Sir John Hewley (1619–1697) was an English magistrate and Member of Parliament for

Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. It lies to the east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the ...

, an early Whig. He sided with parliament against the king. After his death his widow,

Sarah Hewley Sarah Hewley or Lady Sarah Hewley born Sarah Wolrych (1627 – 23 September 1710) was a Great Britain, British benefactor. She created what is now the Lady Hewley Trust and she is remembered in York where she created almshouses and a chapel. Life ...

founded the Hewley Trust in 1705, now known as the Sarah Hewley Trust.

Life

He was the son of John Hewley of Wistow, near

Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...

. He was admitted to

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

, 4 February 1638, and became

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

. He sat in Parliament for

1658–60, was knighted at

Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall – also spelled White Hall – at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, with the notable exception of Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, ...

on 30 June 1663, and sat for

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

in 1678, 1679, and 1681. He encouraged literary work, giving monetary support to the production of

William Dugdale Sir William Dugdale (12 September 1605 – 10 February 1686) was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject. Life Dugdale was born at Shustoke, near Colesh ...

's ''Monasticon'' and

Matthew Poole Matthew Poole (1624–1679) was an English Nonconformist theologian and biblical commentator. Life to 1662 He was born at York, the son of Francis Pole, but he spelled his name Poole, and in Latin Polus; his mother was a daughter of Alderman T ...

's ''

Synopsis Criticorum ''Critici sacri'' was a compilation of Latin biblical commentaries published in London from 1660, edited by John Pearson (bishop), John Pearson. The publisher was Cornelius Bee. The work appeared in nine volumes, and collected numerous authors, ...

''. He kept a presbyterian chaplain, who gathered a public congregation in

, for which a small chapel, cruciform in shape, was built at

St Saviourgate St Saviourgate is a historic street in the city of York. St Saviour's Church, York, St Saviour's Church was built here in the 11th-century, and the street was first mentioned in 1175, as "Ketmongergate", street of the flesh sellers. History ...

in 1692 (registered 8 April 1693). It is now

York Unitarian Chapel York Unitarian Chapel is a building on St. Saviourgate, York, England. It is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella organisation for British Unitarians. It is in the form of a Greek cross and ...

. Hewley died at his country residence, Bell Hall, near York, on 24 August 1697, and was buried in St Saviour's Church, York. He married Sarah Wolrych, who survived him and set up the

Lady Hewley Trust The Lady Hewley Trust, now a charity, began as Sarah, Lady Hewley's charity to support English Presbyterian, Congregationalist and Baptist ministers, at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The trust was later at the centre of a 12-year lega ...

. She was buried alongside Sir John under the sanctuary steps in St Saviour's.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Hewley, John 1619 births 1697 deaths Members of Gray's Inn People from Doncaster Place of birth missing English MPs 1659 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681 English MPs 1681 Members of the Parliament of England for constituencies in Yorkshire