George Green and Sarah Perry

Trinity Chapel, Sailors Home &c., East India Road, Poplar. This is the Chapel and Sailors' Home endowed by George Green, who built the Congregationalist chapel, and his son Richard. They were both buried in the chapel. The Green company house flag flies on the Home to the right.

George Green (b. 2 Nov 1767), son of John Green and Mary Pritzler, married Sarah Perry (b. 20 Sep 1776, bap. 22 Sep 1776 at St Dunstan's, Stepney), second daughter of John Perry and Elizabeth Brown, at St Dunstan's, Stepney on 18 Feb 1796. Sarah was then nineteen, a minor. The marriage record reads "George Green Esq. of this Parish Bachelor and Sarah Perry of this Parish Spinster by and with the consent of John Perry Esq. the natural and lawful father of the said minor were married in this church, by Licence." Witnesses were John Perry and John Perry Jnr, Sarah's father and brother.

George Green, it is alleged, was born in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. This is stated in the Chronicles of the Blackwall Yard (PDF) by Henry Green and Robert Wigram, published in 1881, over 100 years after the event. The family could have had a 'country seat' in Cheshunt, but I find it curious that there appears no mention nor evidence of such. However, one assumes it was then based on truth as at least they won't have been hampered by the sheer deluge of wildly differing information there is online alleging to refer to his family, in trees at Ancestry and elsewhere. For example, at FindAGrave, George Green's grandfather, William Green, was not only listed as having been an Overseer of the Poor of Chelsea and the owner of the Lotts Brewery of Chelsea, but he had died at the age of TWO. I've heard of such thing as a child prodigy, but ... obviously (not to them) someone has added those details to the wrong burial. This is one of many items causing difficulties identifying the correct records and is a question I'll inevitably come back to, if or when I research his parents and earlier ancestors and try to unpick some of the mess.

With George Green's father having been a brewer in Chelsea and Sarah's maternal grandfather John Brown was a brewer in Poplar, I wonder if this could have been the original means of introduction between the families?

It's often quoted that Green had originally been Perry's apprentice and the Chronicles of the Blackwall Yard says that, "In the year 1782, George Green, of whom we shall say more presently, came to Blackwall yard at the age of 15, and was apprenticed to his future father-in-law, Mr. John Perry." The record in UK, Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures, 1710-1811, which is dated 7 Nov 1782, shows that George Green was actually apprenticed to Samuel Huxtable of Stepney, Middlesex, Shipwright. "From at least the 1770s the shipwrights working within Blackwall Yard were not employed directly by the Perry family. Various master shipwrights worked with their own men in teams, and agreed with the Perrys to work on specific orders." [Source] One assumes that Huxtable was one such master.

The Chronicles continue with: "He is spoken of at this time as having been particularly active, intelligent, and trustworthy, and he soon began to make himself useful in the drawing-office and mould loft, where he was employed in designing and laying of ships, A proof of his activity is given in the fact that for some time he was in the habit of frequently walking from his mother's house, near Battersea, to Blackwall Yard, arriving there at six o'clock in the morning and walking back again after six o'clock in the evening. In the busy times that were now coming on, George Green was frequently detained at the Yard until late in the evening, working in the mould loft, and at such times Mr. Perry and his family would often walk through from the adjoining house to see how things were going on. Report says, further, that Miss Sarah Perry took a somewhat lively interest in these proceedings, and would show her interest by rubbing out and otherwise disturbing the lines which young George Green had just completed. However this may be, an attachment soon sprang up between them, they became engaged, and were married at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, on February 18th, 1796."

These were then the usual hours. "For the men working in the yard during the later eighteenth century conditions were very similar to those experienced by the employees of the East India Company in the yard's earliest days. In 1781 all labourers worked from 6 o'clock in the morning until 6 o'clock at night. In winter they came half-an-hour later and left at 5.30." [Source]

Again the Chronicles of the Blackwall Yard tell us that, "Five children were born of this marriage, John, George, Joseph, Mary, and Richard. Of these, Joseph and Mary died in infancy" As we see, only Richard survived:

1. John Green b. 21 Nov 1796, bap. 19 Dec 1796 at St Dunstan's, Stepney. John Green died, at the age of nine, on 19 May 1805, and was buried, on 25 May 1805, at Poplar Chapel (St Matthias Old Church)
2. George Green b. 7 Jun 1799, bap. 8 Jul 1799 at St Dunstan's, Stepney. George Green of Blackwall died, aged 15, on 29 May 1814, and was buried on 6 Jun 1814 at at Poplar Chapel (St Matthias Old Church). "George, described as a boy of good promise, died at Brighton, at the age of fifteen, from the effects of bathing while heated after riding." [Source]
3. Joseph Green b. ~1801 and died in infancy. Not found any records for this child, neither baptism, nor burial and would not have known of him, except the children being listed, in this order, in the Chronicles of the Blackwall Yard. A History of George Green, written by George Green's 3x great-grandson, Johnathan Green, in Nov 2018, also states that there were five children of this marriage, although the names are not listed.
4. Mary Green, b. 28 May 1802, bap. 24 Jun 1802 at St Dunstan's, Stepney. Mary Green of Poplar was buried at Poplar Chapel (St Matthias Old Church) on 28 Apr 1803. The burial record lists her as 8 months old, but as we can see, she must have been nearer 11 months.
5. Richard Green b. 5 Dec 1803, bap. 31 Dec 1803 at St Dunstan's.

In 1805, the Chronicles of the Blackwall Yard recount, "We have here to record, on May 18th, 1805, the premature death, at Blackwall, of Mrs. George Green, at the early age of 28 years; her son John, aged 9 years, dying on the following day, they were buried together, with the other members of her family, in the grounds of Poplar Chapel. She left two sons, George and Richard, but of these only Richard Green arrived at maturity." Sarah Green was buried, on 25 May 1805, at Poplar Chapel (St Matthias Old Church).

The causes are not mentioned, but with two family members dying at the same time, one cannot help but wonder if it was from the same infectious pathogen. Though presumably unrelated in cause, in 1814, George Green was buried just a week prior to his first cousin, Mary Ann Layman, daughter of Sarah's sister, Elizabeth, the two burials being on the same page of the records.

George Green, Widower of the Parish of St Dunstan's, Stepney then remarried to Elizabeth Unwin of this Parish, Spinster, by Licence, at St Mary's Church, Bromley St Leonard's (more history here), on 6 May 1806. The witnesses to this marriage were a William Unwin and a Matthew Oliver.

George and Elizabeth Green added a further six children:

6. Henry Green, son of George and Elizabeth Green, of Blackwall, b. 21 Jan 1808, bap. 19 Feb 1808 at Stepney, Bull Lane (Independent)
7. Elizabeth Green b. 10 Oct 1809, bap. 3 Nov 1809 at Bull Lane (Ind)
8. Emma Green b. 6 Mar 1811, bap. 3 Apr 1811 at Bull Lane (Independent) 
9. Clara Green b. 15 Jul 1813, bap. 9 Aug 1813 at Bull Lane (Independent). Clara Green of Blackwall died, aged 1, was buried on 4 Nov 1814 at at Poplar Chapel (St Matthias Old Church). It is said that Clara died "from the results of an accident". [Source] What type, they don't say.
10. Frederic Green (sic) b. 25 Sep 1814, bap. 21 Oct 1814 at Stepney Meeting (Independent)
11. William Green b. 17 Apr 1816, bap. 8 May 1816 at Stepney Meeting

Stepney, Bull Lane (Independent) was a Nonconformist (Dissenting) church, also known as the Stepney Meeting House, established in Stepney, London, around 1644, it was a significant site for Puritan and later Independent (Congregational) worship. There's more here on The Stepney Meeting and the 380-year ‘Dissenting’ tradition in Stepney and the East End. 

There was an unusual clue in an obituary for George Green in The Illustrated London News of 3 Mar 1849, which (wrongly) listed his second wife as "Miss Onwhyn, daughter of Mr Onwhyn, for many years coroner of the eastern division of Middlesex." That's a weird spelling, and with little specific detail, but enough. Elizabeth's parents were William Unwin and Mary Wright, m. 10 Jul 1770 in Thorley, Hertfordshire. Elizabeth was a twin: Their baptism record states, "Baptised February 19th, 1777, Mary and Elizabeth the twin daughters of William and Mary Unwin of the parish of Sawbridgeworth." They were baptised at Water Lane-Independent, Bishops Stortford, which appears to have then been Congregational. Elizabeth's father, William Unwin (b. 29 Oct 1742), son of John Unwin and Tryphena Tealon, was baptised on 29 Nov 1742 at the Dunmow Chapel-Independent, Great Dunmow, Essex (Quaker / Congregational to which a different branch of my family had links). Again the Chronicles of the Blackwall Yard claims that, "In 1842 Mr. Green, who about this time appears to have left the Church of England, built Trinity Chapel, in the East India Road ..." Clearly, he'd already left to give the children of his second marriage non-conformist baptisms, around 30 years earlier and we can see where the infuence came from.

(Incidentally, Elizabeth's elder brother, John Wright Unwin, who married Hannah Sims, followed in his father's footsteps as coroner of the Eastern Division of Middlesex between 1804 and 1830 [Source] (see case in 1818); her twin sister, Mary, married William Sims and their son, William Unwin Sims, later became Chairman of the Great Western Railway and a Director of the Bank of England, amongst other things, until he ended his own life.)

Richard and his brother Henry were in 1816 at Doctor Cogan's school, at Higham Hill, Walthamstow and in 1822, "Henry Green, the second son of George Green, Esq., was in accordance with old custom, apprenticed to his father as a shipwright, at the age of fourteen, his elder brother Richard being at this time in Edinburgh, where he studied for several years at the University."

In 1838, Mr. George Green retired from active business.

In 1841, George Green (73) was the head of the household at Blackwall Yard, Poplar, London with Elizabeth Green (63). Against both their names the column has a Y for Yes, claiming they were born in the county (of Middlesex). This appears not to be correct, in either case. Living with them were Richard Green (36), Daniel Britton (34), Emma Britten (29) - Daniel Britton and Emma Green had married in 1832 - Emma Britton (9) and Forester Britton (4). The household had three female and four male servants living in.

Elizabeth Green died at the age of 69 on 2 Nov 1846 (1846 D Quarter in POPLAR UNION Volume 02 Page 269). Found no record of her burial.

George Green died aged 81, at Blackwall, on 21 Feb 1849 (1849 M Quarter in POPLAR UNION Volume 02 Page 296), and was buried at Trinity Congregational Chapel. George Green's tomb still exists in Trinity Gardens, Poplar. (NOTE: There are several errors on the page at FindAGrave.)

In 1851, Richard Green (~45) Shipowner, was head of the household at Blackwall Yard, Poplar. Listed as Visitors there were Daniel Briton (sic) (42) Annuitant; Emma Briton (38), E E Briton [Emma Elizabeth] (18), Fred [Forester] Briton (13), R Briton (7) [Richard Frederick - later Rear Admiral Richard Frederick Britten].

In 1861, Richard Green (~56) Shipowner of Blackwall was a visitor in the household of William Phillips (63) Shipowner in Church Street, Reigate.

Richard Green Esquire of Blackwall died, aged 59, on 17 Jan 1863 (1863 M Quarter in MARYLEBONE Volume 01A Page 407) at 7 Hanover Terrace, Regent's Park (which appears was the home of his half-sister, Emma and her husband, Daniel Britten). Richard Green, who never married, was also buried at Trinity Congregational Chapel, next to his father. A statue to Richard Green, shows a "seated figure of Green shown in relaxed pose with his Newfoundland dog, Hector, sitting at his feet, the dog's head resting on its master's left knee." Probate on "The Will with three Codicils of Richard Green late of Blackwall in the Parish of All Saints Poplar in the County of Middlesex and of Walmer in the County of Kent …" list his estate as under £350,000 (worth around £57,000,000 today.)