John purchased the manor and advowson of Hampton Poyle in 1438 (French p. 59). He was of Lincolns Inn. He was steward in Surrey for the duke of Buckingham by 1428 and still in 1448. He was a member of parliament for Surrey in 1431 and a justice of the peace from 1435 to 1444. (Baker)
Events
Date of Birth: unknown.
Place of Birth: unknown.
Date of Death: 19 or 20 July 1450.
19 July 1450 is given by French (p. 59), Greenfield (p. 212), and the Bannerman edition of the Visitations of Surrey (p. 92). Joseph Howard Jackson’s edition of the “Visitation of Surrey” gives “9 July 29 H 6”, which is after John's will was proved. Baker gives 19 or 20 July 1450.
Place of Burial: Crowhurst, Surrey, England.
The place is given by French (p. 59) and by Baker. John asked to be buried in Crowhurst in his will (Greenfield p. 212).
Relationships
Father: Sir John Gainsford (died 1420).
This relationship is given by Davies, the VCH of Surrey (Volume 4, sub Crowhurst), French (p. 59), the Bannerman edition of the Visitations of Surrey (p. 91), and Joseph Howard Jackson’s edition of the “Visitation of Surrey”.
Mother: unknown.
Spouse: Margaret. Married before 1411.
This relationship is given by Davies, French (p. 59) and Joseph Howard Jackson’s edition of the “Visitation of Surrey”. Margaret is named in the will of her son, Nicholas, and on the brass monument of her sons Thomas and Reginald (French p. 55). She is also named in a 1423 fine.
Spouse: Elizabeth, widow of John Benefeld of Twineham, Sussex. Married before 1439.
This relationship is given by Davies.
Children:
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
John Gainsford (died 1460) married (1) Anne Wakehurst; married (2) Catherine Greene (or Reckell).
William Gainsford married Joan Simon.
Nicholas Gainsford (died 1498) married Margaret Sidney.
Reginald Gainsford died s.p.
Thomas Gainsford died s.p.
Agnes Gainsford married (1) Richard Wakehurst; married (2) Sir John Culpepper before 1460.
Evidence
A fine from 1423:
C 25/1/114/295, number 28 [image, abstract] (1423).
The inscription on John Gainsford’s tomb (from French p. 49)
Hic jacet Johannes Gaynesford Senior Armiger qui
obijt xix die Mens Julij Anno Dñi Millm̃o cccc
quinquagesimo cuius dĩe ppicietur deus. Amen
Another reading has “aīe” for “dĩe”.
References
"Abstracts of Feet of Fines", on Chris Philips' site Some Notes on Medieval English Genealogy.
Anglo-American Legal Tradition. The O'Quinn Law Library of the University of Houston.
Attree, F.W.T., and Booker, J.H.L. “The Sussex Colepepers. Part I.” in Sussex Archaeological Collections (Lewes: Sussex Archaeological Society, 1904), Volume XLVII, pages 47 to 81.
Baker, Sir John. Men of Court 1440 to 1550. (London: Selden Society, 2012).
Bannerman, Bruce (ed.). The Visitation of Kent taken in the Year 1592. (Harleian Society, 1924). Volume 2.
Bannerman, Bruce (ed.) The Visitations of the County of Surrey made and taken in the years 1530 by Thomas Benolte, Clarenceux king of arms; 1572 by Robert Cooke, Clarenceux king of arms, and 1623 by Samuel Thompson, Windsor herald, and Augustin Vincent, Rouge croix pursuivant, marshals and deputies to William Camden, Clarenceux king of arms. (London: The Harleian Society Volume XLIII, 1899).
Davies, Matthew. “Gainsford, John I (d. 1450) of Crowhurst, Surr.” in The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1422-1461 (Linda Clark ed.) (University of Cambridge Press, 2020).
Fleming, Peter. ‘Culpeper family (per. c.1400–c.1540)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, (Oxford University Press, 2004) [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/52784, accessed 24 April 2014]
French, G.R. “A Brief Account of Crowhurst Church, Surrey, and its Monuments,” in Surrey Archaeological Collections Volume III pages 39 - 62. (London: Surrey Archaeological Society, 1865).
Gainsford, William Dunn. Annals of the House of Gainsford (London, 1909).
Greenfield, Benjamin Wyatt. “The Descent of the Manor and Advowson of Hampton-Poyle”, in The Herald and Genealogist, Volume 1 (London: John Bowyer Nichols and Sons, 1863).
Howard, Joseph Jackson (ed.). “The Visitation of Surrey” in Surrey Archaeological Collections Volume 6 (Surrey Archaeological Society, 1874).
Malden, H.E. (ed). A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4 (Victoria County History, 1912).
Will of John Gaynesford, in Church of England. Province of Canterbury. Prerogative Court. Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Probate Records, 1384-1858, PROB 11/1/213. [His will mentions his sons John, William, and Nicholas].
Will of Nicholas Gaynesford of Carshalton, Surrey, in Church of England. Province of Canterbury. Prerogative Court. Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Probate Records; PROB 11/11/486.
Woodger, L.S. “Wakehurst, Richard (d. 1455), of Wakehurst in Ardingley, Suss. and Ockley, Surr.”, in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421 ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe. (Boydell and Brewer, 1993).