[1] John Colman was born on 23 November 1772 into the prominent Cornwall Rashleigh family and was 17th in direct descent from Edward I, King of England.
[2] He was the eldest son of John Rashleigh (1742–1803) and the former Katherine Battie (d. 1800), and had three brothers and three sisters.
[6] Rashleigh, who was referred to as a radical,[7] was active in pro-Catholic politics for many years,[2] and was known as a leading figure among the gentry in the parliamentary reform movement.
"[8] After Rashleigh had been awarded his baronetcy, he "acknowledged that the peers had a 'valuable' constitutional role to play, as a 'patrician barrier' between the pretensions of the crown and 'popular passions and caprice', but they were now opposed to both and had forgotten that their privileges were 'a trust for the benefit of the people'.
[21] Sir John died on 4 August 1847 and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, Colman.