John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet

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John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet (15 December 1608 – 7 May 1664) was an English nobleman and supporter of Charles I of England. He was the eldest son of Nicholas Tufton, 1st Earl of Thanet and Lady Frances Cecil.

On 21 April 1629, he married Lady Margaret Sackville (d. 1676), daughter of Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset. They had eleven children:

Nicholas Tufton, 3rd Earl of Thanet (1631–1679)
Lady Margaret Tufton (b. 13 July 1636), married George Coventry, 3rd Baron Coventry on 18 July 1653
John Tufton, 4th Earl of Thanet (1638–1680)
Richard Tufton, 5th Earl of Thanet (1640–1684)
Thomas Tufton, 6th Earl of Thanet (1644–1729)
Col. Sackville Tufton (c.1647–1721)
Lady Anne Tufton, died young
Lady Frances Tufton, married Henry Drax, died without issue
Lady Cicely Tufton (2 June 1648 – 30 December 1672), married on 12 February 1667 Christopher Hatton, 1st Viscount Hatton
Lady Mary Tufton (d. February 1674), married Sir William Walter, 2nd Baronet (d. 1693)
Lady Anne Tufton, married Samuel Grimston

Thanet was a staunch Cavalier, and in 1642 led a regiment to try to raise a rebellion in Sussex in support of Sir William Brockman in Kent. However, Brockman's revolt quickly collapsed and the Earl was forced to surrender. He suffered considerably from confiscations and sequestrations of his large estates during the English Civil War. Among his properties was Bodiam Castle, purchased of the Levett family, which Thanet sold in 1645.

Curiously, he was succeeded as Earl of Thanet by four of his sons in succession, the first three having no issue.