Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Uvedale, Richard
UVEDALE or UVEDALL, RICHARD (d. 1556), conspirator, was fourth son of Sir William Uvedale by Dorothy, daughter and coheiress of Thomas Troyes of Kilmeston, Hampshire. Sir William Uvedale (1455–1524) [q. v.] was his grandfather. Under his father's will Richard received a provision of lands to the value of 20l. a year in Titsey, Chelsham, Chevellers, Tatesfield, Dowdales, Pekeham, and Camberwell. His three brothers, other than the eldest son, were similarly provided for, and on the deaths of two of them, John and Francis, before 1545 he became entitled to their shares. Towards the close of Henry VIII's reign Richard was appointed to the command of Yarmouth Castle in the Isle of Wight. He was closely allied to the party of the reformation, and in 1556 he became involved in Sir Henry Dudley's plot to seize the Spanish silver in the exchequer and to drive the Spaniards from Queen Mary's court. With Dudley, Uvedall, if we may trust his confession, ‘had before that time had litle acquayntance’ (State Papers, Dom. Mary, vii. 32). The intermediary by whom he was drawn into the plot was John Throckmorton, one of the family settled at Coughton, Warwickshire, with whom he appears to have had some earlier intimacy (ib. p. 30). According to Uvedall's first confession, Throckmorton represented in January 1556 that Henry Dudley was anxious, on account of outlawry for debt, to leave the kingdom. Uvedall agreed to furnish him with a boat, in itself an offence against the law, since no subject might leave the kingdom without a royal license. At the moment of his embarkation Dudley disclosed his plot to Uvedall. Uvedall promised to assist in the seizure of Portsmouth on Dudley's return, but, according to his confession, repented immediately, and took no steps to redeem his promise. The plot was betrayed by Thomas White, one of the conspirators. Uvedall's arrest followed, and he was probably one of those ‘divers odur gentyllmen’ who were carried to the Tower on 18 March, together with John Throckmorton, as recorded in Machyn's ‘Diary.’ His first examination took place on Monday, 23 March, when he admitted having provided Dudley with a ferry-boat, but utterly denied all knowledge of the conspiracy. His confession was made on 24 March, but, although minute in detail, it makes no disclosure of the main outlines of the plot. He made a fuller confession on the following day, and on 15, 18, and 24 April was further examined, without giving much additional information.
On 21 April Uvedall and Throckmorton were sent for trial at Southwark before a special commission, presided over by Sir Anthony Browne, viscount Montague, K.G. The indictment is set out in Appendix ii. of the fourth report of the deputy-keeper of the public records (p. 252). Uvedall pleaded not guilty, but was found guilty of high treason, and condemned to be executed at Tyburn. The sentence was carried out on 28 April, and Uvedall's head was set up on London Bridge (Machyn). His land in Hampshire had been already disposed of to John White, sheriff of the county of Southampton (Acts of the Privy Council, 16 April 1556). He does not appear to have been married. He invariably signed himself Richard Uvedall.
[State Papers, Dom. Mary, vii. 26, 30, 31, 32, viii. 10, 23, 24; Leveson-Gower's ‘Notices of the Family of Uvedale,’ Surrey Arch. Coll. iv. 113. A general view of the conspiracy is given by J. A. Froude in Hist. Angl. vol. vi. ch. xxxiv. (Camden Soc. 56); Verney Papers, pp. 59–76; cf. art. Kingston, Sir Anthony.]