Earl Grey
and the Grey Family
History of the 2nd Earl Grey
Howick was the home of the Grey family from 1319 until the death of the 5th Earl Grey in 1963. The Estate then passed to his eldest daughter, Lady Mary Howick, and through her to her son the present Lord Howick of Glendale, grandson of the 5th Earl Grey. Charles 2nd Earl Grey is the most distinguished member.
As leader of the Whig party he was Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834. During which time the Great Reform Bill of 1832 was passed. This started the process of parliamentary reform which eventually led to our modern democracy. He married Mary Elizabeth Ponsonby in 1794. Their marriage was a happy and fruitful one, having 15 children.
Howick is also the home of Earl Grey tea! The tea was specially blended by a Chinese mandarin for Charles, 2nd Earl Grey. It was created to suit the water from the well at Howick. Using bergamot in particular to offset the taste of the lime in it. Lady Grey used it in London when entertaining as a political hostess. As a result it proved so popular that she was asked if it could be sold to others. Consequently this is how Twinings came to market it and it is now sold worldwide. Sadly the Greys, being unbusinesslike, failed to register the trade mark. As a result they have never received a penny in royalties.
Earl Grey’s statue stands on the column at the top of Grey Street in Newcastle. Also Grey College in Durham University is named after him. All the historical Grey family papers are deposited with Durham University.
The Grey Family
Howick has been owned by the Grey family since 1319. Lady Mary Grey, the elder daughter of Charles 5th Earl Grey, was the last member of the family to be called Grey. She inherited the Estate from her father in 1963 and died aged 94 in 2001. It is now the home of her son Charles, 2nd Lord Howick of Glendale, and his wife Clare; they have four married children and 14 grandchildren so far. His father was Evelyn Baring, who had a distinguished career in the Colonial Service. And the Commonwealth Development Corporation from 1942 until 1970, and he became the 1st Lord Howick of Glendale in 1960.
The 1st Earl
The 1st Earl Grey was a General who lacked a ‘good’ war to advance his career. He made his name in the early stages of the American War of Independence. Particularly with one surprise night attack, when he made his men removed the flints from their muskets. Therefore preventing one being discharged accidentally and warning the enemy. Instead making them rely on their bayonets and thereafter he was known as ‘No-flint Grey’. He also introduced marching in step on manoeuvres. A method of moving an army around more quickly, which had not been used since the Romans. In 1793, early in the Napoleonic Wars. He was sent out to the West Indies with Admiral Sir John Jervis (later Lord St. Vincent). Their mission to capture Martinique and Guadeloupe, which they did successfully. He lived at Fallodon, four miles north of Howick.
The 2nd Earl Grey
His eldest son, Charles, became 2nd Earl Grey and he is the best-known member of the family. The leading Whig politician of the early 1800s. Succeeding Charles James Fox, when the Tories were in the ascendant for 30 years under George III and IV, before becoming Prime Minister in 1830. The 2nd Earl Grey introduced the Great Reform Bill of 1832. The first major step towards modern parliamentary democracy, in the teeth of opposition from the Duke of Wellington, his predecessor in 10 Downing Street. In addition he had 15 children from one wife, all of whom survived. He inherited Howick from his bachelor uncle, Sir Henry Grey, on the condition that he renounced all claim to Fallodon.
The 3rd, 4th & 5th Earl Grey
Henry, 3rd Earl Grey was another active Whig politician and for a time was Colonial Secretary in the 1840s. As a result of which there are a number of places called Howick in Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. He retired suddenly to Howick in middle age and took no further part in public life. Although married, he had no children, and the title passed on his death in 1894 to his eldest nephew.
Albert 4th Earl Grey, the son of General Sir Charles Grey who was Queen Victoria’s first Private Secretary. Albert was a great believer in the British Empire, working in South Africa and Rhodesia. Before ending up as Governor-General of Canada. Charles 5th Earl was his son, who spent most of his life paying off his ancestors’ debts deriving from their political activities. He and his wife, Mabel Palmer, were great gardeners and transformed the gardens at Howick to what they now are.
