Sir John Pelham, 3rd Baronet

Sir John Pelham, 3rd Baronet (1623–1703), was an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during various periods between 1645 and 1698.

He was born in 1623 as the eldest son of Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet, and his wife, Mary Wilbraham. Mary Wilbraham was the daughter of Sir Roger Wilbraham, who served as Solicitor General for Ireland.

In January 1647, John Pelham married Lady Lucy Sydney, the daughter of Robert Sydney, 2nd Earl of Leicester, and Lady Dorothy Percy. The couple had six children: three sons and three daughters. Their children included Dorothy Pelham, who died at two days old in December 1648; Elizabeth Pelham, who married Edward Montagu; Lucy Pelham, who married Gervase Pierrepont, 1st Baron Pierrepont; Thomas Pelham, 1st Baron Pelham (1653–1712); and Henry Pelham (circa 1661–1721). John Pelham was succeeded by his son Thomas Pelham, who was created Baron Pelham in 1706.

John Pelham inherited the baronetcy following the death of his father in 1654.

His political career began in 1645 when he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Hastings, filling a position vacated by Royalists who had been disabled from sitting in Parliament. He was temporarily excluded in 1648 during Pride's Purge. In the same year, he inherited the baronetcy.

Pelham served as MP for Sussex in the First Protectorate Parliament in 1654 and continued to sit during the Second Protectorate Parliament until 1658. Following the Stuart Restoration in 1660, he was again elected MP for Sussex, serving in that capacity until 1681. After the Glorious Revolution in November 1688, he was re-elected as MP for Sussex in 1689 and held this position until his retirement in 1698.

In 1694, Pelham attended a cricket match at Lewes, an event documented through his personal accounts, which record a wager he paid on that occasion. This event is among the earliest known references to cricket involving a named individual in historical records.

References to Pelham's life and career are documented in sources including B.M. Crook’s chapter in "The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660–1690" and John Major’s book "More Than A Game."