William Burley (died 10 August 1458) was MP for
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
nineteen times and Speaker of the House of Commons of England.
Life
He was the eldest son of
John Burley of
Broncroft in
Corvedale
The River Corve is a minor river in Shropshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Teme which it joins in the town of Ludlow, and which joins the River Severn at Powick near Worcester, England, Worcester. The valley it flows through is know ...
, who was himself six times MP for Shropshire.
Sir
Simon de Burley was his great-great-uncle.
He served on several commissions and as a
JP and escheator for Shropshire. He was appointed
High Sheriff of Shropshire
This is a list of sheriffs and high sheriffs of Shropshire
The 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 responsibil ...
for 1426. He served as
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 ...
(MP) for
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
19 times between 1417 and 1455.
The last parliament in which he was returned was that which was summoned to meet at Westminster, on 9 July 1455.
He was chosen
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
, on 19 March 1436, in the place of Sir
John Tyrrell, who was compelled by illness to retire from the chair.
In the following parliament
William Tresham
Sir William Tresham JP (1404 – 22 September 1450) was an English lawyer and Speaker of the House of Commons.
Born in Northamptonshire, the son of Thomas Tresham of Sywell, he went on to become a major landowner in the region. He was e ...
was elected speaker; however, on 26 February 1444 Burley was again voted to the chair, and continued to preside over the house until the dissolution of that parliament.
Family
He married twice; firstly Ellen, daughter and coheiress of John Grendon, and widow of John Brown of
Lichfield
Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west o ...
; they had 2 daughters and secondly Margaret, presumed daughter of Thomas Parys of
Ludlow
Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The t ...
he had one daughter with his second wife called Sibilla.
He died intestate, leaving as his heirs his daughter Joan, married to the jurist,
Sir Thomas Littleton of Teddesley, and his grandson, William Trussell, son of his other daughter, Elizabeth.
Notes
;Attribution
*
References
History of Parliament - BURLEY, William (d.1458) of Broncroft in Corvedale, Salop.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burley, William
1458 deaths
Speakers of the House of Commons of England
High Sheriffs of Shropshire
Year of birth missing
English MPs 1417
English MPs 1419
English MPs 1420
English MPs May 1421
English MPs 1422
English MPs 1425
English MPs 1427
English MPs 1429
English MPs 1431
English MPs 1432
English MPs 1433
English MPs 1437
English MPs 1439
English MPs 1442
English MPs 1445
English MPs November 1449
English MPs 1450
English MPs 1455