George Marshall JP FSA (1869-1950) Marshall was the eldest son of George William Marshall, York Herald, who bought the Sarnesfield Court estate in 1891, and was High Sheriff for Herefordshire in 1902.In about 1894 George Marshall took charge of The Batch, moving into the farmhouse where he lived after he was married in 1898. His father died in 1905, and the entire Sarnesfield estate was bequeathed to a younger brother. Consequently, early in 1906 George Marshall bought Breinton Manor Farm, where he lived for the rest of his life, continuing the interest in growing fruit, which had begun when he moved to The Batch.
He joined the Woolhope Club in 1901 as an active member, and Club secretary after the death of Thomas Hutchinson in 1916. In that role he meticulously organised the majority of the many field meetings, reconnoitring the routes, and giving well-informed addresses to members. Marshall’s standing in the Club was recognised with his becoming President in 1922 he became President, combining this with his role as secretary, for which a presentation was made to him in 1944 to mark 28 years in the role. As secretary, George Marshall also acted as editor for the Transactions. In 1914 these were seven years in arrears, and he proposed that they be issued every three years, rather than in yearly volumes. When he retired as secretary in 1946 the club paid tribute to his endeavours, recognising that he had taken over a failing club and had turned it around.
In addition to his contribution to the management and administration of the Woolhope Club, Marshall also found time to contribute more than 50 research papers on a wide range of topics, covering his many antiquarian interests. Surprisingly, however, he published nothing on fruit growing. His last paper, on Potteries and Pots in North Herefordshire, was read to the Club in February 1946.
George Marshall suffered a stroke shortly after he resigned as secretary, that paralysed his writing hand. He continued with his writing, using his left hand, and wrote a monograph on Herefordshire Fonts, with photographs by F. C. Morgan, published in three parts (1949-51). In 1951 he published a monograph on Hereford Cathedral, which he had studied for many years. Some of these later publications were posthumous, however, as he died on 11 December 1950. In his will George Marshall left his library to the Club, together with a sum of money towards its upkeep.