Sir John Jennings KB (died August 1642) of Halywell (later Holywell) House,

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, was an English aristocrat and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

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 1628 and 1642. He is now chiefly remembered as the grandfather of

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, Princess of Mindelheim, Countess of Nellenburg (née Jenyns, spelt Jennings in most modern references; 5 June 1660 (Old Style) – 18 October 1744), was an English courtier who rose to be one of th ...

, and of her nemesis Abigail Masham. He is also notable for the extraordinary number of children (22) whom he fathered, all from one marriage. Holywell House1808

Life

He succeeded his father, another Sir John Jennings, as head of the family in 1609; his father is said to have become insane some years before his death. He was

High Sheriff of Hertfordshire The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire was an ancient Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the foundation of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provi ...

in 1626 and was created

Knight of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

in the same year. In 1628 he was elected Member of Parliament for

and sat until 1629, when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. Jennings was re-elected MP for St Albans in April 1640 for the

Short Parliament The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that was summoned by King Charles I of England on 20 February 1640 and sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640. It was so called because of its short session of only three weeks. After 11 years of per ...

and again in November 1640 for the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an Parliament of England, English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened f ...

. He was a sympathiser with the Parliamentary cause, but died before the outbreak of the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

. John Jennings was married to Alice, daughter of Sir Richard Spencer of

Offley Offley is a civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. The main village is Great Offley, also known as Offley, which stands on a ridge of high ground. The parish covers most of the area between the towns of Hit ...

and Helen Brocket, and they had 22 children, many of whom survived infancy. His

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

names only three of his children: Richard, Alice and Robert. His wife's will names four more children: Ralph, George, Elizabeth (who married Francis Hill), and Grace. Lady Jennings died in 1663.Brown p.53 Jennings's eldest son

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

succeeded him as MP for St Albans. Richard's daughter

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...

married the

1st Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was a British army officer and statesman. From a gentry family, he ...

and was the confidante of Queen Anne. She was in time supplanted in the Queen's affections by her cousin Abigail Masham, who was another of John Jennings's grandchildren through her mother Elizabeth Hill. Sarah later wrote in her ''Memoirs'' that she had not known of Abigail's existence until they were both well into adult life, because there were so many descendants of her grandfather. On learning of Abigail's relationship with her and of her poverty-stricken state as a servant, Sarah took her (and her sister Alice) into her own household, ultimately with disastrous political results for herself and her husband.

References

Sources

*D Brunton & D H Pennington, ''Members of the Long Parliament'' (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) , - 1642 deaths Year of birth unknown Date of birth unknown Date of death unknown Place of birth unknown Place of death unknown High sheriffs of Hertfordshire English MPs 1628–1629 English MPs 1640 (April) English MPs 1640–1648 Knights of the Bath {{April1640-England-MP-stub