Alfred Marsh
Alfred Marsh | |
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| Born | 3 November 1858 Clerkenwell, London, England |
| Died | 13 October 1914 (aged 55) Hastings, England |
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| Known for | Editing Freedom |
| Spouse |
Emilie Ashurst Holyoake
(m. 1894) |
Alfred Marsh (3 November 1858 – 13 October 1914) was an
Early years
Marsh was born in Clerkenwell, London. Having lost his mother at an early age, he was brought up by his father who was of a radical inclination. His father was a close friend of secularist and co-operative pioneer George Holyoake.[1] In 1894 he married Holyoake's daughter, Emilie Ashurst Holyoake.[2] His childhood meant he was heavily influenced by the radical ideas of Robert Owen, and his close associate Dr. Henry Travis.
Political development
In around 1883 he read Bakunin’s God and the State which left a lasting impression on him. He was thrown out of by his father on the account of having a relationship with a woman from his brush factory. From there on in, Marsh’s livelihood was garnered from earning working as a violinist in theatre orchestras and by giving music lessons.[3] He is said to have had a modest lifestyle and contributed regularly his meagre income to ensure the Freedom newspaper stayed afloat over the years
Like many a radical, he joined the Social Democratic Federation, but was disgusted at the abusive and opportunistic nature of H. M Hyndman and his followers. After joining in 1886, he left not soon after.
The
Political activities
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He became close associates with John Turner and this cemented his relationship with the Freedom group. He would contribute regularly for the paper, often anonymously; he would also regularly speak at talks. His first such talk at Farringdon Hall attacked the labour leader John Burns and his view of social democracy as a stepping stone to communism.[4]
Freedom had had problems functioning with
As well as editing Freedom for the next twenty years he also edited the short-lived Voice of Labour which was a to workplace agitation paper published by Freedom Press. This time was particularly difficult, because Britain had undertaken a very
From 1910 onwards he is understood to have been of declining health and editorship of Freedom was handed over to
In September 1914 he was told he had inoperable cancer, from which he died a month later in Hastings.
Posthumously, anarchists set up a meeting place in 1915 called Marsh House, on Mecklenburgh St, London, near Russell Square in his honour.[6]
References
- ^ Keell, T. H.; Kropotkin, P.; Turner, John (November 1914). "Death of Alfred Marsh" (PDF). Freedom. p. 83. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "Emilie Holyoake-Marsh (1861-1953)". Humanist Heritage. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Kelly, Harry (December 1914). "Alfred Marsh" (PDF). Mother Earth. pp. 325–327. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ a b Heath, Nick. "Marsh, Alfred 1858-1914". Website. Libcom.org. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ISBN 0-900384-35-2.
- ISBN 1904859275.
Further reading
- ISSN 1756-901X. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- Archive of Alfred Marsh Papers at the International Institute of Social History