John Weaver (died March 1685) 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 ...

politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1645 and 1659. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Weaver was of North Luffenham, Rutland, and was admitted a freeman of Stamford, Lincolnshire on 25 October 1631. From 1643 to 1644 he was judge-advocate to the army of the

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 afte ...

.''

Concise Dictionary of National Biography ''The Concise Dictionary of National Biography: From Earliest Times to 1985'' is a dictionary of biographies of people from the United Kingdom. It was published in three volumes by Oxford University Press in 1992.. The dictionary provides summa ...

'' (1930). In 1645, Weaver was elected 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 of ...

(MP) for Stamford 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 ...

. He became one of the recognised leaders of the

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s and remained in the House of Commons after Pride's Purge, although he refused to sit as one of the judges in the trial of King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. From 1650 to 1653 he was one of the Commissioners for the government of

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 ...

. The officers of the Irish army petitioned for his removal on 18 February 1653 and on 22 February he was allowed to resign at his own request. During the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

period, Weaver was elected MP for Stamford in 1654 for the First Protectorate Parliament, in 1656 for the Second Protectorate Parliament and in 1659 for the

Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a powe ...

. In December 1659, Weaver helped

Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury PC FRS (22 July 1621 – 21 January 1683; known as Anthony Ashley Cooper from 1621 to 1630, as Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, 2nd Baronet from 1630 to 1661, and as The Lord Ashley from 1661 to 1 ...

and others in securing the

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for the parliament, after the army had turned out the Long parliament. As a result, he became a member of the Council of State of 1659-1660. He stood for parliament at Stamford in 1660 for the Convention Parliament but the return was disputed and his election declared void. Weaver died in 1685 and was buried at North Luffenham on 25 March 1685.

References

* * D. Brunton and D. H. Pennington, ''Members of the Long Parliament'' (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) *''Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803'' (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weaver, John 1685 deaths 17th-century births Roundheads People from North Luffenham English MPs 1640–1648 English MPs 1648–1653 English MPs 1654–1655 English MPs 1656–1658 English MPs 1659