Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet (20 February 1605 – 30 November 1675) 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 ...

lawyer, landowner, and politician who sat in 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. ...

for

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

in 1628 and in 1660. He took no great part in 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 ...

Life

Lowther was the eldest son of Sir John Lowther of Lowther Hall and his wife Eleanor Fleming, daughter of Wiliam Fleming of Rydal. He attended the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1621 and was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1630. In 1628, Lowther 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 of ...

for

, together with his father and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. In 1636, he became

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...

. He 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 14th ...

in the

Baronetage of Nova Scotia Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James I ...

in around 1638. He stood for election to both Parliaments of 1640, but was defeated on each occasion by Sir Philip Musgrave. Lowther was a

commissioner of array A commission of array was a commission given by English sovereigns to officers or gentry in a given territory to muster and array the inhabitants and to see them in a condition for war, or to put soldiers of a country in a condition for military ...

for

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

and

in 1642. He was commissioned a colonel by the

Royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

during 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 ...

and was Governor of

Brougham Castle Brougham Castle (pronounced ) is a medieval building about south-east of Penrith, Cumbria, England. The castle was founded by Robert I de Vieuxpont in the early 13th century. The site, near the confluence of the rivers Eamont and Lowther, h ...

until 1644. However, he claimed not to have borne arms against the Parliamentarians and took the

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when their forces approached. He was recommended to continue as a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Westmorland (having sat on the bench since 1641) and was fined on relatively favourable terms. He did not continue as a justice or in the recordership of Kendal after 1648, during the

Interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...

. After the

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, he held several county offices in the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

, appearing in the commissions of the peace for Cumberland, Westmorland, and the

North Riding of Yorkshire The North Riding of Yorkshire is a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point is at Mickle Fell with 2,585 ft (788 metres). From the Restoration it was used as ...

and receiving a deputy lieutenancy in Cumberland. From 1661 to 1662 he was

Sheriff of Cumberland The high sheriff, sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferre ...

. He was elected MP for Westmorland again in 1660 in the Convention Parliament, he and Sir Thomas Wharton defeating Thomas Burton. Moderately active during the Parliament, his one recorded speech was to oppose Charles Howard's bill for curbing the moss troopers, preferring older methods of keeping peace on the border. He did not again stand for Parliament, but returned to his activities in the North, where he actively expanded his estates (often at the expense of his neighbours) and prosecuted

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

Character

He had a reputation for being grasping and unscrupulous in his business dealings. The writer

Alice Thornton Alice Thornton (born Alice Wandesford) (13 February 1626 – January 1707) was a British writer during the English Civil War. Her books were published in part in 1875. Biography Thornton was born in Kirklington, North Riding of Yorkshire. She wa ...

, a sister of his son-in-law Christopher Wandesford, accused him of persuading her brother to attempt to cheat her and their mother out of the legacies due to them under the

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

of her father, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, thereby causing a long and bitter family lawsuit.Osborough, W. N. "Wills that go missing- the quest for the lost will of Christopher Wandesford, Lord Deputy of Ireland" published in ''Reflections on Law and History'' Four Courts Press Dublin 2006 pp.8-16

Family

Lowther married twice. By his first marriage to Mary Fletcher, he had ten children: * John Lowther (c. 1628–1668) * Richard Lowther (d. 1703), married Barbara Prickett and had issue *Eleanor Lowther, married

Sir Christopher Wandesford, 1st Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

, son of

Christopher Wandesford Christopher Wandesford (24 September 1592 – 3 December 1640) was an English administrator and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1629. He was Lord Deputy of Ireland in the last months of his life. Life Wandesford was ...

Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...

and Alice Osborne and had issue *Barbara Lowther, married John Beilby *Mary Lowther, married Edward Trotter *Frances Lowther, married Sir Thomas Pennyman, 2nd Baronet *Christopher Lowther *Hugh Lowther *Anne Lowther *Mary Lowther By his second marriage to Elizabeth Hare, he had four children: *Ralph Lowther (b. 3 July 1655), married Mary Lawson and had issue *William Lowther (b. 27 April 1659, married Elizabeth Rawlinson *Robert Lowther (b. 17 February 1662), unmarried *Margaret Lowther (b. 27 April 1650), married

Sir John Aubrey, 2nd Baronet Sir John Aubrey, 2nd Baronet (c. 1650 – 15 September 1700) was an English politician. He was the only surviving son of Sir John Aubrey, 1st Baronet, and his wife Mary South, daughter of Sir Richard South. Aubrey matriculated from Jesus Col ...

His eldest son John predeceased him, and he was succeeded in the baronetcy by his grandson. He left an estate worth about £80,000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowther, John, 1st Baronet Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Deputy Lieutenants of Cumberland English landowners Members of the Inner Temple 1605 births 1675 deaths

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 ...

English MPs 1628–1629 English MPs 1660 High Sheriffs of Cumberland People educated at Appleby Grammar School