Oliver St John, 5th Baron St John of Bletso
Encyclopedia
Oliver St John, 5th Baron St John of Bletso (1603 - 23 October 1642) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
from 1624 to 1629 and in the House of Lords
from 1639. He died fighting in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War
.
St John was the son of Oliver St John, 1st Earl of Bolingbroke
and his wife Elizabeth Paulet, daughter of William Paulet. He was admitted at Queens' College, Cambridge
on 3 November 1615 and awarded MA in 1620. After his father's elevation to the earldom of Bolingbroke he was known by the courtesy title Lord St. John.
In 1624 St John was elected Member of Parliament
for Bedfordshire
(being incorrectly listed as "Baron St John of Bletsho"). At the coronation of Charles I he was made K.B. He was re-re-elected MP for Bedfordshire in 1625 and 1626. He was admitted at Lincoln's Inn
on 09 August 1627. In 1628, he was re-elected MP for Bedfordshire and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. He acted with the popular party all the time he was in the House of Commons. In 1628 he visited Eliot
in the Tower of London
. According to Clarendon, he "got himself well beloved by the reputation of courtesy and civility which he expressed towards all men," but had licentious habits, and had to seek license to travel abroad under an assumed name because of his financial embarrassmentsOn 3 November 1639 St John was summoned to the House of Lords
by writ of acceleration
as Baron St John of Bletso
as his father had been granted an Earldom in 1620. This was said to have been on the strength of a promise to support the king. However always voted with the popular party, and when the Civil War broke out, he raised a regiment for Parliament, in which Oliver Cromwell
's eldest son, Oliver, served as cornet. Early in October 1642 he occupied Hereford on behalf of Parliament, fortified the town, and refused admittance to King Charles when he appeared the on 8 October. He then joined the army of the Earl of Essex. He died of wounds after the Battle of Edgehill
on 23 October 1642.
St John married Arabella Egerton, daughter of John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater
, but had no children. The titles of his father passed to his nephew.
(Note: Stirnet.com lists no sons as a result of the marriage, but four daughters:
1. Frances St John married Sir William Beecher of Howberry
2. Elizabeth St John married George Bennett of Cotsback
3. Arabella St John married Sir Edward Wyse of Sydenham
4. Dorothy St John married Francis Charlton of Apley Castle. This last is recorded in Burke's Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland (1847) under Charlton of Apley Castle as: "Frances Charlton, esq. of Apley Castle, sheriff of Salop in 1665, who m. Dorothy, dau. and co-heir of Oliver, Lord St.John, and was, by her, great-grandfather of St John Charlton, Esq, of Apley Castle b. in 1733...")
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...
from 1624 to 1629 and in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
from 1639. He died fighting 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...
.
St John was the son of Oliver St John, 1st Earl of Bolingbroke
Oliver St John, 1st Earl of Bolingbroke
Oliver St John, 1st Earl of Bolingbroke , known from 1618 until 1624 as 4th Baron St John of Bletso, was an English nobleman and politician.-Life:...
and his wife Elizabeth Paulet, daughter of William Paulet. He was admitted at Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
on 3 November 1615 and awarded MA in 1620. After his father's elevation to the earldom of Bolingbroke he was known by the courtesy title Lord St. John.
In 1624 St John 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 Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Bedfordshire was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency, which elected two Members of Parliament from 1295 until 1885, when it was divided into two constituencies under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.-History:...
(being incorrectly listed as "Baron St John of Bletsho"). At the coronation of Charles I he was made K.B. He was re-re-elected MP for Bedfordshire in 1625 and 1626. He was admitted at Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
on 09 August 1627. In 1628, he was re-elected MP for Bedfordshire and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. He acted with the popular party all the time he was in the House of Commons. In 1628 he visited Eliot
John Eliot (statesman)
Sir John Eliot was an English statesman who was serially imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he eventually died, by King Charles I for advocating the rights and privileges of Parliament.-Family and early life:...
in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. According to Clarendon, he "got himself well beloved by the reputation of courtesy and civility which he expressed towards all men," but had licentious habits, and had to seek license to travel abroad under an assumed name because of his financial embarrassmentsOn 3 November 1639 St John was summoned to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
by writ of acceleration
Writ of acceleration
A writ in acceleration, commonly called a writ of acceleration, was a type of writ of summons to the British House of Lords that enabled the eldest son and heir apparent of a peer with multiple peerage titles to attend the British House of Lords or Irish House of Lords, using one of his father's...
as Baron St John of Bletso
Baron St John of Bletso
Baron St John of Bletso, in the County of Bedford, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1582 for Oliver St John.For a period, the title Baron St John was subsumed within the title Earl of Bolingbroke which was granted to the fourth Baron. The Earldom died out with the third Earl,...
as his father had been granted an Earldom in 1620. This was said to have been on the strength of a promise to support the king. However always voted with the popular party, and when the Civil War broke out, he raised a regiment for Parliament, in which Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's eldest son, Oliver, served as cornet. Early in October 1642 he occupied Hereford on behalf of Parliament, fortified the town, and refused admittance to King Charles when he appeared the on 8 October. He then joined the army of the Earl of Essex. He died of wounds after 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....
on 23 October 1642.
St John married Arabella Egerton, daughter of John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater
John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater
John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater KB, PC was an English peer and politician.The son of the Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley and Elizabeth Ravenscroft, he was a Member of Parliament for Callington from 1597 to 1598, and for Shropshire in 1601. Knighted on 8 April 1599, he was Baron of the...
, but had no children. The titles of his father passed to his nephew.
(Note: Stirnet.com lists no sons as a result of the marriage, but four daughters:
1. Frances St John married Sir William Beecher of Howberry
2. Elizabeth St John married George Bennett of Cotsback
3. Arabella St John married Sir Edward Wyse of Sydenham
4. Dorothy St John married Francis Charlton of Apley Castle. This last is recorded in Burke's Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland (1847) under Charlton of Apley Castle as: "Frances Charlton, esq. of Apley Castle, sheriff of Salop in 1665, who m. Dorothy, dau. and co-heir of Oliver, Lord St.John, and was, by her, great-grandfather of St John Charlton, Esq, of Apley Castle b. in 1733...")