Sir James Pickering (died c. 1398) was

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542, incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was re ...

in 1378 (which met in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

) and again from 1382 to 1383. The protestation which, as Speaker, he made for

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

, and declaring the loyalty of the Commons, was the first recorded in the rolls. He was descended from the knightly Pickering family of Killington, then in Westmorland, son of Thomas Pickering (1310-1375) and Elizabeth Greystoke (1300-1370), and was married to Alice Ellerton. He owned land at Killington in Westmorland and Selby in Yorkshire and was knighted by 1361. He was a

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

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...

in 1362, 1365, 1377–1379 and 1382 and

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

in 1368. On 20 December 1368 he was

commissioner of array A commission of array was a commission given by English sovereigns to officers or gentry in a given territory to muster and array the inhabitants and to see them in a condition for war, or to put soldiers of a country in a condition for military ...

in Westmorland, to choose twenty archers to serve under Sir William Windsor in Ireland, in his position of Chief justice of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, in order, it has been said, to implement 'some highly dubious financial practices.' He served as MP for

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

in 1383, 1384, 1388 and 1390,

Sheriff of Yorkshire The High Sheriff, Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferr ...

for 1389, 1393 and 1397 and MP for Yorkshire for the last time in September 1397.

Notes

14th-century births 1390s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain Speakers of the House of Commons of England High sheriffs of Yorkshire English MPs 1362 English MPs 1365 English MPs 1368 English MPs October 1377 English MPs 1378 English MPs 1379 English MPs October 1382 English MPs February 1383 English MPs November 1384 English MPs September 1388 English MPs November 1390 English MPs September 1397 Medieval English knights {{14thC-England-MP-stub

See also

Notes