Sir John Merrick was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

 from1640 to 1648. He fought in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

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Merrick was the son of Sir Francis Merrick. He was knighted in 1625.In April 1640, he was elected Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Newcastle under Lyme in the Short Parliament

Short Parliament

The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....

. He was re-elected MP for Newcastle under Lyme for the Long Parliament

Long Parliament

The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...

 in November 1640. On the outbreak of the Civil War Merrick was appointed Sergeant-Major-General in the Parliamentary Army commanded by the Earl of Essex. He commanded an infantry regiment Sir John Merrick's Foot, which took part in the Battle of Edgehill

Battle of Edgehill

The Battle of Edgehill was the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642....

. After the Battle of Stratton

Battle of Stratton

The Battle of Stratton was a battle of the south-western campaign of the First English Civil War. Fought on 16 May 1643, the resulting victory for Hopton confirmed Royalist control of Cornwall and destroyed Parliament's field army in Devon.-Prelude:...

, Merrick was appointed general of the Artillery., leading them at the Battles of Gloucester and Newbury.

Merrick died at the age of 75 and was portrayed in Bush church wearing black armour.

Merrick married firstly Alice Fitton of Gawsworth and had a son and two daughters. He married secondly a widow Jane Wyche who bore him no children.