Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [185 - ] - 1925 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 file of textual material; 7 photoprints
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
James H. Gray was one of nine children in a family that inherited their wealth from ancestors involved in smuggling, shipping and sea-faring. His father, also James Gray, was a respected water-color artist; at least one of his paintings "A Saxon Doorway," was exhibited at the Royal Academy.
James H. Gray met his wife Harriet Bernsden at an afternoon musicale while visiting Hamburg, Germany. They were married October 8th, 1866 in Hamburg and honeymooned in France and Spain. James had served as a midshipman for five years and eventually established his own fleet of cargo ships. The Grays had four children, Archie, Edith, (Alwyn, died young) and Charles. James died at the age of 96.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
- Series consists of copies and originals of archival documents relating to the history of James H. Gray and his family (James Gray [father] and Harriet Bernsden [mother]).
- Records include a copy of grant of letters of marque and reprisals for apprehending and seizing vessels belonging to the French Republic (relating to an ancestor), photographs of the "Curran girls" (1900), of James H. Gray painted on porcelain (1838), portraits of Harriet and James Gray (1865-1866), and the Gray children (Charles, Archie, Edith) (1883).
- Also consists of handwritten and typescript letters, genealogical information, and articles about James H. Gray as an artist.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
As arranged in original binder
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Series description only
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Removed from Binder 1
Note
Title taken from content of records
Alternative identifier(s)
boxFile
barcode
Accession number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Gray, James H. (1815-1914) (Subject)