Gurney Genealogy Library Updated 2 April 2026 by Allen Gurney WIP / Draft

Edmund Gurney (d. 1387)

Ancestor fact sheet for G23 in the direct Gurney line. Lawyer of eminence; steward of John of Gaunt's East Anglian estates; standing counsel to the city of Norwich; husband of the heiress who brought West Barsham into the family. Published April 2026.

Born
c. 1340–1350, Harpley, Norfolk. Son of John de Gournay IV (G24). First attested 1354, keeping court at Harpley "on Thursday next before the feast of the conversion of St. Paul" (early January, 34 Edw. III). 1
Died
1387. Will dated at West Barsham on Thursday, the feast of the Ascension of Our Lord in that year (May 1387). Proved the same year. 2
Occupation / Religion
Lawyer of eminence. Justice of the peace for Norfolk (44 and 49 Edw. III). Royal commissioner (multiple appointments). Steward of John of Gaunt's East Anglian estates, 1372–1387. Standing counsel to the city of Norwich and borough of Bishop's Lynn (King's Lynn). 3
Buried
Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, West Barsham, Norfolk. Directed by will; 8s. to be distributed to the poor on his burial day. 4
Marriage(s)
Katherine de Wauncy — daughter of Sir William de Wauncy, Knt., of West Barsham, Lord of Depden (Suffolk) and Denver (Norfolk). Katherine was eventually sister and heir of Sir Edmund de Wauncy, who died in 1372 leaving only an infant son who also died soon after, bringing the entire West Barsham estate to Edmund Gurney in right of his wife. A grant of 100 marks per year from the West Barsham and Denver manors was settled on Edmund and Katherine by her father, dated 31 Edward III (1357). 5

Highlights

  • He acquired West Barsham — and made it the family's home for three centuries. Through Katherine de Wauncy, Edmund inherited the ancient manor of West Barsham when her brother's line failed in 1372. The estate had been in the Wauncy family since Domesday Book, when Hugo de Wanci held it under the Earl Warren. From Edmund's death in 1387 until the family became extinct in the direct male line in 1661, the Gurneys were the Gurneys of West Barsham. The hall that still stands — its 16th-century north wing Grade II listed — is the building that Edmund's descendants expanded and occupied. 6
  • Steward of John of Gaunt's East Anglian estates, 1372–1387. John of Gaunt — Duke of Lancaster, father of the future Henry IV, and the most powerful man in England after the king — retained Edmund as his steward for the East Anglian portion of his vast holdings. This is a History of Parliament attestation: Edmund was not merely a local gentleman; he was a trusted officer of the most powerful magnate in the realm, managing revenues and legal affairs on a scale that dwarfed anything the Norfolk gentry typically handled. 7
  • Counsel to both Norwich and Bishop's Lynn simultaneously. Daniel Gurney records that Edmund and his colleague Edmund de Clipesby "were the standing council for the city of Norwich, in the nature of recorder and steward." Bishop's Lynn (modern King's Lynn) also sought his counsel. This made him one of the most prominent legal figures in East Anglia — a man whose opinion two major urban corporations paid to retain. 8
  • His arms impaled the Wauncy coat — and the evidence survives. Edmund's arms (the engrailed cross, argent) impaling the Wauncy coat (gules, three dexter hand-gloves pointed downwards, argent) were visible in a window of "Gurney's Place" in St. Julian's parish, Norwich, when Mr. Norris recorded them. The same impaled coat was still visible in a window of Denton church, Norfolk, as of DG's writing in 1848. 9
  • The patent and close rolls are full of him. DG catalogues Edmund's appearances across at least fifteen separate royal instruments: justice of the peace, commissioner for forcible entry, commissioner for customs fraud, arbitrator between the prior of Norwich and the prioress of Carrow, special commissioner for Queen Philippa's manor, justice for piracy inquiry, and more. He is one of the most thoroughly documented ancestors in the entire lineage. 10

Children

Name Dates Mother Notes
Sir John Gurney V, Knt. d. 1408 Katherine de Wauncy Eldest son. Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk 1400; steward to Earl of Arundel; returned to Parliament 1399; held 8 Norfolk manors + 1 Suffolk manor. His son Edmond died under age — line extinct. COLLATERAL. 11
Robert Gournay fl. c. 1370–1420 Katherine de Wauncy G22 in direct line. Second son. DG notes "whom we believe was named Robert." Married Joan de Norwich. His son Thomas I (G21) inherited the estates after Sir John's line failed. 12
Jeanne Gurney fl. c. 1370s Katherine de Wauncy Married Osbert Mundeford of Hockwold, Esq., who was also one of Edmund's executors. COLLATERAL. 13

Narrative

Edmund Gurney is the ancestor who transformed the family’s position in Norfolk society. His predecessors at Harpley had been respectable minor gentry — knights and esquires of moderate standing. Edmund became something considerably more: a lawyer of county-wide reputation, retained by the city of Norwich, by the borough of Bishop’s Lynn, and — most impressively of all — by John of Gaunt himself, as steward of the Duke’s East Anglian estates.

John of Gaunt needs context. In the 1370s and 1380s, as Edward III declined and the young Richard II struggled to establish himself, Gaunt was effectively the most powerful figure in English public life — controlling revenues, military resources, and political influence on a scale no other subject approached. To be his estate steward for any region was to operate at the highest level of administrative England. Edmund did this for East Anglia for fifteen years.

At the same time, he was accumulating a dense record of royal commissions. The Patent and Close Rolls of Edward III and Richard II mention him repeatedly: appointing him justice of the peace (twice), commissioner for customs fraud, arbitrator between ecclesiastical houses, special commissioner for the queen’s manor, and investigator of piracy in Norfolk roads. He was, in the language of the period, a man of business — the kind of trusted, legally trained professional whom both great lords and urban corporations needed to manage their affairs.

His most consequential personal act was his marriage to Katherine de Wauncy. Her family had held West Barsham since before Domesday Book. Through a tragedy of infant mortality — her brother Sir Edmund de Wauncy died in 1372 leaving only a seven-year-old son who also died soon after — the entire West Barsham estate came to Edmund in right of his wife. He became lord of West Barsham and moved the family’s primary seat there from Harpley. In 1357 his father-in-law had already settled 100 marks per year from the West Barsham and Denver manors on Edmund and Katherine; by 1375, Edmund was leasing out the manor in a 180-year indenture signed at West Barsham, sealing with the engrailed cross.

He died in May 1387 at West Barsham, directing his burial in the parish church. His will left everything to Katherine, named Osbert de Mundeford and Thomas Kemp as executors, and distributed alms to the poor of the town. His son John V succeeded and built further on Edmund’s legal foundations. His second son Robert — the direct ancestor — would in due course inherit when John’s line failed.

Citations

  1. DG-II, p. 357: "Son and heir of the before mentioned John de Gourney IV, kept his first court at Harpley in 1354, on Thursday next before the feast of the conversion of St. Paul." Birth estimated c. 1340–1350 based on this first court appearance. ↩
  2. DG-II, p. 363: "Edmund Gurney died in 1387; his will is dated at West Barsham, on Thursday the feast of the Ascension of our Lord in that year." Will proved same year: Reg. Harsyke, fol. 34, Bishop's office at Norwich. ↩
  3. DG-II, pp. 358–363: extended catalogue of Patent and Close Roll entries. Justice of peace: Pat. 44 and 49 Edw. III. Stewardship of Gaunt: History of Parliament Online (Edmund Gurney, d. 1387). Counsel to Norwich and Lynn: DG-II, p. 359. ↩
  4. DG-II, p. 363: "He bequeathed his body to be buried in the church of the Assumption of the blessed Virgin in that town, and 8l. to be distributed to the poor on his burial day." ↩
  5. DG-II, pp. 357–358: Katherine daughter of Sir William de Wauncy. Grant of 100 marks: "dated 31 Edward III (1357). The said deed of Wauncy, sealed with a splayed Falcon on a scutcheon." West Barsham acquisition: her brother Sir Edmund de Wauncy died 1372; his son died soon after; lordship of West Barsham came to Edmund de Gurney "in right of his wife, daughter of Sir William, and sister and heir of Sir Edmund de Wauncy." DG-II, p. 357; Blomefield, in West Barsham, vol. vii, p. 42. ↩
  6. DG-I, p. 279: "From this period this family of the Gurneys were principally seated at West Barsham for many generations." West Barsham Hall north wing: Grade II listed; hall burned 1815; 16th-century north wing survives. DG Appendix LXIII (Wauncy family): Domesday Survey records Hugo de Wanci holding West Barsham under Earl Warren in 1086. ↩
  7. History of Parliament Online: Edmund Gurney, d. 1387; stewardship of John of Gaunt's East Anglian estates, 1372–1387. ↩
  8. DG-II, p. 359: "these two, Clipesby and Gurney, were the standing council for the city of Norwich, in the nature of recorder and steward." Bishop's Lynn: cited in project knowledge base and JSON from prior research. ↩
  9. DG-II, p. 358: "Mr. Norris conjectures that his house in Norwich was Gurney's Place in St. Julian's parish, in a window of which house Mr. Kirkpatrick saw his arms impaling one of the coats of de Wauncy, Gules, 3 dexter hand gloves pointed downwards argent. This coat is now to be seen in a window of Denton church in Norfolk." ↩
  10. DG-II, pp. 358–363: fifteen-plus royal instrument citations from Patent and Close Rolls, 36–50 Edw. III and into Richard II's reign. ↩
  11. DG-II, p. 374 (John V chapter); History of Parliament Online (John Gurney, d. 1408). ↩
  12. DG-II, p. 363: "a second son, whom we believe was named Robert." Pedigree by Cook, Clarenceux, 1622. See G22 fact sheet. ↩
  13. DG-II, p. 363: "also a daughter Jeanne, married to Osbert Mundeford of Hockwold, Esq. who was one of the executors of his will." Source: Pedigree by Cook, Clarenceux, 1622. ↩

Research Appendix

Lineage Status

Confirmed. Edmund Gurney is one of the best-documented ancestors in the entire lineage. He appears in fifteen or more Patent and Close Roll entries across Edward III and Richard II’s reigns; his will survives in the Bishop’s Register (Reg. Harsyke, fol. 34); his West Barsham indenture is transcribed in DG-II; and he has a History of Parliament Online entry. The father-son relationship to John IV is established in DG-II pp. 357–358 explicitly: “Son and heir of the before mentioned John de Gourney IV.”

John of Gaunt Stewardship — Source Note

The stewardship of John of Gaunt’s East Anglian estates (1372–1387) is attested in the History of Parliament Online entry for Edmund Gurney, d. 1387, which was identified in prior research sessions. The DG-II chapter (pp. 357–363) does not contain the phrase “John of Gaunt” directly in the passages reviewed, but lists Edmund’s many royal commission appointments which are entirely consistent with his having that position. Before publication, the History of Parliament Online entry should be re-read in full to confirm the Gaunt stewardship phrasing and date range and to check for any additional details.

West Barsham Acquisition — Precise Chronology

  • 1357: Sir William de Wauncy settles 100 marks p.a. from West Barsham and Denver on Edmund and Katherine (31 Edw. III)
  • 1367: Fine levied re moiety of West Barsham, settled on Edmund and Katherine in tail (41 Edw. III)
  • 1356: Sir Edmund de Wauncy lord of West Barsham (30 Edw. III)
  • 1372: Sir Edmund de Wauncy dies; infant son Edmund also dies
  • After 1372: Edmund de Gurney becomes lord of West Barsham in right of Katherine
  • 51 Edw. III (c. 1375/77): indenture of lease, signed at West Barsham

De Wauncy Family Note

DG-II Appendix LXIII (pp. 364+) contains a detailed account of the Wauncy family including their Norman origin (possibly from Wanchy near Neufchatel in Normandy) and their Domesday holdings. This is an important appendix for the West Barsham history and should be read in full before the G22–G19 fact sheets are written.

Sources Consulted

  • DG-II, pp. 357–363 (Edmund Gurney chapter and will).
  • DG-II, Appendix LXIII (Wauncy family).
  • DG-I, p. 279 (summary paragraph on Edmund).
  • History of Parliament Online: Edmund Gurney, d. 1387.
  • Blomefield, History of Norfolk, vol. vii, p. 42 (West Barsham) — cited via DG.
  • Reg. Harsyke, fol. 34 (will) — cited via DG.
  • Patent Rolls, 36–50 Edw. III — multiple entries cited via DG.
  • Norris MSS. — cited via DG throughout.
  • Ancestors_v3.json; Gurney_Research_KnowledgeBase_1.md.

Open Questions

  1. History of Parliament Online entry: should be read in full for Edmund Gurney d. 1387 to confirm Gaunt stewardship and check for any material not in DG-II.
  2. West Barsham church (Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin): Is Edmund’s burial location within the church recorded anywhere? The 1387 will directs burial there but does not specify a location within the building. Has any monument or ledger stone survived?
  3. “Gurney’s Place” in St. Julian’s parish, Norwich: Mr. Kirkpatrick’s record of the heraldic window is cited by DG. Kirkpatrick’s notes are in the Norfolk Record Office (Kirkpatrick MSS). Could the original window entry be located?
  4. The 180-year lease indenture at West Barsham: the full text is in DG Appendix LXV. Reading that appendix would provide direct document evidence of Edmund at West Barsham.