Andrew was born on March 31st, 1621, at Winestead, a small town east of Hull.
His father was an Anglican clergyman and rector at Winestead. Andrew was the
only one of four children born to the Marvells to survive. When he was three
years old the family moved to Hull in order that his father could take up
position as lecturer at the city's Holy Trinity Church.
As a child, Andrew attended the Hull Grammar School, where his father held the position of Master in 1620. There seems little doubt that he received his early education under his father's tuition. Then, in 1633, he went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he gained a BA in 1638. It was at Cambridge that he started to get a reputation as a poet.
In 1642, he embarked upon what turned out to be a four-year period of travelling abroad, in which he learned several different languages, including French, Italian, Dutch and Spanish. It was on these travels, in Rome, that he first met John Milton, who would prove to be a life-long friend. During this period, Civil Wars were taking place in England, and they continued after he returned. It is unclear if Andrew supported Charles I or Parliament, led by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, but even though his writings appear to hint that he was a Royalist, he also prospered under Cromwell.
In 1650 he moved to Nun Appleton House in Yorkshire, to take up his appointment as tutor to Mary Fairfax, the daughter of Sir Thomas Fairfax. Fairfax had resigned from the army after a disagreement with Cromwell, which left Cromwell in complete control. Andrew stayed at Nun Appleton House until 1653, when he tried unsuccessfully to gain a government position with the help of his good friend John Milton. Instead, Andrew became a tutor again, this time for William Dutton, who was a ward of Oliver Cromwell. He held this position until 1657, when he was appointed to a post in the civil service.
The death of Cromwell, on September 3rd, 1658, once again threw the country into turmoil, and in 1659, Andrew was elected to Parliament to serve as member for Kingston-upon-Hull, a position he would hold until his death.
Subsequent to the return of Charles II, who Andrew had originally supported because of the former's promises of general amnesty and religious liberty, Andrew became increasingly critical of the monarchy, both in Parliament and in anonymous satires, and also became involved with opposition groups. However, he died before Government could take disciplinary action against him.
His death came on August 18th, 1678, caused by tertian fever.
Andrew was a well respected man, described as both loyal and courageous; he moved in wide circles, having many acquaintances but chose very few people as friends, John Milton being one of the closest.
It wasn't until after Andrew's death that his first collection of poems were published. Mary Palmer, Andrew's housekeeper, who also claimed to be his wife, arranged the publication of Miscellaneous Poems, which contained a complete set of his lyric poems. Initially, however, his poetry was not widely appreciated, but his reputation has grown over the centuries as successive generations have discovered his work.
R. W. Corlass, in his Sketches of Hull Authors says this of him:
"At the period in our country's history in which he lived, honest men in trusty positions were rare...How greatly valued would that kind of person be today - if we could find one!
...he preserved his name unsullied, and handed it down to posterity a synonym for honesty and integrity."