HURDMAN, Walter (d.1604), of Hereford

Hurdman inherited a house and pasture in St. Briavels, together with a portion of £20, Glos. RO, will of Philip Hurdman, 1552. which he probably used to set himself up as a Hereford mercer. During his first mayoralty he was reported to the Council as a Catholic sympathizer, but he seems subsequently to have conformed to the established church. APC, 1581-2, pp. 193, 245-6, 315-16. He and his brother George, also a member of the corporation, supported Sir John Scudamore† in the dispute over the borough’s high stewardship in 1601. C115/101/7581; 115/101/7615; Add. 11042, f. 9. The subsequent death of his son Edmund involved Hurdman in financial difficulties, for in January 1604 a creditor obtained a verdict against him in the Council of the Marches for the payment of rent arrears on 1 May following. This ruling may have prompted Hurdman to seek re-election to Parliament soon afterwards, as membership of the Commons afforded protection from arrest by creditors. C2/Jas.I/H14/7.

On 10 Mar. 1604, four days after the borough’s parliamentary election, Hurdman signed his will, which was witnessed, and probably drafted, by his colleague John Hoskins. In it he bequeathed a manor in Radnorshire to his nephew, £300 to his two younger sons and 200 marks each to his daughters, while his eldest son Philip was left all his property in Herefordshire and was appointed executor. PROB 11/104, f. 179v. Hurdman was mentioned twice in the surviving records of the 1604 session, being appointed to committees for the bills to regulate the tanning industry (28 Apr.) and preserve fish stocks (14 May). CJ, i. 189a, 209a. On 21 May he added a codicil to his will, which was witnessed by Anthony Pembrugge* and three other Hereford citizens, which transferred the bequest of the Radnorshire manor to Philip, who proved the will on 7 July. PROB 11/104, ff. 179v-80. Hurdman probably died in London, since his instruction that he be buried alongside his first wife in St. Peter’s, Hereford, was not performed. His widow married ‘a poor clothier and young beginner’ named Appley, who claimed £300 out of the estate as her portion and had Philip Hurdman arrested for debt. Philip asserted that the assets were insufficient to pay the debts but Appley argued that, as executor to his father, Philip had gained possession of goods worth £1,000 and lands to a similar value, which he intended to sell and go to Ireland. No other member of the family entered Parliament. STAC 8/161/19.