John Leveson facts for kids

Sir John Leveson (born 1555, died 1615) was an important English politician. He played a key role in stopping a rebellion led by the Earl of Essex in 1601.

Sir John Leveson's Family Background

John Leveson was born on March 21, 1555, in a place called Whornes Place in Cuxton, Kent. His father was Thomas Leveson, who was a mercer (a type of merchant) from London. His mother was Ursula Gresham. Her father, Sir John Gresham, was once the Lord Mayor of London.

John had a younger brother named William Leveson. William was involved with famous actors like William Shakespeare. He helped manage the shares for the famous Globe Theatre in 1599. This theatre was where many of Shakespeare's plays were first performed.

Sir John Leveson's Career and Public Service

John Leveson went to Queen's College, Oxford in 1576. He also studied law for a while at Gray's Inn.

He was known as a very good manager of estates and an excellent public servant. He worked closely with William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham in Kent. Sir John was even one of the people who helped carry out Lord Cobham's wishes after he died.

In 1589, John Leveson became a captain in an expedition to France. He was also knighted in the same year. He helped gather volunteers for three military expeditions led by Sir John Norris. These expeditions took place in 1589, 1596, and 1601. In 1601, he helped send 2,000 soldiers to Ireland.

Stopping the Essex Rebellion

On February 8, 1601, Sir John Leveson was riding to his house in London. He accidentally became very important in stopping a rebellion. This rebellion was led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. Leveson took charge of a group of people on Ludgate Hill. He placed a barrier across the street to block the rebels.

Within about 30 minutes, Essex's men tried to force their way through. A fight broke out. Essex's stepfather, Sir Christopher Blount, was hurt. After this, Essex and his men went back to Essex House. Sir John's quick actions helped stop the rebellion from spreading further.

Serving as a Member of Parliament

Sir John Leveson was chosen to be a Member of Parliament several times. He represented different areas in England:

• Bossiney in 1586
• Maidstone in 1597 and 1601
• Kent in 1604

He passed away at Whornes Place on November 14, 1615. He was buried in the church at Cuxton on November 22.

Sir John Leveson's Marriages and Children

Sir John Leveson married twice.

His first marriage was on April 27, 1579, to Margaret Manwood. She was the daughter of Sir Roger Manwood. They had three daughters, but sadly, they all passed away before their father.

His second marriage was on July 9, 1586, to Christian Mildmay. She was the widow of Charles Barrett. Christian was the daughter of Sir Walter Mildmay. With Christian, Sir John had five sons and five daughters. Three of their sons and four of their daughters also passed away before him.

Some of Sir John Leveson's children who lived to be adults included:

• Sir John Leveson (died 1613). He married Frances Sondes. He died from the plague in December 1613, before his father. He left behind two young daughters, Christian and Frances.
• Christian Leveson. She married Sir Peter Temple, 2nd Baronet. They had a son named Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet.
• Richard Leveson. Richard inherited a large estate from a relative who died in 1605. This estate had many debts. Sir John spent his later years trying to fix the financial problems of the family's estates. He died before the issues were fully solved. However, his wife Christian managed to pay off the debts. This secured the inheritance for their son Richard in 1623. Richard later became an important royalist during the English Civil War.
• Francis Leveson.
• Rachel Leveson. She married Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport.