John Blennerhassett or Hasset (by 1521 – 1573), of Barsham by Beccles,

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, was an English landowner and Member of Parliament. His cousins became substantial landowners in Ireland. He was the fourth son of Sir Thomas Blennerhassett of Frenze, near

Diss, Norfolk Diss is a market town, civil parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in South Norfolk, England; it is near to the boundary with Suffolk. It had a population of 7,572 in 2011. It lies in the valley of the Ri ...

and Margaret Braham. Originally from

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

, the Blennerhassetts had become substantial landowners in

and

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, where John Blennerhassett held estates at Depwade and

Long Stratton Long Stratton is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It historically consisted of two villages; the larger, Stratton St. Mary, is to the south, and the other, Stratton St. Michael, is to the north. It had a population of 4,424 in the ...

. His father was steward to

Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (144321 May 1524), styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1485 and again from 1489 to 1514, was an English people, English nobleman, soldier and statesman who served four monarchs. He was the eldest son of John ...

and John was to continue the family tradition of service to the family. He entered the Inner Temple in 1535 In the 1540s, following the death of his elder brothers without male heirs, he inherited his family's entailed estate. He continued his career as a lawyer, served as a legal adviser to

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, (10 March 1473 – 25 August 1554) was an English politician and nobleman of the Tudor era. He was an uncle of two of the wives of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom were beh ...

and was called to the bench in 1550. In 1558 he was returned as one of the two Members of Parliament for

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

through the influence of the Howards. He was subsequently selected for

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, where he served as steward, in 1563 and 1571. He seems never to have spoken in the House. He presented two silver cups to the corporation of Norwich in 1562. He married firstly Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Cornwallis of

Brome, Suffolk Brome is a village and former civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district, in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It lies on the A140 Norwich to Ipswich road around northwest of Eye and southeast of Diss near the border with Norfolk. In ...

, by whom he had a daughter Elizabeth. Elizabeth died sometime after April 1544 and John subsequently married Mary Echyngham (younger daughter of Sir Edward Echyngham and his second wife Ann Everard), through whom he gained possession of Barsham. John and Mary had 6 sons and 5 daughters, 9 of whom were living when John made his will. He wrote his will in June 1573 and it was proved by his eldest son Thomas the following February. His cousin, Sir Edward Blennerhassett of

Horsford Horsford is a village and civil parish in the England, English county of Norfolk. Horsford is located south of Aylsham and north-west of Norwich. History Horsford's name is of Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old Engl ...

, was the father of another Sir John Blennerhassett, a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

who became

Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron (judge) who presided over the Irish Court of Exchequer. This was a mirror of the equivalent court in England, and was one of the four courts which sat in the building in Dublin which is still ...

, and also of Thomas and Edward, who played a part in the

Plantation of Ulster The Plantation of Ulster (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ) was the organised Settler colonialism, colonisation (''Plantation (settlement or colony), plantation'') of Ulstera Provinces of Ireland, province of Irelandby people from Great ...

. Another cousin, Robert Blennerhassett, founded the long-established Blennerhassett family of

Ballyseedy Ballyseedy () is a townland in County Kerry, Ireland. It is situated in the civil parish of the same name, within the historical barony of Trughanacmy. The townland contains a number of notable landmarks, including Ballyseedy Wood, a bridge ...

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blennerhassett, John 1573 deaths People from Waveney District English MPs 1563–1567 English MPs 1571 English MPs 1558

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Year of birth uncertain 16th-century English landowners