William Lenthall (1591 – September 3, 1662), was an English politician of the Civil War period, Speaker of the House of Commons. Events June - Capture of Zutphen by the Dutch under Maurice of Nassau. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events February 1 - The Chinese pirate Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians (known as Roundheads) and Royalists (known as Cavaliers) from 1642 until 1651. ... In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

The second son of William Lenthall, of Latchford Oxfordshire, a descendant of an old Herefordshire family, he was born at Henley-on-Thames. He left Oxford without taking a degree in 1609, and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1616, becoming a bencher in 1633. He represented Woodstock in the Short Parliament (April 1640), and was chosen by King Charles I to be speaker of the Long Parliament, which met on November 3, 1640. According to Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, a worse choice could not have been made, for Lenthall was of a very timorous nature. He was treated with little respect, and was unable to control the proceedings. Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in the South East of England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ... Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county and unitary district (known as County of Herefordshire) in the West Midlands region of England. ... Map sources for Henley-on-Thames at grid reference SU7682 Henley-on-Thames from by the playground near the Rail Station A Hill near Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames is a town on the north side of the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... // Events April 4 – King of Spain signs an edit of expulsion of all moriscos from Spain April 9 – Spain recognizes Dutch independence May 23 - Official ratification of the Second Charter of Virginia. ... Part of Lincolns Inn drawn by Thomas Shepherd c. ... == {| align=right cellpadding=3 id=toc style=margin-left: 15px; |- | align=center colspan=2 | Years: 1613 1614 1615 - 1616 - 1617 1618 1619 |- | align=center colspan=2 | Decades: 1580s 1590s 1600s - 1610s - 1620s 1630s 1640s |- tall> 16th century - 17th century - 18th century |} randomised 1616 was a leap year starting on Friday... Events February 13 - Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition. ... Map sources for Woodstock at grid reference SP4416 Woodstock is a small town in Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. ... The Short Parliament (April-May, 1640) of King Charles I is so called because it lasted only three weeks. ... Events December 1 - Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king. ... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. ... The Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, in 1640, following the Bishops Wars. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... Events December 1 - Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king. ... Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (February 18, 1609–December 9, 1674) was an English historian and statesman. ...

On January 4, 1642, however, when the king entered the House of Commons to seize the five disruptive members, Lenthall behaved with great prudence and dignity. Having taken the speaker's chair and looked round in vain to discover the offending members, Charles turned to Lenthall standing below, and demanded of him whether any of those persons were in the House, whether he saw any of them and where they were. Lenthall fell on his knees and replied: "May it please your Majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here." January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ... This is a list of British monarchs, that is, the monarchs on the thrones of some of the various kingdoms that have existed on, or incorporated, the island of Great Britain, namely: England (united with Wales from 1536) up to 1707; Scotland up to 1707; The Kingdom of Great Britain...

On the outbreak of war, Lenthall threw in his lot with Parliament. He had already called attention to the inadequacy of his salary and been granted a sum of £6000 (April 9, 1642); and he was now appointed Master of the Rolls (November 22, 1643), and one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal (October 1646 - March 1648). He carried on his duties as speaker without interruption till 1647, when the power of parliament had been transferred to the army. On July 26, a mob invaded the House of Commons and obliged it to rescind the ordinance re-establishing the old parliamentary committee of militia; Lenthall was held in the chair by main force and compelled to put to the vote a resolution inviting the king to London. Threats of worse things came subsequently to Lenthall's ears, and, taking the mace with him, he left London on July 29 to join the army and Lord Fairfax. Lenthall and Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, the speaker of the Lords, headed the fugitive members at the review on Hounslow Heath on August 3, and were well received by the soldiers. Returning to London with the army, he was installed again by Fairfax in the chair (August 6), and all votes passed during his absence were annulled. He adhered henceforth to the army party, but with a constant bias in favour of the king. List of Parliaments of England is a list of the sittings of the Parliament of England, from the reign of Edward IV to 1707 with some earlier named parliaments. ... ISO 4217 Code GBP User(s) United Kingdom Inflation 2. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ... The Master of the Rolls is the third most senior judge of England, the Lord Chancellor of Great Britain traditionally being first and the Lord Chief Justice second. ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events January 21 - Abel Tasman discovers Tonga February 6 - Abel Tasman discovers the Fiji islands. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... 1646 (MDCXLVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... // Events January 17 - Englands Long Parliament passes the Vote of No Address, breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War. ... 1647 (MDCXLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article needs cleanup. ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Baron Fairfax of Cameron (January 17, 1612 - November 12, 1671), parliamentary general and commander-in-chief during the English Civil War, the eldest son of Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Baron Fairfax of Cameron, was born at Denton, near Otley, Yorkshire. ... Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester KG (1602 – May 5, 1671), eldest son of the first earl by his first wife, Catherine Spencer, granddaughter of Sir John Spencer of Althorpe, was born in 1602, and was educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. ... The London Borough of Hounslow is a peripheral London borough in the south-west of the conurbation; as such part of the Green Belt lies within its boundaries. ... August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (219th in leap years), with 147 days remaining. ...

At the Restoration he claimed to have sent money to the king at Oxford, to have provided the queen with comforts and necessaries and to have taken care of the royal children. Having put the question for the king's trial from the chair, he continued to act as speaker after the king's execution, though he used his influence in favour of the royalists, whenever this was possible without imperilling his own interests, and he saved the lives of both the Earl of Norwich (March 8, 1649) and SIr William Davenant (July 3, 1650) by his casting vote. The removal of the king had left the parliament supreme; and Lenthall as its representative, though holding little real power, was the first man in the state. King Charles II, the first monarch to rule after the English Restoration. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... The title of Earl of Norwich was created several times in the Peerages of England and Great Britain. ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ... // Events January 30 - King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland is beheaded. ... William Davenant Sir William Davenant (February 28, 1606 - April 7, 1668), also spelled DAvenant, was an English poet and playwright. ... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... // Events June 23 - Claimant King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland arrives in Scotland, the only of the three Kingdoms that has accepted him as ruler. ...

His speakership continued till April 20, 1653, when the Long Parliament was summarily expelled. Oliver Cromwell directed Colonel Thomas Harrison, on the refusal of Lenthall to quit the chair, to pull him out and Lenthall submitted to the show of force. He took no part in politics till the assembling of the First Protectorate Parliament, on September 3, 1654, in which he sat as member for Oxfordshire. He was again chosen speaker, his former experience and his pliability of character being his chief recommendations. April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... Events February 2 - New Amsterdam (later renamed New York City) is incorporated. ... The Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, in 1640, following the Bishops Wars. ... Oliver Cromwell (April 25, 1599–September 3, 1658) was an English military and political leader best known for making England a republic and leading the Commonwealth of England. ... Thomas Harrison (1606 - October 14, 1660) was a Puritan soldier and later a leader of the Fifth monarchy men. ... The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events April 5 - Signing of the Treaty of Westminster, ending the First Anglo-Dutch War. ...

In the second protectorate parliament, summoned by Cromwell on September 17, 1656, Lenthall was again chosen member for Oxfordshire, but had some difficulty in obtaining admission, and was not re-elected speaker. He supported Cromwell's administration, and was active in urging the protector to take the title of king. In spite of his services, Lenthall was not included by Cromwell in his new House of Lords, and was disappointed at his omission. The protector, hearing of his complaint, sent him a writ, and Lenthall was elated at believing he had secured a peerage. September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... // Events Mehmed Köprülü becomes Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

After Cromwell's death, the officers, having determined to recall the Rump Parliament, assembled at Lenthall's house at the Rolls (May 6, 1659), to ask him to send out the writs. Lenthall, however, had no wish to resume his duties as speaker, preferring the House of Lords, and made excuses for not complying. When the officers threatened to summon parliament without his aid, he led the procession to the parliament house. Lenthall was now restored to the position of dignity which he had filled before. He was temporarily made keeper of the new Great Seal (May 14). On June 6 it was voted that all commissions should be signed by Lenthall and not by the commander-in-chief. His exalted position, however, was not left long unassailed. On October 13 John Lambert placed soldiers round the House and prevented the members from assembling. Lenthall's coach was stopped as he was entering Old Palace Yard, the mace was seized and he was obliged to return. The army, however, soon returned to their allegiance to the parliament. On December 24, they marched to Lenthall's house, and expressed their sorrow. On December 29, the speaker received the thanks of the reassembled parliament. The Rump Parliament was the name of the English Parliament immediately following the Long Parliament, after Prides Purge of December 6, 1648 had removed those Members of Parliament hostile to the intentions of the Grandees in the New Model Army to try King Charles I for high treason. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... // Events May 25 - Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the republican government called the Commonwealth. ... The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, and later of Great Britain was formerly an officer of the English Crown charged with physical custody of the Great Seal of England. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... John Lambert (1619 - 1684) served as an English Parliamentary general in the English Civil War. ... December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ...

Lenthall now supported the Restoration. He strongly opposed the oath abjuring the House of Stuart, sought the republican faction in parliament, and absented himself from the House for ten days, to avoid any responsibility for the bill. He had been in communication with George Monck for some time, and on Monck entering London with his army (February 3, 1660) Lenthall met him in front of Somerset House. On February 6 Monck visited the House of Commons, when Lenthall pronounced a speech of thanks. The Coat of Arms of King James I, the first British monarch of the House of Stuart The House of Stuart or Stewart was a royal house of the Kingdom of Scotland, later of the Kingdom of England, and finally of the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle by Sir Peter Lely, painted 1665–1666. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... // Events January 1 - Colonel George Monck with his regiment crosses from Scotland to England at the village of Coldstream and begins advance towards London in support of English Restoration. ... The central courtyard of Somerset House in London. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

On March 28, Lenthall forwarded to the king a paper containing Heads of Advice. According to Monck, "he was very active for the restoring of His Majesty and performed many services ... which could not have been soe well effected without his helpe." Lenthall notwithstanding found himself in disgrace at the Restoration. In spite of Monck's recommendation, he was not elected by Oxford University for the Convention Parliament, nor was he allowed by the king, though he had sent him a present of £3000, to remain Master of the Rolls. March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in leap years). ...

On June 11, he was included by the House of Commons, in spite of a recommendatory letter from Monck, among the twenty persons excepted from the act of indemnity and subject to penalties not extending to life. In the House of Lords, however, Monck's testimony and intercession were effectual, and Lenthall was only declared incapable of holding for the future any public office. In his last public act, he consented to appear as a witness against the regicide Thomas Scot, for words spoken in the House of Commons while Lenthall was in the chair. It was probably after this that he was allowed to present himself at court, and his contemporaries took a malicious glee in telling how when, with some difficulty, he obtained leave to kiss the king's hand he, out of guilt, fell backward, as he was kneeling. June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a king, or the person responsible for it. ... Thomas Scot was one of the regicides of King Charles I. Early Life Thomas Scot had been a lawyer in Buckinghamshire who grew to prominence as the treasurer of the region’s County Committee between 1644 to 1646 . ...

In his will, Lenthall asked to be buried without any state and without a monument, but at the utmost a plain stone with this superscription only, "Vermis sum," acknowledging myself to be unworthy of the least outward regard in this world and unworthy of any remembrance that hath been so great a sinner. He was held in little honour by his contemporaries, and was universally regarded as a timeserver. He was, however, a man of good intentions, strong family affections and considerable ability.

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.