Thomas Snagge

Sir Thomas Snagge (1536–1593) was a Member of Parliament, barrister and landowner who served as Speaker of the English House of Commons, Attorney General for Ireland and as Queen's Sergeant.^[1]

Life

Snagge was born in 1536 in Letchworth.^[1] He was the son of Thomas Snagge, the prosperous lord of the manor of Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire. He studied law at Gray's Inn, and after being called to the bar in 1554 practiced law in London.

Snagge was elected as a knight of the shire for Bedfordshire in 1571. He was chosen by Queen Elizabeth to be Attorney General for Ireland and held this appointment from 1577 to 1580.^[1] The Queen chose him because "the public service had been not a little hindered through the default and insufficiency of the law officers" and "her Majesty thought that a person well-chosen in England might be sent over".^[2] Snagge in fact was not particularly well-chosen: he disliked living in Ireland and, according to a modern writer, his official correspondence is simply a long list of complaints.^[3] In particular, he complained of the inefficiency of the Master of the Rolls in Ireland, Nicholas White, and went so far as to make an official complaint against him to the Privy Council of England. In 1580 he was appointed a Serjeant-at-law.

In 1586 Snagge was again returned as one of the members of parliament for Bedfordshire and in 1589 for the borough of Bedford. In 1589 he was elected as Speaker of the House of Commons and in 1590 was promoted to Queen's Serjeant. As well as owning several manors in Bedfordshire, his home seat was at Marston Moretaine.^[4]

Snagge died in 1593 and was entombed in St Mary's Church, Marston Moretaine, where an alabaster tomb carrying effigies of him and his wife survives.^[4] He had married Elizabeth, daughter and coheiress of Thomas Dickons of Marston Moretaine; they had five sons and two daughters. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Thomas, also a member of parliament for Bedford.

References

1 2 3 Bedfordshire Library Website, Local Biographies - Thomas Snagge, Accessed 3 January 2009
↑ Hart, A. R., History of the King's Serjeants-at-law in Ireland (Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2000)
↑ Casey, James, The Irish Law Officers (Dublin: Round Hall Sweet and Maxwell, 1996)
1 2 A History of Moreteyne Manor - Moreteyne Manor website, Accessed 3 January 2009

History of Parliament SNAGGE, Thomas I (1536-93) of Marston Mortaine, Beds

Parliament of England
Preceded by John St John Lewis Mordaunt	Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire 1571 With: George Rotheram	Succeeded by George Rotheram Sir Henry Cheyne
Preceded by George Rotheram Nicholas Luke	Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire 1586–1587 With: George Rotheram	Succeeded by Oliver St John Edward Radclyffe
Political offices
Preceded by John Puckering	Speaker of the House of Commons 1588–1589	Succeeded by Edward Coke

Speakers of the House of Commons

House of Commons
of England

14th century	Hungerford De la Mare Pickering Guildesborough Waldegrave Pickering Bussy Cheney Doreward Savage Redford Savage

15th century	Esturmy Tiptoft Chaucer Stourton Doreward Hungerford Chaucer Redman Beauchamp Flower Hunt Chaucer Baynard Flower Russell Walton Vernon Tyrell Alington, Sr. Tyrell Russell Hunt Bowes Tyrell Burley W. Tresham Burley W. Tresham Say Popham I W. Tresham Oldhall Thorpe Charlton Wenlock T. Tresham Green Strangeways Say Alington Jr. Wood Catesby Lovell Mordaunt Fitzwilliam Empson Drury Englefield

16th century	Dudley Englefield Sheffield Nevill More Audley Wingfield Rich Hare Moyle Baker Dyer Pollard Broke Higham Cordell Gargrave T. Williams Onslow Wray Bell Popham II Puckering Snagge Coke Yelverton

17th century	Croke Phelips R. Crewe Richardson T. Crewe H. Finch J. Finch Glanville Lenthall Pelham Lenthall Rous (Barebones Parliament) Lenthall Widdrington (2nd Protectorate Parliament) Chute, Long & Bampfield (3rd Protectorate Parliament) Lenthall Grimston Turnour Charlton Seymour Sawyer Seymour Gregory W. Williams Trevor Powle Trevor Foley Littleton

18th century	Harley Smith

House of Commons
of Great Britain

18th century	Smith R. Onslow Bromley Hanmer Compton A. Onslow Cust Norton Cornwall Grenville Addington

House of Commons
of the United Kingdom

19th century	Addington Mitford Abbot Manners-Sutton Abercromby Shaw-Lefevre Denison Brand Peel Gully

20th century	Lowther Whitley FitzRoy Brown Morrison Hylton-Foster King Lloyd Thomas Weatherill Boothroyd

21st century	Martin Bercow

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/29/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.