John Poulett, 1st Baron Poulett
John Poulett, 1st Baron Poulett, (1585 – 20 March 1649) was an English sailor and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1610 and 1621 and was later raised to the peerage.
Poulett was the son of Sir Anthony Poulett or Paulet, Governor of Jersey, and Captain of the Guard to Queen Elizabeth and of Catherine Nooreys, daughter of the Baron of Rycot, Henry Lord Norreys. He was educated at University College, Oxford and was admitted as a student of the Middle Temple in 1610. He was a Justice of the Peace for Somerset by 1613 to at least 1640 and was appointed High Sheriff of Somerset for 1616–17.[1]
He was elected as Member of Parliament for Somerset in 1610 and 1614, and for Lyme Regis in 1621.[1]
Poulett was raised to the peerage as Baron Poulett, of Hinton St George in the County of Somerset, on 23 June 1627. He served on the fleet to secure English commerce and bullion ships from Dutch raiding expeditions. As war loomed in England, he put his signature, together with those of other Lords and Councillors, to a declaration disavowing any intention by King Charles I to wage war against the Parliament, but as hostilities broke out he sided, on 15 June 1642, with the Royalist cause. He was one of the principal commanders at the siege of Lyme in Dorset. At war's end, Parliament gave him a pardon, but his house was constrained to settle a large sum in reparations. He died on 20 March 1649.[2]
Marriage & progeny
Poulett married Elizabeth Ken of Ken Court in Somerset. They had the following progeny:
- John Poulett, 2nd Baron Poulett
- Florence Poulett, married Thomas Smith of Long Ashton and was the mother of Sir Hugh Smith, 1st Baronet.[3]
- Margaret Poulett, married Denys I Rolle (1614-1638) of Stevenstone and Bicton in Devon, Sheriff of Devon in 1636.[4]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "POULETT (PAULET), John (1586-1649), of Hinton St. George, Som. and Clerkenwell, Mdx.". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ↑ Arthur Collins, Peerage of England, F. C. and J. Rivington, 1812, pp.9–10
- ↑ John Burke, John Bernard Burke A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies
- ↑ Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitation of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, pp. 652-656, pedigree of Rolle, p.653; http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/PAULET.htm#William%20PAULET%20%281%C2%B0%20M.%20Winchester%29[]
References
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Maurice Berkeley Sir Francis Hastings |
Member of Parliament for Somerset 1610-1614 With: Sir Maurice Berkeley |
Succeeded by Sir Maurice Berkeley Robert Hopton |
| Preceded by Sir Edward Seymour, Bt George Browne |
Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis 1621-1622 With: Robert Hassard |
Succeeded by Sir John Drake William Wynn |
| Peerage of England | ||
| New creation | Baron Poulett 1627–1649 |
Succeeded by John Poulett |