Gritten was an Englishman living in Mexico in the 1830s. He served as a secretary to Juan Almonte and attempted to mediate concerns between Texas colonists and Mexican officials. He worked commissions from Domingo Ugartechea and the city of Gonzales and reported that most colonists were loyal Mexican citizens. He became a colonist in 1835 and supported the Texas cause, working as a translator for the Texas Navy. He disappears from the documentary record after his service in 1836.