A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Marshall, George Edward

1825751A Naval Biographical Dictionary — Marshall, George EdwardWilliam Richard O'Byrne

MARSHALL. (Commander, 1825. f-p., 21; h-p., 25.)

George Edward Marshall is the son of an old Commander in the R.N., who lost his health on the coast of Africa, and was from that cause, as well as from the effect of wounds, obliged to retire from active service. His brother, Lieut. Thos. Marshall, R.M., was killed in the Repulse 74, Capt. Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge, at the passage of the Dardanells, in Feb. 1807.

This officer entered the Navy, 16 Feb. 1801, on board the Invincible 74, Capt. John Rennie, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Thos. Totty in Yarmouth Roads; and became Midshipman, soon afterwards, of the Assistance 50, Capt. Rich. Lee, under whom he was wrecked, between Dunkerque and Gravelines, 29 March, 1802. During the five years which preceded his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, Mr. Marshall, it appears, was employed on the Newfoundland and Channel stations in the Falcon sloop, Capt. Henry Manaton Ommanney, Goliath 74, Capt. Chas. Brisbane, and Phoenix and Tribune frigates, both commanded by Capt. Thos. Baker. In the Falcon, at the commencement of the war, he assisted in taking possession of the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon; and in the Phoenix was present, as Master’s Mate, in Sir Rich. Strachan’s action, 4 Nov. 1805; on which occasion he was sent on board one of the prize-ships to aid in navigating her into port. While serving in the Tribune, we find him contributing, 29 April, 1807, to the destruction, by that ship and the Iris, of the greater part of a convoy of 30 vessels, passing from Ferrol to Bilboa under the protection of several gun-boats. He was also a participator in many boat affairs on the coast of France. On being promoted, as above, he joined the Neptune 98, Capt. Sir Thos. Williams, at the time in the Channel; and he was afterwards appointed – 18 Nov. 1808, to the Acasta 40, Capt. Philip Beaver, under whom he served as First-Lieutenant at the capture of Martinique and the Saintes in 1809 – 25 June, 1810 (after seven months of half-pay), to the Amelia 38, Capt. Hon. Fred. Paul Irby, attached to the force in the Channel – 17 Aug. following, and 27 April, 1811, to the Hannibal 74[1] and Royal George 100, flag-ships of Sir Thos. Williams off Lisbon and in the Channel – 2 Jan. 1812, to the Namur 74, as Signal-Lieutenant to the same officer as Sheerness – 4 April, 1813, to the acting-command, for nearly six weeks, of the Hasty 14, on the Baltic station – 5 Jan, 1814, again to the Namur, in his former capacity – 9 March ensuing, to the Horatio 38, Capt. Wm. Henry Dillon, in which ship he was for about twelve months employed off Newfoundland – and, 4 June, 1821, as Senior, to the Glasgow 50, Capt. Bentinck Cavendish Doyle. In the last-mentioned ship, which was paid off in No v. 1824, Mr. Marshall assisted in conveying the remains of the late Queen from Harwich to Cuxhaven; Sir Edward Paget and family from Portsmouth to the East Indies; and the Marquess of Hastings from Calcutta to Gibraltar. He attained his present rank 27 May, 1825; and from 15 June, 1832, until the summer of 1835, was employed in the Coast Guard in Ireland. He has since been on half-pay. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.


  1. During the term of his servitude in the Hannibal, and while acting as Flag-Lieutenant to Sir Thos. Williams, he was sent up the Tagus in command of a division of boats, and was on that river when Lord Hill crossed it in sight of the French army at Santarem.