70 



Obituary Notice of Thomas Young Greet. 



In Thomas Young Greet, the Club has lost an active and 

 promising member, cut off in the prime of life. He was 

 born at Brixton, Surrey, in December, 1833 ; and died at 

 Birchhill, Norham, 29th April, 1873. At his first school, at 

 Canterbury, he imbibed ideas of ecclesiastical antiquities ; 

 and he acquired a taste for botany from the lady with 

 whom he boarded. Purposing to follow out the profession 

 of land agent and surveyor, he was articled for five years to 

 Messrs. Farebrother, Clark, and Lye, London. At the 

 expiration of his articles in 1854, he learnt farming with 

 Mr. Alexander Smith, of Galagate, for two years. Finding 

 our Border climate suited his health better than the south, 

 and enjoying the sport of angling in the Tweed, he resolved 

 to settle down at Norham. In the autumn of 1858, and 

 thereafter for eight months, he travelled on the Continent 

 and in the island of Sicily, with his friend Capt. Hutchinson, 

 R.A. On his return, he remained at Norham till July, 1860, 

 when he went to Australia. He passed thirteen months in 

 the colonies of Victoria and Adelaide — returning to England 

 in February, 1862. He went to Morris Hall in 1865 ; and 

 soon alter was -married to Miss Sarah Jane Laing, second 

 daughter of the late Mr. John Laing, of Cornhill, now left a 

 widow with four daughters. Two years ago, having pre- 

 viously bought the pleasantly situated small property of 

 Birchhill, overlooking the village of Norham and the beauti- 

 ful stretch of the Tweed from Ladykirk House to Norham 

 Castle, he commenced building a villa, which he only lived 

 to complete. He removed into it from Morris Hall in 

 March, and was only once beyond the threshold. 



In Australia, when staying at Guicheno Bay, Mr. Greet 

 formed a collection of the different sea- weeds, shells, &c, on 

 that coast, and made several water-colour sketches of 

 Australian bush scenery. Whilst there he became very 

 friendly with Father Woods, of Penola, a geologist and 

 mineralogist, who has written a very important work on the 

 geology and mineralogy of South Australia. Mr. Greet used 

 to visit him up-country, mineralise with him, and make 

 sketches to aid his work. 



He commenced gathering coins and antiquities when a lad, 

 and had a small excellent collection of English gold and 

 silver coins, as well as articles of antiquity, such as celts, &c. 



