John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt

Who was John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt?

John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt was an English royalist.

He was born in Lowick, the second son of John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough and Elizabeth Howard, daughter of William Howard, 3rd Baron Howard of Effingham.

In June 1648, he joined his brother, Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough in leading a Royalist uprising, and fled with him to the Continent when it failed. He had returned to England by 1652, and married Elizabeth Carey on 7 May 1657.

He again engaged in Royalist conspiracy, and met the Marquess of Ormonde on his secret trip to England in 1658. Mordaunt was betrayed and arrested on 1 April 1658. Released and re-arrested on 15 April 1658, he was charged with treason. Thomas Pride, one of the commissioners to try him, fell ill, and a key witness escaped, and Mordaunt was acquitted by a vote of 20 to 19 by the commissioners.

This narrow escape did not deter his secret efforts on behalf of Charles II. However, although trusted by the King, Ormonde, and Hyde, many royalists disliked and mistrusted him. He was created Viscount Mordaunt of Avalon and Baron Mordaunt of Reigate on 10 July 1659 by Charles, who considered him the leader of his cause in England.