WIRHALE, Robert

A schedule attached to the indenture recording the election of Wiltshire’s knights of the shire to the Parliament of 1426 provides the only certain reference to Wirhale. Besides the knights of the shire, the schedule lists the names of the burgesses returned for each parliamentary borough in the county, as well as those of these newly elected MPs’ sureties. Owing to damage to this document, the name of just one of Wirhale’s sureties – Richard Pany – is visible. In late 1445 ‘Wirehale’ was one of the attorneys who took possession of estates at Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, on behalf of Sir James Butler (afterwards earl of Wiltshire), but it is impossible to ascertain if he was the MP for Cricklade.1 C219/13/4; CAD, ii. B2805. Materials for Hist. Cricklade ed. Thomson, 134, speculates that ‘Wirhale’ was possibly an error for ‘Wroxhale’ but there is no trace of any Robert Wroxhale who may have been the MP.