my 4x great grandmother

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Elizabeth Ann Green was the daughter of William Green. 

According to a letter written by Joseph Hogg to Clara Maclean (nee Hogg) in 1905, William Green "hailed from Wells in Somersetshire, but was in London, and by profession an architect and land and house agent, associated with the then Earl of Grosvenor, and continued so during his active life in the development of what [were] then ordinary villages and market gardens into the West End of London, Belgravia. Two young men were introduced by him into his business. One was William Cubitt, who became very celebrated and was titled and built the 1851 Exhibition, and went on in a large way. The other was more moderate, was Robert Waller, who married [Elizabeth's] only sister, Martha, and was the founder of a large works in Kings Road, Chelsea, and which firm contributed greatly to the building of the leading squares in the West End."

(Actually Joseph Hogg's information was slightly incorrect. Martha Green actually married John Waller, in London in 1810, and they were resident in Hanover Square in both the 1841 and 1851 Censuses. John Waller had been chief foreman in the architectural and building firm owned by the celebrated brothers William & Thomas Cubitt, and subsequently set up his own business, Waller & Son. It was in fact John and Martha's son who was named Robert John Waller, and he became a master builder in his own right, responsible for a number of well-known buildings including the chapel at Clarence House and the apse of St Peter's church in Eton Square.)

In 1805, Elizabeth Ann Green married Thomas Taskes Share at St Margaret's Church in Westminster. According to Joseph Hogg, Thomas "was a seventh son and was born in the neighbourhood of Penzance, where his forebears had lived on their own land for many generations. In these days political influence secured public appointments all round and he got into what was then the Executive Department of the Inland Revenue, and was called upon Preventive Service to put down smuggling and protect the coast, work which passed away under the Free Trade System and is now in the hands of the Naval Coast Guards. He moved about from place to place according to appointments, and held the command at Tynemouth for 22 years, his district being from and including Berwick to Souter Point South of the Tyne. During this period, which involved the days of protection, he had active work with smugglers and received considerable prize money as a consequence.

"One incident is interesting. When Mr Perceval was Prime Minister he was shot in the House of Commons [Spencer Perceval was in 1812 the only British prime minister ever to have been assassinated]. Upon his person was a letter of the appointment of our grandfather to what would have been a lucrative post in the service, and which required the signature of the head of the department... On his death the government went out, and our grandmother always declared this to be the great loss of her family."

Joseph also tells a story of how, as a child, the young Elizabeth's portrait was painted by the celebrated artist Joshua Reynolds. (Again Joseph's memory has minor inaccuracies. He says that Elizabeth was 12 when the portrait was painted. However Reynolds died in 1792, when Elizabeth was 10). The portrait seems to have passed through several hands before ending up in the home of Elizabeth's youngest daughter Lucretia Lockwood, and subsequently into the Lockwood family. It still exists, and is owned by one of Lucretia's descendants, David Dollar, who commissioned a spectacular cleaning and restoration of the original painting, the results of which are visible above.  

Thomas and Elizabeth had several children, including Catherine Share, my 3x great grandmother. (See here for the children). 

Thomas Share died in Tynemouth in 1855; Elizabeth in around 1865. There is a rather startling handwritten account of the death of Elizabeth Share (as well as Thomas Share) which I believe was composed by one of Clara Maclean’s sons. It is a very informal note, hard to decipher, and with no clear identification of the participants. However I believe that “Mth” referred to in the note is Clara Hogg, shortly before her marriage to William Maclean. “Grt Grannie” is I believe Elizabeth Share (although the note-writer may have over-stated her age), “Aunt Clara” is Clarissa Share, and Granny is Catherine Hogg (nee Share). At the time of the 1861 Census, four or so years before Elizabeth’s death, she, Clarissa and Catherine lived together at 21 Front Street in Tynemouth.

“Grt Grannie [was] 83 when she died of ... a stroke. Felt sick after lunch sitting with Mth in her sitting room. Mth took her to her bedroom where she tried to be sick but couldn’t so Mth lit fire, warmed her clothes & put her to bed. She evidently light-headed as asked Mth where Uncle Henry had gone as he’d been talking to her. (Uncle Henry had perished years before in Franklin’s Arctic Expedition). Mth thought she was confusing him with Uncle James. Aunt Clara & Granny had dressmaker in & when Mth went to tell them Grt Grannie poorly, they didn’t think anything of it. So Mth went back to sit with her. Aunt Clara then sent Mth to Shields to buy something for dress & said she’d sit with Grt Grannie. When Mth returned in about an hour or so she went straight to Grt Gr’s room & sat with her & tried to give her a cup of tea, but she couldn’t hold cup or drink. So Mth called Granny & Aunt Clara who sent for Dr Fenwick, who said she wouldn’t last long.

“Granny sent Mth upstairs but death rattle so awful she couldn’t rest. She died early next AM. Mth helped Grannie with room after a woman had been to lay her out.

“Granny immediately after Grt Gr death told Mth to get her nightie, not knowing where it kept. Mth went to room & fell over Grt Gr, laid on floor while bed being made. Poor Mth remembers standing against wall trembling with fright & ran out & told Grannie she must get nightie.

“When she was laid out & woman gone, Mth & a friend of Aunt Clara’s called Miss Johnson sat beside Grt Grannie when suddenly she sat up & fell back.

“Grt Gr Father died of a stroke aged 76 or 73 – most prob 76. Grt Gr called Grannie to come & see him as he was out of bed, kicking bed post. Grt Gr a disappointed woman. Mth thought was not amiable with many. So prim [?] Quaker. Grt Gr Fath in coastguards in Ireland. Grt Gr F loved Irish. Grt Grandfather Share’s family in Cornwall.”