Letters of William Calder Marshall (1813-1894)

The letters from William Calder Marshall to Joseph L. Williams are about his then current work, and mention the Campbell statue and the need to send a drawing or engraving to Scotland.

The Scottish sculptor and draughtsman William Calder Marshall was born in Edinburgh on 18 March 1813. He was educated the city's Royal High School and he studied at Edinburgh University. He decided to be a sculptor and studied under Chantrey and Baily in Rome and he also joined the Royal Academy School. He worked in Edinburgh but moved to London in 1839. In 1857 he won first prize for his design for a national monument to the Duke of Wellington but this was then entrusted to Alfred Stevens. He was honoured by the French government for services in connection with the Paris International Exhibition in 1878. His work included a bronze statue of Sir Robert Peel (1853) commissioned for Manchester, a marble statue for Capetown, Sir George Grey (1862), The prodigal son (1881), and the set Agriculture on the Albert Memorial. His work is also represented in the Palace of Westminister, Westminster Abbey, Kensington Gardens, Arbroath, Bolton, Coventry, and Leicester Square. William Calder Marshall died in London on 16 June 1894.

Generally open for consultation to bona fide researchers, but please contact repository for details in advance.

Material purchased among miscellaneous letters of Scottish interest, E. Hall, 1976, Accession no. E76.32.

The biographical/administrative history was compiled using the following material: (1) McEwan, Peter J. Dictionary of Scottish art and architecture. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Antique Collectors' Club, 1994.

Compiled by Graeme D Eddie, Edinburgh University Library, Special Collections Division.

Important finding aids generally are: the alphabetical Index to Manuscripts held at Edinburgh University Library, Special Collections and Archives, consisting of typed slips in sheaf binders and to which additions were made until 1987; and the Index to Accessions Since 1987.

Check the local Indexes for details of any additions.

The local Indexes show various references to Marshall related material (check the Indexes for more details): undated letter to Hannah, apologising for his absence the previous evening, also an undated fragment of a letter with signature, at La.II.426/306-307; and, letter to G. Stampe, promising to send him any letters he may receive from artists, 1863, at La.II.648/157.

In addition, the UK National Register of Archives (NRA), updated by the Historical Manuscripts Commission, notes: journals, 1836-1838, National Library of Scotland, Manuscript Collections; household and studio accounts, travel documents, papers, 1839-1860, Henry Moore Institute, NRA 42702 Henry Moore; and, diaries, miscellaneous notes and account books, 1871-1878, Royal Academy of Arts, Ref. MAR NRA 14837 Royal Academy