John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse

thumb|John Belasyse

thumb|Arms of Belasyse: Argent, a chevron gules between three fleurs-de-lys azure

John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse (or Bellasis) (24 June 1614 – 10 September 1689) was an English nobleman, Royalist officer and Member of Parliament, notable for his role during and after the Civil War. He suffered a long spell of imprisonment during the Popish Plot, although he was never brought to trial. From 1671 until his death he lived in Whitton, near Twickenham in Middlesex. Samuel Pepys was impressed by his collection of paintings, which has long since disappeared.

Origins

He was born at Newburgh Grange, Yorkshire and was baptised on 24 July 1614 at Coxwold, Yorkshire. He was the second son of Thomas Belasyse, 1st Viscount Fauconberg (1577–1652), a Member of Parliament for Thirsk in the Short and Long Parliaments, by his wife Barbara Cholmondeley, a daughter of Sir Henry Cholmondeley of Roxby in Yorkshire.

Career

Civil War

Shortly after the start of the Civil War, he was "disabled" from sitting in the Long Parliament as he had joined the Royalist cause. At Oxford on 27 January 1645 he was raised to the peerage by King Charles I under the title of Baron Belasyse of Worlaby, Lincolnshire.

Despite his frequent references to his old age and infirmity, Lord Belasyse lived on for another ten years. The impeached Catholic peers, though they endured a long imprisonment in the Tower, where Lord Petre died in 1683, were never brought to trial, apart from Stafford, who was executed in December 1680.

James II

Following the accession of king James II, Belasyse returned to favour and in July 1686 was appointed a Privy Counsellor and in 1687 was appointed as First Lord Commissioner of the Treasury which, on account of his Catholicism, caused political problems for the king, although in a Court dominated by extremists, he was regarded as moderate. He and the king had always been on friendly terms: after the death of his first wife Anne Hyde, James had informally promised to marry Susan Belasyse, Belasyse's widowed daughter-in-law, "a lady of much life and vivacity", despite the fact that she was a staunch Protestant while he was a Catholic convert. The marriage was forbidden by Charles II, who told his younger brother that "it was too much that he had played the fool once (i.e. by marrying Anne Hyde, another commoner) and that it was not to be done a second time and at such an age". Susan was forced to surrender the written proofs of the engagement although she kept a secret copy.

Marriages and children

Belasyse married three times and by his first and third wives had at least sixteen children, many of whom died in infancy. His wives were as follows:

Firstly he married Jane Boteler, a daughter of Sir Robert Boteler by his wife Frances Drury, by whom he had issue:
Sir Henry Belasyse (died 1667), only surviving son and heir, who married his step-sister Susan Armine (died 1713), a daughter of Sir William Armine, 2nd Baronet, by his wife Anne Crane. Unlike her husband's family, she was a Protestant. Henry predeceased his father, having been killed in a duel in 1667 following a drunken quarrel with the dramatist Thomas Porter (described by Samuel Pepys as the silliest, most trivial quarrel imaginable), and the title passed to his son Henry Belasyse, 2nd Baron Belasyse (died 1691), who died with no sons, whereby the title became extinct.
Barbara Belasyse, who married Sir John Webbe, 3rd Baronet
Honora Belasyse, who married George Nevill, 12th Baron Bergavenny
Catherine Belasyse, who married John Talbot
Anne Belasyse
Elizabeth Belasyse (died 1699)

Death and burial

thumb|Monument to Lord Belasyse in the old Church of [[St Giles in the Fields, London, showing the arms of Belasyse impaling Paulet, for his 3rd wife. This monument was destroyed during the rebuilding of the present Georgian church.]]

He died on 10 September 1689 and was buried on 14 September 1689 at the church of St Giles in the Fields, London. A monument erected to his memory in the old Church was moved to the churchyard when the present Georgian church was built and subsequently decayed, but the inscribed tablet survives now in the south porch, reading as follows:<br/>

:This Monument was Erected in the Year of Our Lord 1736. by the Pious Direction of the Honourable/Dame barbara webb wife of Sr. John Webb of Canford Magna in the County of Dorset Bart. and the Honourable/catherine talbot wife of the Honourable john talbot of Longford in the County of Salop Esq. Surviveing/Daughters and Coheirs of the Right Honourable john Lord belasyse Second Son of thomas Lord Viscount fauconberg, in memory of their most dear Father his wives and Children. Who for his Loyalty Prudence and Courage was promoted to Several Commands of great Trust by their/Majesty's King Charles the First and Second (Viz.) Having raised Six Regiments of Horse and Foot in the late Civil Wars/He commanded a Tertia in his Majesty's Armies att the Battles of Edge Hill, Newbury, and Knaseby, ye Seiges of Reading/and Bristol. Afterwards being made Governour of York and Commander in Chief of all his Majesty's Forces in/Yorkshire, He fought the Battle of Selby with the Lord Fairfax, then being Lieutenant General of ye Countys of Lincoln,/Nottingham, Darby, and Rutland, and Governour of Newark. He Valiantly defended that Garrison against the English/ and Scotch Armies, till his Majesty Came in Person to the Scotch Quarters and Commanded the surrender of it./At which time he also had the honour of being General of the Kings Horse Guards. in all which Services dureing/ the Wars and other Atchievements, he deported himself with eminent Courage & Conduct & received many wounds/Sustained Three Imprisonments in the Tower of London, and after the Happy Restauration of King charles the second/He was made Lord Lieutenant of the East Rideing of the County of York, Governour of Hull, General of His Majesty's/ Forces in Africa, Governour of Tangier, Captain of his Majesty's Guards of Gentlemen Pensioners, & First Lord/Commissioner of the Treasury to King james the Second. He dyed the 10th day of September 1689. whose remaines/are deposited in this Vault./ He married to his first wife jane daughter and Sole Heiress of Sr. robert boteler of woodhall in the/County of Hertford, Knt. by whom he had Sr. henry belasyse Knt. of the most Honourable Order of the Bath/interr'd in this Vault, mary Viscountess dunbar, and frances both Deceased/ He married to his second Wife ann Daughter and Coheir to Sr. robert crane of Chilton in ye County/of Suffolk Bart. who also lyes interr'd here. He married to his third Wife the Right Honourable the Lady ann powlet Second Daughter of the/Right Noble john Marquiss of Winchester, sister to charles late Duke of Bolton, and is here interr'd, the/Issue by that Marriage as above.

Notes

References

Cites:
Dugdale's Baronage;
Fuller's Worthies, Yorkshire, p. 220 (fol.);
Foster's Visitations of Yorkshire, 1584–1612, and Pedigrees of the County Families of Yorkshire;
Money's Battles of Newbury, where is given a copy of the monumental brass in St. Giles' in the Fields, the church where Lord Belasyse was buried;
Klopp's Fall des Hauses Stuart.
Cites:
Andrew J. Hopper, John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse of Worlaby, Oxford DNB, 2004
Stuart Reid, All the King's Armies (Staplehurst 1998)
Cites:
Dodd, Church History of England (Brussels, 1742), III;
Gillow, Bibl. Dict. of Eng. Cath., I;
Keary in Dictionary of National Biography, IV, 142;
Clarendon, History of the Great Rebellion, and Clarendon State Papers in the Bodleian Library.