John Danvers facts for kids

Sir John Danvers (born around 1585, died 1655) was an important English gentleman and politician. He is most known for signing the paper that ordered the death of King Charles I.

Sir John Danvers' Life Story

Early Years and Education

John Danvers was the youngest son of Sir John Danvers and Elizabeth Neville. He was born around 1585. When he was young, he traveled through France and Italy. These trips helped him develop a love for gardening and beautiful buildings. Later in life, he used these interests at his home in Chelsea.

In 1597, he studied at the University of Padua in Italy. After returning to England, he continued his education. He attended Winchester College in 1598, then Brasenose College, Oxford in 1601. By 1612, he was studying law at Lincoln's Inn. King James I of England made him a knight on March 3, 1609. Later, under King Charles I, he became a gentleman of the king's private staff.

Political Career and Parliament

Sir John Danvers was a member of Parliament (MP) for several areas. He represented Arundel in 1610 and Montgomery Boroughs in 1614. He also served as an MP for Oxford University in 1621, and again from 1625 to 1629. In 1624, he was an MP for Newport (Isle of Wight).

Helping the Virginia Company

Sir John was also involved in business. In 1624, he found out that the government planned to take the official papers of the Virginia Company. This company helped set up the first English colonies in America. With help from Edward Collingwood, the company's secretary, Sir John had all the important records copied. He then gave these copies to a family friend, Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. The Earl kept them safe at his house in Titchfield, Hampshire.

Role in the English Civil War

Around 1640, Sir John Danvers began to actively oppose King Charles I. He refused to help pay for the king's trip to Scotland in 1639. In 1640, he was elected to the Short Parliament for Oxford University.

In 1642, when the English Civil War began, Sir John joined the side of Parliament. He was given a special rank as a colonel. He led the Wiltshire foot soldiers until 1650, but he wasn't a major military leader. He wrote letters from Chelsea in 1642, describing the start of the war.

In 1644, Parliament asked him to welcome Dutch ambassadors. In 1645, he became an MP for Malmesbury. He didn't speak much in Parliament. However, in January 1649, he was chosen to be part of the group that would try King Charles I. He was only absent twice from these meetings. He famously signed the paper that ordered the king's death.

In February 1649, Sir John was given a seat on the Council of State. This was a powerful government group. He stayed on the council until it was closed in 1653. He died at his home in Chelsea in April 1655 and was buried in Dauntsey. After the king's family returned to power, a law was passed against him because of his role in the king's death.

Sir John Danvers: The Gardener

Sir John Danvers loved gardens. When he was young, he got a beautiful house and garden in Chelsea. He filled his house with fancy and interesting things. He designed his garden in the Italian style. The writer John Aubrey said that Sir John Danvers was the first to show England how to make Italian gardens.

His house, called Danvers House, was next to another famous house that once belonged to Sir Thomas More. Danvers House was taken down in 1696 to make way for a new street. This street was named Danvers Street, after him.

Through his second marriage, he also gained control of the Lavington estate in Wiltshire. There, he created more amazing gardens.

Sir John Danvers' Family Life

Marriages and Children

Around March 1609, Sir John married Magdalen Herbert. She was a widow with ten children, including the famous poet George Herbert and Edward, Lord Herbert of Cherbury. Magdalen died in 1627.

On July 10, 1628, about a year after his first wife died, Sir John married Elizabeth Dauntsey. She was the daughter of Ambrose Dauntsey. Sir John was reportedly 40 years old at the time. Elizabeth died on July 9, 1636.

Sir John had several children with his second wife:

• Henry (born 1633): He inherited much property from his uncle but died before his father in 1654.
• Charles: He died when he was a baby.
• Elizabeth (born 1629): She married Robert Danvers.
• Mary: She also died when she was a baby.

Sir John married a third time on January 6, 1649, in Chelsea. His third wife was Grace Hewes. They had one son named John (born 1650). Grace lived longer than Sir John and died in 1678.

Family Inheritance

Sir John's older brothers were Charles Danvers and Henry Danvers. His brother Henry, who became Lord Danby, supported the king during the Civil War. Henry died in 1644 and left his property to his sister, Lady Catherine Gargrave.

Sir John was still having money problems. He used his influence with Parliament to challenge his brother's will. Parliament decided that Sir John had been unfairly denied his brother's property because he supported Parliament. They ruled that Sir John's eldest son, Henry, should get the property.

Henry, the son, later left the property to his sister Ann. Ann married Sir Henry Lee in 1655. They had a daughter, Eleanor, who married James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon. This is how Lord Abingdon eventually came to own the property in Chelsea.