Sir James Pickering (died c. 1398) was

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the

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

in 1378 (which met in

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

) 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 right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

, 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

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 ...

for

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

in 1362, 1365, 1377–1379 and 1382 and

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

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, in order, it has been said, to implement 'some highly dubious financial practices.' He served as MP for Yorkshire in 1383, 1384, 1388 and 1390, Sheriff of Yorkshire 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 English knights {{14thC-England-MP-stub

See also

Notes