British Aristocracy

Introduction

The GREY, and to a lesser extent GRAY, names are included in the British Aristocracy.  I am including the titles, the first holders and when the title became extinct.  Separate pages look at the associated genealogies e.g. the de Gray.

Unless otherwise specified – ALL the data below has been obtained from Wikipedia.

Duke of Kent

Duke of Kent is a title which has been created various times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of George V.

Henry Grey (1671-1740) succeeded his father, Anthony Grey, as the 12th Earl of Kent in 1702.   In 1706, he was elevated to Marquess of Kent, along with Earl of Harold and Viscount Goderich. In 1710 he was elevated once again as Duke of Kent.  By the time of Henry’s death in 1740, both of his sons had died, Anthony (in 1723) and George (in 1733), leaving the Duke of Kent without a male heir. The title of Duke of Kent became extinct with his death.

Earl Grey

The Earl of Grey was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, 1st Baron Grey (1729–1807). He had already been created Baron Grey, of Howick in the County of Northumberland, in 1801, and was made Viscount Howick, in the County of Northumberland, at the same time as he was given the earldom. A member of the prominent Grey family of Northumberland, he was the third son of Sir Henry Grey, 1st Baronet, of Howick (see below).

  • Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey (1729–1807)
  • Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (1764–1845)
  • Henry George Grey, 3rd Earl Grey (1802–1894)
  • Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey(1851–1917)
  • Charles Robert Grey, 5th Earl Grey (1879–1963)
  • Richard Fleming George Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey (b. 1939)

The heir presumptive is the present holder’s younger brother, the Hon. Phillip Kent Grey.

Earl de Grey

The title of Earl De Grey was created in the peerage of the United Kingdom for descendants of the Greys, Duke of Kent and Earls of Kent, created 1465, who were unrelated or extremely distantly related to the family of the Earls Grey created 1806 (see above).

The 2nd Marchioness De Grey’s (see below) daughter Amabel was created Countess De Grey in 1816. On her death without issue, the title passed to her sister’s son Thomas, 3rd Baron Grantham who became 2nd Earl De Grey and adopted the name of “De Grey”. The title became extinct on the death of the 4th Earl in 1923.

  • Amabel Yorke, 1st Countess De Grey, 5th Baroness Lucas (1751-1833
  • Thomas Philip de Grey, 2nd Earl De Grey, 3rd baron Grantham (1781-1859)
  • George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 3rd Earl De Grey, 1st marquess of Rippon 1827-1909)
  • Frederick Oliver Robinson, 4th Earl De Grey, 2nd Marquess of Rippon (1852-1923).

Earl of Kent

The peerage title Earl of Kent has been created eight times in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The Greys were the subject of the eighth creation in 1465.

The Greys were a baronial family with substantial property in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and later around Ruthinin Wales. They rose to greater prominence during the Wars of the Roses. Edmund Grey, Lord Grey of Ruthin, started out a Lancastrian, but switched to the Yorkist side at the Battle of Northampton. He was a member of Edward IV’s council, became Lord Treasurer in 1463/4, was created Earl of Kent in 1465. The title became extinct on the death of the 12th Earl in 1740.

  • Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent (c. 1420–1498)
  • George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent (c. 1460–1503)
  • Richard Grey, 3rd Earl of Kent (1481–1524)
  • Henry Grey, 4th Earl of Kent (c.1495–d. 1562)
  • Reginald Grey, 5th Earl of Kent (d. 1573)
  • Henry Grey, 6th Earl of Kent (1541–1615)
  • Charles Grey, 7th Earl of Kent (c. 1545–1623)
  • Henry Grey, 8th Earl of Kent (c. 1583–1639)
  • Anthony Grey, 9th Earl of Kent (1557–1643)
  • Henry Grey, 10th Earl of Kent (1594–1651)
  • Anthony Grey, 11th Earl of Kent (1645–1702)
  • Henry Grey, 12th Earl of Kent (1671–1740) (created Marquess of Kent in 1706,Duke of Kent in 1710) (extinct on his death)

Marquess de Grey

The title of Marquess De Grey was created in the peerage of Great Britain for descendants of the Greys, Duke of Kent and Earls of Kent, created 1465, who were unrelated or extremely distantly related to the family of the Earls Grey created 1806 (see above). The title of Marquess De Grey became extinct on the death of Jemima Yorke in 1797.

  • Henry Grey, 1st Marquess De Grey, 1st Duke of Kent (1671-1740)
  • Jemima Yorke, 2nd Marchioness Grey (1722-1797)

Viscount Grey of Fallodon

Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon KG, PC, FZL, DL (25 April 1862 – 7 September 1933), better known as Sir Edward Grey, Bt, was a British Liberal statesman. He served as Foreign Secretary from 1905 to 1916, the longest continuous tenure of any person in that office. He is probably best remembered for his remark at the outbreak of the First World War: “The lamps are going out all over Europe.  We shall not see them lit again in our time”. Ennobled as Viscount Grey of Fallodon in 1916, he was Ambassador to the United States between 1919 and 1920 and Leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Lords between 1923 and 1924. He also gained distinction as an ornithologist.