English: St Mary's Church, Cranworth, Norfolk, mural monument to Brampton Gurdon (1606–1669) of w:Letton Hall in Norfolk, who led a regiment at the Battle of Naseby; he died in 1669 and is buried at neighbouring Southburgh > 668625. Arms of Gurdon: Sable, three leopard's faces jessant-de-lis or (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.435 "Gurdon of Assington Hall in Suffolk").

Genealogy

The Heraldic Visitation of Suffolk, 1612, gives the pedigree of "Gordon of Assington" as follows (Metcalfe, Walter C., ed. (1882). The Visitations of Suffolk made by Hervey, Clarenceux, 1561, Cooke, Clarenceux, 1577, and Raven, Richmond Herald, 1612, with notes and an appendix of additional Suffolk Pedigrees. Exeter: W. Pollard, p.141 [1]):

• John Gordon/Gurdon of Assington, Suffolk
  • Robert Gurdon of Assington, son, who married Rose Sexton, a daughter and co-heiress of Robert Sexton of Lavenham, Suffolk.
    • John Gurdon (c.1544-1623) of Assington, son, MP for Sudbury and High Sheriff of Suffolk in 1585, who married Amy Brampton, daughter and heiress of William Brampton of Letton, Norfolk (Monument with kneeling effigy in Blickling Church, Norfolk, to his daughter Elizabeth Gurdon, who died in 1582 aged 17), by his wife Elizabeth Browne, a daughter of Richard Browne of Somerset (Dashwood, G. H., ed. (1878). The Visitation of Norfolk in the year 1563, taken by William Harvey, Clarenceux King of Arms: Volume 1. Norwich, p.68[2])
      • Brampton Gurdon (died 1648/9), of Assington and Letton, son, MP and Sheriff of Suffolk, whos mural monument survives in St Edmund's Church, Assington. He married twice: firstly to Elizabeth Barrett, daughter of Edward Barrett of Bellhouse, Aveley, Essex, by whom he had a son John Gurdon (1595-1679) of Assington, MP, who inherited his paternal estate of Assington. He married secondly to Muriel Sedley (1583-1661), daughter of Martyn Sedley of Morley in Norfolk (see her ledger stone in St Andrew's Church, Southburgh, NorfolkFile:St Andrew's church Southburgh Norfolk (496823695).jpg), by whom he had another son:
        • Col. Brampton Gurdon (1606–1669), of Letton, younger son by father's second wife, a lawyer, MP and a colonel of cavalry during the Civil War. His mural monument survives in Cranworth Church, Norfolk (but he was buried at Southbergh). He inherited his paternal estate of Letton, and married Mary Polstead (1608-1679), 2nd daughter of Henry Polsted/Polstead of London; (Source: Farrer)
          • Brampton Gurdon (died 1691), son, who married Elizabeth Thornhagh, eldest daughter of Francis Thornhagh, son and heir of Sir Francis Thornhagh of Fenton, Nottinghamshire. (Source: Farrer)

Heraldry

8 shields (5 hanging on guige straps), with continental-style (Spanish ?) cloth drapery behind, unusual in English church monuments, a crest on top: A unicorn (?) forcenée argent with at dexter a tree proper on a mound of the first (Gurdon ?). Sources: Farrer, Edmund, Church Heraldry of Norfolk, Vol.1, Norwich, 1887, p.300[3]; see also: heraldryinnorfolk.wordpress.com [4]:

• Top row, left to right:
  • Sable, three leopard's faces jessant-de-lis or (Gurdon) (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.435 "Gurdon of Assington Hall, Suffolk") impaling: (blank, intended for a wife, probably Sexton). Probably for his great-grandfather Robert Gurdon, who married Rose Sexton.
  • Gurdon quarterly of 9:
    • 1&9: Gurdon
    • 2: Argent, three sinister wings gules (Sexton) (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.914 "Sexton")
    • 3: Gules, a fess argent in chief three bezants (Brampton) (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.115 "Brampton of Letton, Norfolk")
    • 4: Chequy or and gules, a bend ermine (Clifton, Baron Clifton of Buckenham Castle, Norfolk) (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.204) (here shown as Chequy gules and or)
    • 5: Argent, on a fess gules three annulets or (Barton) (Source: Farrer) (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.55, with field ermine not argent "Barton of Threxton House, Norfolk" and "Barton of Whereby, Yorkshire")
    • 6: Paly of six argent and azure, a fess gules (Burgate)
    • 7: Argent, three piles wavy in point gules overall a fess azure (? Gernon of Essex ?)
    • 8: Azure, a chevron between three escallops or (?)
  • Gurdon quartering Sexton, impaling Brampton (arms of his grandfather John Gurdon (c.1544-1623) of Assington, who married Amy Brampton.

• Middle row:
  • Centre: Gurdon (with a mullet argent for difference) impaling Argent fretty sable (Polstead / Polsted (Polstrod / Polstodd ?)) (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.812 "Polstrod / Polstodd of Westeley and Albury, , Surrey"), arms of Col. Brampton Gurdon (1606–1669), of Letton (subject of this monument), who married Mary Polstead.
  • Dexter/left: Quarterly of 4: 1&4: Gurdon; 2: Sexton; 3: Brampton; impaling Barry of four per pale counterchanged argent and gules (Barrett) (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.52 "Barrett of Bellhouse, Aveley, Essex", but blazoned as Argent and gules barry of four counterchanged; "Barrett of Essex" blazoned as Per pale argent and gules, four bars counterchanged). For his father's first wife;
  • Sinister/right: Quarterly of 4: 1&4: Gurdon; 2: Sexton; 3: Brampton; impaling: Azure, a fess wavy between three goat's heads erased argent (Sedley) (source: Farrer, Edmund, Church Heraldry of Norfolk, Vol.1, Norwich, 1887, p.300; Burke's General Armory, p.910 gives Sedley of Morley, Norfolk as: Per pale azure and sable, a fess chequy or and gules between three goat's heads erased argent). For his father's second wife Muriel Sedley, see same arms on her ledger stone in St Andrew's Church, Southburgh, NorfolkFile:St Andrew's church Southburgh Norfolk (496823695).jpg;

• Bottom row, left to right:
  • Gurdon (with a mullet argent for difference) impaling: Argent, two annulets interlaced in pale gules between three crosses pattée sable (Thornhagh, per Farrer; same arms per Burke's General Armory, p.1010 for "Thornheigh of Fenton, Nottinghamshire") (arms of his eldest son Brampton Gurdon (died 1691))
  • Gurdon impaling: (blank, for a wife) (arms reserved for a second son, presumably not yet married when the monument was erected)

General notes

The main features of St Mary's church date from the 14th century; the tower has a parapet and, unusual for Norfolk, a recessed spire. The lead roof is from 1919. The church furniture is elaborately carved from oak, the communion rail has a design of mouchette wheels. The church contains a number of interesting wall monuments, most of these to the Gurdons who lived at Letton Hall. The church is kept locked but a key is readily available. For more information see: http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/cranworth/cranworth.htm