Life

Born 11 March 1762, he was the son of Robert Gray, a London silversmith. Having entered St. Mary Hall, Oxford, he graduated B.A. 1784, M. A, 1787, B.D. 1799, and D.D. 1802. Soon after 1790 he was presented to the vicarage of Faringdon

Faringdon

Faringdon is a market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. It is on the edge of the Thames Valley, between the River Thames and the Ridgeway...

, Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

.

In 1796 he was appointed Bampton lecturer, and his discourses were published the same year, under the title of 'Sermons on the Principles upon which the Reformation of the Church of England was established.' Through the favour of Shute Barrington

Shute Barrington

Shute Barrington was an English churchman, Bishop of Llandaff in Wales, as well as Bishop of Salisbury and Bishop of Durham in England.-Life:...

, bishop of Durham, he was promoted, in 1800, to the rectory of Crayke

Crayke

Crayke is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England, about two miles east of Easingwold.The parish was formerly a detached part of County Durham , due to its connection with St Cuthbert and the Bishop of Durham, who had a castle at Crayke.The seventh-century...

, Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

, and resigned Faringdon; in 1804 he was collated by Barrington to the seventh stall in Durham Cathedral, and again, in 1805, to the rectory of Bishopswearmouth, and resigned Crayke. He held this living, in which he had succeeded William Paley

William Paley

William Paley was a British Christian apologist, philosopher, and utilitarian. He is best known for his exposition of the teleological argument for the existence of God in his work Natural Theology, which made use of the watchmaker analogy .-Life:Paley was Born in Peterborough, England, and was...

, until his elevation, in 1827, to the bishopric of Bristol.

During the Bristol riots of 1831, when one of the minor canons suggested a postponement of divine service, since the rioters were masters of the city, Gray replied that it was his duty to be at his post.
The service was held as usual, and he was himself the preacher. Before the close of the evening his palace was burned to the ground, and the loss which he sustained was estimated at £10,000. He died at Rodney House, Clifton, 28 Sept. 1834, and was buried in the graveyard attached to Bristol Cathedral

Bristol Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known as Bristol Cathedral...

. A marble monument by Edward H. Bayly was erected in the cathedral.

Works

His first literary undertaking was his 'Key to the Old testament and Apocrypha; or, an Account of their several Books, their Contents and Authors, and of the Times in which they were respectively written;' a work compiled on the plan of Thomas Percy's 'Key to the New Testament,' first published in 1790, and repeatedly reprinted. In 1793 he published 'Discourses on various subjects, illustrative of the Evidence, Influence, and Doctrines of Christianity;' and in 1794, 'Letters during the course of a Tour through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, in 1791 and 1792.'

Gray also published sermons, and the following:

• 'Religious Union,' a sketch of a plan for uniting Roman Catholics and presbyterians with the established church, 1800.
• 'A Dialogue between a Churchman and a Methodist,' 1802, 5th edit. 1810.
• 'Theory of Dreams,' 2 vols., 1808, anonymous.
• Discourse at Bishopswearmouth, 1812, on the assassination of Spencer Perceval
  Spencer Perceval
  Spencer Perceval, KC was a British statesman and First Lord of the Treasury, making him de facto Prime Minister. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated...
  
  .
• 'The Connection between the Sacred Writings and the Literature of the Jewish and Heathen Authors, particularly that of the Classical Ages,' &c., 2 vols., 1816; 2nd edition 1819.

Life

His wife was Elizabeth, sister of Alderman Camplin of Bristol, by whom he had a numerous family. One son, Robert, became bishop of Cape Town and metropolitan of Africa.