Hudson Gurney
Encyclopedia
Hudson Gurney was an English antiquary and verse-writer, also known as a politician.
, and by John Hodgkin. He inherited a fortune from his father. In early life he travelled on the continent with his friend George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
.
In March 1816 Gurney became M.P. for Newtown, Isle of Wight
, and sat in six successive parliaments. He served much on committees. In 1835 he was High Sheriff of Norfolk
. He was elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
on 12 March 1818, and was vice-president from 1822–46. He contributed to the society many hundreds of pounds for the publication of Anglo-Saxon works. He was also fellow of the Royal Society
(elected 15 January 1818); member of the British Archæological Association from 1843; vice-president of the Norfolk and Norwich Archæological Society; and a supporter of the Norwich Museum and Literary Institute. Gurney lived at Keswick Hall and in St. James's Square, London, where he saw much society till the last twenty years of his life, when he suffered from ill-health. He died at Keswick Hall on 9 November 1864, and was buried in Intwood
churchyard, near Norwich. He was the head of the Norfolk family of the Gurneys, and his fortune was inherited mostly by John Henry Gurney
.
Gurney is described as having a habit of questioning everything: ‘he seemed never to agree with you;’ but he was kind, liberal, and hospitable. He married in 1809 Margaret (d. 1855), daughter of Robert Barclay, M.P., of Ury, Kincardineshire. They had no children. Gurney's portrait (when about twenty) was painted by Opie, and also, about 1840, by Briggs. The ‘Gentleman's Magazine’ for 1865 states that the originals are at Keswick Hall, and copies in the possession of Mr. Daniel Gurney of North Runcton.
), xx–xxii. xxiv. xxv. and xxx. He purchased from the widow of Samuel Woodward
all his manuscripts, drawings, and books on Norfolk topography, and printed for Mrs. Woodward's benefit the ‘Norfolk Topographer's Manual’ and the ‘History of Norwich Castle
.’
He possessed a library of from ten to fifteen thousand volumes, in every one of which he used to boast he had read. He left some diaries, which were not to be published for fifty years.
's manuscript collections for the history of Suffolk
; the seal of Ethelwald, bishop of Dunwich; and Roman tesselated pavements from Carthage
.
Life
Gurney was born at Norwich on 19 January 1775, was the eldest son of Richard Gurney of Keswick Hall, Norfolk, by his first wife, Agatha, daughter of David Barclay of Youngsbury, Hertfordshire. He was educated by his grandfather Barclay, by Thomas YoungThomas Young (scientist)
Thomas Young was an English polymath. He is famous for having partly deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphics before Jean-François Champollion eventually expanded on his work...
, and by John Hodgkin. He inherited a fortune from his father. In early life he travelled on the continent with his friend George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen KG, KT, FRS, PC , styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a Scottish politician, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 until 1855.-Early life:Born in Edinburgh on 28 January 1784, he...
.
In March 1816 Gurney became M.P. for Newtown, Isle of Wight
Newtown, Isle of Wight
Newtown is a small hamlet on the Isle of Wight, in England. In medieval times it was a thriving borough.Newtown is located on the large natural harbour on the Island's north-western coast, now mostly a National Nature Reserve owned and managed by the National Trust.The Caul Bourne stream running...
, and sat in six successive parliaments. He served much on committees. In 1835 he was High Sheriff of Norfolk
High Sheriff of Norfolk
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Norfolk. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually by the Crown. He was originally the principal law enforcement officer in the county and presided at the Assizes and other important county meetings...
. He was elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries can refer to:*Society of Antiquaries of London*Society of Antiquaries of Scotland*Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne*Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland...
on 12 March 1818, and was vice-president from 1822–46. He contributed to the society many hundreds of pounds for the publication of Anglo-Saxon works. He was also fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(elected 15 January 1818); member of the British Archæological Association from 1843; vice-president of the Norfolk and Norwich Archæological Society; and a supporter of the Norwich Museum and Literary Institute. Gurney lived at Keswick Hall and in St. James's Square, London, where he saw much society till the last twenty years of his life, when he suffered from ill-health. He died at Keswick Hall on 9 November 1864, and was buried in Intwood
Intwood
Intwood is a small village in Norfolk, England, south west of Norwich. Its church, All Saints, is one of 124 extant round-tower churches in Norfolk.-External links:*, a round-tower church...
churchyard, near Norwich. He was the head of the Norfolk family of the Gurneys, and his fortune was inherited mostly by John Henry Gurney
John Henry Gurney
John Henry Gurney was an English banker, amateur ornithologist, and Liberal Party politician.-Life:Gurney was the only son of Joseph John Gurney of Earlham Hall, Norwich, Norfolk. At the age of ten he was sent to a private tutor at Leytonstone near the Epping Forest, where he met Henry Doubleday,...
.
Gurney is described as having a habit of questioning everything: ‘he seemed never to agree with you;’ but he was kind, liberal, and hospitable. He married in 1809 Margaret (d. 1855), daughter of Robert Barclay, M.P., of Ury, Kincardineshire. They had no children. Gurney's portrait (when about twenty) was painted by Opie, and also, about 1840, by Briggs. The ‘Gentleman's Magazine’ for 1865 states that the originals are at Keswick Hall, and copies in the possession of Mr. Daniel Gurney of North Runcton.
Works
His first publication was a privately printed ‘English History and Chronology in Rhyme.’ In 1799 he published ‘Cupid and Psyche’ (4to and 8vo), an imitation in verse of the ‘Golden Ass’ of Apuleius (also 1800, 1801, and in Bohn's ‘Classical Library,’ ‘Apuleius’). He also published ‘Heads of Ancient History,’ 1814, 12mo; ‘Memoir of Thomas Young, M.D.,’ 1831, 8vo; ‘Letter to Dawson Turner on Norwich and the Venta Icenorum’ [Norwich, 1847], 8vo; and ‘Orlando Furioso’ [1843], 8vo (verse translation, written in 1808, of parts of the poem). He also wrote for the ‘Archæologia,’ chiefly on English antiquities, in vols. xviii. (on the Bayeux TapestryBayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth—not an actual tapestry—nearly long, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings...
), xx–xxii. xxiv. xxv. and xxx. He purchased from the widow of Samuel Woodward
Samuel Woodward
Samuel Woodward , English geologist and antiquary, was born at Norwich.He was for the most part self-educated. Apprenticed in 1804 to a manufacturer of camlets and bombazines, a taste for serious study was stimulated by his master, Alderman John Herring and by Joseph John Gurney...
all his manuscripts, drawings, and books on Norfolk topography, and printed for Mrs. Woodward's benefit the ‘Norfolk Topographer's Manual’ and the ‘History of Norwich Castle
Norwich Castle
Norwich Castle is a medieval royal fortification in the city of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk. It was founded in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of England when William the Conqueror ordered its construction because he wished to have a fortified place in the important city of...
.’
He possessed a library of from ten to fifteen thousand volumes, in every one of which he used to boast he had read. He left some diaries, which were not to be published for fifty years.
Legacy
Between 1822 and 1830 he had presented to the British Museum Henry JermynHenry Jermyn
Henry Jermyn may refer to:* Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans KG , third son of Sir Thomas Jermyn and first Baron Jermyn of St Edmundsbury, Governor of Jersey...
's manuscript collections for the history of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
; the seal of Ethelwald, bishop of Dunwich; and Roman tesselated pavements from Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
.