69 others, the majority from Lyme, Connecticut.

The town was named after Marlow, England, located on the River Thames in Buckinghamshire.

A woodworking industry once used the water power of the Ashuelot River to produce tools, furniture and wooden buckets from lumber cut nearby.

Although the town's undulating surface is somewhat rocky, farmers produced hay, grain and vegetables.

The town's highest point is in its northeastern corner, at the summit of Huntley Mountain, where the elevation reaches 1,978 feet (603 m) above sea level.