of Christianshavn Quarter, 1757 Appleby was born in
Gosport, Hampshire, the son of Francis Appleby. Aged 16, he was articled to Thomas Linze, a rope maker in royal service, and worked there until 1733. In 1737, he was charged with modernizing the ropewalk at the
Royal Naval Dockyards at
Nyholm in Copenhagen. In 1739, he was granted permission to establish his own ropewalk. In 1742, he acquired the right to reclaim an area at the southern end of Christianshavn. It was later expanded by royal gifts in 1745, 1748 and 1757. He established a dockyards on the land in 1769 and was also the owner of a sugar refinery and sails and canvas factory in
Odense. Applebye was also active in trade on the colonies with his own fleet of merchant ships. ==Personal life==