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Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones
Henry Jerningham, M.D. (d. 1772)
Henry Jerningham was the second son of Henry
Jerningham, Baron of Norfolk, Lord of Contessy and Mary
Jonquet de L'Epine. His Catholic heritage was deeply rooted.
His ancestors were among the aristocracy imprisoned in the
Tower of London and eventually executed for faithfulness to
their Roman Catholic creed.
One of seven children, Henry’s eldest brother died,
before 1767, a Jesuit in Rome. His younger brother Charles
was a lieutenant colonel in Regiment de Stampech
Cuirassiers pour le service de some imp. Re’ d’hongrie. His
brother Hugh was a recollect at Douay in Flanders. Two
sisters were Augustinian nuns at Bruges in the Austrian
Netherlands. One sister was the prioress of a convent in
Suffolk, England.
The name Bedingfield is an often-repeated given
name among the Queen ancestors. Bedingfield is joined to
Jerningham through marriage. Beddingfields are also listed
among the aristocratic prisoners of the Tower of London.
Henry Jerningham detested the very land that
composed the English colonies. He was a man of influence,
education and wealth. All of these probably contribute to