Oliver St John, 2nd Earl of Bolingbroke (bef. 1634 – 18 March 1688), styled Lord St John of Bletsoe from 1642 to 1646, was a British peer and landowner in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

Biography

The eldest son of Sir Paulet St John (d. 1638) and his wife Elizabeth Vaughan, he became

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to his grandfather,

Oliver St John, 1st Earl of Bolingbroke Oliver St John, 1st Earl of Bolingbroke, KB (1580? – June/July 1646), known from 1618 until 1624 as 4th Baron St John of Bletso, was an English nobleman and politician. Life St John was son and heir of Oliver St John, 3rd Baron St John ...

, after the death of his uncle Oliver St John, 5th Baron St John of Bletso at the

Battle of Edgehill The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was a pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill, Warwickshire, Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642. All attempts at constitution ...

in 1642. On 24 November 1654, he married Lady Frances Cavendish (d. 15 August 1678), the daughter of

William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne, KG, KB, PC (25 December 1676), who after 1665 styled himself as Prince William Cavendish, was an English courtier and supporter of the arts. He was a renowned horse breeder, as well as being ...

, by whom he had no children. The St John family were Presbyterians and supported Parliament 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 ...

, but did not take part in government during the Interregnum. In 1661, he succeeded his relative Samuel Browne as

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 newsp ...

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

, and took the oath against the

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upon becoming a freeman of the town. He was appointed

Custos Rotulorum of Bedfordshire This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Bedfordshire. Since 1711, the function of Custos Rotulorum has been carried out by the Lords Lieutenant of the county. * John Mordaunt, 1st Baron Mordaunt bef. 1544 – aft. 154 ...

in 1667 after the death of the 1st Earl of Cleveland; the

Earl of Ailesbury Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

was added as a joint holder of the office in 1671, and Bolingbroke was removed from the office by James II in 1681. Bolingbroke died childless on 18 March 1688 and was buried at Bletsoe. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Paulet St John.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolingbroke, Oliver St John, 2nd Earl of 1630s births 1688 deaths 2 People from the Borough of Bedford 6

Oliver Oliver may refer to: Arts, entertainment and literature Books * ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry * ''Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens Fictional characters * Ariadne Oliver ...

Burials in Bedfordshire