John Bence (1622 – 4 March 1688) was an English merchant and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

at various times between 1659 and 1688. Bence was the eldest son of Alexander Bence of Aldeburgh, Suffolk and London and his first wife Anne Aylett of Rendham, Suffolk. He was baptised on 3 October 1622. He was a merchant trading with Portugal, Brazil and the Levant. In 1659, he was elected Member of Parliament for

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the English county, county of Suffolk, England, north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the comp ...

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 - John Bence
/ref> In 1662, Bence went into partnership with Sir Martin Noel as farmer of additional customs duties on wine, tobacco, silk and linen. He succeeded to the property of his father in 1663. He invested £1,500 in the Royal Adventurers into Africa Company, and became secretary of the company by 1665. He was commissioner for assessment for London from 1664 to 1680. He became alderman of London in 1664 and paid £720 to be excused from the office in 1665. He was assistant of the

Worshipful Company of Grocers The Worshipful Company of Grocers is one of the 111 livery companies of the City of London, ranking second in order of precedence. Established in 1345 for merchants engaged in the grocery trade, it is one of the Great Twelve City Livery Compa ...

from 1664 to 1687. In 1665 he was appointed with his brother, Sir Alexander Bence of Dublin, as joint receiver of crown rents from all lands in Ireland returned to Roman Catholic proprietors or in which the Adventurers were concerned. He was warden of the Grocers Company from 1667 to 1668 and master of the Grocers Company from 1668 to 1669. In 1669 Bence defeated

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...

, the official candidate, in a by-election at Aldeburgh 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 was assistant of the Royal African Company from 1672 to 1673 and commissioner for assessment for Aldeburgh from 1673 to 1680. In 1675 he was commissioner for recusants for Suffolk and was assistant of the Royal African Company until 1677. He became Deputy Lieutenant of London in 1676 until 1683 and became freeman of the East India Company in 1678. In October 1679 he was elected again as MP for Aldeburgh. He was assistant of the Royal African Company from 1680 to 1682. In 1681 he was re-elected MP for Aldeburgh. He was re-elected MP for Aldeburgh in 1685. In 1685 he was again assistant of the Royal African Company until 1687 but in 1687 was removed from the court of assistants of the Grocers’ Company. Bence died at the age of 65. Bence married firstly by 1653, Judith Andrews, daughter of Peter Andrews, merchant of London and had a son, who predeceased him, and a daughter, Rachel, who married

Vere Fane, 4th Earl of Westmorland Vere Fane, 4th Earl of Westmorland (13 February 1645 – 29 December 1693), styled The Honourable Vere Fane from 1644 to 1661 and Sir Vere Fane from 1661 to 1691, was a British peer and Member of Parliament for Peterborough and twice for Ke ...

. He married secondly by licence issued on 10 December 1661, Joan Wood, widow of John Wood, merchant of London, and daughter of Sampson Cotton, merchant, of London. His cousin and executor John Bence was MP for Dunwich and Ipswich.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bence, John 1622 births 1688 deaths 17th-century English merchants People from Aldeburgh Politicians from London Cavaliers English MPs 1659 English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1685–1687