William de Gresley

   Another name for William was William Fitz Nigel of Gresley.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ¹³⁹⁴
William de Gresley, son of Nigel de Stafford, founded in the time of Henry I a small priory of Austin Canons, near his castle of Gresley, in honour of St. George. There is no chartulary known to be extant of this priory, but in the Chetham Library, Manchester, there is a family chartulary of the Gresleys from which certain particulars relative to this religious house can be gleaned. [Reliquary, vi, 29-37, 79-86, 139-147]

~A History of the County of Derby, Volume II, pp. 56-58

• Background Information. ¹³⁹⁵
The earliest dated fact about William de Gresley in and entry in the Pipe Roll (1129-1130), " Willelmus de Griseleia reddit compotum de x marcis argenti pro conuentione de terra inter eum & Radulphum Basset. In thesauro xl s et debet vij marcas argenti" There s an earlier mention of William dated betwee 1124-1129, that refers to lands that had once been held by his father, Nigel de Stafford.

Willelmus de Gresele also confirmed [Gres. Chartul. p. 18] to Robert fitz Abraham twelve acres of ground which Robert's father held of William's father in villa de Gresele. This is more proof that William was the son of Nigel de Stafford.

There is a deed [Brit. Mus. MS Harl. 6671, fol. 35; Gr. Chartul. p.36] dated 6 Jun 1325 in which Geoffrey de Gresley describes himself as "filz et heir monsier de Greseleie et cousin et heir Willame fitz Nel de Greseleie foundour de la Priore de Seont Jorge de Greseleie," and grants the priory certain privileges. With this, Geoffrey, asserts in the presence of the prior and convent that the founder of Gresley priory was William fitz Nigel de Gresley.

There is a statement which is found in the Liber Niger Scaccarii [R.S. xcix, i. 336; J.H. Round's Feudal Engl. p.214] that William fitz Nigel held four knight's fees of Earl de Ferrers, and that Robert his son then held them. William fitz Nigel (de Gresley) is witness in 1150-52 to a deed [Salt. Soc. iii] of Walter Bp. of Conventry, but probably died no later than 1166 when his son held his father's knight's fees. His known sons were Robert and Enenulph, Nigel, Henry, William and Ralph as well as two daughter.

~The Gresleys of Drakelowe, pp. 24-27