Historical records matching John Humphrey England, Jr.
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About John Humphrey England, Jr.
John Humphrey England Jr. was the founder and first owner of England Potatoes Ltd., a business which imported potatoes from Ireland, and sold them to people in Britain, and later, the rest of Europe. The business made his family very wealthy, and they continued to own the business until it was sold in 2003. Many of his descendants carry the name "John Humphrey", in his honour.
Biography
John Humphrey England Jr. was born on November the 7th 1817 in Islington, London. He was the second child and first son of John Humphrey England Sr. and his wife, Mary Grey Lilly. He later had about 5 younger siblings. In early 1841, John Married Ann Rees. John founded the company "England Potatoes Ltd." in 1842, and they had their first child - a boy called William later that year.
By the time of the 1851 census, John was living at 1 Nelson Terrace in Cardiff with his wife and, now, 5 children - as well as a 15 year old servant named Ann Thomas. John's potato business hadn't quite taken off, so he primarily worked as a hay dealer. However, by 1861, things had dramatically changed. The demand for potatoes during the late 1850s rose enormously, and John was able to become a full-time potato merchant. The family were now able to move into a much bigger and grander house in the center of Cardiff, and had 4 more children, including Edward England, who would grow up to revolutionise the company in the early 1900s.
By 1871, 3 more children had been born and the family were living in a very large house on St. Mary's Street in Cardiff. By now several of John's children had moved out and he became a grandfather in 1877. By the time a decade had passed, in 1881, John had had another 3 children and was living at EastBrook Hall in the parish of St. Andrews.
John died on the 27th of August 1887, at the age of 69. He had a total of 14 children. He had a personal estate of nearly £250,000 in today's money, which he left to his sons - several of whom became potato merchants in the family business. His son James moved in the Hall after John's death. John was buried in Cathays Cemetery, in Cardiff.
John's son, Edward, became the CEO of England Potatoes Ltd. after John's death, and rebranded it Edward England Potatoes. Whilst John's supply of potatoes had come solely from Ireland, Edward set up trading with Holland, Poland and Brittany - and became an extremely wealthy man.
The England Family sold the company in 2003, and it is now known as Mason Potatoes Ltd.
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John Humphrey England, Jr.'s Timeline
| 1817 |
November 7, 1817
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Islington, London, England (United Kingdom)
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| 1834 |
1834
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Wrexham, UK
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| 1842 |
1842
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Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales (United Kingdom)
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| 1846 |
1846
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Bedminster, Somerset, England (United Kingdom)
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| 1847 |
1847
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Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales (United Kingdom)
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| 1850 |
1850
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Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales (United Kingdom)
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| 1852 |
1852
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Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales (United Kingdom)
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| 1855 |
1855
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Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales (United Kingdom)
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| 1856 |
1856
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Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales (United Kingdom)
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