William Grey, 1st Baron Grey of Werke (1593 - 1674) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

from 1621 to 1622. He supported the

Parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

cause in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

Early life

Grey was the son of Sir Ralph Grey, of Chillingham, Northumberland and his wife Jane, daughter of WilIiam Ardlington, of Ardlington, Berkshire. He was created

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

on 15 June 1619. In 1621, he was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

.Browne Willis ''Notitia parliamentaria, or, An history of the counties, cities, and boroughs in England and Wales: ... The whole extracted from mss. and printed evidences'' 1750 pp176-239
/ref> He succeeded to the estates of Chillingham and Werke on the death of his father and was created

Baron Grey of Werke Baron Grey of Werke (or Warke), of Chillingham in the County of Northumberland, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 11 February 1624 for Sir William Grey, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a baronet, of Chillingham i ...

on 11 February 1624.George Edward Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage, Volume 1''
/ref>

Career

Grey was commander of parliamentarian forces in the east in 1642. He was imprisoned for refusing to go as commissioner to Scotland in 1643. He was speaker of House of Lords in 1643 and was one of the Lay Assessors at the Westminster Assembly from 1643 to 1649. In 1648 he was appointed a commissioner of great seal but refused the engagement in 1649. He was pardoned at Restoration.

Personal life

Grey married Cecilia Wentworth, eldest daughter of

Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet, of Gosfield Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet ( – October 1631), of Gosfield, was an English aristocrat. Easly life He was the eldest of two sons born of John Wentworth of Gosfield Hall, and the former Cicely Unton.Cokayne, George Edward, editor, ''The Comple ...

. He was succeeded by his eldest son,

Ralph Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Werke Ralph Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Werke (27 October 1630 – 15 June 1675) was an English peer. Early life Grey was baptised on 27 October 1630. He was the eldest son of William Grey, 1st Baron Grey of Werke and the former Cecilia Wentworth. The fa ...

. His daughter Katherine married Sir Edward Mosley, 2nd Baronet. George Edward Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage Volume 2'' 1900
Mosley

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, William 1674 deaths English MPs 1621–1622 Roundheads 1 Lay members of the Westminster Assembly Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster 1593 births