Sir John St Barbe, 1st Baronet (c. 1655 – 7 September 1723), of

Ashington Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the ...

, Somerset and

Broadlands Broadlands is a country house located in the civil parish of Romsey Extra, near the town of Romsey in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. Its formal gardens and historic landscape are Grade II* listed on the Register of Histori ...

, Hampshire, was Member of Parliament for

Ilchester Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a notable settleme ...

in 1681. He was created 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 ...

on 30 December 1662 at the age of 7.

Origins

He was the second son of John St Barbe of Broadlands, MP for

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

in 1654 and a Parliamentarian in 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 ...

, by his wife Grissell Pynsent, daughter of John Pynsent of Carleton-Curliew, Leicestershire and of Combe, Surrey, Prothonotary of

Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

. His ancestors had been seated at Ashington, near Ilchester, in Somerset, since the 14th century, and in the late 16th century inherited Broadlands in Hampshire by marriage to the heiress.

Career

In 1661 his elder brother died and John became heir to his father. In 1671 he matriculated at

Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...

. In 1674 he entered 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 ...

as a student of law. he was elected Member of Parliament for

in 1681 and served as

Sheriff of Hampshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Hampshire. This title was often given as High Sheriff of the County of Southampton until 1959. List of High Sheriffs 11th and 12th centuries 13th century 14th century 15th century 16th century 17th ...

1703-4.

Marriages

He married twice but left no children: *Firstly in 1682 to Honor Norton (died 1710), daughter of Richard Norton (1615–1691), MP, of Southwick, Hampshire. *Secondly he married Alice Fiennes, daughter of Hon. Richard Fiennes (d. circa 1674) of

Ixworth Ixworth is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, north-east of Bury St Edmunds on the A143 road to Diss and south-east of Thetford. The parish had a population of 2,365 at the 2011 Census. History Ix ...

, Suffolk (4th son of William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, 8th Baron Saye and Sele (1582–1662)) and widow of John Horn of Winchester, Hampshire.

Death and succession

He died on 7 September 1723 and as he left no children he appointed his great-great-nephew Humphrey Sydenham (1694–1757) of

Combe A combe (; also spelled coombe or coomb and, in place names, comb) can refer either to a steep, narrow valley, or to a small valley or large hollow on the side of a hill; in any case, it is often understood simply to mean a small valley through w ...

near

Dulverton Dulverton is a town and civil parish in west Somerset, England, near the border with Devon. The town had a population of 1,408 at the 2011 Census. The parish includes the hamlets of Battleton and Ashwick which is located approximately north w ...

in Somerset as his sole heir and executor, who named his own son St Barbe Sydenham. The Sydenham inheritance included the manors of

and

Marston Magna Marston Magna (also known as Broad or Great Marston) is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north of Yeovil. The village has a population of 523. History The name Marston Magna means ''larger settlement by a marsh''. I ...

Monument

In the chancel of Ashington Church, Somerset, is a monument of grey and white marble, inscribed:
:"Here lies Sir John St. Barbe,

Bart Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations, 50 stations along six routes and of track, including eBART, a spur line running t ...

. possessed of those amiable qualities, which birth, education, travel, greatness of spirit, and goodness of heart, produce. Interred in the same vault lies his second wife Alice Fiennes, aunt to the present Lord Say and Sele.Her nephew was Richard Fiennes, 6th Viscount Saye and Sele (1716 - 1781) (http://www.thepeerage.com/p25243.htm#i252429) His first was Honour, daughter of Colonel Norton. He died at his seat of

in Hampshire Sept. 7, 1723, leaving for his only heir and executor Humphrey Sydenham, Esq., of

in Somersetshire, who ordered this marble to his memory."

References

Sources

*Cassidy, Irene, biography of ''St. Barbe, Sir John, 1st Bt. (c. 1655 – 1723), of Broadlands, Hants.,'' published in:

History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in ...

: House of Commons 1660-1690, ed. B.D. Henning, 198