These research notes are provided as-is and contain supplementary working research.
Evidence
West Barsham wardship: Edward Gournay a minor ward to c.1628 (WARD 7 / C 142)
The West Barsham heir was a royal ward through the later 1620s. Thomas Gurney III (Henry G15's eldest son, m. Martha Lewkenor of Denham) died in his father's lifetime, c.1621×1623 — Henry G15's will of 1 May 1621 still names 'my eldest sonne Thomas' among the living — and Henry himself died in 1623, so his grandson and heir Edward Gournay (b. 1608) succeeded as a minor: a ward of the Crown under his widowed mother Martha, coming of age about 1628. Edward held West Barsham to his death on 6 August 1641 (inquisition C 142/613/60). Earlier 'Gurney, Thomas: Norfolk' entries in the Court of Wards series (WARD 7/57/157, /80, 1616/17–1617/18) cannot be Thomas III's death inquisitions — he was living in 1621 — and are carried only as unresolved catalogue leads.
Date: c.1621×1623–1641 (West Barsham wardship of Edward Gournay)
Why this conclusion
- Supports Finding The senior West Barsham branch inside the founders' Court-of-Wards network, 1623–1641The WARD 7 / C 142 inquisitions establish the wardship that put the minor heir's household under Court of Wards administration in the emigration decade.
Related context
- Context from Finding The jest-book's West Barsham Gurney anecdotes are kin-sourced through the L'Estrange-Lewkenor marriageKin-sourced through Anne (Lewkenor) L'Estrange, the jest-book adds family-tradition context to the West Barsham terminal pedigree the wardship records set out - corroborating Edward Gournay's marriage to Frances Hovell while confirming that the erroneous '1614' death for Thomas III circulated as family tradition.
Sources
- Mostyn John Armstrong, The History and Antiquities of the County of Norfolk, 10 vols. (Norwich, 1781)., vol. 5, Gallow Hundred, West Barsham parish (Edward Gournay chancel brass)
- Blomefield, Francis. An Essay Towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk. 11 vols. London, 1805–1810., vol. vii, West Barsham, pp. 42–47
- FamilySearch Full-Text Search, AI-transcribed manuscript image collections (deeds, probate, parish and borough records)., Henry Gurney (G15) will, 1 May 1621 (packet read): 'my eldest sonne Thomas' living
- Edmund Farrer, The Church Heraldry of Norfolk: A Description of all Coats of Arms on Brasses, Monuments, Slabs, Hatchments, &c., now to be found in the County (Norwich: Goose, 1885-1893)., vol. 2, West Barsham (brass no. VI; Cotman, Sepulchral Brasses of Norfolk, ii, pl. xciii)
- The National Archives (Kew), Court of Wards and Liveries inquisitions post mortem (WARD 7) and Chancery inquisitions post mortem, Series II (C 142), for the Gurneys of West Barsham, Norfolk; consulted at catalogue-description level via TNA Discovery., WARD 7/57/157; WARD 7/57/80; C 142/365/126; C 142/370/10; C 142/613/60
Topic file location: Origin — wardship and patronage network
Technical details
- Research item:
G13-RI-000081 - Graph revision:
244 - Machine-readable JSON:
/assets/g13-graph/findings/G13-RI-000081.json
This is one research item from the John Gurney research graph; the fuller narrative treatment is in the linked topic above and the research library.