John Proby (c. 1639 – 14 November 1710) of Elton Hall, Huntingdonshire (now in Cambridgeshire) was an English lawyer and independent 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 at various times between 1693 and 1710.

Early life

Proby was baptized on 16 January 1639, the second son of Sir Heneage Proby and his wife Ellen Allen daughter of Edward Allen, of Finchley, Middlesex. He was admitted at

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

and at

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

on 2 April 1657. In 1664, he was called to the bar. He was a bencher of his Inn in 1684. He was the grandson of Sir Peter Proby,

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 pow ...

in 1622, and younger brother of Sir Thomas Proby, 1st Baronet, from whom he inherited Elton Hall in 1689.John Burke, John Bernard Burke ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies"
/ref> By 1691, he married Jane Cust, daughter of Sir Richard Cust, 1st Baronet of Blackfriars, Stamford, Lincolnshire.

Career

Proby was returned as

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 ...

for

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popu ...

at a by-election on 23 December 1693 on the interest of the Whig

Earl of Manchester Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the current senior title of the House of Montagu. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester. Manchester Parish in Jamaica was named af ...

. He was not very active in Parliament and 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 replaced by a relation of the Duke. He was returned again unopposed at the 1698 English general election and at the two general elections of 1701. He supported a motion on 26 February 1702 to vindicate the Commons' for the impeachment of the Whig ministers, was not put forward by Manchester at the 1702 English general election. From 1698 to 1699 he was treasurer of his Inn. After six years absence, Proby was returned to Parliament on his own account as MP for Huntingdonshire at a by-election on 31 January 1708 and was re-elected 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 stood as an independent, determined to avoid party entanglements, and voted against the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. In spite of this, the Earl of Manchester returned him again at the 1710 British general election.

Death and legacy

Proby died on 14 November 1710, aged 71, before the Parliament sat again, and was buried at Elton. He left his unmarried daughter his personal estate, valued at £10,000, together with another £5,000, to be raised by selling property at Old Weston and from rents of his other Huntingdonshire manors. Elton Hall, to which he had added a wing, descended first to his cousin William Proby, governor of

Fort St George Fort St. George (or historically, White Town) is a fortress in the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English (later British) fortress in India. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further ...

, and eventually to William's grandson,

John Proby, 1st Baron Carysfort John Proby, 1st Baron Carysfort KB PC (25 November 1720 – 18 October 1772) was a British Whig politician. Life He was the son of John Proby, of Elton Hall, Huntingdonshire, and his wife Jane, daughter of John Leveson-Gower, 1st Baron Gow ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Proby, John 1630s births 1710 deaths English barristers English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701–1702 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1708–1710