John Wentworth (1564–1613), of Gosfield Hall, Essex, was an English politician.

Early life

He was the only son of Sir John Wentworth of Little Horkesley and

Gosfield Hall Gosfield Hall is a country house in Gosfield, near Braintree in Essex, England. It is a Grade I listed building. The house was built in 1545 by Sir John Wentworth, a member of Cardinal Wolsey’s household, and hosted royal visits by Queen Eliz ...

, Essex, and the former Elizabeth Heydon (d. ) (a daughter of Sir

Christopher Heydon Sir Christopher Heydon (14 August 1561 – 1 January 1623) was an English soldier, Member of Parliament, and writer on astrology. He quarrelled with his family over its estates in Norfolk. Background Born in Surrey, Heydon was the eldest son ...

and his first wife Anne Drury). His only sister, also named Elizabeth Wentworth (d. 1627), married firstly Christopher St Lawrence, 10th Baron Howth, which ended in a legal separation in about 1605, before she married Sir Robert Newcomen, 1st Baronet. In 1581, his father inherited Gosfield Hall, Essex from his relative Ann, Lady Maltravers.

Career

He succeeded to his father's estates in 1588 before being appointed

High Sheriff of Essex The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the ...

in 1592, and serving until 1593. He was a

Member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised t ...

for

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

in 1597 and for

Wootton Bassett Royal Wootton Bassett , formerly Wootton Bassett, is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, with a population of 11,043 in 2001, increasing to 11,385 in 2011. Situated in the north of the county, it lies to the west of the major ...

, presumably due to the influence of his wife's uncle, the

Earl of Hertford Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

, in 1601. He leaves little trace on the records of Parliament, nor does he seem to have been active in county affairs. On the other hand, he built up the family estates into "a splendid inheritance", despite the very heavy debts run up by his father-in-law, who had left £23,000 in debts, which involved him in much trouble and litigation over his wife's inheritance. He was also noted for his charity to the poor.

Personal life

He had married Cicely Upton, the daughter of Sir Edward Unton and Lady Anne Seymour (daughter of

Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry VI ...

). She was also a sister of Sir Henry Unton.Cokayne, George Edward, editor, ''The Complete Baronetage, 5 volumes (no date (c. 1900)''; reprint,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

: Alan Sutton Publishing, 1983), volume I, page 100. Together, they were the parents of at least one son and four daughters, including: *

Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet (9 August 1737 – 8 April 1820) was the British colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the American Revolution. He was later also Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia. He is buried in the crypt of St. ...

(–1631), who married Lady Catherine Finch, a daughter of

Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet JP ( – 18 December 1614) was an English politician, knight, sheriff, and MP. Early life Finch was second, but eldest surviving son, of Sir Thomas Finch of Eastwell, Kent, and the former Catherine Moyle. Among ...

and the former Elizabeth Heneage, ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' Countess of Winchilsea. * William Wentworth (1588–1604), who died unmarried. * Elizabeth Wentworth (b. ), who married Charles Garneys, son of Nicholas Garneys. * Diana Wentworth (b. ), who married Lewis Bowes. * Anne Wentworth (1591–1633), who married Sir Edward Gostwick, 2nd Baronet, in 1608. * Cicely Wentworth (1593–1642), who married

Thomas Finch, 2nd Earl of Winchilsea Thomas Finch, 2nd Earl of Winchilsea (13 June 1578 – 4 November 1639) was an English peer and Member of Parliament. Early life Finch was the third, but second surviving, son of Sir Moyle Finch, 1st Baronet and Elizabeth Heneage, 1st Countes ...

(brother to Lady Catherine Finch), in 1609. He died in 1613 and was buried at Gosfield. He was succeeded in the family estates, that "splendid inheritance", by his eldest son

, who dissipated the wealth accumulated by his father. His widow remarried the soldier, diplomat and scholar Sir Edward Hoby. She died in 1618.

Descendants

Through his daughter Cicely, he was a grandfather of four grandchildren, including

Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea Sir Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea (1628 – 28 September 1689) of Eastwell, Kent, was the 3rd Earl of Winchilsea. Early life Finch was the only surviving son of Thomas Finch, 2nd Earl of Winchilsea and the former Cecille Wentworth of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wentworth, John 1564 births 1613 deaths High Sheriffs of Essex English MPs 1597–1598 English MPs 1601