Sir Robert Cann, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Cann, 1st Baronet | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Cann c. 1621 |
| Died | 1685St Werburgh's Church, Bristol |
| Citizenship | English |
| Occupation | Member of Parliament |
| Years active | 11 February 1678, March 1679, and October 1679 – 28 October 1680 |
| Known for | Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Bristol |
Sir Robert Cann, 1st Baronet (c. 1621–1685), of Small Street, Bristol and Stoke Bishop, Westbury-on-Trym, Gloucestershire, was an English politician.[1][2]
He was the son of William Cann, merchant of Bristol and Margaret, the sister of Robert Yeamans.[1] He followed his father into trade, becoming a member of the Merchant Venturers of Bristol in 1646.[3]
He was Mayor of Bristol in 1662-3, when Charles II visited the city.[4] He was knighted in April 1662 and created a baronet in September.[5] By 1669 he had built Stoke House on land he had acquired at Stoke Bishop, which has been interpreted as a means of establishing his family within the landed gentry.[6] However, his Bristol house remained his main residence.[7]
He entered parliament as Member MP for Bristol February 1678, following the death of his first wife's nephew Humphrey Hooke, apparently without opposition.[5] He was a moderately active member and considered at this stage as 'worthy' by Shaftesbury.[1] He was re-elected in March 1679, but his failure to support Exclusion led to opposition from its supporters in Bristol. His subsequent re-election in October 1679 was disputed and eventually declared void, leading to his expulsion from the House of Commons in 28 October 1680.[1][5]
Cann campaigned for a law against kidnapping of white children for plantation work, but was himself fined in 1685 for taking criminals from Bristol to work on Bristol-owned Caribbean plantations.[2]
Family[edit]
He married firstly Cecily, daughter of Humphrey Hooke, alderman of Bristol in 1642.[1] They had 2 children:
- Sir William Cann, 2nd Baronet (died 1698)[8]
- Anne married 1) Sir Robert Gunning of Cold Ashton and 2) Sir Dudley North[8]
In 1647 he married his second wife Anne, daughter of Derrick Popley, merchant of the Red Lodge, Bristol.[1] Their son Thomas served as High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1687 and was knighted by James II.[8]
He died in November 1685 and was buried at St Werburgh's, Bristol.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g "CANN, Sir Robert, 1st Bt. (C.1621-85), of Small Street, Bristol and Stoke Bishop, Westbury-on-Trym, Glos". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Estates within 5 miles of Bristol | Profits | From America to Bristol | Slavery Routes | Bristol and Transatlantic Slavery | PortCities Bristol". 9 June 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ McGrath, Patrick (1952). Records Relating to the Society of Merchant Venturers of the City of Bristol in the Seventeenth Century. p. 29.
- ^ McGrath, Patrick (1955). Merchants and Merchandise in Seventeenth-Century Bristol. p. 124.
- ^ a b c "History of Parliament, 1660-1690:Constituencies:Bristol". Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ Lawrence, Susan (2003). Archaeologies of the British. Routledge. p. 82.
- ^ Lawrence 2003, p. 83.
- ^ a b c Burke, John (1844). A genealogical and heraldic History of the extinct and dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland and Scotland. p. 99.