Gorges family

He married (as her second husband) Helena Snakenborg, Marchioness of Northampton (1549–1635), a Swedish noblewoman and lady in waiting to Queen Elizabth I, through whose influence Swedish-style architecture was adopted in the construction of the mansion and who has a notable monument in Salisbury Cathedral.

In 1347 he was challenged by Sir John Warbleton (or Warburton), a knight from Cheshire who happened to be serving with him at the Siege of Calais, who noticed they both bore the same arms on their shields, "Lozengy or and azure" (a field of gold and blue lozenges).

The case was brought before a court of honour convened at Calais and presided over by Henry of Grosmont, Earl of Lancaster which adjudged on 19 July 1347 the disputed arms to Warbleton.

[13] The ancient Gorges canting arms of "Argent, a gurges azure", being a blue whirlpool on a white (or silver) background, gurges signifying in Latin a Whirlpool,[14] had been retained some generations before by the senior Gorges line seated at Tamerton Foliot, Devon, the cadet line having married the de Morville heiress.

A pair of the wooden roof bosses of the church at Chagford, Devon, display whorls, believed to be the Gorges arms, as the family was connected with that manor.

Original arms of Gorges, with heraldic gurges or whirlpool: Argent, a gurges azure . These arms were used continuously by the senior line at Tamerton Foliot, but were dropped by the first Baron Gorges in favour of the arms of Morville, which latter he is recorded as having used at the Siege of Caerlaverock in 1300 [ 1 ]
Longford Castle , mansion of Sir Thomas Gorges
Monument in Salisbury Cathedral of Helena Snakenborg and her second husband Sir Thomas Gorges
Award of a court of honour convened before Calais in 1347 in the matter of Warbleton vs. Gorges. MS Ashmole 1137, f.143r, Bodleian Library