Sir John Nicholas (1624 – 9 Jan 1705) was an English courtier and Member of Parliament. He was born the eldest son of Sir

Edward Nicholas Sir Edward Nicholas (4 April 15931669) was an English officeholder and politician who served as Secretary of State to Charles I and Charles II. He also sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1629. He served as secretary ...

Winterbourne Earls Winterbourne Earls is a village in Wiltshire, England. The village is in the Bourne valley on the A338 road, about northeast of Salisbury. In 1931, the parish had a population of 242. The village adjoins Winterbourne Dauntsey. It is part of ...

, Wiltshire, who was a Secretary of State under

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

and Charles II. After being educated both privately and at

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

(1637–40) and

Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...

(1641) he spent some time travelling abroad in France before entering the

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 1647 to study law. He was appointed

Clerk of the Signet The Clerks of the Signet were English officials who played an intermediate role in the passage of letters patent through the seals. For most of the history of the position, four clerks were in office simultaneously. Letters patent prepared by th ...

in 1655 and Clerk of the Privy Council in 1660, holding both positions for life, and in 1661 was created a

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 ...

. He also served as a Justice of the Peace for both Wiltshire and Surrey, and as a Commissioner of Assessment for several counties. He was Keeper of

Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of to the south of the town of Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, Windsor, Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park ...

from 1669 to 1671 and Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset from 1672 to 1674. In 1661 he was elected to the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. With the exception of the Long Parliament, it was the longest-lasting English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring ...

for

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

, Wilton and West Looe, choosing to sit for Ripon and holding the seat until 1679. He was then elected to serve in three consecutive Parliaments for Wilton, sitting until 1687. He inherited his father's

West Horsley West Horsley is a semi-rural village between Guildford and Leatherhead in Surrey, England. It lies on the A246 road, A246, and south of the M25 motorway, M25 and the A3 road, A3. Its civil parishes in England, civil parish ascends to an ancient ...

estate in Surrey in 1669. He died in 1705 and was buried at West Horsley. He had married Lady Penelope Compton, the daughter of

Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton (May 160119 March 1643), styled Lord Compton from 1618 to 1630, was an England, English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons from 1621 to 1622. He became a ...

, and with her had three sons and a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas, Sir John 1624 births 1705 deaths Politicians from Wiltshire People educated at Winchester College Alumni of the Queen's College, Oxford Members of the Middle Temple Deputy lieutenants of Dorset Clerks of the Privy Council Knights of the Bath English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1685–1687