Sir John Parsons (1639 – 25 January 1717) of The Priory,

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earlie ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, was an English brewer,

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

victualler and Tory politician, who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

between 1685 and 1717. He was

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

in 1703.

Origins

John Parsons was born in 1639 and baptised on 28 August at

St Botolph without Aldgate St Botolph without Aldgate was an ancient parish in the metropolitan area of London. The parish was partly within the City of London and partly in the County of Middlesex. Each part operated as a separate parish for civil administration with its ...

, London. He was the son of John Parsons, a brewer, of

East Smithfield East Smithfield is a small locality in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, east London, and also a short street, a part of the A1203 road. Once broader in scope, the name came to apply to the part of the ancient parish of St Botolph without ...

, London and his wife, Jane. He married, by 1667, Elizabeth Beane, daughter of Humphrey Beane, a

cordwainer A cordwainer () is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes. This usage distinction is ...

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

, Surrey. She was born in 1645 (baptised on 18 December 1645 in St Olave, Southwark). Elizabeth died before 1677, when Parsons married as his second wife, Jane Milward, on 7 February.

Commercial career

Parsons was the owner of the

Red Lion Brewery The Red Lion Brewery was an English brewery located in East Smithfield, London. It was believed to have been established around the 15th century, and closed in 1934. Location The brewery was located close to the north bank of the River Thames, o ...

, a business he inherited from his father. This brewing business in London was popular for its strong stout, known as "Parson's Black Champagne". The brewery exported beer as well as supplying it locally and had the principal export trade in beer to France.Stephen, Sir Leslie, ed.; London, England: Oxford University Press; ''Dictionary of National Biography'', Volumes 1-20, 22; Volume: Vol 15; Page: 402) Parsons was a joint farmer of excise for Cumberland, county Durham, Northumberland and Westmorland from 1671 to 1674. He was appointed victualler to the navy in 1677 and advanced to Commissioner for victualling the navy in 1683, holding the post until 1689. In early 1695, Sir John Parsons was listed as a trustee for a scheme to launch "the Royal Academies" using lotteries for admission.Tilmouth, Michael (1957), "The Royal Academies of 1695", Music and Letters, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 4, October 1957, Pages 327–334, https://doi.org/10.1093/ml/XXXVIII.4.327 Parsons and the other trustees (gentlemen and merchants) were acting as fiduciaries rather than "underwriters" of the project. The project was not successfully launched.

Reigate Place

Parsons purchased the Priory estate in Reigate in 1681 as a home for his large family. He commissioned an impressive staircase with fine parquetry for the house. In 1700, a gallery was erected in the south aisle of St Mary's church, Reigate, especially for Sir John Parsons of Reigate Priory to house his wife, children and very large family. This remained for 150 years and was used by subsequent owners of the Priory until it was removed in about 1845.

Political career

Parsons was returned as

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. Th ...

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 of ...

for

at the

1685 English general election The 1685 English general election elected the only parliament of James II of England, known as the Loyal Parliament. This was the first time the pejorative words Whig and Tory were used as names for political groupings in the Parliament of Englan ...

. He was an

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

of London for Castle Baynard ward in 1687. He was knighted by James II on 15 August 1687 at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

and served as

Sheriff of London Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery company, livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have ...

for the year 1687 to 1688. From 1687 to 1688 he was Alderman for Portsoken ward and from 1688 for Bassetshaw. He was admitted to the Brewers Company on 16 October 1688 and was Master of the Brewers Company in 1689. He was elected to the Convention Parliament of 1689 but was unseated on petition on 1 March 1689. At the

1690 English general election The 1690 English general election occurred after the dissolution of the Convention Parliament summoned in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, and saw the partisan feuds in that parliament continue in the constituencies. The Tories made signi ...

, he was returned as MP for Reigate and again at the

1695 English general election The 1695 English general election was the first to be held under the terms of the Triennial Act of 1694, which required parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections called at least every three years. This measure helped to fuel partisan rivalry ...

. He was defeated at the

1698 English general election After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' sup ...

but was returned unopposed at the first general election of 1701. At the second general election of 1701 he stood at Reigate and the City of London, and although he received hardly any votes at London, was returned again as MP for Reigate. He was re-elected for Reigate at the

1702 English general election The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Britis ...

. He translated to the Fishmongers Company on 19 October 1703, and served as

for the year 1703 to 1704. He was notable for giving up his official fees for the payment of the City debts. Parsons stood again for Reigate and the City of London at the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of " Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pr ...

, but was only returned for Reigate where he was unopposed. He was Prime Warden Fishmongers Company from 1706 to 1708. At the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

, he was again returned for Reigate. He was returned again at the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

. From 1710 to 1714, he was Colonel of the Red regiment in the City militia. He was returned again in 1713 and 1715.

Death and legacy

Parsons died on 25 January 1717 and was buried in

Aldgate Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London. It gives its name to Aldgate High Street, the first stretch of the A11 road, which included the site of the former gate. The area of Aldgate, the most common use of ...

. His sons

Humphrey Humphrey is both a masculine given name and a surname. An earlier form, not attested since Medieval times, was Hunfrid. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Medieval period :''Ordered chronologically'' *Hunfrid of P ...

by his first wife and

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

by his second wife were both MPs. His son, Humphrey, inherited Reigate Priory, and held the estate until 1741. His daughter Anne (by his second wife) married the barrister John Wainwright, who became a much-loved judge in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, where he died of Famine fever while on

assize The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes e ...

in 1741.Ball, F. Elrington ''"The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921"'' London John Murray 1926 Vol.2 p.203

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, John 1639 births 1717 deaths English brewers British businesspeople Sheriffs of the City of London 18th-century lord mayors of London English MPs 1685–1687 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 Knights Bachelor Masters of the Worshipful Company of Brewers