John Selby (died 1595)
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Sir John Selby of Twizell (died 1595) was an English landowner and border official. There were several branches of the
Selby family The Selby family is a prominent and prolific family in the English gentry that originated in Selby, Yorkshire, but largely settled in Northumberland and County Durham. At various points through history, the family owned Biddlestone Hall and Twizel ...
in
Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...
. His home was
Twizell Castle Twizell Castle (also spelt Twizel) is a Grade II* listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument which stands on a bend of the River Till at Tillmouth Park, Northumberland, northern England. Below it, the medieval Twizell Bridge spans the riv ...
in Northumbria. He was Gentleman Porter of
Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
, a town on the border between England and Scotland, and depute-warden of the East March. Selby was a depute to the border warden Lord Grey. In October 1562 he offended
Lord Home Earl of Home ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1605 for Alexander Home of that Ilk, 6th Lord Home. The Earl of Home holds, among others, the subsidiary titles of Lord Home (created 1473), and Lord Dunglass (1605), in ...
who complained to the English ambassador in Edinburgh, Thomas Randolph. He was knighted in 1582. He wrote to
Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wals ...
with Scottish news on 5 May 1588 including the arrival of
Lord Maxwell Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...
at Dundee, who passed into the country in disguise with "a plaid about him, like a wayfaring man". In September 1589 the English ambassador in Edinburgh William Ashby asked him to send food for the welcoming party for Anne of Denmark, the new queen of Scotland. He replied that there were no fallow deer or pheasants in his wardenry, only beef and mutton no better than that available in Scotland. Selby was involved in the rendition of Richard Blithe, a Scottish mariner regarded as a pirate. Blithe had served in a ship that robbed the Master of Orkney and was arrested in Newcastle. James VI wanted to execute him in Leith. In August 1590 the English ambassador in Edinburgh Robert Bowes sent a Spanish prisoner to Selby in exchange. In January 1591 James VI wanted Selby to apprehend John Dickson, who had killed his father, and was living at Horkley near
Norham Norham ( ) is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, It is located south-west of Berwick on the south side of the River Tweed where it is the border with Scotland. History Its ancient name was Ubbanford. Ecgred of Lindisfarne ( ...
. In February 1591 he sent a Scottish witch captured in England and imprisoned in Berwick to Edinburgh at the request of
James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...
. She then accused several other people of witchcraft. This was perhaps "Kennedy the witch of Reydon." James VI sent David Seton of
Tranent Tranent is a town in East Lothian (formerly Haddingtonshire), in the south-east of Scotland. The town lies 6 miles from the boundary of Edinburgh, and 9.1 miles from the city centre. It lies beside the A1 road, the A1 runs through the parish ...
, who knew the
North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on th ...
witches to England to help round up fugitives. Selby was to have a warrant to return any escaping suspects from the
North Berwick Witch Trials The North Berwick witch trials were the trials in 1590 of a number of people from East Lothian, Scotland, accused of witchcraft in the St Andrew's Auld Kirk in North Berwick on Halloween night. They ran for two years, and implicated over seventy ...
. In May 1594 two fugitives from Edinburgh, Anna of Denmark's jeweller
Jacob Kroger Jacob Kroger (d. 1594), was a German goldsmith who worked for Anne of Denmark in Scotland and stole her jewels. Kroger was a citizen of the Principality of Lüneburg, ruled by Anne of Denmark's brother-in-law, Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lün ...
and a stable worker Guillaume Martin, who had stolen the queen's jewels were captured at
North Shields North Shields () is a town in the Borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth. Since 1974, it has been in the North Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wea ...
. John Selby handed them over to John Hume of Hutton Hall, the Scottish depute-warden of the East March, on 11 June 1594, a day of truce, at the west ford of
Norham Norham ( ) is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, It is located south-west of Berwick on the south side of the River Tweed where it is the border with Scotland. History Its ancient name was Ubbanford. Ecgred of Lindisfarne ( ...
. The two men were taken to Edinburgh and executed. He died in 1595. An inventory was made of his goods at Twizell and elsewhere.William Greenwell, ''Wills and Inventories from the Registry at Durham'', vol. 2 (Surtees Society, London, 1860), pp. 256-8
His heir, and next Gentleman Porter of Berwick, was his son,
William Selby (died 1612) William Selby (died 1612), was an English member of parliament and soldier at Berwick upon Tweed. Biography William Selby was a son of Sir John Selby of Branxton and Twizell and his wife Margaret. He was knighted on 10 June 1603. The Selby fami ...
. His daughter Margaret married
George Selby Sir George Selby (1557–1625) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1601 and 1611. Selby was the son of William Selby and his wife Elizabeth Fenwick, daughter of Gerard Fenwick of Newcastle. He was a sheriff (1594), ...
(d. 1625).


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Selby, John 16th-century English people
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...
1595 deaths Witchcraft in Scotland