Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Grey, John (1432-1461)
GREY, JOHN, eighth Lord Ferrers of Groby (1432–1461), born in 1432, was elder son of Edward Grey (1415-1457), who was second son of Reginald, third lord Grey of Ruthin [q. v.], by his second wife, Joan, daughter and heiress of William Astley. Edward Grey married Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Ferrers and heiress of William, sixth lord Ferrers of Groby, at whose death in 1445 Grey became seventh Lord Ferrers of Groby, and was summoned to parliament by that title. He died 18 Dec. 1457, leaving four sons and a daughter. Of his sons John succeeded him, and Edward (d. 1492) married Elizabeth, daughter of John Talbot, viscount Lisle, and succeeded in her right to the barony of L'Isle in 1475, and was afterwards, in 1483, created Viscount L'Isle. John Grey was never summoned to parliament, and is commonly spoken of as Sir John Grey; he married, about 1450, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Richard Woodville, who, after her first husband's death, became the queen of Edward IV. Grey was killed fighting for Henry VI at the second battle of St. Albans on 17 Feb. 1461. His elder son was Thomas, first marquis of Dorset [q.v.]
Lord Richard Grey (d. 1483), the younger son, was made a knight of the Bath on Whitsunday, 1475 (Book of Knights, p. 4). After the death of Edward IV he and his uncle Anthony Woodville, earl Rivers, had for a time charge of the young king, but when conducting him to London for his coronation, they were arrested at Northampton on 30 April 1483 by Richard, duke of Gloucester, who charged them with having estranged from him the affection of his nephew. Grey and Rivers were sent to prison at Pontefract, where in June they were seized by Sir Richard Ratcliffe, and beheaded without any form of trial. According to Sir T. More this happened about the same time as the execution of Lord Hastings, which took place on 13 June; Rivers, however, was not executed till later, for his will is dated 23 June, but he refers to Richard Grey as already dead, and directs that he should be buried by his side in Pontefract Church (Excerpta Historica, p. 246).
[Croyland Chronicle; More's Life of Edward V; Polydore Vergil; Dugdale's Baronage, i. 719; Nicolas's Historic Peerage, ed. Courthope. pp. 182, 292; Burke's Dormant and Extinct Peerages, pp. 249, 251.]