List of speakers of the House of Commons of England

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.

ParliamentPresiding officerConstituencyNotes
First English Parliament, 11 June 1258Peter de MontfortFirst identified presiding officer of the English House of Commons, styled prolocutor
27th of Edward II, 7 January 1327William TrussellJoint spokesman of Lords and Commons, styled procurator
10th of Edward III, 16 March 1332Henry Beaumont...
11th of Edward III, 9 September 1332Geoffrey le Scrope...
26th of Edward III, 29 March 1340William Trussell...
30th of Edward III, 28 April 1343William TrussellSpokesman for the Commons alone
33rd of Edward III, 1347William de Thorpe...
34th of Edward III, 1348William de Thorpe...
36th of Edward III, 9 February 1351William de Shareshull...
55th of Edward III, 28 April 1376Sir Peter de la MareHerefordshireFirst term (second after 1377)
  • Source: Laundy The Office of Speaker[1]

Speakers of the House of Commons of England from 1377 to 1707
FromUntilSpeakerConstituencyNotes
January 13772 March 1377Sir Thomas HungerfordeWiltshireFirst presiding officer styled Speaker. 56th Parliament of Edward III.
October 137728 November 1377Sir Peter de la MareHerefordshireSecond term (first before 1377). 1st of Richard II.
22 October 137816 November 1378Sir James PickeringWestmorlandFirst term. 2nd of Richard II.
January 13806 December 1380Sir John GuildesboroughEssex4th and 5th of Richard II
18 November 138125 February 1382Sir Richard WaldegraveSuffolk6th of Richard II and possibly in the next two Parliaments
23 February 138310 March 1383Sir James PickeringYorkshireSecond term. 9th of Richard II and possibly in several other Parliaments.
13831389unknownunknown10th to 21st of Richard II
28 January 13941398Sir John BussyLincolnshireStyled Commune Parlour. 22nd, 23rd (probably), 24th and 25th of Richard II
13981398nonenone25th 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 139915 October 1399Sir John Cheney (or Cheyne)GloucestershireResigned after two days as Speaker, 1st of Henry IV.
15 October 139919 November 1399John DorewardEssexFirst term. 1st of Henry IV.
21 January 14011402Sir Arnold SavageKentFirst term. 2nd of Henry IV and possibly 3rd.
3 October 140225 November 1402Sir Henry RedfordLincolnshire4th of Henry IV
15 January 140410 April 1404Sir Arnold SavageKentSecond term. 5th of Henry IV.
7 October 140414 November 1404Sir William Esturmy (or Sturmy)Devon6th of Henry IV
2 March 140622 December 1406Sir John TiptoftHuntingdonshire7th of Henry IV. First Speaker created a peer (1st Baron Tiptoft, 1426).
25 October 140719 December 1411Thomas ChaucerOxfordshireFirst term. 8th-10th of Henry IV.
14121413unknownunknown
8 May 14133 June 1413William StourtonDorsetStyled parlour. 1st of Henry V.
3 June 14139 June 1413John DorewardEssexSecond term. 1st of Henry V.
1 May 141429 May 1414Sir Walter HungerfordWiltshire2nd of Henry V. Created 1st Baron Hungerford, 1426.
19 November 14141415Thomas ChaucerOxfordshireSecond term. 3rd of Henry V.
5 November 14151415Sir Richard Redman (or Redmayne)Yorkshire4th of Henry V
18 March 1416May 1416Sir Walter BeauchampWiltshireStyled Prolocutor. 5th of Henry V.
October 1416November 1419Roger FlowerRutlandFirst term. 6th-8th of Henry V.
14201421Roger HuntBedfordshireFirst term. 9th of Henry V.
14211421Thomas ChaucerOxfordshireThird term. 10th of Henry V.
3 December 14211422Richard BaynardEssex11th of Henry V
11 November 142218 December 1422Roger FlowerRutlandSecond term. 1st of Henry VI.
21 October 142328 February 1424Sir John RussellHerefordshireFirst term. 2nd of Henry VI.
2 May 142514 July 1425Sir Thomas Walton (or Wauton)Bedfordshire3rd of Henry VI
28 February 14261 June 1426Sir Richard VernonDerbyshire4th of Henry VI
15 October 142725 March 1428Sir John TyrrellHertfordshireFirst term. 5th of Henry VI.
23 September 142923 February 1430Sir William AlingtonCambridgeshire6th of Henry VI
13 January 143120 March 1431Sir John TyrrellEssexSecond term. 7th of Henry VI.
14 May 143217 July 1432Sir John RussellHerefordshireSecond term. 8th of Henry VI.
10 July 143321 December 1433Roger HuntHuntingdonshireSecond term. 9th of Henry VI.
12 October 143523 December 1435John BowesNottinghamshire10th of Henry VI
23 January 1437March 1437Sir John TyrrellEssexThird term. 11th of Henry VI.
19 March 143727 March 1437William Burley (or Boerley)ShropshireFirst term. 11th of Henry VI.
13 November 143927 May 1442William TreshamNorthamptonshireFirst term. 12th and 13th of Henry VI.
26 February 14459 April 1445William Burley (or Boerley)ShropshireSecond term. Styled Prolocutor. 14th of Henry VI.
11 February 14473 March 1447William TreshamNorthamptonshireSecond term. 15th of Henry VI.
13 February 144916 July 1449Sir John SayCambridgeshireFirst term. 16th of Henry VI.
8 November 14498 November 1449Sir John PophamHampshireExcused due to ill health. 17th of Henry VI.
8 November 14491450William TreshamNorthamptonshireThird term. 17th of Henry VI.
7 November 1450May 1451Sir William OldhallHertfordshire18th of Henry VI
8 March 145316 February 1454Thomas ThorpeEssex19th of Henry VI. Left chair when imprisoned.
16 February 1454April 1454Sir Thomas CharltonMiddlesex19th of Henry VI
10 July 1455January 1456Sir John WenlockBedfordshireStyled Prolocutor. 20th of Henry VI. Created 1st Baron Wenlock, 1461.
21 November 145920 December 1459Sir Thomas TreshamNorthamptonshireStyled Prolocutor. 21st of Henry VI.
8 October 14601460John GreenEssex22nd of Henry VI
5 November 14616 May 1462Sir James StrangewaysYorkshireStyled Prolocutor. 1st of Edward IV.
30 April 14631468Sir John SayHertfordshireSecond term. 2nd-3rd of Edward IV.
14691470unknownunknown4th-5th of Edward IV
7 October 14721478William AlingtonCambridgeshireGrandson of the previous Speaker William Alington. 6th-7th of Edward IV.
21 January 1483February 1483John Wood (or Wode)SurreyStyled Prolocutor. 8th of Edward IV.
24 January 148420 February 1484William CatesbyNorthamptonshire1st of Richard III
8 November 14851486Sir Thomas LovellNorthamptonshireStyled Prolocutor. 1st of Henry VII.
10 November 14871488Sir John MordauntBedfordshireStyled Prolocutor. 2nd of Henry VII.
14 January 148927 February 1490Sir Thomas FitzwilliamLincolnshireStyled Prolocutor. 3rd of Henry VII.
18 October 1491March 1492Sir Richard EmpsonNorthamptonshireStyled Prolocutor. 4th of Henry VII.
15 October 14951495Sir Robert DrurySuffolk5th of Henry VII
19 January 14971497Sir Thomas EnglefieldBerkshireFirst term. 6th of Henry VII.
25 January 15041504Edmond DudleyStaffordshireStyled Prolocutor. 8th of Henry VII.
23 January 151023 February 1510Sir Thomas EnglefieldBerkshireSecond term. Styled Prolocutor. 1st of Henry VIII.
5 February 1512December 1513Sir Robert SheffieldLincolnshireStyled Prolocutor. 2nd of Henry VIII.
6 February 151522 December 1515Sir Thomas NevillKentStyled Prolocutor. 3rd of Henry VIII.
16 April 152313 August 1523Sir Thomas MoreMiddlesexStyled Prolocutor. 4th of Henry VIII.
5 November 152926 January 1533Sir Thomas AudleyEssexStyled Prolocutor. 5th of Henry VIII. Created 1st Baron Audley, 1538.
9 February 15334 April 1536Sir Humphrey WingfieldGreat Yarmouth5th of Henry VIII. First Borough member to be Speaker.
9 June 153618 July 1536Sir Richard RichColchester6th of Henry VIII. Created 1st Baron Rich, 1547.
28 April 153924 July 1540Sir Nicholas HareNorfolk7th of Henry VIII
19 January 154228 March 1544Sir Thomas MoylePeterborough8th of Henry VIII
November 154515 April 1552Sir John BakerHuntingdonshire9th of Henry VIII and 1st of Edward VI
2 March 155331 March 1553Sir James DyerCambridgeshire2nd of Edward VI
5 October 15535 December 1553John PollardOxfordshire1st of Mary I
2 April 15545 May 1554Sir Robert BrokeCity of London2nd of Mary I
12 November 155416 January 1555Sir Clement HighamWest Looe3rd of Mary I
21 October 15559 December 1555John PollardChippenham4th of Mary I
20 January 155817 November 1558Sir William CordellSuffolk5th of Mary I
25 January 15598 May 1559Sir Thomas GargraveYorkshire1st of Elizabeth I
12 January 156310 April 1563Thomas WilliamsExeter2nd of Elizabeth I
1 October 15662 January 1567Richard OnslowSteyning2nd of Elizabeth I
2 April 157129 May 1571Sir Christopher WrayLudgershall3rd of Elizabeth I
8 May 15721576Sir Robert BellLyme Regis4th of Elizabeth I
18 January 158119 April 1583Sir John PophamBristol4th of Elizabeth I
23 November 158414 September 1586Sir John PuckeringBedford5th of Elizabeth I
29 October 158623 March 1587Gatton6th of Elizabeth I

Source: Laundy The Office of Speaker[1]

FromUntilSpeakerConstituencyNotes
15881589Sir Thomas Snagge(Bedford)
15921593Sir Edward Coke(Norfolk)Solicitor-General for England and Wales
15971598Sir Christopher Yelverton(Northamptonshire)
1601Sir John Croke(City of London)
16031611Sir Edward Phelips(Somerset)
1614Sir Randolph Crewe(Saltash)
16211622Sir Thomas Richardson(St Albans)
16231625Sir Thomas Crewe(Aylesbury)
16251626Sir Heneage Finch(City of London)
16281629Sir John Finch(Canterbury)(Impeached by the Long Parliament, October 1640,
and fled to Holland, but returned at the Restoration)
1640Sir John Glanville(Bristol)
16401647William Lenthall(Woodstock)
16441645Sir Sampson Eure(Leominster)Speaker in the Oxford Parliament (1644)
1647Henry Pelham(Grantham)(temporary during Lenthall's abandonment of the Speakership)
16471653William Lenthall(Woodstock)(Lenthall was restored to the Chair by the Army
and remained in office until Cromwell's dismissal of the Rump)
1653Rev. Francis Rous(Devon)
16541655William Lenthall(Oxfordshire)
16561658Sir Thomas Widdrington(Northumberland)
16571657Bulstrode Whitelocke(Buckinghamshire)(temporary during Widdrington illness)
16581659Chaloner Chute(Middlesex)
1659Sir Lislebone Long(Wells)(temporary during Chute's illness,
but was himself taken ill after only five days in office}
14 April 165922 April 1659Thomas Bampfylde(Exeter)
16591660William Lenthall(Oxfordshire)
1660William Say(Camelford)(temporary during Lenthall illness)
1660Sir Harbottle Grimston(Colchester)
16611671Sir Edward Turnour(Hertford)
1672Sir Job Charlton(Ludlow)
1673Sir Edward Seymour(Totnes)
1678Sir Robert Sawyer(Wycombe)((Temporary during Seymour's illness)
16781679Sir Edward Seymour(Totnes)
1679Sir William Gregory(Weobley)
16801681Sir William Williams(Chester)
16851687Sir John Trevor(Denbigh)
16881689Henry Powle(Windsor)
16891695Sir John Trevor(Yarmouth, IoW)(expelled for corruption)
16951698Paul Foley(Hereford)
16981700Sir Thomas Littleton(Woodstock)
17011705Robert Harley(New Radnor)
17051707John 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.

Notes
  1. Laundy, Peter (1964), The Office of Speaker, London: Cassell
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