John Barker (Parliamentarian)
Encyclopedia
John Barker was an English draper and politician who sat in the House of Commons
between 1640 and 1653. He supported the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War
.
Barker was a draper of Coventry
and was mayor of Coventry in 1634 and an alderman from 1635.
In November 1640, Barker was elected Member of Parliament
for Coventry
in the Long Parliament
. Barker was a staunch parliamentarian and he and fellow MP Simon Norton
gave a bond for a loan of £1,000 in November 1640. He offered £50 for the defence of the city in 1642. He became a colonel was governor of Coventry during the civil war. In 1644 he became mayor again when George Monck, who had been elected, was not allowed to fill the position. In 1645 Parliament required MPs to give up any civil or military offices that they held and Barker had to give up his positions as mayor and governor despite an appeal from to town. Barker was excluded from parliament in 1648 under Pride's Purge
. However there was rioting in the city in his support and he was one of the members readmitted to the Rump Parliament
in October 1649.
At the end of the protectorate, the Rump Parliament was recalled in May 1659, but Barker was refused readmission.
William Jesson
, also fellow MP, married Elizabeth Barker who was daughter of John Barker, draper and alderman of Coventry, This John Barker may have been Barker himself or his father. John Barker, draper, had been mayor of Coventry in 1614.
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
between 1640 and 1653. He supported the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Barker was a draper of Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and was mayor of Coventry in 1634 and an alderman from 1635.
In November 1640, Barker was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Coventry
Coventry (UK Parliament constituency)
Coventry was a borough constituency which was represented in the House of Commons of England and its successors, the House of Commons of Great Britain and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom....
in the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
. Barker was a staunch parliamentarian and he and fellow MP Simon Norton
Simon Norton (MP)
Simon Norton was an English dyer politician who was active in local government in Coventry and sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1641....
gave a bond for a loan of £1,000 in November 1640. He offered £50 for the defence of the city in 1642. He became a colonel was governor of Coventry during the civil war. In 1644 he became mayor again when George Monck, who had been elected, was not allowed to fill the position. In 1645 Parliament required MPs to give up any civil or military offices that they held and Barker had to give up his positions as mayor and governor despite an appeal from to town. Barker was excluded from parliament in 1648 under Pride's Purge
Pride's Purge
Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...
. However there was rioting in the city in his support and he was one of the members readmitted to the Rump Parliament
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason....
in October 1649.
At the end of the protectorate, the Rump Parliament was recalled in May 1659, but Barker was refused readmission.
William Jesson
William Jesson
William Jesson was an English dyer and politician who was active in local government in Coventry and sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1648....
, also fellow MP, married Elizabeth Barker who was daughter of John Barker, draper and alderman of Coventry, This John Barker may have been Barker himself or his father. John Barker, draper, had been mayor of Coventry in 1614.