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A Commentarie of the Servycies and Chargies that my Lord my Father was Employed in Whyllst he Lyved. For Lav. Hollyngshead.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2010

Abstract

Abowte xxj or xxij yeeres of hys age, in the raygne of that famus prince Henry 8, hee bowght the office of Hams castell: I know not well of whowme;a but, as I thynck, eyther of the lord Moun-Joyeb or Audeley;c marrie let better sertche bee made for that, or els pass it over.

Type
Commentarie of the Services of William Lord Grey of Wilton
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Historical Society 1847

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References

page 1 note a The patent has been found; and it shows that lord Mountjoy was lord Grey's predecessor: see Appendix, No. I.

page 1 note b William Blount, fourth lord Mountjoy, succeeded sir Edward Poynings as governor of Touraay, 7th of Henry VIII.

page 1 note c John Touchet, lord Audley, son of James lord Audley, who was beheaded for rebellion in 1497. He had the title restored in 4 Henry VIII. and restitution of hia lands in 25 Henry VIII. He attended the king at the taking of Therouenne.

page 1 note d Thomas duke of Norfolk, in this expedition, had command of the “voward” of the army. In his suite, Holinshed mentions “the lorde Grey of Wilton, lieutenant of Hammea, whose name even then began to growe famous.”

page 1 note e After the taking of Boulogne, Sept. 8, the siege of Montreuil was raised.

page 2 note f Edward earl of Hertford, afterwards duke of Somerset, governor of his nephew king Edward VI. and protector of the realm.

page 2 note g Henry son of Francis I. became dauphin on the death of his eldest brother Francis, 1536, and was afterwards Henry II. of France.

page 2 note h Monsieur de Bayes or Bees was the French captain of Boulogne; see the Chronicle of Calais, pp. 40,197. He is styled by Holinshed, at the period before us, “Monsieur de Biez, one of the marshals of Fraunce, and governour also, in the absence of monsieur de Vandosme, of Picardie.” First edit. p. 1594.

page 2 note i “Shortly after the wynnyng of Bullen hee was remooved.” Orig.

page 2 note j Charles first earl of Worcester, natural son of Henry duke of Somerset (who lost his life in 3 Edw. IV.), married to his second wife Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas lord la Warr, by whom he had issue,—sir Charles Somerset, knight, captain of the tower of Rysebank, in the haven of Calais; sir George Somerset, of Badmundesfield, in com. Suff. knight; and Mary, a daughter, married to William lord Grey of Wilton. Brooke's Catalogue of Nobility.

page 2 note k Holinshed recounts the following gallant exploit of lord Grey during the time he was captain of Guisnes, in the summer of 1545, “The captaine of Arde, monsieur de Dampiere, having got for a supplie from the French camp at Boullogne the companye of the men at armes that belonged unto the duke of Orleans, led by his lieutenant monsieur de Tavannes, chanced one day to encounter with the Englishmen, guyded by that Valiant baron the lord Greie of Wylton, captaine of the towne of Guines, who, being-accompanied with a number of valiant gentlemen and soldiors, distressed their ennemyes, and slew the captayn of Arde the foresayd lord de Dampierre there in flelde.” First edit. p. 1603.

page 2 note l See his commission to the command of “the Crews.” Appendix, No. II.

page 2 note m “beelonging too that quarter.” Orig.

page 2 note n Sir John Wallop, K.G. of whom ample memoirs will be found in Collins's Peerage, art. Portsmouth, having been previously successively marshal and lieutenant of Calais, made his will when “lieutenaunte of the castill and countye of Guysnes,” May 22, 1554, and died in that town on the 7th July following.

page 3 note a The poet earl of Surrey. He was field-marshal of the army in the campaign of 1545; and after the winning of Boulogne was constituted (Sept. 3,) the king's lieutenant and captain-general of all his army within the town and county of Boulogne. (See the note in p. iv. of the Preface.)

page 3 note b The patent will be found in the Appendix, No. III.

page 3 note c “beetokenyng.” Orig.

page 3 note d “During the French admiral's being in England, [which was in August,] monsier de Chatillon, capitain of Montplaisier, began to make a new bastilion even at the verye mouth of the haven, naming it Chatillons gardeyn.” Holinshed, p. 1609. The privy council had directed the earl of Surrey's attention to it in October.

page 3 note e “ween.” Orig.

page 3 note f “of.” Orig.

page 3 note g “hys.” Orig.

page 3 note h “therof.” Orig.

page 3 note i Sir Thomas Palmer, third son of sir Edward Palmer, knight, seems to have been a busy actor in all the stirring scenes of this eventful period; and, although his valour was without discretion, yet, had he confined himself to military exploits, he might have handed down to posterity a name less unenviable than is now the case. Holinshed first mentions him as being employed under sir John Wallop in his expedition to aid the emperor against the French. He was subsequently, when knight-porter of Calais, taken prisoner by the French. To pass over the events recorded by our author, we find the chronicler attributing the defeat and loss of lord Grey's troops at Haddington, to the “unadvised rashness of sir Thomas Palmer.” In 1551 he was arrested and committed to custody with the duke of Somerset, lord Grey, and others. According to Hume, he “had all along acted the part of spy upon Somerset,” and consequently appears on the duke's trial as the principal witness against him. In short, throughout this business he seems to have been a creature of the duke of Northumberland, with whom he suffered decapitation on the 22d August 1553.

page 4 note a “hys.” Orig.

page 4 note b “the conditiones of the truce were by no meanes too be infringed.” Orig.

page 4 note c Sir William Paget was of humble extraction, but, says Dugdale, “naturally endowed with excellent parts, as may seem by bis ascent from so low a condition to those high preferments whereunto by sundry degrees he attained.” He rose through the patronage of bishop Gardiner, having been one of the clerks of the signet, and of the privy council; was knighted about the year 1543; and in 1544 was made one of the principal secretaries of state. In Jan. 1546–7 he was elected a knight of the garter; and in the following December summoned to parliament as lord Faget of Beaudesert.

page 5 note a “dyd send.” Orig.

page 5 note b The original expression here was “odder,” i. e. other. See note below.

page 5 note * This is the first of several cases in which the words of the Grey MS. were misprinted by Holinshed. Arthur lord Grey wrote “an odder,” meaning another or superior confidence. The mode of expression, “another than,” was not uncommon at the time. In the second edition of Holinshed, the word is printed “od”; but, after the original MS. had been returned to the writer, he, perceiving that the word had been misunderstood, altered it to “greater.”

page 6 note a “tale.” Orig.

page 7 note a “wylled.” Orig.

page 7 note b “that.” Orig.

page 7 note c “prayed the whoale table too sett theyr handes unto yt.” Orig.

page 7 note d Holinshed has, “without further opening, declaring his resolution.” (p. 1610.) This must be an error, as secrecy was evidently lord Grey's policy.

page 7 note e Lord Herbert of Cherbury, in his “Life and Raigne of King Henry the VIIIth,” gives a different version of this transaction, following his relation with an evident attack on the correctness of Holinshed's information, “which passage,” says he, “I have related more particularly out of our records, that I might correct the error of some of our historians, who would have our king deliver Palmer a message and letter that were contradictory; whereas it appears by our records that the message was first delivered, and the business done before the letters came.”

“retourned that mornyng.” Orig.

page 9 note a Holinshed here adds, “The like happe wherof had oftentymes happened unto divers of his worthie auneestors upon their due desertes to have bin considered of, and therefore the case the lesse strange.” This family fortune was handed down to posterity, as appears from the following letter from Charles the First to sir Rowland Egerton, who married the author's daughter, now preserved at Oulton-park:

“To our trusty welbeloved sir Rowlond Edgerton, bart.

“Trusty and welbeloved, wee greete you well. Though wee are unwilling in the least degree to presse upon our good subjects, yet wee must obey that necessity which compells us in this publique distraction, when our owne money and revenue is seized and deteyned from us, to lay hold on anything, which with God's blessing may be a meanes to preserve this kingdom; wee must therefore desyre you forthwith to lend us the somme of 20001b for our necessary support and the maintenance of our army, which wee are compelled to rayse for the defence of our person, the Protestant religion, and the laws of the land. Wee have trusted this bearer to receive it of you; and wee doe promise you, in the word of a King, to repay the same with interest; and of this service wee cannot doubt, since if you should refuse to give us this testimony of your affection you will give us too great cause to suspect your duty and inclination both to our person and to the publique peace. Given att our court att Oxford, the 8th of February 1642.”

page 10 note a “The lorde Grey of Wilton was ordeyned hyghe marshall of the sayde armye, and capitayne generall of all the horsemenne, beyng in number sixe thousand.” (p. 1615).

page 11 note a John Dudley, afterwards duke of Northumberland.

page 11 note * Altered to the lord Hume with the Scots in edit. 1587.

page 12 note a “any awnswer were made.” Orig.

page 13 note a Our author appears to be in error respecting the capture of the earl of Huntley, who was not taken prisoner until the next day. Holinshed says, “they had killed of the Scots within a three hourea ahoye the number of thirteene hundred, and taken the maister of Hume, the lorde Hume's son and heire, two priests, and sixe gentlemen.” (p. 1620.)

page 13 note * Altered to within a stone's length in edit. 1587.

page 14 note a “run.” Orig.

page 14 note b “armye.” Orig.

page 15 note a The historian Hume, in his account of this battle, says that lord Grey “neglected his orders, left his ground, and at the head of his heavy-armed horse made an attack on the Scots infantry, in hopes of gaining to himself all the honour of the victory.” I have been at a loss to discover what authority the historian can have had for this serious aspersion on the character of lord Grey; Holinshed (from whom Hume professes to derive bis information) loses no opportunity of testifying to the high-mindedness, talents, and discretion of this distinguished general; and on the occasion in question, not only tells us that the decisive victory of this memorable day was mainly attributable to the check the Scots received from the gallant charge of lord Grey and his horse, but also informs us that that charge was undertaken by lord Grey in compliance with the express “wishes of a council of war summoned on the field, in a case of great emergency and danger, when no one else was found to volunteer his services. The following passage alone from Holinshed, in reference to this battle, fully exonerates lord Grey from the slander of the historian: “Whiche enterprise, though it seemed ryghte daungerous to the assaylers, yet was it not more wisely devised by the counsayle than valiantly and willingly executed of the lord marshall and the others.” (p. 1622.)

page 15 note b b Holinshed gives the following description of lord Grey's wound: “For the lord Grey with a pike through the mouth was rased along from the tippe of the tong, and thrust that waye very daungerously more than two inches within the necke.” (p. 1624.)

page 15 note c “was allmost suffocated.” Orig.

page 15 note d Lord Grey was not long disabled by his wound, as we find on the 22d of this month (the victory having been gained on the 10th) he was appointed to receive the delivery of of Hume Castle.

page 15 ntoe e Lord Grey received the honour of knighthood from the Protector, at Berwick, on the 28th September.

page 16 note a “But nowe that Rockesbourgh was sufficiently made defensible (the which to see it secured the duke of Somerset had vowed before hee would thenee depart), his grace and the counsail did first determine that my lorde Grey shoulde remaine upon the borders there, as the king's lieutenant.” (p. 1633).

page 16 note b boaththe.” Orig.

page 16 note c During this period, “it was thought expedient to fortifie the towne of Hadington; whereupon the lord Gray, lieutenant of the north partes, with sir Thomas Palmer and sir Thomas Holcroft, were appoynted to goe thyther.“—” During his abode there, diverse exploytes were bothe valiauntly attempted and luckilye atehieved by his martiall conduct and politique direction.” (Holinshed, p. 1634.) “Now after that my lorde Grey had fortifyed Hadington, and furnished it with vittayles and munitions sufficient, the .xij. of June he departed thence homewardes, leaving there in garrison about two thousand footmen and .v C. horsmen.” (p. 1635.)

page 16 note d “The next daie the Frenchmen and Scottes with their whole power came before Hadington,” &. &. (Ibid.)

page 16 note e Francis eighth earl of Shrewsbury, K.G.

page 16 note f “After this there came a power of English horsemen, to the number of little lease than two thousande demielances, light horsemen, and arquebusiers on horsebacke, under the leading of sir Robert Bowes, sir Thomas Palmer, sir Henry Wharton, capitayne Gambo, a Spaniarde, and others, the which, adventuring over rashly within daunger of the whole French power, were overthrowen and chased. Sir Robert Bowes and sir Thomas Palmer, with a great number of other capitaynes, gentlemen, and souldiers beyng taken prysoners, besyde those that were slayne.” (Holinshed, Historie of Scotland, p. 474.) Sir Robert Bowes appears to have been unfortunate in his Scotch expeditions, for in 1542, when he was sent to invade Scotland with 3000 men, his force was put to flight by the earl of Huntley, and he, his brother Richard, and 600 others were taken prisoners at Haldenrig, and kept in Scotland until after the death of king James V. See Holinshed, Historie of Scotland, pp. 455, 458.

page 17 note a Thomas Cornwallia was some years afterwards groom porter to queen Elizabeth.

page 17 note b “My lorde Gray remayning on the borders, lieutenant of the North partes, after the earle of Shrewsbury (with the rest of the armye) was returned home, assembled al the horsemen then lying on the borders, and, being backed with the Almaine footemen, entred againe with the same horsemen into Scotlande, burning and wasting in the countreys of Tividale and Liddesdale, for the space of twentye miles, both house, corne, hay, and all other things that came within their reach, and after returned without ineounter.” Holinshed, p. 1639.

page 17 note c “About the same time that this rebellion began in the West, the like disordered hurles were attempted in Oxefordshire and Buckinghamshire; but they were speedilye appeased by the lorde Grey of Wilton.” Holinshed, p. 1656; quoting Poxe.

page 17 note d “For the pacifying of these rebelles (in Devonshire) were appoynted by the king and his counsaile sir John Russell, knight, lorde privie seale, the lord Grey of Wilton, sir Willyam Herbert, after earle of Pembroke, sir John Paulet, sir Hugh Paulet, sir Thomas Speake, and others, with a convenient power of men of warre, both on horsebacke and foote. Amongst other, there came certaine straungers that cam with my lorde Grey, as captaine Germaine, an Hennowyer, with a band of horsemen, most part Albanoyses and Italians. Also captaine Paule Baptist Spinola, an Italian, borne of a noble house in Genoa, with a bande of Italian footemen.” Holinshed, p. 1651.

page 17 note e John lord Russell, K.G. on this occasion defeated the Devonshire and Cornish rebels at Feniton bridge, and relieved the city of Exeter. (Hayward's Edward VI. and Godwin's Annals.) He was created earl of Bedford on the 19th January following. In one of his despatches to the council on this occasion, he writes, “The lord Grey and Mr. Herbert have served notably.” Strype, Mem. ii. Repos. D.D.

page 17 note f St. Mary's Clist, in the eastern division of the hundred of Budleigh, co. Devon.

page 17 ntoe g Holinshed makes no mention of lord Grey from this period until the declaration of war against Prance in 1557, when “the lord Grey of Wilton, lord marshall,” is one of the leaders of the forces sent to Flanders to aid king Philip.

page 18 note a He was aent to the Tower with the duke of Somerset, Oct. 15, 1551. Machyn's Diary, p. 10.

page 18 note b St. Quentin's was taken August 27, 1557.

page 18 note c “was—of.” Orig.

page 18 note d “Of which towne and castell at the same time there was capteine a valiant baron of England, called William lord Gray of Wilton.” Holinshed, p. 1773.

page 19 note a “targetts.” Orig.

page 20 note * So misprinted, for sent.

page 21 note a “garded.” Orig.

page 21 note b “they.” Orig.

page 21 note c “the.” Orig.

page 21 note * This word, altering the sense, evidently in error, and in opposition to the closing part of the sentence, is a strong proof of the originality of the Grey MS.

page 22 note a “viij and ix.” Orig.

page 22 note b “AUmaynes.” Orig.

page 23 note a The common mole, moldwarp, Scotticé moudiewarp. Bell's Brit. Quad. p. 85.

page 23 note b Sir Henry Palmer, knight, was second son of sir Edward Palmer, knight, and elder brother of sir Thomas Palmer, who suffered with the duke of Northumberland.

page 23 note c Lewis Dyve, of Bromham, co. Bedford, esquire, sheriff of that county and Buckinghamshire in 37 Hen. VIII. and 14 Eliz. and of Bedfordshire alone in 25 Eliz., was the son of William Dyve, of the same place, esquire, who, through his mother, was cousin-german to lord Grey; sir Ealph Hastings, the third brother of Williafc first lord Hastings (the celebrated lord chamberlain to king Edward IT.) having left daughters and coheiresses, Isabel, the wife of sir John Dyve, and Florence, the wife of Edward lord Grey. This Lewis Dyve was the grandfather of sir Lewis Dyve, a famous cavalier in the armies of Charles the First, of whom memoirs will be found in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1829, vol. xcix. part ii.

page 24 note a “ordinance.” Orig.

page 24 note b “flanckers.” Orig.

page 24 note c “at.” Orig.

page 25 note a The editor of Hayward's Annala of Queen Elizabeth explains “shott” to be a foot soldier who used fire-arms. Page 52, note.

page 25 note b “shott.” Orig.

page 25 note c “open.” Orig.

page 26 note a “freshe supplyes.” Orig.

page 27 note a “them that were.” Orig.

page 27 note b “these that.” Grig.

page 29 note a “fownde.” Orig.

page 29 note * So, instead of three as in the original.

page 30 note a Mondragone is mentioned in Watson's History of Philip the Second, as one of the most experienced officers under the duke of Alva. Vol. i. 8vo ed. p. 446.

page 30 note b “a Spanysshe capteyne.” Orig.

page 30 note * This word, which was printed fucasie in the edition of 1587, is evidently the result of mistaking the Grey M S.

page 30 note † toll in edit. 1587.

page 31 note a “Capt.” in the MS. is here erased.

page 31 note b i.e. Whetehill's bulwark; see the Chronicle of Calais, pp. xxix, 149.

page 32 note a Francis of Lorraine, duke of Guise, son of Claude of Lorraine, and brother of Mary, queen of James V. of Scotland.

page 32 note b “message.” Orig.

page 33 note a D'Andelot, brother of admiral de Coligny. He was colonel-general of the French infantry at the siege of St. Quentin's, 1557. Robertson's Charles the Fifth, vol. iii. p. 84.

page 33 note b “pantyng.” Orig.

page 33 note c “owre.” Orig.

page 33 note d “no.” Orig.

page 34 note a “the sayed Dandalott's camp.” Orig.

page 34 note * This word, it will le seen, was a misprint for well-nigh.

page 34 note † And so here again: in the edition of 1584 it is printed willinglie and, &.

page 35 note a “utterly therby.” Orig.

page 35 note * A misprint for here within.

page 36 note a “ventured as but oxen too the.” Orig.

page 36 note b “dyd sett downe these articles.” Orig.

page 37 note a “bag and baggage.” Orig.

page 37 note b Peter Strozzi, lord of Epemay, an exiled Florentine nobleman, rose to high command in the French army. He was killed at Thronville shortly after the taking of Guisnes.

page 37 note c Monsieur de Randon was brother of the count de Rochefoucault.

page 37 note d Cresakres. Crevecoeur?

page 38 note a This graphic description of the siege of Guisnes is copied verbatim by Holinshed, amplified by extracts from Ric. Grafton and Rabutine, where our author's account seemed to require it.

page 38 note b See the Appendix, Nos. VIII. and IX.

page 38 note c Bishop Nicolson says of Richard Grafton, “he is a great borrower from Hall, and was a very heedless and unskilful writer,” citing Buchanan as of the same opinion.

page 38 note d “aboute a fowre or fyve and thyrtie.” Orig.

page 39 note a In the list of claims made at the coronation of queen Mary, we find “the lord Grey of Wilton claymeth to be master of the queene's hawkes the day of the coronacion, and to have the robe or vesture whiche the queene shall weare that daye.” Rutland Papers, Camden Soc. p. 120.

page 39 note b “In the meane tyme the armie by land was both amassed and ordered about Barwicke, over which the lord Grey of Wilton was appoynted lieutenant-generall, a man valorous in warre and in peace courteous; great both in birth and estate, but greater in courage; in counsaile a commander, a soldier in armes.” Hayward's Annals of Queen Elizabeth, p. 51.

page 40 note a The principal events in which lord Grey figured at this period are recounted by Holinshed in the following order:

Monday, April 1, 1560. Lord Grey has an interview with the earl of Arran and others of the Scottish nobility at Preston Pans.

Tuesday, April 2,1560. Lord Grey meets the duke of Chateaulerault and other lords at Mussleburgh.

Wednesday, April 3. Lord Grey has a second interview with the earl of Arran at Pinkey.

Saturday, April 6. Lord Grey marches with the army to Arthur's Seat, and there holds another conference with the duke de Chateaulerault and the Scottish lords. During the truce (the army having advanced to Lesterike) the French troops attack lord Grey. After four hours' hard fighting, he drives them back into Leith.

Monday, April 15. Master Arthur Grey shot through the shoulder.

Tuesday, May 7. At two a.m. lord Grey attempts to surprize the town of Leith, but is repulsed.

Monday, June 17. “An abstinence of warre was concluded.”

Sunday, July 7. (Hol. June 7th in error.) Peace proclaimed in Leith.

page 40 note b Sir John Forster is mentioned by Holinshed as having behaved “very valiantly” in an encounter with the Scots on the border, in 1557, in which he was severely wounded. Hystorie of Scotland, p. 484.

page 40 note c December 25,1562. “There ended his life at home that honorable baron, and right famous capteyne in his dayes, William lorde Grey of Wilton, knighte of the most noble order of the garter, and at that presente governour of Berwike, and warden of the east marches aneinst Scotland. He deceased the fyve and twentith of December, this yere, 1562, at Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire, then the house of Henrye Deny esquier, that had married mistresse Honor Grey, the said lord Grey's onely daughter.” Holinshed, p. 1821. His funeral is described in the Appendix, No. XII.

page 40 note d “And of thys I leave any further too wryte, beecause yowr sellf was well ynowghe ackquainted with the matters of that joorney and gouvernment sence.” Orig.