Sir Henry Redford or Retford (c. 1354 – c. 1409) was a

Knight of the Shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) 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 Redistributio ...

, Sheriff of Lincolnshire and the

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 ...

. In 1384 he served on a number of royal commissions and was knighted. After serving with

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 died ...

on an ill-fated Scottish campaign in 1385 he accompanied

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 ...

in 1386 on his expedition to Spain. In 1389, 1392 and 1397 he served as

High Sheriff of Lincolnshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilitie ...

and represented

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

in parliament as

for 1400, and in 1401 was summoned to the privy council. In 1402 he again represented Lincolnshire in the parliament that met on 1 Oct 1402 and two days later he was elected speaker. The parliament was held at

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

before moving to

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

(due to problems with lodgings and food), with the Lord Chancellor asking for:

Ways and means for maintaining the war against Scotland, for utterly subjecting the enemies of Wales, for wholly conquering Ireland and for defending Guienne, Calais and the Marches thereof.

Alarmed at the scale of the request, Parliament took several days to consider it, but found they couldn't come to any conclusion. On 10 October they asked permission to confer with members of the House of Lords, which the King granted under duress. As a result, 4 Bishops, 4 Earls and 4 Barons were ordered to attend, and the end decision was a three-shilling tax on wine and a 15 pence tax on merchandise to sponsor the King's efforts. It is reported that Henry was so pleased with the result that he invited both houses to dine with him privately.The Lives of the Speakers of the House of Commons, from the Time of King Edward III to Queen Victoria, James Alexander Manning, G. Willis, 1851 In 1403 Redford was again attending meetings of the privy council, and in 1404 once more represented Lincolnshire in parliament and served as sheriff of the county for the fourth and last time in 1406. He died around 1409. He had married by Easter 1385, Katherine, widow of Sir Ralph Paynell of Caythorpe and Carlton Paynell; they had one son, Henry, who succeeded him and was later attained for treason as a Yorkist.

References

History of Parliament- RETFORD, Sir Henry (c.1354-1409) of Castlethorpe and Carlton Paynell, Lincs.
* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Redford, Henry Speakers of the House of Commons of England High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire Members of the Privy Council of England 1350s births 1400s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain English MPs 1402 English MPs 1401 English MPs October 1404