Henry Greengrass, 1859-1949
Henry Greengrass was born on 20th January 1859, and baptised at St James’, Dover, on 12th June. His father, Charles, had been born in Stowmarket, Suffolk. He worked as a Whitesmith, defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “A person who makes articles from tin-plated iron or from tin or other white metal. Also: a person who makes iron tools with a sharp edge, or other iron articles with a polished surface”. Henry’s mother Lydia, née Laws, was a native of Folkestone.
In 1861 they were living at Marine Walk Street, Hythe. Henry was the youngest child; his brother and four sisters were still living in the parental home. By 1871 they had moved to Chapel Street, Hythe, and Henry – still at school at this point – now had a younger brother.
I’ve been unable to trace Henry in the 1881 or 1891 censuses. Possibly he was the Henry Greengrass charged by the Hythe Borough Police in November 1892 of “serving a man in a drunken state”. The case was reported in the Folkestone Express, Sandgate, Shorncliffe & Hythe Advertiser, 19th November 1892, where he was described as “late occupant of the Cinque Ports Inn, High Street” – he having already been discharged from his position by the owner of the pub, Mr. Mackeson.
At the time of the 1901 census he was living at 33 St Johns Street, Folkestone, the home of his younger brother Thomas and his family. Henry’s occupation at that time was lamplighter. The previous year the local paper reported that he had been appointed a fireman in the Fire Brigade.1
He was still living with his brother in 1911, being described as “General labourer”. In 1921 he was working as a carpenter for the Corporation Of Folkestone, and boarding at 35 Bradstone Road, Folkestone. At some point before the outbreak of war he moved to Bonnington: the September 1939 Register showed him as being retired, and living at Mount Pleasant, Aldington, in the home of William and Maud Cuttress. His death was recorded in the last quarter of 1949.
Francis Collinson collected three street cries, from him, and a fragment of a longer song. He did not record the date when he collected the songs, but they were published in the Journal of the English Folk Dance & Song Society 1944.
Songs
- Bird Scarer’s Cry (Roud 1730)
- Broom Seller’s Cry (Roud 9724)
- Knife Grinder’s Cry (Roud 21878)
- Mutiny at the Nore (Roud 1032)
- Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald, 9th June 1900 ↩︎