William MARSHALL
Male 1830 - Yes, date unknown


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The William MARSHALL Letters - Letter 4

Written June 10th and 15th 1854 aboard HMSS Inflexible in the Black Sea.

Transcribed by Ruairidh Greig

William Marshall Correspondence – Letter 4

William Marshall was the second son of John Marshall and Sarah Lawrence, born at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, in October 1830. The following letters were kept by his niece, my Great Grandmother Helen Urquhart (ms Marshall). According to Jessie Urquhart, her daughter, William was a whaler who returned to the Arctic and married an Eskimo. Auntie Sissie (Sarah Urquhart) met him on a visit to Peterhead and said that in his hand knitted vest and long pants, he looked to her like a polar bear. – Ruairidh Greig



There is a transcription of this letter following the images.



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Letter 4

Balchick bay Kavarna Black Sea June 10 1854

Dear Sister

I received your letter yesterday and was sorry to hear of the death of my brother poor fellow[1] I hope he is better of I am glad to think that you at home are all well as this leaves me enjoying good health at present thank god for it hopeing this will find you the same you haye been a long time of writing it is three months since I got your last letter and the mail leaves England twice a month for molte[2] we have been cruising the black sea for this last three months in search of the Russian fleet but they will not come out of their harbours we were at the mouth of the Danube blockading the Russian ships and troops that is their our troops is marching to attack them to morrow and the Russian is dying by hundered of the fever and hunger the war wont last long for he must give in we have takeing a few prizes but they are not worth much we have got the news that all the small steamers is comeing home this winter to man the big scew line of battle ships that is at home and if we come home we shall get leave and I will come and see you if I can you said the whale had not had much luck at the sealing but I hope they will do better at the whaleing if William Neddilton is at home I give him my best respects and I should like to be at home with him give my kind love to your mother and sister you neve mentioned how your brothers is or his wife if McKenzie is come home tell him that his brother Foster is on board the Britannia[3] flag ship I have not had a chance to see him give my respects to all inquiring friends

No More at present But Reamains

Your loving Brother William Marshall

Write me when you get this and send

me an envelope and a few stamp

for I have none and I cannot buy them here

June 15

Dear Sister

When I wrote you this letter I thotre we was going to sea that night but the engines wanted some repairs and we had to wait for it but the letter bag closes to night and we are going to sail for the Danube to night and I hope we will take a few prises and I hear that our ship will be condemned when when we come down from the Danube which will be in two months and I think she will be sent home for she is in a bad state this leave me well and happy at present write when you get this letter and give me the new about the whalers I read in the papers the Pomona[4] coming hom and the wmen[5] being lost excuse my writing for I am always in a hurry when I write

William Marshall

Seaman

On board HMSS

Inflexible[6]

Black Sea

Or elsewhere




[1] The only Marshall brother whose death is not documented on the site so far is Alexander, Sandy who was bound for Calcutta. This may refer to his death.

[2] Malta

[3] HMS Britannia, a three-decker battleship (c.2,616 tons), one of the largest ships of her time was launched in 1820 and after the Crimean War became the first naval training ship, broken up in1869.

[4] The whaler Pomona arrived in Peterhead on 25th April, reporting the loss of a number of ships due to adverse weather conditions, including the Violet of Hull and the Agostina of Peterhead, with all hands. (Liverpool Mercury, Tuesday 2nd May 1854, issue 2582)

[5] Whalemen or whalermen

[6] HMS Inflexible was a six-gun steam sloop. She took part in the assault on Sebastopol in the Summer of 1855. This is where William may have received the wounds that left him in Plymouth Hospital. The medal distribution record lists him as “leading seaman 144” but does not record whether his award was delivered successfully. For details of the assault on Sebastopol see: http://www.historyhome.co.uk/forpol/crimea/gowing/final.htm



Owner/SourceRuairidh Greig
Date26 Nov 2008
Linked toWilliam MARSHALL
AlbumsThe William Marshall Letters

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