Richard Grey
Encyclopedia
Sir Richard Grey was an English knight and the half-brother of King Edward V of England
.
Grey was the younger son of Sir John Grey of Groby
and Elizabeth Woodville
, later Queen Consort of King Edward IV. A young child when his mother married Edward IV, Richard first appeared on the public scene when he took part in the jousts to celebrate the creation of his half-brother Richard
as duke of York in 1474, a feat he repeated at the duke's marriage celebrations in 1478. Richard Grey was knighted in 1475 and was nominated four times to membership of The Most Noble Order of the Garter between 1476 and 1482, though he was never so chosen. His political role also started in 1475, the year he was knighted, when he began to serve in Wales and the bordering counties as part of the political rule of the council of his other half-brother, Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward V
). Grey served as a Justice of the Peace in Herefordshire
from 1475 and sat at sessions of the peace in Hereford
and Ludlow
in 1476 and 1477. In 1479 he was appointed constable of Chester
castle and in the same year was considered important enough for the city of Bristol
to appeal to him for his aid. He served on a number of other judicial commissions in the region through the remainder of the reign of his stepfather. In 1482 he was granted the Welsh lordship of Kidwelly
, and in the same year was given a greater role in the upbringing of the Prince of Wales; by the end of the reign, Grey was becoming increasingly important in the king's rule in the region. He was also being given a broader geographic field of activity, serving as constable of Wallingford Castle
from 1482 and the following year being granted the Holland manors in Essex
and Northamptonshire
.
After the death of Edward IV, while accompanying the new king Edward V to London from Wales with their uncle Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers
, he was arrested by Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III
) on 30 April 1483 at Stony Stratford and, with Rivers, imprisoned in the north of England. Within a few weeks Grey's lands and offices had been redistributed to others, although he had not been legally deprived of them. After Gloucester's accession to the throne Grey and his uncle were executed at Pontefract Castle
on 25 June 1483.
Edward V of England
Edward V was King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. His reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded him as Richard III...
.
Grey was the younger son of 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 Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
, later Queen Consort of King Edward IV. A young child when his mother married Edward IV, Richard first appeared on the public scene when he took part in the jousts to celebrate the creation of his half-brother Richard
Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York
Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, 1st Duke of Norfolk, 1st Earl of Norfolk, Earl Marshal was the sixth child and second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. He was born in Shrewsbury....
as duke of York in 1474, a feat he repeated at the duke's marriage celebrations in 1478. Richard Grey was knighted in 1475 and was nominated four times to membership of The Most Noble Order of the Garter between 1476 and 1482, though he was never so chosen. His political role also started in 1475, the year he was knighted, when he began to serve in Wales and the bordering counties as part of the political rule of the council of his other half-brother, Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward V
Edward V of England
Edward V was King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. His reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded him as Richard III...
). Grey served as a Justice of the Peace in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
from 1475 and sat at sessions of the peace in Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
and Ludlow
Ludlow
Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
in 1476 and 1477. In 1479 he was appointed constable of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
castle and in the same year was considered important enough for the city of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
to appeal to him for his aid. He served on a number of other judicial commissions in the region through the remainder of the reign of his stepfather. In 1482 he was granted the Welsh lordship of Kidwelly
Kidwelly
Kidwelly is a town in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, approximately north-west of the main town of Llanelli.It lies on the River Gwendraeth Fach above Carmarthen Bay. The town is twinned with French village St Jacut de la Mer.-History:...
, and in the same year was given a greater role in the upbringing of the Prince of Wales; by the end of the reign, Grey was becoming increasingly important in the king's rule in the region. He was also being given a broader geographic field of activity, serving as constable of Wallingford Castle
Wallingford Castle
Wallingford Castle was a major medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire , adjacent to the River Thames...
from 1482 and the following year being granted the Holland manors in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
.
After the death of Edward IV, while accompanying the new king Edward V to London from Wales with their uncle Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers
Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers
Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers was an English nobleman, courtier, and writer.He was the eldest son of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg. Like his father, he was originally a Lancastrian, fighting on that side at the Battle of Towton, but later became a Yorkist...
, he was arrested by Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
) on 30 April 1483 at Stony Stratford and, with Rivers, imprisoned in the north of England. Within a few weeks Grey's lands and offices had been redistributed to others, although he had not been legally deprived of them. After Gloucester's accession to the throne Grey and his uncle were executed at Pontefract Castle
Pontefract Castle
Pontefract Castle is a castle in the town of Pontefract, in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It was the site of the demise of Richard II of England, and later the place of a series of famous sieges during the English Civil War-History:...
on 25 June 1483.