John Northby was one of two Members of the Parliament of England for the constituency of York on two occasions.
John was the son of Margaret Northby, his father and his date of birth being unknown.
He is known to have been a close associate of the wealthy York merchant, William Vescy, and married his twice widowed daughter, Emma in 1407.
His marriage enabled him to have a head start in making connections with other city merchants.
[1] John was given the freedom of the city in 1402 and held the offices of chamberlain (1408–09), sheriff (1409–10) and Lord Mayor (1416–17).