Sir Anthony Ughtred or Oughtred, Knight banneret ( – 6 October 1534) was an English soldier and military administrator during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII. Ughtred fought in Ireland, the Anglo Scottish border and both on land and at sea in France. He served with distinction as captain of Berwick, marshal of Tournai and governor of Jersey. In 1530, he married Elizabeth Seymour, sister to Jane Seymour, future third wife to Henry VIII.
Sir Anthony Ughtred was the third son of Sir Robert Ughtred (c.1428–c.1487) of Kexby, Yorkshire and Katherine, daughter of Sir William Eure of Stokesley, Yorkshire. Sir Robert and his wife had four sons and two daughters:
The Ughtreds were wealthy landowners. When Sir Robert Ughtred died in 1487, his second son, Sir Henry Ughtred, since the death of his eldest son, Robert, was his heir. After Sir Henry's death in 1510, his eldest son, Robert, still a minor, consequently inherited his father's assets. In 1520 he sold his manors of Skagglethorpe and Redhouse to his uncle, Anthony Ughtred and in May 1524, the newly knighted Sir Robert Ughtred released to his uncle the reversion of the manors of Kylneweke, Tolthorp, Fymour, and Owelesthrop in Yorkshire. They had been leased to Sir Anthony and his brother Christopher "for the life of the longer liver" by their father, the elder Sir Robert Ughtred.
By April 1513, Ughtred was vice-captain and subsequently served as captain of Berwick from February 1515 until August 1532. As the most northerly of England's garrison towns Berwick played a vital role in the defence of the Anglo-Scottish border. In 1522 and 1523 the Duke of Albany's threatened invasions of England both centred on Berwick, and on the former occasion Albany's force, which included twenty-four pieces of artillery, came within 18 miles of the town. Ughtred was responsible for organising Berwick's defences, and was also involved in intelligence gathering and played a key role in the many negotiations that took place between England and Scotland.
The captaincy of Berwick was a challenging and demanding role, however Ughtred was amply rewarded for his military and administrative efforts over the years by a series of royal grants: In February 1514 he became steward of the lordship or manor of Lantyan, and constable of Tintagel Castle, Cornwall and in September of the same year, he was made steward of the Forest of Galtres, Yorkshire and master of the hunt. In 1519 he received a grant in reversion of the offices of steward, constable and gatekeep of the Bamburgh Castle and lordship of Bamburgh, Northumberland. In 1525, as a knight for the body, he was granted the reversion of the office of governor of Jersey, and of the castle of Mont Orgueil in that island.
Ughtred also pursued mercantile interests and was able to obtain, in 1525, a licence to export wools, woollen cloths, hides, lead, tin, and other English merchandise in a ship of 200 tons 'burthen, once within the next two years, beyond the straits of Marrock (Morocco), without payment of customs, provided they do not exceed 50 marks.' There was a further licence granted in 1527 to export woollen cloths.
In August 1532 he replaced Sir Hugh Vaughan at the castle of Mont Orgueil as captain and governor of Jersey. It has been suggested that when Sir Anthony was granted the reversion of the governorship of Jersey, in 1525, following the treaty of the More, that this was allegedly at the insistence of Anne Boleyn and that this represented the beginning of a more pro-French political influence in a time of peace. Anne Boleyn's influence is very likely in Ughtred's appointment to the governorship, especially since his wife, Elizabeth was present at court as a member of the future queen's household from 1532 to 1533. In 1532, Elizabeth presented the king with 'A fine shirt with a high collar' as a new year's gift.
Peace with France provided the governor of Jersey with the opportunity, in June 1533, to promise Thomas Cromwell, the king's chief minister better wine than any in England and to report that all was quiet on the island. Ughtred's seventeen years as captain of Berwick, his past service in France and his association with the Boleyns ensured that he was well-suited to the governorship of Jersey, a position he held until his death in 1534.
The couple had two children:
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