The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-28
THE HOUSE OF OvBREND, CUR
NEY, AND COMPANY
ITS FOunuors ana its FAN.


have risen from the crowd by their own enter
prise, ana, beginning in small ways, have made
tor themselves names and regulations az success
iul traders and men OF wealth and influence;
and their sons or grandsons have generally
abandoned the commerce that has helped chem
to distinction, eager to mix with those of rank
and title older than their own, and willing, 1t
they can, to forget by what means they have
been enabled to enter the circle OF aristocraoy.
A goodly number OF the titled families OF Eng
land owe their origin TO old merchants and shop
keepers; but their modern representatives have
nothing to do with trade, and look upon it as
thing altogether beneath tn EN-. In the Cur
neys, on the other hand, we see the almost soil
tary instance of an ancient family that, IN later
times, has not been ashamed to engage in COM
merCe, and has drawn from 1t a dignity great
as any that could come from lengthy pedigrees
and the traditions of bygone ages.
They are descended from Hugh de Gournay,
Lord OF GouTnay and the adjacent BaTony OF LIE
Brai who in 1854 commanded at the battle of
Mortimer and in 1866 accompanied William the
Conqueror TO England To him and his success
sors we're made large grants in Norfolk, Suffolk,
and elsewhere; and the GournaYs were men OF
mark during the ensuing centuries. One OF his
descendants was Edmund GournaY, Recorder
OF norwich, in the reign of Edward Ill; ana
from that time to this Norwich has always been
the residence of some members of the family.
The most notable OF his successors, as far as we
are concerned, was Francis Gournay, or Cur
nay, who was born about the year 1860. He
seems to have been native of Norwich, and he
married the daughter OF a Norwich merchant;
but the greater part of his life was spent i'm
London. In l606 he was made member OF the
Guild OF Merchant TatloTs, and for some years
he lived in Broad street ward, in the Parish of
Saint Mary Benetnck working as a merchant.
There was another merchant OF his name, and
amuch more famous man, living in London at
the same time, though apparently not of the
same family, Sir Richard Guruey was born at
Croydon IN 1877. He was apprenticed to Mr..
Richard Culeby, q silkman in Cheapslde VINO
so liked him that, at his death, he bequeated to
hlm his shop and a sum OF $4,000. Part of chat
ne TRAVELLING ibTOuph
and Italy, "Whcre," says his Old blographer
"he improved himself, and, by observing the
trade OF the respective marts as he passed, laid
the foundation of his future traffic. Soon
after his return, it is added, being himself of
no great family, he discreetly married ''into
family at that time commanding most OF the
money, and, by that, most of the nobility
gentry and great tradesmen OF England"
Thereby he became a great merchant and
very wealthy man. He was Sheriff OF
London in 1884, and Lord Mayor in
workers Company, OF which he a member
and warden, and he gave freely to all sorts OF
city charities. He also, being a sturdy Royalist
lent or gave immense sums of money to King
Charles |; at one time, on his Maiesty's return
from Scotland, spending $4,000 in entertaining
him. He was one of the great champions of
Charles cause in the city, during the commence.
ment of the Commonwealth struggle. In 1910
when he was siXty-three years old, 1t is recorded
lone night, with thirty or forty lights and a
few attendants he rushed suddenly out OF the
house on thousands, with the city sword
drawn, who Immediately retired to their own
houses and gave over their designs" This excess
of loyalty, however, caused his ruin. In 16l2
he was elected from his Mayoralty anG lodged
in the Tower. There, for refusing to paw tine
fine of $4,000 appointed by Parliament, he was
kept prisoner for seven years, and there he
died in l649.
His contemporary, Francis Gournay. had his
share of trouble On the 18th of June, 1922, the
corporation of Lynn lent to him and two part
ners Of his sum Of 5000, for ''setting the poor
W wi no tOuyr Ann 80 ,t,o
terms OF the agreement between them, the
money was to be repaid in three years. time
and in the meanwhile Gournay was ito freely
provide, find, and deliver sufficient wool and
other material to all those poor people dwelling
within the borough who shall come to be set on
work in spinning of worsted yarn" He was
also to instruct all the poor children who were
sent to him in the spinning of wool; in fact,
he was to do all he could to establish i'm
the town a branch of the woollen manutac-
ture that tor some time past had formed
the chief business of Norwich and its ncighbo
hood. Therein, however, he failed. Good
ChurChmen attributed the failure to the circum-
stance that his factory was desecrated church.
A century before, 1t seems, the corporation OF
Lynn had received certain monasterieS and ecce-
siastiCal foundations during the spoliation under
Henry VIII. One Of these, the church of Saint
James, in Lynn, according to Sir Henry Spell
man, was perverted to be town house for the
manufacture of stufs, laces, and tradesmen's
commodities, whereby they thought greatly TO
enrich their corporation and themselves Great
projects and good stocks with a contribution
from some country gentlemen, were raised for
this purpose-two several times, to my know
ledge But the success was that it came to
nought and all the money employed about new
building and Transforming the church hath
only increased desolation Tor so 1t hath
stood during the whole time almost of my
memory, till they lately attempted, by the under
taking of Mr.. Francis Gournay and some
artisans from London, TO revive the enterprise
of their predecessors; but, speeding no better
than they did, have now again, with loss of
their money and expectation, left it to future
ruin.n
WHOEVER was the cause Of 1t, Francis Gour-
nays experiment failed. He was not able to
pay back the money ne had borrowed from the
corporation, and he seems to have been in
trouble, by reason of IT, to the end of his life
His son, Francis born in 1925 was merchant
or shopkeeper at Maldon, in Essex, and appar.
emily man of not much substance. But the
fortunes OF the house were revived by OLD
Francis Gournay's grandson, John Courtney, OF
Quincy, of Norwich. He was born at Nation
on the 18th of October, 1866 and as soon as he
was old enough, was apprentced to DAME
Gilman, cordwainer OF Norwich. For
time his business energies were restrained
by the bigotry of his felloW-toWnsmen
Some hye-and-twenty years after George
FoXs public preaching Of the doctriue
OF the Society OF Friends before 1878, at any
rate, John Gurney became a conveIt TO those
doctrines. He was one OF the fourteen hundred
and sixty Quakers imprisoned on account O
their religious opinions, and for three wears h,
lay in Norwich Jail. After that he was released
but still considerable difficulty arose througl
his refusal to take the freeman's oath REQUIRE,
before he could be allowed to practise as a mer
chant within the city walls. AT last however
an exception was made in his favor and TO
some thirty years or more he was famous ant
very thriving merchant at Norwich, living at
house in Saint Augustine's parish. He wa