Sir John Rivers was born to Richard Rivers, steward of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, KG was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and the former Lady Catherine Woodville, daughter of the 1st Earl Rivers and sister-in-law of King Edward IV.-Early life:Stafford was born at Brecknock Castle in Wales...

's lands. Alternate spelling includes John Ryvers.

He was a grocer and member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers

Worshipful Company of Grocers

The Worshipful Company of Grocers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London. It is ranked second in the order of precedence of the Companies and, having been established in 1345, is one of the original Great Twelve City Livery Companies....

, Sheriff of London in 1566, and Lord Mayor of London in 1573. He was knighted in 1574 and served as President of St. Thomas' Hospital between 1580 and 1584. He also served as an Alderman for the London wards of Farringdon

Farringdon Without

Farringdon Without is a Ward in the City of London, England. The Ward covers the western fringes of the City, including the Middle Temple, Inner Temple, Smithfield Market and St Bartholomew's Hospital, as well as the area east of Chancery Lane...

 between 1565–1568, Broad Street

Broad Street (ward)

Broad Street is one of the 25 ancient wards in the City of London.In mediaeval times it was divided into ten precincts and contained six churches, of which only two, St Margaret Lothbury and All Hallows-on-the-Wall now survive: St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange was demolished in 1840, St Benet Fink...

 between 1568–1574, and Walbrook

Walbrook

Walbrook is the name of a ward, a street and a subterranean river in the City of London.-Underground river:The river played a key role in the Roman settlement of Londinium, the city now known as London. It is thought that the river was named because it ran through or under the London Wall; another...

 between 1574-1584.

He married Elizabeth Barne, daughter of Sir George Barne II

George Barne II

Sir George Barne II was the Sheriff of London between 1545–1546, Lord Mayor of London in 1552, Alderman of the London wards Portsoken between 1542–1546 and Coleman Street between 1546–1558, a chief proponent of trade with Russia, and son of George Barne, a citizen of London and alderman...

, and they had Sir George Rivers, who was a Member of Parliament and progenitor of the Rivers baronetcy. Rivers was lay rector at St. Mary's Church

St. Mary's Church, Hadlow

St. Marys Church is the parish church in Hadlow, Kent, United Kingdom. The church is a Grade II* listed building.-History:The first record of a church in Hadlow was in 975. This church would probably have been a wooden building. In 1018, the early church was replaced by a building of stone...

, Hadlow

Hadlow

Hadlow is a village in the Medway valley, near Tonbridge, Kent; it is in the Tonbridge and Malling district. The Saxon name for the settlement was Haeselholte...

, Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

.