Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey
The Earl Grey PC | |
|---|---|
 The Earl Grey | |
| Nickname(s) | No-flint Grey |
| Born | 23 October 1729 Northumberland, Great Britain |
| Died | 14 November 1807 (aged 78) |
| Allegiance | Great Britain |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Years of service | 1744–1799 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Governor of Guernsey |
Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey, House of Grey. He was a distinguished soldier in a generation of exceptionally capable military personnel, serving crucially in the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.
He served in the
Governor of Guernsey
.
Early life
Grey was born at his family estate
Lady Hannah Grey (née Wood), daughter of Thomas Wood of Fallodon in Northumberland
. Because he had two older brothers, Grey did not expect to inherit his father's titles and estates, so he pursued a career in the military. His two older brothers Sir Henry and Thomas both died without issue, leaving him as the viable heir.
Military career
In 1744, with financial assistance from his father, Grey purchased a commission as an ensign in the
Jacobite Rising of 1745. Following victory there, the Sixth Regiment spent the next few years in Gibraltar. In December 1752, he purchased a lieutenancy in the Sixth Regiment. In March 1755, he formed a new independent company and became their captain. Two months later, he purchased a captaincy in the 20th Regiment of Foot (subsequently titled 'East Devonshire Regiment', and in 1881 the Lancashire Fusiliers), in which James Wolfe served as lieutenant colonel. In 1757, while with Wolfe's regiment, he participated in the unsuccessful attack on Rochefort
.
Seven Years' War
In the
King George III
.
American War of Independence
During the
American War of Independence he was one of the more successful army leaders. He was rapidly promoted, becoming a major general in 1777 and commanded the 3rd Brigade at the Battle of Brandywine. He earned the nickname "No-flint Grey" after the Battle of Paoli in the same campaign when, to ensure surprise in the night attack on an American encampment, it was said he ordered the infantry of his command to remove the flints from their muskets and use only their bayonets. In fact, he only directed that muskets should be unloaded. He commanded the 3rd Brigade again at the Battle of Germantown and the Battle of Monmouth
. Immediately following his disastrous retreat at the Battle of Monmouth, the American General Charles Lee excused himself from criticism by complaining that he had directly faced the advance Grey's 3rd brigade, suggesting the Earl was a feared and respected opponent by this stage in the war.
In 1778 he led raids at
New Bedford on 5–6 September, destroying nearly all the shipping and burning twenty shops and twenty-two houses in the town, and Martha's Vineyard, where between 10 and 15 September, the British carried off all the sheep, swine, cattle and oxen that they could find with promise of payment in New York. On 27 September 1778, Grey used the same methods as he had at the Battle of Paoli[citation needed] in a night attack at Old Tappan, New Jersey, which came to be known as the Baylor Massacre. He was recalled to England and became a knight of the Order of the Bath
and a lieutenant general. He later was appointed commander-in-chief of the British troops in America, but hostilities ended before he could take command.
French Revolutionary Wars
At the outset of the
Governor of Guernsey.[3]
Peerage
In late 1794 he returned to England. From 1798 to 1799 he served as Commander of the Southern District, retiring in 1799. In acknowledgment of his service, he was raised in January 1801 to the peerage as Baron Grey, of Howick in the County of Northumberland.[4] In 1806, he was created Earl Grey and Viscount Howick, in the County of Northumberland.[5] He died the next year, at the age of 78.
Family
A member of the
House of Grey, he married Elizabeth Grey (1744–1822), daughter of George Grey of Southwick
(1713–1746). Their children were:
- .
- Admiral Jervis, Flag Captain of King George III's Royal Yacht (1801–04), married Mary Whitbread, daughter of Samuel Whitbread (1720–1796).
- GCB(1766–1845), Colonel in the 13th Light Dragoons, who married Charlotte Des Voeux (1789–1882).
- Lady Elizabeth Grey (1765–1846) married Samuel Whitbread MP.
- Lt. Col. William Grey(1777–1817) married Maria Shirreff.
- Edward Grey (1782–1837) Bishop of Hereford married firstly Charlotte Elizabeth Croft, secondly Elizabeth Adair, and thirdly Eliza Innes.
- Lady Hannah Althea Grey (1785–1832) married firstly George Edmund Byron Bettesworth and secondly Edward Ellice MP.[6]
Grey and his wife brought up Eliza Courtney, the illegitimate daughter of their son Charles with Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire.
Sources
- Fredriksen, John C. (2001). America's Military Adversaries: From Colonial Times to the Present. (ABC-CLIO).
- De Garis, Marie (1995). History of St Pierre du Bois (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2012.
References
- ISBN 978-0-8386-3673-2.
- ISBN 978-0-8386-3673-2.
- ^ "Guernsey". World Statesmen. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ^ "No. 15374". The London Gazette. 9 June 1801. p. 646.
- ^ "No. 15905". The London Gazette. 29 March 1806. p. 407.
- ^ "Lady Hannah Althea Ellice (née Grey)". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
External links
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