Although none of his poetry has survived, he was praised by Fuller: "Great his skill in music, who wrote a book of sonnetts according to the Italian fashion".
[2] In 1549, Sheffield accompanied William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton on an expedition to quell Kett's Rebellion in Norfolk.
[2] On 1 August 1549, during a pitched battle at Pockthorpe Gate for control of Norwich, Sheffield fell from his horse and was captured by an armed mob.
[4] The rebels refused the lord's request to spare his life in return for a promised ransom and Sheffield was fatally struck by a butcher, reputedly named Fulke.
In recognition of his father's loyalty to the crown and sacrifice, John Sheffield was granted an annual annuity and in November 1550 the right to marry freely without having to pay the usual fees or fines to the Court of Wards and Liveries.