John Greenway (died 1529)

Prince discovered no information concerning his ancestry but speculated that he was possibly descended from the Greenway family of Greenway in the parish of Brixham near Dartmouth, Devon, which family died out in the male line leaving a sole heiress Joan Greenway who became the wife of one of the "knightly family" of Gilbert[3] of Compton Castle, which marriage is not however recorded in the Gilbert pedigree in the Heraldic Visitations of Devon up to 1620.

[4] Prince concluded that in his case ancestry was not "much material, a worthy man carries honor about him whatever his descent be".

[5] Prince states that "by the blessing of God and a diligent hand he grew vastly rich".

His main business was the very profitable trade of importing Irish wool into England.

[6] He died in 1529 and was buried in the "Greenway Chapel" which he had built against the southern wall of St Peter's Church in Tiverton.

Assumption of the Virgin relief sculpture, 1517, in the Greenway Porch , showing John Greenway (left, with initials "JG" above) and his wife kneeling either side of the Virgin Mary who stands on a crescent moon and ascends to Heaven, with backdrop of a martyr's palm-frond , lifted up by angels to a figure of God the Father crowned as the King of Heaven, above. Below the Virgin is an heraldic escutcheon showing the arms of the Drapers Company ( Azure, three clouds radiated proper each adorned with a triple crown or ), with the very rarely surviving pre-Reformation angel supporters, the Virgin being the patroness of the Drapers Company
Greenway Almshouse on Gold Street in 2021