Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford

A 1638 painting of Henry Grey by Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen

Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford (c. 1599 – 21 August 1673), 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. His mother was probably a daughter of Edward Nevill, 8th Baron Bergavenny (died 1622) and his wife Rachel Lennard.

Henry succeeded his paternal grandfather, Henry Grey, 1st Baron Grey of Groby, as second Baron Grey of Groby in July 1614. His paternal grandmother was Anne Windsor, youngest daughter of William Windsor, 2nd Baron Windsor and his first wife Margaret Sambourne.

His great-grandfather Lord John Grey of Pirgo was son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset and younger brother of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk.

Life and career

Contemporary engraving of Henry Gray by Wenceslas Hollar

Grey matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1615, and was granted an M.A. on the King's visit that year.^[1] He married Anne Cecil, daughter of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter, the heiress of the borough and manor of Stamford, and in March 1628 was created Earl of Stamford. Just before the outbreak of the English Civil War he was included as one of Charles I's opponents, and was made lord lieutenant of Leicestershire. After some operations around Leicester he occupied Hereford, and, when compelled to abandon the city, marched to Cornwall.

At the Battle of Stratton, on 16 May 1643, his troops were beaten by the Royalists; driven into Exeter, Stamford was forced to surrender the city after a siege of three months. He was certainly no general, and was charged with cowardice. He took no further part in the military operations of the war, although once or twice he was employed on other business. The ravages of the Royalists had reduced him to poverty, and, distrusted by the House of Commons, he had great difficulty in getting any compensation from Parliament. After a period of retirement he declared for Charles II of England during a rising in August 1659, and was arrested, but was soon released. He died on 21 August 1673; his earldom passed to his grandson Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford.

Children

He and Anne Cecil had at least nine children:

• Lady Elizabeth Grey (born c. 1622). She married George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer and was the mother of Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington.
• Thomas Grey, Lord Grey of Groby (c. 1623 - 1657), Member of Parliament for Leicester.
• Lady Diana Grey (before 1631 - 8 April 1689). She married Robert Bruce, 2nd Earl of Elgin and was the mother of Thomas Bruce, 3rd Earl of Elgin.
• Anchitell Grey (d. 1702), the compiler of the Debates of the House of Commons, 1667-1694 (10 vols, 1769).
• John Grey. He married Lady Catherine Ward, daughter of Edward Ward, 7th Baron Dudley and his wife Frances Brereton. They were parents of Harry Grey, 3rd Earl of Stamford.
• Lady Jane Grey. Married into the Ogle family.
• Leonard Grey. Believed to have died young but in fact as he moved to France his whereabouts were lost. There he married Anne Durand. Leonard died ca 1693, in Paris very likely, and Anne remarried in the Church of St Eustace, Paris, in 1693 with the knight Bertrand Chohan de Coetcandec, son of Francois and Xillone de Kermeno, originated from Brittany.
• Lady Anna Grey.
• Mary Grey. Believed to have died young.
• Robert Grey. b. 1638 - d. 1718 Andover, Massachusetts, USA. Married Hannah Holt

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Ancestry