Norval Marley, Capt.

Norval Marley was likely born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica to Albert Thomas Marley, a transplant from Sussex, England working as an attorney for a large property owner, and Ellen Bloomfield, a mixed-race woman with roots in Jamaica.

Norval lived an itinerant life. His wanderings were detailed in the book Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley: “He left Jamaica and worked for J. W. Flymers, in Niepe Bay, Cuba, as a “ferro cement engineer,” then turned up in England to join the British army in World War I. During the war, he did not serve actively in Europe and was stationed at Prees Heath and Oswestry in Shropshire, England, near the border of Wales. After the army, Norval found work in Lagos, Nigeria, as a police officer—he may have picked up his title “Captain” while working for the military police there—and then visited South Africa as a member of the merchant navy.”

When he met Cedella Malcolm at the age of 60, he was back in Jamaica, traveling the countryside, claiming “that he was in charge of parceling out British crown lands to war veterans and pensioners.” However, it is unlikely he ever held such an important role. A relative who knew him stated he was most likely a surveyor’s assistant.

Though a legitimate marriage, the pairing of Norval and Cedella did not last long. Norval initially supported his new wife and child, albeit inconsistently, after Bob was born. With time, he drifted away from them. Bob visited his father one last time in a nursing home as he was dying. Norval died in 1957.