Sir Nicholas Hare of Bruisyard, Suffolk (c. 1484 – 31 October 1557) was Speaker of the House of Commons of England between 1539 and 1540.

Life

He was born the eldest son of John Hare of Homersfield, Suffolk, educated at

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of t ...

and admitted to the Inner Temple in 1515. He had three sisters, who were married to MPs, and a brother, John Hare of Stow Bardolph, Norfolk. He was MP for Downton, Wiltshire in 1529 and possibly

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 1539 (when he was elected Speaker of the House of Commons), Lancaster in 1545 and

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

in 1547. In 1539 the nunnery of Bruisyard was dissolved and assigned by Henry VIII to Sir Nicholas. He was knighted in May 1539 and eventually became

Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, the Master of ...

(1553–1557). In 1554 he presided at the trial of

Sir Nicholas Throckmorton Sir Nicholas Throckmorton (or Throgmorton) (c. 1515/151612 February 1571) was an English diplomat and politician, who was an ambassador to France and later Scotland, and played a key role in the relationship between Elizabeth I of Engla ...

, who had been accused of involvement in Wyatt's rebellion against the marriage of Queen Mary to Felipe of Spain. Sir Nicholas died in Chancery Lane in 1557 and was buried in nearby

Temple Church The Temple Church is a Royal peculiar church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. It was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of J ...

, commemorated in the south bay window of the new Inner Temple Hall.

Family

Hare married Catherine, daughter and coheiress of Sir John Bassingbourne of Woodhall near

Hatfield, Hertfordshire Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It had a population of 29,616 in 2001, and 39,201 at the 2011 Census. The settlement is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, home of the Marquess o ...

. They had three sons and three daughters. The second son was Robert Hare the antiquary.

References

History of Parliament Hare, Nicholas (by 1495–1557) of Bruisyard, Suffolk
1480s births 1557 deaths Speakers of the House of Commons of England Masters of the Rolls Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Year of birth uncertain English MPs 1529–1536 English MPs 1539–1540 English MPs 1545–1547 English MPs 1547–1552 {{1529-England-MP-stub