General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Charles Grey (15 March 1804 – 31 March 1870) was a British army officer, member of the
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...
and political figure in
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...
. In later life, he served as private secretary to
Prince Albert and later
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
.
He was born in
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
, England, in 1804, the second son of
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (13 March 1764 – 17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. He was a member of the nob ...
, by his wife, the Hon.
Mary Ponsonby, daughter of
William Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby
William Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby (of Imokilly), PC (Ire) (15 September 17445 November 1806) was a leading Irish Whig politician, being a member of the Irish House of Commons, and, after 1800, of the United Kingdom parliament. Pon ...
. He was the younger brother of
Henry, the 3rd Earl Grey. After a good private education he joined the British Army as a
sub-lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces.
In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...
in 1820 and commanded the
73rd Regiment of Foot from 1833 to 1842.
Grey represented
Wycombe in the British House of Commons from 1832 to 1837, defeating
Disraeli
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a centr ...
to win the seat, which he held until 1837.
In 1838 he went to Canada with his brother-in-law,
John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham
John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, (12 April 1792 – 28 July 1840), also known as "Radical Jack" and commonly referred to in Canadian history texts simply as Lord Durham, was a British Whig statesman, colonial administrator, Governor G ...
, where he was named a member of the Executive Council and
Special Council of Lower Canada
The Special Council of Lower Canada was an appointed body which administered Lower Canada until the Union Act of 1840 created the Province of Canada. Following the Lower Canada Rebellion, on March 27, 1838, the Constitutional Act of 1791 was susp ...
in June of that year, serving until 2 November. He returned to England with Lambton later that month and later obtained the influential position of secretary to Prince Albert from 1849 to 1861 and secretary to the Queen from 1861 until his death in 1870.
He was given the colonelcy of the
3rd (East Kent) Regiment of Foot in 1860, and transferred to the
71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot
The 71st Regiment of Foot was a Highland regiment in the British Army, raised in 1777. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry in 1881.
History ...
in 1863, a position he held until his death. He was promoted full general in 1865.
In 1836, he had married Caroline Eliza, daughter of Sir Thomas Harvie Farquhar,
2nd baronet. Their children included:
* Sybil Mary Grey (born 1848), married
William Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St Albans
William Amelius Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St Albans, PC DL (15 April 1840 – 10 May 1898), styled Earl of Burford until 1849, was a British Liberal parliamentarian of the Victorian era.
The Duke served in William Gladstone's g ...
* Charles Grey (died young in 1855)
*
Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey
Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey, (28 November 185129 August 1917) was a British peer and politician who served as Governor General of Canada 1904–1911, the ninth since Canadian Confederation. He was a radical Liberal aristocrat and a ...
, served as Governor-General of Canada.
* Victoria Alexandrina Elizabeth Grey (1853 - 1922), married
Lewis Payn Dawnay
Lewis Payn Dawnay (1 April 1846 – 30 July 1910) was an English Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1892.
Dawnay was the second son of William Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe and his wife Mary Isabel Bagot, d ...
, son of
William Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe
William Henry Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe (15 May 1812 – 26 January 1857) was a British politician.
Background
Downe was the son of the Reverend William Henry Dawnay, 6th Viscount Downe, Rector of Sessay and Thormanby in North Yorkshire.
Politi ...
*
Louisa Jane Grey (1855–1949), married
William McDonnell, 6th Earl of Antrim
Earl of Antrim is a title that has been created twice, both times in the Peerage of Ireland and both times for members of the MacDonnell family, originally of Scottish origins.
History
The MacDonells of Antrim descended from Sorley Boy MacDo ...
, and served as ''pro tempore''
Mistress of the Robes
The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom.
Formerly responsible for the queen consort's/regnant's clothes and jewellery (as the name implies), the post had the responsibility for arranging the rota o ...
to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
* Mary Caroline Grey (1858–1940), married
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto
Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, (; 9 July 18451 March 1914), known as Viscount Melgund by courtesy from 1859 to 1891, was a British peer and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the eighth since Canadi ...
In popular culture
A heavily re-imagined version of Grey appears as a character in popular manga and anime franchise ''
Black Butler
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. It has been serialized in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Monthly GFantasy'' since September 2006. The series follows Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old Ea ...
'', with a key role in ''Black Butler: Book of Murder'', as he was a popular character through the series .
References
*
bookcase from Charles C Gray 1848
External links
*
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, Charles
1804 births
1870 deaths
73rd Regiment of Foot officers
British Army generals
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
UK MPs 1832–1835
UK MPs 1835–1837
Younger sons of earls
Children of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
Members of the Special Council of Lower Canada
Private Secretaries to the Sovereign