John Dudley (1569–1645) facts for kids

Hon. John Sutton (born November 1569 – died 1645) was an important person in English history. He was the brother of Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley. For a short time, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Staffordshire during the rule of Queen Elizabeth I.

Early Life and Family Challenges

John Sutton was the second son of Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley. His mother was Jane Stanley. She was the daughter of Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby. John was born around November 1569. When he was only 11 years old, he went to Lincoln College, Oxford to study.

His father, the 4th Baron, had many debts. Even though he got back the family lands, he couldn't pay off all the money owed. When his father died in 1586, John didn't inherit any land or a house. He only received his father's best clothes and £300. He was also supposed to get money each year from his brother, but this didn't always happen.

Around 1590, John married Elizabeth Whorwood. She was the daughter of Thomas Whorwood, a rich landowner from Staffordshire. John and Elizabeth lived at Compton Hallows, which was the Whorwood family home. Because John didn't own his own land, he couldn't vote or run for Parliament in his county.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

John Sutton became an MP because of a big problem during the Staffordshire election in 1597. His brother, Baron Dudley, convinced John's father-in-law, Thomas Whorwood, to help. Thomas was the High Sheriff of Staffordshire at the time. They worked together to create a fake election document.

This document made John Sutton the first choice for MP. He was chosen over Sir Christopher Blount. Another person, Edward Littleton, had clearly won the election by voice vote. But he was left out completely.

So, John Sutton became a "knight of the shire," which is another name for an MP. However, Edward Littleton started legal actions against John, his brother, and Thomas Whorwood. These cases went to the Star Chamber, a powerful court back then.

John was protected by something called "parliamentary privilege" while Parliament was meeting. This meant he couldn't be arrested or questioned for certain things during that time. Parliament started on October 24, 1597. John didn't make any speeches or join any committees. He didn't seem to take part in Parliament's work at all.

Parliament ended quickly, after just over three months, on February 9, 1598. This left John open to investigation. By May, he was being questioned by the Privy Council, a group of advisors to the Queen.

Baron Dudley had wanted his brother to be elected to get back at Littleton's family in Worcestershire. They had arguments over land. As revenge for the election fraud, two of Littleton's sons attacked John Sutton. This happened around June or July. It's not known if John Sutton was punished for his part in the election problems. After this, he didn't take part in public life anymore and went back to live at Compton.

Marriage and Children

John Sutton married Elizabeth Whorwood by 1590. They had one son who died before them. They also had four daughters, including:

• Anne Sutton, who married Edward Gibson. He was the son of Sir John Gibson.
• Elizabeth Sutton, who might have been Elizabeth Dudley, Countess of Löwenstein. She was a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia.
• Jane Sutton.

In 1660, Anne Gibson's son, Edward Gibson, said he was the rightful heir to Baron Dudley. He was a soldier who had served in Holland. He claimed he was John Sutton's heir because John's other children, Edward, Elizabeth, and Jane, did not have any children themselves.