Thomas Grey, Lord Grey of Groby
Encyclopedia
Thomas Grey, Lord Grey of Groby (c. 1623–1657), was an elected Member of Parliament for Leicester
during the English
Long Parliament
, an active member of the Parliamentary party and a regicide
. He was the eldest son of Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford
, using his father's as his own courtesy title, and Anne Cecil, daughter of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter
.
In January 1643, during the First English Civil War
he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the forces of the Parliament in the Midland Counties and Governor of Leicester. In 1648 he won some credit for his share in the pursuit and capture of the Duke of Hamilton
; he assisted Colonel Pride
in purging
the Parliament
by helping to identify members to be excluded. Later in 1648, he was made commissioner of the court which tried King Charles I
. His signature on the death warrant indicates that he was a strong advocate for the execution of the King, because he signed after the President of the court John Bradshaw
and before Oliver Cromwell
, who was third to sign out of a total of fifty nine commissioners (judges) and was the only person of nobility to sign the death warrant.
A member of the Council of State
under the Commonwealth, Lord Grey of Groby fought against the Scots
in 1651 during the Third English Civil War
. A supporter of the Good Old Cause
, in February 1655 during the Protectorate
he was arrested on suspicion of conspiring against Cromwell who was by now Lord Protector
, but he was, however, soon released. He predeceased his father in April or May 1657.
, construction of which was begun by a late ancestor of his; Sir John Grey of Groby
, and in Groby Manor. In 1628 Thomas at the age of five acquired the courtesy title of Lord Grey of Groby when his father was created the 1st Earl of Stamford. At the age of either 10 or 11, his family entertained Charles I
and his wife Henrietta Maria of France
in the Bradgate House
. The royal visit was an event that marked a rise within the family fortune. Yet fortune would soon turn on the Grey household. The family, having issues with failed business aspirations and also with both local and national policy, began to turn against the king in 1634. Furthering the rift with the Monarchy was the family’s Puritan history. By 1640 a 17 year old Thomas Grey was in a world where tensions were growing rapidly on a national scale. With the English Civil War
looming, in 1641 Grey was elected a Member of Parliament for Leicester
in the House of Commons and was admitted to Gray's Inn
like his father before him. He was also later that same year selected among twelve other members of the same committee to present the Grand Remonstrance
and petition to the Monarchy. The petition was in protest to the King for “Oppressions in Religion, Church Government and Discipline.” For his actions in the committee he was referred to as “a Lord dear to the House of Commons”.
during the second Civil War. He took up headquarters there in June of 1643, with a force of approximately 6,000 men. In a letter to his son Thomas, dated March 5, 1643, Henry Grey (Thomas' father) describes a battle to sweep the country, going through such towns as Lutterworth
, Hinckley
, Barwell
, Lichfield
, and Newark
. On August 29, 1643, at Aylesbury
, he joined the Earl of Essex
on the march to relieve Gloucester
. After the siege was raised, he fought at the first battle of Newbury
for which he received thanks. In 1644, he received more appreciation for the reduction of places in Derbyshire
. He then left Leicester
due to a misunderstanding but was, in 1645, petitioned back to meet a royalist attack. In 1648, Lord Grey raised troops in Leicestershire
. After the defeat of the Scots at Preston, he pursued the Duke of Hamilton
and his horse to Uttoxeter
and took credit for his capture, though Duke Hamilton claimed he surrendered. Until August, Grey held various commands in the militia. In 1651, he was sent to raise volunteers with the commission of commander-in-chief in the counties of Leicester, Nottingham, Northampton and Rutland, to meet the Scottish invasion. In September, Sir Edward Massie
surrendered to Lord Grey after the battle of Worcester
.
because of misunderstanding with the county. In 1645 Lord Grey was forced to give up command by the Self-Denying Ordinance
of April 1645 and it was after that that he entered a political alliance with radical and republican politicians, also petitioning to meet the royalist attack. On December 6, 1648 Lord Grey assisted with Pride's Purge
(pointing out 'obnoxious' members who were to be removed from the house), he was also a supporter of the Leveller Cause. On Feb 16, 1649 he served as one of the Judges against King Charles I, after which he gained notoriety as regicide. Grey was the second to sign and the only aristocrat to sign the death warrant which resulted in King Charles's execution on 30 January 1649.
because he dissolved the Rump
and on February 12, 1655 Grey joined the Fifth Monarchists
. He was arrested on suspicion by Colonel Hacker
, acting on Protector's orders, and despite being "much distempered with gout" was taken prisoner at Windsor Castle
. In July of 1655 he was released following an application to the Protector. However, from his release until his death in 1657 he took no active part in politics.
. In 1654, their only son Thomas
was born, who would succeed his grandfather to the Earldom of Stamford
.
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
during the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
, an active member of the Parliamentary party and a regicide
Regicide
The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
. He was the eldest son of Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford
Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford
Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford , known as the Lord Grey of Groby from 1614 to 1628, was an English nobleman and military leader. He was the eldest son of Sir John Grey and Elizabeth Nevill...
, using his father's as his own courtesy title, and Anne Cecil, daughter of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter
William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter
William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter PC KG , known as Lord Burghley from 1605 to 1623, was an English peer.-Life:...
.
In January 1643, during the First English Civil War
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...
he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the forces of the Parliament in the Midland Counties and Governor of Leicester. In 1648 he won some credit for his share in the pursuit and capture of the Duke of Hamilton
James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton
General Sir James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton KG was a Scottish nobleman and influential Civil war military leader.-Young Arran:...
; he assisted Colonel Pride
Thomas Pride
Thomas Pride was a parliamentarian general in the English Civil War, and best known as the instigator of "Pride's Purge".-Early Life and Starting Career:...
in purging
Pride's Purge
Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...
the Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
by helping to identify members to be excluded. Later in 1648, he was made commissioner of the court which tried King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. His signature on the death warrant indicates that he was a strong advocate for the execution of the King, because he signed after the President of the court John Bradshaw
John Bradshaw (judge)
John Bradshaw was an English judge. He is most notable for his role as President of the High Court of Justice for the trial of King Charles I and as the first Lord President of the Council of State of the English Commonwealth....
and before Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, who was third to sign out of a total of fifty nine commissioners (judges) and was the only person of nobility to sign the death warrant.
A member of the Council of State
English Council of State
The English Council of State, later also known as the Protector's Privy Council, was first appointed by the Rump Parliament on 14 February 1649 after the execution of King Charles I....
under the Commonwealth, Lord Grey of Groby fought against the Scots
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1651 during the Third English Civil War
Third English Civil War
The Third English Civil War was the last of the English Civil Wars , a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists....
. A supporter of the Good Old Cause
Good Old Cause
The Good Old Cause was the retrospective name given by the soldiers of the New Model Army for the complex of reasons for which they fought, on behalf of the Parliament of England....
, in February 1655 during the Protectorate
The Protectorate
In British history, the Protectorate was the period 1653–1659 during which the Commonwealth of England was governed by a Lord Protector.-Background:...
he was arrested on suspicion of conspiring against Cromwell who was by now Lord Protector
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
, but he was, however, soon released. He predeceased his father in April or May 1657.
Early life
Thomas Grey was born in 1623 to Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby and Anne Cecil daughter of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter. He spent most of his youth in the Bradgate HouseBradgate 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...
, construction of which was begun by a late ancestor of his; Sir John Grey of Groby
John Grey of Groby
Sir John Grey, of Groby, Leicestershire was a Lancastrian knight, the great-great-grandfather of Lady Jane Grey.-Titles:...
, and in Groby Manor. In 1628 Thomas at the age of five acquired the courtesy title of Lord Grey of Groby when his father was created the 1st Earl of Stamford. At the age of either 10 or 11, his family entertained Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and his wife Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
in the Bradgate House
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...
. The royal visit was an event that marked a rise within the family fortune. Yet fortune would soon turn on the Grey household. The family, having issues with failed business aspirations and also with both local and national policy, began to turn against the king in 1634. Furthering the rift with the Monarchy was the family’s Puritan history. By 1640 a 17 year old Thomas Grey was in a world where tensions were growing rapidly on a national scale. With the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
looming, in 1641 Grey was elected a Member of Parliament for Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
in the House of Commons and was admitted to Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
like his father before him. He was also later that same year selected among twelve other members of the same committee to present the Grand Remonstrance
Grand Remonstrance
The Grand Remonstrance was a list of grievances presented to King Charles I of England by the English Parliament on 1 December 1641, but passed by the House of Commons on the 22nd of November 1641, during the Long Parliament; it was one of the chief events which were to precipitate the English...
and petition to the Monarchy. The petition was in protest to the King for “Oppressions in Religion, Church Government and Discipline.” For his actions in the committee he was referred to as “a Lord dear to the House of Commons”.
Military career
On January 16, 1643, Thomas, Lord Grey of Groby was appointed commander-in-chief of the midland counties association and then ordered to take special care of NottinghamNottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
during the second Civil War. He took up headquarters there in June of 1643, with a force of approximately 6,000 men. In a letter to his son Thomas, dated March 5, 1643, Henry Grey (Thomas' father) describes a battle to sweep the country, going through such towns as Lutterworth
Lutterworth
Lutterworth is a market town and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. The town is located in southern Leicestershire, north of Rugby, in Warwickshire and south of Leicester. It had a population of 8,293 in the 2001 UK census....
, Hinckley
Hinckley
Hinckley is a town in southwest Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 43,246 . It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council...
, Barwell
Barwell
Barwell is a civil parish and large village in Leicestershire, England, with a population of around 8,750 people. The name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that used to drink from the well near a brook in Barwell. It was originally known as Borewell,...
, Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, and Newark
Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands on the River Trent, the A1 , and the East Coast Main Line railway. The origins of the town are possibly Roman as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way...
. On August 29, 1643, at Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
, he joined the Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex was an English Parliamentarian and soldier during the first half of the seventeenth century. With the start of the English Civil War in 1642 he became the first Captain-General and Chief Commander of the Parliamentarian army, also known as the Roundheads...
on the march to relieve Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. After the siege was raised, he fought at the first battle of Newbury
First Battle of Newbury
The First Battle of Newbury was a battle of the First English Civil War that was fought on 20 September 1643 between a Royalist army, under the personal command of King Charles, and a Parliamentarian force led by the Earl of Essex...
for which he received thanks. In 1644, he received more appreciation for the reduction of places in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. He then left Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
due to a misunderstanding but was, in 1645, petitioned back to meet a royalist attack. In 1648, Lord Grey raised troops in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. After the defeat of the Scots at Preston, he pursued the Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
and his horse to Uttoxeter
Uttoxeter
Uttoxeter is a historic market town in Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. The current population is approximately 13,711, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the River Dove and is near the cities of Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and...
and took credit for his capture, though Duke Hamilton claimed he surrendered. Until August, Grey held various commands in the militia. In 1651, he was sent to raise volunteers with the commission of commander-in-chief in the counties of Leicester, Nottingham, Northampton and Rutland, to meet the Scottish invasion. In September, Sir Edward Massie
Edward Massie
Sir Edward Massie , English Parliamentary soldier in the English Civil War, was the son of John Massie of Coddington, Cheshire.-Life:...
surrendered to Lord Grey after the battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
.
Regicide
By end of the year 1643, Grey's views began to diverge from his father's moderate ideas and in 1644 he left LeicesterLeicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
because of misunderstanding with the county. In 1645 Lord Grey was forced to give up command by the Self-Denying Ordinance
Self-denying Ordinance
The first Self-denying Ordinance was a bill moved on 9 December 1644 to deprive members of the Parliament of England from holding command in the army or the navy during the English Civil War. It failed to pass the House of Lords. A second Self-denying Ordinance was agreed to on 3 April 1645,...
of April 1645 and it was after that that he entered a political alliance with radical and republican politicians, also petitioning to meet the royalist attack. On December 6, 1648 Lord Grey assisted with Pride's Purge
Pride's Purge
Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...
(pointing out 'obnoxious' members who were to be removed from the house), he was also a supporter of the Leveller Cause. On Feb 16, 1649 he served as one of the Judges against King Charles I, after which he gained notoriety as regicide. Grey was the second to sign and the only aristocrat to sign the death warrant which resulted in King Charles's execution on 30 January 1649.
Imprisonment and death
In 1649 he became the Counselor of State and was nominated for Council of State until an ambiguous disgrace. In 1653, he became disenchanted with Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
because he dissolved the Rump
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason....
and on February 12, 1655 Grey joined the Fifth Monarchists
Fifth Monarchists
The Fifth Monarchists or Fifth Monarchy Men were active from 1649 to 1661 during the Interregnum, following the English Civil Wars of the 17th century. They took their name from a prophecy in the Book of Daniel that four ancient monarchies would precede Christ's return...
. He was arrested on suspicion by Colonel Hacker
Francis Hacker
Colonel Francis Hacker was an English soldier who fought for Parliament during the English Civil War and one of the Regicides of King Charles I of England....
, acting on Protector's orders, and despite being "much distempered with gout" was taken prisoner at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
. In July of 1655 he was released following an application to the Protector. However, from his release until his death in 1657 he took no active part in politics.
Family
On June 4, 1646, at the age of 23, Lord Grey married Dorothy, daughter of Edward Bourchier, 4th Earl of BathEdward Bourchier, 4th Earl of Bath
Edward Bourchier, 4th Earl of Bath , was born 27 Aug 1575 in Somerset to William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Bath and Elizabeth Russell. Edward was married twice first on 14 July 1623 to Dorothy St John, daughter of Oliver St John, 3rd Baron St John of Bletso and Dorothy Read. They had five children...
. In 1654, their only son Thomas
Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford
Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford PC was a British peer and politician.He was the only son of Thomas, Lord Grey of Groby, and inherited his title from his grandfather....
was born, who would succeed his grandfather to the Earldom 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...
.