Francis Marsh – aged 57/58 – elder brother of Milbourne, Mary and George
Milbourne Marsh – aged 56/57
Elizabeth Marsh (ne Evans)
James Crisp Esq – sometime merchant
Eliza Marsh (later Crisp) – aged 30/31
Burrish Crisp – aged 2/3
Francis Milbourne Marsh – aged 27/28 – son of Milbourne and Elizabeth
John Marsh – aged 18/19 – son of Milbourne and Elizabeth
Mary Duval (ne Marsh) – aged 51/52 – Sister of George and Milbourne
John Duval – husband of Mary Duval
Elizabeth Duval – age 13/14
George Marsh – aged 43/44
Ann Marsh (ne Long) – aged 45/46
George Marsh – aged 16/17
William Marsh – aged 10/11
Anne Marsh – aged 5/6
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11 July 1766
Articled my dear son George to Mr Green, a proctor in Doctors Commons, and gave him two hundred guineas with him.
13 August 1766
Lord Egmont quitted the Admiralty, upon Mr Pitt’s coming into the Ministry, tho’ the King and Mr Pitt desired he would not, but he observed Mr Pitt and he were of different political opinions, and tho’ they had only differed as gentlemen, he did not think it would be to his honour to serve with him, but observed to me, he was sorry on my account for this event, as he had it not in his power he was pleased to observe, to do anything for me, and had put me to great expense and given me much trouble, but added he would not have me be concerned for it, he having recommended me to the King, to be removed to the Navy Board when a vacancy might happen there.
And then observed that Mr Burchett the Comptroller of the Receivers Accounts [George Ann Burchett, died 1766] of sixpence of Man a Month abated from seamans wages for the Royal hospital at Greenwich, had through powerful interest applied to him, for a gentleman to succeed him, as he desired to quit his office, which he would not comply with foreseeing he should not remain long at the Admiralty, and that it might be a desirable appointment for me in addition to my place as a Commissioner of the Victualling, or for my eldest son but concluded Mr Birchet wished to make terms and come to some agreement, which if I thought moderate and worth my while to agree to, he would permit him to quit.
I thereupon called on and discoursed Mr Birchet, who said he would readily resign if he could have security for the payment of his full salary during his life. On these conditions many of my friends thought it no desireable bargain whilst others did not think I run any risque as he was and had been a very debauched man, full of diseases and so offensive that there was no bearing the room where he was, consequently there was very little probability of his living many months.
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Milbourne Marsh
Milbourne Marsh kept his post as Gibraltar until 1763, then returned to being Naval Officer at Menorca. In 1764 he submitted plans to have Menorca’s dockyard amenities removed from the existing overcrowded and inadequate site near Mahon to Saffron Island. His report read “.. as also the leveling the island, and that wharfs, careening pits, sheds for stores and other like conveniences may then be erected, the whole expense whereof, he has estimated will amount to £6348 exclusive of timber to be sent from England. And he having also acquainted us, that by performing the aforesaid works, the island will then have upon it six wharfs, each of two hundred feet long and be capable of careening that number of ships at the same time.” Here he transformed the dockyards into the most substantial and impressive overseas naval facility controlled by a European power.
In October 1765 he gained the position of Agent Victualler at the naval dockyard at Chatham, Kent, probably brought about by his brother, George Marsh’s instigation. Here he designed and built a new wharf in the Victualling yard, set up a new seventy-two-foot long storehouse, extended and improved many of the yards other facilities and organized a system of offshore defenses.
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Diary of George Marsh
13th August 1766
After maturely considering this offer and the observations of my several friends upon it, I determined to agree to give him the security he desired upon his quitting the office which he did do accordingly, and I was this day appointed to succeed him, as my son was thought too young.
I judged it prudent however to immediately insure £1000 upon my life which cost me upwards of £40 and would be an annual expense to me to that amount, but by doing so I made my mind easy, for tho’ I was blessed with good health I was sensible I was liable to sudden death and various accidents, and that if I should die before him my family would be obliged to pay £100 a year the whole amount of his salary as long as he lived, and as the insuring this sum would in that case pay him the same for more years than it was thought he could possibly live, I was quite happy I had done so.
About two months after Mr Burchett died at the age of about 50 after dragging on a short but very miserable life. He was the son of Mr Secretary Burchett [Josiah Burchett, 1666?-1746] and Queen Ann was his God Mother, who was therefore named George Ann Burchett.
I now became possessed of the whole income.
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Milbourne Marsh
In 1766 Milbourne was slightly involved with the land dealings of his daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law in Florida, signing some of the legal documents that would have got them thousands of acres of Florida real estate if things had gone to plan, which they didn’t. Her husband became bankrupt and she was left at home with Milbourne in Chatham where she wrote “The Female Captive” about her time in Morocco. Later she went with her daughter to India to meet up with her husband, leaving her son, Burrish behind. However in 1771 her daughter was sent back and her son Burrish was shipped to India with Milbourne paying the cost of £80. However, the ship’s chief mate ran off with that money so Milbourne had to pay out another £50 for the passage. Burrish arrived in Madras in 1772 in a not very good state, and then was sent off with a merchant to Tehran for a few years to learn Persian which was the official language of the East India Company and of the Mughal court.
George Marsh Diary
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13 September 1766
Parted with the lease of my house at Camberwell.