John Mills (11 August 1789 – 18 February 1871) was a British soldier, politician and amateur

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

er who played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

from 1816 to 1820. He was the eldest son of William Mills, a director of the

Honourable East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

, and the elder brother of

Sir Charles Mills, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Mills, 1st Baronet (23 January 1792 – 4 October 1872) was a British banker and member of the Council of India. Born at Popes, Hatfield, he was the third son of William Mills, a director of the Honourable East India Company, and th ...

. Mills was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford, matriculating on 22 October 1807. He was commissioned an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

on 27 December 1809. Mainly associated with

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, he made 9 known appearances in first-class matches. He played for the Gentlemen in the

Gentlemen v Players Gentlemen v Players was a long-running series of English first-class cricket matches. Two matches were played in 1806, but the fixture was not played again until 1819. It became an annual event, usually played at least twice each season, exc ...

series. Mills served with the regiment during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

and in Holland. He was promoted lieutenant and captain on 10 January 1814. Mills was later appointed a

verderer Verderers are forestry officials in England who deal with common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of the Crown. The office was developed in the Middle Ages to administer forest law on behalf of the King. Verderer ...

of the

New Forest The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, fea ...

. He was elected as a

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

(and later

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

)

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

at the 1831 general election having contested the seat unsuccessfully in 1830. He was re-elected in

1832 Events January–March * January 6 – Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison founds the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. * January 13 – The Christmas Rebellion of slaves is brought to an end in Jamaica, after the island's white plant ...

, and held the seat until he stood down at the 1835 general election. He was

High Sheriff of Hampshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Hampshire. This title was often given as High Sheriff of the County of Southampton until 1959. List of High Sheriffs *1070–1096: Hugh de Port "Domesday Book Online" *1105: Henry de Port (son of Hugh) *1129: W ...

in 1839, and was appointed a deputy lieutenant in 1846. He died in 1871 at his estate of Bisterne.

References

External links

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CricketArchive profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, John 1789 births 1871 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Coldstream Guards officers Tory MPs (pre-1834) Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Deputy Lieutenants of Hampshire English cricketers English cricketers of 1787 to 1825 Gentlemen cricketers Hampshire cricketers High Sheriffs of Hampshire People educated at Harrow School UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers E. H. Budd's XI cricketers Non-international England cricketers

Further reading

References

External links