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George was born in 1829 on a farm near Levisham, the sixth of seven children of John and Hannah Piercy. At the age of 12 he joined the Merchant Navy and worked on a sailing barque around the Mediterranean. He became a noted preacher and met his first wife, Jane, in her home village of Nunnington, where her father was steward of Nunnington Hall. In 1850 George set out to become a missionary in China, taking the four month voyage to Hong Kong. Once in China, George set himself the task of learning Canotonese well enough to preach and translate, and once Jane had joined him they set to work on setting up schools and bringing Methodism to the people of China. After 31 years in China, having lost his wife Jane and their baby daughter, George returned to England in 1882, and remarried. His work continued and he founded a mission in London’s East End for Chinese seamen, many of whom were addicted to opium. At the age of 81 George finally retired, and died a few years later in 1913.

Born: 1829