John Yaxley facts for kids
John Yaxley was an English lawyer and politician who lived a long time ago. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for the city of Cambridge from 1597 to 1611. He passed away around 1625.
John Yaxley's Life and Work
John Yaxley likely began his legal training at a place called Gray's Inn in 1573. This was a famous school for lawyers in England. After his training, he became a lawyer, also known as an attorney, in the city of Cambridge. He also bought a large piece of land, called an estate, in a nearby village named Waterbeach. This village was about 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Cambridge.
Becoming a Politician
By 1597, John Yaxley had become an alderman in Cambridge. An alderman was a senior member of the city council, helping to run the local government. In that same year, the people of Cambridge elected him to be their Member of Parliament (MP). An MP is someone who represents their town or area in the country's main government, the House of Commons.
John Yaxley also served as the Mayor of Cambridge from 1599 to 1600. The Mayor is the main leader of a city. He was re-elected as an MP for Cambridge two more times, first in 1601 and then again in 1604. While he was an MP, he worked on different groups called committees within the House of Commons. These committees helped to deal with specific tasks and issues.
His Land and Property
By 1610, John Yaxley was in charge of managing a large area of land called the manor of Waterbeach-cum-Denny. In 1614, he and another person named Edward Aungier bought the manors of Waterbeach and Causeway from the Crown (which means the King or Queen at the time). They paid £900 for these lands.
His Final Wishes
John Yaxley wrote down his last wishes, known as his will, on September 20, 1624. He passed away sometime between that date and November 22, 1626, which is when his will was discussed and settled.
