John Darcy, Lord Conyers

Last updated July 27, 2024

John Darcy, Lord Conyers (1659 – 6 January 1689) was an English soldier and one of the two members of the House of Commons of England representing Richmond, Yorkshire, briefly in 1681 and again from 1685 to 1687.

The eldest son of Conyers Darcy, Lord Darcy de Knayth, and Lady Frances Howard, a daughter of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire, Darcy was known by the courtesy title of Lord Conyers during the later life of his grandfather Conyers Darcy, 1st Earl of Holderness, who died on 14 June 1689 aged ninety.

When he was fifteen, Conyers abducted and married Bridget Sutton, the eldest daughter of Robert Sutton, 1st Baron Lexinton. She was aged only ten. They later had five sons, including Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness, and Conyers Darcy, and two daughters.^[1]

Conyers studied law at Gray's Inn. He was first elected to parliament at the election of 1681, serving in the brief Oxford Parliament of 1681. Due to the Exclusion Bill, King Charles II then ruled without parliament until his death in February 1685. In that year, Conyers was elected again to what became known as the Loyal Parliament, the only one summoned by James II. That sat until 1687, and in its second session Conyers joined the opposition to the king.^[1]

Between 1681 and 1685, Conyers held a major's commission in the Queen's Life Guards.^[1] In December 1681 he also followed his father as Colonel of the Richmondshire Regiment, North Riding Militia. ^[2] In July 1685 he became lieutenant-colonel of the Earl of Shrewsbury's Horse,^[1] raised in response to the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685.

In 1688, Conyers brought about a reconciliation between Lord Danby and the Earl of Devonshire, laying the foundations of that year's rising against the king in the north of England. Unsuspected as a rebel, he was ordered to arrest his fellow-conspirator Lord Lumley, one of the men who had signed the invitation to William of Orange to invade England and instigate the Glorious Revolution. Conyers claimed he could not find Lumley. On 22 November 1688, with some of his militia, he took part in Danby's seizure of the city of York for William and was expected to join Danby's Tories in the Convention Parliament.^[1]^[2]

Conyers died of quinsy on 6 January 1689, but four days later at the general election of 1689 he was returned again for Richmond. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. At a subsequent by-election, in February, he was succeeded by his brother Philip Darcy, who had just lost his seat at Newark.^[3]

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 "Darcy, Hon. John (1659–89) of Hornby Castle" in Basil Duke Henning, ed., The House of Commons, 1660-1690: Introductory survey (1983), pp 191–192
1 2 Major Robert Bell Turton, The History of the North York Militia, now known as the Fourth Battalion Alexandra Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment), Leeds: Whitehead, 1907/Stockton-on-Tees: Patrick & Shotton, 1973, ISBN 0-903169-07-X, pp. 27–9.
↑ "Darcy, Hon. Philip (1661–1694)" in Henning (1983), p. 193

Related Research Articles

Earl of Scarbrough is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1690 for Richard Lumley, 2nd Viscount Lumley. He is best remembered as one of the Immortal Seven who invited William of Orange to invade England and depose his father-in-law James II. Lumley had already been created Baron Lumley, of Lumley Castle in the County of Durham, in 1681, and Viscount Lumley, of Lumley Castle in the County of Durham, in 1689. These titles are also in the Peerage of England. The title of Viscount Lumley, of Waterford, was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1628 for his grandfather Sir Richard Lumley, who later fought as a Royalist in the Civil War.

Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester was an English nobleman and politician.

Duke of Leeds was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1694 for the prominent statesman Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen, who had been one of the Immortal Seven in the Revolution of 1688. He had already succeeded as 2nd Baronet, of Kiveton (1647) and been created Viscount Osborne, of Dunblane (1673), Baron Osborne, of Kiveton in the County of York and Viscount Latimer, of Danby in the County of York, Earl of Danby, in the County of York (1674), and Marquess of Carmarthen (1689). All these titles were in the Peerage of England, except for the viscountcy of Osborne, which was in the Peerage of Scotland. He resigned the latter title in favour of his son in 1673. The Earldom of Danby was a revival of the title held by his great-uncle, Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby.

Charles Gerard, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield was an English peer, soldier and MP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven</span> British statesman and nobleman

Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven PC, styled17th Baron Willoughby de Eresby between 1666 and 1701, and known as 4th Earl of Lindsey between 1701 and 1706, and as 1st Marquess of Lindsey between 1706 and 1715, was a British statesman and nobleman.

Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough was an English Army officer, Whig politician and peer best known for his role in the Glorious Revolution.

John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgewater KB PC was a British nobleman from the Egerton family.

Sir Conyers Darcy or Darcey,, of Aske, near Richmond, Yorkshire, was a British Army officer, courtier and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1707 and 1758.

Conyers Darcy, 2nd Earl of Holderness was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679 and later became a peer.

Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness, was a British peer and politician.

Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being first used in 1718. The duties of the Lords and Gentlemen of the Bedchamber originally consisted of assisting the monarch with dressing, waiting on him when he ate, guarding access to his bedchamber and closet and providing companionship. Such functions became less important over time, but provided proximity to the monarch; the holders were thus trusted confidants and often extremely powerful. The offices were in the gift of The Crown and were originally sworn by Royal Warrant directed to the Lord Chamberlain.

Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham was an English peer and politician. He was the eldest son of Edward Watson, 2nd Baron Rockingham and Anne Wentworth, daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford.

Henry Bertie, JP, of Chesterton, Oxfordshire was an English soldier and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1678 and 1715.

James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon, styled Hon. James Bertie until 1657 and known as the 5th Baron Norreys from 1657 until 1682, was an English nobleman.

Robert Leke, 3rd Earl of Scarsdale was an English politician and courtier, styled Lord Deincourt from 1655 to 1681.

Arthur Ingram, 3rd Viscount of Irvine was an English Member of Parliament and peer. He was the Vice-Admiral of Yorkshire and Member of Parliament for Yorkshire and Scarborough. He was the father or grandfather of all the later Viscounts Irvine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Horner (died 1707)</span> English politician

George Horner of Mells Manor in Somerset, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1685 and 1689.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Reynell</span> English lawyer and politician

Thomas Reynell of East Ogwell, Devon, was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654 and 1689.

Maurice Berkeley, 3rd Viscount Fitzhardinge, known as Sir Maurice Berkeley, Bt from 1660 to 1668, was an English politician, of the Bruton branch of the Berkeley family.

Bennet Sherard, 2nd Baron Sherard DL was a British politician and Irish peer. An influential landowner in Leicestershire and Rutland, he was returned to Parliament by the former county from 1679 through 1695, although his Parliamentary activity was minimal. He entered Parliament as a supporter of the Exclusion Bill, and was one of the Whigs purged from county offices in 1688 over James' policy of religious tolerance. He supported James' overthrow in the Glorious Revolution, and was appointed Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Rutland, offices he held until his death in 1700.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[PABPW-1] 1 2 3 4 5 "Darcy, Hon. John (1659–89) of Hornby Castle" in Basil Duke Henning, ed., The House of Commons, 1660-1690: Introductory survey (1983), pp 191–192

[Turton-2] 1 2 Major Robert Bell Turton, The History of the North York Militia, now known as the Fourth Battalion Alexandra Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment), Leeds: Whitehead, 1907/Stockton-on-Tees: Patrick & Shotton, 1973, ISBN 0-903169-07-X, pp. 27–9.

[ERE-3] "Darcy, Hon. Philip (1661–1694)" in Henning (1983), p. 193

[1]

[2]

[3]