Reginald Marshall was born in 1892 towards the end of Queen Victoria's long reign, when Gladstone was Prime Minister and Liverpool a port of pre-eminence. At Ampleforth he did well at his studies, played in the 1st XI and received a prize for Art.
In 1911 he went to Belmont to join the Common Novitiate for the English Congregation together with the future Father Gregory Swann and Father Ignatius Miller and others.
He loved his years at Belmont. He was strong and intelligent and the austere regime was a challenge. Prayer, study, manual labour and the river. Wonderful memories of rowing and the whole day off for the Grange.
He got a 2nd at Oxford in History and returned to Ampleforth for theology, Ordination and teaching. But there were others who were teaching history and so it was 'on to the Missions' for Father Denis.
His first parish was Brownedge where he is still remembered as being gentle in the confessional: then to St Alban's, Warrington where Father Aelred Clerk was Rector and finally he was put in charge of St Oswald's, Padgate. This was a new parish formed out of St Mary's and St Benedict's and he did not find it easy.
The next move was to Easingwold where he enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of the Yorkshire countryside.
He was on the move again and this time to Abergavenny where he was happy and then to Knaresborough for 17 years. He had plenty to do here with hospitals, outlying villages and a new school to build.
Then it was back to Abergavenny and this time as assistant priest. It was a tough assignment, he was now in his eighties but he went about it with a will, visiting a wide-spread parish where they were pleased to see him again, and speeding back on his bicycle to supper.
But safe harbour was in sight with the Bernardines at Hyning Hall. Here he spent his last 6½ years in peace and calm, drawing on his many and wide interests with time for prayer, reading, musing, friends, enjoying the countryside and changing seasons, accepting philosophically the irritations of the conciliar liturgy and giving the sisters and residents his carefully prepared Sunday homily.
Father Denis was aware of how much God had given him and he would try to give his whole self in return.
Let us have confidence that God has received him into the eternal habitations.
DOM REGINALD DENIS MARSHALL 22 Jan 1982
1892 2 Mar born Liverpool
1905 edc Ampleforth
1911 5 Oct Habit - Belmont Common Novitiate
1912 9 Oct Simple Vows - Belmont
1913 1 Feb Minor Orders Bishop Hedley
1915 19 Dec Solemn Vows Abbot Smith
1916 16 Jan Subdeacon Bishop Lacy
1916 17 Jan Deacon Bishop Lacy
1919 25 Jul Priest Bishop Vaughan
1914-7 Oxford St.Benet's Hall Modern History
1917-22 Taught at Ampleforth
1922 Jan Bamber Bridge - Assistant
1929 June Warrington St.Alban's - Assistant
1935 May Padgate St.Oswald's - PP
1942 Apr Easingwold - PP
1945 Sept Abervagenny - PP
1954 20 Dec Knaresborough - PP
1971 8 Nov Abergavenny - Assistant
1975 Sept Chaplain to St.Bernard's Priory Hyning Hall Carnforth
1982 22 Jan died at St.John of God Hospital Silverdale Lancs
1982 27 Jan Buried at Bamber Bridge