John Jeffreys

John Jeffreys (c.1623-1689) was a Welsh soldier, landowner and politician, much of whose career was spent in Ireland. He fought in the English Civil War on the Royalist side, and later sat in the Houses of Commons of both England and Ireland. He is best remembered as the first Master of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. Background and early career He was born at Abercynrig, Brecon, eldest son of Jeffrey Jeffreys and Margaret Price, daughter of Geoffrey Price of the Priory, also in Brecon. His father and grandfather were prosperous mercers, and by 1620 his father was wealthy enough to buy Abercynrig, and to marry the eventual heiress of The Priory, which became his son's favourite home in later life. John had succeeded to his father's estates by 1647. He entered the Inner Temple in 1640 and proceeded to Gray's Inn in 1641, but was apparently not called to the Bar. His legal knowledge was useful to him in his career, when he served as a Court registrar in Ireland. During the English Civil War he was Lieutenant Colonel of a brigade of infantry fighting on the Royalist side, and gave valiant service to the Royalist cause, as shown by the various rewards which were proposed for him at the Restoration of Charles II. These rewards never materialised; and though he entered the Cavalier Parliament as MP for Breconshire in 1661 he was unseated a few months later.