John Gurdon (c. 1544 – 21 September 1623) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

in 1571.

Blickling, St Andrew's church monument (48313524641)

Gurdon was the son of Robert Gurdon of

Assington Assington is a village in Suffolk, England, south-east of Sudbury. At the 2011 Census it had a population of 402, estimated at 445 in 2019. The parish includes the hamlets of Rose Green and Dorking Tye. History According to Eilert Ekwall, the ...

, Suffolk and his wife Rose Sexton, daughter of Robert Sexton of

Lavenham Lavenham is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is noted for its Guildhall, Little Hall, 15th-century church, half-timbered medieval cottages and circular walks. In the medie ...

, Suffolk and widow of William Appleton of Little Waldingfield. He was a student of

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 ...

in 1558. History of Parliament Online - John Gurdon
/ref> In 1571, Gurdon was elected

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 ...

(MP) for

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

. He succeeded to Assington on the death of his father in 1578 and was a J.P. for Suffolk from about 1579. In 1585 he was

Sheriff of Suffolk This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Suffolk. The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually (in March) by the Crown. The Sheriff was originally the principal law enforcement officer in the county ...

. Gurdon died at the age of about 78 in 1623. Gurdon married Amy Brampton, daughter of William Brampton of

Letton, Norfolk Letton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Cranworth, in the Breckland district, in the county of Norfolk, England. It is situated near Shipdham and is about 5 miles south west of East Dereham. In 1931 the parish had a popul ...

through whom he acquired the estate of Letton. They had a daughter and a son

Brampton Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipalit ...

who also became MP for Sudbury.

References

1544 births 1623 deaths English MPs 1571 High Sheriffs of Suffolk {{16thC-England-MP-stub