Vacancies in the 1529 Parliament

SP1/82, ff. 59-59v, 62v

In 1532 or 1533 Thomas Wriothesley compiled a list of vacancies in the Parliament of 1529, though the fact came to light too late for inclusion in his biography. The purpose of this list appears not to have been to establish the names of the Members who had died or had been ennobled since its assembly, but to suggest replacements as Wriothesley, after the first entry, then went on to furnish a choice of names for consideration as replacements. This work may have been done in collaboration with, or else at the order of, Cromwell who completed the list and marked a number of names with a circle. A third person, possibly the King himself, then annotated the list. Both Wriothesley and Cromwell drew on one or more versions of the Crown Office list for the Parliament which no longer survive, and Cromwell perhaps had access to a source of information not available to Wriothesley. The order adopted by Wriothesley in compiling the list follows that then in use in Crown Office lists. The minister corrected Wriothesley’s mistake in putting Herefordshire and Shropshire among the boroughs but in transferring them to the correct partof the list he himself placed them wrongly after Wiltshire, presumably because there was originally a space at this point between the shires and the boroughs. The most recent vacanacies noted, those for Huntingdonshire and London, occured during August 1532: Sir John Neville II, whose name Cromwell marked with a circle, was returned at a by-election for Yorkshire on 3 Feb. 1533, the day before the reassembly of the Parliament.

Spelling not modernized

 

[f.59]

Herafter foloweth the names of the knightes of severall sheres in England which ar departed to god sens the begynnynge of the parlament

 

Ebor                            †The significance of the symbols in this second coluumn has not been ascertained.         Johannes Nevill miles creatus Baro

                                                              Thomas wentworth miles

                                                         o   Johannes Nevile miles

Lincoln                                              y    Robertus hussy armiger

                                                         o    Willelmus Skipworth armiger

                                                         o    Robert Turwatt miles

Bedd                                                yo   Johannes Saynt John miles

                                                               Johannes Gostwik armiger

Buk                                                  yo   ffranciscus Brian armiger [deleted] miles

                                                               Robertus Leee miles

Hunt                                                 yo   Ricardus Sapkott armiger

                                                               Johannes Castell armiger

Suff                                                   y    Phillipus Tylney miles

                                                         o    Arturus hopton miles

Essex                                               yo   Thomas darcy miles

                                                          o   Brianus hopton miles

                                                               Johannes Tyrrell armiger

Hertf                                                 yo   Syr gyles CapellIn Cromwell's hand.

Midd                                                  yo   John ConysbyeIbid.

Kant                                                  yo   Thomas Cheyny miles

                                                               Edward Nevile miles

Wiltes                                            y   Thomas ap Rice armiger Edwardus Seymour

                                                           miles

                                                          o   Henricus Longe miles

Salop                                                 o   Johannes TalbottIbid.

Hereforde                                          o   Johannes SkydmoreIbid.

Civitas Rossen                                   y   Nota for mr Attorney

Burgus de Southarck                         y   Nota for my lorde of Suff

[f.59v]

Burgus de horshamAs both the Members, Alfred Berwick and Henry Hussey, returned for Horsham survived the Parliament its inclusion namesake, Sir John Hussey, one of the knights for Lincolnshire, who was ennobled during the first session.                         y   Nota for my lorde of Norff

SalopThe abbreviation 'Salop' is used for both town and county. Although its position on the list is correct for the town, there was no vacancy in the Parliament for Shrewsbury. Cromwell added Shropshire to the list of shires with vacancies on the front of the sheet.                                               y   Willelmus meryan miles

HerefordThe form 'Hereford(e)' was used interchangeably for the city and the county. Although its position on the list is correct for the city, there was no vacancy in the Parliament for Hereford. As with Shropshire, Cromwell added Hertfordshire to the shire with vacancies.                                          y   Johannes Skidmore

                                                              Jacobus Baskervile armiger

Villa Wigorn                                       y    the king to name one

Villa de West bedwyn                        y   the kinges pleasure

Civitas wynton                                  y    the kinges pleasure

Burgus de LynLyme Regis.                                 y   Willelmus Symondes

Burgus de Tavestoke                         y   Johannes Rastell Junior

Burgus de TruruAs both the Members returned in 1529 survived the Parliament the inclusion of Truro was presumably a mistake for Lostwithiel which it precedes in the official sequence and where there was a vacancy following the death of Richard Bryan alias Croker in May 1532.                               y   the kinges pleasure

London                                              y

Ebor                                                  y

Hastings                                            y   nota for the warden of the portes

CanterburyeIn Cromwell's hand. One of the city's Members Thomas Atwode died in 1532 and was replaced by Robert Darknell before the opening of the fifth session on 4 Feb. 1533.

preston in amoundernesIn Cromwell's hand. Walton is mistakenly described as 'mortuus' on the surviving Crown Office list for the Parliament. Preston was perhaps a slip from Lancaster which follows in the official sequences, one of the Lancaster Members, Laurence Starkey, dying in July 1532.

[f.62v]The sheet of paper used for the list was folded in four before Wriothesley started to write. The second, third and fourth folios were never used, save for an endorsement on the last folio made by Cromwell.

 

The names of knightes of the sheres departedIn Cromwell's hand.