Brass Rubbing: Sir Anthony Grey

From Horowitz. 2002. Sir Anthony's armor is of that described in the preceding section. His head rests on an ornate tilting helmet, and he stands on a bed of grass. Around his neck is the Yorkist collar of suns and roses. This knight was the eldest son of Edmund, Lord Grey of Ruthin (created Earl of Kent by Edward IV). Anthony married Joan Woodville, daughter of Sir Richard Woodville (Earl Rivers). His brother, George, married Joan's sister, Anne Woodville. A relative of Anthony's, John Lord Grey, became the first husband of yet another sister, Elizabeth Woodville, later the queen of Edward IV. This John Grey was a staunch Lancastrian who was killed in 1461 fighting the Yorkists. Anthony, a supporter of the House of York, was killed in a similar battle in 1480. The Greys thus fought for both York and Lancaster. Sir Anthony found favor with Edward IV, who granted him an annuity of 100 marks for life in 1470. He was referred to as the king's "kinsman" in the records, and he helped arm the countryside against the Lancastrian supporters. He was a justice of the peace in several counties from 1469 until his death. On 3 July 1471, he was present in the parliamentary chamber with other lords and knights to swear allegiance to King Edward's newly born son, Prince Edward. Three years after Sir Anthony's death, this Prince Edward and his younger brother were mysteriously murdered, probably by their Uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who took the throne as Richard III. It should be clear that loyalties waxed and waned with successive events. Anthony was a Yorkist; his relative, John, a Lancastrian. Brother George married into the Yorkist family, as did Anthony, and lived well under the first Tudor, who represented himself as the heir to the House of Lancaster. Often the roses of red and white appeared pink to those who wished to survive. From the catalogue, An Exhibition of Medieval Brass Rubbings by Kathleen H. Cairns: "Sir Anthony Grey, 1480. In elaborate plate armour with collar of Suns and Roses. Son and heir of Edmund, Earl of Kent. His head rests on his tilting helmet. The livery collar of Suns and Roses was a Yorkist collar and was adopted by Edward IV after the battle of Mortimore's Cross. Inscription and shields lost."

Horowitz, Mark R. The Monumental Brasses of England: The Horrowitz Collection. Morton Grove, IL: Portcullis Productions, 1980 (1979). p. 27-28. Horowitz, Mark R. The Monumental Brasses of England. The Horowitz Collection. New Edition, 2002. p.33-34. Cairns, Kathleen H. An Exhibition of Medieval Brass Rubbings, October 20 through November 19. Catalog #30.