Reginald Bray
Sir Reginald Bray KG (* 1440, † June 24, 1503 ) was an English nobleman and politician, especially among the kings Henry VI. and Henry VII.
Origin and family environment
Bray comes from an English noble family, which was based in the county of Bedfordshire and was located on the estate of Eaton Bray. He was the son of Sir Richard Bray and Joan Troughton and was on an unknown date in the 15th century in the town of St. John Bedwardine in the county of Worcestershire ggeboren. His father was a member of the Privy Council under Henry VI.
Spelling of the name
In the spelling of the given and family name, there are, depending on the sources, different versions. In the Dictionary of National Biography of the family name is specified with Bray and the first name of Reginald, while his nephew Edmund Braye, 1st Baron Braye, both in the title and family name " Braye " writes. The names are different: In the Dictionary Bray is ' out while in' The Complete Peerage ' by their first name, Reginald is called, Reynold '. Anyway, as the spellings of names often changed in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period, it may in the older form of Sir Reginald Bray ' stay, especially since it is guided by that name in the list of the Knights of the Garter.
Political career
Reginals rise began as a steward of the household of Sir Henry Stafford, the husband of Margaret, Countess of Richmond, and mother of the pretender to the throne and the future King Henry VII of the House of Tudor. He remained in the service of Margaret after her marriage with Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby. Despite the services he toppled the house of York, King Henry VI. had done from the house Lancaster, he was of Richard III. pardoned.
After Richard III. killed at the Battle of Bosworth and afterwards Henry VII became king, he gained the favor of the new king and kept it until his death. Already anlässßlich the coronation of Henry VII he was made a Knight of the Bath. From then on began a meteoric career: First, he was Constable of the Castle of Oakham ordered in the county of Rutland, and also as Chief Justice south of the Trent. He then became a member of the Privy Council and finally Treasurer and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. In 1488 he became Keeper of the Park of Guilford and Henley for life. There followed numerous honors: he was appointed in October 1494 to the Steward of the University of Oxford, in 1495 gave him the king of the Isle of Wight with Carisbrooke Castle and several estates for life, and in 1501 he was inducted into the Order of the Garter.
Military services
In June 1497 he participated in the campaign against the rebels in Cornwall under Lord Audley in part, taken defeated and captured at the Battle of Deptford Bridge. Again, Henry VII rewarded him handsomely: he struck him a baronet and transferred it after the execution of Lord Audley its goods Manor of Shire and a large estate in Sussex.
Work as an architect
Bray was also a talented architect. So he built the St. George 's Chapel in Windsor Castle and designed the chapel of his royal master at Westminster Abbey. For this chapel he laid on January 24, 1502 yet the foundation, the completion of that work he did not live, however. He died on 5 August 1503 and was buried in his chapel at Windsor Castle. He was childless married to Catherine Husee. His heir was his nephew Edmund Braye, the son of his brother John.