Sir Oshley Roy Marshall (21 October 1920 – 2 February 2015), an academic lawyer, was the third vice-chancellor of the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

and the fourth vice-chancellor of the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

Life

Marshall was born on the island of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

and was educated at Harrison College, Barbados and subsequently

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 students and fellows. It is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from ...

, gaining first class honours in 1945. He was called to the Bar of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1947. Marshall was awarded a doctorate from

University College, London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

(UCL) in 1948. He taught law at UCL, and in 1956 he obtained a chair in law at the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

. From 1956 to 1969 he remained at Sheffield excepting a period teaching at the

University of Ife Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal university in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife by the regional government of Western Nigeria, which w ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

(1963–65). In the mid 1960s he was intimately involved in writing the

constitution of Barbados The Constitution of Barbados is the supreme law under which Barbados is governed. The Constitution provides a legal establishment of the Government of Barbados, as well as legal rights and responsibilities of the public and various other gover ...

, prior to the island's independence from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

(UK). In 1968 Marshall was made a Commander of

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE). In 1969 he became vice-chancellor of the

, serving until 1974. The Queen's New Year's Honours list of 1974 announced the award of a knighthood to Marshall. Between 1974 and 1979 he was secretary general of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the UK Universities. On the retirement of Stanley R Dennison in 1979, Marshall was appointed vice-chancellor of the

, serving until his own retirement in 1985. In Marshall's time at Hull he is reputed to have refused to accept the poet

Philip Larkin Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (194 ...

's resignation as university librarian. Larkin's reason for tendering his resignation was his apprehension that his technical knowledge was not adequate to cope with the changes in technology affecting how academic libraries functioned. Marshall refused the request on the grounds that Larkin's "presence on the staff was of material advantage to the university." Sir Roy was High Commissioner for Barbados in London between 1989 and 1991. Marshall made significant contributions to society in the realms of

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

and

race relations Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in th ...

. He died in November 2015, in his native Barbados.Hayward, J E S, pp. XI, 2, 4

References

Bibliography

*Antoine, R-M B (2008) ''Commonwealth Caribbean Law and Legal Systems'', Psychology Press. *Briggs, A (1991) ''Serious Pursuits: Communications and Education'', University of Illinois Press. *Hayward J E S (2013) ''Out of Slavery: Abolition and After'', Routledge. {{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Roy 1920 births 2015 deaths Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Vice-chancellors of the University of Hull Vice-chancellors of universities in Barbados Barbadian lawyers 20th-century Barbadian lawyers Heads of the University of the West Indies People educated at Harrison College (Barbados) Barbadian expatriates in the United Kingdom Expatriates in Nigeria Barbadian diplomats Legal scholars Barbadian knights Knights Bachelor Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the UCL Faculty of Laws