Lord John Grey of Pirgo
Encyclopedia
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.
Grey married Mary Browne, a Catholic, daughter of Viscount Montagu
and Magdalen Dacre.
) in France at the English fortification while it was strengthened and given extra storage facilities. He received grants from Edward VI of the rectory of Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire with additional estates in Leicestershire, his family's home county, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire which were confirmed by Queen Mary
with additional grants of Bardon Park, Leicestershire and the site of the monastery of Kirby Bellars.
which proposed to replace Catholic Queen Mary
with her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth and Grey was condemned to death. His brothers, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk and later Lord Thomas Grey, were both executed but with the assistance of his Catholic father-in-law, Viscount Montagu
, John Grey was released, though still under attainder, and lived obscurely until the death of Queen Mary. Grey was his father's sole surviving son but he was disallowed the marquessate. Wyatt's rebellion had also led to the sad execution of his niece, Lady Jane Grey.
and the Queen granted him her own manor of Pirgo and its house as well as lands in Somerset. He was 'restored in blood', released from the act of attainder
and appointed one of the four Protestant noblemen to supervise the alteration of the Book of Common Prayer
.
's younger sister, Grey's niece, Katherine, heir presumptive under the will of Henry VIII, had married secretly in 1560 without the Queen's consent. The marriage was quickly discovered and she was confined to The Tower. Released under house arrest in 1563 for her safety during an outbreak of plague she was sent to Pirgo under the care of John Grey. Then a book circulated claiming that Katherine was lawful heir and not Mary, Queen of Scots. The Queen removed Katherine from his charge and John Grey was briefly taken into custody.
Lord John Grey of Pirgo died a short time later at Pirgo on 19 November 1564 and was buried there in his chapel.
Sources: Burke's Peerage;
Stanford Lehmberg, 'Grey, Lord John (d. 1564)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 http://0-www.oxforddnb.com
Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset
Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, KG, KB was an English peer, courtier, soldier and landowner, the grandfather of Lady Jane Grey, briefly Queen of England.-Early life:...
and Margaret
Margaret Wotton, Marchioness of Dorset
Margaret Wotton, Marchioness of Dorset was the second wife of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and the mother of his children, including Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, with whom she engaged in many quarrels during his minority over money and his allowance...
, widow of William Medley and daughter of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe.
Grey married Mary Browne, a Catholic, daughter of 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.
Service
He served as deputy at Newhaven (now Le HavreLe Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
) in France at the English fortification while it was strengthened and given extra storage facilities. He received grants from Edward VI of the rectory of Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire with additional estates in Leicestershire, his family's home county, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire which were confirmed by Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
with additional grants of Bardon Park, Leicestershire and the site of the monastery of Kirby Bellars.
Wyatt's Rebellion
John Grey and his brothers became involved in Wyatt's rebellionWyatt's rebellion
Wyatt's Rebellion was a popular uprising in England in 1554, named after Thomas Wyatt the younger, one of its leaders. The rebellion arose out of concern over Queen Mary I's determination to marry Philip II of Spain, which was an unpopular policy with the English...
which proposed to replace Catholic Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
with her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth and Grey was condemned to death. His brothers, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk and later Lord Thomas Grey, were both executed but with the assistance of his Catholic father-in-law, 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...
, John Grey was released, though still under attainder, and lived obscurely until the death of Queen Mary. Grey was his father's sole surviving son but he was disallowed the marquessate. Wyatt's rebellion had also led to the sad execution of his niece, Lady Jane Grey.
Queen Elizabeth's accession
Grey appeared at court as head of his family, attended the Queen on her first progress to London and gave her a costly gift on the first New Year's Day of her reign. A few months later he complained of poverty to her chief adviserWilliam Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
and the Queen granted him her own manor of Pirgo and its house as well as lands in Somerset. He was 'restored in blood', released from the act of attainder
Attainder
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...
and appointed one of the four Protestant noblemen to supervise the alteration of the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
.
Lady Katherine Grey
Lady Jane GreyLady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
's younger sister, Grey's niece, Katherine, heir presumptive under the will of Henry VIII, had married secretly in 1560 without the Queen's consent. The marriage was quickly discovered and she was confined to The Tower. Released under house arrest in 1563 for her safety during an outbreak of plague she was sent to Pirgo under the care of John Grey. Then a book circulated claiming that Katherine was lawful heir and not Mary, Queen of Scots. The Queen removed Katherine from his charge and John Grey was briefly taken into custody.
Lord John Grey of Pirgo died a short time later at Pirgo on 19 November 1564 and was buried there in his chapel.
Children
John Grey and Mary Browne had three sons and four daughters including:- Henry, Lord Grey of GrobyHenry Grey, 1st Baron Grey of GrobyHenry Grey, 1st Lord Grey of Groby , 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....
who, based at Pirgo, re-established the family presence at court and in Leicestershire - Margaret, wife of Sir Arthur Capel sheriff of Hertfordshire in 1592 and they are reputed to have had eleven sons and nine daughters
- Frances, wife of William Cooke of Highnam Gloucestershire, son of Anthony Cooke of Gidea HallGidea HallGidea Hall was a manor house, located in Gidea Park, the historic parish and Royal liberty of Havering-atte-Bower, whose former area today forms the north eastern extremity of Greater London, England....
near Pirgo - Elizabeth, wife of Henry Denny of Cheshunt and later Sir Edward Greville
Sources: Burke's Peerage;
Stanford Lehmberg, 'Grey, Lord John (d. 1564)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 http://0-www.oxforddnb.com