See section above
Click the Book order at Amazon
If you have an interest in 'The Greenlys' then this book is for you. Perfect as a gift to your wider family too.
Covering the period 1415 - 1865, the Greenly family's eyewitness accounts cover The Battle of Agincourt, William Shakespeare’s Henry V, the London Plague & Great Fire, Famine & American Emigrants, Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar, the American Civil War and many more historical events from the English Regency Period.
30 Jan 2024. "This book is so enjoyable to read, I love the way the author spent years researching his family tree and then turned it into an interesting story filled with loads of historical facts". Jo, UK.
11 June 2023. "Just finished reading your book; really enjoyed it". Chris, Spain.
13 May 2023. "Hey David, I just got your new book, I love it and now I understand the cousin connection between my relatives Richard and Hannah and the Titley Court Lady Elizabeth. Nice Job". Laura, USA.
Lady Elizabeth Greenly - REGENCY DIARIST (1771 – 1839)
"London, May 10th 1794. I am sitting with the artist Inglehart for my miniature. He has painted Lady Oxford. Friday, we called on her. I was much pleased with her appearance – she has a sweet and good-tempered countenance. Her mother, Mrs. Scott, looks a vulgar managing woman".
Extract from Elizabeth's diary - order the book above for lots more.
Titley Greenly Family Coat of Arms - look right for where it fits in the ancestral story
The ancient headstone above in Titley Church provides the link between the Greenlys in Staunton on Arrow and later in Titley. It commenorates John Greenley (died 27 October 1585), gentleman of Mowley in Staunton on Arrow, and his sons and sons sons who lived and were buried in Titley Church having lived in Titley and at the manor house Titley Court also in Titley.
Sir Edward Coke (1552 – 1634), British jurist and politician and Greneley’s Case in British Common Law 1610 (click for more)
Simone de Greneleye
15 July 1260. This is the first hand written record of de Greneleye. It is from the rolls of King Henry III.
John Greenly & Phoebe Hyde
Married 1677.
Phoebe (from Shropshire) was a close relative of Anne Hyde
(above) who married James II.
Anne Hyde
12 March 1637 - 31 March 1671
Anne Hyde was the eldest daughter Edward Hyde, a lawyer and M.P. and Frances Aylesbury, daughter of Sir Thomas Aylesbury, was born at Cranbourne Lodge in Windsor Great Park. In 1649, the family fled to the Netherlands following the execution of King Charles I by Parliament. The family settled in Breda, where they were offered a home by Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange
Letter from John Greenly (Battle of Trafalgar 1805) - Click stamp below for the full letters
Lord Nelson stamp.
Lord Nelson is England's greatest hero. Greenly's were with him during his finest hour and at his funeral too. Click the picture.
HMS Revenge - Rev'd John Greenly was the Chaplain and the ship was engaged in the bloody Battle of Trafalgar October 1805.
Rev John and Mary Greenly - Salisbury Cathedral 1823
From the library of Lady Greenly of Titley Court. Sadly Titley Court was recently sold for the first time in 500 years - and for the first time in 500 years their is no longer a Greenly descendant living there. Click for bookseller.
Staunton on Arrow Church - Greenlys are buried here from 1400/1500s
Dorothy Greenly (1610 - 1702)
Daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Greenly of Titley Court, Herefordshire wife of George Dodd. Painted by Mary Beale (1633 - 1699). Very rare for a female to paint portriats in that period.
John Greenly of Titley Court (d.1753). Father of William Greenly below.
"Some Memorial Inscriptions - Titley, Herefordshire, St. Peter's Church": from plaque above altar "Also near this place lie the remains of John Greenly son of the above who died May 5 1753, aged 76."
Lady Elizaberh Greenly with her father William Greenly. Between 1784 - 1838, Elizabeth kept a diary; The Greenly Diaries. Please click for an extract. Elizabeth was acquainted with Lord Byron and Marie Antoinette. She also moved in the close circle of King George III and his family.
Lady Anne Furye (nee Greenly B. 1738) - Painted by Thomas Gainsborough
William Bradford was a founding father, who arrived in America in 1620 on the Mayflower. A relative of William (Hannah) married Richard Greenly and also emigrated to America. See right for a PDF of William's personal account of the founding of America.
Click for a brief movie that captures the first East - West flight across the Atlantic that landed on Greenly Island
Edward Greenly (1861–1951), DSc., Eniment Geologist of Anglesey
Son of Charles Hickes Greenly, surgeon of Bristol died 4 August 1895.
The discovery of South Australia in 1802 and named after Lady Greenly, of Titley Court.
On Tuesday 16 February 1802, Captain Mathew Flinders, sailed His Majesty's ship, The Investigator, and discovered South Australia. He named an Island, lakes, bays and mountains after Lady Elizabeth Greenly, wife of Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin Greenly. This Admiral was one of the six Admirals who carried a black canopy over the coffin of Lord Nelson as it sailed up the Thames from Royal Grenwich to St. Pauls Cathedral in January 1806.
Nelson died at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805. The Reverend John Greenly (see Nelson Stamp below) was also at the Battle of Trafalgar and served on HMS Revenge.
The Houses of Parliament, London.
Sir Isaac Greenly, husband of Lady Elizabeth Greenly of Titley Court, was a Member of the British Parliament (1818 - 1826). Click for more.
Major General Walter Howarth Greenly of Titley Court
Senior military figure
Lieut-Colonel Sir John Greenly
The Battle of Fort Sanders Knoxville (click to read a Greenly eye witness account)
Thomas Greneleye was the Vice Chancellor of Oxford between 1436 - 1437
Click for an extract of the Greenly History
Chancery Lane, London 1792. Greenly's lived here at that time. Click for more.
Will of Lady Elizabeth Greenly of Titley Court (29 April 1843) - click for more original wills from 1600 on
Courtesy of Dave Wichbold. Dave has an album of Greenly pictures that were taken by Laura Meredith (nee Green-Price). Dave would like to hear from and descendant of Laura that would like the album.
Titley Court, Herefordshire. England.
Titley Court, home to the Greenly's for over 500 years.
Click the picture for more Titley Court.
The Greenly Collection of Lincolniana - Click to read the book
<< New image with text >>
Click to read the letter from Abraham Lincoln to Horace Greenly concerning the American Civil War.
by Lady Elizabeth Greenly 1803.
This painting was shown at the National Academy in London. Elizabeth lived at Titley Court and was married to Admiral Sir Isaac Greenly (see above).
An early representation of the Greenly manorial coat-of-arms.
See a letter from the Queen to a Greenly (click the pic)
Click the logo to visit the Stagg Inn site.
The Stagg Inn, Titley. In the 19th Century, the Stagg Inn as it now is, was part of the Titley Court estate and was used to process the local Herefordshire cattle. Greenly's also processed Herefordshire cattle in London.
GREENLY, Philip - citizen & butcher of London, 4 Oct 1625.
to my wife Alice GREENLY lease of my dwelling house in St. Nicholas Shambles, Christchurch, London, & my slaughterhouse in Pincocke Lane, London; to my son John GREENLY my house & lands in Staunton on Arrow but to allow my wife to live there too; to my son Philip GREENLY his brother £200;
If you're looking to visit Titley then this is place to stay and eat; they even have a Greenly Suite!
A key area in the story from 1400's AD.
Greenly's Advertising, London 1910 - Click to see some adverts
Greenly's First Hundred
Greenly's Advertising was established in 1909 by Arthur J. Greenly. This was one of the first advertising agencies in the UK and very influential until the 1960's.
Yes it's Laurel and Hardy. Click the picture to discover a Greenly connection!
Edward Greenly the famous Victorian geologist.
Mr Greenly
Hargreaves, (Charles) Roger (1935–1988), copywriter and children's author, was born on 9 May
1935 worked for Greenlys Advertising Agency.
There are two roads in England named after Greenly's.
Above is in Romsey, Hampshire and named after the famous railway engineer, Henry Greenly.
The other is in Wolverhampton. Named after two Greenly brothers who had a building firm there in the late 1940's til the mid 1960's.
CLICK to find your way around the site or use the Site Map link at the bottom of each page.
This is all well put together. Thank you for this. My mother and I have been tracing my family line all the way to england and I came across this today. Vary cool stuff.
I just found this page as I do more research on my family tree! I’ve been using ancestry and have managed to trace the greenly tree of mine back to the 1400’s. This website is an amazing resource and I’m so grateful it’s been put together.
Thank you!
Hi David. Thanks for the feedback and very pleased that you’ve enjoyed it. Lots of great snippets in there to share with family too.
Hi David
Just got a couple of copies of the book, one of which is on the way to my NZ cousin. Really enjoyable read!
Hey David, I just got your new book, I love it and now I understand the cousin connection between my relatives Richard and Hannah and the Titley Court Lady Elizabeth. Nice Job. I was wondering if I am confused about the picture that they put on p.63 in the Lady Elizabeth chapter. Is that Anne Hyde, the relative of Phoebe Hyde who married a Greenly?
David, et.al.
I have a complete 7-volume leather-bound set of "The Sermons of Mr. Yorick," Laurence Sterne, 1763. All have the Greenly face plate and the first 4 volumes are signed by William Greenly. Two signatures are also dated, 1763, 1765 respectively. I'm trying to establish provenance prior to listing this set of rare books for sale. Logos Books, Davis, CA is a non-profit volunteer organization whose proceeds benefit our local library. I would appreciate any information that could trace how these books originated and how they may have made their way to America. Photos available on request. Thank you.
does anyone know the connection from William Bradford to Hannah Bradford that married Richard Greenly and came to America?
This comes from the book Greenlee Families in America, Scotland, Ireland, and England, with ancestors of Elizabeth Brooks Greenlee and Emily Brooks Greenlee, also genealogical data on the McDowells of Virginia and Kentucky, by Ralph Stebbins Greenlee and Robert Lemuel Greenlee. Chicago, Illinois, Privately Printed, 1908. Page 503.
William Greenly, son of Patrick Greenly, died at Lewiston, Pennslyvania: married ___; removed to Ohio before 1827. His childred are
1. Shadrach
2. Mesheck
3. Jesse
4. William: killed in the Mexican war
Thank you David. I will look into this. I did make a mistake, she was my 6x great grandmother not 5 times. Looking at the will the names do fit. My Elizabeth had two brothers, William and James and a sister, Catherine. There were three other sisters, Mary and Abigail, twins who died a few days after birth and also Martha who also died a few days after birth.
Hi Cheryl. I think this is the Will of Elizabeth’s father. William was born in Staunton on Arrow. The Staunton on Arrow branch of Greenlys can trace back hundreds of years. The address below is to an Ancestry tree - search for John Greenly 1718 - 1777 as a good place to find William.
Regards David (site owner)
GREENLY, William - of the p'ish of Titley co. Hereford, yeom(an), 11 Aug 1721. my wife, my son James GREENLY and my daughter Elizabeth GREENLY; my daughter Katherine JONES; Mr. John PASSEY; my grandson Andrew GREENLY; my grandaughter Elizabeth[1] (under 21); my daughter in law Mary GREENLY[2] - 20s. provided she shall continue sole and unmarried[3]. The mark of William GREENLY, with: Witnesses: Jon GREENLY (signed)[4]; the mark of Jon GRIFFITHS; the mark of Thomas JONES[5]. [1] Doesn't read like Elizabeth but she is the only known granddaughter and was baptised just 6 days before the will was written. [2] Mary was the widow of William's son, William jnr. [3] Mary's husband William jnr had died in 1721, just 5 days before this will was written - the day after the baptism of his daughter Elizabeth! [4] Believed to be John GREENLY of Titley Court, Lord of the Manor. [5] Presumed to be the husband of William's daughter Katherine. William was buried on 22 Aug 1721, 14 days after his son was buried. Not Proved until 2 Jul 1723. William's personal estate valued at just £4 13s.
Contribute to David's family tree on Ancestry.
https://ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/tools/tree/158891858/invitees/accept?inviteId=7dd64db2-2d58-4f7e-a1e0-3c4c990562ac
My great grandmother x5 was Elizabeth Greenly born in Titley in 1689. She married a Thomas Gore. Her parents were William and Catherine and she had six siblings, three of which died as babies. I am struggling to find which branch of the Greenly's she came from, do you know of a family tree done in the tree format that I can refer to? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks
Hello there! I recently bought a copy of the first edition of Sir Kenelm Digby's autobiography, first published in 1827. The copy belonged to the eminent literary critic Philip Edwards (1923–2015), and I bought it second-hand. It also has the coat of arms of the Greenly family with the stag and the 'Fal y gallo' motto in the Ex Libris bookplate, under the name 'E. H. Greenly', who signed it on the title page in a rather shaky hand, with the date 1838. I was just wondering what he/she might have been and I stumbled on this page. I have had a look around, and I don't seem to find a clear referent. Please feel free to email back! Thanks for the website too.
I was glad to find your site as I was looking for information about Titley Court and Lady Coffin-Greenly (Elizabeth Greenly. Her husband Sir Isaac Coffin is my 4xgreat uncle. I see that at one point you describe him as a Lord (he was a Baronet) and another as Isaac Greenly, should be Coffin or Coffin-Greenly, the name they took on marriage. I note that both died in the same year; he was buried in Cheltenham - is she also buried there? I'd be interested to hear from you.
To John Greenlee,
Hi John, did you see the PDF that gives you some amazing background on the site (just above Laurel and Hardy video). Records go back to around 950AD and records battles against the Danes before the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
The family were also at the Battle of Agincourt.
Please download the PDF and this link is also useful
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grindlay_family
I heard from my mother that two brothers were in the Battle of Hastings. Does this fit the Greenly family history?
I find that I am related to members of the Greenly family through both my father and my mother. My father's maternal grandmother was Ellen Greenly (1855 to 1912) who was married to Charles Cooke Snr. (1845 - 1925). He was boatman/coachman to Rosy Roosevelt and had twelve children, some born in America and some in Wales. My mother's paternal grandmother was Mary Ann Greenly (1850 - 1911) who was married to Robert H. Hockey (1843 - ?). May Ann Greenly and Ellen Greenly were sisters, whose parents were Benjamin Greenly (1826 - 1876) and Catherine Lewis (1830 - 1900). I'd love to connect this branch of the Greenlys to the larger family tree on this site. Can anyone help?
By the way, my web site contains no family history information - it is simply a record of my own researches in my professional and vocational fields, and a way of introducing myself.
My parents worked for General Greenly in the early to mid 1950s. My father was gamekeeper and my mother was cook. We lived in the cottage at the bottom of the drive by the side of Titley Court.The surname was Bufton.Dads family lived at The Square on the Kington Road, having previously lived at Turning Ways , up from School Lane in Titley.I recall the deer park, the Well walk behind our house and the stone mounting block to the rear of the "big house ".Titley had a schoool then and a village shop together with a "proper" pub- The Stagg.Wonderful memories of a lovely existence. I am nearly 70 now but still remember those days with great fondness. I can't believe that The Court is now owned by someone other than the Greenleys- so very sad. No reply expected , I just wanted express my thoughts. Jacqui Hatton ( no connection with Alison Hatton )
Do you by any chance have a photo of a portrait of Elzabeth Greenly (1771-1839)?
Just to enquire if you have any staff records in your archives? My husbands great grandfather worked as a Butler for the Greenleys and appears on the 1881 Census at Titley. Any relevant information would be much appreciated.
Hello, my name is Ryan John Greenley. I have lost all connections to my Greenley family after my father (Howard Greenley) and grandfather (John Greenley) both passed. I do have many family possessions that have matching crests and Fal-y-gallo on them. Hoping to find a way to reconnect in anyway with my past. Please reach out via email. Thank you.
British geologists (including myself) were due to celebrate the centenary of Edward Greenly's outstanding and important geological map of Anglesey this month (July 2020) but this has had to be postponed because of the coronavirus crisis. In the meantime, as I am also a railway enthusiast, I have been wondering what the family relationship was of Edward Greenly to his contemporary railway engineer relative Henry Greenly.
Dear David.
Excellent site you have put together here. Well done. I have been doing some research into my own family, namely Grindlay (or Grindley - it’s seems to have vacillated over time) and I have come across a number of sources are saying it was originally ‘Greneleye’.
I was wondering if you have ever come across Grindlay/Grindley in your research?
Hi I'm have nearly completed my tree my gggfather was Rev John Greenly(1777-1862), my ggf Edward Loder whom went to South Africa.gf Edward Prosser born SA 1905 and my father John Loder.. I have William Greenly1742 married to a Susannah??
Hi David. I came across this site whilst looking into the history of my classic 1960 Triumph Herald. It was once owned by John Owen H Greenly of Titley Court, Kington. It is all still original and had many optional extras fitted, almost certainly from new including two front spot lights. It also has old metal GB letters on the boot lid so presumably travelled abroad sometime too. Looks like it left the Greenly family in 1987. Cheers
Tim
I am writing a book about the British Military Mission to Romania between 1917 and 1920 and your website confirms my belief that your ancestor John Henry Maitland Greenly was a member of the mission. There is no reference to him in the National Archives catalogue although I have found references to records of the other members of the mission there.
Hi David. David Matthews here. Semi-retired these days and 'back in the game' after a 10 year absence from the genealogy scene. Would love to cathc up as you seem to have accumulated a lot of information since we were last in touch.
Hi Jennifer and Barrie. Great to see you find the site and that its peaked some curiosity - which was my intention for the site.
I'll point you at two sections:
The History of Greenly / Greenlee in America
Greenlee Ancestry.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [41.0 MB]
Note - its a huge download but well worth the effort as its unparalleled in its information of spelling differences across the water.
Also, https://www.greenlyhistory.com/greenly-s-in-america-canada/john-greenly-of-ireland/
Hope this helps. David
The History of Greenly / Greenlee in America
Greenlee Ancestry.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [41.0 MB]
Hi again, sorry, maybe a bit more information would be helpful :)
As far as I can tell my ancestors came straight to Canada from England. The first being:
Francis Greenlay
BIRTH 19 MAR 1809, England
DEATH 19 MAY 1876, Inverness Township, Quebec
Any information on this line would be very appreciated!
jgreenlay@hotmail.com
Hi there, just came across this website. My last name is Greenlay; wondering if you think this information applies to my family line? Any information would be great :)
Greenlee was my mother's name, but from Ireland (county Monaghan), though very possibly over from Scotland. David, can you tell me the source of the information about the two Greenlee brothers and King Alfred? Interesting that the Coat of Arms uses Welsh, but explained by the fact that Herefordshire was largely Welsh-speaking for many centuries.
Hey David, I've been coming to your site for a while now. I took a deep dive into my family history and found that we share a common ancestor. I'm also a descendant of Richard Greenly and Hannah Bradford. It's incredible how deep and diverse our family story is. Thank you for your time and effort in putting this website. Cheers from the US.
Hi David
WOW! Such a lot of info to digest. I saw somewhere on the website mention of Scudamore. Last night I noticed on the 1881 census that William, Anne and Agnes Scudamore ( Gloucester) were boarding with Thomas and Isabella Watkins. The address is either Much Birch/Dewchurch. Is there any connection or could you guide me to were I could clarify if my Watkins and the Greenly Watkins are the same. Much aprreciated for any help
Best regards
Pam
Hi Pam. I’d say yes there is a connection. If you look at the Greenly wills section you see the Watkins name mentioned in several wills for Greenlys or others. Note the spelling may vary a bit.
Thank you.
Hi there,what a fantastic website. Wondering if you could help in any way. Am researching the Watkins line on my Dads side. Have traced back to a Thomas Watkins abt 1801 in Much Birch. Do you know if the Watkins in the Greenly family connected to the above mentioned. Thanks Pam
Thanks for your work! As a fourth-generation Texan, I find our family's English history particularly fascinating, as it is so far removed from the life I know.
The children of Shadrach Greenly and Nancy Walden and approximate birth years are as follows:
Martin Greenly,1848
Aaron Greenly, 1849
Jesse Greenly, 1851
Henry Greenly, 1856
Mary Ann Belle Greenly-Griffith, 1857-1947,
Belinda Greenly, 1858
Laura Greenly, 1859,
Melvena Greenly, 1861,
Flora Greenly, 1864,
Ida Emma Greenly, 1869-1945
I am a descendant of Mary Belle Greenly-Griffith.
Ida Emma Greenly purchased the cemetary plots for her and her parents at Mound Grove Cemetery in Kankakee, Illinois.
Hello, Fold3 for Shadrach Greenly displays a letter Shadrach sent to the Adjutant General during the Mexican-American War. Shadrach was inquiring about his brother William Greenly.
Hi David. My name is Steve Greenly and I am the great, great grandson of Emanuel B Greenly. I will be in England in August and want to see some of the Greenly Family history. I'll attach my email. Maybe we can touch base before I head that way. Thanks.
Ref Rev'd John Greenly's grandchildren - Cholera was the likely cause of death - there was a major outbreak in 1855 (the cause - dirty water - had only just been found in London in 1854).
1855 - Edith, Ellen, Mary & Rachel (see below comment for full names).
Although John and family lived in the cathedral close - its probable that cholera victims (assume there were many in Salisbury) were buried in a special site. Try the Salisbury museum for any information that they may have?
John's full duties were
Head Master of the Choristers’ School (1812-1846)
Vicar Choral and Vicar of the Close1812-1862)
He was also Perpetual Curate of St Thomas’ Church Salisbury (1821-1862)
so you could look into St Thomas' church records also.
Kind regards, David
The Greenly memorial in Salisbury Cathedral says four grandchildren of John and Mary died in the Close within one month in 1855. Does anyone know the cause of death? Even better if anyone knows the names and ages of the deceased? From chrismacey@live.co.uk
Dear sir,
Could you please help me. I am trying to research the whereabouts of the graves of four Greenly children that dies almost together in June/July 1855.
I have tried Salibury Cathedral where your ancestor Rev. John Greenly was a priest. On the memorial tablet in the cathedral cloisters it mentioned that four of his grandchildren died within one month. It also mentioned "in the close"
I have their names, but nothing else:
Rachel Kathryn
Mary Frances
Ellen Emma
Edith Laurence Freke
All with the surname of Greenly.
Can you help please I am very interested.
I do hope to hear from you.
Hello, I am researching the Hornby family. In the 1901 Canada census a Francis E. Hornby was listed as the adopted son of Richard Swain and Kate Swain (daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Greenly). I wonder if you have more information on this?
Any connection to the Greenley/Greenlay family of Yorkshire? In the late 1600s there was a Richard, Thomas and William there.
Hi David, David Matthews here. I'll be semi-retiring soon and intend to pick up where I left off the best part of 10 years ago. I would be interested to compare notes at some point, particularly any new information you may have uncovered. Hope all well with you.
Dear Lynda, I have sent you some details via email. Just confirming that you saw the link on the site to all things Rev John Greenly related -
https://www.greenlyhistory.com/famous-people-battles-places/battle-of-trafalgar/
I also have a book which maybe of interest to you - The Sea Chaplains (Gordon Taylor) 1978 - this makes reference to Rev John Greenly - Chaplain HMS Revenge at the Battle of Trafalgar.
Kind regards, David
Dear Melanie, I have written to you via email with some contact information which I hope is useful. Also, at the bottom of this page is a picture of the library. Please do keep us posted on any updates, regards David
https://www.greenlyhistory.com/greenly-images/
Hello. This is a great site. I am researching into some of the chaplains who served with Lord Nelson as an article that will be published in a book later this year for an historical society - The 1805 Club. I wonder if you have any specific information I can use to be included on your ancestor Rev'd John Greenly please? I would be very grateful and would give due acknowledgement.
I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you! Lynda
Dear David,
Thank you for your very informative website and for all the details about the Greenly family history.
I am currently researching a book on women's libraries in the seventeenth and eighteenth century and came across your account of Elizabeth Greenly. In particular, I was intrigued by the fact that she designed the library at Titley Court. Very few examples of female-designed (let alone owned) libraries exist for this period! Do you know who are the current owners of Titley Court and how one might get in touch with them?
I live close by - in Worcester - and very much hope I might view the library! I also wonder if you know if anyone in the family retained a copy of contents of the library? The auction catalogue I have found is clearly not the full collection.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my message and I look forward to hearing from you.
With best wishes,
Melanie
Does anyone know the ancestry of Hannah Ann Bradford?
I see the site has been updated since I looked last about a year ago! Looks good! My end of the Greenly line resides in New Hampshire, USA, but I recently moved to Indianapolis, Indiana with my wife, daughter, and grandkids.
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