Price Family

The Price Family

Thomas Price was well established in the Welsh border county of Powys in the 1700s. His second child, Eleanor, married a Welsh man, Dai Pritchard and spent the rest of her life in Wales. His elder child, John, was born in 1736, moved to England, married an English girl, Sarah Draper, and became a prosperous merchant, establishing the business of Price Bros. at first in St Mary Axe before moving to 42 New Broad Street in the City. He was admitted to the Merchant Taylor’s Guild in 1759 and this tradition continued in the family. John had one daughter, Sarah and two sons, John and Thomas, who were guild members, with Thomas, the second child, born in 1766, becoming an officer of the Guild. These two brothers became partners in the firm ‘Price, Wood and Price’. John’s daughter, Sarah, married a Mr Adcock, His son John, did not marry. His son Thomas married Harriet Carter and had five sons and two daughters. Under the terms of Harriet’s Uncle John Carter’s will, her husband inherited 20,000 pounds. Four out of the five sons were guild members. The fifth son and oldest son died young. His fourth son Charles was born at Hornsey on September 12th 1804, married his first wife, Emma Noble, at St John’s Church, Waterloo Road Lambeth, on August 23rd 1832. They had fourteen children, eleven sons and three daughters in the first twenty fours years of their marriage. Edward Noble Price, the twelfth child, was born in Hornsey, March 7th 1851. He did not follow his father’s trading footsteps, but instead enlisted in the Royal Navy. I have in my possession his journal for the early years after he joined as a midshipman in 1865. The first part of the journal covers his service in H.M.S. Liffey, in a round the world voyage in what was known by the Royal Navy as “The Flying Squadron”. I also have in my possession his Naval Sword. November 15th 1870 He sailed again on H.M.S. Orontes..”renewing his acquaintance with Malta” There is reference in the Journal of having spent fourteen days over Christmas in Malta in 1865. I am sure at this time he had no idea of how big a part Malta was to play in his future life. “H.M.S. Orontes docked at Valletta on Sunday evening July 30th, 1871. “We arrived about 7 p.m…. and the old place looked much the same as it ever did…the people that I knew…do not seem to have altered at all – the coalmen, shopmen etc all seem to know me. The Maltese seem to have a knack at not forgetting a face”. October 26th he was back on the Island until February 3rd 1872. “coming back to Malta after being away a month or two always seems like coming back home. There are plenty of outfitters as goo as in England and tradesmen of all sorts”. He continued serving in the Royal Navy, retiring with the rank of Commander in October 1885, and later given the rank of Captain. An important event for him took place two months before that. In the course of one of his shore excursions, he met a lady in Malta, who had captured his heart. On August 24th 1885 he married Giuseppina (Josephine) Messina – daughter of Count Rosario Messina. They were married in Naples Italy, by the Cardinal, Archbishop of Naples in a private chapel in his Palace