Baron Grey de Wilton is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England (1295) and once in the Peerage of Great Britain (1784). The first creation was forfeit and the second creation is extinct.

History

First creation

The first creation was generally dated to 23 June 1295, when Reginald de Grey was summoned to an assembly prior to the

Model Parliament The Model Parliament is the term, attributed to Frederic William Maitland, used for the 1295 Parliament of England of King Edward I. History This assembly included members of the clergy and the aristocracy, as well as representatives from the v ...

that was summoned that November, as ''Lord Grey de Wilton''. ''

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great ...

'' notes that the June "assembly in question is not now recognized as a bona fide Parl ament, but that Reginald had earlier been summoned to the "assembly called a full Parl amentof 29 May 1290". This branch of the Grey family of aristocrats was based at

Wilton Castle Wilton Castle is a 12th-century Norman castle located in south-eastern Herefordshire, England on the River Wye adjacent to the town of Ross-on-Wye. The castle is named after the manor associated with it. This castle in Herefordshire, st ...

on the Welsh border in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

. The Greys of Wilton, as well as the other old noble families bearing the name of Grey/Gray, are descended from the Norman knight

Anchetil de Greye Anchetil de Greye (c. 1046 – after 1086) was a Norman chevalier and vassal of William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, one of the great magnates of early Norman England. He is regarded as the ancestor of the noble House of Grey, branches of whi ...

. Wilton Castle itself passed from the family when the 13th baron was forced to sell it to raise his ransom after being captured in France. Sir Thomas Grey, the 15th baron, was attainted in 1603, forfeiting his titles and honours, after being convicted of treason for his alleged involvement in the Bye Plot against

King James I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...

. Grey never married. The attainder against him was not reversed prior to his death. His two sisters would have been his co-heiresses but for the attainder; one of them, Bridget, married

Sir Roland Egerton, 1st Baronet Sir Roland Egerton, 1st Baronet DL (died 1646) was an English landowner and politician from the Egerton family who sat in the House of Commons in 1624. Life Egerton was the son of Sir John Egerton (known as "black Sir John"), of Egerton and Oul ...

, and they were ancestors of the recipient of the second creation below.

Second creation

Thomas Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton, by Charles Turner, after John Hoppner

The second creation was in 1784, when

Sir Thomas Egerton Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley, (1540 – 15 March 1617), known as 1st Baron Ellesmere from 1603 to 1616, was an English nobleman, judge and statesman from the Egerton family who served as Lord Keeper and Lord Chancellor for twenty-on ...

(1749–1814) was created Baron Grey de Wilton, of

, with remainder to the heirs male of his body. He was a member of the

Egerton family The Egerton family (pronunciation: "''edge-er-ton''") is a British aristocratic family. Over time, several members of the Egerton family were made Dukes, Earls, knights, baronets and peers. Hereditary titles held by the Egerton family include t ...

and had in 1756 succeeded to his father's Grey Egerton baronetcy. The 1st baronet had married Bridget Grey, the sister of Sir Thomas Grey. In 1801, the 1st Baron Grey de Wilton was also made Viscount Grey de Wilton and

Earl of Wilton Earl of Wilton, of Wilton Castle in the County of Herefordshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1801 for Thomas Egerton, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton, along with the subsidiary title of Viscount Grey de Wilt ...

, of Wilton Castle in the County of Hereford, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The latter titles were created with remainder to the second and younger sons successively of his daughter Eleanor, wife of

Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster, (22 March 1767 – 17 February 1845) was the son of the 1st Earl Grosvenor, whom he succeeded in 1802 as 2nd Earl Grosvenor. He was created Marquess of Westminster in 1831. He wa ...

. On the first earl of Wilton's death in 1804, the Grey de Wilton barony became extinct, as he had no sons, while the Grey Egerton baronetcy passed to a distant relative. The titles of ''Earl of Wilton'' and ''Viscount Grey de Wilton'' passed, according to the special remainder, to the 1st earl's grandson, Thomas Grosvenor (1799–1882), who adopted the surname of Egerton and became the 2nd earl. These titles are still extant.

Grey family

Ancestors

Henry de Grey Sir Henry de Grey of Grays Thurrock, Essex (1155–1219) was a favourite courtier of King John of England. Family Sir Henry was the son of John de Grey (born Thurrock, Essex, c. 1140 and married c. 1157) and probably a great-grandson of Anche ...

was granted the manor of Grays Thurrock,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

in 1195 and had six sons. * Sir John de Grey, father of the 1st baron Grey of Wilton

Barons Grey de Wilton (1295)

Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey of Wilton (c. 1240 – 5 April 1308) was an English nobleman after whom one of the four Inns of Court is named. He was son of Sir John de Grey and grandson of Henry de Grey. The property upon which Gray's Inn sits ...

(d. 1308) *

John Grey, 2nd Baron Grey de Wilton John Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Wilton (died 28 October 1323) was an English nobleman and administrator. He was the son of Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton and his wife Maud de Verdun (or Maud daughter and heir of William Baron FitzHugh). ...

(1268–1323) *

Henry Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Wilton Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portuga ...

(1282–1342) * Reginald Grey, 4th Baron Grey de Wilton (1312–1370) married Maud Bourtetourt, said to have been the daughter of Sir John de Bourtetourt. * Henry Grey, 5th Baron Grey de Wilton (1342–1396), son of Reginald Grey and Maud, married Elizabeth Talbot, daughter of Gilbert Talbot and Petronilla Butler. They had a daughter, Margaret Grey (d. 1 June 1454), who married Sir John Darcy, 5th Lord Darcy of Knayth, 4th Lord Meinell * Richard Grey, 6th Baron Grey de Wilton (1393–1442) * Reginald Grey, 7th Baron Grey de Wilton (1421–1493) * John Grey, 8th Baron Grey de Wilton (d. 1498) * Edmund Grey, 9th Baron Grey de Wilton (d. 1511) * George Grey, 10th Baron Grey de Wilton (d. 1515) succeeded his father Edmund but died before reaching majority. * Thomas Grey, 11th Baron Grey de Wilton (1497–1518) succeeded his brother George but died before reaching majority. * Richard Grey, 12th Baron Grey de Wilton (1507–1520) succeeded his brother Thomas but died before reaching majority. *

William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton (1508/1509 – 14 December 1562), was an English baron and military commander serving in France in the 1540s and 1550s, and in the Scottish Wars of the 1540s. Early life Grey was the thirteenth Baron ...

(d. 1562) succeeded his brother Richard *

Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton The Rt Hon. Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton, KG (1536–1593), was a baron in the Peerage of England. Lord Grey de Wilton is now largely remembered for his memoir of his father, for participating in the last defence of Calais (1558), a ...

(1536–1593) *

Thomas Grey, 15th Baron Grey de Wilton Thomas Grey, 15th Baron Grey de Wilton (died 1614) was an English aristocrat, soldier and conspirator. He was convicted of involvement in the Bye Plot against James I of England. Early life The son of Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey of Wilton, by ...

(1575–1614) Title attainted 1603; extinct 1614.

Egerton family

Barons Grey de Wilton (1784)

* Thomas Egerton, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton (1749–1814) (created Earl of Wilton in 1801) : ''succeeded as Earl of Wilton according to the special remainder by his grandson, Thomas Grosvenor (1799–1882)'' : ''see

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grey De Wilton 1295 establishments in England Forfeited baronies in the Peerage of England Extinct baronies in the Peerage of Great Britain Noble titles created in 1295 Noble titles created in 1784