Background
Born in Weymouth, Dorset, he was the second son of the Review S. Marindin of Chesterton, in the parish of Worfield, Shropshire.
Born in Weymouth, Dorset, he was the second son of the Review S. Marindin of Chesterton, in the parish of Worfield, Shropshire.
He was educated at Eton College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.
He was later knighted for his work in public services. He was ultimately an honorary colonel in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps. The club had been founded in at least 1863 and is notable as the first side to exploit modern teamwork and passing tactics.
He retired from the Royal Engineers in 1879 at the rank of Major.
At the time, Marindin held the rank of Captain. (The legend he came to the match but abstained over conflict of interest as an Old Etonian is therefore incorrect)
Marindin become the President of the Football Association in 1874 and served in that capacity until 1879.
In his last final, crowds invaded the pitch and soldiers had to clear the field He was considered "one of the outstanding referees who really knows the rules".
He was widely known simply as "The Major".
He became an Inspecting Officer for the Board of Trade in 1875, rising to Senior Inspector of Railways in 1895. His work in this regard involved travelling the country to test and inspect new works on passenger railways to ensure their safety before they could be used. In describing this period of his life, his obituary in The Times of 24 April 1900, described him as "plain speaking, coupled with a complete mastery of his subject", making the point that the railway companies of the time knew that his office "was not likely to allow irregularities to remain long unnoticed".
In 1899 he submitted a report on accidents on railway workers on which a new Acting of Parliament concerning rail safety was based, and throughout the 1890s was responsible for a host of improvements in the working practices of Britain"s railways.
He helped develop London"s new electrical lighting system and was knighted in 1897. He died aged 61 on 21 April 1900 at home at Hans Crescent, London South.W., and was buried on the family Scottish property at Craigflower, Torryburn, Dunfermline.
Marindin spent active service in the Crimean War (1854-1856) and was a member of the Board of Trade Railway Inspectorate, an occupation he continued after he left the Corps.