Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 23.djvu/196

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Grey
188
Grey

orders to repair to the west of England; and with his two troops of horse continuing his route to Bristol, he left Massey and the regiment of foot to protect Gloucester. He claimed to have won some small successes at Plymouth and Modbury on 21 Feb. 1643. In May he marched with a strong force into Cornwall, where on the 16th he received a severe check from the king's forces near Stratton. He entrusted the conduct of the battle to Major-general James Chudleigh, who was taken prisoner. Clarendon (Hist. ed. 1849, iii. 72-9) insinuates that Grey took excellent care not to expose his person to danger, and fled as soon as he saw the day was lost. To account for his defeat Grey asserted that he had been betrayed by Chudleigh. After further disaster he was shut up in Exeter by the army of Prince Maurice, and straitly besieged for three months and nineteen days. In his difficulty Grey addressed a letter to the king, dated 4 Aug., in which he made warm professions of loyalty, but inveighed against the kind's counsellors, and exhorted him to dismiss them (Cal. of Clarendon State Papers, i. 244). All he really wanted was that his life might be spared. Exeter was surrendered on 5 Sept. 1643 (Clarendon, iii. 169). The fifth article of the capitulation, in which his pardon was assured, gave great offence to the parliament, and it was thought that a searching inquiry should be instituted into his whole conduct in the service (Rushworth, Hist. Coll. pt. iii. vol. ii. pp. 272-4). His bad generalship brought on him ridicule from foe and friend alike. The cavaliers lampooned him in song and satire, hinting that he was vicious in more than one respect, and that his plunder at Hereford had ministered to his dissolute habits. He won a place in Cleveland's 'Character of a London Diurnall.' In a published defence an awkward attempt was made to lay the blame of his iil-success on his officers (Letter appended to Articles of Agreement upon the Delivery of Excester, 1643). He repeated the accusation in the House of Lords. He could, however, point with justice to the sacrifices which he had made for his party. His house and estates had been rifled, and his tenants so impoverished that they could not pay their rents. He suffered much pecuniary distress, and repeatedly brought his case before parliament. On 6 May 1644 he requested leave to travel to the hot baths in France for the recovery of his health; that he might be furnished with 1,000l. out of the remainder of the Earl of Arundel's assessment for the twentieth part; and have besides some weekly allowance for his maintenance abroad. The commons were recommended to accede to his request, the earl 'having done good service in the west:' but on the same day a member was directed to bring in what information he had to give against Grey concerning 'the loss of the west.' The earl forthwith wrote to the speaker, asking the house to let him know, first, what he was charged with, and secondly, to hear what he had to say in his justification. On 21 Aug. the lords again reminded the commons of his wants, and on the 26th 1,000l., which had been assessed on Lord Stanhope of Harrington, was assigned to him on account of his arrears. In June 1645 the commons impeached him, along with two of his servants, for assaulting Sir Arthur Haselrig. He was nominated a member of the committee appointed to go north to see due execution of the articles with the Scots on 2 Jan. 1647. Having been returned M.P. for Leicestershire, the county gentlemen petitioned the Protector and council against his election on 21 Aug. 1654, alleging that he had 'assisted the late king of Scots, and was not of good conversation' (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1654, p. 316). Encouraged by Booth's rising, in August 1659, Grey declared for the king, and attempted to raise troops in Leicestershire. He was arrested and committed to the Tower on 3 Sept. on a charge of high treason (ib. 1659-60). Charles II treated him with favour, and on his petition reconveyed to him in 1666 Armtree Manor and Wildmore Fen, Lincolnshire, which had been presented by him to the crown in 1637 for the purpose of effecting some abortive improvements (ib. 1663-4, 1665-6, pp. 448-9). He died on 21 Aug. 1673. and was buried at Bradgate. He married, 19 July 1620, Anne, youngest daughter and coheiress of William Cecil, earl of Exeter (Chester, London Marriage Licenses, p. 587; he was then aged about twenty-one). By her he had, besides five daughters, four sons: Thomas, lord Grey (1623?-1657) [q. v.], Anchitell [q. v.], John, and Leonard.

[Collins's Peerage (Brydges), iii. 353-66; Nichols's Leicestershire, iii. 677; Boase and Courtney's Bibl. Cornub.; John Webb's Civil War in Herefordshire; Hist. MSS. Comm. 5th. 6th. and 7th Reps.]

G. G.

GREY, HENRY, D.D. (1778–1859), free church minister, was born on 11 Feb. 1778, at Alnwick, Northumberland, where his father was a medical practitioner. His education was chiefly left to his mother, who had an early breach with his father, and removed with her son to Edinburgh, where he passed through the usual course of study, preparatory to entering on the office of the ministry in the established church. Grey's sympathies were wholly with the evangelical portion of