| Grey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Earlier spellings | de Greye |
| Place of origin | Normandy |
| Founded | 11th century |
| Founder | Anchetil de Greye |
| Titles | •Queen of England •Queen of Ireland •Duke of Suffolk •Duke of Kent •Marquess of Dorset •Earl of Stamford •Earl of Huntingdon •Earl of Tankerville •Earl de Grey •Earl Grey •Earl of Kent •Viscount Fallodon •Viscount Glendale •Viscount Howick •Baron Powis •Baron Wilton •Baron Werke •Baron Codnor •Baron Bonville •Baron Walsingham •Baron Rotherfield •Lord Gray •Grey baronets |
| Estate(s) | •Wingfield Castle •Bradgate House •Dunham Massey |
TheGrey family is anEnglish family, descending from theAnglo-Normande Greye family.[1] The patriarch of the family wasAnchetil de Greye, aNormanchevalier and vassal ofWilliam FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, one of the few provencompanions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at theBattle of Hastings in 1066.[2][3]
In the 13th century, the Greys wereennobled asBarons Grey of Codnor, andof Ruthyn, andof Wilton. Some members of the family were later elevated asviscounts,earls,marquesses,dukes, and in the 16th century, one member becamemonarch.[4] Among them, KingEdward VI declared his cousinLady Jane Grey, "the Nine Days Queen", to be his successor asmonarch ofEngland andIreland, and on his death, she reigned from 10 July through 19 July 1553 (according to her claim as the great-granddaughter of KingHenry VII via her parentsHenry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, andFrances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, daughter ofMary Tudor, Queen of France), until she was deposed by her cousinMary I, Queen of England, Ireland and Spain. Notably,Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey becamePrime Minister of the United Kingdom and abolishedslavery in theBritish Empire in 1833.[5][6][7][8]
Anchetil de Greye (c. 1052 – after 1086) is listed in theDomesday Book of 1086 as thelord of six Oxfordshiremanors.[9] His descendant wasSir Henry de Grey.[10]
Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton (c. 1240–1308) was the son ofSir John de Grey and the namesake of one of the fourInns of Court, beingGray's Inn, which became of Reginald de Grey'sPortpoole Manor. He was one of three commanders appointed byEdward I of England in his 1282 campaign againstLlywelyn ap Gruffudd, the rebellious last nativePrince of Wales.[11]
John de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Rotherfield (c. 1300–1359) is listed in theBruges Garter Book as a founding knight of the Most NobleOrder of the Garter and a companion ofEdward the Black Prince.[12] He wasLord Steward of theRoyal Household ofKing Edward III.[13]
Lady Jane Grey (c. 1537–1554)"the Nine Days' Queen" was the daughter ofHenry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk andQueen of England and Ireland. Lady Jane was the great-granddaughter ofKing Henry VII through his daughterMary Tudor, Queen of France. Due to this and her avowedProtestantism,King Edward VI nominated Lady Jane as his successor to the Crown, and she becameQueen of England and Ireland on 10 July 1553, until her deposition on 19 July 1553 byMary I of England. In February 1554, both she and her father were executed for treason.[14]
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (c. 1764–1845) was the son ofCharles Grey, 1st Earl Grey andPrime Minister of the United Kingdom. Lord Grey's government enacted theabolition of slavery in the British Empire by initiating the mass purchase of slaves from their owners in 1833. He had previously resigned as foreign secretary in 1807 to protest the King's uncompromising rejection ofCatholic Emancipation. He is the namesake ofEarl Grey tea.[15]
Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon (c. 1862–1933) is Britain’s longest servingSecretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1905–1916). He was the main force behind British foreign policy in the era ofWorld War I, the centrepiece of his foreign policy being the defence of France against German aggression, while avoiding a binding alliance with Paris. His most consequential achievement in foreign policy was otherwise securing the Anglo-Russian entente of 1907.[16][17]
(Separate family?)
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