The life of Arthur Greene of Deerhurst

I was born in Deerhurst England, 3 Dec. 1339, about ten 
miles north of Gloucester.

King Edward was reigning at this time.  He took the throne 
in the year 1327.

Ruling Royal House of England from 1154 – was Plantagenet, 
one of two houses of the Angevins.

Father, Charles Earl of Hwicce, was of Saxton decent. His 
services to the crown were at the will of the King.  He 
was called to serve with the English forces in France at 
Calais in 1346.  He returned home in 1348.

Mother, Cathryn, was a Welch lady. She being a strong 
willed woman was left in charge of the Manor when her 
husband went to war.

While Charles was away my older brother Robert was away 
being fostered and I am home with mother and my younger 
sister.  My brother died of a fever in December of 1346.  
This made my mother fear for the lives of her other 
children should they be fostered.

My father who served with valor and on his homecoming 
relieved my mother’s fears that he had not been wounded.  
He allowed my mother to keep me close to home for another 
year.  During this time my father began to see I had a 
talent in woodworking.  

By late 1349 my father convinced my mother to allow me to 
be fostered to the master wood carver, Richard Carver, in 
Tewkesbury.  From Tewkesbury we traveled to Stratford upon 
Avon stopping at various manors on the way and plied our 
trade. Heading back towards the south we stopped over for 
a few months in Evesham. We then headed back to Tewkesbury 
where my father came and took me home for the last two 
weeks in December of 1351.  

Master Carver picked me up on his way south, where we are 
headed for Cheltnham.  The work that we have been 
commissioned to do took us about 8 months to complete. 
Then we stopped in Gloucester and worked there for a full 
year. For the next year and two months we were 
commissioned for small jobs which consisted of carved 
pieces for churches.  I learned very quickly and by the 
time I was 15 I had surpassed my mentor, and my work was 
in demand by many wealthy patrons.

I continued south choosing the kind of jobs that were not 
only fulfilling, but paid handsomely.  I traveled all the 
way to Brycgstow, which is the southern port of 
Gloucestershire.  Here I plied my trade for a number of 
wealthy patrons.

After a number of years I had amassed enough wealth to 
keep me in a comfortable style of life.  Many of the 
commissions were often not what I really wanted to do as 
an artist.  At the age of 25 I decided to give up the life 
of a commissioned artisan.  Continue selected commissions 
for the wealthy as I traveled north towards Deerhurst.

During this time my sister had married one of my father’s 
knights and has a small daughter.

When I was about 28 years old I lost my parents and 
brother-in-law to fever leaving my sister to care for her 
small alone.  I then return home to care for them.

Because the peasants now are able to demand wages for 
their labor I find I can no longer depend on an income 
from the manor lands and return to doing commissions to 
support my family.

I raise my niece as my own child and when she became 16 I 
arranged a marriage to the son of a wealthy merchant 
friend of mine.  (Age 42 1381)

With her child cared for and married, my sister decides to 
join the sisters at St. Mary’s Parish in Deerhurst leaving 
myself without any obligations to fulfill.

I am finding life very trying under the new very young 
king and decide to travel and be master of my own life.

My first trip is to the land of my mother’s birth.  I 
remember she had a large family in Wales and I want to 
meet them and get to know them. They found many jobs 
requiring the hands of a wood craftsman. After spending 
many years with my mother’s family there was this calling 
to return Deerhurst!

After arriving at Deerhurst I visited my sister who I 
missed very much. She was being very content in her life 
at the Parish. She had collected several messages asking 
for my services as a woodworker. This has kept me busy 
till this present time.