Sir Thomas de Hungerford (died 3 December 1397) of

Farleigh Castle Farleigh Hungerford Castle, sometimes called Farleigh Castle or Farley Castle, is a medieval castle in Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset, England. The castle was built in two phases: the inner court was constructed between 1377 and 1383 by Sir ...

in Somerset, was the first person to be recorded in the rolls of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advise ...

as holding the office of

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons ...

,Lee Vol 28, pp. 257,258. although that office had existed before his tenure.

Origins

Hungerford was the son of Walter de Hungerford of

Heytesbury Heytesbury is a village (formerly considered to be a town) and a civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village lies on the north bank of the Wylye, about southeast of the town of Warminster. The civil parish includes most of the small neig ...

, Wiltshire, thrice a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, in 1331/2, 1333/4 and 1336. His mother was Elizabeth FitzJohn, daughter and heiress of Sir Adam FitzJohn of

Cherhill Cherhill is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village is about east of the town of Calne, on the A4 road towards Marlborough. The parish includes the village of Yatesbury. Overview Cherhill has a population of around 7 ...

in Wiltshire. The Hungerford family had been seated in Wiltshire since at least the twelfth century.

Uncle

Thomas's uncle was Robert Hungerford (d.1355), a

for Wiltshire in 1316 and a commissioner to inquire into the possessions of the

Despensers Despencer (le Despencer) or Despenser is an occupational surname referring to the medieval court office of steward, most commonly associated with Norman-English barons of the 13th- and 14th-centuries and their descendants. Notable people with this ...

after their attainder in 1328, and gave much land to the hospital at

Calne Calne () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, southwestern England,OS Explorer Map 156, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey A2 edition (2007). at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs ...

in memory of his first wife, Joan, to the church of

Hungerford Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, west of Newbury, east of Marlborough, northeast of Salisbury and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town alongside the ...

, Berkshire, and to other religious foundations. He was buried in 1355 in Hungerford Church, where an elaborate monument long existed above his grave. An inscription to his memory is still extant in the church. His second wife was Geva, widow of Adam de Stokke, but he left no issue.

Career

Hungerford was

Sheriff of Wiltshire This is a list of the Sheriffs and (after 1 April 1974) High Sheriffs of Wiltshire. Until the 14th century, the shrievalty was held ''ex officio'' by the castellans of Old Sarum Castle. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Gov ...

from 1355 to 1360 and served several times as a

for

: in April 1357, in 1360, 1362, January 1376/7, twice in 1380, in 1383, 1384, 1386, January 1389/90, and in January 1392/3. He served as a

for

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

in 1378, 1382, 1388, and 1390. He was returned for both constituencies in 1384 and January 1389/90. He was knighted in February 1375. He was closely associated with

John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...

and acted for some time as steward of Gaunt's household. Owing to Gaunt's influence, he was chosen in January 1376/7, in the last of Edward III's parliaments (the Bad Parliament), to act as Speaker of the House of Commons. According to the Rolls of Parliament (ii. 374) Hungerford "avait les paroles pur les communes d'Angleterre en cet parliament" (' espoke for the commons of England in this Parliament'). He is thus the first person formally mentioned in the Rolls of Parliament as holding the office of speaker. Sir

Peter de la Mare Sir Peter de la Mare (died after 1387) was an English politician and Speaker of the House of Commons during the Good Parliament of 1376. Family His parents were probably Sir Reginald de la Mare (died before 1358), of Yatton and Little Heref ...

preceded him in the post, without the title, in the

Good Parliament The Good Parliament is the name traditionally given to the English Parliament of 1376. Sitting in London from April 28 to July 10, it was the longest Parliament up until that time. It took place during a time when the English court was perceived ...

of 1376. In 1380 Hungerford was appointed Forester of Selwood. In 1369 he purchased from

Walter Pavely Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

, ''de jure''

Baron Burghersh The title of Baron Burghersh has been created three times in the Peerage of England. It was first created by writ for Robert de Burghersh on 12 November 1303. Robert had three sons, the eldest of which, named Stephen, became the second Baron. ...

, the manor of Farleigh Montfort, now called

Farleigh Hungerford Farleigh Hungerford () is a village within the civil parish of Norton St Philip in the Mendip district, in Somerset, England, 9 miles southeast of Bath, 3½ miles west of Trowbridge on A366, between Trowbridge and Radstock in the valley of the ...

, which served as the chief residence of his descendants, and in 1383 obtained

licence to crenellate In medieval England, Wales and the Channel Islands a licence to crenellate (or licence to fortify) granted the holder permission to fortify his property. Such licences were granted by the king, and by the rulers of the counties palatine within th ...

his

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals ...

there, which thus became

. In about 1384 he aroused the suspicion of King

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father ...

, who attached him, but he obtained a pardon and also a confirmation of his

free warren A free warren—often simply warren—is a type of franchise or privilege conveyed by a sovereign in medieval England to an English subject, promising to hold them harmless for killing game of certain species within a stipulated area, u ...

at Farleigh.Lee Vol 28, p. 258.

Marriages and children

He married twice: *Firstly to Eleanor Strug, daughter and heiress of Sir John Strug of Heytesbury; *Secondly to Joan Hussey (d. 1 March 1412), heiress of Sir Edmund Hussey of Holbrook, by whom he had one surviving son and heir, three other sons having predeceased him: **

Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford (1378 – 9 August 1449) was an English knight and landowner, from 1400 to 1414 a Member of the House of Commons, of which he became Speaker, then was an Admiral and peer. He won renown in the Hund ...

(d. 1449)

Death and burial

Hungerford died at Farleigh on 3 December 1397, and was buried in the Chapel of St Anne (north transept chapel) of St Leonard's Chapel, Farleigh Hungerford Castle,Lee Vol 28, p. 258 Citation: Leland, ''Itin''. ed. Hearne, ii. 31. where his

chest tomb Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including cenotaphs ("empty tombs"), tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains, and com ...

with effigies of himself and his wife survive. His portrait was made in a stained-glass window, engraved in Hoare's ''Modern History of Wiltshire'', Heytesbury Hundred, p. 90.

Sources

* Lee Sidney. Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 28, pp. 257,258 **Dugdale's Baronage; **Collinson's Somerset, iii.353; **Manning's Lives of the Speakers; **Returns of members of parliament; **Hoare's Hungerfordiana, privately printed, 1823; **Canon Jackson's Guide to Farleigh-Hungerford, 1853. ;Attribution
History of Parliament HUNGERFORD, Sir Thomas (d.1397), of Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset and Heytesbury, Wilts
*

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hungerford, Thomas de 1330 births 1397 deaths People from Backwell Speakers of the House of Commons of England High Sheriffs of Wiltshire

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

English MPs 1357 English MPs 1360 English MPs 1362 English MPs January 1377 English MPs 1378 English MPs 1379 English MPs January 1380 English MPs November 1380 English MPs May 1382 English MPs October 1383 English MPs April 1384 English MPs September 1388 English MPs January 1390 English MPs November 1390 English MPs 1393 English MPs 1386