Hudson Gurney was an English antiquary and verse-writer, also known as a politician.
Background
Gurney was born at Norwich on 19 January 1775, the eldest son of Richard Gurney of Keswick Hall, Norfolk, by his first wife, Agatha, daughter of David Barclay of Youngsbury, Hertfordshire. Anna Gurney was his sister. He inherited a fortune from his father in 1811.
Education
He was educated by his grandfather Barclay, by Thomas Young, and by John Hodgkin.
Career
Gurney was briefly Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury from 1812 to 1813, the election being voided on petition. In March 1816 he was elected Member of Parliament for Newtown, Isle of Wight, sitting in five successive parliaments until 1832. He served much on committees.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Norfolk for 1835-1836.
He was elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries on 12 March 1818, and was vice-president from 1822-1846. He contributed to the society many hundreds of pounds for the publication of Anglo-Saxon works.
Gurney lived at Keswick Hall and in Saint 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. They had no children.
Gurney"s portrait (when about 20) was painted by Opie, and also, about 1840, by Briggs.
Between 1822 and 1830 he had presented to the British Museum Henry Jermyn"s manuscript collections for the history of Suffolk. The seal of Ethelwald, bishop of Dunwich.
And Roman tesselated pavements from Carthage.
Membership
Royal Society; 5th United Kingdom Parliament. 6th United Kingdom Parliament. 7th United Kingdom Parliament.
8th United Kingdom Parliament.
9th United Kingdom Parliament. 10th United Kingdom Parliament]
He was a member of the Gurney family.
He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society (elected 15 January 1818), a 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.