John Fitchett Marsh (24 October 1818 – 24 June 1880) was an English solicitor, official and antiquary.Marsh, John Fitchett.
Annals of Chepstow Castle
' (Privately Printed by William Pollard, Exeter 1883)

Life

Marsh was the son of a solicitor at

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, where he was born on 24 October 1818. He was educated at

Warrington grammar school Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School is a coeducational Church of England secondary school located in the Latchford area of Warrington in the English county of Cheshire. History Grammar school The school was founded in 1526 by Si ...

under Thomas Vere Bayne. On the death of his father, his guardian was his uncle John Fitchett, and Marsh later succeeded to his business as a solicitor. On the incorporation of

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

in 1847 Marsh was appointed town-clerk, and held the office until 1858. He was instrumental in establishing the Warrington School of Art, and the

Public Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these i ...

and Library. The Warrington Town Library was municipally funded from 1848, the first library in the country to be supported in that fashion by local government, and Marsh is credited with the innovation. Marsh was also one of the major benefactors of the Museum at its foundation, with

William Beamont William Beamont (1797–1889) was an English solicitor and local philanthropist. He lived in the town of Warrington, in the north-west of England. Life Beamont was the first mayor of Warrington after its incorporation as a municipal borou ...

, James Kendrick and William Robson. Marsh moved in 1873 to Hardwick House,

Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western ...

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

, and planned a history of the castles of the county. He died, unmarried, on 24 June 1880."England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2JZK-787 : 31 December 2014), John Fitchett Marsh, 1880; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Chepstow, Monmouthshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. His large library, which included that of his uncle John Fitchett, was sold at

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

in May 1882.

Works

Marsh contributed papers to the

Chetham Society The Chetham Society "for the publication of remains historic and literary connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancaster and Chester" is a text publication society and registered charity (No. 700047) established on 23 March 1843. History Th ...

, and in 1855 delivered a series of lectures on the "Literary History of Warrington during the Eighteenth Century", which were published in a volume of ''Warrington Mechanics' Institution Lectures''. In the same year he published a lecture on the "Parthenon and the Elgin Marbles". His ''Annals of Chepstow Castle'' were edited by Sir John Maclean, and printed at Exeter in 1883.

Notes

;Attribution

External links

John Fitchett Marsh
on WikiTree {{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, John Fitchett 1818 births 1880 deaths English solicitors English antiquarians People from Wigan 19th-century English lawyers