Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton
Encyclopedia
Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton (1536–1593) was a baron
in the Peerage of England
, remembered mainly for his memoir of his father, and for participating in the last defence of Calais
.
and Mary, daughter of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester
. He was a Knight
and he was recorded as being Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire
on two separate occasions, in both 1569 and 1587, though it is not recorded if he held that title for all the years in between. He probably went with his father to Guisnes in 1553; certainly he was there when the French declared war; his eye-witness account of his father's last desperate defence of Guisnes, after Calais itself has fallen, remains the best source for the episode. LIke his father he became a hostage but was ransomed a year later. He succeeded his father as 14th Baron in 1562; the family fortune was by then much reduced by the heavy ransom required to free his father. Elizabeth I , however , restored the property forfeited by his father for his part in the Lady Jane Grey
affair.
In 1580, he recruited a force of 6000 and was sent as Lord Deputy of Ireland
to quell the Second Desmond Rebellion
. His first main encounter was when he led an army of about 3,000 in the Battle of Glenmalure
, County Wicklow
in August, where he was defeated, with casualties of 800. Later in the same year he led a force of 800 to Ard na Caithne
(Smerwick) in County Kerry
where he massacred 600 Irish/Italian/Spanish troops who surrendered, a notorious incident known as the Siege of Smerwick. By 1582, the rebellion was in its last throes and he was recalled to England
. He had been largely successful in restoring order, but the justice of some of his actions was criticised, including the Smerwick massacre, and the hanging of the former Chief Justice, Nicholas Nugent
, on what seems to have been no more than a suggestion that he had approved of the rebellion.
was dated of 6 March 1614/1615 and probated on 14 July 1615. She naturalized as an English subject in 1575/1576, and was the widow of Edward Russell, Baron Russell, whom she married c. 1571, and who died before June 1572 without issue and intestate (his estate was administered on 30 June 1572) and was buried at Chenies
, Buckinghamshire
, son of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford
and Margaret St John. Her parents were Sir Richard Morrison of Cashiobury, Hertfordshire
(d. Strasbourg
, 17 March 1556), and Bridget Hussey (c. 1526 - 13 January 1600/1601, bur. Watford
, Hertfordshire
, will
dated 2 June 1600) probated 12 January 1600/1601), who married secondly before 1563 Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland
, without issue, and thirdly as his second wife Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford
on 25 June 1566, also without issue. Bridget Hussey was a daughter of John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford
by second wife Lady Anne Grey. They were the parents of Thomas Grey, 15th Baron Grey de Wilton
, and Hon. Elizabeth Grey de Wilton, who would have become the 16th Baroness Grey de Wilton upon the death of her brother, the 15th Baron. She married Sir Francis Goodwin.
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
in the Peerage of England
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....
, remembered mainly for his memoir of his father, and for participating in the last defence of Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
.
Life
He was the son of William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de WiltonWilliam Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton
William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton KG, was an English baron and military commander serving in France in the 1540s and 1550s, and in the Scottish wars of the 1540s.He was the thirteenth Baron Grey de Wilton....
and Mary, daughter of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester
Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester
Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester was the legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill.-Biography:He was born around 1460 to Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill...
. He was a Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
and he was recorded as being Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire
Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire
There has been a Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire almost continuously since the position was created by King Henry VIII in 1535. The only exception to this was the English Civil War and English Interregnum between 1643 and 1660 when there was no king to support the Lieutenancy...
on two separate occasions, in both 1569 and 1587, though it is not recorded if he held that title for all the years in between. He probably went with his father to Guisnes in 1553; certainly he was there when the French declared war; his eye-witness account of his father's last desperate defence of Guisnes, after Calais itself has fallen, remains the best source for the episode. LIke his father he became a hostage but was ransomed a year later. He succeeded his father as 14th Baron in 1562; the family fortune was by then much reduced by the heavy ransom required to free his father. Elizabeth I , however , restored the property forfeited by his father for his part in the Lady Jane Grey
Lady 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...
affair.
In 1580, he recruited a force of 6000 and was sent as Lord Deputy of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
to quell the Second Desmond Rebellion
Second Desmond Rebellion
The Second Desmond rebellion was the more widespread and bloody of the two Desmond Rebellions launched by the FitzGerald dynasty of Desmond in Munster, Ireland, against English rule in Ireland...
. His first main encounter was when he led an army of about 3,000 in the Battle of Glenmalure
Battle of Glenmalure
The Battle of Glenmalure took place in Ireland in 1580 during the Desmond Rebellions. An Irish Catholic force made up of the Gaelic clans from the Wicklow Mountains led by Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne and James Eustace, Viscount Baltinglas of the Pale, defeated an English army under Arthur Grey, 14th...
, County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
in August, where he was defeated, with casualties of 800. Later in the same year he led a force of 800 to Ard na Caithne
Ard na Caithne
Ard na Caithne , meaning height of the arbutus or strawberry tree, known as Smerwick in English, in the heart of the Kerry Gaeltacht is one of the principal bays of Corca Dhuibhne. It is nestled at the foot of An Triúr Deirfiúr and Cnoc Bhréanainn, which at is the highest mountain in the Brandon...
(Smerwick) in County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
where he massacred 600 Irish/Italian/Spanish troops who surrendered, a notorious incident known as the Siege of Smerwick. By 1582, the rebellion was in its last throes and he was recalled to England
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...
. He had been largely successful in restoring order, but the justice of some of his actions was criticised, including the Smerwick massacre, and the hanging of the former Chief Justice, Nicholas Nugent
Nicholas Nugent
Nicholas Nugent was an Irish judge, unique among the Irish judiciary in being hanged for treason. He had had a highly successful career, holding office as Solicitor General for Ireland, Baron of the Irish Court of Exchequer, and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, but was destroyed by the...
, on what seems to have been no more than a suggestion that he had approved of the rebellion.
Marriage and issue
Lord Grey married after 1572 Jane Sibella Morrison, who died in July 1615 and whose last willWill (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
was dated of 6 March 1614/1615 and probated on 14 July 1615. She naturalized as an English subject in 1575/1576, and was the widow of Edward Russell, Baron Russell, whom she married c. 1571, and who died before June 1572 without issue and intestate (his estate was administered on 30 June 1572) and was buried at Chenies
Chenies
Chenies is a village in the very eastern part of south Buckinghamshire, England, near the border with Hertfordshire. It is situated to the east of Chesham and the Chalfonts. Chenies is also a civil parish within Chiltern district....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, son of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford
Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford
Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, KG was an English nobleman, soldier and politician and godfather to Sir. Francis Drake.-Early life:...
and Margaret St John. Her parents were Sir Richard Morrison of Cashiobury, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
(d. Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, 17 March 1556), and Bridget Hussey (c. 1526 - 13 January 1600/1601, bur. Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
dated 2 June 1600) probated 12 January 1600/1601), who married secondly before 1563 Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland
Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland
Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland, 14th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, KG was the son of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland. He also held the title of 14th Baron de Ros of Hamlake, a title to which he acceded in 1543....
, without issue, and thirdly as his second wife Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford
Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford
Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, KG was an English nobleman, soldier and politician and godfather to Sir. Francis Drake.-Early life:...
on 25 June 1566, also without issue. Bridget Hussey was a daughter of John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford
John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford
John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford was Chief Butler of England from 1521 until his death...
by second wife Lady Anne Grey. They were the parents of Thomas Grey, 15th Baron Grey de Wilton
Thomas Grey, 15th Baron Grey de Wilton
Thomas Grey, 15th and last Baron Grey of Wilton was an English aristocrat, soldier and conspirator. He was convicted of involvement in the Bye Plot against James I of England.-Early life:...
, and Hon. Elizabeth Grey de Wilton, who would have become the 16th Baroness Grey de Wilton upon the death of her brother, the 15th Baron. She married Sir Francis Goodwin.