Sir John Reresby, 2nd Baronet (14 April 1634 – 12 May 1689) was an English politician and diarist. After returning in 1667 from exile 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 ...

, he became a Member of Parliament in 1673.

Early life

Reresby was born at

Thrybergh Thrybergh is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England, from Rotherham. It had a population of 4,327 in 2001, reducing to 4,058 at the 2011 Census. History Thrybergh – which is mentione ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

in 1634, the eldest son of Sir John Reresby. His mother, Frances, was daughter of Edmund Yarburgh of Snaith Hall, Yorkshire. Reresby, in his ''Memoir and Travels'',M. A. Albert Ivatt, ed., ''The Memoir and Travels of Sir John Reresby, Bart.'' (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1904). says that in 1652 he was admitted of Trinity College in

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, but as the college refused to allow him the rank and privilege of a nobleman, he did not go into residence and no entry of his admission exists. In 1646 he had succeeded to the

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 ...

age on the death of his father, Sir John Reresby, 1st Baronet.

Travels abroad

After the English Civil War, Reresby in 1654 went abroad, where he became a friend of Henrietta Maria, the widow of

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, whom he visited in France. The account he wrote of these travels appeared in his ''Memoirs'', published 40 years after his death. They are invaluable to historians as sidelights on the dramatic times through which he lived. After his return to England, Reresby married Frances, elder daughter of William Browne of York, barrister-at-law, on 9 March 1665. They had five sons and four daughters.

Election to Parliament

Soon after the

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, Reresby returned to England with a letter of recommendation from the Queen Mother, and was presented to the king at

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. He served as

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of Yorkshire in 1667. At a by-election in November 1673 he was returned to

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for Aldborough in Yorkshire, together with Robert Benson. He took his seat in the House of Commons on 14 April 1675, his 41st birthday. Legal differences with the family of the

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may have lain behind a false accusation made against Reresby: that he had caused his black servant to be gelded "and that the operation had killed him" on 20 October 1676. According to Reresby he had not been gelded and the cause of death was an "imposthume" (abscess) in the head (p. 149). In 1678, he spoke in favour of giving aid to the king, and the following month obtained a commission for raising an independent company of foot, and was appointed governor of

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. That December Reresby opposed Danby's impeachment. At the general election in February 1679 he was again returned for Aldborough, but unseated on petition in the following May. In 1680 he drew up the Yorkshire petition of abhorrence, but took care to write it carefully so that no great exceptions could be taken. At the general election in February 1681 he was once more elected for Aldborough. In November following he was made a

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for Middlesex and Westminster, and in that capacity superintended the prosecution of Thomas Thynne's murderers in February 1682.

King's man in York

On Halifax's recommendation, Reresby was appointed governor of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

in April 1682. He assisted in the plot to obtain the forfeiture of the city's charter. At the general election after the death of Charles II, Reresby was elected for the city. Reresby took a prominent part in the House of Commons in supporting the court. In November 1685 Reresby voted to obtain the concurrence of the House of Lords in the address passed by the Commons for the dismissal of the Roman Catholic officers and refused to sign an address of thanks to the King for "his late indulgence for liberty of conscience". Though he promised the King to stand for York at the next general election, Reresby had for some time past been growing lukewarm in the royal cause. On 22 November 1688,

York Castle York Castle is a fortified complex in the city of York, England. It consists of a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings, which were built over the last nine centuries on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruined ...

was seized by Danby and his adherents, who declared for the

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in what would become known as the

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. Reresby was taken prisoner, but he later obtained parole and was allowed to retire to

. Early the following year he went up to London and was presented to William by his friend Halifax. He died suddenly in 1689, aged 55, and was buried in St Leonard's Church, Thrybergh, where a monument was placed to his memory.

Descendants

Reresby's eldest son, William, born in 1668, succeeded his father in the baronetcy. After a life of gambling away his fortune, he sold the family estate to John Savile of Methley in 1705 and died in Fleet prison. Tamworth, the second son, was born in 1670. John, the third son, died in 1683, George in 1689. Leonard, the youngest son, born in 1679, succeeded his brother William as the fourth baronet, and died unmarried in 1748, when the baronetcy became extinct.

Bibliography

*James J. Cartwright, ed.
''The Memoirs of Sir John Reresby, 1634-1689
'. London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1875

References

''Parts of this page rest on content from the 1896 edition of the ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' and so are presumed to be in the public domain.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Reresby, John 1634 births 1689 deaths Reresby, John, 2nd Baronet English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1685–1687 People from Thrybergh