Marsden Clarke was born at Waimate North in 1837, named for Samuel Marsden, the founding figure of the New Zealand mission who had played such a decisive role in his parents' lives.
He grew up at Grove Cottage, served as his father's secretary when George Clarke was appointed Judge of the Native Land Court, and farmed the family property at Waimate with his brother John.
He married Frances Emily Stuart, the daughter of Bishop Craig Stuart — a missionary in India who came to New Zealand to investigate land disputes on behalf of the Church Missionary Society, and whose daughter met and married Marsden during that visit. They farmed a property known as "Whakamaru" — a Māori name meaning home — across from the mission house. Marsden was the founding president of the Waimate A&P Show in 1888, and John Clarke donated the kauri timber for the show building.
Marsden died on 10 May 1889 at Waimate North, twenty years older than Frances and leaving her a widow with three young children. She eventually joined her father, who had been appointed Bishop of Waiapu, in Napier, where she taught music to supplement the farm income. She died in July 1925.
Their children — Edward de Courcy Clarke, Frances Emily Clarke, and Mary Edith Clarke — are among the most interesting of the second generation (see below).