George Agnew Reay (6 Nov 1798 – 1879) was an organist and organ builder based in

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden, Northumberland, Warden nearby, and ...

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...

and Morpeth.

Life

He was born in York in 1798. Early in his life he was appointed organist of Hexham Abbey. He married Eleanor Spraggon on 24 Dec 1821 in Hexham. They had the following children *George Reay *Margaret Jane Reay (d. 1826, aged 2 years 7 month) * Samuel Reay also became an organist. Eleanor Spraggon died in December 1826. On 13 May 1828 he married his second wife Ann Thompson in St Andrew's Church, Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1836 he moved to

Ryton-on-Tyne Ryton is a village in Tyne and Wear, England. It is in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, formerly governed under the county of Durham. In 2011, the population of the Ryton, Crookhill and Stella ward was 8,146. It is west of Newcastle upon ...

. By 1851 he was working in Alnwick. He was advertising as an organ builder by 1860 when he had for sale

a new organ of 13 stops, Great Organ, Manual CC to C in Altissimo, Swell Organ Tenor C to C alto. 2 Octaves of German Pedals, &c. Also and Organ with 4 stops, CC to F, 1 ½ Octave of German Pedals, also with Barrel to play 10 tunes.

He appears to have fallen on hard times as in 1864 there was a public concert and the proceeds were given to him as a mark of respect.

Appointments

*Organist at Hexham Abbey 1820 - ca 1828 - ???? *Organist in Alnwick ca. 1857 *Organist at

St Bartholomew's Church, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea St Bartholomew's Church, Newbiggin-by-the-sea is the parish church of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Tyne and Wear, England. The building is part of the Diocese of Newcastle The Diocese of Newcastle is a Church of England diocese based in Newcastle ...

ca. 1871

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reay, George Agnew 1798 births 1879 deaths English organists British male organists British pipe organ builders 19th-century English musicians 19th-century British male musicians 19th-century organists