Rt. Rev. Dr. Robert Gray, Bishop of Bristol

Robert Gray, son of Robert of London, Silversmith, born 11 Mar 1762 died at Rodney House, Clifton, Bristol on 28 September 1834.

Biography

❧ Gray, Robert (1762-1834) by Beaver Henry Blacker, Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 23
❧ Gray, Robert (1762–1834) by B. H. Blacker, revised by M. E. Clayton, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Children of Robert and Elizabeth Gray

The Bishop of Bristol and Mrs. Gray had fourteen children :

1. Robert, died early, (1795 - 1804) - He is the Robert Gray buried in Twickenham with his Grandfather Robert Gray (snr) and his mother Elizabeth (aged 9 years).
2. William, b. 1796 m. Eleanor Kerr, died 1872, aged about 76 years
3. John, b. 1797, died early (CNG).
4. Elizabeth, b. 1798 - married George Isaac Mowbray, Esq. ; died 1823, shortly after the birth of her daughter, aged 24 or 25 years
5. Charles, b. 1799 - died 1855, aged 55 years
6. Louisa, b. 1801 - married Lieut. -Col. Brown of Bronwhylfa, Wales ; died 1823 "in childbed". aged about 22 years
7. John Edward .....(1801 - 1881) m. Essex Ker (1805 - 1887), aged 79 years
8. Harriet, b. 1803 died 1832, aged 30 years
9. Anne, married Rev. Dr. Williamson. (1805 - 1897), aged 92 years
10. Frances, b. 1806 died 1827, aged in her early 20’s, she died of TB, or a respiratory illness. Many of the children were suffering from this type of infirmary. Her younger brother, one day to become Bishop Robert Gray writes vividly in his journal about his relationship with Fanny and her last days.
11. Henry, b. 1808 died 1865, aged 56 years
12. Robert, Bp. of Cape Town, b, 1809 died 1872, aged 62 years
13. Augustus, b. 1810 died 1827 - Robert also writes that Augustus had been sent to the Bahamas for his health. Robert was back in England at the time, so didn't witness his brother's early death as he had with Fanny. I think Augustus also had TB. He was in his late teens when he passed away.
14. Edmund, b. 1812 died early.

List provided by Charles Norris Gray' (Rev. Charles Norris Gray), Grandson of Dr Robert Gray, Bishop of Bristol. People in bold had descendants. I've reordered to the original list so they appear in birth order.

Charles N. Gray: Life of Robert Gray : Bishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan of Africa. Short biography in the beginning of the book. Full copy available here

Memorial

"Bishop of Bristol. Born in the family of prosperous silversmith in London.Educated in Oxford.In 1791-2 went on a Grand Tour, seeing the sights of Europe. Afterwards he published his impressions in a series of letters about his travels. In 1794 he married Elizabeth, daughter of the Precentor of Bristol Cathedral, Dr John Camplin.In 1800 he became Rector of craike in Yorkshire; a Canon of Durham in 1804; and Rector of Bishopwearmouth in 1805. There he stayed until he became Bishop of Bristol in 1827."

❧ Memorial in the Bristol Cathedral

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The Twickenham Museum

Twickenham Houses of Local Interest & their Occupiers

The Twickenham Museum has Grove House listed as being built by Robert Gray, Bishop of Bristol. This is probably incorrect. Robert (1762 - 1834) would have only been 20 years of age in 1784, when Mr Robert Gray is recorded as living at Grove House. Robert snr has his death recorded at Grove House in 1788. My view is the house was actually built by Robert Gray, Goldsmith, Jeweller and Toymaker from Bond Street.

In 1818, the list of Grays at Grove house were William, Sarah, Polly and Robert. By 1818 Robert had married, and all of his fourteen children had been born. He took up his position as Vicar of Bishopwearmouth in 1815, which he held until becoming the bishop of Bristol in 1827.

This group of family members at Grove House in 1818 were likely to be either

1. the offspring of Robert snr and co-owners of the house, or
2. the Robert mentioned was someone else - a son of William perhaps? - that doesn't fit because William has many recorded children - surprisingly none of whom were called Robert - or was this the child of someone else?

My view is that the first possibility is the more plausible. The way to verify this is to check Robert Snr's will. I think there is a transcribed version on Ancestry.

Grove House

Heath Road (Lane), Twickenham
Twickenham Museum - accessed 21 Dec 2017

House built by Robert Gray, Bishop of Bristol 1827-34 (d1834)
1784: Mr Robert Gray
1818: William Gray, Polly Gray, Sarah Gray, Robert Gray
1903: House demolished & replaced by Grove Avenue

Other reading

❧ Discussion on British-Genealogy.com
❧ Bristol Past & Present - the uprising

❧ Wikitree profile

Bibliography

❧ Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 23, Gray, Robert (1762-1834) by Beaver Henry Blacker
❧ Wikipedia Robert Gray (Bishop of Bristol).
❧ Burke, Bernard, Sir. A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Great Britain & Ireland 6th ed. London : Harrison 1879. Vol I. page 682