John Buller (1632–1716) was an English 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 ...

variously between 1656 and 1695. Buller inherited from his father the Cornish estate of Shillingham near

Saltash Saltash () is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Cornwall". Saltash’s landmarks ...

, and owned an estate in the

Isle of Thanet The Isle of Thanet () is a peninsula forming the easternmost part of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel, it is no longer an island. Archaeological remains testify to its settlement in a ...

. He inherited from his first wife the Cornish estate of Morval, near

Looe Looe (; , ) is a coastal town and civil parish in south-east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, with a population of 5,280 at the 2011 census. Looe is west of Plymouth and south of Liskeard, divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe () a ...

, in Cornwall.Burke's Landed Gentry, 1937, p.279 His ancestors had long been active in the county administration of Cornwall and he was himself ancestor to many eminent men, several members of parliament, the Buller baronets and

Baron Churston Baron Churston, of Churston Ferrers and Lupton in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1858 for the former Conservative Member of Parliament, Sir John Yarde, 3rd Baronet. He had earlier re ...

and the famous soldier Major-General Sir

Redvers Buller General Sir Redvers Henry Buller, (7 December 1839 – 2 June 1908) was a British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He served as Commander-in-Chief ...

(1839–1908), VC.

Origins

The Bullers were a west country family who had become yeoman tenants following the dissolution of Glastonbury Abbey. John Buller was the second son of Francis Buller, MP for Cornwall in 1640, of Shillingham near

, in Cornwall and Ospringe in Kent by his wife Thomasine HonywoodBasil Duke Henning ''The House of Commons, 1660–1690''
/ref> daughter of Sir Thomas Honywood. He was heir to his nephew James Buller (d.1707), who was the only son of his elder brother Francis Buller (1630–1682), MP and who died without progeny. Francis had married Elizabeth Grosse, daughter and heiress of Ezekiel Grosse of Gowlden, who inherited 17 manors from her father.

Education

He entered the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

on 29 January 1646 and matriculated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

on 6 July 1647. Although he was called to the bar in 1652 it is not known whether he actually practised.

Career

Buller served as MP several times as follows: *1656 MP for the combined constituency of East Looe and West Looe in the

Second Protectorate Parliament The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom), Speaker of the House of Commons. In its first sess ...

. *1659 MP for East Looe and also for

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 ...

, choosing to represent East Looe *1660 MP for West Looe in the Convention Parliament. *1661 MP for Saltash in 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 ...

. *1679, 1681 and 1689 MP for

Liskeard Liskeard ( ; ) is an ancient stannary and market town in south-east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Plymouth, west of the Devon border, and 12 miles (20 km) east of Bodmin. Th ...

. *1692 MP for

Grampound Grampound () is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Grampound with Creed, in the Cornwall (district), Cornwall district, in the ceremonial county of Cornwall, England. It is at an ancient crossing point of the River Fal and ...

and held the seat until 1695.

Sheriff of Cornwall

He was appointed

High Sheriff of Cornwall Sheriffs and high sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list: The right to choose high sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall. The Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Privy Council, chaired by the sovereign, chooses the sheriff ...

from November 1688 to March 1689.

Marriages

Buller married twice: *Firstly in 1657 to Anne Coode, daughter and sole heiress of John Coode of Morval. He had issue by her John Buller (1668–1701), MP for Lostwithiel in 1701, of Morval, eldest son and heir, who married Mary Pollexfen, 3rd daughter and co-heiress of Sir Henry Pollexfen, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. John died of smallpox and predeceased his father, but left a son John Francis Buller (1695–1751), of Morval, MP for Saltash 1718–1722, himself the father of three members of parliament: James Buller (1717–1765), John Buller (1721–1786), Lord of the Admiralty and Francis Buller (1723–1764). *Secondly to Jane Langdon, daughter of Walter Langdon of Keverall near East Looe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buller, John 1632 births 1716 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of the Middle Temple English MPs 1656–1658 English MPs 1659 English MPs 1660 English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 John, died 1716 High sheriffs of Cornwall Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for East Looe Members of the Parliament of England for West Looe Members of the Parliament of England for Saltash Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Liskeard Members of the Parliament of England for Grampound