Lord John Grey, of Pyrgo

John Grey (abt 1523 - 1564) courtier, youngest surviving son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset and Margaret, widow of William Medley and daughter of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe.

Grey married Mary Browne, a Catholic, daughter of Viscount Montagu and Magdalen Dacre.

Service

He served as deputy at Newhaven (now Le Havre) in France at the English fortification while it was strengthened and given extra storage facilities. He received grants from Edward VI of the rectory of Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire with additional estates in Leicestershire, his family's home county, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire which were confirmed by Queen Mary with additional grants of Bardon Park, Leicestershire and the site of the monastery of Kirby Bellars.

[edit] Wyatt's Rebellion

John Grey and his brothers became involved in Wyatt's rebellion which proposed to replace Catholic Queen Mary with her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth and Grey was condemned to death. His brothers, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk and later Lord Thomas Grey, were both executed but with the assistance of his Catholic father-in-law, Viscount Montagu, John Grey was released, though still under attainder, and lived obscurely until the death of Queen Mary. Grey was his father's sole surviving son but he was disallowed the marquessate. Wyatt's rebellion had also led to the sad execution of his niece, Lady Jane Grey.

Queen Elizabeth's accession

Grey appeared at court as head of his family, attended the Queen on her first progress to London and gave her a costly gift on the first New Year's Day of her reign. A few months later he complained of poverty to her chief adviser and the Queen granted him the manor of Pirgo and its house as well as lands in Somerset. He was 'restored in blood', released from the act of attainder and appointed one of the four Protestant noblemen to supervise the alteration of the Book of Common Prayer.

Lady Katherine Grey

Lady Jane Grey's younger sister, Grey's niece, Katherine, heir presumptive under the will of Henry VIII, had married secretly in 1560 without the Queen's consent. The marriage was quickly discovered and she was confined to The Tower. Released under house arrest in 1563 for her safety during an outbreak of plague she was sent to Pirgo under the care of John Grey. Then a book circulated claiming that Katherine was lawful heir and not Mary, Queen of Scots. The Queen removed Katherine from his charge and John Grey was briefly taken into custody.

Lord John Grey of Pirgo died a short time later at Pirgo on 19 November 1564 and was buried there in his chapel.

Children

John Grey and Mary Browne had three sons and four daughters including:

• Henry, Lord Grey of Groby who, based at Pirgo, re-established the family presence at court and in Leicestershire
• Margaret, wife of Sir Arthur Capel sheriff of Hertfordshire in 1592 and they are reputed to have had eleven sons and nine daughters
• Frances, wife of William Cooke of Highnam Gloucestershire, son of Anthony Cooke of Gidea Hall near Pirgo
• Elizabeth, wife of Henry Denny of Cheshunt and later Sir Edward Greville