Sir John Croke (1553 – 23 January 1620) was an English judge and politician who served as
Speaker of the English House of Commons between October and December 1601. He also served as
Recorder
Recorder or The Recorder may refer to:
Newspapers
* ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper
* ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US
* ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
of London, and won the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
constituency in his election to the 1601 parliament, being the last Speaker before the death of
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
, in 1603.
Life
Croke was born in 1553. His father, also named John, was a knight and a member of Parliament representing the borough of
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in 1571, followed by another stint for the county of
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
. His mother was named Elizabeth and was a daughter of Alexander Unton, also a knight.
Croke spent the early part of his career as a lawyer. He entered the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...
in 1570, and received a
call to the bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
shortly after, becoming a "distinguished member".
[ He was rewarded for his service as a lawyer with a silver gilt bowl from the ]Lord Chancellor
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...
, Sir Christopher Hatton
Sir Christopher Hatton KG (1540 – 20 November 1591) was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England. He was one of the judges who found Mary, Queen of Scots guilty of treason.
Early years
Sir ...
(d. 1591).[ Upon his father's death in 1584, he was deeded the Chilton manor house his grandfather had built, and Studley Priory, which he had purchased. Croke built his own manor house at Studley, though he moved his family to Chilton after his father's death.
Croke sat in the Windsor constituency in 1585, and was first elected for the City of London in 1597.][ He was made ]Lent Reader
A reader in one of the Inns of Court in London was originally a senior barrister of the Inn who was elected to deliver a lecture or series of lectures on a particular legal topic. Two readers (known as Lent and Autumn Readers) would be elected annu ...
of the Inner Temple in 1596. He became Treasurer in 1598, and was subsequently appointed Recorder. Croke, in an era when intimidation of counsel
A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''.
The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...
was frequent, was noted for his 'discretion' in court. In 1602, Croke was involved in a divisive witchcraft case of the era, in which he performed a series of a tests on the 14-year-old accuser, Mary Glover, and the defendant, Elizabeth Jackson; he came to the conclusion that Glover was bewitched after witnessing her reaction to a disguised Jackson, and her unresponsiveness to heat, which left visible burns. The evidence obtained was used in trial, though Sir Edmund Anderson was principal judge; Jackson was convicted to one year's imprisonment, but was released early.
He was elected Speaker unanimously in 1601. Manning, in his work on the Commons' speakers, repeats the recommendation given by William Knolles, Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the British royal household, nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. The Comptroller was an ''ex officio'' member of t ...
, for Croke to hold the office:
One early incident in Croke's tenure saw him come to the defence of a Member's right to be heard, after Serjeant Heale met with much disapprobation and mocking for defending Elizabeth's access to grants in the strongest terms – "Yea, she hath as much right to all our lands and goods as to any revenue of the crown."[
Manning relates how, in his short time as Speaker, he was able to influence Elizabeth to support a bill against the granting of monopolies entitled, "An Act for the explanation of the common law in certain letters patent". This, and similar pieces of legislation, were seen to overstep the Crown's prerogative, and Elizabeth, opposed to their fragmentation or suspension, was against the bill, though ignorant of the abuses that monopolies had brought. The House was almost wholly in favour the proposals, although they were referred to a committee. However, the day after this had been announced, Croke, in his capacity as Speaker, arose from his chair and informed the House of a meeting he had been called to with Elizabeth, in which she told of her desire to "defend her people from all oppressions" after having seen evidence of abuses. The committee of the House was adopted, and a motion was passed asking for an address by the Speaker expressing their gratitude, which Croke duly delivered.][
On a bill for "resorting to Church" (to compel attendance) which received 105 "ayes" and 106 "nays", Sir Edward Hobbie, who was of the former, claimed the Speaker's vote. It was debated whether he had a voice, and Croke, after hearing the arguments of Sir ]Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...
(who opposed Croke's intervention) amongst others, decided that he did not. This established a precedent that the Speaker only has a casting vote in cases where the vote is tied, as Croke summed up his position by saying he "was foreclosed of his voice by taking that position which it had pleased them to impose on him" and that he was to be "indifferent to both parties."[
Croke was responsible for the introduction of more stringent measures over what MPs could bring to parliament, as he prohibited the wearing of ]spur
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back ...
s, and sought to impose similar restrictions on carrying rapier
A rapier () or is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.
Impor ...
s.[ Other events of note in this parliament included ]The Golden Speech The Golden Speech was delivered by Queen Elizabeth I of England in the Palace Council Chamber to 141 Members of the Commons (including the Speaker), on 30 November 1601. It was a speech that was expected to address some pricing concerns, based on th ...
by Elizabeth (where she revealed it would be her last parliament), and the passing of a number of grants, which Manning says were evidence of the "liberality evinced by Parliament ... after Elizabeth's promise to revoke the subsidies." Upon the dissolution of parliament, Croke's speech to Elizabeth, "full of the accustomed flattery",[ was interrupted: after Croke declared that "The peace of the kingdom had been defended by the mighty arm of their dread and sacred Queen" (alluding to the ]Essex Rebellion
Essex's Rebellion was an unsuccessful rebellion led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in 1601 against Queen Elizabeth I of England and the court faction led by Sir Robert Cecil to gain further influence at court.
Background
Robert Devereux, ...
)[ she retorted, "No; but by the mighty of God, Mr. Speaker."][
He was knighted in the first year of ]James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
*James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
*James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
*James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
's reign, and was made a serjeant-at-law
A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writ ...
, acting as serjeant for the King. Croke was also made deputy to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...
, Sir George Hume, in 1604.[ As serjeant, one of his functions was to bring messages and bills from the ]Lords
Lords may refer to:
* The plural of Lord
Places
*Lords Creek, a stream in New Hanover County, North Carolina
* Lord's, English Cricket Ground and home of Marylebone Cricket Club and Middlesex County Cricket Club
People
*Traci Lords (born 1 ...
to the Commons. Croke was mentioned in one of the most famous parliamentary libels of the period, ''The Censure of the Parliament Fart'', which recounted the audible emission of the MP Henry Ludlow in 1607:
After also serving as a Welsh judge, he was made one of the justices of the Court of King's Bench
The King's Bench (), or, during the reign of a female monarch, the Queen's Bench ('), refers to several contemporary and historical courts in some Commonwealth jurisdictions.
* Court of King's Bench (England), a historic court court of common ...
in 1607.[ He performed judicial duties for nearly thirteen years, and died on 23 January 1620.][
]
Family and issue
Croke's father, also Sir John Croke, was born in 1531, and was a knight of Chilton. His father was an MP in the Commons for the borough of Southampton in 1571, and the county of Buckinghamshire the following year, and in several other parliaments.[Internet Archive link]
/ref> His paternal lineage included most of the royal families in Europe. Croke's mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of Sir Alexander Unton
Alexander Unton (died 1547) was an English landowner.
He was the son of Thomas Unton and Elizabeth Hyde.
His home was Wadley House at Faringdon, formerly in Berkshire, and now Oxfordshire. The Untons also held Minster Lovell Hall from the king.
...
. His brother, Henry, was barrister-at-law and had several children by his wife Bennet (née Honywood). Croke married Catherine, daughter of Sir Michael Blount
Sir Michael Blount (c. 1530–1610) was a Tudor and Jacobean royal official and politician.
Early years
Michael was born in Mapledurham House, Oxfordshire, the son of Sir Richard Blount (1505–1564; Lieutenant of the Tower 1558–1564) and his ...
. Of their sons:
* Sir Henry was MP for Christ Church;
* Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
entered Holy Orders; and
* Unton sat for Wallingford in 1626 and 1640, was a barrister and sergeant-at-law by profession, and a sympathiser with the Roundhead
Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...
s.
Croke's issue
Issue or issues may refer to:
Publishing
* ''Issue'' (company), a mobile publishing company
* ''Issue'' (magazine), a monthly Korean comics anthology magazine
* Issue (postal service), a stamp or a series of stamps released to the public
* '' ...
was left to his eldest son, also Sir John, who was MP for Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...
. His son, again called (Sir) John, inherited Chilton, of which he was baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
, and "through his impudent, litigious, and vindicative disposition, completely dissipated his inheritance" (Burke).[ In describing a trial in which Croke defrauded Rev. Robert Hawkins (the accused), the ''Quarterly review'' describes him as, "Sir John Croke, grandson of the celebrated judge who espoused the popular side in the case of ship-money, but himself a man of ruined fortune and profligate character.]
Google Books link
/ref> After selling Chilton, he died in prison, and the issue passed to his only son, Sir Dodsworth Croke. Dodsworth Croke lived in poverty, and died issueless, in old age, in 1728.[
]
See also
* Croke baronets
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croke, John
Speakers of the House of Commons of England
Members of the Parliament of England for the City of London
English MPs 1584–1585
English MPs 1597–1598
English MPs 1601
High Sheriffs of Buckinghamshire
Justices of the King's Bench
People from Buckinghamshire
People from Oxfordshire
1553 births
1620 deaths
16th-century English judges
16th-century English lawyers