April 11th Sir John Eliot (Birth)

Sir John Eliot (1592 – 1632) was a statesman, repeatedly imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he eventually died, by King Charles I because of his advocacy of the rights of Parliament.

Born on his family’s Port Eliot estate in St. Germans, Eliot was educated at Blundell’s and Oxford (Exeter College).
Elected Member of Parliament for St Germans in 1614, Eliot was knighted and appointed Vice-Admiral of Devon tasked with the maritime defence of the county and control its commerce.

 In 1623, he triumphantly captured the notorious pirate John Nutt but within weeks Nutt was pardoned due to family connections and Eliot was detained in the Marshalsea Prison for four months.

Subsequently, he was elected to represent the Borough of Newport and he demanded that the privileges and rights of Parliament be respected by the monarch, urged the enforcement of laws against Catholics and advocated war with Spain. 

Over the next few years, Eliot was repeatedly imprisoned for his activities and died of tuberculosis in The Tower of London on 27th November 1632.
   
 



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