Giles Heron (by 1504 – August 1540) was an English

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was born in

Hackney, Middlesex Hackney Central is a sub-district of Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney in London, England and is four miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross. The Hackney Central area is focused on Mare Street and the retail areas to the north ...

the son of the wealthy landowner and courtier Sir John Heron. While he was a minor, his father died in 1521 and Heron came under the wardship of

Sir Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

. He later married Sir Thomas's daughter, Cecily, with whom he had two sons and a daughter. He was educated at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and in 1529 he became

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24,340 ...

. In 1532 he was appointed to the bodyguard of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

and same year he and three of his brothers were pardoned of offences against forestry laws. In 1536 he sat on the Middlesex

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

which found a true bill against

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

. He inherited much of his father's wealth, and enjoyed a comfortable life as a landowner. However a dispute with a tenant led to his eventual downfall, as he was accused and found guilty of treason. He was hanged at

Tyburn Tyburn was a manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and south (modern Ox ...

in 1540.LP Hen. VIII, ix. xiv, xv; St. Ch.2/16/235; Leland, Itin. ed. Smith, i. 116; LJ, i. 112, 134-6; Wriothesley’s Chron. i. (Cam. Soc. n.s. xi), 121; Elton, Policy and Police, 308. In 1554, during the reign of Queen Mary, part of his lands were repatriated to his eldest son, Thomas, with the help of

Sir Ralph Sadler Sir Ralph Sadler or Sadleir PC, Knight banneret (1507 – 30 March 1587) was an English statesman, who served Henry VIII as Privy Councillor, Secretary of State and ambassador to Scotland. Sadler went on to serve Edward VI. Having signed the d ...

References

1540 deaths People from Hackney Central English MPs 1529–1536 1504 births People executed at Tyburn People executed under Henry VIII People executed under the Tudors for treason against England Politicians from London English politicians convicted of crimes {{1529-England-MP-stub