We are deeply saddened to learn of the death, on Saturday, of Professor Peter Marshall, former Rhodes Professor of Imperial History at King’s College London and President of the Royal Historical Society between 1996 and 2000.
Peter’s association with the Society spanned more than 50 years. Elected a Fellow in 1969, he served as a member of the Society’s Council between 1983 to 1987, thereafter becoming Vice President until November 1991. He returned to the Council in November 1996 as President and held this position for four years.
As President, Peter delivered four lectures on the theme of ‘Britain and the World in the Eighteenth Century’ which were subsequently published in Transactions of the Royal Historical Society (1998-2001) and are now available free to read until 31 October 2025.
Peter’s academic career was spent at King’s College London where he was appointed an Assistant Lecturer in 1959, rising to Professor in 1978 and becoming Rhodes Professor of Imperial History in 1980. Peter’s term as RHS President came after his retirement from King’s in 1993. Though officially retired, Peter remained closely involved with King’s, teaching courses into the 2010s.
Peter’s association with the Society also continued after his Presidency, not least with his very generous provision of the annual RHS Marshall Fellowships to support early career researchers to complete a doctorate in history. The latest recipients — for the academic year 2024-25 — have recently completed their Fellowships, held at the Institute of Historical Research. Peter took great interest in the work of each Fellow and many academic careers have been enhanced, and many professional friendships established, thanks to Peter’s creation of this programme.
Peter’s research field was British imperial history, with a specialism in eighteenth-century British India. His work appears in more than 50 articles and chapters and numerous books which range from The Impeachment of Warren Hastings (1965) to Edmund Burke and the British Empire in the West Indies (2019). His final monograph will appear posthumously.
Peter’s many other contributions to scholarship include his editorship of the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History (1975-81); membership of the editorial committee for the Correspondence of Edmund Burke (1965–78), for which he co-edited volume 2 (1968); as an associate editor for the Writings and Speeches of Edmund Burke (1976–2015), for which he edited four volumes; and editorship of the eighteenth-century volume of the Oxford History of the British Empire (1998).
Peter was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1998 and appointed a CBE for services to history in 2002.
Peter was a friend to many and a very generous host to members of the Society’s Council who enjoyed summer lunches in his garden. He will be very greatly missed.
2 September 2025: we are very grateful to Professor Peter Mandler for the following reflections on Peter’s contribution to the Royal Historical Society, both during and after his term as President. The tribute appears, from 2 September, on the RHS blog.
IMAGE: Peter Marshall with Jinty Nelson (1942-2024) who succeeded Peter as President of the Royal Historical Society in November 2000.