John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, (''c.'' 1566 – 27 May 1637) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

from 1625 to 1626. The Butlers of Hertfordshire claimed descent from Ralph le Boteler, butler to Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan and Earl of Leicester in the time of Henry I, and by the 15th century they had been seated at Watton for some time.

Life

Boteler was the son and heir of Sir Henry Boteler of Hatfield Woodhall and of Brantfield, Hertfordshire, by his first wife, Catharine, daughter of Robert Waller, of Hadley, Middlesex. He was knighted at

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

in July 1607, and succeeded his father on 20 January 1609, aged 43.''Progresses of James the First''
by John Nichols (1745-1826), vol. 4 (London, 1828), p. 603. He was created

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 ...

of Hatfield Woodhall on 12 April 1620. In 1625, he was elected Member of Parliament for

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

. He was re-elected M.P. for Hertfordshire in 1626. He was created '' Baron Boteler of Brantfield'', co. Hertford, on 30 July 1628. G. E. Cokayne
''The Complete Peerage'' (London: The St. Catherine Press, 1912), Vol. II., p. 229
Boteler married, before 1609, Elizabeth Villiers, daughter of Sir George Villiers, of Brokesby, co. Leicester, half-sister to

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham ( ; 20 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and self-described "lover" of King James VI and I. Buckingham remained at the heigh ...

. They had two sons and six daughters, *Audrey, who married Francis Leigh, 1st Earl of Chichester, *Helen (died 2 October 1666), or Eleanor, who married on 18 May 1616, Sir John Drake, of Ash, Devon, a grandson of Sir Bernard Drake, and became the mother of

Sir John Drake, 1st Baronet Sir John Drake, 1st Baronet (4 April 1625 – 6 July 1669) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660. Drake was the son of Sir John Drake of Mount Drake and Ashe, and his wife Eleanor Boteler, daughter of John Boteler, ...

, and maternal grandmother of

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was a Briti ...

, *Jane (died 1672), who married firstly James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough and secondly William Ashburnham, *Anne, who married Mountjoy Blount, 1st Earl of Newport, *Sir Henry Boteler, who was a favourite with his uncle, the Duke of Buckingham, but predeceased his father, having been sent with a tutor to Spain in 1617 "to cure him of the disease of drinking, which, young as he was, he was already much given to," *William Boteler, 2nd Baron Boteler of Brantfield, who was found "to have been an idiot from his birth" and died unmarried in 1647, when all his honours became extinct,

* Olivia (died 13 December 1663), who was a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

to Queen

Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...

,Van Dyck painting 'found online'
BBC News, 9 March 2013, accessed 9 March 2013 and who married

Endymion Porter Endymion Porter (1587–1649) was an English diplomat and royalist. Early life He was descended from Sir William Porter, sergeant-at-arms to Henry VII, and son of Edmund Porter, of Aston-sub-Edge in Gloucestershire, by his cousin Angela, d ...

, Groom of the Bedchamber and patron of Antony Van Dyke, *Mary, who married

Edward Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Escrick Edward Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Escrick (died 24 April 1675) was an English nobleman and Parliamentarian. Howard was the youngest son of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk. He was knighted KB in 1616, when Charles became Prince of Wales. In ...

, at York House on 30 November 1623.''Progresses of James the First''
by John Nichols (1745-1826), vol. 4 (London, 1828), p. 946. Boteler died on 27 May 1637, at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, aged about 71, and was buried at Higham Gobion, Bedfordshire. He was succeeded by his son, William.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boteler, John 1560s births 1647 deaths Barons in the Peerage of England Members of the Parliament of England for Hertfordshire English MPs 1625 English MPs 1626