John Humphrey England

John Humphrey England
Born (1817-11-07)November 7, 1817
Islington, London, England, UK
Died August 27, 1887(1887-08-27) (aged 69)
Eastbrook Hall, St Andrew's, Glamorgan, Wales, UK
Nationality British
Occupation Founder & Director of England Potatoes Ltd.
Spouse(s) Ann England (née Rees) (1822–1892)
Children William Lilly England
Margaret England
John Humphrey England
Thomas England
Mary Gray England
Richard England
James England
Elizabeth England
Edward England
Fanny England
Caroline England
Charles Douglas England
Jessie England
Robert Rees England

John Humphrey England II (7 November 1817 – 27 August 1887)[1] was a British grocer, merchant, businessman and entrepreneur, who was the founder and first director of England Potatoes Ltd., later renamed Edward England Potato Importers Ltd.

Early life

John Humphrey England was born in London, on 7 November 1817, the second of seven children. His father was John Humphrey England I (1792 - 1854), a shoemaker from Limehouse. His mother was Mary Gray Lilly (1791 - 1840), who was from Keighley, in Yorkshire. In 1820 or 1821, the England family moved from their home in London to Cardiff.

Marriage and Issue

England married 18-year old Ann Rees in Cardiff, in January 1841.[2] They would have 15 children, only one of which died in infancy:[3]

Career

England and his wife moved into the house 1 Nelson Terrace, in Cardiff, soon after they married. England founded his potato business the following year, in 1842. In the first few years of the business, it was not particularly successful. As a result, England's main profession was as a Hay Dealer. It is assumed that the family, even at this point, were rather "well off" as they were employing a domestic servant at the time of the 1851 census. As the population grew, the business rapidly increased, also. England had all the potatoes imported from Ireland, and did not begin receiving any from Europe until later in his life.

Death

England died at his home of Eastbrook Hall, in the parish of St Andrew's, in Glamorgan, on 27 August 1887 - less than 3 months before his 70th birthday. His probate was executed by his sons Edward and James in Llandaff, on 9 December 1887. He left a personal estate of £3161 4s. 6d. He was buried in Cathays Cemetery, in Cardiff.[4]

Legacy

England was succeeded by his 6th son, Edward England. Edward revolutionized the company, re-branding it as "Edward England Potato Importers ltd." Under Edward, more family members would join the enterprise, whilst a firm was set up which also supplied potatoes grown in the Netherlands, Poland and Brittany.[5] His 4th son James, and his family, moved into Eastbrook Hall after England's death. His wife, Ann, died 5 years later at the age of 70.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.geni.com/profile/index/6000000026008992034?fsession_id=1474128793288&from_flash=1&through=6000000026008992034
  2. ↑ Source Citation Description First Letter of Surname : E Source Information FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office. © Crown copyright. Published by permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Office for National Statistics. You must not copy on, transfer or reproduce records without the prior permission of ONS. Database Copyright © 1998-2003 Graham Hart, Ben Laurie, Camilla von Massenbach and David Mayall. Source Description This database is a searchable, digitized version of the indices of civil registrations in England and Wales, reported quarterly to the General Register Office (GRO) in London. This index spans the years between 1837 and 1915. You need the information found in an original index to request a copy of a marriage certificate for the individual referenced.
  3. ↑ https://www.geni.com/family-tree#6000000026008992034
  4. ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=151289580
  5. ↑ http://www.masonpotatoes.co.uk/history.html
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