Sir John Port (before 1510 – 6 June 1557) was an

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 ...

landowner and

Knight of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

who served occasionally in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

. He was Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1554. By his will, he founded

Repton School Repton School is a 13–18 Mixed-sex education, co-educational, Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, ...

and

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

s at

Etwall Etwall () is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, southwest of Derby on the A50. The population at the 2011 Census was 2,906. Geography Etwall is located between the A516 bypass and the A50 in south Derbyshire. The A516 draws hea ...

. He also owned Caverswall Castle from 1531 after acquiring it through marriage to Elizabeth. The

John Port Spencer Academy John Port Spencer Academy, formerly known as John Port School, is an academy and secondary school in the village of Etwall, Derbyshire, England.

is named after him.

Early life

Port’s ancestors were from

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

. He was the only son of Sir John Port (died 1540), a judge, by Jane Fitzherbert (died about 1520), the widow of John Pole of Radbourne, and daughter and heiress of John Fitzherbert (died 1502) of Etwall, King’s Remembrancer of the

Exchequer In the civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty’s Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's ''current account'' (i.e., money held from taxation and other government reven ...

. His great-grandfather, Henry Port, was described as a merchant. A London mercer, also named Henry Port (died 1512), was his grandfather; a monument to the latter in

St Helen's Church, Etwall St Helen's Church, Etwall is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Etwall, Derbyshire. History The church dates from the 12th century with elements from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The church was restored between 18 ...

records that he died in 1512, having had seventeen children by his wife Elizabeth, the daughter of Banowayte of Flowresbrook. Port had three sisters: Ellen, who married firstly Sir Edmund Pierrepont of Holme, Nottinghamshire, and secondly Sir John Babington; Barbara, who married Sir John Francys of

Foremark Foremark is a hamlet and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. It contains Foremarke Hall, a medieval manor house which now houses Repton Preparatory School; and part of Foremark Reservoir. Foremark is near the h ...

; and Maria, who was the wife of Sir George Findern of

Findern Findern is a village and civil parish in the District of South Derbyshire, approximately 5–6 miles south of Derby (Grid reference: ). The population of the civil parish was 1,669 at the 2011 Census. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Bo ...

. Port was the first lecturer or scholar at his father's foundation at

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

Career

In 1539, Port was elected as one of the

Knights of the Shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution ...

(members of parliament) for

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. He was knighted at the coronation of

King Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour ...

in 1547 and was a member of Queen Mary's first parliament, representing Derbyshire in 1553. He was

High Sheriff of Derbyshire High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...

in 1554. In 1556 he was involved in the execution of

Joan Waste Joan Waste or Wast (1534 – 1 August 1556) was a blind woman who was burned in Derby for refusing to renounce her Protestant faith. Port had no surviving sons when he died on 6 June 1557. By his will he left bequests for the creation of an almshouse at Etwall and a "Grammar School in Etwalle or Reptone", where the scholars every day were to pray for the souls of his parents and other relatives. The executors purchased land which had once been the grounds of the

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

Repton Priory Repton Priory was a priory in Repton, Derbyshire, England. It was established in the 12th century and was originally under the control of Calke Priory. It was dissolved in 1538. The priory became a place of pilgrimage on account of the shrine o ...

. The priory had been dissolved in 1538, however the buildings remained standing until 1553 when the then owner, Gilbert Thacker, fearing the priory would be recommissioned under the Roman Catholic

Queen Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...

, had the church completely destroyed; a task that was almost entirely completed within a single day.'Houses of Austin canons: The priory of Repton, with the cell of Calke', A History of the County of Derby: Volume 2 (1907), pp. 58-63. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=40125 Date accessed: 8 June 2013Repton Church: Our Church - Christianity in Repton Gilbert Thacker claimed "He would destroy the nest, for fear the birds should build therein again." Thus only a few fragments and foundations of the original priory church remain, although other buildings survived and are now part of Repton School. Port also confirmed and augmented his father's grants to

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...

Marriages and children

Port married firstly Elizabeth Giffard, a daughter of Sir

Thomas Giffard Sir Thomas Giffard (c.1491 – 27 May 1560) was a Tudor dynasty, Tudor courtier, Staffordshire landowner and Member of the English Parliament. Background and early life Thomas Giffard's father was John Giffard (died 1556), Sir John Giffard of ...

of Chillington in Staffordshire by Dorothy, his wife, third daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Montgomery, which Elizabeth was heiress to her mother. By his first wife he had three daughters and two sons: *Walter Port, who died young. *Thomas Port, who died young. *Elizabeth Port, who married Sir Thomas Gerrard of Bryn Hall, ancestor of the baronets of that name. *Dorothy Port, who married

George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon (1540 – 30 December 1604) was an English nobleman. He was a son of Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon and Catherine Pole, daughter of Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu and Jane Neville. He was a youn ...

. *Margaret Port, who married

Sir Thomas Stanhope Sir Thomas Stanhope (1540 – 3 August 1596) was the son and heir of Sir Michael Stanhope, and a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire. Family Thomas Stanhope was the eldest son of Sir Michael Stanhope and Anne Rawson (c.1515 – 20 Febru ...

, grandfather of

Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield (1584 – 12 September 1656) was an England, English Nobility, nobleman, Aristocracy (class), aristocrat and royalist, who was created the first Earl of Chesterfield by King Charles I of England, Charles I ...

.''Collin's Peerage of England'' by Sir Egerton Brydges, K.J.: in nine volumes: Vol. III 1812: ''Earl of Chesterfield'' pp. 415-421 Port married secondly Dorothy Fitzherbert, widow of Sir Ralph Longford (d. 1543) and daughter of

Sir Anthony Fitzherbert Sir Anthony Fitzherbert (147027 May 1538) was an English judge, scholar and legal author, particularly known for his treatise on English law, ''New Natura Brevium'' (1534). Biography Fitzherbert was the sixth son of Ralph Fitzherbert of Norbur ...

Norbury, Derbyshire Norbury is a village in Derbyshire, England. It is located north of Rocester, on the B5033 road and the River Dove (which is the traditional border for Staffordshire). The hamlet has links with George Eliot's family, the Evans. George Eliot's ...

, by whom he had no issue.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Will of Sir John Port, proved 26 June 1557
Retrieved 3 April 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Port, John 1557 deaths Founders of English schools and colleges Knights of the Bath People from Derbyshire High Sheriffs of Derbyshire High Sheriffs of Nottinghamshire Year of birth uncertain English MPs 1539–1540 English MPs 1553 (Mary I)