The Scalacronica. 61 



ladder in the Grey Arms. The whole work has never been 

 printed, but Joseph Stevenson edited the latter part from 1066 to 

 1362 A.D. and the Prologue for the Maitland Club in 1836. 



Sir Thomas Gray, the author of this work, was the son of Sir 

 Thomas Gray of Heaton, Norhamshire, Northumberland. His 

 mother seems to have been Agnes de Beyle. The son Thomas 

 was ordained seisin of his father's lands, 10th April, 1345 ; so it 

 may be conjectured that the father died in 1344. The younger 

 Sir Thomas thus became lord of Heaton Manor and Warden of 

 Norham Castle. On the 10th July, 1338, he had been ordered 

 to accompany William de Mountagow, Earl of Salisbury, abroad; 

 and in 1344 the Wardenship of the manor of Middlemast Middle- 

 ton was granted to " Thomas de Grey le Fitz ' ' for his service 

 beyond the sea. He fought at Neville's Cross, October, 1346, and 

 was summoned to the Westminster Council of January, 1347. When 

 the Scotch truce was over he was ordered to see to the defence of 

 the Marches (30th October, 1353). He was taken prisoner in a 

 sally from Norham Castle in August, 1355, and with his son 

 Thomas, whom he had knighted just before the engagement, was 

 carried off to Edinburgh. Here he says that he " became curious 

 and pensive," and began " to treat and translate into shorter sen- 

 tence the Chronicles of Great Britain* and the deeds of the 

 English." Before 25th November, 1356, he had written to 

 Edward III. begging help towards paying his ransom; but he had 

 been released before 16th August, 1357, for at that date he was 

 appointed guardian to one of King David's hostages. He pro- 

 bably accompanied the Black Prince to France in August, 1359. 

 He was made Warden of the East Marches in the 41st year of 

 Edward III. (1367); and he is said to have died in 1369. He 

 was the ancestor of Earl Grey and Sir Edward Grey. (See 

 Stevenson's preface to his edition of the Norman French text, 

 and the article " Sir Thomas Gray ' ' in the Dictionary of National 

 Biography, by T. A. Archer.) 



Extracts from Sir Thomas Gray's Scalacronica (Ladder of Time) 

 relating to Scotland. 



There was a very brave and prudent knight in the country, 



* I think this will be found to be the eai'liest use of the term " Great 

 Britain," about 250 years before the Union of the Crowns. 



