Background
Gurdon was the son of Brampton Gurdon (died 1649), an Member of Parliament and High Sheriff of Suffolk, by his second marriage.
Gurdon was the son of Brampton Gurdon (died 1649), an Member of Parliament and High Sheriff of Suffolk, by his second marriage.
His father left him the Letton estate while passing the family"s other estate (at Assington in Suffolk) to Brampton"s older half-brother, John.
Brampton qualified as a barrister, and in 1645 was elected a member of the Long Parliament, filling a vacancy at Sudbury, though he does not seem to have been an active member. During the Civil War he was colonel of a regiment of horse and served as a member of the court martial which condemned Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle to death after the Siege of Colchester.