Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 23.djvu/210

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Grey
202
Grey

Humphrey Cheney, who intercepted him at Compiègne, and prevailed on him to abandon his intention. Dorset did not take part in the expedition to England, for Richmond, who still mistrusted him, left him behind at Paris with John Bourchier as surety for a loan of money. After the victory of Bosworth Henry VII redeemed his pledge, and recalled Dorset to England, In 1485 Dorset's attainder was reversed, and in November 1486 he received confirmation of his titles. In July 1486 he was justice of oyer and terminer for London and the suburbs (Mat. Hist. of Henry VII, i. 482). Next year, on Sinnel's insurrection breaking out, he fell under suspicion, and was for a time committed to the Tower; but after the battle of Stoke on 16 June, he was released and restored to full favour (Polydore Vergil, pp. 572,578). In 1492 he took part in the expedition to assist Maximilian against the French, and in 1497 held a command in the royal forces raised to suppress the Cornish insurrection. Dorset died on 20 Sept. 1501, and was buried in the collegiate church of Astley, Warwickshire. He is described as ' vir bonus et prudens' (ib. p. 567). He was an early patron of Wolsey, under whose charge he placed three of his sons at Magdalen College School, Oxford, and whom he presented to the living of Limington, near Ilchester, in Somersetshire (Cavendish, Life of Wolsey, pp. 4, 5, ed. Holme). Dorset married (1) in 1466 Anne, daughter and heiress of Henry Holland, duke of Exeter, an alliance which excited the displeasure of the Earl of Warwick (William of Worcester, p. 786), and (2) before 23 April 1475, Cicely, daughter and heiress of William Bonville, lord Harington. By his second wife he had seven sons and eight daughters; his two eldest sons died young: of the others, Thomas (1477-1530) and Leonard (d. 1541) are noticed separately.

[Polydore Vergils Hist. ed. 1555; Holinshed's Chron.; Materials for Hist. of Reign of Henry VII in Rolls Ser.; Dugdale's Baronage, i.719; Doyle's Official Baronage, i. 617; Burke's Dormant and Extinct Peerages, p. 249; Nichols's Leicestershire. iii, 663.]

C. L. K.

GREY, THOMAS, second Marquis of Dorset (1477–1530), third son of Thomas Grey, first marquis of Dorset [q. v.], by Cicely, daughter of William Bonville, lond Harington, was born on 22 June 1477. He accompanied his father on his flight to Brittany in 1484 (Polydore Vergil, p. 552),and shared in his prosperity on his return to England. He was probably educated at Magdalen College School, Oxford, under Wolsey (Cavendish, Life of Wolsey, p. 4). At this time he was styled lord Harington, and under that title was made a knight of the Bath in 1494, when Prince Henry (afterwards Henry VIII) was created duke of York (Letters illustrative of the Reign of Henry VII, i. 390, Rolls Ser.) He was also present at various court ceremonies, at the baptisms of the princes Arthur and Henry, and at the marriage of the former with Catherine of Arragon (his own statement in Letters and Papers of Henry VIII, iv. 5734). He succeeded his father us Marquis of Dorset in September 1501, and was made a knight of the Garter in the same year (Beltz, Memorials of the Garter, clxix). In 1502 he was a justice of oyer and terminer for London, and received the stewardship of the manor of Chartley. In January 1506 he was present at the meeting of Henry VII and Philip of Castile, near Windsor (Paston Letters, iii. 404). In 1507 he had a grant of the wardship of Wyverston Forest (Letters and Papers of Henry VIII, i. 5454), but a little later fell under the suspicion of Henry VII, and after a long imprisonment in the Tower was sent to Calais on 18 Oct. 1508 (Chron. Calais 6, Camd. Soc.; but Andreas says in 1507, Memorials of Henry VII, p. 100. Rolls Ser.) Here he was detained `as longe as Kynge Henry VII lyved, and shulde have bene put to deathe, yf he had lyved longer'(Chron.Cal. 6), On Henry VIII's accession Dorset was at first specially excepted from pardon (Letters and Papers, i. 12), but must have been soon taken into favour, for on 3 Aug. 1509 he received a grant of the wardenship of Sawsey Forest (ib. i, 434). He quickly won the friendship of Henry VIII. His success was perhaps due in part to his skill as a jouster; in 1511 he was one of the challengers in the tournament held to celebrate the birth of a prince (ib. i. 1491).

When in 1512 Henry decided to despatch an expedition for the reconquest of Guienne, in conjunction with Ferdinand of Castile, Dorset was chosen for the command, and received his commission as lieutenant-general on 2 May (ib. i. 3217, 3989). The expedition sailed from England in the same month, and landed in Guipuscoa on 7 June. Ferdinand as usual acted only for his own advantage, and despite the entreaties of Dorset kept making excuses for delay, while all the time he was securing for himself the kingdom of Navarre. He professed that it would be best to advance by way of Pampeluna; the English commander insisted on marching against Bayonne, in accordance with his orders. The troops were kept idle until a severe pestilence in the camp utterly demoralised them, and taking matters into their own hands they insisted on returning home. When this news reached