# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Gray, Patrick (d.1582)

​GRAY, PATRICK, of Buttergask, fourth Lord Gray (d. 1582), was connected with the English historic family of Grey, the earliest settler of the name in Scotland being a younger son of Lord Grey of Chillingham, Northumberland, who in the reign of William the Lion received from his father the lands of Broxmouth, Roxburghshire. The Scottish branch afterwards had their chief seat at Castle Huntly, Forfarshire. Patrick, fourth lord Gray, was the eldest son of Gilbert Gray of Buttergask, second son of Andrew, second lord Gray, lord justice-general of Scotland [see under Andrew Gray, first Lord Gray]. His mother was Egidia, daughter of Sir Laurence Mercer of Aldie. He succeeded to the peerage on the death of his father's half-brother Patrick, third lord Gray, in April 1541, and he also received the hereditary office of sheriff of Forfar, with an annual rent out of the customs of Dundee. On 25 Nov. 1542 he was taken prisoner at the rout of Solway, but, after remaining a short time in the custody of the Archbishop of York, was sent home, along with other lords, on paying a ransom of 500l., it being also understood that he would favour the betrothal of the young Prince Edward to Mary, daughter of James V. Knox represents Gray as at this time frequenting ‘the companie of those that professed godlinesse’ (Works, i. 111), and Sadler reports that on 13 Nov. the governor and Cardinal Beaton had gone into Fife and Forfar to gain Gray and others to their party either by ‘force or policy’ (Papers, i. 340). With Gray at Castle Huntly were the Earl of Rothes and Henry Balnaves [q. v.] Suspecting Beaton's hostile intentions, they collected a force to prepare for resistance, but were inveigled into a conference at Perth, where they were immediately apprehended and sent to the castle of Blackness (Knox, Works, i. 114–16, where, however, the occurrence is represented as taking place previous, instead of subsequent, to the conflict with Ruthven). They remained at Blackness till the arrival of the fleet of Henry VIII in the following May. A few months after this Gray was brought over to the support of the cardinal's party through his jealousy of Lord Ruthven, the quarrel being promoted by a clever stratagem on the part of Beaton. Beaton induced John Charteris of Kinfauns to accept the provostship of Perth by ‘donation of the governor,’ in opposition to the wishes of the people. At the time (1544) the office was held by Lord Ruthven, whom Beaton ‘hated’ for ‘his knowledge of God's word’ (ib. i. 111). Ruthven, with the aid of the townspeople, resolved to hold the office by force, whereupon Charteris obtained the aid of Gray, who agreed to undertake the command of the hostile force. The conflict for the provostship took place on 22 July 1545 on the narrow bridge over the Tay, when Ruthven, without the loss of a man, succeeded in holding the bridge, while forty of those under Gray were slain, in addition to many others taken prisoners or wounded (ib. p. 115; Diurnal of Occurrents, p. 34). On 16 Oct. following Gray received from Beaton a grant of part of the lands of Rescobie, Forfarshire, for his ‘ready and faithful help and assistance in these dangerous times of the church.’ He was one of those who entered the castle of St. Andrews after the murder of Cardinal Beaton (May 1546), and on 11 March (1546–7) he signed special and separate articles in which he promised to do all he could to promote the marriage of Prince Edward with the Scottish queen and also to give up the castle of Broughty, in consideration that the English should assist him to recover the town of Perth. He agreed that the English king should retain in his hands the principal strength of the town, called the Spey or Spy Tower (Cal. State Papers, Scott. Ser. i. 61; Keith, History, i. 143). On this account Gray was not present at the battle of Pinkie ​on 10 Sept. 1547, and on the 24th of the same month Broughty Castle was surrendered to the English fleet (Cal. State Papers, Scott. Ser. i. 66). On 13 Nov. he wrote a letter to Somerset advising the capture of Perth and St. Andrews for the advancement of the king's cause (ib. p. 70). After the surrender of Dundee he took an oath of allegiance to the English (ib. p. 72), and displayed great activity in preparing for the defence of the town against Argyll, whom the English subsequently employed him to bribe (ib. p. 78). Ultimately the attitude of Gray both towards the Reformation and towards England underwent a complete change. After various ambiguous answers he refused to sign the contract with England in July 1560 (Cal. State Papers, For. Ser. 1560–1, entry 454). He was taken prisoner, but on giving sureties of 1,000l. was permitted to return to Scotland. On 21 April 1561 he was called to make his entry into ward in England (ib. 1561–2, entry 127). Mary Queen of Scots wrote to Elizabeth on his behalf, 29 May 1562 (ib. 1562, entry 110), and on 7 July he was permitted again to return home under sureties of 1,000l. (ib. entry 286). Gray did not take a prominent part in connection with the Darnley and Bothwell episodes of Queen Mary's reign. He attended the first parliament of the regent Moray after the queen's abdication, and in 1569 he voted for the queen's divorce from Bothwell (Reg. Privy Council, ii. 8), but afterwards joined the queen's lords, and in March 1570 signed the letter asking help from Elizabeth (Letter in Calderwood, ii. 547–50). When the estates met for the election of a regent after the death of Mar, Atholl and Gray sent a letter asking that the election should be delayed, but no attention was paid to their request. Gray gave in his submission to Morton after the pacification of Perth, but more than once came into conflict with the authorities in connection with the administration of his estates (Reg. Privy Council Scotl. ii. 189, 354). When Morton resigned the regency in 1577, Gray was one of the council extraordinary chosen to assist the king. He died in 1582. By his wife, Marion, daughter of James, lord Ogilvie of Airlie, he had six sons and six daughters. He was succeeded in the peerage by his son Patrick, father of Patrick, sixth lord, master of Gray [q. v.]
T. F. H.