Cecily Clay

We do not know of the year of birth of Cecily, daughter of Sir John and Joan Clay but we do have information about her marriages and children.

Sir Robert Grene

From The History of Parliament 1439-1509

Cecily was married firstly to Robert Grene who had been born in 1430 and he was the son and heir of Sir Walter Grene of  Cowley Peachey and MP for Middlesex, his mother was Elizabeth Warner and she was the second wife of Sir Walter.

We dont know when he married Cecily but he was an executor of Sir John Clay's  will in 1464, so presumably he had been within the family for some time.

His father died in 1456 and he would have appeared to have been an MP for Middlesex in 1467. 

In 1471, he was knighted after the Battle of Tewkesbury, alongside his brother in law, John Clay the Younger.

He was a commissioner for Middlesex, in 1467 and 1472, he was also a JP in 1472.

He had command of a force of men at arms and archers for service in Burgundy, this was the 1st of December 1472.

Charles of Burgundy came to an understanding with Louis XI; Green and his forces had to leave however, for Sir John Paston (q.c.), writing from Canterbury, April 16, 1473, says that "most of the soldiers who went with Sir Robert Green leeff, and came home." ; Paston Letters, No. 723, iii. 89; 

Calendar of the Patent Rolls (1472), 363. December 18, 1473.

In the History, it's recorded Robert died whilst in France as no communications were received from him after December the 18th 1473.

We do have this to back up that claim but did he go to France,

The Life and Reign of Edward IV, Vol 2, page 40, Cora L Schofield

Believing all was well, on October 24 Edward sealed his ratification of the treaty with Francis and, at about the same time, commissioned Sir Robert Grene to take four hundred archers to Burgundy to aid Charles. Yet it turned out that Grene and his archers were destined to stay at home because before it was time to cross the sea, Edward learned that Francis and then Charles had signed a truce with Louis and that there must be at least a semblance peace negotiations. Francis' truce with the French king, which at first lasted only six weeks, was signed on 15 October, and the duke appears to have sent an embassy to Edward immediately after its conclusion. Indeed, Paston, writing on November 4, declared that he had heard that ambassadors from Brittany would arrive in London. The next day it was rumored that Earl Rivers would "return with all haste" from Brittany with those of his men who had not died "from the flux and other epidemics", and that some declared the

It would seem possible that Robert whether or not he reached France, may have died of the flux,  did Sir John the Younger also go to France at this point and did he suffer the same fate as Sir Robert Grene.

The Pedigree of Robert and Cecily and the grandchildren and great grandchildren of Sir John Clay

We will just concentrate on the children of Robert and Cecily for now, from the tree we can see that there is a son Edward who was born in 1471 and died  on the 14th of January 1493 and then we have a daughter, also named Cecily who was born in  1467, we believe she died in 1521. She may have been a companion to Margaret Beaufort, we are still trying to confirm this.

On the death of Cecily in 1481, Cecily's property fell into the hands of Edward the IV as Edward Greene was still only a minor.

EDWARD SON AND HEIR OF CECILY LATE WIFE OF ROBERT GRENE, knight.

Writ of Devenerunt, missing; inquisition, February 15, 8 Henry VII.

Elizabeth Grene, late wife of Walter Grene, squire, being seized in charge of the manor and messages etc. mentioned below, enfeoffed thereto Bartholomew Willesdon, Thomas Byllyng, knight, John Pemberton, clerk, Nicholas Gaynesford and Simon Elryngton, to hold them and their heirs for the use of herself and her heirs; and Bartholomew Willesdon and Nicholas Gaynesford, the survivors of the said trustees, are still seized as survivors. Nevertheless, the said manor and messages &c., in the name of the manor of Cowley Petche and 10 messages, 100a. earth, 20a. meadow and 6a. the wood of Colham, Northall and Northwode, fell into the hands of Edward IV by the death of Cecily, former wife of Robert Grene, knight, late wife of John Acton, and by reason of the minority of Edward, his son and heir, following an inquisition upon a writ of diem clausit extremum taken at Westminster on the 10th of April, 21 Edward IV, before Roger Apulton, then escheator in Middlesex, by which it was found that the said Cecily had died seized in stronghold of the said manor and messages &c., the warrant of which was unknown to the jury, and that Edward Grene, his son and heir, was aged 10 years and upward. It was also noted by the said inquisition that Cecily was seized in fief of the manor of Hese, then held by the archbishop of Canterbury, services unknown; but the jurors present say that Thomas, Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury, was seized of the said manor in fief of the right of this bishopric, and that Cecily owned nothing there on the day of her death. The said Edward died on January 14th. Cecily, now the wife of William Burbage, aged 26 

Edward  was married, at least as far as we know, he died at the age of  22. We are looking into his wife and possible children.

From the The Common Lawyers of prereformation England, E.W. Ives, page 470

NEWDIGATE, John 1510

of Harefield, Middx., esq., 1499, gent., 1504; son and heir of John Newdigate, esq., of Harefield and Crawley, Sussex, and Elizabeth, dau. Thomas Yonge, JCP; adm. L.I. 1483, A.R. 1499, L. R. probably 1504, A.R. 1510, called to the coif; JP Middx of 1498; underage bride, 1471, to Cecily, dau. Sir Robert Grene, granddaughter. Walter Grene, 

So it would appear,  Cecily was destined to be married to John Newdigate. 

Cecily Grene, however married William Burbage of Hayes, who died and was buried in the church at Hayes in 1497. They had three sons, Thomas, Richard and Anthony, according to the pedigree only Thomas but we have further information from the Pedigrees of Middlesex, Mundy, page 78.  They would have been the Great Grandchildren of Sir John.

Cecily, then married William Craythorne in 1498, he died in 1504. see below (further information is required)

Thirdly she married William Bedell and here is some information on him, taken from the website of Westminster abbey.

William was a trusted official in the household of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of  Henry VII who died in 1509) and her third husband Sir Henry Stafford and some of his accounts survive in the  Abbey archves In about 1506 he married Cecily  Craythorne and they leased a house from the Abbey. She was still alive in 1521 as she was granted a lease in January of that year. He was bailiff of Cheshunt in Hertfordshire and possibly bailiff of Kimbolton in Huntingdon. The Archbishop of York he served was Thomas Wolsey. In his will he attributed all his wealth to Lady Margaret.

Further reading

"The King's Mother. Lady Margaret Beaufort..." by Michael K. Jones and Malcolm Underwood, 1992

Here is his tomb inscription

Here lies William Bedell Esquier, late treasurer to my Lorde Cardinall, Archbishop of Yorke and Chancellor of England, and of Cicely, his wife, whom William died July 3 1518

William was buried in the south transept of Westminster Abbey near Chaucer's tomb, sadly his gravestone no longer exists.

It's difficult to know where to insert this information as it contains so many names and covers several generations.

It comes From BHO and references the Bell Inn, St Mary le Bow.

Brown's two sons appear to have died without legitimate heirs. The bell with its houses, solars and stores came into the possession of Thomas Coton and Walter Grene, who deeded it to John Olney, Thomas Knolles, Robert Oppy, clerk, and Master William Lychefeld, clerk. Knolles and Lychefeld died, and in 1449 the survivors granted the property to the Chief Justices of the King's Bench (the same Walter Grene, squire, and John Fortescu, knight), Nicholas Norton, clerk, Philip Malpas, alderman and draper, Hugh Wyche, citizen and mercer, Milo Wyndesore, squire, Thomas Frowyk and John Blofeld. Blofeld eventually became sole owner, and in 1464 granted the bell to Robert Grene, squire, his wife Cecilia, daughter of John Clay, knight  and Robert's heirs and assigns. The building went to Grene's son and heir, Edward Grene, who died seized in 1493, when the property was valued at £6 per annum. It then passed to Edward's sister and heiress Cecilia, who was married to William Burbage. In 1495, Burbage, Cecilia, Roger Bykenell, and Bykenell's wife, Benedicta, granted a third share of the property as dowry to Edward Grene's widow, Elizabeth, and her husband, William Eyre. Later that same year, Bykenell and his wife relinquished the entire property to Burbage and his wife, who immediately granted a two-thirds share to Bykenell and his wife for the duration of their lives. Cecilia remarried after Burbage's death and in 1504, as a widowed Cecilia Craythorne, relinquished the property to Benedicta Bykenell. 

John Acton

The above pedigree of the Grenes of Hayes is incorrect when it says she married Robert Acton, in fact Cecily married secondly John Acton MP.

Taken from The History of Parliament 1439-1509

ACTON, JOHN JOHN (1435-81); of Bewdley, Worc., esq., and of Whittington in Kinver, Staffs. Servant of the king 1470-80. Steward of Kidderminster.

MP WORCESTERSHIRE 1478. S. of Walter Acton; mr. Cecily, Daughter of Sir John Clay (q.c.), and widow of Sir Robert Green (q.v.).

Apptd. Rider of the Kinver Forest, July 8, 1461; ranger of Chaspell and Ashwood at Kinver, 17 November 1461 - exempted in 1464; sheriff, staffs, 1467-8; called Servant of the King, he was one of those who were responsible for seizing the lands of the supporters of Clarence and Warwick in April 1470; pardoned by the Government of Warwick, February 11, 1471, "of Whittington, esq., alias gent." As Sergeant-at-Arms he was sent from Westminster to Lichfield to arrest Robert Arthur, in July 1471. 1 In 1471 he was Steward of Kidderminster, also J.P. Staffs., from 8 July 1471 to 1475; J.P. Salop 1477 until his death. Pardoned, November 1471, "of Whittington, esq., alias of Beaudeley, gent." He served on various staffs and Salop communes. from April 1471; was Bailiff of the House in 1474 when Braunston, N'hants, confiscated by Lord Roos, was granted to him; served in France with the king in 1475, being paid for a man-at-arms (himself) and 12 archers. In 1478, while Parlt. was seated, he was granted the stewardship of Kinver.

D., seized from Braunston, about January 1, 1481, leaving an infant son, Anthony.

John is having to work within his positions granted by one King, then having the King change and then having the original king,  Edward IV back again. It would also seem that John was with Edward in France in 1475, supposedly claiming back his kingdom of France.

From the will of Joan Clay d 1477 we know there was also an Alice Acton and we will endeavor to locate what happened to her and Anthony.

Last Days

According to  The Environs of London, Middlesex, Daniel Lysons

Hayes Park Manor

Cecily, relic of Sir Robert Grene, died in 1481, owner of an estate in this parish, called the Manor of Hayes, held under the Archbishop's Manor'. This estate was likely inherited from the Warner family. Walter Grene (father of Sir Robert), who lies buried in the wing belonging to Hayes-Park, married Robert's heiress Warner Efq. Sir Robert Grene's only daughter and heiress married William Burbage, whose grandson, Robert, was of Hayes-park-hall. Anne, the only daughter and heiress of this Robert (by a daughter of Lord Zouche of Harringworth), married William Goring Efq. who lived in 1574°.