Marshall Wallis Road in the town of SOUTH SHIELDS

Rev. William Marshall Wallis was born in 1821, the son of William Wallis of Westoe, South Shields. His family were long-established landowners with deep roots in the history of Northumberland and South Tyneside. His grandfather, Robert Wallis was South Shields’ first recorded shipbuilder.

Marshall Wallis Road in South Shields was built around 1895, during Rev. Wallis’s lifetime. The road runs through land once associated with the Wallis family in the Laygate area. In the early 1850s, William Marshall Wallis was still living in Westoe. Notices from 1850 and 1851 show him letting out substantial parts of the family estate, including a 96-acre farm and a residence known as The Grove, which had a garden and orchard. At the time, he was known locally as Mr. W. Marshall Wallis and was regarded as a member of the local gentry.

The family’s local prominence grew further through marriage. William Marshall Wallis married Maria Marshall, daughter of William Marshall and Mary Fairles. Through this marriage, the Wallis family came into possession of a significant estate in Westoe, formerly held by the Marshall family. Much of this land was eventually sold to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1884, which freed up around 34 acres for housing development. The Marshalls' old house remained in the family and eventually passed to Rev. William Marshall Wallis.

In 1858, he moved with his wife to Roseland, a house on Bucklebury Common in Berkshire that had been gifted to them. He was ordained in 1870 at the age of 49 and served as honorary chaplain at St. Saviour’s Church for more than 30 years , as well as assistant curate of Bucklebury parish until 1890. Known for his dedication, he would regularly walk over ten miles each Sunday to serve multiple congregations, and did so without drawing a salary.

Alongside his ministry, he pursued a wide range of intellectual and cultural interests. He was a founding member of the Newbury Field Club and gave lectures on archaeology, genealogy, and local history. He was also an accomplished artist, producing watercolours and architectural drawings of historic buildings in Berkshire, Durham, and Yorkshire. He designed and painted his own lantern slides for public shows and had a lifelong interest in local antiquities.

Music was another of his passions. He played cello, violin, and organ, led choirs, and helped organise community concerts. He continued performing well into his seventies.

Rev. Marshall Wallis died on 15 March 1901, aged 80. His daughter, Louisa Mary Jane Wallis, remained active in the community until her death in 1938.

Rev. William Marshall Wallis belonged to an old Northumbrian Borders family whose roots stretched back to the medieval landholders of Knaresdale and Copeland. The Wallis family claimed descent from Ranulph de Vallibus (de Vaux), a Norman baron of Gilsland, and were long associated with Knaresdale Hall and Copeland Castle. His ancestors included Anthony Wallis, a vicar in the 16th century believed to have descended from guardians of the Roman Vallum, and Richard Wallis of Kirkhaugh, whose 1586 will links the family to the powerful Ridley, Musgrave, and Fetherstonhaugh families of the Borders. The family’s arms, a bend embattled, were carved into stone in St. Nicholas’ Church, Newcastle, and later added to a tombstone in Bucklebury, where Rev. Wallis is buried.