The First Wife of Sir Thomas Gray, Author of Scalacronica

Sir Thomas Gray of Heton (modern Heaton) in the parish of Norham, Northumberland, close to the Scottish border, was the author of ‘Scalacronica’. He wrote his chronicle, which provides unique insights into the history of the borders in the early fourteenth century, during his imprisonment in Edinburgh castle after he was captured by the Scots in a border skirmish in October 1355. His career and family background are well documented, but what most scholars and genealogists appear to have overlooked is that Thomas Gray had two wives. Below, I look at the evidence for his first wife and family and her probable identification.

Sir Thomas Gray II, author of Scalacronica was the son and heir of Sir Thomas Gray I (died March 1344) and his wife Agnes. Thomas was probably born about 1315 and when he died in October 1369 he was in his mid-fifties. Yet his heir, another Thomas Gray, son of his wife Margaret de Presfen, was only ten years old at his father’s death, so it is certainly possible for him to have had an earlier wife and family. There are a few clues which point to the identity of his first wife, but the most important one is a case in the Court of Common Pleas in October 1362:

“Thomas de Gray, knight, claims against John Salvayn, knight, kinsman and one of the heirs of William Gray, knight, and John de Eure, knight, and Margar' his wife, aunt (amita) and another of the heirs of the aforesaid William Gray that they be present to warrant, together with William de Felton, knight, kinsman and another heir of the aforesaid William Gray, and William Heroun, knight, and Isabella his wife, aunt and another heir of the aforesaid William Gray, the manor of Hundburton juxta Staynfordbrigg with its appurtenances of 3 messuages, 8 bovates and 120 acres of land, 20 acres of meadow and 120 acres of wood with appurtenances in Kexby, Over Catton and Staynfordbrigg and a moiety of the manor of Wilberfoss with appurtenances, which Thomas Ughtred, knight, junior, claims against him in the king's court.” [1]

The persons mentioned in this 1362 case were the four sisters of Sir Thomas Gray or their children. These were:

Sir John Salvain, knight, of North Duffield, Yorkshire, son of Agnes Gray and Sir Gerard Salvain (died 1 August 1369). Sir John Salvain died v.p. in October 1366.

Sir John de Eure, knight, and Margaret Gray his wife. Sir John de Eure of Stokesley, Yorkshire died on 21 March 1366 and Margaret died in May 1378.

Sir William de Felton (III), knight, son of nn Gray and Sir William de Felton (II) (died 21 September 1358). Sir William de Felton (III) died s.p. on 20 March 1367, when his heir was his younger half-brother John (died 31 March 1396).

Sir William Heron, knight, of Ford, Northumberland and Isabel Gray his wife. Sir William Heron died on 21 December 1379.

It appears that Sir William Gray was the son of Sir Thomas Gray by his first wife. Since a father could not inherit from a child who died in his lifetime, Sir William’s heirs were his four aunts or their offspring.

Sir William Gray was probably born about 1335. Wyntoun in his account of the capture of Sir Thomas Gray, captain of Norham castle in October 1355, says that among the party of Englishmen who rode into a Scottish ambush was Thomas Gray's son "called William by name." [2]  William must have been captured and released with his father, because he appears in one other contemporary record. On 1 August 1358, William son of Thomas Gray was granted the custody of certain lands in East Harle, Northumberland, which had been taken into the king's hand. [3] Sir William Gray died between August 1358 and the court case in October 1362.

The 1362 case also gives us a pointer to the identity of Sir Thomas Gray’s first wife. I believe that she was the sister of Sir Thomas Ughtred, ‘junior’ who was claiming the lands in Yorkshire from Sir Thomas Gray. Sir Thomas Ughtred, of Kexby, Yorkshire, was the son of Sir Thomas Ughtred (died 1365) and his wife Margaret Burdon. He was probably born about 1320. If Thomas Gray’s first wife was his sister, and she died without living heirs, then Sir Thomas Ughtred would be her heir. I believe that Thomas Ughtred was claiming the lands in Yorkshire which were his sister’s marigatum from Sir Thomas Gray, but Thomas Gray needed his son’s heirs to warrant. The background to the case seems to be that Sir Thomas Ughtred sued Thomas Gray in Common Pleas for the manor of Hundburton and the lands in Kexby, etc. and half the manor of Wilberfoss and Thomas Gray called on the heirs of Sir William Gray to warrant the title.  Sir William Felton and Sir William and Isabel Heron presumably accepted their liability, but Salvain and the Eures did not, so Thomas Gray issued proceedings against them to force them to warrant the title.

We do not know the outcome of the 1362 court case, but there was evidently some kind of settlement because by a fine dated at Westminster on 25 June 1366, Thomas Grey, ‘chivaler,’ released to Thomas Ughtred, ‘chivaler,’ 100 acres of land, 20 acres of meadow, and 100 acres of wood in Kexby, to hold to Thomas Ughtred and his heirs. [4] What was agreed regarding the manor of Hundburton [now Burton Fields in the parish of Catton] and the moiety of the manor of Wilberfoss is unclear.

Sir Thomas Gray married secondly, about 1352, Margaret daughter of William de Presfen of Middleton, Northumberland (living in February 1358).  In February 1367, two and a half years before his death, Sir Thomas Gray set up a jointure with his wife and a string of entails on his children and others. 

On 10 February 1367, Thomas Gray, knight received a licence from bishop Hatfield to enfeoff Thomas de Kellawe, chaplain and Robert Gray of Wypirdene, of the manors of Heton, Ancroft, Rosse, Fellynton, and Duddowe, two parts of the manor of Kyley, a third part of the manor of Chesewik, and a fourth part of the manor of Westerupsetlyngton, twenty messuages and a hundred acres of land in Norham, seven messuages in Halieland, the fishery of Horncliffe Pole and half the fishery of Orde in the Tweed. The said Thomas de Kellawe and Robert Gray are to re-enfeoff Thomas Gray and Margaret daughter of William de Pressene, of all the aforesaid possessions to be held by the aforesaid Thomas and Margaret, and the heirs of the body of the said Thomas, with remainder to Joan, widow of John de Coupland, for life, with remainder to John Gray, son of Margaret, daughter of William de Pressene and the heirs male of his body, with remainder to Thomas Gray, son of the said Margaret and the heirs male of his body, with remainder to Joan, daughter of the said Margaret and the heirs of her body, with remainder to Elizabeth, daughter of the said Margaret, and the heirs of her body, with remainder of the whole to the survivor and the heirs of her body, with remainder to Robert Gray of Neubigging, and the heirs male of his body, with remainder to David Gray, and the heirs male of his body, with remainder to Thomas, son of William de Esshe, and the heirs male of his body, with remainder to Robert son of Robert de Ogle, and the heirs male of his body with remainder to the aforesaid Thomas Gray, knight, and his heirs for ever. [5]

Thomas Gray’s children by Margaret Presfen named in the 1367 entail were:

John Gray, who must have died in his father’s lifetime.

Thomas Gray, his eventual son and heir, who was aged 10 in 1369.

Joan Gray, who married firstly John, son of John Heron (died 1385) and secondly Ralph Cromwell who died in 1417. Joan died on 12 September 1434.

Elizabeth Gray who married Philip lord Darcy who died on 24 April 1399. Elizabeth died on 11 August 1412.

After the above entail, Thomas and Margaret had another daughter,

Agnes Gray who married Sir Thomas Umfreville, of Harbottle, Northumberland. He died on 12 February 1392 and Agnes died on 25 October 1420.

The name of Thomas Gray’s first wife is unknown but in April 1351, Thomas Gray, knight and Margaret his wife, of the diocese of Durham, had a papal indult to choose a confessor who shall give them plenary remission at the hour of death. [6] According to a papal dispensation, dated 7 March 1368, given because Thomas Gray was related to Margaret’s intended first husband in the fourth degree of kindred, Thomas and Margaret had been married for sixteen years, i.e., they were married about 1352. [7] So is possible that the 1351 entry in the Papal registers refers to his first wife, and that she was Margaret Ughtred.

Thomas Gray died shortly before the date of his first Durham inquisition post mortem held at Norham on 22 October 1369, when his heir was found to be his son Thomas aged 10.[8] It appears that Margaret married secondly John de Lilburn and died shortly before 15 August 1403.

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[1] Common Pleas for Michaelmas Term 36 Edward III, CP 40/411 m. 218. http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT4/E3/CP40no411/aCP40no411fronts/IMG_0438.htm

[2] F. J. Amours, ed., The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun, vol. 6, Scottish Text Society (1908), 207.

[3] Calendar of Fine Rolls, vol. 7, Edward III: 1356-1368 (1923), 74.

[4] Feet of Fines: CP 25/1/276/128, number 27.

[5] Thirty-Second Annual Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records (1871), Appendix I, 279-80.

[6] Calendar of Entries in the Papal Registers Relating to Great Britain, vol. 3 (1897), 411.

[7] Calendar of Papal Registers Relating to Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 4 (1902), 74.

[8] Forty-Fifth Annual Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records (1885), Appendix I, 201.