John Poulett, 1st Baron Poulett

John, First Lord Poulett, painting by anonymous artist (British School), c.1640. John Poulett, 1st Baron Poulett (1585 – 20 March 1649), of Hinton St George, Somerset, was an English sailor and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1610 and 1621 and was later raised to the peerage.

Origins Poulett was the son of Sir Anthony Poulett (1562–1600) (also spelt Paulet), of Hinton St George, Governor of Jersey, and Captain of the Guard to Queen Elizabeth by his wife Catherine Norris, daughter of Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys (1525–1601) of Rycote in Oxfordshire.

Career He was educated at University College, Oxford and was admitted as a student of the Middle Temple in 1610. He was a Justice of the Peace for Somerset by 1613 to at least 1640 and was appointed Sheriff of Somerset for 1616–17. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Somerset in 1610 and 1614, and for Lyme Regis in 1621. He was one of the principal commanders at the Siege of Lyme Regis in Dorset. At war's end, Parliament gave him a pardon, but his house was constrained to settle a large sum in reparations.

He died on 20 March 1649.

Marriage and children

Poulett married Elizabeth Kenn of Kenn Court in Somerset, daughter of Florence Stallinge. They had the following children: John Poulett, 2nd Baron Poulett Florence Poulett, married first Thomas Smith of Long Ashton; their son was Sir Hugh Smith, 1st Baronet. second Thomas Pigott of Long Ashton; their son was John Pigott, MP for Somerset Susan Poulett, married Michael Warton of Beverly Park, Esq., son of Michael Warton and Catherine Maltby (matrineal descendant of Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter) Margaret Poulett, married Denys Rolle (1614–1638) of Stevenstone and Bicton in Devon, Sheriff of Devon in 1636. Daughter, married Col. Richard Cholmondeley (1620–1644), of Grosmont, county York, Knight, a Royalist commander during the Civil War, and Governor of Axminster, who was killed at the Siege of Lyme Regis in Dorset in October 1644 and was buried at Brixton, Devon.