John Felton (assassin)
| John Felton | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1595 |
| Died | 29 November 1628 (aged c. 33) Tyburn, London |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Criminal charge | Murder of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Felton (d. c. 1611) Elanor Wright (d. c.1630) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of England
|
| Service/branch | English army |
| Years of service | 1625–1627 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | |
John Felton (c. 1595 – 29 November 1628) was a lieutenant in the English army who stabbed George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham to death in the Greyhound Pub of Portsmouth on 23 August 1628.
John Felton was born around 1595, possibly in Suffolk, to a family related to the Feltons of Playford in Suffolk and distantly related to Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel. His father, Thomas Felton, prospered as a pursuivant, one appointed to the task of hunting down those who refused to attend Anglican church services (see recusancy). His mother, Elanor, was the daughter of the William Wight, the one-time mayor of Durham.
The family's fortunes declined when Thomas' lucrative position was given to Henry Spiller in 1602. Thomas died around 1611, while he was imprisoned in the Fleet Prison for debt although his widow was later able to secure a £100 per annum pension from the crown.
Nothing is known of John Felton's life until the mid-1620s, when he was an army officer. He served in the Cádiz Expedition of 1625, an attempt to capture the Spanish city of Cadiz that was backed by Buckingham. This resulted in a decisive Spanish victory, with 7,000 English troops and 62 out of 105 ships lost. Felton then served as a lieutenant in Ireland in 1626, during which time his commanding officer died and Felton tried, but failed, to be appointed as his replacement.
In May or June 1627, Felton petitioned to be appointed a Captain on Buckingham's military expedition of 1627, part of the Anglo-French War of 1627 to 1629. The purpose of the expedition was to capture the French fortress of Saint-Martin-de-Ré on the Île de Ré. This would secure the sea-approaches to the city of La Rochelle and encourage the French Huguenot population of the city to rebel against the French crown.
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