Gray and Dacre Brewery
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").[1] John Gray's father, the brewer Owen Gray, of March, Cambridgeshire, had helped him financially to set up the business in West Ham.[2]
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..[3]
John Gray is buried under the floor of the nave of All Saints' Church, West Ham.[4]
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.[5]
References
- ↑ 1841 census
- ↑ The Gray’s (sic) of Grays Lane, Edna Stacey, March Museum, 2007
- ↑ The Times, 6 June 1846
- ↑ Fry K., History of the Parishes of East and West Ham (1888)
- ↑ Spurrell, J. C., The life of Charles Spurrell and his family's links to the Watney and Gray brewing families, Brewery History No. 138 (December 2010)