After Henry

Table 1 shows Henry's three indisputable sons and their chief descendants, a clutch of Lords Grey. There may have been a fourth son, another Henry, but his existence is inferred from a reference of 1222 which may be an error. Richard inherited Thurrock on the death of his father (probably in 1219) and Codnor on that of his mother (in 1246). He held many important positions during the long reign of Henry III (1216 - 72). In 1226 he and his brother, John, were joint wardens of the Channel Islands. In 1239 he was sheriff of Essex and Herts, and was granted free warren in Thurrock and a market and fair there. In 1248 he was steward of Gascony. In 1252 he and John were embraced by the king for taking the Cross. In 1253/4 he was again warden of the Channel Islands. In 1258 he took the barons' side against the king, and in 1265, the year Prince Edward destroyed Simon de Montfort's army at Evesham, all his lands were forfeited. Powicke (14) comments on the prince's statesmanship at the end of the Barons' War, and that Richard's confiscated estates were soon returned to him says much about Edward's treatment of defeated enemies. An earlier action of Richard's (probably in 1240) was to settle the Carmelite Friars on one of his holdings, at Aylesford in Kent.

Richard's son, John, only outlived his father by four months, but John's son, Henry, was lord of the manor for the whole of Edward Is reign (1272 - 1307) and Tatchell (15) says that the king stayed with him at Thurrock on a number of occasions, possibly because of a convenient river crossing there. Henry was summoned to Parliament from 6th February 1298/9 to 16th August 1308, so he was the first baron by write (fourth by tenure) of Codnor. Between 1294 and 1307 he served in many of Edward I's campaigns, both on the mainland of Europe and in Scotland, being largely responsible for the mustering of the Essex and Hertfordshire contingents of the army assembled at Carlisle in 1300. Later in the same year he was present at the siege of Carlaverock castle, and his banner is one of those described in Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas's poem, The Siege of Carlaverock (Fig.2). Reward for this faithful service to the king came in 1306, when he was given pardon for all his and his ancestors' outstanding debts to be Exchequer. He was buried in the Carmelite Friary at Aylesford, as requested in his will.

The Arms of Grey of Condor Barry 6 Argent & Azure (As borne at Carlaverock in 1300)

Richard second Lord Grey of Codnor, was lord of the manor in 1327 when, in the lay subsidy of that year, Grays was assessed at 57s 8d. Details are given in Ward (16), where Richard's share is shown to be one third of the total. He was summoned to Parliament between 1308/9 and 1334/5 and emulated his great-grandfather, by becoming steward of Gascony in 1324. He married Joan, daughter of Lord FitzPayn, who survived him.

Richard's son, John, third Lord Grey of Codnor, was very active in the wars of Edward III's reign (1327 - 77), including the Crecy campaign (1346). He is often confused with John, Lord Grey of Rotherfield, who was created KG when the order was founded. John of Codnor's second wife, who gave him a son, was Alice, daughter of Sir Warin de Lisle. Like his grandfather, he elected to be buried in the Carmelite church at Aylesford.