He held office until his death although he had been contemplating retirement due to ill health.
The Paterson family settled in Ennis in the eighteenth century and became substantial landowners in the area.
In character, he seems to have been a typical eighteenth-century rake: he was famed for his hospitality, shortened his life by heavy drinking and fought numerous duels.
On the other hand, he was a considerable scholar, a fine lawyer and a diligent and zealous law officer.
The younger Marcus joined the British Army and was sent to America, where he died of a fever at Fort de Chartres, on the Mississippi River.