John Stanhope, 1st Baron Stanhope (1545 – 9 March 1621) was an English courtier, politician and peer. He was made Vice-Chamberlain of the Household by Elizabeth I, Privy Councillor, and a member of the Council of the North. He was a close associate of Sir William Cecil and Sir Robert Cecil at court.
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Life
He was the third son of Sir Michael Stanhope, born in Yorkshire, but brought up in Nottinghamshire after his father's attainder for treason in 1552. His father's end did not apparently hinder his own career, and he is probably the John Stanhope who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Marlborough in the Parliament of 1572–1581, for Truro in 1586 and for Rochester in 1588.
His aunt was Anne Stanhope, Duchess of Somerset, while his grandmother, Beatrice Cooke, was a cousin of Mildred Cooke, wife of the chief minister of Elizabeth I, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley. Through the patronage of the Cecils, Stanhope would rise at court.
At court, Stanhope was a Gentleman of the Queen's Privy Chamber. His uncle, Thomas Reston or Rawson, served as a trumpeter in ordinary at court. On 22 December 1589, Stanhope wrote from Richmond Palace to Lord Talbot, describing Queen Elizabeth's good health; "the Queen is so well as I assure you 6 or 7 galliards in a morning, besides music & singing, is her ordinary exercise."
At some point during his early career, Stanhope attached himself to the coat-tails of Sir Robert Cecil and subsequently proved a reliable ally, receiving in return a series of appointments. He was Custos Rotulorum of the North Riding and Vice-Admiral of Yorkshire for many years and a member of the Council of the North. In 1590, he was appointed Master of the King's Posts; and in 1596, he was knighted and appointed as Treasurer of the Chamber.



