Sir Anthony OUGHTRED, Gov. of Jersey

Born: BEF 1500

Died: ABT 1534/1538

Buried: St. George's Chapel, Mont Orgueil

Father: Henry OUGHTRED (Sir Knight)

Mother: Agnes CONSTABLE

Married: Elizabeth SEYMOUR (B. Cromwell of Oakham) BEF 1537

1. Henry OUGHTRED (Sir Knight)

A Genealogical History of the dormant, abeyant, forfeited and extinct peerages of the British Empire, London, 1866, by Sir Bernard Burke. Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, London. The Complete Baronetage, London, 1983, by George Edward Cokayne

Captain in 1512, at the Battle of Brest, of the 400 ton Mary James. During 1513-14 he was marshal of Tournay after its capture from the French. The Governorship of Jersey was given in 1525 to Sir Anthony, nearly related, by the way, to Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, and mother of Queen Elizabeth.

Sir Anthony, who, besides his relationship to the Queen of England, seems to have been chiefly noted as having formerly been Governor of Berwick, and for having served eminently in the Scottish wars. While he was Governor of Berwick, in 1515, Margaret, Queen of Scotland, sister of Henry, tried to take refuge there. She was pregnant and took flight with her second husband, Lord Angus, of the regime of the Regent Albany. But Sir Anthony had received orders to admit no one from Scotland without a safe-conduct, not even the King's sister. The Queen and her party had to take sanctuary at Coldstream Priory.

Oughtred died BET 1534 and 1537, and was buried, with Sir Thomas Overay, in the crypt of St. George's Chapel, Mont Orgueil, whilst Helier de Carteret lived on, in his turn to make himself unenviably conspicuous.

The Governor appointed after the death of Sir Anthony was Sir Arthur Darcy, who had only held the office for a short time when Lord Vaux, who was anxious "to obtain so good a post", exchanged a considerable and valuable property in Northamptonshire with Darcy for the appointment, and this without even consulting or advising the King who, when he was solicited to confirm the bargain, is reported to have told him plainly that "he would not trust the keeping of such an Island as Jersey into the hands of a man who could not keep his own lands". His Majesty, however, gave Lord Vaux permission to demise the office to any third party who should meet with his Royal approval, and also to receive a sum in recompense. The result was that Edward Seymour, then Viscount Beauchamp, and afterwards Duke of Somerset, became the purchaser.

His widow, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Seymour and sister of Edward Seymour, married Gregory, lord Cromwell, eldest son of Thomas Cromwell. Some sources says that Sir Anthony Oughtred and Elizabeth Seymour were the fathers of Sir Henry Oughtred, but Sir Henry pedigrees are confused and contradictory.

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