John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley

Who was John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley?

John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley was a British peer and cricketer.

He was the son of John Bligh, 3rd Earl of Darnley and succeeded his father as earl on the latter's death in 1781. He resided at Cobham Hall, near Gravesend in Kent.

John Bligh was a noted amateur cricketer who made 27 known appearances in major cricket matches between 1789 and 1796. He and his brother, the Honourable Edward Bligh, were staunch supporters of Kent cricket. His younger son John Duncan Bligh was a diplomat in Sweden and in Hanover. His descendant, Ivo Francis Walter Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley, captained the England cricket team on their tour of Australia in 1882–83.

Darnley Bay in the Northwest Territories, Canada was named for him by John Richardson.