Urswick was a close confidante of Margaret and Henry and he often visited Henry in exile in France during the following few years.
His advice and secret intelligence helped to lay the groundwork for Henry’s landing in England and his victory over Richard III at the battle of Bosworth in 1485.
When Henry became King, Urswick was promoted to become Dean of Windsor later that same year and continued to be a close associate of the Royal Court, acting as intermediary to arrange the marriage of Henry’s son Prince Arthur to Catherine of Aragon. After Arthur’s premature death, Urswick also led negotiations for the King’s second son, Henry VIII, to marry Catherine.
Urswick is believed to have maintained contact with Puttenham and to have been instrumental in obtaining a knighthood for Sir George Puttenham in 1501.
Source: ‘The Church and Manor of Puttenham’ by Margaret Vincent.
The full story of Christopher Urswick’s activities is contained in three episodes under the title of ‘The Adventures of the Rector of Puttenham’.
