Roger Flower or Flore (died 1427) was an English politician, twelve times MP for

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

and four times

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

Life

He was son of William Flower,

sheriff of Rutland This is a list of sheriffs and high sheriffs of the English county of Rutland. The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown: there has been a Sheriff of Rutland since 1129. Formerly the sheriff was the principal law enforcement offic ...

for 1383, by Elena his wife. He was returned to parliament as

Knight of the Shire Knight of the shire () was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ...

for the county of Rutland in 1396–7, again in 1399, 1402, 1404, and 1413–14. He was one of the

feoffee Under the feudal system in England, a feoffee () is a trustee who holds a fief (or "fee"), that is to say an estate in land, for the use of a beneficial owner. The term is more fully stated as a feoffee to uses of the beneficial owner. The use ...

s of the

Brigittine The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Saviour (; abbreviated OSsS), is a Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta (Bridg ...

nunnery founded by

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

Syon Syon can mean: * an alternative spelling of Zion * Syon, Isleworth, London, England ** Syon Abbey, or simply Syon, a 15th–16th century monastery **Syon House **Syon Park See also * * Syon Lane (disambiguation) *Syon Lane railway station * Scion ...

in 1414. Still representing the county of Rutland, he was chosen speaker of the House of Commons four times—in 1416, 1417, 1419, and 1422, something unprecedented except in the case of

Thomas Chaucer Thomas Chaucer (c. 136718 November 1434) was an English courtier and politician. The son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and his wife Philippa Roet, Thomas was linked socially and by family to senior members of the English nobility, though ...

. He was a lawyer with considerable private and public interests. In 1416 he was made chief steward of the

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...

estates north of the Trent. Besides his ancestral manor of

Oakham Oakham is a market town and civil parish in Rutland (of which it is the county town) in the East Midlands of England. The town is located east of Leicester, southeast of Nottingham and northwest of Peterborough. It had a population of 12,14 ...

, he held estates in

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

. He was appointed

Sheriff of Rutland This is a list of sheriffs and high sheriffs of the English county of Rutland. The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown: there has been a Sheriff of Rutland since 1129. Formerly the sheriff was the principal law enforcement offic ...

for 1407 and 1412. The probate of his will was dated 20 June 1428; Flower had died by 12 November 1427.

Family

His first wife was Catherine, daughter and heiress of William Dalby of Exton. His second wife, Cecile, daughter of Anneys Sainon, survived him. He had five sons, Thomas, Robert, Roger, John, and William, and two daughters, Anneys and Joan, the latter being married to Sir Henry Plesyngton of Burley in Rutland, grandson of Sir Robert Plesyngton, chief baron of the exchequer in the reign of Richard II. His eldest son and heir Thomas was twice MP for Rutland and six times Sheriff of Rutland. The family home, called Flore's House, is a prominent listed building on High Street, Oakham."‘The Unmistakable Fashion Of The Time’?: Dating Flore’s House At Oakham, Rutland"; ''Vernacular Architecture'', Vol. 41 (2010) 28–3
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References

Roger Flore of Oakham by J. S. Roskell
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flower, Roger 14th-century births 1427 deaths Speakers of the House of Commons of England High sheriffs of Rutland English MPs April 1414 English MPs 1399 English MPs 1402 English MPs January 1404