Henry Grey, 1st Baron Grey of Groby
Encyclopedia
Henry Grey, 1st Lord Grey of Groby (1547–1614), courtier, administrator and local politician, was the only surviving son of Lord John Grey of Pirgo
, Essex, and Mary, daughter of Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu
and Magdalen Dacre.
He married Anne (1542–1613/14), daughter of William, 2nd Lord Windsor of Bradenham, Buckinghamshire.
. Henry succeeded to his father's estate at Pirgo near Havering Essex when aged 17. Five years later he was appointed one of the Queen's Gentlemen Pensioners and was lieutenant of the band — head personal bodyguard — from 1589 to 1603. He attended on the Queen six months of each year. Otherwise based 20 miles away in Essex at Pirgo he filled many local and county duties; knight of the shire in 1589, deputy lieutenant
of the County from 1586-1590. He had been put on the commission of the peace for Essex about 1569 and in 1600 was described as the county's senior justice. He was elected to parliament in 1589.
Henry had been knighted in November 1587. His efforts for Queen and county were recognised and the completion of his court duties noted when another cousin, James I, four days before his coronation, raised him to the peerage on 21 July 1603 as Baron Grey of Groby, Leicestershire.
. Those in Leicestershire centred on Bradgate Park
in its manor of Groby
a few miles from Leicester. As the new Lord Grey of Groby, aged 58, he took up residence at Bradgate and devoted most of his energies to strengthening his family's position in the County. This included reviving the feud and intense competition between the Greys and the Hastings earls of Huntingdon
which had enlivened and divided Leicestershire for much of the early sixteenth century.
He died at Bradgate Park on 26 July 1614, a new widower, and was buried in the family chapel there. Their eldest son had died some three years earlier so Grey was succeeded by John's son, Henry, who later became the first Earl of Stamford
.
Lord John Grey of Pirgo
John Grey courtier, youngest surviving son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset and Margaret, widow of William Medley and daughter of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe....
, Essex, and Mary, daughter of Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu
Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu
Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu KG PC was an English peer during the Tudor period.He was the eldest son of Sir Anthony Browne...
and Magdalen Dacre.
He married Anne (1542–1613/14), daughter of William, 2nd Lord Windsor of Bradenham, Buckinghamshire.
Career
Grey's main ambition was to re-establish his family's position in Leicestershire lost by his father's attainderAttainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
. Henry succeeded to his father's estate at Pirgo near Havering Essex when aged 17. Five years later he was appointed one of the Queen's Gentlemen Pensioners and was lieutenant of the band — head personal bodyguard — from 1589 to 1603. He attended on the Queen six months of each year. Otherwise based 20 miles away in Essex at Pirgo he filled many local and county duties; knight of the shire in 1589, deputy lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of the County from 1586-1590. He had been put on the commission of the peace for Essex about 1569 and in 1600 was described as the county's senior justice. He was elected to parliament in 1589.
Henry had been knighted in November 1587. His efforts for Queen and county were recognised and the completion of his court duties noted when another cousin, James I, four days before his coronation, raised him to the peerage on 21 July 1603 as Baron Grey of Groby, Leicestershire.
Retirement
By this time, 1603, he had managed to reacquire most of his family's estates lost by his father's attainderAttainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
. Those in Leicestershire centred on Bradgate Park
Bradgate Park
Bradgate Park is a public park in Charnwood Forest, in Leicestershire, England, just northwest of Leicester. It covers 850 acres . The park lies between the villages of Newtown Linford, Anstey, Cropston, Woodhouse Eaves and Swithland. The River Lin runs through the park, flowing into Cropston...
in its manor of Groby
Groby
Groby is a large English village in the county of Leicestershire, to the north west of the city of Leicester. The population at the time of the 2001 census was 7,301.-Description:...
a few miles from Leicester. As the new Lord Grey of Groby, aged 58, he took up residence at Bradgate and devoted most of his energies to strengthening his family's position in the County. This included reviving the feud and intense competition between the Greys and the Hastings earls of Huntingdon
Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon
Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon was a prominent English nobleman and literary patron in England during the first half of the seventeenth century.-Life:...
which had enlivened and divided Leicestershire for much of the early sixteenth century.
He died at Bradgate Park on 26 July 1614, a new widower, and was buried in the family chapel there. Their eldest son had died some three years earlier so Grey was succeeded by John's son, Henry, who later became the first Earl of Stamford
Earl of Stamford
Earl of Stamford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby. This Grey family descended through Lord John Grey, of Pirgo, Essex, younger son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and younger brother of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk Earl...
.
Children
Henry and Anne Grey had four sons and four daughters including:- Sir John Grey, who married Elizabeth Nevill, died suddenly, in October 1611 in his father's lifetime. Their son became the 1st Earl of StamfordEarl of StamfordEarl of Stamford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby. This Grey family descended through Lord John Grey, of Pirgo, Essex, younger son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and younger brother of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk Earl...
. - Henry Grey, 'slain in Holland'
- Ambrose Grey, father of Mary, Lady Wrottesley, wife of Sir Walter Wrottesley 1st Baronet
- George Grey, who left no surviving children
- Mary Grey, who married William Sulyard and Thomas Steward but left no surviving children
- Frances Grey, wife of Anthony Felton of Playford
Sources
- Burke's Peerage
- Online Oxford Dictionary of National Biography