Sir John Malet (1623–1686) was an English lawyer and 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 ...

between 1666 and 1685. Malet was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Malet of Poyntington and his wife Jane Mylles, daughter of Francis Mylles. His father was a judge and Royalist supporter. Malet entered

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 ...

in 1634 and matriculated at

University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...

on 18 January 1638 aged 15. He was called to the bar in 1641 but was automatically disbarred during the Interregnum. He was J.P. for Somerset from July 1660 to 1680 and commissioner for assessment from August 1660 to 1680. He was commissioner for sewers for Somerset in December 1660, and commissioner for oyer and terminer on the western circuit in 1661. In 1662 he was

commissioner for loyal and indigent officers The Commissioners for loyal and indigent officers were a body formed by a 1662 act of the Parliament of England (14 Cha. 2. c. 8) to provide relief to impoverished Royalist officers who had served in the English Civil War. After the English Re ...

for Somerset. He succeeded to his father's estate in 1665. History of Parliament Online - John Malet
/ref> In 1666, Malet was elected Member of Parliament for

Minehead Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and close to the Exmoor National Park. T ...

. He was knighted on 20 February 1667. He was a member of the

Green Ribbon Club The Green Ribbon Club was one of the earliest of the loosely combined associations which met from time to time in London taverns or coffeehouses for political purposes in the 17th century. The green ribbon was the badge of the Levellers in the Eng ...

. From 1667 to 1669, he was commissioner for assessment for Devon and Exeter. He was

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of Bridgwater from 1669 to 1683. He was commissioner for assessment for Devon and Exeter from 1673 to 1680 and commissioner for recusants for Somerset in 1675. In March 1679 he was re-elected MP for Minehead in the First Exclusion Parliament. He was elected MP for

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sid ...

in 1681. Malet died at the age of 63 and was buried at St Andrew's, Holborn on 8 April 1686. Malet married Florence Wyndham, daughter of John Wyndham of Orchard Wyndham, Somerset and had three sons and six daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malet, John 1623 births 1686 deaths English lawyers Members of the Middle Temple Alumni of University College, Oxford English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1681 17th-century English lawyers Commissioners for sewers