John Clark Marshman
Encyclopedia
John Clark Marshman, Indian scholar and philanthropist.
Marshman was the first child of Joshua Marshman and Hannah Marshman
and was born in August 1794 at Bristol
, England where his father was at that time a schoolmaster
, before later emigrating to India as a missionary. He died at Radcliffe Square, North Kensington
, on the 8 July 1877.
on an American ship called the Criterion to Bengal
, arriving at Serampore
on Sunday morning, 13 October 1799.
In May 1800, his parents opened two boarding schools at Serampore
; these became the most popular in the area and Marshman received his education from his parents. He was part of the growing mission family, eating at the communal table and joining with other children in Mission life; as one would expect he became a fluent Bengali
speaker.
, Digdarshan, which focused on educative information for the youth, and very shortly thereafter the weekly newsmagazine Samachar Darpan which was one of the two first Bengali newspapers (the other being Bengal Gazeti, published by Gangakishore Bhattacharya, in the first half of 1818). Subsequently the Serampore Mission also launched the Friend of India weekly in 1821, which became so popular that Serampore was synomymous with the Friend of India in European minds for much of the 19th century.
The printing operations were so successful that they acquired their own substantial buildings by the river just north of the Mission Chapel.
In 1875 the Friend of India amalgamated with another paper The Englishman, becoming The Statesman
which remains one of India's leading English-language dailies.
Marshman also started a new paper mill
at the Mission in order to manufacture a special new type of paper that had been devised by the missionaries to resist the virulent ravages of the local white ants. This became known as "Serampore Paper" and was used throughout the province.
In 1820 a steam engine was imported from Messrs. Thwaites and Rothwell, of Bolton
, Lancashire
, for the paper mill and was the first ever seen in India. Marshman's father Joshua was mesmerised by it and watched closely as the engineer prepared it for use.
Marshman joined the staff of Serampore College
, which had been jointly founded by his father, in 1821.
In 1837 the last of the "Serampore Trio", his father Joshua Marshman died. Following his death John Mack and Marshman struggled to carry on the work of the College, spending all their earnings and Marshman's income from his private concerns, including those from the paper mill. After he published The Friend of India, he stipulated that the proceeds should go to the College. It was reckoned that in all he contributed more than £30,000.
As the struggle to maintain the College was getting more onerous each year to try and fund privately, Mack and Marshman decided to turn the College over to the Baptist Missionary Society
. The Society was unwilling to take over the burden fully, but did offer to support a theological professor on the college staff.
Marshman later rather unwillingly accepted the position of Official Bengali Translator to the Government, and thereafter was abused almost daily in the native newspapers as "the hireling of the Government". His salary of £1,000 per annum was passed to the College.
.
Marshman was a devoted student of Indian history and he wrote what was for many years the only history of Bengal. He was also long engaged on the writing of the history of India; his reading was very wide and he was a distinguished Oriental scholar. He studied Chinese (like his father) and knew all the great Sanskrit poems. He also gave much attention to Persian.
In England, however, he was not recognised and was refused a seat on the Indian Council
, and through his services to education, he was tardily recognised by the granting of the Star of India
in 1868. In order to earn a living he had to seek the position as chairman of the Committee of Audit of the East Indian Railway.
He made three unsuccessful attempts to obtain a seat in Parliament, for Ipswich
in 1857, Harwich
in 1859, and Marylebone
in 1861.
On his death it is said that he had known as much about Indian affairs as if he had been the personal assistant to four successive Viceroys.
He also published 'Marshman's Guide to the Civil Law of the Presidency of Fort William' which was possibly one of the most profitable law books ever published.
Marshman was the first child of Joshua Marshman and Hannah Marshman
Hannah Marshman
Hannah Marshman was a missionary.She was the daughter of John Shepherd, a farmer, and his wife Rachel, and the granddaughter of John Clark, pastor of the Baptist church at Crockerton, Wiltshire....
and was born in August 1794 at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England where his father was at that time a schoolmaster
Schoolmaster
A schoolmaster, or simply master, once referred to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British public schools, but is generally obsolete elsewhere.The teacher in charge of a school is the headmaster...
, before later emigrating to India as a missionary. He died at Radcliffe Square, North Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, on the 8 July 1877.
Move to India
At the age of 5, Marshman travelled with his parents and William WardWilliam Ward (missionary)
William Ward was an English pioneer Baptist missionary, author, printer and translator. On 10 May 1802 he was married at Serampore to the widow of John Fountain, another missionary, by whom he left two daughters.-Early life:...
on an American ship called the Criterion to Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, arriving at Serampore
Serampore
Serampore is a city and a municipality in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. It is a pre-colonial town on the right bank of the Hoogli River...
on Sunday morning, 13 October 1799.
In May 1800, his parents opened two boarding schools at Serampore
Serampore
Serampore is a city and a municipality in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. It is a pre-colonial town on the right bank of the Hoogli River...
; these became the most popular in the area and Marshman received his education from his parents. He was part of the growing mission family, eating at the communal table and joining with other children in Mission life; as one would expect he became a fluent Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
speaker.
Achievements
In April 1818, Marshman, together with his father Joshua, launched the first monthly magazine in BengaliBengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Digdarshan, which focused on educative information for the youth, and very shortly thereafter the weekly newsmagazine Samachar Darpan which was one of the two first Bengali newspapers (the other being Bengal Gazeti, published by Gangakishore Bhattacharya, in the first half of 1818). Subsequently the Serampore Mission also launched the Friend of India weekly in 1821, which became so popular that Serampore was synomymous with the Friend of India in European minds for much of the 19th century.
The printing operations were so successful that they acquired their own substantial buildings by the river just north of the Mission Chapel.
In 1875 the Friend of India amalgamated with another paper The Englishman, becoming The Statesman
The Statesman
The Statesman is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1875 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. The Statesman is owned by The Statesman Ltd., its headquarters at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Calcutta and its national...
which remains one of India's leading English-language dailies.
Marshman also started a new paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
at the Mission in order to manufacture a special new type of paper that had been devised by the missionaries to resist the virulent ravages of the local white ants. This became known as "Serampore Paper" and was used throughout the province.
In 1820 a steam engine was imported from Messrs. Thwaites and Rothwell, of Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, for the paper mill and was the first ever seen in India. Marshman's father Joshua was mesmerised by it and watched closely as the engineer prepared it for use.
Marshman joined the staff of Serampore College
Serampore College
Serampore College is located in Serampore Town, in Hooghly District, West Bengal, India.The college consists of two entities:*The theological faculty*A separate college with faculties of arts, science, commerce...
, which had been jointly founded by his father, in 1821.
In 1837 the last of the "Serampore Trio", his father Joshua Marshman died. Following his death John Mack and Marshman struggled to carry on the work of the College, spending all their earnings and Marshman's income from his private concerns, including those from the paper mill. After he published The Friend of India, he stipulated that the proceeds should go to the College. It was reckoned that in all he contributed more than £30,000.
As the struggle to maintain the College was getting more onerous each year to try and fund privately, Mack and Marshman decided to turn the College over to the Baptist Missionary Society
Baptist Missionary Society
rightBMS World Mission is a Christian missionary society founded by Baptists from England in 1792. It was originally called the Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Amongst the Heathen, but for most of its life was known as the Baptist Missionary Society...
. The Society was unwilling to take over the burden fully, but did offer to support a theological professor on the college staff.
Marshman later rather unwillingly accepted the position of Official Bengali Translator to the Government, and thereafter was abused almost daily in the native newspapers as "the hireling of the Government". His salary of £1,000 per annum was passed to the College.
Return to England
In 1855 Marshman planned to leave India for good. Mack and he proposed once again to pass control of the College to the Baptist Missionary Society; this time the proposal was accepted. He resigned his post as Official Bengali Translator to the Government and returned to England to Kensington Palace GardensKensington Palace Gardens
Kensington Palace Gardens is a street in west central London which contains some of the grandest and most expensive houses in the world. It was the location of the London Cage, the British government MI9 centre used during the Second World War and the Cold War.A tree-lined avenue half a mile long...
.
Marshman was a devoted student of Indian history and he wrote what was for many years the only history of Bengal. He was also long engaged on the writing of the history of India; his reading was very wide and he was a distinguished Oriental scholar. He studied Chinese (like his father) and knew all the great Sanskrit poems. He also gave much attention to Persian.
In England, however, he was not recognised and was refused a seat on the Indian Council
Indian Council
Indian Council may refer to:In India:* Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the apex body in agriculture and related allied fields in New Delhi, India...
, and through his services to education, he was tardily recognised by the granting of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
in 1868. In order to earn a living he had to seek the position as chairman of the Committee of Audit of the East Indian Railway.
He made three unsuccessful attempts to obtain a seat in Parliament, for Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
in 1857, Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
in 1859, and Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
in 1861.
On his death it is said that he had known as much about Indian affairs as if he had been the personal assistant to four successive Viceroys.
Works
- 1827 - an abridged version of Carey's 'Dictionary of the Bengali Language';
- 1832 - a 'Guide Book for Moonsiffs, Sudder Ameens, and Principal Sudder Ameens, containing all the Rules necessary for the conducts of Suits in their Courts'
- 1835 - a 'Guide to Revenue Regulations of the Presidencies of Bengal and Agra'
- 1842 - 'The History of India from remote Antiquity to the Accession of the Mogul Dynasty'.
- 1859 - 'The Life and Times of Carey Marshman and Ward
- 1863-1867 - 'History of India from the Earliest Period to the Close of Lord Dalhousie's Administration' published in three volumes.
He also published 'Marshman's Guide to the Civil Law of the Presidency of Fort William' which was possibly one of the most profitable law books ever published.