Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford, PC (c. 165431 January 1720) was a British peer and politician. Grey was the only son of Thomas, Lord Grey of Groby, and inherited his title from his

grandfather Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic ...

. His mother was Lady Dorothy Bourchier, daughter of

Edward Bourchier, 4th Earl of Bath Edward Bourchier, 4th Earl of Bath (baptised 1 March 1590Cokayne, ''The Complete Peerage'', new edition, Vol II, p. 18 – died 31 March 1636). Origins He was born in Somerset, the eldest son and heir of William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Ba ...

. Grey took some part in resisting the arbitrary actions of James II, and was arrested in July 1685. After his release he took up arms on behalf of William of Orange in the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

, after whose accession to the throne he was made a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...

(1694) and

Lord Lieutenant of Devon The Office of the Lord Lieutenant was created during the reign of Henry VIII (1509–1547), taking over the military duties of the Sheriffs and control of the military forces of the Crown. From 1569 there was provision for the appointment of Depu ...

(1696). Politically he was described as an "unrepentant Whig", who reaffirmed his belief in the

Popish Plot The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy invented by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the Kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there was an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate C ...

by voting against the motion to reverse the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditar ...

William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford, FRS (30 November 1614 – 29 December 1680) was the youngest son of Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel, and his wife, the former Alethea Talbot. A Fellow of the Royal Society from 1665, he was a Royalist ...

. In 1697 he became

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. The position is the second highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the Prime Minister, and senior to the Minist ...

, and in 1699

President of the Board of Trade The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. This is a committee of the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th centu ...

, being dismissed from his office upon the accession of

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

in 1702. From 1707 to 1711, however, he was again President of the Board of Trade. He married twice: firstly in 1651, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir

Daniel Harvey (diplomat) Sir Daniel Harvey (10 November 1631 – August 1672) was an English merchant and diplomat who was the English Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1668 to 1672. Life Harvey was born in Croydon on 10 November 1631, the first surviving son ...

, ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (divorced), and secondly in 1691, Mary, daughter of

Joseph Maynard Joseph Maynard (1639 – 25 October 1689) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1665 to 1679. Origins Maynard was the son of Sir John Maynard, MP, by his first wife Elizabeth Henley daughter of Andrew Henley of Tau ...

, MP in the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter-century reign of C ...

. On his death without surviving children, his titles and

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

estate at

Bradgate Park Bradgate Park () is a public park in Charnwood Forest, in Leicestershire, England, northwest of Leicester. It covers . The park lies between the villages of Newtown Linford, Anstey, Cropston, Woodhouse Eaves and Swithland. The River Lin runs ...

passed to his first cousin

Henry Grey, 3rd Earl of Stamford Harry Grey, 3rd Earl of Stamford (10 June 1685 – 16 November 1739), was an English peer. He was somewhat eccentric, displaying this mainly in the construction of whimsical buildings. Life Harry Grey was born the eldest son of John Grey, who ...

(1685–1739), a grandson of the first earl, from whom the later earls were descended.

Arms

The arms of the head of the Grey family are

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

ed ''Barry of six argent and azure in chief three

torteaux A roundel is a circular charge in heraldry. Roundels are among the oldest charges used in coats of arms, dating from the start of the age of heraldry in Europe, ''circa'' 1200–1215. Roundels are typically a solid colour but may be charged with ...

gules''.

Notes

References

* *Kenyon, J. P. ''The Popish Plot'' 2nd Edition Phoenix Press 2000 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stamford, Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of 1650s births 1720 deaths Year of birth uncertain 17th-century English nobility 18th-century English nobility Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster Lord-Lieutenants of Devon Members of the Privy Council of England Fellows of the Royal Society People of the Rye House Plot

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

Earls of Stamford Presidents of the Board of Trade Whig (British political party) politicians Glorious Revolution Barons Grey of Groby

Arms

See also

Notes

References