John Hall (17 May 1632 – 1711) was an English politician and landowner. He was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Hall (1600–63), who acted as a

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

commissioner 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 ...

. Following the death of his father, John became head of the Halls, a wealthy

gentry Gentry (from Old French , from ) are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. ''Gentry'', in its widest connotation, refers to people of good social position connected to Landed property, landed es ...

family, whose principal residence was 'The Hall', in

Bradford-on-Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in west Wiltshire (district), Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restauran ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

. Hall served as Justice of the Peace for Somerset in 1662–80 and for Wiltshire in 1673–80 and from 1689 until his death in 1711. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Wiltshire This is a list of the sheriffs and (after 1 April 1974) high sheriffs of Wiltshire. Until the 14th century, the shrievalty was held ''ex officio'' by the castellans of Old Sarum Castle. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Go ...

for 1669–70. Hall was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wells, Somerset, from 1673 to 1679 and from 1680 to 1685. He married twice: first to Susan, the daughter and heiress of Francis Cox of Wells and secondly Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Thynne of Richmond, Surrey. He had no legitimate children and left his estate to his great-niece Rachel Baynton (reputedly his illegitimate daughter), who later married William Pierrepont, Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull. Towards the end of his life Hall built the Men's Almshouses in Bradford-on-Avon, providing for four old men. The building has the Hall arms in the front, and is dated 1700.reprinted as a single publication in 1907, see pp191-195
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References

* 1632 births 1711 deaths Politicians from Somerset High sheriffs of Wiltshire English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1680–1681 English MPs 1681 {{1681-England-MP-stub