Laurence Hussey, or Lawrence Hussey, (c. 1527-after 1602) was an English lawyer, messenger and diplomat. Laurence was probably the eldest of the three sons of Anthony Hussey and his wife Catherine (Webbe, of Dedham, Essex), who were married by 1526. He was educated at Padua and Bologna. Laurence Hussey was a groom of the chamber to

Edward VI of England Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first En ...

. In September 1550 he was sent to Scotland to accompany the French former hostage

François de Vendôme, Vidame de Chartres François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King ...

as his harbinger, employed to find his food and lodgings. Hussey was arrested in July 1553 for carrying letters concerning

Lady Jane Grey Lady Jane Grey ( 1537 – 12 February 1554), later known as Lady Jane Dudley (after her marriage) and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553. Jane was ...

. In April 1557 Hussey was in Scotland and met

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...

and Henri Cleutin at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

. He wrote from Edinburgh on the international situation to the border warden

Lord Wharton Baron Wharton is a title in the Peerage of England, originally granted by letters patent to the heirs male of the Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton, 1st Baron, which was forfeited in 1729 when the last male-line heir was declared an outlaw. The B ...

, including inaccurate news of a French military success in Italy, and reported the safe arrival at

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

of three English ships scattered from a northern fleet by a storm. England and Scotland were at war and soon after the ships made an unsuccessful attack on the town of Kirkwall in

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

. Hussey was acting on behalf of

Margaret Douglas Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (8 October 1515 – 7 March 1578), was the daughter of the Scottish queen dowager Margaret Tudor and her second husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. In her youth she was high in the favour of her unc ...

to ask forgiveness for her husband Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, then judged a rebel to the Scottish crown. Laurence was a Master of Chancery, and was replaced in 1602 by Henry Hickman. An inscription in the Church of St Nicholas, Charlwood, Surrey, recorded the burial of his daughter Katherine in 1626, wife of Sir William (Edmond) Jordan of Gatwick, and that Laurence had a Doctor's degree, was a Master of Chancery, and was the son of Anthony Hussey, the queen's agent in Germany, Belgium and Russia.Edmund Lodge, ''Illustrations of British History'', vol. 1 (John Chidley: London, 1838), p. 284 footnote. Laurence Hussey married a daughter of Sir John White of

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

(Lord Mayor) (by his first marriage to Sybil White, sister of Sir Thomas White, Keeper of Farnham Castle); he was thus the brother-in-law of Mary White, wife of Henry Offley, son and heir of Sir

Thomas Offley Sir Thomas Offley (c. 1500/05 – 1582) was a Sheriff of London and Lord Mayor of London during the reign of Queen Mary I of England. A long-serving alderman of London, he was a prominent member (and once Master) of the Worshipful Company of Merc ...

. His sister Ursula became the wife of

Benjamin Gonson Benjamin Gonson (c. 1525–1577) was an English Naval Administrator, and the first Surveyor of the Royal Navy. He was a founding member of England's Navy Board during the Tudor period. Career Benjamin Gonson began his career as a private shipw ...

, Surveyor of the Navy; his brother William Hussey was briefly appointed Registrar to

Reginald Pole Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal of the Catholic Church and the last Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558, during the Counter-Reformation. Early life Pole was born a ...

, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1558, but died unmarried in late October 1559, aged 27, and was buried in St Martin, Ludgate. Of their brother Gilbert little more than his name is known.

References

{{reflist

Sources

Edmund Lodge, ''Illustrations of British History'' vol. 1 (John Chidley: London, 1838)

Agnes Strickland, ''Lives of the Queens of Scotland'', vol.2 (Edinburgh, 1851)
16th-century English lawyers University of Bologna alumni