Mary De Grave
Mary De Grave nee Burnham (1770-1840)
1790 June 20th. Married at Newington St. Mary, Surrey to Charles De Grave, scale maker of London
1791 Birth of son John Francis De Grave[1]
1792 Birth of son Edward Abraham De Grave
1799 Charles died; Mary took over the business and continued to run it until 1844, using her name and description 'widow of Charles De Greve' on the products.
1806 Mary De Grave, widow of Charles De Grave, blacksmith[2] took her son Edward Abraham De Grave as an indentured apprentice.
From 1817 to 1844 the business was known as De Grave and Son, at 59 St Martin's-le-Grand.
1840 Her will was proven. It made no provision for Edward Abraham as he is provided for elsewhere. Bequests to son John Francis; also to her daughter Frances, the wife of John Perronet Sells; also Edward Sells of Camberwell; mentions shares in the Chartered Gas Co and the Gas Light and Coke Co.
She was succeeded by her son and the firm eventually became De Grave, Short and Fanner, and under that name it was taken over in 1920 by W. and T. Avery