Francis Marsh – aged 64/65 if alive – elder brother of Milbourne, Mary and George – unmarried
Milbourne Marsh – aged 63/64 – father of Eliza, Francis and John
Elizabeth Marsh (ne Evans) – wife of Milbourne Marsh
James Crisp Esq – Merchant for East India Company in Dhaka, Bengal (Bangladesh)
Eliza Crisp (ne Marsh) – aged 37/38- daughter of Milbourne Marsh – Touring Eastern India
Burrish Crisp – aged 10/11- son of James Crisp and Eliza (Marsh) – Dhaka
Elizabeth Maria Crisp (later Shee) – aged 9/10 – daughter of James and Eliza Crisp – Chatham
Major Francis Milbourne Marsh – aged 34/35 – Major in the 90th Regiment of Foot – Leeward Islands
John Marsh – aged 24/25 – British Consul at Malaga, Spain
Mary Duval (ne Marsh) – aged 60/61 – Sister of George and Milbourne
John Duval – husband of Mary Duval
Elizabeth Morrison (ne Duval) – 20/21 – daughter of John Duval and Mary – Married James Morrison – aged 34/35 – Deputy Master of the Mint
George Marsh – aged 51/52
Ann Marsh (ne Long) – aged 52/53
George Marsh – aged 24/25 – siblings of George and Anne (Long)
William Marsh – aged 18/19
Anne Marsh – aged 13/14
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Statement of the Services and principal Events in the life of the late George Marsh Esq.
A Commissioner of His Majesty’s Navy.
Mr.Marsh attended him (The King), in his special command, every morning at 5 o’clock, His Majesty being pleased to say that “Mr.Marsh knew every thing he wished to enquire about;” he walked all parts of the Dockyard inspecting every Department with great minuteness, attended by Mr.Marsh, for several hours, before the other Members of the Naval Board were stirring.
On the 28 June Mr.Marsh secured notice from Mr.Secretary Stephens that the King had been pleased to command that he should succeed Mr.Mason as Clerk of the Acts of the Navy; His Majesty no doubt considered that by the appointment he was conferring from him on Mr.Marsh as well as a mark of his approbation, but in fact it only imposed on Mr.Marsh greater labour and confinement without any addition of Rank, Salary or Patronage.
On the 5th July 1773 however, Mr.Marsh took his seat as Clerk of the Acts of his Majesty’s Navy.
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Diary of George Marsh
17 June 1773
Set out with the Hon. Mr Bateman for Portsmouth to meet the rest of the Navy Board, in order to attend the King there. (King George III)
22 June 1773
The King came to Portsmouth. See the particulars together with the expense, so far as the Navy Board was concerned in it, in a marvel covered quire of paper among my other Naval papers.
26 June 1773
The King returned to London. All the time he was in Portsmouth yard he expressed great pleasure and satisfaction. He directed me to attend him every morning early, for he would not go out of the Commissioner’s house ’till I got to it which was generally about 5 o’clock, observing frequently to me, that he perceived I was well acquainted with all the affairs of a dock yard etc etc
26 June 1773
This morning Mr Stephens the Secretary of the Admiralty informed me that Lord Sandwich had signified to him, it was the King’s command, I should be appointed to the branch of Clerk of the Acts of the Navy, in the room of Edmund Mason Esq deceased, who was supposed with many other gentlemen to have been poisoned, by something in their wine or food they drank and eat unfortunately, at a dinner at Salt Hill.
This appointment very much surprised me, as I had not been consulted at all about it. The King thought it was promotion for me, and Lord Sandwich hinted it was so, and that he much wished it. I was therefore obliged to accept the same accordingly tho’ it is a branch of the most labour and confinement at the Board, from which the Clerk of the Acts should never be absent when the rest of the Board are sitting not only to consult with them and give his opinion on all cases or applications that comes before them, but to make dayly minutes and keep a regular register thereof, which from the great increased Navy is now every day, at least during War, and generally five days in every week in time of Peace.
This branch is attended with no increase of income, and in the branch I had before as Comptroller of the Victualling Account of the Navy, I might or not, attend the Board every day, just as suites my will or convenience. A little empty honour indeed was gained by it as the leader of the business and first branch in rank of the Clerk Comm, as the Comptroller, Surveyor and Clerk of the Acts branches make them the three first Commissioners, and sign all papers first accordingly, and have the principal share in conducting and executing the Duty of the Navy Board, and were originally entitled the Principle Officers and Commissioners of the Navy, but since more Commissioners have been added, the title of the Board is so.
5 July 1773
Took my seat at the Navy Board as Clerk of the Acts, at the right hand of the Comptroller who sits as Chairman at the head of the Board, the Surveyor at his left hand, and all the other Commissioners as they are named in the Patent, in which order they sign all papers The assistant to the Clerk of the Acts commonly called the Secretary sits at the bottom of the table.
July 1773
Bought the lease of my house in Dartmouth Row for £695 upon which I have laid out upwards of £500 but could not find an heir to it ’till 1780, and tho’ I had the money ready to pay for it at my Bankers, I was obliged to pay £4 per cent interest for the whole sum for that time.
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In October 1773 Mr Ommanney expressed his concern that he could not take Mr.Marsh’s Son, he having very great gratitude to him and much respect for his Son, but observed he should be miserable to trust any Man as he had him, (who never looked into any of his Books or Accounts, but left the whole to his honour and honesty) which would not have been the case if Mr Marsh’s Son had been taken a partner by Mr.Ommanney who still would had the Superintendency of the whole business.
However, Mr.Ommanney requested, that though he had declined taking Mr.Marsh’s Son, it might make no difference between them, to which Mr.Marsh replied, he should have been very glad if Mr.Ommanney had consented to take his Son.
But as he seemed to dislike partnerships much, it should make no difference between them, provided he acted properly, and then observed to Mr.Ommanney that when the connection with him expired, his Son should settle in the business with Mr.Creed (who had lived 15 years a Clerk with Mr Marsh and Mr.Ommanney.) when would entreat the favour of such Gentlemen for whom he transacted business before he took Mr.Ommanney into his House, or who went there since on his account to transfer their business to his Son and Mr.Creed and assured Mr.Ommanney he would not apply to any of his particular friends and said he expected the like conduct from him.
And indeed Mr Marsh then concluded he should have had it, where as he very soon after applied privately to Mr.Marsh’s particular friends (to whom he was remarkably obliging and taken every method to ingratiate himself in their favour) to continue their business with him, acquainting them the connection would expire on 5th December 1774, when the business would naturally devolve to him only, and therefore begged the continuance of theirs at his House, carefullly avoiding to mention one word of Mr.Marsh’s Son’s intentions which he had known ever since the year 1770, and as they had not been wrote to by Mr.Marsh, most of them promised the continuance of their business with Mr.Ommanney, but many of Mr.Marsh’s friends now look on such promises to be totally void, they having been obtained by such ungratefull misrepresentations