Sir Ferdinando Sutton (1588–1621) was an English aristocrat.

Family and early life

The son of Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley (1567–1643) and Theodosia Harington (died 1649). The Sutton family used their title "Dudley" as a surname, and so he was sometimes known as "Ferdinando Dudley". His father abandoned his wife, for his mistress, Elizabeth Tomlinson. According to a bill produced in the

Star Chamber The court of Star Chamber () was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (), and was composed of privy counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judicial activities of the ...

by his political rival in Staffordshire, Gilbert Lyttelton, in 1592, he had "left that virtuous lady his wife in London without sustenance, and took to his home a lewd and infamous woman, a base collier's daughter". Lyttleton and Sutton had a dispute over the Manor of Prestwood at

Kinver Kinver is a large village in the District of South Staffordshire in Staffordshire, England. It is in the far south-west of the county, at the end of the narrow finger of land surrounded by the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire and the ...

. In 1597, Ferdinando and his sister,

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

, were lodged in Clerkenwell with Euseby Paget, rector of St Anne and St Agnes, and Mrs. Percy as wards of their aunt and uncle, Elizabeth and

Edward Montagu of Boughton Sir Edward Montagu (c. 1530 – 26 January 1602) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons in 1559. Career Montagu was the eldest surviving son of Edward Montagu (judge), Sir Edward Mont ...

. The Privy Council made arrangements for a settlement and payments but Lord Dudley refused to pay.

Court connections

Ferdinando Sutton was knighted on 4 June 1610, when Prince Henry was created

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

. His sister, Anne, joined the household of Princess Elizabeth and was known as "Mistress Dudley".

Marriage and children

Ferdinando Sutton married Honora Seymour, a daughter of Edward Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp and Honora Rogers in July 1610. Honora, Lady Dudley died in March 1620 and was buried in the parish church of St Edmund in

Dudley Dudley ( , ) is a market town in the West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically part of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. In the ...

. His daughter,

Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...

, was born in 1611 at

Dudley Castle Dudley Castle is a ruins, ruined castle, fortification in the town of Dudley, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Originally, a wooden motte and bailey castle built soon after the Norman Conquest, it was rebuilt as a stone fortifica ...

. She married Humble Ward (born 1612), son of a London goldsmith, William Ward and Elizabeth Humble (died 1616). According to

William Dugdale Sir William Dugdale (12 September 1605 – 10 February 1686) was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject. Life Dugdale was born at Shustoke, near Colesh ...

, her grandfather arranged her marriage to Ward to alleviate his debts, which were large because of his relationship with Elizabeth Tomlinson.

Death and burial

He died on 22 November 1621 of smallpox and was buried at

St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret the Virgin, Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Pal ...

. On the previous day he bequeathed his estates and possessions to his sister "Margaret Dudley", wife of Miles Hobart. The will was witnessed by his aunt Mary Wingfield and his servant William Dudley.

Thomas Birch Thomas Birch (23 November 17059 January 1766) was an English historian. Life He was the son of Joseph Birch, a coffee-mill maker, and was born at Clerkenwell. He preferred study to business but, as his parents were Quakers, he did not go to ...

& Folkestone Williams, ''Court and Times of James the First'', vol. 2 (London, 1849): ''Collections for a History of Staffordshire'', vol. 9 (London, 1888), p. 115.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutton, Ferdinando 1588 births 1621 deaths Ferdinando 17th-century English knights Knights Bachelor