Sir John Pollard (died August 1557) was a

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 ...

. He became Speaker in 1553 and was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

only a few weeks before his death.

Life

He was second son of Walter Pollard of

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, by Avice, daughter of Richard Pollard of

Way Way or WAY may refer to: Paths * a road, route, trail, path or pathway, including long-distance paths * a straight rail or track on a machine tool (such as that on the bed of a lathe) on which part of the machine slides * Ways, large slipway ...

, in the parish of

St Giles in the Wood St Giles in the Wood is a village and civil parish in the Torridge district of Devon, England. The village lies about 2.5 miles east of the town of Great Torrington, and the parish, which had a population of 566 in 2001 compared with 623 in 1901, ...

, near

Great Torrington Great Torrington (often abbreviated to Torrington, though the villages of Little Torrington and Black Torrington are situated in the same region) is a market town in Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on high ground with steep drops down to ...

, Devon. John Pollard may have been the Pollard who, without Christian name, is mentioned as entering the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

on 3 June 1515; but it may also be that this entry is that of his relative Lewis Pollard, son of Sir Hugh Pollard and grandson of Sir Lewis Pollard (c. 1465 – 1526),

Justice of the Common Pleas Justice of the Common Pleas was a puisne judicial position within the Court of Common Pleas (England), Court of Common Pleas of England and Wales, under the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, Chief Justice. The Common Pleas was the primary court o ...

. John was appointed Autumn Reader of the

in 1535, and became serjeant-at-law in 1547. In 1529 and 1536 he was elected Member of Parliament for

. After 1545 he received, perhaps through the influence of a relative, Richard Pollard, who had taken part in the suppression of the monasteries, a grant of the manor of Nuneham Courtney, where he subsequently lived. He was relieved by patent of 21 October 1550 from his office of serjeant-at-law, in order to become vice-president of the

council for the Welsh marches The Council of Wales and the Marches () or the Council of the Marches, officially the Court of the Council in the Dominion and Principality of Wales, and the Marches of the same was a regional administrative body founded in Shrewsbury. ...

. He was elected member for

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

in the parliaments of 1553 and 1554, and for

Chippenham, Wiltshire Chippenham is a market town in north-west Wiltshire, England. It lies north-east of Bath, Somerset, Bath, west of London and is near the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon, ...

in that of 1555. PollardEscallopArms

He was chosen Speaker of the House of Commons in 1553, and again in 1555, holding the office till the close of the parliament of 1555. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in October 1555. He had married Mary, daughter of Richard Gray of London, but left no issue. His estates passed mostly to his brother Anthony, after the death of his widow.

Death

John Pollard died in August 1557, and was buried on 25 August.

References

*
History of Parliament POLLARD, John (by 1508-1557) of Plymouth, Devon and Nuneham Courteney, Oxon

External links

article
1557 deaths Year of birth missing

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

16th-century English lawyers Knights Bachelor Members of the Parliament of England for Plymouth Speakers of the House of Commons of England English MPs 1529–1536 English MPs 1553 (Mary I) English MPs 1554 English MPs 1554–1555 English MPs 1555 Serjeants-at-law (England) {{1529-England-MP-stub