George James Gray

George James Gray was an electrician, born in Clerkenwell in about 1850. He married Jane Woodley, from Brixton, in 1875. They had six children, two of whom died in infancy: George James junior (1876) Lilian (1884), Florence, Maud (1891). He began his working life as a clerk, then by 1891 he was working as an electrician. George and his family moved to Coventry some time between 1891 and 1901. They later moved to 151 Capstone Road, Bournemouth (1905-1911).

On 14th February 1905 George applied for a patent for an “Automatic Electric Early Morning Waiter”. George died in 1917 in the Christchurch BMD registration area.

George’s son, George James junior, became an electrician like his father, working firstly as an electric light wireman. He married Amy Caldicott in 1899, and they spent their first years of marriage with Amy’s family in Coventry. They had a son, Leonard, in 1890. George, Amy and Leonard moved to Brockenhurst in the New Forest some time before 1911. There George worked for a wealthy gentleman, Francis Francis, and his American wife Frances Evelyn. George was the resident domestic electrician at their huge private mansion, Thorns Beach. Their son, Leonard, lived with his grandparents and aunts in Bournemouth. His aunt Lilian worked as a clerk in a steam laundry (1911).