Sir Urian Brereton was a

Groom of the Privy Chamber A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obli ...

to King

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

. Whilst in this role his older brother William Brereton, also a Groom of the Privy Chamber, was executed along with others for high treason and adultery with

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...

. Many historians are now of the opinion that these executions were politically motivated. Apart from William, Urian had another brother in royal service who was a royal chaplain. In 1526 he was appointed Ranger of

Delamere Forest Delamere Forest is a large Woodland, wood in the village of Delamere, Cheshire, Delamere in Cheshire, England. The woodland, which is managed by Forestry England, covers an area of making it the largest area of woodland in the county. It contai ...

and

Escheator Escheat () is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

although in some sources these appointments belonged to his brother William. Some grants like Keeper of Shotwick Park he was given jointly with his brother. Sometime after 1527, Urian married Margaret, daughter and sole heir to William Handford. As Groom of the Privy Chamber, Brereton would have been in the king's company on a daily basis and would have seen Anne Boleyn on a regular basis as well. Although it is often said that Anne had a greyhound called Urian which was given to her by either William or Urian Brereton, historians now think the story has been misunderstood. Anne did have a greyhound because, in Henry VIII’s privy purse expenses, there is a record of a farmer being paid 10 shillings in compensation for a cow which had been killed by two greyhounds who had slipped their leashes during an autumn hunt. One of the dogs belonged to Urian Brereton and the other belonged to Anne. Despite both the queen's execution and his brother's execution in 1536 he continued to enjoy the king's favour, receiving the bulk of William's Cheshire estates—amounting to over 200 acres—from the king. In 1538 he was appointed Sheriff of

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

, and in July that year he became attorney to the king. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the king granted Brereton the assets of

Newnham Priory Newnham Priory was a priory in Newnham, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. History Foundation The Augustinian priory of Newnham was not actually built until some time after the accession of Henry II, but it may fairly claim to be the most ancien ...

and

Chester Priory Chester Priory was a priory of Benedictine nuns in Cheshire, England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and ...

. Brereton was also involved in trying to negotiate the betrothal of Prince Edward to the infant Mary, Queen of Scots as part of the

Treaty of Greenwich The Treaty of Greenwich (also known as the Treaties of Greenwich) contained two agreements both signed on 1 July 1543 in Greenwich between representatives of England and Scotland. The accord, overall, entailed a plan developed by Henry VIII of E ...

. Following the breakdown of that agreement, Henry VIII wanted retribution and in May 1544, he sent an army to Scotland which included the Burning of Leith. It was during this time that Brereton was knighted by the

Earl of Hertford Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

for valour. In 1550 he became the Escheator of Flint. Brereton was responsible for the construction of

Handforth Hall Handforth Hall is a former manor house in Handforth, Cheshire, England. It is dated 1562, and was built by Sir Urian Brereton. Alterations have been made to it in the 17th century, and subsequently. The hall is a timber-framed bui ...

, where he died on 19 March 1577. He was buried in

St Mary's Church, Cheadle St Mary's Church in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England, is a Grade I listed building. It is an Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Cheadle. Its benefice is united with tha ...

, where he financed a screen to be installed round the Brereton chapel. Brereton was the son of Sir Randle Brereton and Eleanor Dutton, brother of William Brereton, grandfather of

Ambrose Barlow Ambrose Edward Barlow, O.S.B. (1585 – 10 September 1641) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk. He is one of a group of saints canonized by Pope Paul VI who became known as the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Early life and educa ...

, and great-grandfather of

Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet (13 September 1604 – 7 April 1661), was an English religious Independent, author, and landowner from Cheshire. He was Member of Parliament for Cheshire at various times between 1628 and 1653, and during the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brereton, Urian 1500s births 1577 deaths People from Cheshire English courtiers 16th-century English knights Court of Henry VIII Urian