PEERAGE
Last updated 05/02/2025
Date Rank Order Name Born Died  Age
GRANDISON
21 Sep 1299 B 1 Sir Otho de Grandison c 1305
to     Summoned to Parliament as Lord
c 1305 Grandison 21 Sep 1299
Peerage extinct on his death
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6 Feb 1299 B 1 William de Grandison c 1330
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Grandison 6 Feb 1299
c 1330 2 Peter de Grandison 1295 10 Aug 1358 63
10 Aug 1358 3 John de Grandison 1292 15 Jul 1369 77
15 Jul 1369 4 Thomas de Grandison 1339 1375 36
to     On his death the peerage fell into abeyance
1375
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3 Jan 1621 V[I] 1 Sir Oliver St.John c 1560 29 Dec 1630
Created Viscount Grandison 3 Jan 1621
and Baron Tregoz 20 May 1626
Chief Governor of Ireland 1616-1622
29 Dec 1630 2 William Villiers 1614 24 Jul 1643 29
24 Jul 1643 3 John Villiers c 1661
c 1661 4 George Villiers c 1617 16 Dec 1699
16 Dec 1699 5 John Fitzgerald Villiers c 1682 14 May 1766
11 Sep 1721 Created Earl Grandison 11 Sep 1721
to     PC [I] 1721
14 May 1766 On his death the Earldom became extinct
whilst the Viscountcy passed to -
14 May 1766 6 William Villiers 28 Aug 1769
  He had previously succeeded to the Earldom
of Jersey (qv) in 1721 with which title
this peerage then merged and so remains
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19 Feb 1767 E[I] 1 Elizabeth Mason 29 May 1782
Created Viscountess Grandison
10 Apr 1746 and Viscountess Villiers
and Countess Grandison 19 Feb 1767
29 May 1782 2 George Mason-Villiers 13 Jul 1751 14 Jul 1800 49
to     MP for Ludlow 1774-1780  PC [I] 1785
14 Jul 1800 Peerages extinct on his death
GRANE
2 Jan 1536 V[I] 1 Lord Leonard Grey c 1490 28 Jun 1541
to     Created Viscount Grane 2 Jan 1536
28 Jun 1541 He was attainted and the peerage forfeited
GRANTCHESTER
30 Jun 1953 B 1 Sir Alfred Jesse Suenson-Taylor 14 Aug 1893 2 Jul 1976 82
Created Baron Grantchester 
30 Jun 1953
2 Jul 1976 2 Kenneth Bent Suenson-Taylor 18 Aug 1921 12 Aug 1995 74
12 Aug 1995 3 Christopher John Suenson-Taylor  [Elected 8 Apr 1951
hereditary peer 2003-]
GRANTHAM
24 Dec 1698 E 1 Henry d'Auverquerque c 1675 5 Dec 1754
to     Created Baron of Alford,Viscount 
5 Dec 1754 Boston and Earl of Grantham 
24 Dec 1698
PC 1727
Peerage extinct on his death
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7 Apr 1761 B 1 Thomas Robinson 24 Apr 1695 30 Sep 1770 75
Created Baron Grantham 7 Apr 1761
MP for Thirsk 1727-1734 and Christchurch
1748-1761. Secretary of State 1754-1755.
Postmaster General 1765-1766.  PC 1750
30 Sep 1770 2 Thomas Robinson 30 Nov 1738 20 Jul 1786 47
MP for Christchurch 1761-1770. President
of the Board of Trade 1780-1782. Foreign
Secretary 1782-1783.  PC 1770
20 Jul 1786 3 Thomas Philip Robinson (later de Grey) 8 Dec 1781 14 Nov 1859 77
He succeeded to the Earldom of de Grey (qv)
in 1833 with which title this peerage then
merged until its extinction in 1923
GRANTLEY
9 Apr 1782 B 1 Fletcher Norton 23 Jun 1716 1 Jan 1789 72
Created Baron Grantley 9 Apr 1782
MP for Appleby 1756-1761, Wigan 1761-1768
and Guildford 1768-1782. Solicitor General
1761-1763. Attorney General 1763-1765.
Speaker of the House of Commons 1770-
1780.  PC 1769
1 Jan 1789 2 William Norton 19 Feb 1742 12 Nov 1822 80
MP for Richmond 1768-1774, Wigtoun
Burghs 1774-1775, Guildford 1782-1784
and Surrey 1784-1789
12 Nov 1822 3 Fletcher Norton 14 Jul 1796 28 Aug 1875 79
28 Aug 1875 4 Thomas Brinsley Norton 14 Nov 1831 24 Jul 1877 45
24 Jul 1877 5 John Richard Brinsley Norton 1 Oct 1855 5 Aug 1943 87
5 Aug 1943 6 Richard Henry Brinsley Norton 2 Apr 1892 17 Jul 1954 62
For further information on this peer,see the note
at the foot of this page
17 Jul 1954 7 John Richard Brinsley Norton 30 Jul 1923 24 Jun 1995 71
24 Jun 1995 8 Richard William Brinsley Norton 30 Jan 1956
GRANVILLE
20 Apr 1661 V 1 John Granville 29 Aug 1628 22 Aug 1701 72
Created Baron Granville,Viscount
Granville and Earl of Bath 20 Apr 1661
See "Bath"
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16 Jul 1689 B 2 Charles Granville 31 Aug 1661 4 Sep 1701 40
Summoned to Parliament as Baron
Granville 16 Jul 1689
See "Bath"
                         **************
16 Jul 1689 Charles Granville 31 Aug 1661 4 Sep 1701 40
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of
Acceleration as Baron Granville 16 Jul 1689
He succeeded as Earl of Bath (qv) in 1701
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13 Mar 1703 B 1 John Granville 12 Apr 1665 3 Dec 1707 42
to     Created Baron Granville 13 Mar 1703
3 Dec 1707 MP for Launceston 1685-1687,Plymouth 1689-
1698,Newport 1698-1700,Fowey 1701 and 
Cornwall 1701-1703. Lord Lieutenant
Cornwall 1702-1705. PC 1702
Peerage extinct on his death
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1 Jan 1715 E 1 Grace Carteret 1667 18 Oct 1744 77
Created Viscountess Carteret and
Countess Granville 1 Jan 1715
18 Oct 1744 2 John Carteret,2nd Baron Carteret 22 Apr 1690 2 Jan 1763 72
Lord Lieutenant Devonshire 1716-1721. 
Secretary of State 1721-1724. Lord 
Lieutenant of Ireland 1724-1730. Lord 
President of the Council 1751-1763. 
PC 1720  KG 1749
2 Jan 1763 3 Robert Carteret 21 Sep 1721 13 Feb 1776 54
to     MP for Yarmouth 1744-1747
13 Feb 1776 Peerages extinct on his death
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10 May 1833 E 1 Lord Granville Leveson-Gower 12 Oct 1773 8 Jan 1846 72
Created Viscount Granville 12 Aug
1815 and Baron Leveson and Earl
Granville 10 May 1833
MP for Lichfield 1795-1799 and 
Staffordshire 1799-1815. Secretary at War 
1809. PC 1804
8 Jan 1846 2 Granville George Leveson-Gower 11 May 1815 31 Mar 1891 75
MP for Morpeth 1836-1840 and Lichfield
1841-1846. Vice President of the Board of
Trade 1848-1851. Foreign Secretary 1851-
1852, 1870-1874 and 1880-1885. Secretary
of State for Colonies 1868-1870 and 1886.
Lord President of the Council 1852-1854,
1855-1858 and 1859-1866. Chancellor of
the Duchy of Lancaster 1854-1855. 
PC 1846  KG 1857  Lord Warden of the
Cinque Ports 1865
31 Mar 1891 3 Granville George Leveson-Gower 4 Mar 1872 21 Jul 1939 67
PC 1928
21 Jul 1939 4 William Spencer Leveson-Gower 11 Jul 1880 25 Jun 1953 72
Governor of Northern Ireland 1945-1952
KG 1952
25 Jun 1953 5 Granville James Leveson-Gower 6 Dec 1918 31 Oct 1996 77
Lord Lieutenant Western Isles 1983-1993
31 Oct 1996 6 Granville George Fergus Leveson-Gower 10 Sep 1959
GRANVILLE OF EYE
12 Sep 1967 B[L] 1 Edgar Louis Granville 12 Feb 1898 14 Feb 1998 100
to     Created Baron Granville of Eye for life
14 Feb 1998 12 Sep 1967
MP for Eye 1929-1951
Peerage extinct on his death
GRANVILLE-WEST
6 Aug 1958 B[L] 1 Daniel Granville West 17 Mar 1904 23 Sep 1984 80
to     Created Baron Granville-West for life
23 Sep 1984 6 Aug 1958
MP for Pontypool 1946-1958
Peerage extinct on his death  
GRAVES
24 Oct 1794 B[I] 1 Thomas Graves 23 Oct 1725 9 Feb 1802 76
Created Baron Graves 24 Oct 1794
MP for East Looe 1775
9 Feb 1802 2 Thomas North Graves 28 May 1775 7 Feb 1830 54
MP for Okehampton 1812-1818, Windsor
1819-1820 and Milborne Port 1820-1827
For further information on the death of this peer,
see the note at the foot of this page
7 Feb 1830 3 Thomas William Graves 18 Apr 1804 20 Mar 1870 65
20 Mar 1870 4 Clarence Edward Graves 8 Jun 1847 29 Jan 1904 56
29 Jan 1904 5 Henry Cyril Percy Graves 10 Sep 1847 13 Jan 1914 66
13 Jan 1914 6 Clarence Percy Rivers Graves 16 Aug 1871 1 Mar 1937 65
1 Mar 1937 7 Henry Algernon Claude Graves 3 Oct 1877 6 Nov 1963 86
6 Nov 1963 8 Peter George Wellesley Graves 21 Oct 1911 6 Jun 1994 82
6 Jun 1994 9 Evelyn Paget Graves 17 May 1926 6 Dec 2002 76
6 Dec 2002 10 Timothy Evelyn Graves 27 Mar 1960
GRAY
1445 B[S] 1 Sir Andrew Gray c 1390 1469
Created Lord Gray 1445
1469 2 Andrew Gray Feb 1514
Feb 1514 3 Patrick Gray Apr 1541
Apr 1541 4 Patrick Gray 1582
1582 5 Patrick Gray 1609
1609 6 Patrick Gray 1612
1612 7 Andrew Gray 1663
1663 8 Patrick Grey Jan 1711
He resigned the peerage in favour of -
1707 9 John Gray 10 Jan 1724
10 Jan 1724 10 John Gray 15 Jan 1683 15 Dec 1738 55
15 Dec 1738 11 John Gray 11 Apr 1716 28 Aug 1782 66
28 Aug 1782 12 Charles Gray 1752 18 Dec 1786 34
18 Dec 1786 13 William John Gray Mar 1754 12 Dec 1807 53
12 Dec 1807 14 Francis Gray 1 Sep 1765 20 Aug 1842 76
20 Aug 1842 15 John Gray 12 May 1798 31 Jan 1867 68
31 Jan 1867 16 Madelina Gray 11 Nov 1799 20 Feb 1869 69
20 Feb 1869 17 Margaret Murray 14 Apr 1821 27 May 1878 57
27 May 1878 18 George Stuart,14th Earl of Moray 14 Aug 1816 16 Mar 1895 78
16 Mar 1895 19 Eveleen Smith-Gray 3 May 1841 24 Dec 1918 77
For further information on this peeress, see the
note at the foot of this page.
24 Dec 1918 20 James Maclaren Stuart Gray 4 Jun 1864 2 May 1919 54
2 May 1919 21 Ethel Eveleen Gray-Campbell 16 Jan 1866 2 Oct 1946 80
2 Oct 1946 22 Angus Diarmid Ian Campbell-Gray 3 Jul 1931 29 Apr 2003 71
29 Apr 2003 23 Andrew Godfrey Diarmid Stuart Campbell-Gray 3 Sep 1964
GRAY OF CONTIN
4 Jul 1983 B[L] 1 James Hector Northey Gray 28 Jun 1927 14 Mar 2006 78
to     Created Baron Gray of Contin for life
14 Mar 2006 4 Jul 1983
MP for Ross and Cromarty 1970-1983.
Minister of State,Energy 1979-1983. Minister
of State,Scotland 1983-1986.  PC 1982
Lord Lieutenant Inverness 1996-2002
Peerage extinct on his death
GRAY OF TOTTENHAM
04 Feb 2025 B[L] 1 Sue Anne Gray 1957
     Created Baroness Gray of Tottenham for life
04 Feb 2025
GRAYLING
20 Aug 2024 B[L] 1 Christopher Stephen Grayling, PC 1 Apr 1962
     Created Baron Grayling for life
20 Aug 2024
GREAVES
4 May 2000 B[L] 1 Anthony Robert Greaves 27 Jul 1942 23 Mar 2021  78
to Created Baron Greaves for life 4 May 2000
23 Mar 2021 Peerage extinct on his death  
GREEN OF DEDDINGTON
28 Nov 2014 B[L] 1 Sir Andrew Green 6 Aug 1941
Created Baron Green of Deddington for life
28 Nov 2014
GREEN OF HURSTPIERPONT
16 Nov 2010 B[L] 1 Stephen Keith Green 7 Nov 1948
Created Baron Green of Hurstpierpont for
life 16 Nov 2010
GREENE
16 Jul 1941 B 1 Sir Wilfrid Arthur Greene 30 Dec 1883 16 Apr 1952 68
to     Created Baron Greene 16 Jul 1941
16 Apr 1952 Lord Justice of Appeal 1935-1937. Master
of the Rolls 1937-1949. Lord of Appeal in
Ordinary 1949-1950.  PC 1935
Peerage extinct on his death
GREENE OF HARROW WEALD
21 Jan 1975 B[L] 1 Sir Sidney Francis Greene 12 Feb 1910 26 Jul 2004 94
to     Created Baron Greene of Harrow 
26 Jul 2004 Weald for life 21 Jan 1975
Peerage extinct on his death
GREENFIELD
18 Jun 2001 B[L] 1 Susan Adele Greenfield 1 Oct 1950
Created Baroness Greenfield for life
18 Jun 2001
GREENGROSS
10 Feb 2000 B[L] 1 Sally Ralea Greengross 29 Jun 1935 23 Jun 2022 86
to Created Baroness Greengross for life
23 Jun 2022 10 Feb 2000
Peerage extinct on her death
GREENHALGH
16 April 2020 B[L] 1 Stephen John Greenhalgh 4 Sept 1967
Created Baron Greenhallgh for life on 16 April 2020
GREENHILL
8 Jul 1950 B 1 Ernest Greenhill 23 Apr 1887 18 Feb 1967 79
Created Baron Greenhill 8 Jul 1950
18 Feb 1967 2 Stanley Ernest Greenhill 17 Jul 1917 28 Sep 1989 72
28 Sep 1989 3 Malcolm Greenhill 5 May 1924 13 Jan 2020 96
to
13 Jan 2020
Peerage extinct on his death
GREENHILL OF HARROW
31 Jan 1974 B[L] 1 Sir Denis Arthur Greenhill 7 Nov 1913 8 Nov 2000 87
to     Created Baron Greenhill of Harrow for life
8 Nov 2000 31 Jan 1974
Peerage extinct on his death
GREENOCK
9 Nov 1807 B 1 William Schaw Cathcart 17 Sep 1755 16 Jun 1843 87
      Created Baron Greenock and Viscount
Cathcart 9 Nov 1807 and Earl 
Cathcart 16 Jul 1814
See "Cathcart"
GREENWAY
18 Jan 1927 B 1 Sir Charles Greenway,1st baronet 13 Jun 1857 17 Dec 1934 77
Created Baron Greenway 18 Jan 1927
17 Dec 1934 2 Charles Kelvynge Greenway 24 Mar 1888 30 Apr 1963 75
30 Apr 1963 3 Charles Paul Greenway 31 Jan 1917 14 Sep 1975 58
14 Sep 1975 4 Ambrose Charles Drexel Greenway  [Elected 21 May 1941
hereditary peer 1999-]
GREENWICH
27 Apr 1719 D 1 John Campbell,2nd Duke of Argyll 10 Oct 1680  4 Oct 1743 62
to     Created Baron of Chatham and Earl of
4 Oct 1743 Greenwich 26 Nov 1705 and Duke of
Greenwich 27 Apr 1719
These creations extinct on his death
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19 Aug 1767 B 1 Caroline Townshend 7 Nov 1717 11 Jan 1794 76
to     Created Baroness of Greenwich
11 Jan 1794 19 Aug 1767
Peerage extinct on her death
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20 Nov 1947 B 1 Philip Mountbatten 10 Jun 1921 9 Apr 2021 99
Created Baron Greenwich,Earl of
Merioneth and Duke of Edinburgh
20 Nov 1947
 
9 Apr 2021 2 Charles Philip Arthur George 14 Nov 1948
Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay
GREENWOOD
16 Feb 1937 V 1 Sir Hamar Greenwood,1st baronet 7 Feb 1870 10 Sep 1948 78
Created Baron Greenwood 31 Aug 1929
and Viscount Greenwood 16 Feb 1937
MP for York 1906-1910, Sunderland 1910-
1922,and Walthamstow East 1924-1929.
Chief Secretary for Ireland 1920-1922.
PC 1920.  PC [I] 1920
10 Sep 1948 2 David Henry Hamar Greenwood 30 Oct 1914 30 Jul 1998 83
30 Jul 1998 3 Michael George Hamar Greenwood 5 May 1923 7 Jul 2003 80
to     Peerages extinct on his death
7 Jul 2003
GREENWOOD OF ROSSENDALE
22 Sep 1970 B[L] 1 Arthur William James Anthony Greenwood 14 Sep 1911 12 Apr 1982 70
to     Created Baron Greenwood of 
12 Apr 1982 Rossendale for life 22 Sep 1970
MP for Heywood and Radcliffe 1946-1950
and Rossendale 1950-1970. Secretary of
State for Colonial Affairs 1964-1965.
Minister of Overseas Development 1965-
1966. Minister of Housing and Local
Government 1966-1970.  PC 1964
Peerage extinct on his death
GREGSON
11 Jul 1975 B[L] 1 John Gregson 29 Jan 1924 12 Aug 2009 85
to     Created Baron Gregson for life 11 Jul 1975
12 Aug 2009 Peerage extinct on his death
GRENDER
4 Sep 2013 B[L] 1 Rosalind Mary Grender 19 Aug 1962
Created Baroness Grender for life 4 Sep 2013
GRENDON
29 Dec 1299 B 1 Sir Ralph Grendon c 1331
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Grendon 29 Dec 1299
c 1331 2 Robert Grendon 1348
to     Peerage extinct on his death
1348
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22 Jan 1305 B 1 Robert de Grendon
to     Summoned to Parliament as Lord
after 1305 Grendon 22 Jan 1305
Nothing further is known of this peerage
GRENFELL
19 Jul 1902 B 1 Sir Francis Wallace Grenfell 29 Apr 1841 27 Jan 1925 83
Created Baron Grenfell 19 Jul 1902
Governor of Malta 1899-1903. Field
Marshal 1908.  PC [I] 1904
27 Jan 1925 2 Pascoe Christian Victor Francis Grenfell 12 Dec 1905 24 Sep 1976 70
24 Sep 1976 3 Julian Pascoe Francis St.Leger Grenfell 23 May 1935
Created Baron Grenfell of Kilvey 2000
GRENFELL OF KILVEY
17 Apr 2000 B[L] 1 Julian Pascoe Francis St.Leger Grenfell,3rd 23 May 1935
Baron Grenfell
Created Baron Grenfell of Kilvey  for life
17 Apr 2000
GRENVILLE
25 Nov 1790 B 1 William Wyndham Grenville 25 Oct 1759 12 Jan 1834 74
to     Created Baron Grenville 25 Nov 1790
12 Jan 1834 MP for Buckingham 1782-1784 and
Buckinghamshire 1784-1790. Vice President
of the Board of Trade 1786-1789. Speaker
of the House of Commons 1789. Home 
Secretary 1789. President of the Board of
Control 1790-1793. Foreign Secretary 
1791-1801. Prime Minister 1806-1807.
PC [I] 1782. PC 1783
Peerage extinct on his death
GRESLEY
10 Mar 1308 B 1 Thomas de Gresley 1279 c 1347
to     Summoned to Parliament as Lord
c 1347 Gresley 10 Mar 1308
Peerage extinct on his death
GRETTON
27 Jan 1944 B 1 John Gretton 1 Sep 1867 2 Jun 1947 79
Created Baron Gretton 27 Jan 1944
MP for Derbyshire South 1895-1906,
Rutland 1907-1918 and Burton 1918-1943
PC 1926
2 Jun 1947 2 John Frederic Gretton 15 Aug 1902 26 Mar 1982 79
MP for Burton 1943-1945
26 Mar 1982 3 John Henrik Gretton 9 Feb 1941 4 Apr 1989 48
4 Apr 1989 4 John Lysander Gretton 17 Apr 1975
GREVILLE
15 Dec 1869 B 1 Fulke Southwell Greville-Nugent 17 Feb 1821 26 Jan 1883 61
Created Baron Greville 15 Dec 1869
MP for Longford 1852-1869. Lord
Lieutenant Westmeath 1871-1883
26 Jan 1883 2 Algernon William Fulke Greville 11 Feb 1841 2 Dec 1909 68
MP for Westmeath 1865-1874
2 Dec 1909 3 Charles Beresford Fulke Greville 3 Mar 1871 14 May 1952 81
14 May 1952 4 Ronald Charles Fulke Greville 11 Apr 1912 9 Dec 1987 75
to     Peerage extinct on his death
9 Dec 1987
GREY
19 May 1740 M 1 Henry Grey,1st Duke of Kent 28 Sep 1671 5 Jun 1740 68
Created Marquess Grey 19 May 1740
For details of the special remainder included
in this creation, see the note at the foot of
this page
5 Jun 1740 2 Jemima Yorke 9 Oct 1722 10 Jan 1797 74
to     Peerage extinct on her death
10 Jan 1797
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11 Apr 1806 E 1 Charles Grey 23 Oct 1729 14 Nov 1807 78
Created Baron Grey of Howick 23 Jun
1801 and Viscount Howick and Earl 
Grey 11 Apr 1806
PC 1797
14 Nov 1807 2 Charles Grey 13 Mar 1764 17 Jul 1845 81
MP for Northumberland 1784-1807,Appleby 1807 
and tavistock 1807.  First Lord of the Admiralty 
1806. Foreign Secretary 1806-1807. Prime Minister 
1830-1834.  PC 1806  KG 1831
17 Jul 1845 3 Henry George Grey 28 Dec 1802 9 Oct 1894 91
MP for Winchilsea 1826-1830, Higham
Ferrers 1830-1831, Northumberland 1831-
1832, Northumberland North 1833-1841
and Sunderland 1841-1845. Secretary at
War 1835-1839. Colonial Secretary 1846-
1852. Lord Lieutenant Northumberland 
1847-1877.  PC 1835  KG 1863
9 Oct 1894 4 Alfred Henry George Grey 28 Nov 1851 28 Aug 1917 65
MP for Northumberland South 1880-1885
and Tyneside 1885-1886. Governor General
of Canada 1904-1911. Lord Lieutenant
Northumberland 1899-1904.  PC 1908
28 Aug 1917 5 Charles Robert Grey 15 Dec 1879 2 Apr 1963 83
2 Apr 1963 6 Richard Fleming George Charles Grey 4 Mar 1939 10 Sep 2013 74
 
10 Sep 2013 7 Philip Kent Grey 11 May 1940 5 Nov 2023 83
5 Nov 2023 8 Alexander Edward Grey 20 Dec 1968
GREY DE CODNOR
6 Feb 1299 B 1 Henry Grey Sep 1309
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Grey de Codnor 6 Feb 1299
Sep 1309 2 Richard Grey c 1282 Mar 1335
Mar 1335 3 John Grey 1305 c 1393
c 1393 4 Richard Grey   1 Aug 1418
KG 1403
1 Aug 1418 5 John Grey 1396 14 Sep 1431 35
14 Sep 1431 6 Henry Grey 1406 17 Jul 1444 38
17 Jul 1444 7 Henry Grey 1435 8 Apr 1496 60
to     On his death the peerage fell into abeyance
8 Apr 1496
1989   8 Charles Legh Shuldham Cornwall-Legh 10 Feb 1903 23 Dec 1996 93
Abeyance terminated in his favour
23 Dec 1996 9 Richard Henry Cornwall-Legh 14 May 1936
GREY OF FALLODON
27 Jul 1916 V 1 Sir Edward Grey,3rd baronet 25 Apr 1862 7 Sep 1933 71
to     Created Viscount Grey of Fallodon
7 Sep 1933 27 Jul 1916
MP for Berwick on Tweed 1885-1916.
Foreign Secretary 1905-1916.  PC 1902
KG 1912
Peerage extinct on his death
GREY OF GROBY
21 Jul 1603 B 1 Sir Henry Grey 26 Jul 1614
Created Baron Grey of Groby
21 Jul 1603
26 Jul 1614 2 Henry Grey c 1600 21 Aug 1673
He was created Earl of Stamford (qv) in
1628 with which title this peerage then
merged
                     ****************
15 Jan 1833 George Harry Grey 5 Apr 1802 24 Oct 1835 33
He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of
Acceleration as Baron Grey of Groby in 
15 Jan 1833
He was the son and heir apparent of the 6th
Earl of Stamford, but died before he could
succeed to that title
GREY OF NAUNTON
17 Sep 1968 B[L] 1 Sir Ralph Francis Alnwick Grey 15 Apr 1910 17 Oct 1999 89
to     Created Baron Grey of Naunton for life
17 Oct 1999 17 Sep 1968
Governor of British Guiana 1959-1964,
Bahamas 1964-1968 and Northern Ireland
1968-1973
Peerage extinct on his death
GREY DE POWIS
15 Nov 1482 B 1 John Grey 1460 1497 37
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Grey de Powis 15 Nov 1482
1497 2 John Grey 1485 15 Apr 1504 18
15 Apr 1504 3 Edward Grey 2 Jul 1551
to     Peerage extinct on his death
2 Jul 1551
GREY DE RADCLIFFE
14 Jun 1875 B 1 Arthur Edward Holland Grey Egerton,3rd Earl
to     of Wilton 25 Nov 1833 18 Jan 1885 51
18 Jan 1885 Created Baron Grey de Radcliffe
14 Jun 1875
Peerage extinct on his death
GREY DE ROLLESTON
24 Oct 1673 B 1 Charles North 1634 Jan 1690 55
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Grey de Rolleston 24 Oct 1673
Jan 1690 2 William North 31 Oct 1734
to     Peerage extinct on his death
31 Oct 1734
GREY DE ROTHERFIELD
25 Aug 1338 B 1 Sir John de Grey c 1300 1 Sep 1359
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Grey de Rotherfield 25 Aug 1338
KG 1348
1 Sep 1359 2 John Grey 1320 4 Jun 1375 54
4 Jun 1375 3 Bartholomew Grey 1351 12 Nov 1376 25
12 Nov 1376 4 Robert Grey 14 Jan 1388
to     On his death the peerage became dormant
14 Jan 1388
GREY DE RUTHYN
30 Dec 1324 B 1 Roger de Grey c 1298 6 Mar 1353
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Grey de Ruthyn 30 Dec 1324
6 Mar 1353 2 Reginald Grey 1323 28 Jul 1388 65
28 Jul 1388 3 Reginald Grey 1362 18 Oct 1440 78
18 Oct 1440 4 Edmund Grey,later [1465] 1st Earl of Kent c 1420 22 May 1489
22 May 1489 5 George Grey,2nd Earl of Kent c 1455 21 Dec 1503
21 Dec 1503 6 Richard Grey,3rd Earl of Kent 1481 3 May 1524 42
3 May 1524 7 Henry Grey,4th Earl of Kent c 1502 24 Sep 1562
24 Sep 1562 8 Reginald Grey,5th Earl of Kent c 1540 17 Mar 1573
17 Mar 1573 9 Henry Grey,6th Earl of Kent 1541 31 Jan 1615 73
31 Jan 1615 10 Charles Grey,7th Earl of Kent c 1545 26 Sep 1623
26 Sep 1623 11 Henry Grey,8th Earl of Kent c 1580 21 Nov 1639
21 Nov 1639 12 Charles Longueville 21 Apr 1612 17 Jun 1643 31
17 Jun 1643 13 Susan Yelverton 1634 28 Jan 1676 41
28 Jan 1676 14 Sir Charles Yelverton,3rd baronet 21 Aug 1657 17 May 1679 21
17 May 1679 15 Henry Yelverton c 1664 24 Mar 1704
Created Viscount de Longueville
21 Apr 1690
24 Mar 1704 16 Talbot Yelverton,later [1717] 1st Earl of Sussex 2 May 1690 27 Oct 1731 41
27 Oct 1731 17 George Augustus Yelverton,2nd Earl of Sussex 27 Jul 1727 8 Jan 1758 30
8 Jan 1758 18 Henry Yelverton,3rd Earl of Sussex 7 Jul 1728 22 Apr 1799 70
22 Apr 1799 19 Henry Edward Yelverton 8 Sep 1780 29 Oct 1810 30
29 Oct 1810 20 Barbara Rawdon-Hastings 20 May 1810 19 Nov 1858 48
19 Nov 1858 21 Henry Weysford Charles Plantagenet
to     Rawdon-Hastings,4th Marquess of Hastings 22 Jul 1842 10 Nov 1868 26
10 Nov 1868 On his death the peerage fell into abeyance
29 Dec 1885 22 Bertha Lelgarde Clifton 30 Apr 1835 15 Dec 1887 52
Abeyance terminated in her favour
For information on the termination of the abeyance
see the note at the foot of this page
15 Dec 1887 23 Rawdon George Grey Clifton 14 Nov 1858 31 Aug 1912 53
31 Aug 1912 24 Cecil Talbot Clifton 9 Jan 1862 21 May 1934 72
to     On his death the peerage again fell into
21 May 1934 abeyance
For further information on this peer, see the note
at the foot of this page
1940 25 John Lancelot Wykeham Butler-Bowden 25 Oct 1883 25 Oct 1963 80
to     Abeyance terminated in his favour.
25 Oct 1963 On his death the peerage again fell into
abeyance
GREY OF WERKE
11 Feb 1624 B 1 Sir William Grey,1st baronet 7 Aug 1674
Created Baron Grey of Werke
11 Feb 1624
Aug 1674 2 Ralph Grey 27 Oct 1630 24 Jun 1675 44
Jun 1675 3 Ford Grey,later [1695] 1st Earl of Tankerville 20 Jul 1655 24 Jun 1701 45
24 Jun 1701 4 Ralph Grey 28 Nov 1661 20 Jun 1706 54
to     MP for Berwick upon Tweed 1679-1681,1695-
20 Jun 1706 1698 and 1701
Peerage extinct on his death
GREY DE WILTON
23 Jun 1295 B 1 Reginald de Grey 5 Apr 1308
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Grey de Wilton 23 Jun 1295
5 Apr 1308 2 John Grey 1268 28 Oct 1323 55
28 Oct 1323 3 Henry Grey 28 Oct 1282 16 Dec 1342 60
16 Dec 1342 4 Reginald Grey 1 Nov 1312 4 Jun 1370 57
4 Jun 1370 5 Henry Grey 1342 22 Apr 1396 53
22 Apr 1396 6 Richard Grey 1393 13 Aug 1442 49
13 Aug 1442 7 Reginald Grey 1421 c 1493
c 1493 8 John Grey 2 Mar 1498
2 Mar 1498 9 Edmund Grey  May 1511
May 1511 10 George Grey c 1515
c 1515 11 Thomas Grey c 1497 c 1518
c 1518 12 Richard Grey 1507 c 1520
c 1520 13 William Grey 14 Dec 1562
KG 1557
14 Dec 1562 14 Arthur Grey 1536 14 Oct 1593 57
KG 1572
14 Oct 1593 15 Thomas Grey c 1575 9 Jul 1614
to     He was attainted and the peerage forfeited
1603
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15 May 1784 B 1 Thomas Egerton 14 May 1749 23 Sep 1814 65
26 Jun 1801 V 1 Created Baron Grey de Wilton 15 May
1784 and Viscount Grey de Wilton and
Earl of Wilton 26 Jun 1801
See "Wilton"
GREYSTOCK
24 Jun 1295 B 1 John de Greystock 1264 2 Sep 1306 42
to     Summoned to Parliament as Lord
2 Sep 1306 Greystock 24 Jun 1295
Peerage extinct on his death
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24 Jun 1295 B 1 Ralph Fitzwilliam Nov 1315
  Summoned to Parliament as Lord
  Fitzwilliam 24 Jun 1295
Nov 1315 2 Robert Fitzwilliam 1275 1317 42
1317 3 Ralph de Greystock c 1299 13 Jul 1323
Summoned to Parliament as Lord
Greystock 15 May 1321
13 Jul 1323 4 William de Greystock 1320 20 Jul 1358 38
20 Jul 1358 5 Ralph de Greystock 1352 6 Apr 1417 64
6 Apr 1417 6 John de Greystock c 1389 8 Aug 1436
8 Aug 1436 7 Ralph de Greystock 1414 1 Jun 1487 72
1 Jun 1487 8 Elizabeth Dacre 13 Aug 1516
13 Aug 1516 9 William Dacre,3rd Lord Dacre 29 Apr 1500 12 Nov 1563
12 Nov 1563 10 Thomas Dacre,4th Lord Dacre c 1526 1 Jul 1566
1 Jul 1566 11 George Dacre,5th Lord Dacre 1561 17 May 1569 7
to     On his death the peerage fell into abeyance
17 May 1569
GREY-THOMPSON
23 Mar 2010 B[L] 1 Dame Tanni Carys Davina Grey-Thompson 26 Jul 1969
Created Baroness Grey-Thompson for life
23 Mar 2010
GRIDLEY
10 Jan 1955 B 1 Sir Arnold Babb Gridley 16 Jul 1878 27 Jul 1965 87
Created Baron Gridley 10 Jan 1955
MP for Stockport 1935-1950 and
Stockport South 1950-1955
27 Jul 1965 2 Arnold Hudson Gridley 26 May 1906 15 Jun 1996 90
15 Jun 1996 3 Richard David Arnold Gridley 22 Aug 1956
GRIFFIN OF BRAYBROOKE
3 Dec 1688 B 1 Edward Griffin c 1630 10 Nov 1710
Created Baron Griffin of Braybrooke
3 Dec 1688
10 Nov 1710 2 James Griffin 15 Dec 1667 31 Oct 1715 47
MP for Brackley 1685
Oct 1715 3 Edward Griffin 17 Oct 1693 22 Jun 1742 48
to     Peerage extinct on his death
22 Jun 1742
GRIFFIN OF PRINCETHORPE
16 Jan 2025 B[L] 1 Theresa Mary Griffin 11 Dec 1962
Created Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe for life
16 Jan 2025
GRIFFITHS
23 May 1985 B[L] 1 Sir William Hugh Griffiths 26 Sep 1923 30 May 2015 91
to     Created Baron Griffiths for life 23 May 1985
30 May 2015 Lord Justice of Appeal 1980-1985. Lord of
Appeal in Ordinary 1985-1993.  PC 1980
Peerage extinct on his death
GRIFFITHS OF BURRY PORT
30 Jun 2004 B[L] 1 Leslie John Griffiths 15 Feb 1942
Created Baron Griffiths of Burry Port for life
30 Jun 2004
GRIFFITHS OF FFORESTFFACH
5 Feb 1991 B[L] 1 Brian Griffiths 27 Dec 1941
Created Baron Griffiths of Fforestffach
for life 5 Feb 1991
GRIMOND
12 Oct 1983 B[L] 1 Joseph Grimond 29 Jul 1913 24 Oct 1993 80
to     Created Baron Grimond for life 12 Oct 1983
24 Oct 1993 MP for Orkney and Shetland 1950-1983
PC 1961
Peerage extinct on his death
GRIMSTON
29 Nov 1719 V[I] 1 William Grimston 31 Dec 1684 15 Oct 1756 71
Created Baron Dunboyne and Viscount
Grimston 29 Nov 1719
MP for St.Albans 1710-1722 and 1727-1734
15 Oct 1756 2 James Grimston 9 Oct 1711 15 Dec 1773 62
MP for St.Albans 1754-1761
15 Dec 1773 3 James Bucknall Grimston 9 May 1747 30 Dec 1808 61
Created Baron Verulam 8 Jul 1790
MP for St.Albans 1783-1784 and
Hertfordshire 1784-1790
30 Dec 1808   4 James Walter Grimston 26 Sep 1775 17 Nov 1845 70
24 Nov 1815 V 1 Created Viscount Grimston and Earl of
Verulam 24 Nov 1815
See "Verulam"
GRIMSTON OF WESTBURY
11 Dec 1964 B 1 Sir Robert Villiers Grimston,1st baronet 8 Jun 1897 8 Dec 1979 82
Created Baron Grimston of Westbury
11 Dec 1964
MP for Westbury 1931-1964
8 Dec 1979 2 Robert Walter Sigismund Grimston 14 Jun 1925 16 Jun 2003 78
16 Jun 2003 3 Robert John Sylvester Grimston 30 Apr 1951
GRIMSTONE OF BOSCOBEL
8 April 2020 B[L] 1 Sir Gerald Edgar Grimstone, Kt 27 Aug 1949

Created Baron Grimstone of Boscobel

for life 8 April 2020
GRIMTHORPE
17 Feb 1886 B 1 Sir Edmund Beckett,5th baronet 12 May 1816 29 Apr 1905 88
Created Baron Grimthorpe 17 Feb 1886
For details of the special remainder included in the
creation of this peerage,see the note at the 
foot of this page
29 Apr 1905 2 Ernest William Beckett 25 Nov 1856 11 May 1917 60
11 May 1917 3 Ralph William Ernest Beckett 3 May 1891 22 Feb 1963 71
22 Feb 1963 4 Christopher John Beckett 16 Sep 1915 6 Jul 2003 87
6 Jul 2003 5 Edward John Beckett 20 Nov 1954
GRINSTEAD
11 Aug 1815 B 1 John Willoughby Cole,2nd Earl of Enniskillen 23 Mar 1768 31 Mar 1840 72
Created Baron Grinstead 11 Aug 1815
See "Enniskillen"
GROCOTT
2 Jul 2001 B[L] 1 Bruce Joseph Grocott 1 Nov 1940
Created Baron Grocott for life 2 Jul 2001
MP for Lichfield & Tamworth 1974-1979,
The Wrekin 1987-1997 and Telford 1997-2001
PC 2002
GROSVENOR
5 Jul 1784 E 1 Sir Richard Grosvenor,7th baronet 18 Jun 1731 5 Aug 1802 71
Created Baron Grosvenor 8 Apr 1761 
and Viscount Belgrave and Earl 
Grosvenor 5 Jul 1784
MP for Chester 1754-1761
5 Aug 1802 2 Robert Grosvenor 22 Mar 1767 17 Feb 1845 77
He was created Marquess of Westminster
(qv) in 1831 with which title this peerage
then merged
GUERNSEY
15 Mar 1703 B 1 Heneage Finch 22 Jul 1719
Created Baron of Guernsey 15 Mar
1703 and Earl of Aylesford 19 Oct 1714
See "Aylesford"
GUEST
20 Jan 1961 B[L] 1 Christopher William Graham Guest 7 Nov 1901 25 Sep 1984 82
to     Created Baron Guest for life 20 Jan 1961
25 Sep 1984 Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1961-1971
PC 1961
Peerage extinct on his death
GUETERBOCK
18 Apr 2000 B[L] 1 Anthony Fitzhardinge Gueterbock,Baron
Berkeley 20 Sep 1939
Created Baron Gueterbock for life
18 Apr 2000
GUILFORD
14 Jul 1660 E[L] 1 Elizabeth Boyle 3 Sep 1667
to     Created Countess of Guilford for life
3 Sep 1667 14 Jul 1660
Peerage extinct on her death
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
25 Jun 1674 E 1 John Maitland,1st Duke of Lauderdale 24 May 1616 24 Aug 1682 66
to     Created Baron Petersham and Earl of
24 Aug 1682 Guilford 25 Jun 1674
Peerages extinct on his death
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
27 Sep 1683 B 1 Francis North 22 Oct 1637 5 Sep 1685 47
Created Baron of Guilford 27 Sep 1683
MP for Kings Lynn 1672-1675. Attorney
General 1673. Chief Justice of the Common
Pleas 1675-1682. Lord Keeper 1682-1685
PC 1679
5 Sep 1685 2 Francis North 14 Dec 1673 17 Oct 1729 55
President of the Board of Trade 1714. Lord
Lieutenant Essex 1703-1705.  PC 1712
17 Oct 1729 3 Francis North 13 Apr 1704 4 Aug 1790 86
8 Apr 1752 E 1 Created Earl of Guilford 8 Apr 1752
MP for Banbury 1727-1729
4 Aug 1790 2 Frederick North 13 Apr 1732 5 Aug 1792 60
MP for Banbury 1754-1790. Chancellor of
the Exchequer 1767. Prime Minister 1770-
1782. Lord Lieutenant Somerset 1774-1792. Lord
Warden of the Cinque Ports 1778. Home
Secretary 1783.  PC 1766  KG 1772
5 Aug 1792 3 George Augustus North 11 Sep 1757 20 Apr 1802 44
MP for Harwich 1778-1784, Wootton
Bassett 1784-1790, Petersfield 1790 and
Banbury 1790-1792
20 Apr 1802 4 Francis North 25 Dec 1761 11 Jan 1817 55
11 Jan 1817 5 Frederick North 7 Feb 1766 14 Oct 1827 61
MP for Banbury 1792-1794. Governor of
Ceylon 1798-1805
For further information on this peer's tenure as
Governor of Ceylon,see the note at the foot 
of this page
14 Oct 1827 6 Francis North 17 Dec 1772 29 Jan 1861 88
For further information on this peer,see the
note at the foot of this page
29 Jan 1861 7 Dudley Francis North 14 Jul 1851 19 Dec 1885 34
For information on the death of this peer,see the
note at the foot of this page
19 Dec 1885 8 Frederick George North 19 Nov 1876 9 Nov 1949 72
For information on the death of this peer's son,
who was styled Lord North,see the note at the
foot of this page
9 Nov 1949 9 Edward Francis North 22 Sep 1933 26 Mar 1999 65
26 Mar 1999 10 Piers Edward Brownlow North 9 Mar 1971
GUILLAMORE
28 Jan 1831 V[I] 1 Standish O'Grady 1766 21 Apr 1840 73
Created Baron O'Grady and Viscount
Guillamore 28 Jan 1831
Attorney General [I] 1803-1805. Chief
Baron of the Exchequer [I] 1805-1831
PC [I] 1803
21 Apr 1840 2 Standish Darby O'Grady 26 Dec 1792 22 Jul 1848 55
MP for Limerick 1820-1826 and 1830-1835
22 Jul 1848 3 Standish O'Grady 8 Jul 1832 10 Apr 1860 37
10 Apr 1860 4 Paget Standish O'Grady 29 Nov 1835 29 Jul 1877 41
29 Jul 1877 5 Hardress Standish O'Grady 20 Oct 1841 6 Feb 1918 76
6 Feb 1918 6 Frederick Standish O'Grady 20 Apr 1847 11 Oct 1927 80
11 Oct 1927 7 Hugh Hamon Massy O'Grady 5 Jul 1860 13 Jun 1930 69
13 Jun 1930 8 Richard O'Grady 9 Aug 1867 28 Nov 1943 76
28 Nov 1943 9 Standish Bruce O'Grady 17 Mar 1869 15 Oct 1955 86
to     Peerage extinct on his death
15 Oct 1955
GUSTAFSSON
15 Nov 2024 B[L] 1 Poppy Claire Veronica Gustafsson 24 Aug 1982
Created Baroness Gustafsson for life
15 Nov 2024
Minister of State for Investment, 2024 -.
GUTHRIE OF CRAIGIEBANK
27 Jun 2001 B[L] 1 Sir Charles Ronald Llewelyn Guthrie 17 Nov 1938
Created Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank for life
27 Jun 2001
Chief of the Defence Staff 1997-2001
GWYDYR
16 Jun 1796 B 1 Sir Peter Burrell,2nd baronet 16 Jun 1754 29 Jun 1820 66
Created Baron Gwydyr 16 Jun 1796
MP for Haslemere 1776-1780 and Boston
1782-1796  PC 1820
29 Jun 1820 2 Peter Robert Drummond-Burrell,later [1828]
20th Lord Willoughby de Eresby 19 Mar 1782 22 Feb 1865 82
22 Feb 1865 3 Alberic Drummond-Willoughby,21st Lord
Willoughby de Eresby 25 Dec 1821 26 Aug 1870 48
26 Aug 1870 4 Peter Robert Burrell 27 Apr 1810 3 Apr 1909 98
3 Apr 1909 5 Willoughby Merrik Campbell Burrell 26 Oct 1841 13 Feb 1915 73
to     Peerage extinct on his death
13 Feb 1915
GWYNEDD
12 Feb 1945 V 1 David Lloyd George 17 Jan 1863 26 Mar 1945 82
Created Viscount Gwynedd and Earl
Lloyd George of Dwyfor 12 Feb 1945
Richard Henry Brinsley Norton, 6th Baron Grantley
The following biography of the 6th Baron Grantley is taken from the August 1961 issue of
the Australian monthly magazine "Parade":-
'On a summer afternoon in 1913, the time-honoured Changing of the Guard was taking place in
in the courtyard before Buckingham Palace. In resplendent scarlet uniform, a young second 
lieutenant, acutely aware of the admiring interest of the watching crowd, marched his men 
smartly up and down. Each time they approached a railing that barred their path, they received
his shouted command: "About turn!" Then his attention wandered to a couple of pretty girls
among the onlookers and next time he forgot to give the command. Indescribable confusion
reigned as the guardsmen marched straight into the fence. 
'Recollection of that disaster still makes Colonel Blimps blanch. Gradually, however, the man
responsible, the sixth Lord Grantley, lived down the disgrace to become the gay, witty,
monocled darling of smart English society. Pale-faced, languid and bent through war injuries
to look like the hunchback Richard III, Lord Grantley was a record-breaking racing motorist, an
international financier and a pioneer of the English film industry.
'Society was shocked when his butler stole the Prince of Wales' wine. He taught a bunch of    
Americans at a party how to play chemin-de-fer and then lost $25,000 to them, which he
couldn't pay. Once Lord Grantley invited his fiancée and her aristocratic mother to tea - and 
had proceedings interrupted by the arrival of a writ citing him as co-respondent in a divorce
case.
 
'The sixth Lord Grantley was born in 1892. With his four older sisters he was reared at the
ancestral home in Yorkshire. It contained 100 bedrooms and required 50 servants to run it, but
had only one bathroom. His title dated to George III, who transformed his faithful Attorney-
General into the first Lord Grantley. In the interim, a family fortune of more than a £1,000,000
was accumulated to go with the rank. Lord Grantley's father, the fifth lord, had a divorce record
probably unmatched in the British peerage. A student, a linguist and a coin-collector, he made
headlines three times in his life - all in sensational divorce cases.
 
'Once Lord Grantley became perturbed at the entry in Burke's Peerage regarding the date of his
eldest sister's birthday, a mere three weeks after his parents' marriage. He tried to persuade his
father to have this bald evidence of a race against time deleted from future editions of the 
famous reference on the English aristocracy. "Fiddlesticks!" snorted his rakish parent. "It doesn't
matter in the least. Only domestic servants read Burke's Peerage, and I don't give a damn what
they think." 
'Lord Grantley's boyhood idol was the family butler - whose name was also Butler. He initiated
the future peer into the secrets of horse­racing and put shilling bets on for him with the local
bookie. At exclusive Wellington College - Grantly was sent there at six - he was bullied into
spending hours every night perched on top of a hot water cistern that nearly fried him alive.
He went to Oxford, but was "sent down" in his second year. His offence was to float 100
enamel chamber pots filled with flaming kerosene down the river. At 20, Lord Grantley landed in
London. As heir to a million-pound fortune, he had no trouble borrowing money on his future
inheritance through financier Clarence Hatry [1888-1965, crooked company promoter who served
nine years for fraud and forgery].
 
'He joined the Guards as a second lieutenant, bought himself a white Rolls-Royce and was linked
romantically with half the chorus girls in London. With the outbreak of World War I, Lord 
Grantley was packed off to France. Rushed to the front line to stiffen the British resistance, the 
crack Guards Brigade suffered appalling casualties. Just before Christmas, 1914, Grantley 
crawled out in front of his trench to reconnoitre and was shockingly injured by a German shell. 
He woke up in a London hospital a bent and broken wreck of the gay young blade of a few
months earlier. Doctors predicted he would never walk again. His own will and determination put
him on his feet in a few months, but his back was bent grotesquely. 
 
'Despite the disability, Lord Grantley plunged back into the London social swim. He took a desk 
job at the War Office under Lord Kitchener and organised the famous Boys' Brigade, in which 
250,000 school cadets got their initial military training. Then his debts caught up with him. 
Accommodating moneylenders, who had advanced him £45,000, demanded payment. Grantley 
had to get help from his stern, irascible father. The debts were settled and a trust fund set up 
for any children he might have. In return he signed away his own inheritance claims for an 
income of £750 a year which was hardly enough to pay his tailor.
 
'Then he got a job as London representative of the American private bankers, Spreyer & Co.,
and was soon clearing £5000 a year. He wooed the most dazzling society beauty of the day,
Jean Kinloch, daughter of a Scottish baronet. When he proposed a week after they met, the
girl arrived at his flat for tea with her mother. Lady Kinloch seemed impressed that he was a
suitable son-in-law until a bowler-hatted little man burst in with a summons citing Lord Grantley
as co-respondent. That difficulty was met with a £2000 payment to the complaining husband.
The suit was withdrawn.
'After marriage, the couple settled in a West End mansion, which they lent to the Prince of
Wales when he wanted to give a private party. The arrangement continued till the Prince
found that wine he had stored in the cellar was missing. Guilt was eventually pinned on the 
Grantley butler. "Yes, I snitched it Your Royal Highness," he confessed under the Prince's
relentless interrogation.
'Off to America to consult with his employers, Lord Grantley was feted by high society. Invited
to a weekend at a Palm Beach mansion, he offered to teach other guests how to play chemin-
de-fer. They caught on so well that he lost $25,000 before the evening was out and had to
raise a loan from his host to pay. 
'Lord Grantley had a flair for high finance. He left Spreyer & Co. and became a junior partner in
the great American financial house of Kuhn, Loeb & Co. For them he negotiated loans to half
the governments of Europe during the booming 1920's. A single loan of $15 million to Hungary
meant a profit of $450,000 for the firm. Lord Grantley's income rocketed to £30,000 a year, 
more than his millionaire father ever received. As a sideline he built a backyard factory into a
a big neon-lighting concern. With the depression of the 1930s he sold this business for
£200,000. Then he saw his former assets jump to £3,000,000 before World War II.
 
'About this time, Grantley, despite his physical infirmities, won fame as a speedcar driver. For
years he held the world's 24-hour record with an average speed of 159 kilometres an hour. 
'But the depression upset the international money market. Grantley found himself out of a job
when Kuhn, Loeb & Co. suspended operations in Europe. He turned to the infant British film
industry. As an independent producer he marketed hits like Elizabeth Bergner's 'Escape Me 
Never', 'The Lambeth Walk' and 'This Man is News.' When J. Arthur Rank, then a millionaire
miller, invaded the film industry in the mid-1930s, he made Grantley his managing director.
British films were being banned in America, so Grantley set off post-haste to New York, where
he faced the censorship czar, Will Hays. The main trouble was low-cut dresses in several
historical films. Lord Grantley pushed under Hays' nose the front page of a sensational New York
paper, which was crammed with lurid crimes and semi-nude pictures of local chorus girls. "This
is what people here get every day," he snapped. "Yet you want to ban our pictures simply
because we show the cleavage of a woman's bosom." The censor gave in and the films were
were passed. Lord Grantley's term, cleavage, and what it denoted, became accepted as almost
a trademark of future period films. 
 
'In June, 1939, speeding to a Cornish film location in his supercharged Bentley, Lord Grantley
crashed into a lorry at 80 m.p.h. He crawled out of the wreck with a broken leg and arm, 
smashed hands, punctured lung and his crushed jaw hanging down on his chest. Still in hospital
when war broke out in September, he dashed off an offer of his services to his old regiment.
'The unofficial reply he received from the adjutant read "There are four reasons why we are
unable to avail ourselves of your offer. First, you are 47. Second, you were pensioned off in
the middle of the last show. Third, you are still recovering from a car accident. Fourth, you 
were no ----- good anyway."
'The war and his health caused Lord Grantley's retirement. In 1954, the sixth Lord Grantley died,
His only regret, he said, was his inability in the post-war world to satisfy his taste for plover's
eggs and caviar.'
Thomas North Graves, 2nd Baron Graves
Lord Graves died by his own hand on 7 February 1830. The first report below is from the 
"Caledonian Mercury" of 13 February 1830:-
'At eleven o'clock on Monday morning, an inquisition was taken before J.H.Gell, Esq., and a
highly respectable Jury, at the Mason's Arms, Maddox Street, Hanover Square, on view of the
body of the Right Hon. Thomas North, Lord Graves, aged 54. The following was the substance
of the evidence:-
'John Spry stated, that he had been travelling servant to his Lordship for nearly four years; he
was not aware that he had been afflicted with any bodily complaint for the last six months;
about a year ago he was laid up with rheumatic fever. Last Saturday his Lordship, who was
one of the Commissioners of Excise, went to the office on business, and returned about four
o'clock; after this, he dined in Belgrave Square, at Sir George Murray's, and returned home at
eleven o'clock, and soon after went to bed; he was in very low spirits when he went out.
Witness sat by his bedside until about two o'clock in the morning; he had usually done so for
some time past, on account of his Lordship being quite a cripple from the rheumatism, although
he has of late been fast recovering. It was his Lordship's wish that he sat up with him until he
fell asleep, as he did not like to be left alone. He could not tell the reason why. Yesterday 
morning he went into his Lordship's room about eight o'clock, and found him asleep. He went in
again soon after ten o'clock, and found him dressing. He breakfasted about twelve o'clock, and 
soon afterwards Sir James Anderson came in, who attended his Lordship. Witness went out to 
get some medicine ordered, and returned between three and four, and asked his Lordship for a
parcel which he had told him to send to Lady Graves, at Hampton Court. The parcel was given
to him; it contained a letter from his Lordship to her, and he took it to the coach office in
Piccadilly. Witness returned, and put out his Lordship's things to dress, as he was going to 
dine at the Marquis of Anglesey's. His Lordship told him to order a coach at a quarter before
seven o'clock. He went out for that purpose, and on his return, after cleaning his Lordship's
shoes, took them into his room; the door was not locked; he did not see his Lordship, but
observed the looking glass standing on the table covered with blood, and two candles burning
in front of the glass. Witness called for assistance, and his Lordship was found on the floor
of the room, close under the dressing case, with his throat cut from ear to ear, and two razors
lying beside him. Medical assistance soon arrived, but his Lordship was quite dead.
'By the Jury - I have latterly observed his Lordship to labour under a depression of spirits. I 
have no doubt but that he cut his throat while labouring under a depression of spirits. I cannot
upon my oath take upon myself to state what was the cause that produced the depression
of spirits.
'Sir James Anderson stated, that he had attended his Lordship professionally. It was his opinion
that his Lordship's state of mind was greatly depressed, arising both from bodily disease and
mental excitement, and, in one of those paroxysms of excitement, he had no doubt committed
the dreadful act.
'By the Jury - It is no uncommon thing for a person to be excited to the extent Lord Graves
was to be sufficiently sound in mind one minute and the next to be entirely lost, so as to
commit suicide, particularly when the instrument was in the room.
'The Coroner briefly addressed the Jury, who returned a verdict that the deceased cut his
throat in a fit of delirium.'
The above report is fine, as far as it goes. However, it makes no attempt to address the reason
for Lord Graves' depression. This is not to say that no attempt was made - the jury did try to
ascertain the background to Lord Graves' depression, but was somewhat frustrated in its
attempt by the Coroner, as is illustrated in the following extract from the "Sun," which was 
reprinted in the "Caledonian Mercury" on the same day as the report given above:-
'In addition to the slovenly and hasty manner in which the late Inquest on the unfortunate Lord
Graves was conducted - a haste the motives for which we can more readily comprehend than
excuse - we cannot but express our astonishment at the conduct of the Coroner, who at the
very moment when the evidence began to assume an intelligible shape, and to throw light on 
the cause that induced the deplorable catastrophe, was so far from farthering, that he actually
attempted to prevent the elucidation of the necessary facts.
'Coroner - You have no doubt, I presume, that his Lordship committed suicide, while labouring
under depression of spirits?
'Witness - I have no doubt that his Lordship cut his throat in a fit of great depression of spirits,
not knowing what he was about.
'Juror - But can you inform us what has caused that depression of spirits under which his
Lordship laboured?
'The question seemed to excite the greatest interest among the Jury. All eyes were turned 
towards the witness; but before he could make the reply, the Coroner interposed, and said, 
he did not consider it necessary to put such a question to the witness. They had assembled
to inquire whether Lord Graves died from violence inflicted by himself or by any other person,
and in what state of mind he was at the time - whether insane or otherwise. It was in
evidence that his Lordship had laboured under great depression of spirits, and it was therefore
probable that he committed the rash act while labouring under temporary insanity.
'Juror - But, Sir, I consider that we shall not discharge our duty unless we inquire into the cause
of that depression of spirits under which his Lordship is said to have laboured. According to the
oath that you administer to us, are we not bound to investigate all the circumstances?
'Coroner - No, Gentleman; I do not consider it a part of your duty to make inquiry upon that 
point to which allusion has been made. The oath that I administer to you, and which is the 
same that is administered to Jurors upon all similar occasions, is, that "you shall diligently 
inquire, and true presentment make, on behalf of our Sovereign Lord the King, how and in what
manner Lord Graves came by his death - and true verdict, according to the evidence - so help 
you God."
'The Juror, however, contended that he was justified in putting the question, and pressed for 
the answer.
'The Coroner said that he would raise no further objection to the question. The witness might, 
if he pleased, give the answer.
'The question having been put, the witness said, "I cannot, upon my oath, take upon myself
to state what was the cause which produced that depression of spirits under which his Lordship
laboured."
'It appears by the above minutes, if correct, that every exertion was used to strangle the very
evidence that was most essential to a right understanding of the case, and that those exertions 
were not desisted from till and intelligent and persevering Juryman had pressed for the 
necessary facts. The inquest altogether appears to have been a smuggled affair, and ought (as
it would have been in every other case) to have been adjourned till better evidence could be
procured. In fact, the inquisition should be held over again. At present a dreadful and suspicious
mystery hangs over the case.'
Also reprinted in the same issue of the "Caledonian Mercury" is the following [edited] article 
from the "Star." The florid language used is, in hindsight, quite amusing when viewed in terms
of today's style of writing, but it is typical of the time.
'We know not when the public feelings have been harrowed by the contemplation of so 
distressing a tragedy - Deep, dreadful and complicate[d] are the circumstances connected with 
it; yet - if we forebear to expose those circumstances now - be it not imagined that it is for
want of a clue to guide us in this dark labyrinth of palatial perpetration. No: respect for One, of
whose feelings, even allegiance would command us to be tender, shall for the present set a 
seal upon our lips. For his sake, we will withhold our curses - for his sake, repress the
smouldering fires of that indignant denunciation which we would send forth in quest of the 
lurking criminal, and which should post after him - whithersoever he fled - like the ban of 
heaven, into the obscurest recesses of the land.
'The blood which was shed on Sunday - aye, and more blood - would we conjure up to bear
witness against him; the wail of destroyed families should make demon music in his ears…….
But we have set a seal upon our lips. Woe unto him when the day comes for the opening of
that seal - for it will be one of terrible revelation. Surely the hand of God is upon this corrupted
country, when those who are its most exalted in station are become also its most exalted in
vice and crime………….'
It is not too difficult to work out exactly whom the "Star" was talking about. The references to 
'palatial perpetration' and 'most exalted in station' were almost certainly aimed at the Duke of
Cumberland and Teviotdale, younger brother of King George IV, and later, from 1837, King of
Hanover. Lord Graves had been Cumberland's Lord of the Bedchamber and Comptroller of the
Duke's Household. It was widely rumoured that the Duke was in a liaison with Lord Graves' 
wife, the former Lady Mary Paget, and that Lord Graves had committed suicide as a result of
this alleged liaison. For further information about the Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, see
the note at the foot of the page which contains details of his peerage.
Eveleen Smith-Gray, Baroness Gray in her own right (19th holder of the title)
On 7 July 1896, the House of Lords Committee of Privileges met to hear the claim of Mrs.
Eveleen Smith to the Scottish barony of Gray.
As is common with older Scottish peerages, the honours can, and often do, descend in the
female line - that is, the descent of the peerage is not limited to male heirs. Both the 16th and
17th holders of the title had been females. On the death of Lady Grey, the 17th holder of the
title, the next heir to the barony was the 14th Earl of Moray, who was descended from Jane
Gray, daughter of the 11th Lord Gray, who had married the 9th Earl of Moray. Their son
became the 10th Earl of Moray - he married twice, the two marriages producing four sons and
a daughter. Remarkably, none of the four sons ever married and, as a result, the four sons
succeeded each other in turn as the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Earls of Moray.
On the death of the 14th Earl in 1895, the line of descent reverted to the descendants of the
daughter of the 10th Earl of Moray, referred to above. Her name was Lady Jane Stuart, who
appears to have been somewhat eccentric, and it was her daughter who petitioned the House
of Lords Committee of Privileges for the Gray peerage.
According to evidence given before the Committee, the claimant's mother, Lady Jane Stuart,
married firstly, in 1832, Sir John Archibald Drummond Stewart, who died in May 1838. No children
were born from this marriage. She married for a second time, in August 1838, a Dr. Jeremiah
Lonsdale Pounden. One version of events is that, when this marriage took place, the couple 
neglected to go through the formality of the publication of the marriage banns and also
appeared to fail to give their full names to the Registrar - both of these omissions being 
sufficient to invalidate the marriage. In September 1840, knowing that she was pregnant and of
the doubts surrounding the legality of the 1838 marriage, she went through another marriage
ceremony, this time being careful to fulfil all of the necessary formalities.
After the second marriage, the couple moved to Dresden in Germany, where a daughter, 
Eveleen, was born on 3 May 1841. Apparently, Lady Jane once more neglected the formalities
with the result that Eveleen's birth was never registered either by the authorities in Dresden,
or by the British Consul who was resident there. Lady Jane also appeared to have had some
peculiar views relating to baptism, with the result that Eveleen was not baptised for many years
after - one report says that she was not baptised until the evening before her own marriage in
1863.
All of this meant that no documentary evidence existed which proved the birth of Eveleen - no
birth certificate and no contemporary certificate of baptism. However, numerous other 
documents, including the marriage certificate from the 1840 ceremony, were tendered in
evidence and the Committee decided that, since there were no other claimants and that no
estates were in dispute, the claimant's petition be granted, and thus Eveleen became Lady
Gray.
The special remainder to the Marquessate of Grey created in 1740
From the "London Gazette" of 27 May 1740 (issue 7914, page 1):-
'His Majesty's Letters Patent are passed the Grewt Seal, for granting the Dignity of a Marquess
of the Kingdom of Great Britain unto his Grace Henry Duke of Kent, by the Name, Stile and Title
of Marquess Grey; to hold the same to him and his Heirs Male of his Body, and in Default of such 
issue, the Dignity of Marchioness Grey to Jemima Campbell (Grand Daughter of the said Duke by
the Lady Anabell Grey, deceased, eldest Daughter of the said Duke, and late Wife of the Lord
Glenorchy,) and the Dignity of Marquess Grey to the Heirs Male of the Body of the said Jemima
Campbell.'
The termination of the abeyance of the Grey de Ruthyn peerage in 1885
The barony of Grey de Ruthyn fell into abeyance in 1868. In 1876, a petition to terminate the 
abeyance was considered by the House of Lords Committee of Privileges, as reported in the 
"Manchester Guardian" of 1 June 1876:-
'The Grey de Ruthyn Peerage - The House of Lords Committee of Privileges had this matter 
before it on Tuesday. It was the case of Lady Bertha Lelgarde Clifton, the wife of Captain
Augustus Wykeham Clifton, late of the Rifle Brigade, who has petitioned Her Majesty that the
abeyance in the Barony of Grey de Ruthyn, in the peerage of England, may be terminated in
her favour.
'This ancient dignity, which is one of the oldest baronies in the peerage of England, was stated
to have been created in the person of Roger de Grey, the only son of the second marriage of
John, Lord Grey de Wilton, in 1324, by King Edward II who conferred that honour upon him as
a reward for important services in the Welsh wars. Reginald, the third Lord Grey de Ruthyn,
was declared heir of John, third Earl of Pembroke, and as such he had the honour of bearing 
at the coronation of King Henry IV, the great gilt spurs of the kingdom, "in like manner as his
ancestors had formerly done at previous coronations." Edmund, the fourth lord, was appointed 
Lord High Treasurer of England in 1463, and in 1465 he was raised to the dignity of Earl of Kent, 
a title which passed from the Grey family on the death, without issue, of Henry, eighth Earl of
Kent, when the De Ruthyn barony devolved upon Susan, Baroness Grey de Ruthyn. Her eldest
son was declared by the House of Lords, in 1641, to be entitled to the Barony of Grey de 
Ruthyn, and on his death, in 1643, without male issue, the dignity devolved upon Susan, the
wife of Sir Henry Yelverton. Her second son, Henry, was declared by the House of Lords to
have been rightly summoned to Parliament as being lineally descended from Reginald, Lord Grey
de Ruthyn; and his right to bear the great gilt spurs of the kingdom at the coronation of King
James II and of King William III was admitted against the claim of the Earl of Kent. His son
Talbot was created Earl of Sussex in 1717, and he carried the spurs at the coronation of King
George I and King George II, being appointed Deputy Earl Marshal of England in 1725. Henry,
third Earl of Sussex, carried the spurs at the coronation of King George III, and on his death,
without issue male, in 1799, the title of Earl of Sussex became extinct. Henry, the son of his
daughter Barbara, took his seat in the House of Lords in 1802 as 20th Lord Grey de Ruthyn, but
died without issue male in 1810. Barbara, his daughter, married the second Marquis of Hastings,
and had two sons, who became respectively the third and fourth marquises, but died without
issue. She, by her deputies, carried the spurs at the coronations of George IV, William IV and
of Her Majesty. She also left four daughters, the eldest of whom was the late Countess of
Loudoun, in whose favour the abeyance of the English baronies of Botreaux, Hungerford, De
Moleyns, and Hastings were determined. The petitioner now prayed the abeyance in the
case of the Grey de Ruthyn barony might be determined in her favour.'
The right to carry the spurs at future coronations currently rests equally between the Barons
Grey de Ruthyn (although the peerage is at present in abeyance), and the Earls of Loudoun.
Nine years after the presentation of the petition discussed above, the following notice appeared
in the London Gazette (issue 25544, page 6300), dated 29 December 1885:-
The Queen has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, declaring that Bertha Lelgarde Clifton (commonly 
called Lady Bertha Lelgarde Clifton), wife of Augustus Wykeham Clifton, of Warton Hall, Lytham,
in the county of Lancaster, Esquire, sometime a Captain in the Rifle Brigade, the second daughter
of the Most Honourable George Augustus Francis, Marquess of Hastings, by Barbara Yelverton,
in her own right Baroness Grey de Ruthyn, his wife, and sister and coheir of the Most Honourable
Weysford Charles Plantagenet, Marquess of Hastings, and Baron Grey de Ruthyn, all deceased,
is and shall be Baroness Grey de Ruthyn, and shall have and enjoy the ancient Barony of Grey de
Ruthyn, together with all the rights, titles, privileges, preeminences, precedencies, immunities,
and advantages whatsoever thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining, to hold to her and
the heirs of the body lawfully begotten and to be begotten in as full and ample manner as the
said Henry Weysford Charles Plantagenet, Marquess of Hastings, the last Baron Grey de Ruthyn, 
or any of his ancestors, held and enjoyed the same.'
Cecil Talbot Clifton, 24th Lord Grey de Ruthyn
From the Dundee "Evening Telegraph and Post" of 4 September 1912:-
'A telegram to the New York Sun from Butte, Montana, says that the Hon. Cecil Clifton, the
Montana rancher, who has just succeeded to the title of Lord Grey de Ruthyn, may not return
to England. The Sun quotes Mr. Harold Lowther, the new peer's ranching partner, who is a
brother of the Speaker of the House of Commons, as saying that Lord Grey de Ruthyn likes
ranching so much that he does not care about his title.
'Others, according to the Sun, declare that there is romantic reason behind Lord Grey de Ruthyn's
refusal to return to England. Lord Grey de Ruthyn and Mr. Lowther were cattle breeders on a
large scale until three years ago, when they sold most of their holdings, retaining 1400 acres near
the town of Roundup, where they now live. The new Peer is described as a musician, who spends
most of his time with musical instruments, dogs, and horses. He refuses to discuss his plans.'
The special remainder to the Barony of Grimthorpe
From the "London Gazette" of 16 February 1886 (issue 25559, page 744):-
"The Queen has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland granting the dignity of a Baron of the said United
Kingdom unto Sir Edmund Beckett, Bart., and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the
name, style, and title of Baron Grimthorpe, of Grimthorpe, in the East Riding of the county of
York, with remainder in default of such issue to the heirs male of the body of his father, Sir
Edmund Beckett, Bart., deceased."
Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford
Before he succeeded to the Earldom in 1817, North had been for some years Governor of
Ceylon [now Sri Lanka]. The following history of his tenure as Governor is the subject of an
article in the June 1956 issue of the Australian monthly magazine "Parade":-
 
'Late in June, 1803, a British soldier staggered into the jungle outpost of Fort Macdowall, near
Trincomalee, Ceylon. He was gaunt with hunger and fever. A gaping sword wound had severed
the muscles of his neck and as he walked, he supported his head in his hands. The man was
Corporal Barnesley of Her Majesty's 19th Regiment of Foot, the lone survivor of 1000 men. He
had made a nightmare journey through more than 100 miles of swamp and jungle to bring back
the shocking story of murder and treachery which ended an ill-conceived attempt to win all
Ceylon for Britain. The blame for this inglorious chapter in British colonial history rests on the
shoulders of Ceylon's first governor, the Honourable Frederick North, later 5th Earl of Guilford.
'In 1798, the British had dislodged the Dutch from Ceylon and were firmly entrenched along the
entire coastline. The mountainous centre of the island remained native territory - the kingdom
of Kandy. It was ruled by Vicrema Singha [Sri Vikrama Rajasimha], newly crowned, but following
the best traditions of the tyrannical Malabar kings. Early in 1799, Pilema Talawuwe arrived in
Colombo with a proposition for Governor North. The new king, he said, was an unpopular 
weakling. Blandly, he told the Governor that he intended to murder the king when the time was 
ripe and take over the throne. But just in case his fellow nobles objected, he needed a little
armed assistance. In return for British backing, he was prepared to allow North to put a British
garrison into the town of Kandy.
'Governor North refused to be a party to murder, but he was plainly interested. Pilema therefore
made a second proposition. He offered to provoke Kandy into attacking the British on condition
that after the war he was allowed a free hand to take over the throne. North again refused, but
but Pilema knew his ambition to make Kandy a British protectorate and hammered at his
weakness. He told North that the king knew his hold on the throne was shaky and was in deadly
fear of his life. If the British offered to make Kandy a protectorate and allow him to retire to the
safety of Colombo, the king would accept gladly. The Governor believed the slippery Minister
and drew up a treaty naming Kandy a British protectorate. The king was to retain his title and
live in Colombo. Pilema was to become ruler of Kandy under British direction.
'Early in 1800 North sent General Macdowall to Kandy with the treaty. He gave strict 
instructions that the treaty would come into force only if the king signed willingly. Pilema was
delighted with his scheme, but more delighted with the size of General Macdowall's escort - 
1164 troops and six six-pounder guns. He felt sure that such a show of force would bluff the 
king into signing. Macdowall soon discovered that the king was by no means unsure of his 
throne and had no fears for his life. He greeted Macdowall haughtily and sent him back to 
Colombo with a cold refusal.
'Back in Kandy, Pilema worked assiduously to unseat the king, but found he was surprisingly
popular with Kandyan nobles. He changed tactics and put all his efforts into inciting war 
between Kandy and the British, hoping that in the melee he could grab the throne.
 
'In 1802, Pilema succeeded. He ordered the confiscation of £1000 worth of areca nuts belonging
to British merchants. North demanded compensation from the king. Vicrema Singha ignored the
request, and to save face North declared war on Kandy. Before launching his attack, North put
his muddled intentions into writing. He hoped that Pilema would aid the British, he wrote, and, if
he "proved to be very powerful," he proposed to make him ruler of Kandy under British direction.
On the other hand, if Pilema turned out to be a weak force in Kandy, he proposed to put Prince
Muttasamy, the brother­in-law of the late king on the throne. With this shaky policy, North 
went to war.
 
'In January, 1803, General Macdowall marched from Colombo with 1900 troops. Early in February
Colonel Barbut led another column of 1444 from Trincomalee, on the other side of Ceylon. The
Kandyans refused pitched battles. They were content to cut off isolated coolie trains, snipe,
harry the strung­out column, and wait for fever to weaken the British. The two British columns
converged on Kandy in March. It was a hollow victory. Except for stray dogs and old women, 
the town was deserted. The wily Vicrema Singh had stripped it bare and retired to 
Hanguranketa. Pilema was nowhere in sight, so, on the orders of Governor North, Colonel Barbut 
proclaimed Prince Muttasamy King of Kandy. Muttasamy's first act was to offer King Vicrema 
Singha a pension and a residence in Colornbo. Vicrema Singha, with his forces intact, no doubt 
laughed heartily. 
'Pilema, the arch opportunist, saw that the British expedition was doomed to failure and threw 
in his lot with Vicrema Singha. In secret he told General Macdowall that the king was hiding at
Hanguranketa. Macdowall despatched a large force to capture the king, and walked into a
carefully prepared ambush. The column fought its way out with heavy losses and returned to
Kandy. General Macdowall found himself in a dangerous situation. The rainy season had set in
and further campaigning was out of the question. Hostile Kandyans had cut his supply line and
no food or ammunition was reaching him from the coast. Worse, malaria was taking a terrible toll
of his troops. 
'Pilema, still playing the game from both sides, contacted Governor North. He offered to deliver
up the king if North would make him "Grand Prince" and the real ruler of Kandy. North agreed,
and met Pilema to sign the documents. In his report he wrote that he now thought Pilema was 
in good faith. Never was trust more misplaced. At the time North met him to sign the documents
Pilema had a well laid plan to kidnap him. Only the unexpected size of the Governor's escort and
the arrival of a detachment of British troops saved North from rotting in a Kandyan gaol as a
hostage.
'Secure in his belief that the powerful Pilema was on the side of the British, North ordered the
evacuation of Kandy. He left behind 1000 men, most of whom were too sick to travel, under
Colonel Barbut. General Macdowall marched out, leaving the garrison to the mercy of Pilema.
Shortly afterwards, Colonel Barbut died of fever and Major Adam Davie, a man with no active 
service, was left in command of Kandy. 
 
'Before dawn on June 23, Pilema led 10,000 Kandyans in an attack on the town. Davie met the
attack with 35 sick European troops and 290 unreliable native soldiers. When the garrison was
driven into the king's palace, Davie abandoned the useless fight and asked for terms. Pilema
guaranteed his force a safe conduct to the coast and promised to care for the 120 sick and
wounded in the hospital. He insisted that Davie's party must surrender their powder supplies.
Davie and his men marched out of Kandy the same day, taking the puppet king Muttasamy
with them, Of the original 1000 men, 34 Europeans and 390 native troops essayed the march.
'Davie's capitulation to Pilema sealed the fate of the 120 sick Europeans in Kandy. Before noon
the next day the tribesmen swooped from the jungle and raged through the hospital. Only one
man escaped the massacre - Corporal Barnesley. Left for dead by a native swordsman, 
Barnesley crawled into the jungle and began his unbelievable trek to the coast.
'Meanwhile Davie and his miserable army reached the Mahwali-Ganga and found the river a
raging torrent. Pilema had promised to provide boats for the crossing, but broke his promise. He
told Davie that he could have the boats if he handed over Muttasamy. Davie agreed, even 
though be knew it meant certain death for Muttasamy. The unfortunate puppet was beheaded
next day and died cursing the British. After the execution, Pilema continued his treachery by
still refusing the boats. Baulked by the torrent, Davie's men began building rafts. From the
surrounding jungle the Kandyans watched them, and each time they got a rope across the
river, cut it. Again Pilema approached Davie. He offered to provide boats if the British would lay
down their arms. Davie grasped at the faint hope, and gave the order which left his men 
without even bayonets to defend themselves. The Kandyans closed in gleefully on the helpless
men. They led them into the jungle in pairs, clubbed them to death, hacked off their heads, and
tossed the bodies into the river. Three officers, Major Davie, Captain Humphreys and Captain
Rumley, were spared. They died miserably in Kandyan gaols years later.
'When news of the debacle reached Colombo, Governor North asked for 3000 troops for a
punitive expedition. But Britain was fully occupied fighting Napoleon and sent him 800. Vicrema
Singha decided that the time was ripe to throw the British out of Ceylon. His troops overran the
Maritime Provinces and advanced towards Colombo. Fighting in open country was not to the
Kandyan taste, and at Fort Hungwella, 20 miles from Colombo, a small British force under 
Captain Pollock stopped Vicrema in his tracks. He had been so certain of victory that he had
set up pointed stakes for impaling British prisoners. A cannon ball which ploughed up the ground
at his feet sent him scurrying for the hills with his army behind him. Though he had led the rout,
Vicrema had three of his generals beheaded for cowardice.
'Fighting stopped by mutual consent in 1805. That year Governor North was replaced by the
able administrator, Sir Henry Maitland. Maitland restored order and straightened out his
predecessor's muddles. Vicrema Singha spent the days of peace building his reputation as a
monster. Suspicious of every noble who attained popularity, he executed hundreds by impaling,
beheading or trampling to death by the royal elephants. 
'In 1811, Pilema Talawuwe, a schemer to the end, raised his supporters in revolt. It was his last
plot. The king arrested him. Vicrema had a special fate for traitors. His torturers cut strips from
Pilerna's body and forced him to eat them before he was beheaded.  Pilema's successor, 
Ehelopola, endured the king's tyranny for three years, then he, too, revolted. He was defeated
and fled to Colombo. Vicrema took terrible vengeance on his family and friends.
'In the end Vicrema Singha's cruelty destroyed him. In 1814 he suspected 10 merchants from 
the British provinces of spying. He cut off their noses, ears and right arms, hung them round
their necks, and sent them back to Colombo. Nine of the ten died. The British Governor was
forced to act. In January 1815, the British invasion of Kandy began. This time the supply and
medical services worked smoothly. Within a month, British troops occupied Kandy with little
opposition. To Ehelopola, the man whose family Vicrema Singha had foully butchered, fell the
honour of capturing him. He caught him in a native village and dragged him shrieking to the
British commander. If Ehelopola hoped his family would be avenged, he was wrong. The British
exiled Vicrema Singha to India, where he died peacefully in 1832 - the last King of Kandy.'
Francis North, 6th Earl of Guilford
The 6th Earl was at the centre of a major scandal during the middle years of the 19th century 
when it was found that he had abused his position as Master of the St. Cross Hospital by
misappropriating its funds, since he was not legally appointed to the Mastership of the hospital.
Between 1808, when he was first appointed, and 1853, it was estimated that he had illegally
received £90,000. After a lengthy campaign by the newspapers of the time, particularly the
"Daily News," the matter was the subject of an inquiry by the Master of the Rolls in 1853. The
following is extracted from a lengthy report which appeared in the "Daily News" of 3 August
1853:-
'The case of St. Cross is so rich an illustration of various charity abuses as to be embarrassing
from its very fullness. Its Master, the Rev. Lord Guilford, is the son of a Bishop of Winchester
[Brownlow North 1741-1820, half brother of Lord North, later 2nd Earl of Guilford]. By his
episcopal parent he was first made Rector of St. Mary, Southampton, worth between £2000
and £3000 a year; then he was appointed by the same generous patron Rector of Alresford,
worth some £1500 to £1800 a year; next the same fond relative gave him a Canonry in
Winchester Cathedral, then equal in value probably to the living of Alresford. Thus comfortably
provided for was the Rev. Francis North, Lord Guilford [although he did not succeed to the
Earldom until 1827], in the year of grace 1808, when the Mastership of the Hospital of St.
Cross became vacant by Dr. Lockman's death. It was in the Bishop's gift, and to it also he
resolved to appoint his well-beloved son. But here a difficulty arose. By the statute of Henry
VIII, no clerk could, under any circumstances, hold more than three benefices. Now the Bishop's
son had already three pieces of ecclesiastical preferment, and though the Mastership of St.
Cross was a lay office, it could only be held by the rectors of the subordinate incumbency of
St. Faith, in which parish the Hospital is. To be Master of St. Cross, the appointee must first
be Rector of St. Faith; and hence it is that a clergyman always holds the office, though it is
in itself a lay one. But Bishops and their sons in 1808 cared little for Acts of Parliament.....
So the Bishop made his son Master, without giving him induction into the Rectory of St. Faith;
and, though for the last forty-four years Lord Guilford has acted as Master of St. Cross, there
seems very small reason to doubt that he has from the first been a trespasser and an intruder,
and that de jure the mastership has been vacant ever since Dr. Lockman's death.'
The Master of the Rolls (Sir John Romilly, later 1st Baron Romilly) characterised the whole affair
as "a shameless perversion of charity" to the extent of at least £9000 a year. In his findings he 
urged that "there should be an inquiry as to the present state and condition of the charity, and
that the present master of St. Cross Hospital, the Earl of Guilford, should account for the 
receipt of the rents and profits of the hospital from the date of filing of the present information."
He further commented that "the shameless perversion of one of our noblest charities has been
done under a system which not even the most unscrupulous cupidity could have carried out
till hardened into a contempt for common decency." Romilly's reference to the "date of filing of
the present information" meant that Guilford was called upon to refund only a small portion of
the charity's income - that for the previous four years, since the initial information had been
filed in 1849.
Dudley Francis North, 7th Earl of Guilford
The 7th Earl died following a hunting accident, as reported by 'The Sportsman' of 21 December
1885:-
'With deep regret we announce the death of the Earl of Guilford, M[aster of the] F[ox] H[ounds],
which occurred at Sydling-court, near Dorchester, on Saturday evening shortly before 10 
o'clock, from the effects of the terrible injuries he sustained through being thrown from his horse
in taking an awkward double fence on Friday whilst hunting with the Cattistock Hounds, of 
which he had been the master since 1882, near Buckland Newton. His Lordship, after the
occurrence, was taken to Castlehill House, whence, after his leg had been set, he was removed
to Sydling-court, where it was ascertained that his injuries were much more serious than were
at first anticipated, as, in addition to a bad compound fracture of the leg as well as of several
ribs, he was found to be suffering from internal injuries of such a dangerous nature that his
recovery was considered from the first almost hopeless. Dr. M'Enery, of Sherbourne, with Dr.
Kerr, were unremitting in their attentions, but his Lordship, who lapsed into a comatose state
early on Saturday, gradually sank and expired, as we have said, a little before 10 p.m. that 
evening, to the intense grief of the Countess, who was present at the time, as well as a host
of friends throughout Dorsetshire and elsewhere. Deceased, who was only in his 35th year,
leaves a son, George Frederick, who succeeds to the title, and an only daughter.'
Francis George North, styled Lord North, son of the 8th Earl of Guilford (15 June 1902-
25 August 1940)
Lord North, together with his sister Cynthia, is shown in 'Burke's Peerage' as having been killed
in an accident on 25 August 1940. This accident occurred when he was walking in a prohibited
area - the reason the particular area was prohibited is that it was sown with land-mines as a 
defence against a possible German invasion during WWII.
The following report appeared in the 'Manchester Guardian' of 28 August 1940:-
'Death by misadventure was the verdict recorded at the inquest on Lord North and his sister
Lady Cynthia Williams, killed by a land-mine when walking on Sunday morning. Lady North, who
was with them, was seriously injured.
'The accident occurred in a prohibited area. A police constable said that on going to the scene
of a loud explosion he saw Lady North stepping over some barbed wire. All she could say was,
"Lord North and Lady Cynthia are down there. Are they all right?" Police and military made a
search of the spot, but all they could find were remnants of clothing which it was known that
Lord North and his sister were wearing at the time, and it was by these that their identity was
established. There was a series of large craters where the mishap occurred.
'The Coroner said that while some might think that a strong notice of warning should be
exhibited in places of danger any interference with the defences was highly dangerous. The
public should know that they must not go beyond them.
'From the military evidence it was learned that at least 700 sentries would be wanted to 
safeguard the particular area in which the tragedy occurred.'
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