Francis Gawdy

Sir Francis Gawdy (died 15 December 1605) was an English judge. He was a Justice of the King's Bench, and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. His country seat and estates were in Norfolk. Career Family and name Francis Gawdy was the third son of Thomas Gawdy, and was baptised Thomas Gawdy, as were his two elder half-brothers, Thomas Gawdy (d.1556) and Thomas Gawdy (d.1588). Francis then had his name changed at his Confirmation, establishing legal precedent that a name given at baptism could be changed at confirmation. Legal education and progress He may have studied at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, matriculating in 1545, but this record might rather be attributable to Francis's half-brother, the Thomas Gawdy who died in 1588. He was called to the bar at Inner Temple in 1549, becoming a bencher in 1558 and treasurer in 1571. He was Reader at Lyon's Inn in 1561 and at the Inner Temple in 1566 and 1571. He had an unremarkable parliamentary career, elected to represent Morpeth for the 1571 election, but focused mainly on his legal career. He was made Serjeant-at-law in 1577 and Queen's Serjeant in 1582, and as Queen's Serjeant opened the prosecution against Mary, Queen of Scots.