Christopher Gray was the younger brother of William Gray junior, who had a nursery garden in Fulham. Their father, William Gray senior, had established another nursery garden in Fulham before 1700, which was later taken over by Christopher. He bought plants from the bishop's collection at Fulham Palace soon after 1713, including North American species in which Gray was later to specialise.
Bibliography
Raphael, Sandra 'Gray, Christopher (1694-1764), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2006) [accessed 23 June 2009]