John Lowther, 1st Viscount Lonsdale, PC FRS (25 April 165510 July 1700), known as Sir John Lowther, 2nd Baronet, from 1675 to 1696, was an English politician.

Early life

He was born at Hackthorpe Hall, Lowther, Westmorland, the son of Col. John Lowther of Lowther (the eldest son of Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet) and his wife, Elizabeth Bellingham, daughter of Sir Henry Bellingham, 1st Baronet, of Hilsington, Westmoreland. He was educated at

Sedbergh School Sedbergh School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school, day school) in the town of Sedbergh in Cumbria, North West England. It comprise ...

before admission to

Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...

, where he matriculated in 1670. He was admitted to 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 association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1671 and called to the Bar in 1677.

Career

Prior to his creation as a viscount in 1696, Lowther had succeeded his grandfather as 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 ...

, and was twice member of parliament for

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...

between 1677 and 1696. In 1688 he was serviceable in securing

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

and

for King William III, and was appointed to the Privy Council in 1689. In 1690, he was

first lord of the treasury The First Lord of the Treasury is the head of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom. Traditional convention holds that the office of First Lord is held by the Prime Mi ...

, and he was

Lord Privy Seal The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and abov ...

from March 1699 until his death. He was badly injured in a duel in 1691. Lonsdale wrote in 1688 a brief account of events from the accession of James II to the landing of the Prince of Orange at

Torbay Torbay is a unitary authority with a borough status in the ceremonial county of Devon, England. It is governed by Torbay Council, based in the town of Torquay, and also includes the towns of Paignton and Brixham. The borough consists of ...

, which was later printed a
Memoirs of the Reign of James II
(in 1808, for private circulation) and again in 1857. The ''Memoirs'' reveal no more of Lonsdale's part in events than his public utterances.

Personal life

On 3 December 1674, he married Lady Katherine Thynne (1653–1712/3), sister of Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth, and second daughter of Sir Henry Frederick Thynne, 1st Baronet and the former Hon. Mary Coventry (second daughter, by his second wife, of

Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry (157814 January 1640) was a prominent English lawyer, politician and judge during the early 17th century. Education and early legal career He entered Balliol College, Oxford, in 1592, and the Inner Temple in ...

). Together, they were the parents of: * Richard Lowther, 2nd Viscount Lonsdale (1692–1713), who died a few months after reaching his majority in 1713. * Henry Lowther, 3rd Viscount Lonsdale (1694–1751), who died unmarried in 1751. * Hon. Mary Lowther (–1706), who married Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet of North Elmsall in February 1692. * Hon. Elizabeth Lowther, who married Sir William Ramsden, 2nd Baronet on 6 August 1695. * Hon. Margaret Lowther (d. 1728), who married

Sir Joseph Pennington, 2nd Baronet Sir Joseph Pennington, 2nd Baronet (4 October 1677 – 1744), of Muncaster Castle, Muncaster, Cumberland, was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons from 1734 to 1744. Pennington was ba ...

on 20 April 1706. * Hon. Barbara Lowther (d. 1716), who married Thomas Howard of Corby (d. 1740), a direct descendant of Lord William Howard. * Hon. Anthony Lowther (d. 1741) * Hon. Jane Lowther (d. 1752), who died unmarried. He died at Lowther on 10 July 1700 and was buried in Lowther churchyard. His wife Katherine Lowther took over his political influence and she was eventually buried at Lowther in 1713. The tomb is by William Stanton.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.368 His branch of the Lowther family became extinct when his son Henry, the 3rd viscount, died unmarried in March 1751, and the baronetcy and estates went to his cousin, James Lowther, later the first

Earl of Lonsdale Earl of Lonsdale is a title that has been created twice in British history, firstly in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1784 (becoming extinct in 1802), and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1807, both times for members of the Lowth ...

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lonsdale, John Lowther, 1st Viscount 1655 births 1700 deaths People from Westmorland Fellows of the Royal Society Lord-lieutenants of Cumberland Lord-lieutenants of Westmorland Lords Privy Seal Members of the Privy Council of England

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 E ...

English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English duellists English MPs 1681 English MPs 1685–1687 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1695–1698 1 Peers of England created by William III People educated at Sedbergh School