Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet (1608–1666) served King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

. He rose through the Royalist ranks during the conflict, but later had his land-holdings seized when the

Cavaliers The term ''Cavalier'' () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England, Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum (England), Int ...

were finally defeated by Parliamentary forces. Following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, he was one of eight individuals rewarded with grants of land in Carolina by King Charles II for having supported his efforts to regain the

throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign (or viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory ...

Origins

He was the second son of Peter Colleton (d.1622) of Exeter in Devon, Sheriff of Exeter in 1618, who was born in the parish of Monkenzeale who following his death in 1622 was buried at St Olave's Church in Exeter. His mother was Ursula Hull, a daughter of Henry Hull (or Hall) of Exeter, who married John Colleton in 1578 at St Kerrian's Church in Exeter. John's sister Elizabeth Colleton was the wife of Sir Hugh Croker,

Mayor of Exeter The Mayor of Exeter, granted Lord Mayor of Exeter in 2002, is the Mayors in England, Mayor of Exeter in the ceremonial county of Devon, England and is elected by and from within the councillors of the City of Exeter City councils, council. The posi ...

, a younger son of the Croker family of Lyneham, Yealmpton, in Devon.

Career

Civil War

He was a Royalist and very active at the beginning of the Civil War, serving as a Captain of foot-soldiers. He received a commission for Colonel from Sir John Berkeley (later Baron Berkeley of Stratton), general of the royalist forces in Devon, signed by the Prince of Wales, and successfully raised a regiment within ten days. He spent £40,000 of his own money in the king's service, and lost a further £7,000 through plunder and sequestration. Eventually he fled to the Island of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. After the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 Berkeley petitioned King Charles II on his behalf as follows:
:''These are humbly to certify your sacred majesty, that John Colleton, some time of Exeter, Esq; engaged for your majesty's royal father, in the beginning of his troubles, raised and commanded a regiment under me, consisting of about 1,100 men well armed, without any charge to his then majesty or compulsion of his people, which was very 'costly to him, he neither receiving any pay or free quarter to my knowledge, and the soldiers very little of either; that he furnished moneys and arms to a good value when he was driven from his habitation and estate in Cornwall before the battle of Stratton, for which, I am confident, he hath not had satisfaction; that he being chosen a commissioner by the county of Exon for the carrying on the service of your majesty's royal father in the associated counties of the west, did there in good service. That he did, at several other times, procure and lend moneys, and procure and furnish good store of arms and ammunition when his majesty's affairs were in great straits, and gave credit, and stayed long for considerable sums yet unpaid of many of them, whereby a good sum must be due unto him. That he suffered much by your majesty's enemies by being of your part, I believe to the value of above sixty thousand pounds, and he was well contented to stay for his disbursements, and bore his sufferings chearfully, proposing to himself no other satisfaction that I could perceive, than your majesty's restauration. That after your majesty's exile, he was ever active and helpful to your majesty's agents in England in his person and with his purse, which I myself know to be true, and have been informed thereof by divers others. That he forsook England for many years, to avoid the oaths, subscriptions, etc., imposed upon your subjects by your enemies, destructive to your majesty's interest, as I found by him, in Holland, in the year 1650, and returned not until your majesty's restauration. That he hath kept his loyalty unspotted to the last, as far as I can be informed or understand. I am sure he hath done your majesty faithful and good service many ways, and all this in order to his duty and allegiance, without any respect to reward or gain that I could perceive by him. 12th of Dec. 1660. - Jo. Berkeley''.

Created a baronet

In recompense for his service during the Civil War, King Charles II in 1661 created him a baronet with territorial designation "of London". And in further recompense for his great services, in conjunction with the Duke of Albemarle, Earl Clarendon, Earl Craven, and four other noble persons, granted by

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

to them, their heirs, and successors, large dominions in Carolina, and the Bahama Islands.

Grants in Carolina

In 1663 King Charles II granted Colleton and another seven persons, called

Lords Proprietors A lord proprietor is a person granted a royal charter for the establishment and government of an English colony in the 17th century. The plural of the term is "lords proprietors" or "lords proprietary". Origin In the beginning of the Europe ...

, the land called Carolina, named in honor of his father King Charles I. Colleton brought a group of settlers from the Caribbean Isle of

, who brought with them

slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

thus introducing slavery to Carolina. These settlers introduced the cultivation of

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

to the area. Colleton County,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, is named after him as is Colington, North Carolina.

Marriage and children

In 1634 at St Mary Arches Church in Exeter, he married Katherine Amey, a daughter of Thomas Amey of Exeter, by whom he had children as follows: * Sir Peter Colleton, 2nd Baronet (1635–1694), eldest son and heir. He was awarded the title of

Landgrave Landgrave (, , , ; , ', ', ', ', ') was a rank of nobility used in the Holy Roman Empire, and its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), and ' ("count palatine") are of roughly equal rank, subordinate to ' ("duke"), and su ...

, pre-Revolutionary, English colonial titles of nobility in the

lowcountry The Lowcountry (sometimes Low Country or just low country) is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina's coast, including the Sea Islands. The region includes significant salt marshes and other coastal waterways, making it an impor ...

of Carolina, during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. *John Colleton (d.1668) of

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

, who died unmarried. *Thomas Colleton (born 1636) of Barbados, created a Landgrave. He married a member of the Mead family, by whom he had children including Elizabeth Colleton, wife of Colonel Thomas Garth and mother of John Garth (1701–1764), a Member of Parliament for

Devizes Devizes () is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-cent ...

in Wiltshire, whose sons included General George Garth (c.1733–1819) who served in the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, a Colonel of the 17th Regiment of Foot and Charles Garth (1734–1784), Colonial Agent for the

Provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, between 1763 and 1765, who succeeded his father as a Member of Parliament for Devizes, and served as Recorder of Devizes. * James Colleton (died c.1706) of Barbados, created a Landgrave. He was a governor of the English proprietary

Province of Carolina The Province of Carolina was a colony of the Kingdom of England (1663–1707) and later the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1712) that existed in North America and the Caribbean from 1663 until the Carolinas were partitioned into North and Sou ...

from 1686 to 1690. He married Anne Kendall, a daughter of James Kendall (1647–1708), Governor of Barbados. His son John Colleton of Barbados married Elizabeth Ernle, widow of Thomas Drax of Drax Hall, Barbados and of

Ellerton Abbey Ellerton Abbey is a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the River Swale in lower Swaledale, south-west of Richmond, North Yorkshire, Richmond. The population of the parish was e ...

, Yorkshire, a sister of Sir Edward Ernle, 3rd Baronet (c. 1673–1729) who married the heiress of

Charborough House Charborough House, also known as Charborough Park, is a Listed building (United Kingdom), Grade I listed building, the manor house of the ancient Manorialism, manor of Charborough. The house is between the villages of Sturminster Marshall and Be ...

in Dorset. John's son was James Edward Colleton (c.1709–1790), a Member of Parliament for

Lostwithiel Lostwithiel (; ) is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739, increasing to 2,899 at the 2011 census. The Lostwi ...

in Cornwall, who married Lady Anne Cowper, a daughter of William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper. *Katherine Colleton (born 1638), eldest daughter, born in the parish of St Olave's, Exeter. *Anne Colleton (born 1640), 2nd daughter, who married firstly "General Stewart", secondly Humphry Selwood. *Elizabeth Colleton (1644–1646), 3rd daughter, died in infancy, buried at St Olave's, Exeter.Vivian

Notes

{{Reflist

References

* Divine, Robert A. America: Past and Present. 6th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2003. * {{Rayment-bt, date=March 2012 * LB Namier, The English Historical Review, volume 54, 1939. * The Annual Register, Edmund Burke, 1830 * Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, 1819, page 506 {{s-start {{s-reg, en-bt {{s-new , creation {{s-ttl , title=

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 London) , years=1661–1666 {{s-aft, after= Peter Colleton {{s-end {{Lords Proprietors of Carolina, state=expanded {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Colleton, John 1608 births 1666 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England 17th-century Barbadian people Cavaliers Lords Proprietors of Carolina