▶Date of birth:  2 April 1805        Place of birth: Worsborough, Yorkshire

▶Father:  Joseph Green     Mother: Ann North

▶Spouse(s):  Harriet Dodson    Date(s) of marriage:   6 December 1837    Place(s) of marriage:  Lancaster

▶Occupation: Clergyman (Anglican), Administrator

▶Lifestory: Anti-Ritualist Joseph North Green-Armytage was born in Worsborough, Yorkshire, in 1805, the son of Joseph Green, of Thickhollins, Meltham, Somersete, who assumed the name Green-Armytage on 26 June 1807, and his wife Ann (née North). Green-Armytage was educated at Leeds grammar school, and matriculated at St John’s College, Cambridge in 1826, BA 1830, MA 1834.

He is said to have had a strong and clear mind, and “refused ordination for some time, until he found his objections groundless” (Huddersfield Chronicle); he took holy orders and was ordained Deacon in 1831, and Priest 1832. In 1833 he was licensed Curate of Almondbury, Gloucestershire, moving north to become Curate of Netherthong, Yorkshire in 1834. He then spent the years 1835 until 1841 as Curate of Slaithwaite in Yorkshire, during which time he also served as Curate of St Mary, Lancaster 1835-41. In 1837 he married Harriet, second daughter of John  Dodson, of Lancaster; they had four sons and six daughters.

Retaining his ties with Lancashire, Green-Armytage was appointed Perpetual Curate of St Thomas, Lancaster 1841-5 (he had been popular at St Mary’s, despite disagreements with the Vicar, and the new church was erected for him and consecrated in June 1841). After this the opportunity of remaining at St Thomas’s as its pastor was dangled before him, but faded, and he was elected Association Secretary of the Church Pastoral Aid Society 1845-63; while with the Society he lived in Walthamstow in Essex (as South-Eastern Secretary) and at Castle Hale, Painswick and in Cheltenham (as South-Midland Secretary). While in Cheltenham he spent the years 1856-63 at Kyrle Villa (now Priors Court) on Pittville Circus.

Green-Armytage left the Society through ill health and in 1866 moved to Flax Bourton, Somerset, where he was presented with the rectory 1866-70. He returned to become Perpetual Curate of St Thomas, Lancaster 1871-3.

He published sermons from time to time for most of his life; in his later days he lived at 9 Victoria Square, Clifton, Bristol. By the time of his death at Clevedon, Somerset, in 1873, at the age of sixty-seven, he had gained a reputation as a fervent Protestant and Anti-Ritualist. He was buried at Meltham, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire; his estate at death was sworn at under £14,000.

▶Moved to Pittville from:  Walthamstow, Essex      Moved from Pittville to: Flax Bourton, Somerset

▶Date of death:  24 February 1873      Place of death: Meltham, near Huddersfield

▶Date of burial:         Place of burial:

▶Notes:        ID: 11001

Contributor(s):  John Simpson/Alan Munden