Gray and Dacre Brewery
Encyclopedia
The Gray and Dacre Brewery operated in West Ham
, Essex
, in the first half of the 19th century.
It was set up by John Gray (1791-1826) and a member of the Dacre family, which was resident in West Ham for several generations until the 1860s (possibly Francis Dacre, who is described on the 1841 census
as a "brewer"). John Gray's father, the brewer Owen Gray, of March, Cambridgeshire
, had helped him financially to set up the business in West Ham.
John Gray died in 1826, leaving his widow, Lydia (1794-1855), to manage the business along with the Dacre family. The Gray and Dacre Brewery was eventually sold by auction in 1846 to Charrington and Co..
John Gray is buried under the floor of the nave of All Saints' Church, West Ham
John Gray married Lydia Shears, the youngest daughter of the coppersmith James Shears
. Through her he was connected to many of the leading brewers of the day, including James Watney
.
West Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, in the first half of the 19th century.
It was set up by John Gray (1791-1826) and a member of the Dacre family, which was resident in West Ham for several generations until the 1860s (possibly Francis Dacre, who is described on the 1841 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
as a "brewer"). John Gray's father, the brewer Owen Gray, of March, Cambridgeshire
March, Cambridgeshire
March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council.The town was an important...
, had helped him financially to set up the business in West Ham.
John Gray died in 1826, leaving his widow, Lydia (1794-1855), to manage the business along with the Dacre family. The Gray and Dacre Brewery was eventually sold by auction in 1846 to Charrington and Co..
John Gray is buried under the floor of the nave of All Saints' Church, West Ham
John Gray married Lydia Shears, the youngest daughter of the coppersmith James Shears
James Shears and Sons
James Shears and Sons was a firm of London coppersmiths and braziers who were active from c1785 to 1891. The firm was founded by James Shears and continued by his two sons Daniel Towers Shears and James Henry Shears and subsequently by William Shears.-The origins of the company:James Shears was...
. Through her he was connected to many of the leading brewers of the day, including James Watney
James Watney
James Watney was a brewer and landowner who resided at Haling Park, Croydon, and Beddington, Surrey. He was born to Daniel Watney of Mitcham, Surrey and Mary Galpin , daughter of James Galpin of Mitcham, Surrey...
.