Sir John Shurley (died 3 August 1527) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

noble who held the financial office of Cofferer to the King during the reign of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

. He was married twice. Firstly to Parnell (or Petronella) Grandford, daughter of John Graunford, King's bailiff of

Rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

and himself son of onetime Mayor of Rye Babylon Graundfote. Secondly to Margery Goring. He had at least five children, including Edward, his heir, John, William, Bridget and Joanne. The surname seems to have come from Shurley Manor, which was located in

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

, and the surname is commonly spelt ''Shirley'' today. He was the son of Roger Shurley of

Presteign Presteigne (; : the church of St. Andrew) is a town and community (Wales), community on the south bank of the River Lugg in Powys, Wales. The town is located on the England–Wales border, which surrounds it to the north, east and south. Nearby ...

Radnorshire Radnorshire () was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974, later becoming a Districts of Wales, district of Powys from 1974 to 1996. It covered a sparsely populat ...

, Wales. His mother was a daughter of William Walker, also of Presteign. Eventually, the Shurley family became chief residents of

Isfield Isfield is a small village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex in England, located north-east of Lewes.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publish ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

, and Sir John and many of his family are buried at Isfield Church. The inscription over his tomb describes Sir John as "chef clerke of the kechen to our souayn kyng henry ye viii". There is a description of him performing his duties as cofferer in "his own quaint way". This included leaving Court for the summer months to repair to Isfield: "a lamentable example to his staff" said his critics. He had two prominent great-grandsons: Sir

John Shurley Sir John Shurley (died 3 August 1527) was an England, English noble who held the financial office of Cofferer to the King during the reign of Henry VIII. He was married twice. Firstly to Parnell (or Petronella) Grandford, daughter of John Grau ...

, the politician and MP, and his brother Sir

George Shurley Sir George Shurley (1569–1647) was an English-born judge who held the office of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Uniquely among the holders of that office, he ranked as junior in precedence to the Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.Ball, F. E ...

Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...

.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' John Murray London 1926 Vol.1 p.328

References

External links

The Shirley Family Association
1527 deaths 16th-century English people 16th-century English knights Year of birth unknown People from Isfield {{UK-noble-stub