John Bligh, 6th Earl of Darnley

Lieutenant colonel John Stuart Bligh, 6th Earl of Darnley DL (16 April 1827 – 14 December 1896), styled Lord Clifton from 1831 to 1835, lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a British peer.

Early life He was the eldest son of Edward Bligh, 5th Earl of Darnley and the former Hon. Emma Jane Parnell (a daughter of Henry Parnell, 1st Baron Congleton). Among his siblings were the Rev. Edward Vesey Bligh, Lady Elizabeth Caroline Bligh (wife of Sir Reginald Cust), Lady Emma Bess Bligh (wife of Arthur Purey-Cust), the Rev. Henry Bligh (vicar of St James' Church, Hampton Hill).

Cricket career An amateur cricketer, Bligh made a single appearance in first-class cricket for the Gentlemen of Kent against the Gentlemen of England at Canterbury in 1848. Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed without scoring in the Gentlemen of Kent first innings by Jones Nash, while in their second innings he was dismissed for 2 runs by Harvey Fellows.

Career Bligh succeeded his father in the earldom in 1835. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Kent on 3 September 1847.

On 24 July 1848, he was commissioned captain of the Cobham Troop of the West Kent Yeomanry. He was promoted to major on 18 April 1859, and to lieutenant-colonel on 28 April 1863. He retired from the Yeomanry on 9 September 1874, retaining his rank.

Personal life On 31 August 1850, Darnley married Lady Harriet Mary Pelham, the daughter of Henry Pelham, 3rd Earl of Chichester, and the former Lady Mary Brudenell (daughter of Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan). Together, they had eight children: Lady Kathleen Susan Emma Bligh (1854–1928), who married William Vesey Brownlow.

Lord Darnley died on 14 December 1896 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Edward.