Sir Roy Marshall (also known as Oshley Roy Marshall; 21 October 1920 – 2 February 2015), an academic lawyer, was the third vice-chancellor of the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

and the fourth vice-chancellor of the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

Life

Marshall was born on the island of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

and was educated at Harrison College, Barbados and subsequently

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...

, gaining 1st class honours in 1945. He was called to the Bar of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1947. Marshall was awarded a doctorate from University College, London (UCL) in 1948. He taught law at UCL, and in 1956 he obtained a chair in law at the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

. From 1956 to 1969 he remained at Sheffield excepting a period teaching at the

University of Ife Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

(1963–65). In the mid 1960s he was intimately involved in writing the

constitution of Barbados The Constitution of Barbados is the supreme law under which Barbados is governed. The Constitution provides a legal establishment of the Government of Barbados, as well as legal rights and responsibilities of the public and various other governm ...

, prior to the island's independence from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

(UK). In 1968 Marshall was made a Commander of

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE). In 1969 he became vice-chancellor of the

, serving until 1974. The Queen's New Year's Honours list of 1974 announced the award of a knighthood to Marshall. Between 1974 and 1979 he was secretary general of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the UK Universities. On the retirement of

Stanley R Dennison Stanley Raymond Dennison (15 June 1912 – 22 November 1992), an economist, was the third vice-chancellor of the University of Hull. Dennison was born in North Shields and was educated at Tynemouth Municipal High School, Armstrong College, New ...

in 1979, Marshall was appointed vice-chancellor of the

, serving until his own retirement in 1985. In Marshall's time at Hull he is reputed to have refused to accept the poet Philip Larkin's resignation as university librarian. Larkin's reason for tendering his resignation was his apprehension that his technical knowledge was not adequate to cope with the changes in technology affecting how academic libraries functioned. Marshall refused the request on the grounds that Larkin's "presence on the staff was of material advantage to the university." Sir Roy was High Commissioner for Barbados in London between 1989 and 1991. Marshall made significant contributions to society in the realms of

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

and

race relations Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in the ...

. He died in November 2015, in his native Barbados.Hayward, J E S, pp. XI, 2, 4

References

Bibliography

*Antoine, R-M B (2008) ''Commonwealth Caribbean Law and Legal Systems'', Psychology Press. *Briggs, A (1991) ''Serious Pursuits: Communications and Education'', University of Illinois Press. *Hayward J E S (2013) ''Out of Slavery: Abolition and After'', Routledge. {{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Roy 1920 births 2015 deaths Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Vice-Chancellors of the University of Hull Vice-chancellors of universities in Barbados Barbadian lawyers 20th-century Barbadian lawyers Heads of the University of the West Indies People educated at Harrison College (Barbados) Barbadian expatriates in the United Kingdom Expatriates in Nigeria Barbadian diplomats