John Selby (died 1595)

Sir John Selby of Twizell (died 1595) was an English landowner and border official.

There were several branches of the Selby family in Northumberland.

His home was Twizell Castle in Northumbria. He was Gentleman Porter of Berwick-upon-Tweed, a town on the border between England and Scotland, and depute-warden of the East March.

Selby was a depute to the border warden Lord Grey. In October 1562 he offended Lord Home who complained to the English ambassador in Edinburgh, Thomas Randolph.[1]

He was knighted in 1582.

In September 1589 the English ambassador in Edinburgh William Ashby asked him to send food for the welcoming party for Anne of Denmark, the new queen of Scotland. He replied that there were no fallow deer or pheasants in his wardenry, only beef and mutton no better than that available in Scotland.[2]

In February 1591 he sent a Scottish witch captured in England and imprisoned in Berwick to Edinburgh at the request of James VI. She then accused several other people of witchcraft. James VI sent David Seton of Tranent, who knew the North Berwick witches to England to help round up fugitives. Selby was to have a warrant to return any escaping suspects from the North Berwick Witch Trials.[3]

In May 1594 two fugitives from Edinburgh, Anna of Denmark's jeweller Jacob Kroger and a stable worker Guillaume Martin, who had stolen the queen's jewels were captured at North Shields. John Selby handed them over to John Hume of Hutton Hall, the Scottish depute-warden of the East March, on 11 June 1594, a day of truce, at the west ford of Norham. The two men were taken to Edinburgh and executed.[4]

He died in 1595. An inventory was made of his goods at Twizell and elsewhere.[5]

His heir, and next Gentleman Porter of Berwick, was his son, William Selby (died 1612). His daughter Margaret married George Selby (d. 1625).