My father’s name was Ughtred. His father thought there was a family connection to the Shuttleworths of Gawthorp Hall, near Blackburn, Lancashire, whose first sons were named Ughtred.
He was an academic mathematician whose research was in topics that are the basis of the computer and cell phone hardware and software we use. When at war he spent his time teaching navigation to air force recruits at Oxford and supporting Engima decoding schemes at Bletchley Park. A bit different from your hero…
Unfortunately he did not enjoy the name particularly. He decreed that no descendant of his should ever be named after him – I never knew my mother to call him by his given name.
I already knew that Ughtred is an old Saxon name. Your hero’s name was only a mild extra inducement to read your excellent novels.
Best regards
Tom Haslam-Jones