Sir John Bowyer, 1st Baronet (21 September 1623 – 18 July 1666) was a 17th-century English soldier and politician. Bowyer was the son of Sir William Bowyer, a wealthy Staffordshire landowner of Knypersley Hall, near Biddulph and his wife Hester Skeffington. History of Parliament Online - Bowyer, John
/ref> Bowyer was a Colonel in the Parliamentary army during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

and fought at the

Battle of Hopton Heath The battle of Hopton Heath was a battle of the First English Civil War, fought on Sunday 19 March 1643 between Parliamentarian forces led by Sir John Gell and Sir William Brereton and a Royalist force under Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of N ...

and was involved in the destruction of

Eccleshall Castle Eccleshall Castle is located in Eccleshall, Staffordshire, England (). It was originally built in the 13th century. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade II* listed building. Origins The land was reputedly granted to St Chad, the mediev ...

. He was elected

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 o ...

for Staffordshire in 1646 to 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 was excluded from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

under

Pride's Purge Pride's Purge is the name commonly given to an event that took place on 6 December 1648, when soldiers prevented members of Parliament considered hostile to the New Model Army from entering the House of Commons of England. Despite defeat in the ...

on 6 December 1646. He was elected as MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1656 in the

Second Protectorate Parliament The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons. In its first session, the House of Commons was its only chamber; in ...

, but never sat. In 1660 he was re-elected MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme for the Convention Parliament and sat until 1661. On the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, as

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the Staffordshire Militia, he arrested Maj-Gen Thomas Harrison as one of the

Regicides of Charles I Following the trial of Charles I in January 1649, 59 commissioners (judges) signed his death warrant. They, along with several key associates and numerous court officials, were the subject of punishment following the restoration of the monarch ...

.Capt C.H. Wylly, Col .Charrington and Capt .A.E.Bulwer, ''Historical Records of the 1st King’s Own Stafford Militia, now 3rd & 4th Battalions South Staffordshire Regiment'', Lichfield: The Johnson's Head, 1902/London: Forgotten Books, 2015, , p. 6. Bowyer was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

by Charles II on 11 September 1660. He was

High Sheriff of Staffordshire This is a list of the sheriffs and high sheriffs of Staffordshire. The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. The sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities ass ...

in 1662. He married firstly in 1648 Mary Milward, daughter of Robert Milward of Bradlow Ash Derbyshire. He married secondly in 1665 Elizabeth Egerton, daughter of Sir Ralph Egerton of Betley Staffordshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowyer, Sir John, 1st Baronet 1623 births 1666 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England Cavaliers High Sheriffs of Staffordshire 17th-century soldiers English MPs 1640–1648 English MPs 1656–1658 English MPs 1660 Members of the Parliament of England for Newcastle-under-Lyme Staffordshire Militia officers