John Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley (26 November 1766 – 23 October 1850), known as Sir John Stanley, 7th Baronet, from 1807 to 1839, was an English peer and politician.

Early life and education

Stanley was born at Alderley Park, Cheshire, the son of Sir John Thomas Stanley FRSE (1735–1827), 6th Baronet. and Margaret Owen, heiress of the Penrhos estate on Anglesey. This branch of the Stanley family descended from the Hon. Sir John Stanley, third son of Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley (whose eldest son Thomas was created Earl of Derby in 1485). He was the elder brother of Edward Stanley, the Bishop of Norwich. His sister, Margaretta Louisa Anne, married Gen. Sir Baldwin Leighton, 6th Baronet. He was educated at Edinburgh University.

Career

Stanley succeeded in the baronetcy and to the family seat at Alderley Park in Cheshire on his father's death in 1807. He was appointed High Sheriff of Anglesey for 1809. He was elected to the House of Commons for Wootton Bassett in 1790, a seat he held until 1796. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1790. In 1839 Stanley was raised to the peerage as Baron Stanley of Alderley, in the County of Chester.

Marriage and issue

Stanley married the Lady Maria Josepha, daughter of John Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield, in 1796. There were 11 children of the marriage; twin sons and seven daughters survived to adulthood. Lord Stanley of Alderley died at Alderley Park in October 1850, aged 83, and was succeeded in his titles by his son Edward, who had already been elevated to the peerage in his own right as Baron Eddisbury. Lady Stanley of Alderley died in 1863.

Arms