John Silvester (1652 – 5 May 1722) held the Lordship of Birthwaite and Kexborough, near Barnsley, then in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, which he bought from Sir Francis Burdett in the late 16th or early 17th century. He was responsible for the construction of a school in the village of Kexborough.Introduction to Darton Memorial Inscriptions - Darton Parish Church of All Saints
/ref> He was a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

at the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

and is said to have constructed a chain that was to be drawn across the width of the river

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

in case of invasion, particularly that of an anticipated

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Fleet invasion. A marble effigy sculpted by Peter Scheemake was placed in the South Chapel of

Darton Darton is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley (part of South Yorkshire), on the border with West Yorkshire, England. At the time of the 2001 UK census, it had a population of 14,927, increasing to 21,345 for both Darton War ...

Parish Church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

.A new and complete history of the county of York, Volumes 1-2
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silvester, John English blacksmiths 1652 births 1722 deaths