The first member of the family to live at East Norton was John Gray (known for ease of identification as John 1) who was born on 2nd March 1743 at Finedon ( a village in Northamptonshire about twenty miles away from East Norton), the son of John Gray of Finedon and Elizabeth Harris from Rushton (another village near Finedon). On 10th March 1784, at Rushton, John 1 (age 41) married Susannah Watson who was born in 1757. They must have moved to East Norton in Leicestershire sometime prior to 1785 as their first child, Susanna, was born there on 2nd June 1785. East Norton is situated on the ancient Leicester to Peterborough road which became a Turnpike in 1753 and eventually became the A 47. Originally the road ran through the centre of the village but a By-Pass was constructed in 1990 which made Church Lane a dead end.
(Actually Church Lane was a "No Through Road" many years before the construction of the by-pass...Ed.)

From about 1780 to 1919 the family lived at Walnut Farm which is close to the church. The farm was originally part of the Keythorpe Estate belonging to Lord Berners.

John 1 died on 5th February 1827 and Susannah on 29th September 1827. Both were buried at East Norton. The children of John Gray (1) and Susannah Watson were:

Susanna - born 2nd June 1785 - died 27th August 1810 - age 25.

Ann - born 6th November 1786 - married Thomas Scott John 2 - born 30th October 1791 - married Mary Scott Mary - born 18th January 1795 - died 26th March 1796- age 1.

George - born 20th January 1797 - died 2nd April 1829 - age 32

Mary - born 20th July 1800 - died 11th July 1839 - age 39

Elizabeth - born 3rd October 1802 - died 7th March 1821 - age 18

My ancestor was John 2 who married Mary Scott who was born in 1793.Their first child was John 3 born in October 1817 so they were probably married in 1816 when John 2 was age 25 and Mary Scott was age 23. The children of this marriage were:

John 3 - born 17th October 1817 Mary Scott - born 29th January 1819

George - born 27th February 1820

William - born 16th March 1823

Thomas Scott - born 7th May 1826

Ann Frances - born 9th March 1828 Charles - born 7th February 1830

Susannah - born 5th February 1832

Richard - born 19th January 1834

Their mother Mary Scott Gray died aged 46 in July 1839 when the children were aged from 22 down to 5. At the time of the 1841 census all were living at home with their father John Gray aged 49 - Grazier except:

William age 18 who was apprenticed to John Ellaby, Chemist and Druggist, of Market Place Melton Mowbray.

Thomas Scott age 15 who was apprenticed to Thomas Hubbard, grocer of Church Street Bowden Magna near Market Harborough and Ann Frances who may have been working on a farm at Lockington.

John 3 age 23 was helping his father on the farm but George age 21 was described as plumber and glazier. It appears that Thomas did not enjoy his apprenticeship with Thomas Hubbard the grocer as on 31st May 1842 at the age of 16

Thomas Scott Gray was apprenticed to John Ellaby, Grocer and Druggist of Melton Mowbray.

In 1843 John 3 age 25 was courting Susanna Groocock age 23 from Ashley Northants. Her mother another Susanna farmed 65 acres there and there was a brother George aged 15 and a younger sister Ann aged 13. John asked his father for money so they could get married but his father was unwilling to produce any money as he intended to leave the family farm to John and any spare money was to help set up the younger children in life. Susanna asked John to see her uncle Mr Ashby in Leicester to see if he could help but the meeting did not go well. This is recorded in the letters from John to Susanna in 1843 and 1844.* 

*When Walnut Farm was being renovated in 1966 many love-letters were found under the floorboards.

George Lay (our American cousin ) has the original letters which were given to him when he visited Walnut Farm in 1971 and Simon has photocopies of them.

*Transcripts of the letters are available to download as a pdf file HERE. It should be noted that John and Susanna did eventually marry

John Gray 2 died on 30th January 1845 aged 53 when his eldest son John 3 was aged 28 but the youngest child Richard was only 11. In their father's will each child other than John was left the sum of £90 (equivalent to about £7,000 in 2006). John inherited the farm and everything else but was required to have Ann Frances, Charles, Susanna and Richard to reside with him and provide for their maintenance up to the age of 21. Of the six brothers. two remained in farming but four trained as dispensing chemists and one of these went on to qualify as a doctor. The legacies from their father obviously enabled them to establish themselves in business and in the case of Thomas Scott Gray to finance the lack of earnings while he was at medical school. At the time of the 1851 census John 3 aged 35 was described as a Grazier occupying 155 acres and employing 2 labourers. His sister Susanna was living with him. George Gray then aged 32 had moved to Kibworth Beauchamp where he was described as a farmer of 127 acres employing 8 labourers. He had married Elizabeth and had a son John Wheatley.

William age 28 was a pharmaceutical chemist at 69 High Street Rothwell;

Richard age 17 was apprenticed to him.

Thomas Scott Gray age 25 was at 181 Gold Street Northampton where he was assistant druggist with Katharine Harris who was continuing the business of her late husband William.

Ann Frances had died in 1849.

Charles Gray age 21 Chemist and druggist was a lodger at Somerby. Despite the rather unpromising correspondence in 1843 and 1844 John 3 and Susanna did marry in 1851 and their children were as follows:

Susan Anne - born18th April 1852, died 2nd December 1863, aged 11

Mary Elizabeth - born 26th February 1854

Sarah Jane - born 29th June 1856

John 4 - born in 1860 In 1861

John 3 was described as a Grazier occupying 173 acres and employing one man and one boy. By 1871 his land had increased to 198 acres and he was employing five men and one boy. In the 1881 census his address was shown as Ivy House Church Lane but this is thought to be another name for the Walnuts Farm. He was then described as "Highway Surveyor and Farmer of 228 acres". His son, John 4, was living with his parents , aged 21 and described as "Grazier and Coal Merchant occupying 61 acres and employing three men".

John 3 died on 19th September 1885 aged 67.In 1891 his widow, Susannah, age 73, was living at Brookfield, Church Lane, East Norton with her daughter Sarah age 34. Susannah died on 17th December 1902 aged 85.

Her son John 4 had married Lucy Miriam Siddons from Oundle and was living at Ivy House, described as Farmer, Merchant and Surveyor. The children of this marriage were:

John 5 - born in 1892,

Constance - born and died in 1893 after 7 weeks.

George - who went out to Vancouver , married Neva Stewart and was the father of Valerie and Patricia (Trisha Gray)

Charlotte Mary - died 26th February 1965

John 4 died on 23rd April 1945, aged 85. Lucy Miriam died on 27th August 1938 aged 81.

John 5 married Constance Mary Siddons Their children were:

John 6 - born 1920, died 26th March 1950.Evelyn - married Geoffrey Ekins.

Philip George - born and died in January 1926 2days old.

Constance Mary died 23rd May 1961 aged 71.

John 5 died on 2nd July 1968 aged 74. The death of John 5 brought to an end the line of Grays who had lived at East Norton and it appears that Walnut Farm house had been sold in 1919. As regards the other children of John Gray (2) and Mary Scott: Mary married Richard Guy Wells, a farmer of Hickling, Nottinghamshire (on 8th December 1843).George had moved to Kibworth Beauchamp where he eventually farmed 197 acres employing five men and five boys. He married Elizabeth and they had four daughters and two sons. William became a pharmaceutical chemist (and veterinary surgeon) in Rothwell. He had married Kitty and had 2 sons who also became chemists and continued his business. Kitty was Kitty Underwood Allen born at Kibworth the twin sister of Adam Underwood Allen who was also a druggists apprentice in Melton Mowbray in 1841. (He later became a chemist in Lymington High Street) Ann died on 21st February 1849 aged 20. Charles became a veterinary surgeon (MRCVS) and lived at Kibworth Beauchamp. He married Sarah and had two sons. Susannah was living with her brother John in 1851 but there is no trace of her subsequently. Presumably she married. Richard, who had been apprenticed to his elder brother, William became a dispensing chemist at 193 Queens Road Deptford (near Greenwich). Shortly after marrying a wealthy wife, Isabella, at age 50 he retired to live at The Grange, Canterbury Road Margate.