John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley

File:John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley.jpg

Portrait of the Earl of Darnley attributed to Thomas Phillips

John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley (30 June 1767 – 17 March 1831) was a British peer and cricketer.

He was the son of John Bligh, 3rd Earl of Darnley and succeeded his father as earl on the latter's death in 1781. He resided at Cobham Hall, near Gravesend in Kent.

John Bligh was a noted amateur cricketer who made 27 known appearances in major cricket matches between 1789 and 1796. He and his brother, the Honourable (later General) Edward Bligh, were staunch supporters of Kent cricket. His younger son John Duncan Bligh was a diplomat in Sweden and in Hanover. His descendant, Ivo Francis Walter Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley, captained the England cricket team on their tour of Australia in 1882–83.

Darnley Bay in the Northwest Territories, Canada was named for him by John Richardson.

External sources

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Darnley
• CricketArchive record

Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by John Bligh	Earl of Darnley 1781–1831	Succeeded by Edward Bligh