We search for our ancestors’ names in the shipping records, but we don’t pay much attention to the name of the agent who organised their voyage, and one such agent was John Marshall.
Historian and author, Dr. Liz Rushen has discovered John Marshall to be a man who contributed enormously towards the safe passage of hundreds of thousands of people to British Colonies around the world but whose legacy is largely forgotten.
He was born in Ferrybridge, Yorkshire, England in 1787, the son of a publican who ran a coaching inn close to a river and major roads going to London and other parts of the country. John would have thus been aware of travel from an early age. He became one of the big ship owners in London and between 1814 and 1838 owned, or part owned, thirty ships. His first ship, the “Marshal Wellington,” was co-owned with his brother, Thomas Mulcaster Marshall, and Captain William Martin.
The safety of ships was vital, and statistics showed that some five hundred ships were lost at sea each year. John Marshall initiated a review of the classifications of ships and instigated a merger of Lloyd’s of London’s Red and Green Books. Lloyd’s was a maritime organisation which recorded information on ships for merchants and underwriters. In the early 1820s a dispute between ship owners and underwriters resulted in each group publishing their own book. Marshall argued the books should be combined for practical and safety reasons, but it took ten years for that to eventuate. In 1833 he was offered a position on the committee of Lloyd’s but declined because of business interests in Australia.
In 1834 the two books were finally merged and published as Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, and ships were given a classification for seaworthiness using a letter and a number. We know the term ‘A1’ but in shipping, the Letter referred to the condition of the hull and the Number referred to the state of the masts, spars, etc. In 1821, Marshall’s first ship the “Marshal Wellington” arrived in Hobart, Van Diemens Land with paying passengers and a cargo of essential items. The British Government had discouraged emigration to Australia as it was seen as a place for convict settlements only, but with Port Phillip expanding, more workers were required. With his vast experience transporting freight, John Marshall was appointed agent for the London Emigration Committee in 1833. This was a philanthropic committee which already had sponsored a large number of women and families to the Colonies.
John Marshall was one of many emigration agents, but he was the most prolific and best known. He was the designer of the Bounty system. In 1835 new laws enabled parishes in England to encourage local people to migrate, and over the following five years Marshall was heavily involved.
As the Port Phillip District was opening up there were two systems of migration to Australia. The first was the British Government system whereby emigrants were selected by government agencies and transported on government chartered ships and given short term support on arrival. The second was John Marshall’s Bounty system. Emigrants were selected by trades, and bounty orders were purchased for them. When ships arrived in the colonies, the health of passengers was checked by agents, often Colonial surgeons. They were assured of a job and the agent was paid the Bounty, which covered the cost of the voyage.
In the 1830s and 1840s Marshall chartered other people’s ships. His ships carried the greatest numbers of emigrants. They were large A1 vessels, all of which arrived safely at their destinations and with few deaths. Over time Marshall improved conditions on board for the passengers and they were given plenty of food including meat. He rented a warehouse in Plymouth, Devon, England for use as a depot where emigrants could stay prior to embarking.
Amongst the agents working for him in Britain were James B. Wilcocks in Plymouth and in Cork, Ireland, John Besnard. His two eldest sons John and Thomas Marshall were in Sydney, New South Wales in 1833, although his main Sydney agents were the firm of William and Thomas Walker. Other Marshall agents in Sydney were Captain John Forster Church and Captain William Salmon Deloitte. In Melbourne, Port Phillip District his agents were George Thomas, John Enscoe and George James whose office in Flinders Street is now the site of the Immigration Museum.
In October 1839, the “David Clark” became the first immigrant ship to arrive in Port Phillip. It was followed by three of Marshall’s ships, the “William Metcalfe,” the “Westminster,” and the “John Bull.” John Marshall prospered until the depression in the early 1840s. Income from land sales plummeted and the Bounty system was stopped. In July 1841, Marshall had about six ships on the high seas for which he would not receive bounty payments and he had warehouses full of goods which he couldn’t move. He sent out his 17 year old son, Frederick, to sort out his affairs, but in January 1842 he was declared bankrupt in London, owing over one hundred thousand pounds.
By 1845, Marshall had moved from Cornhill, London, to Southampton, Hampshire, England. He tendered to take emigrants to the Cape of Good Hope and Australia and streamlined the process, using railways to efficiently transport emigrants from their homes to their port. After being declared insolvent again, he became a coal merchant, working from an office in Reading, Berkshire, England. On 16th December 1861, after an extraordinary life, John Marshall died in Reading, aged 74.
For further reading, Liz Rushen’s book, “John Marshall: Lloyd’s Reformer, Shipowner & Emigration Agent” would be recommended.( The above is a report on the address by Dr. Liz Rushen at the General Meeting on 14 November 2020 )( Contributed by Jan Hanslow – PPPG Member No. 1057 )
