John Oglander

Sir John Oglander (12 May 1585 – 28 November 1655)^[1] was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1625 to 1629. He is now remembered as a diarist.

Oglander was born at

In 1625, Oglander was elected member of parliament for Yarmouth (Isle of Wight). He was re-elected MP for Yarmouth in 1626 and 1628 and sat until 1629^[2] when Charles I decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. During the king's personal rule Oglander was a firm royalist. He became High Sheriff of Hampshire in 1637, and was an energetic collector of ship money.^[1][5]

Sir John Oglander lost his deputy-governor position, and was twice arrested by the parliamentarians during the

Oglander married Frances More, daughter of

Sir John kept detailed accounts of his household and estate, which survive today. They are of particular interest because they evolved into a personal diary. These records were used superficially by Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet in his History of the Isle of Wight (1781). An edition was published by William Henry Long in 1888, as The Oglander Memoirs.^[6][7]

At times of great personal emotion, some entries were written in his own blood. In April 2013, Sir John was one of five contrasting subjects featured in the first episode of the BBC Four series, The Century that Wrote Itself, presented by Adam Nicolson.^[8]