John Gostwick

Sir John Gostwick (c.1480 – 15 April 1545) was an English courtier, administrator and MP. Life He was born as the son of John Gostwick in Willington, Bedfordshire, and educated in Potton. Around 1510, he entered the service of Cardinal Wolsey and became a Gentleman Usher to Henry VII. He was also a merchant importing caps and hats from the continent of Europe. By 1517, he was a wax chandler. In 1523, he took on an auditorship at court, and pursued a career as a financial officer. In 1529, Gostwick bought Willington Manor from Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. He became a member of Gray's Inn and a JP (Justice of the Peace) for Bedfordshire. After Wolsey's death, he worked for his successor Thomas Cromwell in a number of important and lucrative roles, acting as a personal paymaster. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries, he acquired a considerable number of other properties and in 1538 was one of the judges who sentenced the Abbot of Woburn to be hanged for refusing to sign the Oath of Supremacy. He was knighted in 1540.