Sir John Davie, 1st Baronet

Sir John Davie, 1st Baronet (1588–1654) of Creedy in the parish of Sandford, near Crediton, Devon, was a member of the Devonshire gentry and served as Member of Parliament for Tiverton in 1621-2 and as Sheriff of Devon (1629–1630). He was created a baronet in 1641.

Arms of Sir John Davie[1]

Davie was the son and heir of John Davie of Sandford and Crediton, Devon by his wife Margaret Southcote, daughter of George Southcote, of Calverley, Devon.[2]

He matriculated at Exeter College, Oxford on 22 February 1605, aged 16.[3] In 1621 he was elected Member of Parliament for the newly enfranchised constituency of Tiverton in Devon.[4] He served as Sheriff of Devon from 1629 to 1630 and was created a baronet on 9 September 1641.[2]

Davie married twice. His first wife was Juliana Strode (died 1627), fifth daughter of Sir William Strode (1562–1637), MP. She was a sister of William Strode (1594–1645), MP,[5] one of the Five Members whose attempted arrest in the House of Commons by King Charles I in 1642 sparked the Civil War. She died on 14 May 1627 and was buried at Sandford on 25 May 1627 where there is a mural monument to her in the church. By Juliana he had children including:

• Sir John Davie, 2nd Baronet (1612–1678), eldest son and heir, MP for Tiverton.[2]
• William Davie (1614–1663) of Dar.(?),[6] 2nd son, barrister-at-law, who married Margaret Clarke (died 1702), daughter of Sir Francis Clarke (1622/3-c.1690), a merchant of the City of London and member of the Levant Company, by whom he had children including:
  • Sir John Davie, 3rd Baronet (1660–1692), eldest son, MP for Saltash 1679–85, Sheriff of Devon in 1688,[7] died unmarried.
  • Sir William Davie, 4th Baronet (1662–1707), second son and heir to his brother.

Davie's second marriage was to Isabel Hele (died 1656) of Gnaton, Devon, by whom he had a daughter:

• Isabell Davie (1631–1673), who in 1649 married Sir Walter Yonge, 2nd Baronet (c. 1625 – 1670), MP, of Colyton, Devon.[8]

Davie died in 1654 at the age of about 66 and was buried at Sandford on 13 October 1654.[3]