'Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset'
KG (
1457 –
September 20,
1501), known as 'Lord Ferrers de Groby' between
1461 and
1471, and the 'Earl of Huntingdon' between 1471 and
1475, was the eldest son of
Elizabeth Woodville and consequently a stepson of
Edward IV of England.
Thomas was Elizabeth's son by her first marriage, to
Sir John Grey. He was created
Earl of Huntingdon in
1471 but resigned this peerage in
1475, when he was created 'Marquess of Dorset'. He was summoned to Parliament on
November 15,
1482. In January
1482/3 on the death of his grandmother Elizabeth, he became Lord Ferrers of Groby. He joined the
Duke of Buckingham's 1483 rebellion against
Richard III. When the rebellion failed he fled to Brittany to join Henry Tudor, the future
Henry VII.
Marriages
Thomas first married Anne Holland. His wife was the only daughter of
Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter and
Anne of York. His mother-in-law was the second child and eldest surviving daughter of
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and
Cecily Neville. She was an older sister of
Edward IV of England,
Edmund, Earl of Rutland,
Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk,
Margaret of York,
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence and
Richard III of England.
After Anne died young without issue, Thomas married Cecily Bonville, Baroness Harington and Bonville. His second wife was the daughter and heiress of
William Bonville, 6th Baron Harington (and 1st
Baron Bonville) by his wife Katherine Neville. His new mother-in-law was a daughter of
Alice Montagu, 5th Countess of Salisbury by her consort
Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (
jure uxoris). She had secondly married
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings, a close associate of Edward IV, who served as her stepfather.
The maternal uncles of his second wife included
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick,
John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu and
George Neville,
Archbishop of York and
Chancellor of England.
Children
He and his second wife Cecily Bonville had fourteen children:
★
Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset (
22 June,
1477 -
22 June,
1530). Father of
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk.
★
Leonard Grey, 1st Viscount Grane (c.
1479 -
July 28,
1541). Served as
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
★ Dorothy Grey (
1480 -
1552). Married first
Robert Willoughby, 2nd Baron Willoughby de Broke and secondly
William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy.
★ Mary Grey (
1493 -
22 February,
1538). Married
Walter Devereux, 1st Viscount Hereford.
★ Cecily Grey (c.
1497 -
28 April,
1554). Married
John Sutton, 3rd Baron Dudley.
★ Elizabeth Grey (c. 1497]] - after 1530). Married
Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare.
★ Edward Grey. Married Anne Jerningham.
★ Eleanor Grey. Married John Arundel.
★ Margaret Grey. Married Richard Wake.
★ Anthony Grey. Considered to have died young.
★ Bridget Grey. Considered to have died young.
★ George Grey. Considered to have died young.
★ John Grey. Considered to have died young.
★ Richard Grey. Considered to have died young.
Depictions in fiction
He is depicted in
William Shakespeare’s play ''
Richard III''.