Nielsen Hayden genealogy

John Gurdon

Male Abt 1544 - 1623  (~ 79 years)


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All

  • Name John Gurdon  [1
    Birth Abt 1544  of Assington, Suffolk, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [2, 3, 4, 5
    Gender Male 
    Death 21 Sep 1623  [4, 6
    Person ID I17670  Ancestry of PNH, TNH, and others | Ancestor of JTS
    Last Modified 27 Jan 2023 

    Father Robert Gurdon,   b. of Assington, Suffolk, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1578 
    Mother Rose Sexton,   b. of Lavenham, Cosford, Suffolk, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Aft 1579 
    Family ID F11537  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Amy Brampton 
    Children 
    +1. Brampton Gurdon,   b. 1566, of Assington, Suffolk, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Bef 2 Apr 1650 (Age < 84 years)
    Family ID F10970  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 29 Oct 2017 

  • Notes 
    • MP for Sudbury, Suffolk in 1571. Sheriff of Suffolk 1584-85.

      From the History of Parliament:

      The Gurdons were small clothiers and landowners of Dedham, Essex, who by the close of the fifteenth century had risen in status. Gurdon’s father made a fortunate marriage, and purchased Assington Hall from Sir Richard Corbet†. Thus, by the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign Robert Gurdon had the standing of a country gentleman and was a justice of the peace with a son at an inn of court. It was this son who was returned for the local borough of Sudbury in 1571, but no contribution by him to the business of that Parliament is known.

      After he had succeeded his father, Gurdon was from time to time asked to undertake special duties, as, for instance, to arbitrate in the case of a disputed marriage contract, or to find means of satisfying the creditors of Dr. Sherman, a physician imprisoned for debt, whose professional services could not easily be spared. Gurdon died 21 Sept. 1623. His will, made in December 1621, and proved 10 Oct. 1623, cut out the heir Brampton, who nevertheless inherited the entailed lands. The executor and residuary legatee was a grandson John, Brampton’s son by his first wife, but the Norfolk property was to go to the testator’s brother Robert. Sir Henry Mildmay was supervisor.

  • Sources 
    1. [S6777] The Descendants of Dr. Nathaniel Saltonstall of Haverhill, Massachusetts by Scott C. Steward. Boston: Newbury Street Press, 2013.

    2. [S1585] Ancestry and Descendants of Sir Richard Saltonstall by Leverett Saltonstall. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1897., place only.

    3. [S142] Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families by Douglas Richardson. Salt Lake City, 2013., place only.

    4. [S47] The History of Parliament. Some citations point to entries from the printed volumes not yet added to the online site.

    5. [S2168] The Visitation of Norfolk Made and Taken by William Hervey, Clarenceux King of Arms, Anno 1563, Enlarged with Another Visitation Made by Clarenceux Cooke, with Many Other Descents, and Also the Visitation Made by John Raven, Richmond, Anno 1613 ed. Walter Rye. London: The Harleian Society, 1891., place only.

    6. [S1585] Ancestry and Descendants of Sir Richard Saltonstall by Leverett Saltonstall. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Riverside Press, 1897., year only.