John Cutts, 1st Baron Cutts

Early life

Cutts was born about 1661 at Woodhall, Arkesden, Essex,^[1]: x the second son of Richard Cutte or Cuttes and Joan Everard (daughter of Sir Richard Everard).^[2] The family were descended from Sir John Cutts, who had been Treasurer of the Household to Henry VIII.^[3] After a short university career at

Lieutenant-Colonel Cutts was one of William III's companions in the English Revolution of 1688, and in 1690 he went in command of a regiment of foot in Ireland, where he served with distinction. He served with distinction at the Battle of the Boyne (July 1690), and at the siege of Limerick (1690) (where he was wounded), and King William created him Baron Cutts, of Gowran, in the Peerage of Ireland, on 12 December 1690. In 1691 he succeeded to the command of the brigade of the prince of Hesse (wounded at Aughrim in July 1691), and on the surrender of Limerick was appointed commandant of the town. In the following year he served again in Flanders as a brigadier. His brigade of Mackay's division had been almost destroyed at Steinkirk in August 1692. At this battle Cutts himself was wounded.^[6]

For some time after this, Lord Cutts was lieutenant-governor of the Isle of Wight (in office: 1694-1707), but he returned to active service in 1694, holding a command in the disastrous Brest expedition of June 1694. He was one of Carmarthen's companions in the daring reconnaissance of Camaret Bay, and was soon afterwards again wounded. As colonel of the Coldstream Guards Cutts succeeded Talmash, commander of the expedition, who died of his wounds. He served as a commissioner for settling the bank of Antwerp in the following year, distinguishing himself again at the famous Siege of Namur (1695), winning the name "Salamander" by his indifference to the heaviest fire.^[7] Though shot in the head while leading an attack against the citadel, he recovered to lead his men to the capture of the works. Thereafter court service and war service alternated.

Cutts was deep in the confidence of William III, and acted as a diplomatic agent in the negotiations which ended in the

Later years

His remaining years were spent at home, and, at the time of his death, he was the holder of eight distinct political and military offices. He sat in five parliaments for the county of Cambridge, and in Queen Anne's first Parliament he was returned for Newport in the Isle of Wight, for which he sat until the time of his death. He was twice married, but left no issue.^[7]

Cutts' old Cambridge college, St Catharine's, organised a dinner to commemorate the tercentenary of his death, held in January 2007.^{[citation needed]}

References