JOHN MARSHALL, ESQ.
This opulent and celebrated manufacturer affords one of the most remarkable instances, even in this commercial country, of a man rising, by his own talents, energy, and enterprise, from moderate circumstances, to the possession of a splendid fortune, and to a degree of honour and influence rarely attained but by the aristocracy of the land. John Marshall was the second son of John Marshall, of Yeadon Low HALL, in the county of York, and was born at Leeds the 27th July, 1765. Having entered into the manufacturing business, Mr. Marshall the younger, the subject of this notice, was among the earliest of those who, in this country, attempted the spinning of flax by machinery, in imitation of the example Arkwright's similar process with regard to cotton. On this enterprise Marshall, it is believed, staked his all; and during the progress of the experiment, his funds were in a critical state. By unceasing and skilful attention both to the mechanical and commercial departments, he overcame every difficulty, and by his success not only realised immense wealth for his family, but founded a branch of manufacture at present one of the most important in England. Mr. Marshall's first manufactory was at Scotland Mill, three or four miles from Leeds; after which he built the large mills in Water-lane, in the same town, and also other mills at Shrewsbury.
In politics, Mr. Marshall was an extreme liberal, a supporter of free trade, and an active advocate, on all occasions, of civil and religious liberty in its widest sense. At one time he published a small work on political economy, intended for the working classes, and possessing no inconsiderable merit. Mr. Marshall had much public spirit. His enlarged mind made him the ready promoter of improvements, and especially of institutions designed for the intellectual and moral advantage of the bulk of the people: and his great property, bountifully though prudently used, enabled him to be one of the most munificent of patrons. He founded, and liberally contributed to the Lancasterian School, the Philosophical and Literary Society, and the Mechanics' Institution, in his native town. Over the Philosophical Society there, he himself for some time presided, and he delivered lectures in it on subjects of political economy and geology. He was also one of the founders of the London University, and sat for a period among its council. In his own extensive manufactories, he willingly promoted the education of the children, as well as adopted, before any compulsory law existed, every improvement—in the internal arrangements of the mills—that could conduce to the health and comfort of the working people.
At the general election in 1826, Mr. Marshall, at the request of the late Earl Fitzwilliam and numerous influential members of the Whig party, offered himself for the representation of the county of York, and was returned, together with Lord Milton (the present Earl Fitzwilliam), and two of the opponent party—Mr. Fountayne Wilson and the Hon. W. Duncombe. Mr. Marshall acted as member for Yorkshire until 1830, when he retired. He continued, however, to take a prominent part in politics, and earnestly supported the Reform Bill. On the enfranchisement of the borough of Leeds, his second son, the late Mr. John Marshall, was elected as one of its first representatives—the other being Mr. Macaulay. The eldest son, Mr. William Marshall, who had previously sat in Parliament for Leominster and Petersfield, has also since twice represented the city of Carlisle.
Mr. Marshall married, the 5th of August, 1795, Jane, fifth daughter of William Pollard, Esq., of Halifax, and had issue five sons and six daughters, all of whom survive him, except the second son, who died the 31st of October, 1836, leaving four children. Mr. Marshall's family became allied by triple union with that of the present Lord Monteagle: the noble Lord himself married Miss Marshall, and two of his daughters were wedded—the one to Mr. James, and the other to Mr. Henry Marshall. Mr. Marshall's second daughter espoused the Reverend William Whewell, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.
Mr. Marshall, though by no means of robust frame, experienced the benefits of strict temperance and prudence, and enjoyed a green and protracted old age. He devoted his time between London, where he freely patronised science and art, his beautiful seat of Hallsteads on the banks of Ullswater, in Cumberland, and his old residence at Headingly, near Leeds. As infirmities increased he remained chiefly at Hallsteads, and he there terminated his honourable and useful career on the 6th inst, the immediate cause of his death being a combined attack of apoplexy and paralysis. The remains of the deceased were interred on the following Saturday, the 14th inst., at New Church, near Hallsteads: the funeral was strictly private.
When his political friends were in power, Mr. Marshall, it is said, might have obtained a peerage, had he been willing to accept it; but he preferred leaving a name dignified by his virtues alone—a striking example to future generations, of what may be achieved by English honesty, industry, and perseverance.
THE LATE JOHN MARSHALL, ESQ.