Thomas Marshall ( – 1866) was a

Tyneside Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in northern England. Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies. The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt. The population of Tyneside as published i ...

songwriter of popular songs in the early and middle 19th century. His most well-known song is probably "Euphys Coronation".

Early life

Thomas Marshall was born in in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, it is thought in Silver Street (long since demolished). He started work as an apprentice brush-maker with a Mr Laidler (or Laidlaw) of Laidlaw & Nicholson, whose business at the time was located in Carpenter’s Tower (site unknown), later moved to Pilgrim Street and then became Byer’s & Co. He continued working for the same company for many years at his trade as a

journeyman A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...

, becoming a foreman brush-maker. He would only be in his early twenties when in 1829 he published a collection of his songs, amounting to 24 pages filled with humour. The

Chapbook A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch. In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered bookle ...

was called '' A Collection of original local songs''; it was "Printed for the author by Wm Fordyce, Dean Street,

1829" In the early 19th century,

had quite a collection of local eccentrics (also referred to as "worthies", and John Marshall mentioned them, and their peculiarities, in many of the songs.

Marriage

The name of his wife is unknown, but according to the 1872 edition of "Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside songs" he had just one son, who predeceased him.

Later life

According to the comments in this 1972 edition of ''Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside Songs'' – "In appearance he was slight, dark, and a little under the middle height. At his work he would often break out with

William Watson William, Willie, Bill or Billy Watson may refer to: Entertainment * William Watson (songwriter) (1794–1840), English concert hall singer and songwriter * William Watson (poet) (1858–1935), English poet * Billy Watson (actor) (1923–2022), Ame ...

's "Thumping Luck to yon Town," a favourite song of his". He appeared to write very little as he got older, but he must have retained his interest in music, as for years he was one of the Guild of Bell-ringers of All Saints’ Church. He died suddenly (he had been working two days before) on 30 December 1866, at the age of a little over 60. At his home in Shield Street (an area now completely re-developed),

Shieldfield Shieldfield is a small district in the east of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is bordered by the City Centre, Heaton, Byker and Sandyford. History The name of the district is considered to be a reference to a shel ...

from a paralytic attack. He was buried at All Saints' cemetery on 2 January 1867 in an unmarked grave.

Legacy

Thomas Marshall was a

Geordie Geordie () is a nickname for a person from the Tyneside area of North East England, and the dialect used by its inhabitants, also known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. There are different definitions of what constitut ...

born and bred; he wrote using the local Geordie dialect.

Works

These include: *Blind Willie, versus Billy Scott – A song about a fight between these two local "eccentrics" *Blind Willie's jubilee – To the tune of "Bold Dragoon" – A song top celebrate Blind Willy’s 50th birthday and ensuing party *Heeltap's disaster – A song about a greedy shoemaker *Markie's grandie; or, Richie's mistake – This is a comic song about mistaking the name of a public house *Ralphey and the broker – This is a song about a defective chest ordered from a broker ( or joiner) *Ralphey's views fra the spire – This song describes the amazing view from the spire of St. Nicholas Church in Newcastle claiming he could see all the way to London. The entry fee of half a crown (or 12½ pence) is nearly £8.00 by today’s value) *Tars and skippers – A song written after tales of "body snatcher" like Burke & Hare, tells of a group of people guarding a corpse *Visit to Swalwell – Song about a group of folk led by a band setting out from Newcastle to go to

Swalwell Swalwell is a village in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, in the United Kingdom. History On 27 August 1640, an encampment of soldiers was gathered in the fields north of Whickham church on the slope down to Swalwell. This was part of the Roy ...

for a 'merry night *Euphys Coronation

References

External links

FARNE--Marshall, Thomas (d.1866) Collection of original local songs by Thomas Marshall (1829)

Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside songs and readings
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