Baron Gray of Codnor

This branch of the ancient Grey family from the Middle Ages owned the Kodnor castle . Together with other lines of the Grey clan, they descend from the Norman knight Anshetil (Anttil) de Gray , the vassal of William I the Conqueror . During the reign of King John of the Landless, Henry de Gray (1155-1219) bought the Gray Terroc estate in Essex from a wealthy Jewish family. This purchase was confirmed by the king in 1195 . Sir Henry de Gray also acquired Codnor estates in Derbyshire and Grimston in Nottinghamshire . He married Isolde, daughter of the Justiciary Sir Hugh Bardulf . After the death of Sir Henry Gray, his widow remarried Sir Reynold de Bohun .

His second son, John de Gray (d. 1266 ), inherited the Schirland estate from his father, served as sheriff of Bedfordshire , Buckinghamshire and Herefordshire . Thanks to his second marriage, he acquired the estates of Sir John de Huntingfield . John de Gray became the ancestor of the Barons Gray of Wilton and the Barons of Gray of Ratin . His younger brother, William de Gray of Cavendish, Landford and Sandiakra, became the ancestor of the Barons Walsingham . The fourth brother, Henry de Gray, died young. The eldest son, Richard de Gray (d. 1271 ), inherited his father's title and estates, became the ancestor of the subsequent Barons of Grey from Codnor. He was a prominent supporter of King Henry III Plantagenet , was appointed guardian of the Channel Islands, led the protection of the English coast from a possible French invasion. He served as sheriff of Hertfordshire and Essex , participated in hostilities in Gascony in 1248-1253. He later quarreled with the king and his advisers, went over to the side of Simon de Montfort, and participated in the battle of Lewis . In the battle of Evesham ( 1265 ), Richard de Gray was captured, deprived of his title and possessions, but was later restored to his rights. His son, John de Gray, was married to Lucy, the daughter of Sir Reynold de Bohun of Dunster Castle in Somerset , and Havis, daughter of William le Fleming.

Sir Henry de Gray (d. 1308 ), began military service under Edward I. In 1299, he was called to Parliament as Lord Gray of Codnor . In 1294-1297, he participated in hostilities in Gascony. Sir Henry de Gray participated in the siege of the castle of Kerlawerock and may have participated in the unsuccessful and last military campaign of King Edward I at Solway Firth in 1306-1307 . His first wife was Eleanor Courtenay, sister of the 1st Earl of Devon. After her death, he remarried in 1301 to Joan, daughter of Sir Ralph de Cromwell. Henry de Gray died in September 1308 , leaving three children. His eldest son, Sir Richard de Gray (1282–1335), was one of the English lords who rebelled against the Dispensers , the favorites of King Edward II Plantagenet , but was granted amnesty in 1321 . His son, Sir John de Gray (1305/1311 - 1392), inherited the lands of his mother Fitzpain in Nottingham , participated in the wars with Scotland and was awarded the Order of the Garter . Lord Gray participated in the battle of Crécy and the siege of Calais . He was appointed keeper of the Rochester castle and married Alice, daughter of Sir Warren de L'Ail. His son, Sir Henry de Gray (d. 1379 ), married Joan de Cobham, the daughter of one of the prominent military leaders of King Edward III, Sir Reginald de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobem (c. 1295–1361), the ancestor of the Viscounts of Cobham . Their son was Richard de Gray, 1st (4th) Baron Gray of Codnor (c. 1371-1418).

Sir Richard made an outstanding career in the service of the English kings Henry IV and Henry V. On September 17, 1397 he was called to Parliament as Lord Gray of Codnor . Admiral of the Thames and the South, royal chamberlain , deputy constable of the Tower , marshal of all England and the keeper of several castles. Owning considerable land in the Welsh brand , he participated in the suppression of the revolt of Owen Glendur . He became the steward of Sherwood Forest and the constable of Nottingham Castle, then was appointed Justiciary of Wales. He was later sent on a diplomatic mission to Gascony , and in 1417 participated in the second military campaign of Henry V in France. In 1417, he married Elizabeth, the youngest daughter and co-successor of Ralph, 1st Baron Bassett. Lord Gray passed away on August 1, 1418 , leaving two sons and three daughters.

In 1496, after the death of Henry de Gray, 7th Baron Gray of Codnor (1435–1496), the baronial title was on hold. Descendants of his aunts, Elizabeth Zush, Eleanor Newport and Lucy Lentall claimed the title. In 1926, Charles Walker, later Cornwall-Lee, first submitted his claim to the Baron title to Parliament. In 1934, Charles Cornwall-Lee passed away, and his son Charles Lee Schuldham Cornwall-Lee (1903-1996) began to claim the baronial title. In 1989, the House of Lords Privilege Committee, chaired by Lord Wilberforce, recognized Charles Lee Schuldham Cornwall-Lee's claim to the title of Baron Gray from Codnor in Derbyshire . On October 30 of the same 1989, Queen Elizabeth II recognized Charles Cornwall-Lee (a descendant of Lucy Lentall) as 5th Baron Gray of Codnor.

• 1299-1308: Henry de Gray, 1st Baron Gray of Codnor (c. 1256 - September 1308), son of John de Gray (d. 1271) ^[1]
• 1308–1335: Richard de Gray, 2nd Baron Gray of Codnor (c. 1281 - March 10, 1335), eldest son of the previous ^[2]
• 1335–1392: John de Gray, 3rd Baron Gray of Codnor (1305/1311 - December 14, 1392), the eldest son of the previous ^[3] .

• 1397-1418: Richard de Gray, 1st (4th) Baron Gray of Codnor (c. 1371 - August 1, 1418), son of Sir Henry de Gray, grandson of Sir John de Gray (d. 1392) ^[4]
• 1418-1431: John de Gray, 2nd (5th) Baron Gray of Codnor (1396 - September 14, 1431), the eldest son of the previous ^[5]
• 1431-1444: Henry de Gray, 3rd (6th) Baron Gray of Codnor (1406 - July 14, 1444), younger brother of the previous ^[6]
• 1444-1496: Henry de Gray, 4th (7th) Baron Gray of Codnor (April 1435 - April 8, 1496), the only son of the previous ^[7] . Since 1496, the title is pending.
• 1989-1996: Charles Lee Schuldham Cornwall-Lee, 5th Baron Gray of Codnor (February 10, 1903 - December 23, 1996), eldest son of Charles Henry George Cornwall-Lee (1876-1934) ^[8]
• 1996 - present: Richard Henry Cornwall-Lee, 6th and present Baron Gray of Codnor (born May 14, 1936), the only son of the previous ^[9]
  • Heir to the title: Hon. Richard Cornwall-Lee (born March 24, 1976), the eldest son of the previous ^[10]
    • Heir to the heir: Caspian Cornwall-Lee (born February 6, 2008), the eldest son of the previous ^[11] .

• Gray (genus)
• Earl Stamford
• Duke of Suffolk
• Baron Walsingham

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
• thepeerage.com
• Gray (of Codnor), Baron (E, 1397)
• Mosley, Charles (1999). Burke's Peerage and Baronetage of Great Britain and Ireland. 1 of 2 vols. London: Cassells.
• Cokayne, George E .; Gibbs, Vicary; Doubleday, Harry A. (1949). The Complete Peerage of Great Britain and Ireland. XIV vols. London: St Catherine's Press.