Albert de Grelley Lord of Manchester

  Information about this person:

• Background Information. ⁸³⁶
Albert Greslet (Grelle) was one of the most important of the Norman followers of Count Roger, the Poitevin. "Greslet" may have been a nickname from the old French word greslet which means pock-marked. In the twefth century, the name became Gredle and in the thirteenth to Greilli or Grelly. The name first shows up in the Domesday survey, "Inter Ripam et Mersham," describing the Hundred of Blacheburn, the record states that "Roger the Poitevin gave the whole of this land to Roger de Busli and Albert Greslet, and there are (in 1086) so many men who have eleven and one-half ploughland (of the demesne) which the same (Roger and Albert) have granted to be quit (of rent) for three years, and therefore they are now valued." In other words, Roger Busli and Albert Greslet jointly possessed Blackburn Hundred, and that the people of the lands lacked Oxen and other stock, therefore those tenants had the land rent free for a term of three years.

By 1086, it appears that Roger the Poitevin was no longer in possession of his Lancashire fief. Also that sometimes between 1086 and the accession of William rufus, Busli and Greslet gave up Blackburn Hundred which became part of the estate of Ilbert de Lacy, Baron of Pontefract. There is no record of what the two received in exchange for this land.

In 1094, Greslet attested to his chif lord's grant of lands, churches and tithes in Lancashire and elsewhere in the Abbey of St. martin of Sées, the much favored church of the house of Montomery. In this, an important clause reads that Earl Roger gave inter alia to God and St. Martin and the brethren at Sées, in alms forever, "the tithes of the churches of all the land of Albert Greslet, and the Tithe of Warin Boissel at Preston, and the tithe of the land of Roger de Montbegon at Kelesey and Tavelsby and the Tite and all his demesne between Rible and Mersey, and four men of Ralf Gernet in Suffolk." By the accession of Henry I, Count Roger's English fief was forfeited, so it is difficult to tell which churches were referred to. William Farrer says it is "highly probable that Albert Greslet's churches included Ashton-under0lyne, Childwall and Cotgrave" because they were named in Count Roger's grant and were in the possession of Albert's son, Robert, during the reign of Henry I (1100-1135). Albert Grelley again shows up in the Domesday Survey written as "Albertus homo Rogerii."

The Inquest of 1212 of Lancashire records the fees of ancient feoffment of Albert Grelley, the Domesday tenant. The record state that "Albert Gredle, senex, gave the fee of one knight to Orm, son of Ailward, in marriage with Emma, his daughter, to wit in Dolton, Parbold and Wrictinton" which the heris of Orm held in 1212. Also stated "Albert Gredle, senex, gave to Orm, son of Eward (Ailward, with his daughter in marriage, one ploughland in Eston (Ashton-uner-Lyne) by 10s. per annum." Orm and Emma had a son named Roger, and he was given by Albert Grelley II, the grandson of the grantor, confirmed "Haistuen" (Ashton-uner-Lyne) to be held by him, Roger. This Roger, son of Orm, was living during the reign of Stephen, and had a son named William, who lived during the reign of Henry II. William was the father to another Roger who was living at the end of King John's reign. John had a son who was the fourth son, and he took the name Alexander de Kirkby Ireleth. Alexander was one of the hostages found by Gilbert fitz Reinfred in 1216.

William Farrer reasons that since Alexander was fourth in the descent from Orm, it is impossible that Orm and Emma could have been married so late as the time of the third Albert Gresley. The third Albert flourished between 1150 and 1169. He reckons that the Albert mentioned in the inquest must have been the first baron, Albert Gresley.

~The Barony of Grelley, by William Farrer, pp. 23-30