Sir Anthony Hungerford of

Down Ampney Down Ampney (pronounced ''Amney'') is a medium-sized village located in Cotswold district in Gloucestershire, in England. The population taken at the 2011 census was 644. It is off the A417 which runs between Cirencester and Faringdon (in ...

, Gloucestershire (born by 1492, died 18 November 1558) was an English soldier, sheriff, and courtier during the reign of

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, and briefly Member of Parliament for

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

Biography

Hungerford was the eldest son of Sir John Hungerford of Down Ampney and Margaret, daughter of Edward Blount of Mangotsfield. He may have had some training in law. He was knighted after the siege of Tournai in October 1513. After succeeding to his inheritance on the death of his father in 1524, he took a prominent part in court ceremonial occasions. Hungerford was active in acquiring land. In 1536 he wrote to

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false charge ...

requesting that he be granted lands formerly belonging to a priory in Wiltshire and he purchased four manors in Wiltshire and Oxfordshire for £1,935. His second marriage brought him an interest in Berkshire and he was included in commissions for that county. Hungerford was sheriff of three counties:

Sheriff of Wiltshire This is a list of the Sheriffs and (after 1 April 1974) High Sheriffs of Wiltshire. Until the 14th century, the shrievalty was held '' ex officio'' by the castellans of Old Sarum Castle. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Go ...

1527–8, 1538–9 1544–5, and 1556–7. Sheriff of Oxfordshire and Berkshire 1536–7 and

Sheriff of Gloucestershire This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire, who should not be confused with the Sheriffs of the City of Gloucester. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (in England and Wales the office previously kn ...

1553–4. As well as his civic duties he continued his military career. He joined the army in the north in 1536. He was with the army in France in 1544 under

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, (1473 – 25 August 1554) was a prominent English politician and nobleman of the Tudor era. He was an uncle of two of the wives of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom were beheade ...

, and late the same year on the Scottish border as a captain with 100 men under

Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Baron Beauchamp, KG (22 May 1539 – 6 April 1621), of Wulfhall and Totnam Lodge in Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, of Hatch Beauchamp in Somerset, of Netley Abbey, Hampshire, and of Hertford House, Cannon R ...

. In 1550 he was brought before the

Court of the Star Chamber The Star Chamber (Latin: ''Camera stellata'') was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (c. 1641), and was composed of Privy Counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judi ...

, accused of abusing his position as a justice of the peace by ignoring the actions of some members of Brydges family (who were related to him through his first marriage), one of whom had refused to carry out a Privy Council order to remove some altars, and another who was sheltering an alleged felon. It may have been his close association with the Brydges that helped secure him election to Parliament as a knight of the shire for

to Queen May's first Parliament (1553). He was appointed Sheriff of Gloucestershire during the Parliament's second session. He made his will on 31 August about three months before he died on 18 November 1558. In the will he mentions seven sons and seven daughters, including his eldest son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

; executors of the will were John and Anthony's wife.

Family

Hungerford married twice. Around 1515 he married Jane, daughter of Sir Edward Darrell of Littlecote, Wiltshire. They had five sons including Anthony (died 1589),

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

(died 1572) and

(died 1582) and possibly a daughter. He married secondly Dorothy, daughter of Sir John Danvers of

Dauntsey Dauntsey is a small village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. It gives its name to the Dauntsey Vale in which it lies and takes its name from Saxon for Dantes- eig, or Dante's island. It is set on slightly higher ground in t ...

, Wiltshire and widow of John Fettiplace (died 1524) of East Shefford, Berkshire. They had two sons and two daughters, and at least three other children.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hungerford, Anthony English MPs 1553 (Mary I) 1558 deaths High Sheriffs of Berkshire High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire High Sheriffs of Oxfordshire High Sheriffs of Wiltshire Year of birth uncertain