John Byron (abt. 1560 - abt. 1623)

Born about 1560 in Colwick, Nottinghamshire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 7 Mar 1623 at about age 63 in Colwick, Nottinghamshire, England

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Biography

Also "of Lyndby"

Lineage

Sir John Byron was born into a long line of Sir John Byrons^[1] that continued for two more generations after him, until it was granted the honors of the peerage by Charles I in 1643 for service during the civil war. The family had long had property in Lancashire (Clayton) and Nottinhamshire (Colwick), by which its members were variously known as "of Clayton" and "of Colwick").^[2] It rose in power when an early John Byron (Sir John of Colwick) helped bring King Henry VII to the throne in 1485.^[2] The John Byron of the next generation prospered at the court of Henry VIII^[3] and received many honors, acquiring the priory of Newstead in Nottinghamshire in 1540, after the dissolution of the monasteries.^{[4] [5]} His heir John Byron "of Newstead" married Alice Strelley, and their son ^[6] was the Sir John Byron of Colwick profiled here, born at Colwick in about 1560 and succeeded to the Byron estate in 1604.^[7]

Life

John was educated at Queen's College, Cambridge around 1573 and was admitted to Gray's Inn in 1587. About 1580 he married Margaret Fitzwilliams, daughter of Sir William Fitzwilliams, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.^{[2] [7]}

They had a large family of children, including two sons, John and Nicholas, with the elder to inherit the estate; the younger brother became a soldier. Two of the daughters were Alice (married John Radclyffe) and Margaret (married Thomas Hutchison).^[2] The records of the 1614 Visitation^[1] list a third daughter, Mary.

In 1597 he was elected to Parliament for Nottinghamshire.

Following the death of his father in 1603, he was made a Knight of the Bath by King James I at his coronation. Subsequent generations of his family were strong supporters of the Stuart monarchy.

In 1612, he held the office of High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and also served as Justice of the Peace.^[7]

Although Sir John had inherited extensive estates, these were encumbered, so heavily that in 1620 he was outlawed for debt. Over a decade, he was forced to sell off many of his properties, including the manor and lands of Clayton in 1621, ^{[7] [8]} thus shifting the center of the family estate to Colwick in Nottinghamshire.

He died in March 1623, either the 7th or the 17, as sources differ: the same date as the passage of his wife. An inscription of their tomb, originally in Colwick Old Church, reads:^[9] Here lyeth the bodies of Sr John Byron late of Linbye in Com. Notting’ Knight and Margaret his wife dau of Sir William Fitzwilliam sometime Ld Deputie of Ireland by whome he had divers sonnes & daughters. They both died the 7th of March 1623.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} https://archive.org/details/visitationscoun01britgoog/page/n24
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/books/colwick/colwick6.htm
3. ↑ https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/byron-%28beron%29-sir-john-148788-1567
4. ↑ https://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=300
5. ↑ http://southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/colwick-old-church/hmonumnt.php
6. ↑ http://southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/colwick-old-church/hmonumnt.php
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3} https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/byron-john-1623
8. ↑ https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol4/pp282-287
9. ↑ http://southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/colwick-old-church/hmonumnt.php

See Wikipedia biography. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Byron_(died_1623)

• R.C.G: BYRON, John (d.1623), of Colwick and Newstead, Notts. Clayton, Lancs. The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1558-1603, ed. P.W. Hasler, (1981) History of Parliamnent Online version

• William Farrer and J. Brownbill, Editors. Townships: Droylsden, A History of the County of Lancaster. Volume 4. London. 1911. Pages 282 - 287. British History Online. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol4/pp282-287.

Accessed by Michael Boynton on January 8, 2016 at 10:40 PM.