Sir Henry Gawdy (c. 1553 – 1621), of

Claxton, Norfolk Claxton is a small village south-east of Norwich, and south of the River Yare, between Rockland St. Mary and Loddon in South Norfolk, England. In the 2001 census it contained 85 households and a population of 244, the population increasing to ...

, was an English politician. He was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Gawdy and was educated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

(1571) and the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

(1571). He succeeded his father in 1588. Gawdy served as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Suffolk from 1593 and was appointed High Sheriff of Norfolk for 1592–93 and 1607–08. He was elected a

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

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

in 1597 and 1601 and was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1603. He married twice: firstly Elizabeth, the daughter of Robert Warner of Norwich, with whom he had six sons and a daughter, and secondly Elizabeth Barnardiston, widow of Sir Charles Framlingham. He was succeeded by his son Robert.

References

1550s births 1621 deaths People from South Norfolk (district) Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge English MPs 1597–1598 English MPs 1601 High Sheriffs of Norfolk Members of the Parliament of England for Norfolk {{17thC-England-MP-stub