Thomas Parlby

Thomas Parlby (1727–1802) Stone Hall, Stonehouse, in Plymouth "the big house overlooking Stonehouse Pool" (since demolished), was a civil engineering contractor described in his obituary in the Gentleman's Magazine as "Master Mason of HM Docks".

Parlby was born in 1727 of humble origin, the youngest son of John Parlby (d.1766) of Gravesend, or Chatham, in Kent, by his wife Anne. His father was a ship's carpenter as were his two brothers, who also served as warrant officers in the Royal Navy. In 1745 his sister Mary Parlby married James Templer (1722-1782) at Greenwich and moved to Rotherhithe.

Parlby and his brother-in-law James Templer operated as a partnership known as "Templer & Parlby"; they were civil engineering contractors and contractors to the Navy Board. They were working at a time of major expansion in the royal dockyards of Great Britain due to the frequent wars with Spain and France which occurred between 1739 and 1815. Templer died unexpectedly in 1782, when Parlby took over the business. Amongst their works were:

In 1748 Parlby married Lydia Martyn and settled in Deptford, later moving to Plymouth. Their children included:

He rebuilt the old chapel at Stonehouse in 1787 and his 1802 monument, by Peter Rouw of London (who also made the monuments to Sir John Pole and his wife Lady Anne in Shute Church), was situated in the new church.

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