Sir John Carter (c. 1619 – 28 November 1676) was an English soldier, politician and administrator from

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, who served in the Parliamentarian army during the

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...

. He settled in

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...

and was a Member of Parliament at various times between 1654 and 1660.

Biography

Carter was the second son of Thomas Carter of Denton, Buckinghamshire. He is said to have been apprenticed to a linen-draper, probably in London. During the Civil War he joined the Parliamentary army where he distinguished himself as a Parliamentary officer. As Lieutenant Colonel Carter, he was sent with forces from London to reinforce General Middleton and landed in Pembrokeshire in August 1644. After marching to join Middleton's army in Cardiganshire he then accompanied him to North Wales. He was one of General Mytton's Commissioners to receive the surrender of

Carnarvon Castle Caernarfon Castle (; ) is a medieval fortress in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The first fortification on the site was a motte-and-bailey castle built in the late 11th century, which King Edward I of England began to replace with the current st ...

on 4 June 1646. He settled at Kinmel and became one of the most powerful men in Denbighshire. The Committee of both Houses ordered him to continue as Governor of

Conway Castle Conwy Castle (; ) is a fortification in Conwy, located in North Wales. It was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales, between 1283 and 1287. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conwy, the combined defe ...

on 17 July 1647. He was appointed a Commissioner for pious uses for the use of the Corporation of Denbigh on 17 November 1648 and was Constable of Conway Castle from 23 June 1649 to 15 February 1661. In 1649 he was appointed

Sheriff of Caernarvonshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Caernarvonshire (or Carnarvonshire). The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in a county but over the centuries most of the responsibi ...

, and was appointed a Commissioner of Sequestration in North Wales on 18 February 1650. He was

Custos Rotulorum of Caernarvonshire This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Caernarvonshire. * Sir Richard Bulkeley c. 1544 * John "Wynn" ap Maredudd bef. 1550–1559 * Maurice Wynn bef. 1562 – aft. 1577 * Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester be ...

from 1 May 1651 to 25 June 1656. As Governor of Conway, he received a commission from the Council of State on 18 August 1651 to raise a Troop of Horse. In 1654 Carter was admitted a capital burgess of

Denbigh Denbigh ( ; ) is a market town and a community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. It was the original county town of the Denbighshire (historic), historic county of Denbighshire created in 1536. Denbigh's Welsh name () translates to ...

and was elected Member of Parliament for

in the

First Protectorate Parliament The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the H ...

. He was Custos Rotulorum of Carnarvonshire from 4 July 1656 to September 1660. In 1656 he was re-elected MP for Denighshire 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 ...

. He was knighted by Cromwell between 1656 and 1658. In 1659 he was re-elected MP for Denbighshire 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 ...

. In 1660, Carter was elected Member of Parliament for

in the Convention Parliament. He was knighted on 7 June 1660 at Whitehall Knights of England
/ref> and was appointed Steward of the Manor of Denbigh in July 1660. He was ordered on 24 October 1660, with William Griffiths of Llyn and Griffith Bodwrda to see to the dismantling of

He was appointed Governor of the Fort and Garrison of Holyhead in November 1660. In 1665 he was

High Sheriff of Denbighshire The first High Sheriff of Denbighshire was John Salusbury (died 1540s), John Salusbury, snr, appointed in 1540. The shrievalty of Denbighshire, together with that of Flintshire, continued until 1974 when it was abolished after the county and sh ...

. Carter died at the age of 57 and was buried in St. George's Chapel, Denbigh.

Family

Carter married Elizabeth Holland, daughter and co-heir of David Holland of Kinmel. The country people considered him as a rapacious oppressor and petty tyrant, and claimed that he forced the heiress of Kinmel to marry him. It was joked at the time that he betrayed his former trade by choosing the " best piece of Holland " in the County.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, John 1610s births 1676 deaths Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales High sheriffs of Caernarvonshire High sheriffs of Denbighshire English MPs 1654–1655 English MPs 1656–1658 English MPs 1659 English MPs 1660 Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War Politicians from Buckinghamshire