Thomas Gawdy (died 1588)

Sir Thomas Gawdy

He was the second of three sons of Thomas Gawdy, all by different wives and all baptised Thomas.^[1] (The younger half-brother changed his name to Francis Gawdy, at his confirmation). The mother of this Thomas was Anne Bennett. All three brothers were lawyers. His elder half-brother Thomas Gawdy was created a Serjeant-at-law in 1552 before dying in 1556, whereas his younger brother, Francis, served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from August 1605 until December of that year.

Legal profession

A member of the

In 1548, he married Etheldreda or Audrey, daughter of William Knightley of Norwich.[2] Her dowry and property was used to expand his own land. A year after she died in 1566 he married Frances Richers, and used the money from that marriage to buy more land and property, including Gawdy Hall (Harleston), the family seat, and land at Redenhall and Harleston. He died at Gawdy Hall on 5 November 1588, and was buried at Redenhall Church.

Children

By his first wife he had issue two sons:

• Knight of the Bath by James I in 1603. Many letters of Sir Henry Gawdy to his cousin Sir Bassingbourne
  and others are calendared in the report on the Gawdy MSS. issued by the Historical Manuscripts Commission
• Thomas Gawdy,[3] who matriculated from Trinity Hall, Cambridge Easter 1571,^[4] and married Anne Bushell^[5]

The judge also left three daughters,

• Frances Gawdy. Frances married Sir Edmund Moundeford of
  Hockwold, Norfolk, the grandson of Francis Mountford, and was the mother of Sir Edmund Moundeford^[6]
• Isabell Gawdy
• Julian Gawdy.
  Sheriff of Norfolk in 1610, and was the mother of Sir Richard Berney, 1st Baronet^[7]