John Norden

Who was John Norden?

John Norden was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654 and 1669.

Norden was the second son of William Norden of Rowde and his wife Mary Lybbe, daughter of Richard Lybbe of Hardwick, Whitchurch, Oxfordshire. He was educated at Hart Hall, Oxford and was awarded BA in 1631. He entered Middle Temple in 1630 and was called to the bar in 1638. in 1641, he succeeded to the family estates on the death of his brother. He was J.P. for Wiltshire from 1646 to 1653. In 1654, he was elected Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in the First Protectorate Parliament. In 1657, he was JP for Wiltshire again and commissioner for assessment. He was commissioner for assessment from January 1660 to his death and commissioner for militia in March 1660, He was JP for WIltshire again from March 1660 until his death.

In April 1660, Norden was elected MP in double returns for both Old Sarum and Devizes in the Convention Parliament and chose to sit for Old Sarum. He was proposed as a Knight of the Royal Oak with an income of £800. In 1662, he became an alderman of Devizes and remained until his death.