As noted earlier in this chapter, no record of Rychard Gregorye’s birth has survived; therefore, I have approximated his birth year to be 25 years before his recorded marriage in 1559. This estimate indicates that he was likely born around 1534, roughly aligning Rychard’s birthdate with that of the future Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), the last of the five Tudor monarchs.
Rychard was born and lived during a period of significant change in England. His early years coincided with King Henry VIII’s decision to break from Rome, the dissolution of the monasteries, and the increasing acceptance of Protestantism in England. When Henry VIII died in 1547, his nine-year-old son, Edward VI, succeeded him.
Edward VI was England’s first Protestant king. His support for the Protestant cause ultimately led him to sign a ‘Device for the Succession’ to prevent his Catholic older sister, Mary, from inheriting the throne and restoring Catholicism as the state religion in England.
This ‘Device’ led to Lady Jane Grey, Edward’s first cousin once removed and a Protestant, becoming ‘the nine days queen’. Lady Jane was born in Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, which is about 7 miles from Desford. The ruins of her home are situated within a beautiful deer park that welcomes visitors throughout the year.
Lady Jane’s reign concluded just nine days after it commenced when overwhelming support for Henry VIII’s eldest daughter prompted the Council to proclaim Mary as Queen. During Mary’s five-year reign, she made a resolute attempt to reverse the English Reformation and restore Catholicism in England.
Mary died without leaving a successor, which resulted in her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth ascending to the throne in November 1558 at the age of twenty-five. Three months later, on February 2, 1559, Richard Gregory married Margaret Stringer at Desford Church.
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