| Constituency | Dates |
|---|---|
| New Romney | [24 Oct. 1553], [1554 (Apr.)], [1559] |
Chamberlain, New Romney 1542 – 43, jurat 1547 – d., bailiff 1549 – 50, 1554 – 55, 1558 – 59, 1562 – 63, mayor 1563 – 64, 1573 – 74, 1579 – 80, 1584 – 85, 1591 – 92; bailiff to Yarmouth 1551, 1559, 1574; speaker of the Brotherhood of the Cinque Ports 1579.2Cinque Ports White and Black Bks. (Kent Arch. Soc. recs. br. xix), 228–338 passim; CPR, 1560–3, p. 499.
It is almost certain that Cheseman’s election to the Parliament of April 1554 did not mark his entry into the Commons. It must have been in respect of the previous Parliament that he received payment for 46 days, and the fact that he was appointed one of Romney’s representatives at the coronation, which took place four days before the opening of that Parliament, also points to his having been a Member of it. Yet not only is there no evidence of his election, but the only known copy of the official list of Members has two different names for Romney, those of William Tadlowe and Sir John Guildford. It seems almost certain, however, that Guildford was disqualified, perhaps on the ground that he was sheriff of Kent, and that his place was taken by Cheseman in time for the second session which lasted 44 days. The ommission of Cheeseman’s name from the list of Members leaves no means of judging his attitude towards the Marian restoration of Catholicism, and nothing else has come to light about his religion. In 1591 Cheseman made his will; it was proved on 27 Sept. 1592.3Romney chamberlains’ accts. 1528-80, ff. 81, 85; Bodl. e Museo 17; IHR, abstracts Kent wills 1450-1602, p. 227.