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John Bourchier is in trails badged by the Magna Carta Project to several surety barons (see text below).
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John, son of Ralph Bourchier, Knt., and his first wife, Elizabeth Hall, daughter of Francis Hall, Esq.,[3][4] was born 1567/8, probably at Beningbrough, Yorkshire.[5][6][7]
John was admitted to Gray's Inn, London on 23 November 1584.[3]
About 1593,[5] he married Elizabeth Verney, daughter of George Verney, Esq., of Compton Verney, Warwickshire.
Unusually for a younger son, John was granted the manor of Hanging Grimston, Yorkshire by his father about 1593. This was partly to compensate him for the fact that his brother-in-law, Sir Richard Verney, was unable to afford to pay a dowry, and partly because his elder brother was a lunatic.[5]
John was a Justice of the Peace for the East Riding of Yorkshire from 1599 or earlier to at least 1608; a captain of the East Riding militia in 1599; Commissioner of Sewers in the East Riding in 1603/4; and made a member of the Council of the North in 1611. He was knighted in 1609.[5]
He was a member of the Virginia Company and an importer of tobacco.[9]Sir John expanded the landholdings he inherited in Yorkshire, based around Hanging Grimston (a village since deserted) in the parish of Kirby Underdale, acquiring more estates, though this led to some protracted litigation. He also ventured, with notable lack of success, into manufacturing, particularly of alum, and his industrial failures led to considerable debt. In 1612 he and his partners in an alum farm declared bankruptcy. There were other financial problems. Sir John was sued for the non-payment of the dowry of a cousin, and for misappropriation of other money. Chased by creditors, he was outlawed for debt in 1613 and went into hiding, emerging only when "armed with pistols and other extraordinary weapons so as few or none dare adventure to take him."[5]
Even though he was an outlaw, he became Member of Parliament for Kingston-upon-Hull, Yorkshire in 1614.[5]
Other legal difficulties led to his imprisonment for a period in 1621.[5]
In 1622 he was finally discharged from the debts relating to the alum farm. He went on to invest in soap manufacture, but again without success, though he optimistically doubled his shareholding in the enterprise in the summer of 1625.[5]
Sir John died intestate at Lambeth, Surrey, England on 17 March 1626, with his financial affairs in something of a mess.[5] His widow renounced administration of the estate: this was granted on 5 April 1626 to his daughter Mary, wife of Jabez Whitaker,[3] but her role as administrator was clearly contested: in August 1627 letters of administration were issued to one of his former servants, who was suing a lawyer over the handling of some Yorkshire lands of Sir John’s.[5] In 1635 his son Verney took over the administration.[3] Verney was soon apprised that the debts of the estate outweighed any assets. The estate was still being pursued for old debts in 1638.[5]
The History of Parliament has an alternate spelling for his last name as "Bowcher", and also notes the confusion with similar namesakes in this period.[5]
Baptism records for some of his children have been found, with the surname spelt variously Bucher, Boucher, Boursher and Bursher.[12]
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Categories: Beningbrough Hall, Yorkshire | Members of Parliament, England 1614 | Members of Parliament, Kingston upon Hull | Bohun-7 Descendants | Clare-651 Descendants | Clare-673 Descendants | Lacy-284 Descendants | Quincy-226 Descendants | Bigod-2 Descendants | Bigod-1 Descendants | De Vere-309 Descendants | Magna Carta | Jamestowne Society Qualifying Ancestors