Edmund Harman

Edmund Harman (c.1509–1577) was the barber-surgeon of Henry VIII of England and a member of his Privy Chamber.

In February 1536, Harman was made bailiff of Hovington, and given the keeping of the manor-place and the farm thereto belonging, with fees of 5l.

However, his lavishly carved monument is in the Church of St John the Baptist, Burford, Oxfordshire, a mile and a half away.

No explanation is given in the Latin inscription for their presence, and it has been suggested that the family was involved in the early exploration and trade with the Americas.

The American images on Edmund's memorial may have been copied from illustrations in a Flemish book that appeared a few years earlier.