John Blakiston

John Blakiston was a prominent mercer and coal merchant, member of the English parliament, and a signatory of death warrant of King Charles I (r. 1625-1649).

John Blakiston was born at Sedgefield in County Durham, as the third son of Marmaduke Blakiston, who was a prebendary of Durham Cathedral and a noted Arminian. John became prominent as a mercer in Newcastle, and during the 1630s, he emerged as a Puritan and anti-episcopalian.

He was elected to the English parliament in 1640, but the result was contested and he did not take his seat until January 1641. He also served as Mayor of Newcastle in 1645. John Blakiston is most remeberd today because he was appointed to the High Court of Justice in January 1649 and signed the King's death warrant.