Richard White was one of two Members of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised t ...

for the constituency of York for the short session between April and November 1554 .

Life and politics

Richard was born in

Edlingham Edlingham is a small village and civil parish in Northumberland in the north of England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 196, which had reduced slightly to 191 at the 2011 Census. The road to Alnwick passes close by the village and ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

. There is no record of who his parents were. He had a wife named Elizabeth. He became a freeman of the city of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

due to his trade as a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

in 1529. He was made a master of the guild of tailor's and drapers guild. He lived in the parish of

St Michael le Belfrey St Michael le Belfrey is an Anglican church in York, England. It is situated at the junction of High Petergate and Minster Yard, directly opposite York Minster, in the centre of the city. History The present church building was built betwee ...

. He held several offices in the city. In 1537-38 he was a junior chamberlain and in 1544-45 he became sheriff. In 1549 he became an alderman, a position he retained until his death. He also became Lord mayor in 1552-53. He became MP for the city in the short parliamentary session in 1554 between April and November after being chosen at meeting of the "TwentyFour" on the eighth of March 1554. This particular parliament was being held in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He and his colleague John Beane were fairly active in that time, securing a renewal of the city's charter and attempted to repeal the Edwardian Licensing Act. He died in 1558 and his will showed how wealthy he had become by virtue of the number of properties he left. It was recorded that he had ten houses as well as several closes and leases. Among those leases was one for half of the Merchant Taylor's Hall. His main residence appeared to have been a house in

Minster Gates Minster Gates is a north–south running street in the city centre of York, England, connecting Minster Yard and High Petergate. All of its buildings are listed, many dating to the 18th century, although the street is significantly older. Hi ...

. In his will he named as his heir his nine year old niece. He also left a sum of sixpence per week for prisoners in York castle.

References

{{s-end Members of the Parliament of England for constituencies in Yorkshire 1509 births 1558 deaths