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Born John Fuller in 1757, he was a member of an ancient family of iron-founders.
In 1697 Thomas Fuller bought the mansion adjoining Brightling church, which was passed down to John. Because of his eccentricities he was also known as Mad Jack Fuller. He preferred to call himself Honest John. He was of commanding appearance with a loud voice, he could be blunt and was often drunk! However he was a supporter of the arts and sciences - he was a mentor to the young Michael Faraday, and a patron of Turner.
Like many powerful people in England at that time, Mad Jack dedicated much of his wealth to the building of follies, decorative and extravagant structures with – on the whole – no practical purpose whatsoever, said to “transcend the normal range of garden ornaments or other structures”.
He purchased Bodiam Castle for 3000 guineas when it was in danger of being demolished. He represented Sussex in Parliament from 1780, but he was publicly disgraced after an incident with the Speaker of the House saw him seized by the Sergeant-at-Arms in 1810. After his marriage proposal was rejected outright by Susannah Arbella Thrale, Mad Jack never wed and much of his estate passed to his nephew, Peregrine Palmer Fuller Palmer Acland.
He constructed a flamboyant mausoleum in the shape of a pyramid outside Brightling church some 23 years before his death in 1834, still a bachelor. Legend states he was buried seated wearing a top hat holding a bottle of claret!