Background
Bence was the eldest son of Alexander Bence of Aldeburgh, Suffolk and London and his first wife Anne Aylett of Rendham, Suffolk. He succeeded to the property of his father in 1663.
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John Bence
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Career
He was baptised on 3 October 1622. He was a merchant trading with Portugal, Brazil and the Levant. He invested £1,500 in the Royal Adventurers into Africa Company, and became secretary of the company by 1665.
He was commissioner for assessment for London from 1664 to 1680.
He became alderman of London in 1664 and paid £720 to be excused from the office in 1665. He was assistant of the Worshipful Company of Grocers from 1664 to 1687.
He was warden of the Grocers Company from 1667 to 1668 and master of the Grocers Company from 1668 to 1669. In 1669 Bence defeated Samuel Pepys, the official candidate, in a by-election at Aldeburgh for the Cavalier Parliament.
He was assistant of the Royal African Company from 1672 to 1673 and commissioner for assessment for Aldeburgh from 1673 to 1680.
In 1675 he was commissioner for recusants for Suffolk and was assistant of the Royal African Company until 1677. He became Deputy Lieutenant of London in 1676 until 1683 and became freeman of the East India Company in 1678. In October 1679 he was elected again as Member of Parliament for Aldeburgh.
He was assistant of the Royal African Company from 1680 to 1682.
In 1681 he was re-elected Member of Parliament for Aldeburgh. He was re-elected Member of Parliament for Aldeburgh in 1685.
In 1685 he was again assistant of the Royal African Company until 1687 but in 1687 was removed from the court of assistants of the Grocers’ Company. Bence died at the age of 65.
Membership
Cavalier Parliament. Habeas Corpus Parliament]
In 1659, he was elected Member of Parliament for Aldeburgh in the Third Protectorate Parliament.
