Marshall Cresswell

Marshall Cresswell (1833-1889) was a Northumberland born miner, poet and songwriter. His experiences to and from his job in Borneo were serialised later in the local newspaper.

Early life Marshall Cresswell was born on 18 January 1833 in the colliery village of Fawdon Square (now combined with other villages and suburbs to form Fawdon), the son of Thomas Cresswell and his wife Jane.

After a short time at school, he left at the age of 9 and went "down the pit" like a great many at this age. After serving his apprenticeship, he became a sinker. He was working on the sinking of a new shaft for a colliery near Sherburn Station in December 1856 when he was informed that the eminent local engineer William Coulson was seeking three experienced men to go out to Borneo as "sinkers".

Marshall Cresswell applied and was awarded one of the positions, all of which led to a period of what could be called "Adventure and excitement". He set sail bound for Sarawak on the island of Borneo from Gravesend via Rio de Janeiro and Singapore in February 1857 on the Gwalior and immediately became involved in long sea journeys, shipwrecks, storms, hostile natives, excessive heat, and all that goes with these. It would be 20 September 1859 when he arrived back on the Tyne

The story of his adventure, "From Dudley Colliery to Borneo - by Marshall Creswell", was later serialised in the Newcastle Courant, running from 18 January to 12 April 1878 – Annotated versions: or

Later life On his return to Newcastle, Marshall Cresswell commenced work again in the Tyneside pit at Dudley. He married Esther Brown in 1860, and they had six sons and a daughter.

He wrote numerous songs and recitation, many published by John W Chater, winning a gold medal with "Morpeth Lodgings" in one competition. In 1876, Chater published a 36-page book entitled Local and other Songs and Recitations, which was a collection of Marshall Cresswell's songs with a short autobiographical preface. A second edition of 143 pages was published in 1883, 38 of which were Dudley Colliery to Borneo.

He died on 31 July 1889, and was buried at Cramlington. Obituaries appeared in the Newcastle Daily Journal of 2 August and the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle of 3 August.