John Chichester (died 1569)

Arms of Sir John Chichester shown within a strapwork surround from his monument in Pilton Church: *Chequy or and gules, a chief vair*

Sir John Chichester (1519/20 – 1569) of Raleigh in the parish of Pilton, near Barnstaple in North Devon, was a leading member of the Devonshire gentry, a naval captain, and ardent Protestant who served as Sheriff of Devon in 1550-1551, and as Knight of the Shire for Devon in 1547, April 1554, and 1563, and as Member of Parliament for Barnstaple in 1559, over which borough his lordship of the manor of Raleigh, Pilton had considerable influence.