Florence Ashton Marshall

Florence Ashton Marshall (Mrs Julian Marshall) née Thomas (30 March 1843 – 5 March 1922) was an English writer, composer and conductor.

Life
She was born on 30 March 1843 in Rome, Italy, the daughter of Vicar Canon Thomas of All Hallows Barking by the Tower, and studied music at the Royal Academy of Music with William Sterndale Bennett, John Goss and G. A. Macfarren. Her sister was the clarinettist Frances Thomas (after 1843-1925).

Thomas married businessman, writer, and music collector Julian Marshall on 7 October 1864 and had three daughters. She contributed to Grove's Dictionary, although to a lesser degree than her husband.

She was elected an associate of the Philharmonic Society and conducted the South Hampstead Orchestra for over 30 years. The orchestra was substantial enough to perform a Brahms symphony under her direction and the Saint-Saëns violin concerto with Mischa Elman as the soloist. She and her husband were founding members of the Musical Association.

Marshall died on 5 March 1922.

Works
Florence Marshall composed solo songs, part songs, educational pieces, and operettas. Selected works include:
 * Symphony in B minor (Andante performed in 1874)
 * Notturno for Orchestra (1875)
 * The Masked Shepherd, operetta (1879)
 * Piano Trio (1879)
 * Prince Sprite, fairy operetta (1897)
 * Nocturne for clarinet and orchestra

Marshall published a biography of Handel in Hueffer's Great Musicians series in 1883, and Life and Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley in 1889.