General Notes

Name Suffix:<NSFX> I
Henry HUDSON I - b. about 1500, England; d. 1555. One sourc
e styles the
father of Henry and William HUDSON as 'Henry HUDSON, Gent.
, Alderman of
London, Lord of Manors, etc.' Henry was probably a member o
f the Muscovy
Company, or Association of Merchant Adventurers, which Seba
stian CABOT
founded by 1553. The Company, chartered in 1555, sought a n
orthern route
to China, either easterly or westerly.
Although the Hudson Coat of Arms has changed over the years
, the
oldest known Hudson Coat of Arms consists of Three Lions i
n the Rampant
position with three boars heads as supporting badges. The s
ymbolism of
the lions signifies rearing with strength, courage and loya
lty as
character traits. My research into heraldry did indicate th
at three lions
on a coat of arms is very rare but to date I have not uncov
ered the
significance. The boars' heads were badges that suggested a
llegiance to
the royal arms of King Richard III. King Richard III utiliz
ed boars heads
as his identifying badges to signify bravery and perseveran
ce. Possibly,
the three lions rampant is significant in identifying wit
h King Richard
III also.
The arms of Gentleman Henry Hudson (1st generation recorde
d here) are
described as "argent, semee of fleurs de lis gules, a cros
s engrailed
sable. The early Hudson colonists in Virginia utilized a va
riation of
this arms to mark livestock, lending credence to the relati
onship to
Henry.