John Upton (7 April 1590 – 12 September 1641) of Lupton in the parish of

Brixham Brixham is a coastal town and civil parish, the smallest and southernmost of the three main population centres (the others being Paignton and Torquay) on the coast of Torbay in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Commercial fish ...

in Devon, was four times elected a

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 Dartmouth in Devon (2 1/2 miles south-west of Lupton) at various times between 1625 and 1641.

Origins

John Upton was born on 7 April 1590 and was baptised at

Weare Giffard Weare Giffard is a small village, civil parish and former manor in the Torridge district, in north Devon. The church and manor house are situated 2 1/2 miles NW of Great Torrington in Devon. Most of the houses within the parish are situated ...

, North Devon, the 3rd son and heirVivian, p.744 of Arthur Upton of Lupton, in the parish of

, South Devon, by his wife Gertrude Fortescue (d.1598) a daughter of Hugh Fortescue of

Filleigh Filleigh is a small village, civil parish and former manor in North Devon, on the southern edge of Exmoor, west of South Molton. The village centre's street was, until the 1980s opening of the North Devon Link Road, the main highway between ...

and

John Burke ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain, Volume 4''"> John Burke ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain, Volume 4''
/ref> in North Devon, ancestor of the present

Earl Fortescue Earl Fortescue is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was created in 1789 for Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Baron Fortescue (1753–1841), a member of parliament for Beaumaris and Lord-Lieutenant of Devon. History The Earls Fortescue desce ...

. The ancient family of Upton originated at the Cornish manor of Upton.Vivian, p.743 A notable early member of this family was

Nicholas Upton Nicholas Upton (1400?–1457), was an English cleric, precentor of Salisbury, and writer on heraldry and the art of war. Life He is thought to have been the second son of John Upton of Portlinch, Devon, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Bar ...

(c.1400–1457), a cleric,

Precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury. The buildi ...

and a writer on heraldry and the art of war. Before inheriting Lupton this branch of the family were seated at Puslinch in the parish of

Newton Ferrers Newton Ferrers is a village and former manor and ecclesiastical parish in the English county of Devon; it is now in the civil parish of Newton and Noss. It is situated on a creek of the River Yealm estuary, about south-east of the City of Plym ...

in Devon.

Career

In 1625 he was elected a

for Dartmouth, about 2 1/2 miles south-west of Lupton. He was re-elected MP for Dartmouth in 1626 and 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. In April 1640 Upton was re-elected MP for Dartmouth in the

Short Parliament The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that was summoned by King Charles I of England on the 20th of February 1640 and sat from 13th of April to the 5th of May 1640. It was so called because of its short life of only three weeks. Aft ...

. He was re-elected for the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In Septem ...

in November 1640, but died the following year.

Marriage and children

In 1613 Upton married Dorothy Rous (d.1644), a daughter of Sir Anthony Rous (''alias'' Rowse) of Halton in Cornwall, one of that county's richest residents, and a sister of

Francis Rous Francis Rous, also spelled Rouse (c. 1581 to 1659), was an English politician and Puritan religious author, who was Provost of Eton from 1644 to 1659, and briefly Speaker of the House of Commons in 1653. Stepbrother of Parliamentary leader Joh ...

(1579-1659), MP. By his wife he had 6 sons and 8 daughters, including: * Arthur Upton (1614-1662), eldest son and heir, a

for

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

in 1654 and 1656 during the Protectorate of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

, who in 1638 married Elizabeth Gould (d.1685), daughter of William Gould of Hayes and widow of Robert Haydon (1604-1634) of

Cadhay Cadhay is an historic estate in the parish of Ottery St Mary in Devon, England, east of Exeter and from the sea at Sidmouth. The mansion house known as Cadhay House, north-west of Ottery St Mary village, is a grade I listed Elizabethan bu ...

.Vivian, p.459, pedigree of Haydon; p.744, Upton Arthur's eldest son and heir was: ** John Upton (d.1687) of Lupton, a

for Dartmouth from February 1679 to August 1679.

Death, burial & monument

He died aged 51 on 11 September 1641 and was buried in St Mary's Church, Brixham, the parish church of Lupton, where survives his mural monument in the Lupton Chapel forming the east end of the north aisle, inscribed on a brass plate as follows: :"To the precious memory of John Upton Esq., a saint excellent on Earth & now glorious in Heaven, who was borne on Earth Aprill 7 1590 and was translated to Heaven Sept. 11 1641. :Thinke not this single grave holds one alone, :Many good men ly buried in this one, :And though his life on Earth not long apeares, :Hee the good workes brought forth of many yeares; :Swift to do good his time he did improve, :Industrious active & made all of love; :Others do good by fits & in a mood, :But this man's constant trade was doing good; :Wisedome in him was joyned with devotion, :And both adorn'd with sweetest conversation; :He had no private nor self seeking hart, :As those that thinke the whole made for a part, :But by an universall spirite led, :Which breathes into ye Church from Christ her head; :He lov'd the whole to it himselfe hee gave, :And in ye good therof his good would have, :Since then that spirite of Christ in him did live, :That spirite to him a glorious life doth give; :And as to it in plenty hee did sow, :A plenteous glory now to him shall grow, :And thou who mourn'st that hee is not with thee, :Bee like him & in blisse thou shalt him see".

Sources

*Yerby, George & Hunneyball, Paul, biography of "Upton, John (1590-1641), of Lupton, Brixham, Devon", published in: ''

History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...

: House of Commons 1604-1629'', ed. Andrew Thrush and John P. Ferris, 201

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Upton, John 1590 births 1641 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for Dartmouth Place of birth missing English MPs 1625 English MPs 1626 English MPs 1628–1629 English MPs 1640 (April) English MPs 1640–1648