Biography of Christopher Wray 1601-1646

Paternal Family Tree: Wray

Maternal Family Tree: María González Henestrosa Lady Villagera 1356

1640 Short Parliament

1640 Long Parliament

On 6th April 1580 [his father] William Wray 1st Baronet (age 25) and Lucy Montagu were married.

In or before 1595 Nicholas Clifford of Bobbing Kent and [his mother] Frances Drury Lady Glentworth (age 18) were married.

In 1601 Christopher Wray was born to [his father] William Wray 1st Baronet (age 46) and [his mother] Frances Drury Lady Glentworth (age 24).

Before May 1601 [his father] William Wray 1st Baronet (age 46) and [his mother] Frances Drury Lady Glentworth (age 24) were married. The difference in their ages was 21 years.

In 1617 [his daughter] Frances Wray was born to Christopher Wray (age 16) and [his future wife] Albinia Cecil. She married 1st July 1640 Henry Vane "The Younger" and had issue.

On 13th August 1617 [his father] William Wray 1st Baronet (age 62) died. His son [his half-brother] John (age 30) succeeded 2nd Baronet Wray of Glentworth in Lincolnshire. Grisilla Bethell Lady Glentworth (age 28) by marriage Lady Wray of Glentworth in Lincolnshire.

In 1621 Christopher Wray (age 20) was elected MP Grimsby.

Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall

The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.

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On 3rd August 1623 Christopher Wray (age 22) and Albinia Cecil were married. They were fourth cousin once removed.

On 12th November 1623 Christopher Wray (age 22) was knighted by King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland (age 57).

In 1624 Christopher Wray (age 23) was elected MP Grimsby.

In 1625 [his son] William Wray 1st Baronet was born to Christopher Wray (age 24) and [his wife] Albinia Cecil. He married in or before 1652 his sixth cousin Olympia Tufton Lady Ashby, daughter of Humfrey Tufton 1st Baronet and Margaret Morley Lady Tufton, and had issue.

In 1625 Christopher Wray (age 24) was elected MP Grimsby.

In 1627 [his son] Edward Wray was born to Christopher Wray (age 26) and [his wife] Albinia Cecil.

In 1628 Christopher Wray (age 27) was elected MP Grimsby.

On 29th July 1633 [his son] Drury Wray 9th Baronet was born to Christopher Wray (age 32) and [his wife] Albinia Cecil. He married before 1672 Anne Casey and had issue.

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Around 1637 [his mother] Frances Drury Lady Glentworth (age 60) died.

Short Parliament

In April 1640 Christopher Wray (age 39) was elected MP Grimsby during the Short Parliament.

On 1st July 1640 [his son-in-law] Henry Vane "The Younger" (age 27) and [his daughter] Frances Wray (age 23) were married.

Long Parliament

In November 1640 Christopher Wray (age 39) was elected MP Grimsby during the Long Parliament.

In 1643 [his son] Cecil Wray of Caistor was born to Christopher Wray (age 42) and [his wife] Albinia Cecil. He married 8th December 1662 Susan Cressy and had issue.

On 15th April 1645 Christopher Wray (age 44) was appointed Commissioner of the Admiralty.

On 6th February 1646 Christopher Wray (age 45) died.

On 13th February 1646 Christopher Wray (deceased) was buried at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].

John Evelyn's Diary. 23rd March 1646. In company, then, with Mr. Waller (age 40), one [his son] Captain Wray (age 21) (son of Sir Christopher (deceased), whose father had been in arms against his Majesty, and therefore by no means welcome to us), with Mr. Abdy, a modest and learned man, we got that night to Vicenza, passing by the Euganéan hills, celebrated for the prospects and furniture of rare simples, which we found growing about them. The ways were something deep, the whole country flat and even as a bowling-green. The common fields lie square, and are orderly planted with fruit trees, which the vines run and embrace, for many miles, with delicious streams creeping along the ranges.

John Evelyn's Diary. 23rd March 1646. This town is not much celebrated for beautiful women, for, even at this distance from the Alps, the gentlewomen have somewhat full throats; but our [his son] Captain Wray (age 21) (afterward Sir William, eldest son of that Sir Christopher (deceased), who had both been in arms against his Majesty for the Parliament) fell so mightily in love with one of Monsieur Saladine's daughters that, with much persuasion, he could not be prevailed on to think on his journey into France, the season now coming on extremely hot.

In 1660 [his former wife] Albinia Cecil died.

Christopher Wray appears on the following Descendants Family Trees:

Royal Ancestors of Christopher Wray

Kings Wessex: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Gwynedd: Great x 15 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd

Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 21 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth

Kings Powys: Great x 16 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys

Kings Godwinson: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Harold II of England

Kings England: Great x 8 Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Kings Scotland: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland

Kings Franks: Great x 14 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks

Kings France: Great x 18 Grand Son of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 22 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Ancestors of Christopher Wray

Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Wray

GrandFather: Christopher Wray

Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Jackson

Great x 1 Grandmother: Joan Jackson

Father: William Wray 1st Baronet

Great x 1 Grandfather: Nicholas Girlington

GrandMother: Anne Girlington

Christopher Wray 8 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Drury of Hawstead in Suffolk

Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Drury

Great x 2 Grandfather: William Drury 8 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 4 Grandfather: William Calthorpe 9 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Calthorpe 7 x Great Grand Daughter of

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Stapleton 6 x Great Grand Daughter of

Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Drury 9 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Sothill of Stoke Faston

Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Sothill

Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Sothill

Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Empson

Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Empson

GrandFather: William Drury 10 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Rich

Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Rich

Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Rich 1st Baron Rich

Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Dinley

Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Dinley

Great x 1 Grandmother: Audrey Rich

Great x 4 Grandfather: Rowland Jenks

Great x 3 Grandfather: William Jenks

Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Jenks Baroness Rich

Mother: Frances Drury Lady Glentworth 7 x Great Grand Daughter of

Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Stafford 11 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Stafford 12 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Aylesbury

Great x 2 Grandfather: Humphrey Stafford 13 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Fray

Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Fray

Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Danvers Baroness Wenlock

Great x 1 Grandfather: William Stafford 14 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Fogge

Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Fogge

Great x 4 Grandfather: William Haute

Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Haute

Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Woodville

GrandMother: Elizabeth Stafford 6 x Great Grand Daughter of

Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Stafford 2nd Duke of Buckingham 3 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham 4 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Woodville Duchess Buckingham and Bedford 6 x Great Grand Daughter of

Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Stafford 1st Baron Stafford 5 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Percy 4th Earl of Northumberland 3 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Percy Duchess Buckingham 4 x Great Grand Daughter of

Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Herbert Countess Northumberland 9 x Great Grand Daughter of

Great x 1 Grandmother: Dorothy Stafford 5 x Great Grand Daughter of

Great x 4 Grandfather: Geoffrey Pole

Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Pole 8 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 4 Grandmother: Edith St John 7 x Great Grand Daughter of

Great x 2 Grandmother: Ursula Pole 4 x Great Grand Daughter of

Great x 4 Grandfather: George York 1st Duke of Clarence 2 x Great Grand Son of

Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret York aka Pole Countess of Salisbury 3 x Great Grand Daughter of

Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Neville Duchess Clarence 3 x Great Grand Daughter of