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List of speakers of the House of Commons of England facts for kids

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This is a list of the speakers of the House of Commons of England, up to 1707.

For speakers of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801, see List of speakers of the British House of Commons.

List of parlours or prolocutors before 1377

Before 1377, the Speaker was referred to by terms such as the parlour and the prolocutor. Some of them presided, and Peter de Montfort and Peter de la Mare were certainly presiding officers of the Commons. The others named in this section were spokesmen. Some of them held judicial offices. It is not certain that they presided over the Commons.

The date given is that of the first meeting of the Parliament in question. Only Parliaments for which a presiding officer is known or supposed are included in the table.

Parliament Presiding officer Constituency Notes
First English Parliament, 11 June 1258 Peter de Montfort First identified presiding officer of the English House of Commons, styled prolocutor
27th of Edward II, 7 January 1327 William Trussell Joint spokesman of Lords and Commons, styled procurator
10th of Edward III, 16 March 1332 Henry Beaumont ...
11th of Edward III, 9 September 1332 Geoffrey le Scrope ...
26th of Edward III, 29 March 1340 William Trussell ...
30th of Edward III, 28 April 1343 William Trussell Spokesman for the Commons alone
33rd of Edward III, 1347 William de Thorpe ...
34th of Edward III, 1348 William de Thorpe ...
36th of Edward III, 9 February 1351 William de Shareshull ...
55th of Edward III, 28 April 1376 Sir Peter de la Mare Herefordshire First term (second after 1377)
  • Source: Laundy The Office of Speaker

Speakers of the House of Commons of England from 1377 to 1707

From Until Speaker Constituency Notes
January 1377 2 March 1377 Sir Thomas Hungerforde Wiltshire First presiding officer styled Speaker. 56th Parliament of Edward III.
October 1377 28 November 1377 Sir Peter de la Mare Herefordshire Second term (first before 1377). 1st of Richard II.
22 October 1378 16 November 1378 Sir James Pickering Westmorland First term. 2nd of Richard II.
January 1380 6 December 1380 Sir John Guildesborough Essex 4th and 5th of Richard II
18 November 1381 25 February 1382 Sir Richard Waldegrave Suffolk 6th of Richard II and possibly in the next two Parliaments
23 February 1383 10 March 1383 Sir James Pickering Yorkshire Second term. 9th of Richard II and possibly in several other Parliaments.
1383 1389 unknown unknown 10th to 21st of Richard II
28 January 1394 1398 Sir John Bussy Lincolnshire Styled Commune Parlour. 22nd, 23rd (probably), 24th and 25th of Richard II
1398 1398 none none 25th of Richard II adjourned to Shrewsbury on 28 January 1398. Its authority was transferred to a Committee of 12 peers and 6 commoners (including Bussy, who was executed in 1399)
14 October 1399 15 October 1399 Sir John Cheney (or Cheyne) Gloucestershire Resigned after two days as Speaker, 1st of Henry IV.
15 October 1399 19 November 1399 John Doreward Essex First term. 1st of Henry IV.
21 January 1401 1402 Sir Arnold Savage Kent First term. 2nd of Henry IV and possibly 3rd.
3 October 1402 25 November 1402 Sir Henry Redford Lincolnshire 4th of Henry IV
15 January 1404 10 April 1404 Sir Arnold Savage Kent Second term. 5th of Henry IV.
7 October 1404 14 November 1404 Sir William Esturmy (or Sturmy) Devon 6th of Henry IV
2 March 1406 22 December 1406 Sir John Tiptoft Huntingdonshire 7th of Henry IV. First Speaker created a peer (1st Baron Tiptoft, 1426).
25 October 1407 19 December 1411 Thomas Chaucer Oxfordshire First term. 8th-10th of Henry IV.
1412 1413 unknown unknown
8 May 1413 3 June 1413 William Stourton Dorset Styled parlour. 1st of Henry V.
3 June 1413 9 June 1413 John Doreward Essex Second term. 1st of Henry V.
1 May 1414 29 May 1414 Sir Walter Hungerford Wiltshire 2nd of Henry V. Created 1st Baron Hungerford, 1426.
19 November 1414 1415 Thomas Chaucer Oxfordshire Second term. 3rd of Henry V.
5 November 1415 1415 Sir Richard Redman (or Redmayne) Yorkshire 4th of Henry V
18 March 1416 May 1416 Sir Walter Beauchamp Wiltshire Styled Prolocutor. 5th of Henry V.
October 1416 November 1419 Roger Flower Rutland First term. 6th-8th of Henry V.
1420 1421 Roger Hunt Bedfordshire First term. 9th of Henry V.
1421 1421 Thomas Chaucer Oxfordshire Third term. 10th of Henry V.
3 December 1421 1422 Richard Baynard Essex 11th of Henry V
11 November 1422 18 December 1422 Roger Flower Rutland Second term. 1st of Henry VI.
21 October 1423 28 February 1424 Sir John Russell Herefordshire First term. 2nd of Henry VI.
2 May 1425 14 July 1425 Sir Thomas Walton (or Wauton) Bedfordshire 3rd of Henry VI
28 February 1426 1 June 1426 Sir Richard Vernon Derbyshire 4th of Henry VI
15 October 1427 25 March 1428 Sir John Tyrrell Hertfordshire First term. 5th of Henry VI.
23 September 1429 23 February 1430 Sir William Alington Cambridgeshire 6th of Henry VI
13 January 1431 20 March 1431 Sir John Tyrrell Essex Second term. 7th of Henry VI.
14 May 1432 17 July 1432 Sir John Russell Herefordshire Second term. 8th of Henry VI.
10 July 1433 21 December 1433 Roger Hunt Huntingdonshire Second term. 9th of Henry VI.
12 October 1435 23 December 1435 John Bowes Nottinghamshire 10th of Henry VI
23 January 1437 March 1437 Sir John Tyrrell Essex Third term. 11th of Henry VI.
19 March 1437 27 March 1437 William Burley (or Boerley) Shropshire First term. 11th of Henry VI.
13 November 1439 27 May 1442 William Tresham Northamptonshire First term. 12th and 13th of Henry VI.
26 February 1445 9 April 1445 William Burley (or Boerley) Shropshire Second term. Styled Prolocutor. 14th of Henry VI.
11 February 1447 3 March 1447 William Tresham Northamptonshire Second term. 15th of Henry VI.
13 February 1449 16 July 1449 Sir John Say Cambridgeshire First term. 16th of Henry VI.
8 November 1449 8 November 1449 Sir John Popham Hampshire Excused due to ill health. 17th of Henry VI.
8 November 1449 1450 William Tresham Northamptonshire Third term. 17th of Henry VI.
7 November 1450 May 1451 Sir William Oldhall Hertfordshire 18th of Henry VI
8 March 1453 16 February 1454 Thomas Thorpe Essex 19th of Henry VI. Left chair when imprisoned.
16 February 1454 April 1454 Sir Thomas Charlton Middlesex 19th of Henry VI
10 July 1455 January 1456 Sir John Wenlock Bedfordshire Styled Prolocutor. 20th of Henry VI. Created 1st Baron Wenlock, 1461.
21 November 1459 20 December 1459 Sir Thomas Tresham Northamptonshire Styled Prolocutor. 21st of Henry VI.
8 October 1460 1460 John Green Essex 22nd of Henry VI
5 November 1461 6 May 1462 Sir James Strangeways Yorkshire Styled Prolocutor. 1st of Edward IV.
30 April 1463 1468 Sir John Say Hertfordshire Second term. 2nd-3rd of Edward IV.
1469 1470 unknown unknown 4th-5th of Edward IV
7 October 1472 1478 William Alington Cambridgeshire Grandson of the previous Speaker William Alington. 6th-7th of Edward IV.
21 January 1483 February 1483 John Wood (or Wode) Surrey Styled Prolocutor. 8th of Edward IV.
24 January 1484 20 February 1484 William Catesby Northamptonshire 1st of Richard III
8 November 1485 1486 Sir Thomas Lovell Northamptonshire Styled Prolocutor. 1st of Henry VII.
10 November 1487 1488 Sir John Mordaunt Bedfordshire Styled Prolocutor. 2nd of Henry VII.
14 January 1489 27 February 1490 Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam Lincolnshire Styled Prolocutor. 3rd of Henry VII.
18 October 1491 March 1492 Sir Richard Empson Northamptonshire Styled Prolocutor. 4th of Henry VII.
15 October 1495 1495 Sir Robert Drury Suffolk 5th of Henry VII
19 January 1497 1497 Sir Thomas Englefield Berkshire First term. 6th of Henry VII.
25 January 1504 1504 Edmond Dudley Staffordshire Styled Prolocutor. 8th of Henry VII.
23 January 1510 23 February 1510 Sir Thomas Englefield Berkshire Second term. Styled Prolocutor. 1st of Henry VIII.
5 February 1512 December 1513 Sir Robert Sheffield Lincolnshire Styled Prolocutor. 2nd of Henry VIII.
6 February 1515 22 December 1515 Sir Thomas Nevill Kent Styled Prolocutor. 3rd of Henry VIII.
16 April 1523 13 August 1523 Sir Thomas More Middlesex Styled Prolocutor. 4th of Henry VIII.
5 November 1529 26 January 1533 Sir Thomas Audley Essex Styled Prolocutor. 5th of Henry VIII. Created 1st Baron Audley, 1538.
9 February 1533 4 April 1536 Sir Humphrey Wingfield Great Yarmouth 5th of Henry VIII. First Borough member to be Speaker.
9 June 1536 18 July 1536 Sir Richard Rich Colchester 6th of Henry VIII. Created 1st Baron Rich, 1547.
28 April 1539 24 July 1540 Sir Nicholas Hare Norfolk 7th of Henry VIII
19 January 1542 28 March 1544 Sir Thomas Moyle Peterborough 8th of Henry VIII
November 1545 15 April 1552 Sir John Baker Huntingdonshire 9th of Henry VIII and 1st of Edward VI
2 March 1553 31 March 1553 Sir James Dyer Cambridgeshire 2nd of Edward VI
5 October 1553 5 December 1553 John Pollard Oxfordshire 1st of Mary I
2 April 1554 5 May 1554 Sir Robert Broke City of London 2nd of Mary I
12 November 1554 16 January 1555 Sir Clement Higham West Looe 3rd of Mary I
21 October 1555 9 December 1555 John Pollard Chippenham 4th of Mary I
20 January 1558 17 November 1558 Sir William Cordell Suffolk 5th of Mary I
25 January 1559 8 May 1559 Sir Thomas Gargrave Yorkshire 1st of Elizabeth I
12 January 1563 10 April 1563 Thomas Williams Exeter 2nd of Elizabeth I
1 October 1566 2 January 1567 Richard Onslow Steyning 2nd of Elizabeth I
2 April 1571 29 May 1571 Sir Christopher Wray Ludgershall 3rd of Elizabeth I
8 May 1572 1576 Sir Robert Bell Lyme Regis 4th of Elizabeth I
18 January 1581 19 April 1583 Sir John Popham Bristol 4th of Elizabeth I
23 November 1584 14 September 1586 Sir John Puckering Bedford 5th of Elizabeth I
29 October 1586 23 March 1587 Gatton 6th of Elizabeth I

Source: Laundy The Office of Speaker

From Until Speaker Constituency Notes
1588 1589 Sir Thomas Snagge (Bedford)
1592 1593 Sir Edward Coke (Norfolk) Solicitor-General for England and Wales
1597 1598 Sir Christopher Yelverton (Northamptonshire)
1601 Sir John Croke (City of London)
1603 1611 Sir Edward Phelips (Somerset)
1614 Sir Randolph Crewe (Saltash)
1621 1622 Sir Thomas Richardson (St Albans)
1623 1625 Sir Thomas Crewe (Aylesbury)
1625 1626 Sir Heneage Finch (City of London)
1628 1629 Sir John Finch (Canterbury) (Impeached by the Long Parliament, October 1640,
and fled to Holland, but returned at the Restoration)
1640 Sir John Glanville (Bristol)
1640 1647 William Lenthall (Woodstock)
1644 1645 Sir Sampson Eure (Leominster) Speaker in the Oxford Parliament (1644)
1647 Henry Pelham (Grantham) (temporary during Lenthall's abandonment of the Speakership)
1647 1653 William Lenthall (Woodstock) (Lenthall was restored to the Chair by the Army
and remained in office until Cromwell's dismissal of the Rump)
1653 Rev. Francis Rous (Devon)
1654 1655 William Lenthall (Oxfordshire)
1656 1658 Sir Thomas Widdrington (Northumberland)
1657 1657 Bulstrode Whitelocke (Buckinghamshire) (temporary during Widdrington illness)
1658 1659 Chaloner Chute (Middlesex)
1659 Sir Lislebone Long (Wells) (temporary during Chute's illness,
but was himself taken ill after only five days in office}
14 April 1659 22 April 1659 Thomas Bampfylde (Exeter)
1659 1660 William Lenthall (Oxfordshire)
1660 William Say (Camelford) (temporary during Lenthall illness)
1660 Sir Harbottle Grimston (Colchester)
1661 1671 Sir Edward Turnour (Hertford)
1672 Sir Job Charlton (Ludlow)
1673 Sir Edward Seymour (Totnes)
1678 Sir Robert Sawyer (Wycombe) ((Temporary during Seymour's illness)
1678 1679 Sir Edward Seymour (Totnes)
1679 Sir William Gregory (Weobley)
1680 1681 Sir William Williams (Chester)
1685 1687 Sir John Trevor (Denbigh)
1688 1689 Henry Powle (Windsor)
1689 1695 Sir John Trevor (Yarmouth, IoW) (expelled for corruption)
1695 1698 Paul Foley (Hereford)
1698 1700 Sir Thomas Littleton (Woodstock)
1701 1705 Robert Harley (New Radnor)
1705 1707 John Smith (Andover)

For speakers of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801, see List of speakers of the British House of Commons.

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