Papers of Rear-Admiral John William Phillips Marshall including correspondence, letters of recommendation, certificates and commissions, also newspaper cuttings and memoranda providing details of his naval career. Most of the correspondence relates to Marshall's service during the Napoleonic Wars and is addressed to his father William Phillips esq. There are two watercolours by Edward G. Irving and an annotated plan of the Bay of Fort Dauphin relating to his service in the Indian Ocean. There is some loose material including his report (94 pages) of the voyage of HMS ISIS from Mauritius to Madagascar, Comoros, and other islands, 1842-43.

Administrative / biographical background
Marshall entered the Navy in 1800 and first served as a boy and then midshipman on HMS AURORA. He was then a midshipman on HMS LATONA and HMS GRAMPUS in 1802-1805. He served as mate under Captain Caulfield on HMS GRAMPUS and HMS RUSSEL in the East Indies in 1805-1806. He was promoted lieutenant while serving on HMS CULLODEN, flagship of Lord Exmouth in the East Indies and took part in the destruction of enemy vessels in the Batavia Roads in October 1806. He then served on HMS SALSETTE and HMS RUSSEL in 1807-1809. After having served in the East Indies for a period of nearly six years, he was obliged to return to England due to ill health in February 1809. Later that year he joined HMS ABOUKIR at Walcheren and was employed in the blockade of the enemy's fleets in the Scheldt and Texel, and the Baltic. He was several times in action while in command of a gunboat on the River Devina. He was promoted to the rank of commander in 1812 and sailed in the frigate HMS JAVA for India. He later commanded the sloop HMS SHAMROCK at the siege of the fortress of Gluckstadt in 1814. He was awarded the Sword of Sweden for his service with the Swedish army at Gluckstadt and the Imperial Russian order of St George for his service with the Russian army at the siege of Hamburg in 1813-1814. His last command was that of HMS ISIS on the Cape of Good Hope station. Marshall died after being thrown from his carriage near Conwy in Wales.