Richard Grey, 1st or 4th Baron Grey of Codnor ( – 1 August 1418) was an English soldier and diplomat. He was made Chamberlain and governor of

Roxburgh Castle Roxburgh Castle is a ruined royal castle that overlooks the junction of the rivers Tweed and Teviot, in the Borders region of Scotland. The town and castle developed into the royal burgh of Roxburgh, which the Scots destroyed along with ...

, now

Floors Castle Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxbur ...

Military and diplomatic service

In 1400 he was appointed Admiral of the king's fleet from the Thames to the north, and in the same year was made Governor of

. In 1402 he was one of the commissioners appointed to treat with

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...

for the release of

Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn Reynold Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Ruthyn (c. 1362 – 30 September 1440), a powerful Welsh marcher lord, succeeded to the title on his father's death in July 1388. Lineage Reginald Grey was the eldest son of Reynold Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Rut ...

. He was appointed justice of South Wales in 1403, a position he held until 1407, and from 1404 to 1413 served as Chamberlain of the Household. In 1405 Grey submitted certain considerations on the state of Wales to the king and council and on 2 December he was appointed Lieutenant of South Wales, and held the post until 1 February 1406. In 1405 Grey was also engaged in a controversy with Henry Beaumont, 5th Baron Beaumont as to which of them was entitled to precedency, the earliest record of such a dispute between two barons. In this year he also acted as

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

during the absence of

Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland Earl Marshal (c. 136421 October 1425), was an English nobleman of the House of Neville. Origins Ralph Neville was born about 1364, the son of John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville by his wife Maud Percy ( ...

, in 1406 was a commissioner to receive fines from the Welsh rebels, in 1407 became Constable of

Nottingham Castle Nottingham Castle is a Stuart Restoration-era ducal mansion in Nottingham, England, built on the site of a Normans, Norman castle built starting in 1068, and added to extensively through the medieval period, when it was an important royal fortr ...

and Ranger of

Sherwood Forest Sherwood Forest is the remnants of an ancient royal forest, Royal Forest in Nottinghamshire, within the East Midlands region in England. It has association with the legend of Robin Hood. The forest was proclaimed by William the Conqueror and ...

, and in 1413 Governor of Fronsac in Aquitaine. From 1412 he was constantly employed on diplomatic missions. In 1413 he was one of the ambassadors to treat for a marriage between Henry, Prince of Wales, and

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

, daughter of John, Duke of Burgundy. Next year he was one of those appointed to procure a prolongation of the truce with France, and one of the ambassadors to negotiate a marriage between Henry V and Catherine of France. In August 1415 he was employed to negotiate a truce with

Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany (c. 1340 – 3 September 1420) was a member of the Scottish royal family who served as regent (at least partially) to three Scottish monarchs ( Robert II, Robert III, and James I). A ruthless politician, Albany ...

, regent of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and shortly after was made Warden of the Eastern Marches. In 1418 he was Governor of the Castle of

Argentan Argentan () is a commune and the seat of two cantons and of an arrondissement in the Orne department in northwestern France. As of 2019, Argentan is the third largest municipality by population in the Orne department.

in Normandy. Grey was summoned to parliament on 17 September 1397, and was made a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

in about 1404. He died on 1 August 1418, possibly in France, and was buried at Aylesford Priory in Kent.

Family

Grey was the son of Henry de Grey (died 1379), and succeeded his grandfather John de Grey 3rd Baron Grey of Codnor (1305–1392) in the Grey of Codnor barony. In 1387 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Ralph Basset of Sapcote, who died after 1446 and they had two sons and three daughters: John (–1430), who succeeded as fifth baron; Henry (–1443), who succeeded his brother as sixth baron; Elizabeth, who married John la Zouche; Eleanor, who married Thomas Newport; and Lucy, who married Rowland Lenthall. The barony fell into abeyance between the three sisters following the death of the seventh baron; the termination of the abeyance in 1989 was granted in the favour of a descendant of Lucy.

Notes

References

;Bibliography * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey Of Codnor, Richard Grey, 4th Baron 1370s births 1418 deaths

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

English admirals English army officers Knights of the Garter 4 15th-century English diplomats 15th-century English nobility 15th-century English Navy personnel Peers created by Richard II