John Arundell

Who was John Arundell?

Sir John Arundell, nicknamed "Jack for the King", was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1640. He was Royalist governor of Pendennis Castle during the English Civil War.

Arundell was the son of John Arundell of Trerice and his wife Gertrude Dennys, daughter of Sir Robert Dennys of Holcombe. He was a grandson of Admiral Sir John Arundell, and head of one of Cornwall's leading families.

He entered Parliament in 1597 as Member of Parliament for Mitchell, a rotten borough situated in one of the family's manors. He subsequently also represented Cornwall in the Parliaments of 1601 and 1621 and was appointed sheriff of Cornwall in 1607. He was a member for St Mawes in 1624 and for Tregony in 1628, sitting until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.

In April 1640, Arundell was re-elected a member for Tregony in the Short Parliament. He was not elected to the Long Parliament, although two of his sons were members, Richard for Lostwithiel and John for Bodmin. Following the outbreak of the Civil War he was loyal to the King and was present at the Royalist victory at Braddock Down.