Family and Education

Offices Held

Master surveyor of ordnance 1563; j.p. Mdx. from 1561.

Biography

Little is known about Iden, who sat for the Earl of Pembroke’s borough of Shaftesbury in 1563. Pembroke owned land at Islington, but any contact between Iden and Pembroke was probably through one of several of Iden’s friends who were servants of the Earl, perhaps his ‘loving friend’ William Wightman. Iden was classified a ‘favourer of religion’ in 1564 and died 2 Dec. 1568, leaving legacies to a number of the Sandford family, including his ‘late wife’s daughter Jane Sandford’, and to Sir Walter Mildmay. The will was dated 27 Nov. 1568 and proved 3 Dec.

It is not known whether Iden was the ‘Harry Iden’ (then under 21), son of the Joseph Iden who was mentioned in the will of Robert Iden of West Farleigh, Kent, made 4 July 1546. As this Henry Iden was dead by the time of the 1574 heralds’ visitation his name does not appear in the pedigrees.

CPR, 1569-72, p. 4; Tomlins, Perambulation of Islington, 33; PCC 25 Babington; HMC Foljambe, 4-5, 7-8; Roberts thesis, 154; Cam. Misc. ix(3), p. 63; Misc. Gen. et Her (ser. 5), vi. 42-3; Vis. Kent 1574. (Harl. Soc. lxxv), 1.

Ref Volumes: 1558-1603

Author: P. W. Hasler

Notes