Hugh Vaughan (Governor of Jersey) facts for kids
Sir Hugh Vaughan was an important person in English history, living from before 1492 until August 28, 1536. He was born in Wales as a regular person, not from a noble family. Later in his life, he became the Governor of Jersey, which was a very important job.
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Family Life of Sir Hugh Vaughan
Sir Hugh Vaughan was married more than once. His first wife, or possibly his second, was Anne Percy. She was the daughter of a powerful noble, Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland. Anne had been married before to two other knights. She passed away on July 5, 1522.
After Anne's death, Sir Hugh married his second, or possibly third, wife. Her name was Blanche, and she was the daughter of John Castell.
Sir Hugh Vaughan had many children, at least nine in total. He had one son named Rowland. He also had three daughters who were likely Anne's children. With Blanche, he had three sons and four daughters.
Sir Hugh Vaughan and King Henry VII
Sir Hugh Vaughan became very close to King Henry VII when Henry was living in exile in Brittany. Because of this strong connection, King Henry VII gave him important roles. Sir Hugh became a Gentleman Usher and an Esquire of the Body to the King. These were positions of trust and closeness to the monarch.
In 1492, King Henry VII held a big tournament at his home in Richmond. During this event, there was a disagreement between Sir Hugh Vaughan and another knight, Sir James Parker. They argued about Sir Hugh's right to use certain symbols given to him by the Order of the Garter. To settle the dispute, they fought in the tournament. Sadly, Sir James Parker was killed during their first round of combat.
After King Henry VII's time, Sir Hugh Vaughan also gained favor with Cardinal Wolsey. Cardinal Wolsey was a very powerful advisor to King Henry VIII.
Governing Jersey
In 1502, Sir Hugh Vaughan was appointed as the Captain of Jersey, sharing the role with David Philip. However, they had some disagreements about how to manage the island. It was decided that one person should be in charge. So, Sir Hugh Vaughan became the sole Governor of Jersey. He held this important position until 1531, when Sir Anthony Ughtred took over.
In 1513, Thomas Lemprière, who was the Bailiff of Jersey, and others complained to Henry VIII. They said that Sir Hugh Vaughan was acting unfairly in his role as Governor. Sir Hugh, with some support from the de Carteret family, tried to remove Lemprière from his job as Bailiff. However, Sir Hugh didn't actually have the power to do this, because Lemprière had been appointed by The Crown. Despite this, Sir Hugh eventually succeeded in removing Lemprière. Helier de Carteret was then appointed as Bailiff in December 1521. He might have been doing the job for Sir Hugh even earlier, possibly since 1514.
Sir Hugh's relationship with Helier de Carteret soon became difficult. Once, in court, Sir Hugh even threatened Helier with his dagger during an argument about who owned some land. Helier responded by drawing his own dagger and threatening Sir Hugh and his men. After this incident, Sir Hugh tried to remove Helier from his position as Bailiff again. The issue was brought before the King's Council, but it took about twelve years to resolve. In the end, Helier's actions were approved, and Sir Hugh was ordered to pay for the legal costs.
During those twelve years, Sir Hugh Vaughan had illegally appointed several different people as Bailiff. Even though Helier de Carteret was the only person officially appointed by The Crown, he did not carry out any official duties during that time.
Death and Burial
Sir Hugh Vaughan passed away on August 28, 1536. He was buried with his wife Anne Percy in the chapel of St Michael at Westminster Abbey. His widow, Blanche, died later on December 8, 1553. She was buried at the church of St Mary Magdalene in Littleton, which was then in Middlesex and is now part of Surrey.
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