Gifford Long (c. 1576 – 15 December 1635) was an English MP, landowner, and

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

Biography

Born at

Broughton Gifford Broughton Gifford is a village and civil parish about west of Melksham in Wiltshire, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Norrington Common and The Common. History Formerly much of Broughton Gifford and the surrounding area was covered ...

, Wiltshire, the eldest surviving son and heir of Edward Long, clothier of Monkton, and his wife Ann Brouncker (sister of Sir Willam Brouncker, and aunt of William, 1st

Viscount Brouncker Viscount Brouncker, of Lyons in the Province of Leinster, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 12 September 1645 for the courtier Sir William Brouncker. He was made Baron Brouncker, of Newcastle in the Province of Munster, at ...

), he was educated at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

matriculating Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

in 1593. After succeeding to his father's estates in 1622, including the manor of Rood Ashton, Long was appointed

High Sheriff of Wiltshire This is a list of the Sheriffs and (after 1 April 1974) High Sheriffs of Wiltshire. Until the 14th century, the shrievalty was held ''ex officio'' by the castellans of Old Sarum Castle. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Gov ...

in 1624, and elected Member for Westbury in May 1625. He was caught up in a great purge, when on 22 December 1625, Chancery issued new commissions of the peace to remove justices, in which between thirty and forty percent of J.P.s throughout twenty counties were abruptly dismissed. However, he was among the first to regain office, returning to the Wiltshire commission on 23 February 1626. He married firstly in 1597, Ann Yewe of Bradford, who died shortly after the birth of their second daughter in 1601. His second wife was Amy Wingate, née Warre, (widow of Robert Wingate of Harlington House, Bedfordshire), the daughter of Roger Warre of

Hestercombe Hestercombe House is a historic country house in the parish of West Monkton in the Quantock Hills, near Taunton in Somerset, England. The house is a Grade II* listed building and the estate is Grade I listed on the English Heritage Register o ...

, and granddaughter of Lord Chief Justice

Sir John Popham Sir John Popham (1531 – 10 June 1607) of Wellington, Somerset, was Speaker of the House of Commons (1580 to 1583), Attorney General (1581 to 1592) and Lord Chief Justice of England (1592 to 1607). Origins Popham was born in 1531 at Hunt ...

. Long had a further five children with his second wife. After his death on 15 December 1635, the manor of Rood Ashton descended to his eldest son and heir, Edward, who had married in 1632, Dorothy, sister of Sir Samuel Jones of

Courteenhall Courteenhall is a village south of the county town of Northampton, in the shire county of Northamptonshire, England, and about north of London. The population of the civil parish was 122 at the 2011 census. The village is located in a cul-de-sa ...

, Northamptonshire. The descent of the manor continued in the Long family for a further 295 years, until 1930, when it was sold by the executors of his descendant, the 1st Viscount Long.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Gifford English MPs 1625 1570s births 1635 deaths High Sheriffs of Wiltshire Gifford Politicians from Wiltshire English landowners

Biography

Further reading

See also

References