John Lyttelton MP JP (1561–1601) was an English politician and member of the

Lyttelton family The Lyttelton family (sometimes spelled Littleton) is a British nobility, British aristocratic family. Over time, several members of the Lyttelton family were made knights, baronets and peers. Hereditary titles held by the Lyttelton family inclu ...

who served as Member of Parliament for

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

during the reign of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

Career

He was the eldest son of Sir Gilbert Lyttelton. He entered

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

in 1576 and studied law at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

. He married Meriel, daughter of Sir

Thomas Bromley Sir Thomas Bromley (153011 April 1587) was a 16th-century lawyer, judge and politician who established himself in the mid-Tudor period and rose to prominence during the reign of Elizabeth I. He was successively Solicitor General for England and ...

, Lord Chancellor of England. They had three sons and eight daughters. He was elected to Parliament as

knight of the shire Knight of the shire () was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ...

for

in 1584, 1586 and 1597. He was also JP for the country from about 1583 and was its custos rotulorum by 1601. He was involved in the Rebellion of

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (; 10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during th ...

in 1601 and was subsequently tried for

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

, but died in the Queen's Bench prison in July 1601, having been reprieved from execution. In consequence, his estates (in

Frankley Frankley is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire. The modern Frankley estate is part of the New Frankley civil parish in Birmingham, and has been part of the city since 1995. The parish has a population of 122. History Frankley is li ...

Halesowen Halesowen ( ) is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically an exclave of Shropshire and, from 1844, in Worcestershire, ...

Hagley Hagley is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England. It is on the boundary of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Worcestershire counties between the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley and Kidderminster. Its estimated populati ...

and

Upper Arley Upper Arley () is a village and civil parish near Kidderminster in the Wyre Forest (district), Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, the village had a population of 741 at the 2011 census. Amen ...

) were forfeited to the Crown, but were restored to his widow, Meriel, on the accession of

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

. She survived him (by 28 years) and cleared the estates of debt, bringing up her children as

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

s. Sir John was buried at St. George the Martyr, Southwark.

Family

The children of John and Meriel Lyttleton included: *

Sir Thomas Lyttelton, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Lyttelton, 1st Baronet (1593 – 22 February 1650) was an English Royalist officer and politician from the Lyttelton family during the English Civil War. Biography Thomas Lyttelton, born in 1593, was the eldest son of Sir John Lyttel ...

. * Bridget Lyttelton, who married

Robert Tracy, 2nd Viscount Tracy Sir Robert Tracy, 2nd Viscount Tracy (c. 1593–1662) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1620 and 1640. He fought for the Royalists in the English Civil War. Tracy was the son of Sir John Trac ...

(died 1662)

References

History of Parliament LYTTELTON, John (1561-1601) of Frankley, Worcs
*''Burkes Peerage'' (1939 edition), s.v. Cobham, Viscount 1561 births 1601 deaths 16th-century births People convicted of treason against England English people who died in prison custody 16th-century English knights John Lyttelton Prisoners who died in England and Wales detention English MPs 1584–1585 English MPs 1586–1587 English MPs 1597–1598 Members of the Parliament of England for Worcestershire {{1597-England-MP-stub