Sir John Fowell, 2nd Baronet (14 August 1623 – 8 January 1677) of Fowelscombe in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Ugborough in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, was thrice elected a Member of Parliament for Ashburton in Devon, between 1659 and 1677. He fought in the

Parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

army during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

and following the Restoration of the Monarchy was appointed in 1666 by King Charles II Vice-Admiral of Devon.

Origins

Fowell was the eldest son and heir of Sir Edmund Fowell, 1st Baronet (1593-1674), of Fowelscombe, by his wife Margaret Poulett, a daughter of Sir Anthony Poulett (1562–1600) (''alias'' Pawlett, etc.), of Hinton St George in Somerset, Governor of Jersey and Captain of the Guard to

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

and a sister of John Poulett, 1st Baron Poulett (1585–1649).

Career

He was a colonel in the Regiment of Foot in the Parliamentary army during the

and was governor of

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...

.John Burke, John Bernard Burke ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies''
/ref> In 1659 he was elected Member of Parliament for Ashburton, Devon, in the

Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a po ...

.History of Parliament Online - Fowell, John
/ref> He was re-elected MP for Ashburton in 1660 for the Convention Parliament and was re-elected MP for Ashburton in 1661 for the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. With the exception of the Long Parliament, it was the longest-lasting English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring ...

. He held the seat until his death in 1677 at the age of 53. In 1666 he became Vice-Admiral of Devon and in 1674 on the death of his father he inherited the

baronetcy 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 ...

Marriage and children

Fowell married Elizabeth Chichester (d.1678), a daughter of Sir John Chichester (1598-1669) of

Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gre ...

in the parish of

Bishop's Tawton Bishop's Tawton is a village and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. It is in the valley of the River Taw, about three miles south of Barnstaple. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,176. Des ...

in Devon, 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 in 1624. By his wife he had children including: * Sir John Fowell, 3rd Baronet (1665-1692), eldest son and heir, MP for

in Devon, who died without male children whereupon the baronetcy became extinct.Vivian, p.370 *Edmond Fowell (1669-1670), 2nd son, died in infancy. *Elizabeth Fowell (d.post-1680), who in 1679 married (as his 1st wife) George Parker (1651-1743) of Boringdon in the parish of Colebrook, and of

North Molton North Molton is a village, parish and former Manorialism, manor in North Devon, England. The population of the parish in 2001 was 1,047, decreasing to 721 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census. An electoral ward with the same name also ...

, both in Devon. The marriage was without children, but by his second wife Anne Buller, George Parker was the grandfather of

John Parker, 1st Baron Boringdon John Parker, 1st Baron Boringdon (1735 – 27 April 1788) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British peer and Member of Parliament. Origins Parker was the eldest son of John Parker (1703–1768) of Boringdon Hall, Plympton, and Saltram House, by ...

(d. 1788), whose son was

John Parker, 1st Earl of Morley John Parker, 1st Earl of Morley Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (3 May 1772 – 14 March 1840), known as 2nd Baron Boringdon from 1788 to 1815, was a British peer and politician. Origins Morley was the only son of John Parker, 1st Baron Bo ...

(1772–1840) of

Saltram House Saltram House is a listed building, grade I listed George II of Great Britain, George II era house in Plympton, Devon, England. It was deemed by the architectural critic Nikolaus Pevsner to be "the most impressive country house in Devon". ...

. *Anne Fowell (1677-1678), died in infancy. *Margaret Fowell, who in 1679 married (as his 1st wife) Arthur Champernowne of Dartington, Devon, and was the mother of Arthur Champernowne (d.1717) of Dartington, MP for Totnes.Vivian, p.164, pedigree of Champernowne

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowell, John 1623 births 1677 deaths Roundheads Baronets in the Baronetage of England English MPs 1659 English MPs 1660 English MPs 1661–1679 Members of the Parliament of England for Ashburton People from South Hams (district)