Sir Ferdinando Sutton (1588-1621) was an English aristocrat.

Family and early life

The son of

Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley (baptised 17 September 1567 – 23 June 1643) was a major landowner, mainly in Staffordshire and Worcestershire, and briefly a Member of the House of Commons of England. Through his intemperate behaviour he won wi ...

(1567-1643) and

Theodosia Harington Theodosia Harington, Lady Dudley (died 1649) was an English aristocrat who was abandoned by her husband, but maintained connections at court through her extensive family networks. Early life She was the eighth daughter of Sir James Harington of ...

(died 1649). The Sutton family used their title "Dudley" as a surname, and so he was sometimes known as "Ferdinando Dudley". His father abandoned his wife, for his mistress, Elizabeth Tomlinson. According to a bill produced in the

Star Chamber The Star Chamber (Latin: ''Camera stellata'') was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (c. 1641), and was composed of Privy Counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judic ...

by his political rival in Staffordshire,

Gilbert Lyttelton Gilbert Lyttelton MP (c. 1540 – 1 June 1599) was an English politician and landowner from the Lyttelton family. He was the eldest son of Sir John Lyttelton (died 1590). He was Member of Parliament for Worcestershire in 1570 and in 157 ...

, in 1592, he had "left that virtuous lady his wife in London without sustenance, and took to his home a lewd and infamous woman, a base collier's daughter". Lyttleton and Sutton had a dispute over the Manor of

Prestwood Prestwood is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about two miles west of Great Missenden and six miles north of High Wycombe. History Early history and creation of parish The village name is Anglo Saxo ...

Kinver Kinver is a large village in the District of South Staffordshire in Staffordshire, England. It is in the far south-west of the county, at the end of the narrow finger of land surrounded by the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire and the We ...

. In 1597, Ferdinando and his sister,

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

, were lodged in Clerkenwell with Euseby Paget, rector of

St Anne and St Agnes St Anne and St Agnes is a church located at Gresham Street in the City of London, near the Barbican. While St Anne's is an Anglican foundation, from 1966 to 2013 it was let to a congregation of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain. History The ...

, and Mrs. Percy as wards of their aunt and uncle, Elizabeth and

Edward Montagu of Boughton Sir Edward Montagu (c. 1530 – 26 January 1602) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1559. Career Montagu was the eldest surviving son of Sir Edward Montagu of Boughton House, near Kettering and his third ...

Court connections

Ferdinando Sutton was knighted on 4 June 1610, when

Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to: People *Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father *Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460) *Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...

was created

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

. His sister, Anne, joined the household of Princess Elizabeth and was known as "Mistress Dudley".

Marriage and children

Ferdinando Sutton married Honora Seymour, a daughter of

Edward Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp of Hache (21 September 1561 – 21 July 1612) was an English nobleman who had a theoretically strong claim to the throne of England through his mother, Lady Katherine Grey, but his legitimacy was questioned. He was ...

and Honora Rogers in July 1610. Honora, Lady Dudley died in March 1620 and was buried in the parish church of St Edmund in

Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...

. His daughter,

Frances Frances is a French and English given name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'free one.' The male version of the name in English is Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman", comes from the ...

, was born in 1611 at

Dudley Castle Dudley Castle is a ruined fortification in the town of Dudley, West Midlands, England. Originally a wooden motte and bailey castle built soon after the Norman Conquest, it was rebuilt as a stone fortification during the twelfth century but subs ...

. She married Humble Ward (born 1612), son of a London goldsmith, William Ward and Elizabeth Humble (died 1616). According to

William Dugdale Sir William Dugdale (12 September 1605 – 10 February 1686) was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject. Life Dugdale was born at Shustoke, near Coleshi ...

, her grandfather arranged her marriage to Ward to alleviate his debts, which were large because of his relationship with Elizabeth Tomlinson.

Death and burial

He died on 22 November 1621 of smallpox and was buried at

St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster a ...

. On the previous day he bequeathed his estates and possessions to his sister "Margaret Dudley", wife of Miles Hobart. The will was witnessed by his aunt Mary Wingfield and his servant William Dudley.

Thomas Birch Thomas Birch (23 November 17059 January 1766) was an English historian. Life He was the son of Joseph Birch, a coffee-mill maker, and was born at Clerkenwell. He preferred study to business but, as his parents were Quakers, he did not go to t ...

& Folkestone Williams, ''Court and Times of James the First'', vol. 2 (London, 1849): ''Collections for a History of Staffordshire'', vol. 9 (London, 1888), p. 115.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutton, Ferdinando 1588 births 1621 deaths 17th-century English people Ferdinando English knights Knights Bachelor