Sir John Say | |
|---|---|
| Speaker of the House of Commons of England | |
| In office 1449–1449 | |
| Preceded by | Sir William Tresham |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Popham |
| Speaker of the House of Commons of England | |
| In office 1463–1468 | |
| Preceded by | Sir James Strangeways |
| Succeeded by | Unknown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1415 (1415) Podington,Bedfordshire, England |
| Died | 12 April 1478(1478-04-12) (aged 62–63) |
| Resting place | Broxbourne,Hertfordshire, England |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Cheney, Lady Say |
Sir John Say (1415 – 12 April 1478) was anEnglish courtier, MP and Speaker of the House of Commons.
He was the son of John Say and his wife Maud. His brother, [Master]William Say, wasDean of the Chapel Royal, Master of the Hospital of St Anthony, London andDean of St Paul's.[1] Sir John owned land atBaas,Broxbourne,Little Berkhamsted andSawbridgeworth,Hertfordshire, andLawford,Essex
Sir John Say trained as a lawyer and became aKing's Serjeant,Coroner of theMarshalsea,Yeoman of the Chamber and Crown, Keeper ofWestminster Palace,Squire of the Body andPrivy Councillor.
In 1447 he entered Parliament as MP forCambridge and was then in 1449 electedKnight of the Shire forCambridgeshire, when he was also electedSpeaker of the House of Commons.[2] In June 1449 he was madeChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and in 1449 was appointedsheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk. By 1450, he was out of favour and in 1451 the Commons demanded his banishment from the court. However, he was pardoned in 1452.
From 1453 to 1478 he representedHertfordshire in several Parliaments and was chosen to serve as speaker from 1463 to 1465 and again 1467 to 1468. In 1455 (until 1478 in three terms underHenry Bourchier, 1st Viscount Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex) he held the post of under-Treasurer of the Exchequer and from 1476 that ofKeeper of the Great Wardrobe.
He was madeKnight of the Bath in 1465.
He died on 12 April 1478.
He married (1st) about 11 November 1446 (grant of the king)Elizabeth, widow of SirFrederick Tilney of Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk, and daughter of Sir Laurence or Lawrence Cheney (or Cheyne), Esq. (c. 1396 – 1461), of Fen Ditton, Fen Drayton, and Long Stanton, Cambridgeshire, Eaton (in Eaton Socon) and Pavenham, Bedfordshire, Irchester, Northamptonshire, etc., Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, 1429–30, 1435–6, Knight of the Shire for Cambridgeshire, 1431, 1432, 1435, 1442, by Elizabeth, daughter of John Cokayne, of Berwardecote, Brunaldeston, and Hatton, Derbyshire, Chief Baron of the Exchequer, 1401, Justice of the Common Pleas, 1405–29, Chief Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster (Northern parts). His wife, Elizabeth, died 2 September 1473. The couple had issue, including:
Say married (2nd) before 9 October 1474 Agnes Danvers, widow successively of John Fray, Knt., Chief Baron of Exchequer, andJohn Wenlock, K.G., Lord Wenlock, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chief Butler of England, Chamberlain of the Duchy of Lancaster, joint Treasurer of Ireland, Lieutenant of Calais, and daughter of John Danvers, Knt., Ipswell and Colthorpe, Oxfordshire.
Sir John and Lady Elizabeth Say are buried together atBroxbourne, Hertfordshire. Say had contracted the mason Robert Stowell to extend the south aisle ofSt Augustine's Church and prepare a tomb in June 1476.[3]
They were survived by seven of their eight children (three sons and four daughters). Sir John Say was an ancestor ofJane Seymour, third wife ofKing Henry VIII. He was succeeded by his son William, who also became an MP and Sheriff for Hertfordshire.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Speaker of the House of Commons 1449 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Speaker of the House of Commons 1463-1468 | Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1449–1462 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1477–1478 | Succeeded by |
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