Record

Entry Type	Person
Surname	Gell
Forenames	John
Pre Title	Sir
Title	1st Baronet
Place	Hopton Hall, Wirksworth
Epithet	parliamentary commander
Dates	1593-1671
Gender Identity	Male
Biography	Sir John Gell was the son of Thomas Gell of Hopton (1532-1594) and Millicent Sacheverell (1571-1618). Shortly before the birth of his second son, Thomas Gell (1594-1656), Thomas died and Millicent subsequently married John Curzon (1552-1632) of Kedleston Hall. John and Thomas grew up at Kedleston Hall and had a close bond with their brother Sir John Curzon (1598-1686). In 1609, John Gell married Elizabeth Willoughby (1593-1644), daughter of Sir Percival Willoughby of Wollaton Hall, Nottinghamshire. Six of their children survived to adulthood: Millicent (1611–1652), Bridgett (1612–1680), John (1613–1689), William (1615–1642), Elizabeth (1617–1707) and Eleanor (1620–1713). Gell was accounted to be one of the wealthiest men in Derbyshire due to his income from the wool trade and lead industry. In 1635 he became High Sheriff of Derbyshire, making him responsible for collecting Ship Money during Charles I's personal rule (1629-1640). He and his brought Thomas has also been made Receivers for the Honour of Tutbury, the royal estates in Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Their methods in collecting rents and Ship Money, and Gell's argumentative and litigious nature, made him unpopular locally. He purchased his baronetcy in 1642. At the oubreak of the Civil War, the Gells sided with Parliament and Sir John Gell was instructed to secure Derbyshire for Parliament. He recruited a regiment and appointed his brother Thomas as Lieutenant Colonel. His military success led to him becoming Parliamentarian commnader in Staffordshire and Warwickshire, and in 1644 he was appointed Governor of Derby. By 1646 his influence was waning and he appeared to be more ambivalent to the Parliamentary cause. He resigned his commission that year and travelled to London to claim expenses that were owed to him. His brother Thomas had been elected MP for Derby in 1645 and helped John to get a grant of £1,200 towards his arears. In 1648 he married Mary Stanhope, the widow of Sir John Stanhope, with whom Gell had been feuding for many years. The marriage was brief and ended in divorce, but the lawyer for his divorce was Eusebius Andrews, who in 1650 was executed for his part in a conspiracy to Charles II to the throne. Sir John was caught up in the conspiracy and was convicted of treason. He was sentenced to life imprisonment but was released in 1653 on the grounds of ill health. He continued living in London and was formally pardoned on the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. He died in London in 1671 and was buried at Wirksworth.
Key Events	High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1653, Parliamentarian commander in the English Civil War.
Authorised Form of Name	Gell; Sir; John (1593-1671); 1st Baronet; parliamentary commander

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