Sir Henry Thomas Gott, born Henry Thomas Greening, was the son of Thomas Greening, gardener to King George II. Thomas Greening had held royal contracts from the 1720s onward. His mother Sarah was the daughter of Henry Marsh of Hammersmith (1665-1741), who was known as a collector of rare and unusual trees. Henry Thomas Greening inherited the family nursery garden at Brentford End.