“the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.” (Psalm 112: 6. KJV)
In the 16th century a farmer from Deane (Bolton) by the name of George Marsh became a curate in the Church of England and was accused of heresy and condemned at the consistory court in Chester Cathedral. Marsh was burned at the stake in Chester on April 24, 1555.
Today marks the 469th anniversary of his death.
My documentary about George Marsh has been seen by many people and has helped raise awareness of his story, even Chester town Crier gave it the thumbs up.
It was a film that took me a while to make. After learning about Marsh at Smithills Hall I had been fascinated to discover how his story was in the Book of Martyrs. Yet when I looked for the narrative in printed copies, I found that many modern versions had edited him out. This inspired me to want to know more about him. So I looked to see if any documentaries had been made and there hadn’t.
In John Rylands Library and Chetham’s Library I read through original 16th century prints of the Book of Martyrs and sure enough, his story was there. After repeatedly reading it and anything I could find about him, it was as though the story came alive to me and I couldn’t shake it off.
Before long I knew a film needed to be made about George Marsh. At that time I wasn’t a documentary maker although I had had some ambitions to become one. After a number of failed attempts to get a Marsh documentary made I decided to film it myself.
After all documentaries and films won’t make themselves.
I continued researching and in June 2012 I was ready to began filming at Chetham’s Library.
I had no budget or agenda so this allowed for freedom. I repeatedly visited Deane Church, and Smithills Hall and the story utterly consumed me.
Despite many obstacles I completed the documentary in 2013. However the journey was not over. While filming I had learned about a possible location for where Marsh lived. Later I learned about a Marsh family Bible in Bolton Library rumoured to be his. So I viewed both the farm and the Bible at different times. Sadly my research revealed the Marsh family Bible could not have actually belonged to George Marsh since it dates to 1566. However after reading an old newspaper article I was set yet again on another journey, this time to find his Bible. I knew it was rumoured to have been seen in Deane in the 1850’s.
Suddenly I found myself on two separate journeys, the quest to find George Marsh’s Bible and the quest to find George Marsh’s farm.
As my research progressed another Bible turned up and a number of proposed locations for the Marsh farm. However I was unable to reach any conclusive proofs for either. So the location of George Marsh’s farm became an unsolved mystery. The Bible ongoing.
Last night however I felt compelled to revisit the area and it brought back a lot of memories. So I came up with the idea to write an appeal to see if anyone has any further insight into the location of the George Marsh farm?
Over the years I have been regularly contacted by Marsh descendants, many of whom find references to George Marsh in ancestral documents. So I appeal to anyone with insight to help locate the Marsh farm.
The area at Broadgate farm is the strongest suggestion in my opinion and where my instinct has led me. The site is situated up and beyond Deane church, overlooking a lake.
I may never know for sure since I haven’t yet found any absolute proof that George Marsh lived at Broadgate Farm but information may yet be out there. If anyone does have any insight, either through ancestral research or further source information please feel free to get in touch.
It is likely that George Marsh’s farm was either a medieval timber structure or a 16th century building.
Simon Peter Sutherland 