Rotherhamweb: Sir John Reresby

Sir John Reresby (1634–1689)

Sir John Reresby (1634–1689), was born at Thrybergh Rotherham,on 14 April 1634, the eldest son of Sir John and Frances Reresby , of Thrybergh Hall. His mother, Frances, was daughter of Edmund Yarburgh of Snaith Hall, Yorkshire, who later married James Moyser of Beverley, Yorkshire.

In his 'Memoirs',Reresby says that in 1652 he was admitted of Trinity College in Cambridge, but, as the college refused to allow him the rank and privilege of a nobleman, he did not go into residence. According to his own account, he was shortly afterwards admitted to Gray's Inn, although his name does not appear in Foster's Admissions to Gray's Inn.

In April 1654 Reresby went abroad, where he remained more than four years.He was a great friend of the widow of Charles I, Henrietta Maria whom he visited in France.

Soon after The Restoration, Reresby returned to England with a letter of recommendation from the Queen Mother, and was presented to the King.

1667 - Sheriff of Yorkshire
1673 - Became M.P. for Aldborough, Yorkshire
1675 - Took his seat in the House of Commons
1678 - Spoke in favour of giving aid to the King, and the following month obtained a commission for raising an independent company of foot, and was appointed Governor of Bridlington.
Dec. 1678 - Reresby opposed Danby's impeachment.
1679 - He was again returned for M.P. for Aldborough, but was unseated on petition in the following May
1681 - Reresby was made a J.P. for Middlesex and Westminster, and superintended the proceedings against Thynne's murderers in February 1682.
1682 - On the Marquis of Halifax's recommendation, Reresby was appointed Governor of York with a garrison of 500 men. He assisted in the plot to obtain the forfeiture of the city's charter. At the general election after the death of Charles II, Reresby was elected M.P. for York. He played a prominent part in the House of Commons as a supporter of the court.
1685 - Voted in favour of obtaining the concurrence of the House of Lords with the address passed by the Commons for the dismissal of the Roman catholic officers; he refused to sign an address of thanks to the king for his late Declaration of Indulgence . Although intending to stand for York at the next general election, Reresby now felt less enthusiastic to the royal cause.
Nov. 1688 - York Castle seized by Danby, Reresby was taken prisoner, but his parole was subsequently accepted, and he was thereupon allowed to retire to Thrybergh. Read about the meeting at Revolution House which led to the Revolution of 1688
1689- Presented to William by Halifax.

Reresby married Frances, daughter of William Browne of York,on 9 March 1665. Children:

William, born 7 Jan. 1668, succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father. After leading a life of extravagance, gambling away his fortune, he sold the family estate to John Savile of Methley in 1705, and died in the Fleet prison.
Tamworth (1670-1748)
John died in July 1683
George died in April 1689
Leonard born 22 Sept. 1679, succeeded his brother Tamworth as the fourth baronet, and died unmarried on 16 August, 1748, when the baronetcy became extinct.

There were also 4 daughters:

Mary
Frances
Margaret
Jane

Sir John died suddenly on 12 May 1689, aged 55, and was buried in St. Leonard's Church, Thrybergh, where a monument was erected to his memory.

The Memoirs of Sir John Reresby were first published in 1734. A a source for the social and political history of England in the late 17th century. As justice of the peace, Governor of York and Member of Parliament for that city and the borough of Aldborough, he was a crucial point of contact between central and local government at a time of strain between the two. He tried to serve both the Crown and the established Church, but like others found this difficult enough in Charles II's reign and impossible in James II's, when he became caught up in the Glorious Revolution in the north of England. This edition comprises new material, largely from the Mexborough archives in Leeds, which contain Reresby's own correspondence. The editors have also used an earlier draft of the "Memoirs" covering the years of the Exclusion crisis.