Sir John Scudamore, (1 February 1542 – 14 April 1623) as the eldest son of William Scudamore, but due to his father's early death was a ward of Sir James Croft of Croft Castle, Herefordshire, whose daughter Eleanor he married in 1563.
When James Croft became a Comptroller of the Household in 1570, Scudamore (though by then widowed) became a courtier and was appointed Gentleman Usher to Queen Elizabeth and Standard Bearer to the The Honourable Band of Gentleman Pensioners.
He became Custos Rotulorum of Herefordshire in 1574, deputy lieutenant in 1575, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1581, and knight of the shire for Herefordshire in the 1570s and 1580s, serving for six terms.
His second wife, Mary Scudamore, daughter of Sir John Shelton of Norfolk and a member of the queen's privy chamber, was more important than he was because she had the queen's ear. Following Croft's death in 1590, his influence waned.
His heir was his son by his first marriage, Sir James Scudamore whose own son was ennobled as John Scudamore, 1st Viscount Scudamore.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir James Croft |
Custos Rotulorum of Herefordshire 1574–1616 |
Succeeded by Sir James Scudamore |