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The right to vote in Southwark was vested in the inhabitants, 20 of whom signed the 1559 return, and 22 the return of 1584.  In 1571 the instructions to hold the election were sent to Southwark by the Common Council of the City, and in 1584 the London recorder was present at the election.  All the identified MPs returned for Southwark from 1559 to 1593 were inhabitants of the borough; most of them were local tradesmen.  From 1597 onward, locals were mixed with members from other places, beginning with Edmund Bowyer in 1597 and Zachariah Locke in 1601. 
Much of the information on this page comes from the History of Parliament Online. 

I.  Names in Alphabetical Order
[Go to names in chronological order]
 

Bowyer, Edmund, 1552-1627.  M.P. for Southwark 1597. 
Details:  Justice of Peace for Surrey from 1582.  High Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex 1600-1601.  Knighted 1603.  M.P. for Surrey 1604, 1614.  Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey by 1614.  In September 1616 he attended the consecration of Dulwich College after selling land to the founder, Edward Alleyn. For fuller biographical information click here.   

Browker, Hugh, of St Saviour, M.P. for Southwark 1593. 
Details:  prothonotary of the court of common pleas.  By 1602 he and his son had purchased the lease of the manor of Paris Garden in St Saviour.  For fuller biographical information click here.   

Burr, Oliffe, M.P. for Southwark 1563, 1572. 
Details:  for fuller biographical information click here.   

Cure, Thomas, Sadler; the Queen's sadler; of St Saviour parish.  M.P. for Southwark 1563, 1571, 1586. 
Details:  Master of the Company of Sadlers five times.  A churchwarden by June 1559; a founder of the St Saviour grammar school in 1562, and of the parish's almshouse complex.  For fuller biographical information click here.   

Dale, Matthew, of St Saviour, M.P. for Southwark 1601. 
Details:  Living in Paris Garden.  Deputy to the Steward of Southwark (Fulk Onslow), c.1580.  For fuller biographical information click here.   

Eston, John, M.P. for Southwark 1547-1559. 
Details:  of St Olave.  For fuller biographical information click here.   

Freeman, Robert, ?-1565.  Of St Saviour, M.P. for Southwark 1558, 1559. 
Details:  For fuller biographical information click here.   

Hutton, Richard, ?-1604.  Armorer, M.P. for Southwark 1584, 1586, 1589, 1595, 1597. 
Details:  Southwark subsidy commissioner 1593; bailiff 1589-1595; deputy Alderman of Southwark by 1601.  For fuller biographical information click here.   

Locke, Zachariah, Mercer, M.P. for Southwark 1601. 
Details:  for fuller biographical information click here.   

Pratt, William, M.P. for Southwark 1589. 
Details:  for fuller biographical information click here.   

Way, Thomas, Vintner, M.P. for Southwark 1572, 1584. 
Details:  of St George parish  Keeper of Marshalsea prison c.1559 until his death some 40 years later.  Assessor of Southwark subsidy 1593/4.  owner of a Southwark tavern called the Queen's Arms.  For fuller biographical information click here.   

Wilson, William, ?-1582.  Clothworker, of St Saviour, later of St Olave.  M.P. for Southwark 1571. 
Details:  churchwarden of St Saviour parish.  Governor of St Olave grammar school 1571; Warden, Clothworkers Company 1560.  Had 12 houses and shops which he had built in Fowl Lane in St Saviour, and a dwelling-house in 'Long Southwark'.  As a churchwarden at St Saviour, he helped to draw up inventories of the church goods in Southwark during Edward VI's reign, returning himself as having bought £27 worth of vestments and altar hangings, some in red damask and others of blue velvet embroidered with flowers.  For fuller biographical information click here. 


 

II.  Names in Chronological Order
[Go to names in alphabetical order]

  Elizabeth I  



First Parliament of Elizabeth I
  summoned 5 December 1558, assembled 23 January 1559, dissolved 8 May 1559; one session.
    John Eston and Robert Freeman, Members for Southwark. 

Second Parliament of Elizabeth I
  summoned 10 November 1562, assembled 11 January 1563, dissolved 2 January 1567; two sessions.
    Thomas Cure and Oliffe Burr, Members for Southwark. 

Third Parliament of Elizabeth I
  summoned 17 February 1571, assembled 2 April 1571, dissolved 29 May 1571; one session.
    Thomas Cure and William Wilson, Members for Southwark. 

Fourth Parliament of Elizabeth I
  summoned 28 March 1572, assembled 8 May 1572, dissolved 19 April 1583; three sessions.
    Oliffe Burr and Thomas Way, Members for Southwark. 

Fifth Parliament of Elizabeth I
  summoned 12 October 1584, assembled 23 November 1584, dissolved 14 September 1585; two sessions.
    Thomas Way and Richard Hutton, Members for Southwark. 

Sixth Parliament of Elizabeth I
  summoned 15 September 1586, assembled 15 October 1586, dissolved 23 March 1587; two sessions.
    Thomas Cure and Richard Hutton, Members for Southwark. 

Seventh Parliament of Elizabeth I
  summoned 18 September 1588, assembled 4 February 1589, dissolved 29 March, 1589; one session.
    Richard Hutton and William Pratt, Members for Southwark. 

Eighth Parliament of Elizabeth I
  summoned 4 January 1593, assembled 18 February 1593, dissolved 10 April 1593; one session.
    Hugh Browker and Richard Hutton, Members for Southwark. 

Ninth Parliament of Elizabeth I
  summoned 23 August 1597, assembled 24 October 1597, dissolved 9 February 1598; two sessions.
    Edmund Bowyer and Richard Hutton, Members for Southwark. 

Tenth Parliament of Elizabeth I
  summoned 11 September 1601, assembled 27 October 1601, dissolved 19 December 1601; one session.
    Matthew Dale and Zachariah Locke, Members for Southwark. 

  James I  



First Parliament of James I, the 'Blessed Parliament'
  summoned 31 January 1604, assembled 19 March 1604, dissolved 9 February 1611; five sessions.
    George Rivers and William Cownden, Members for Southwark. 

Second Parliament of James I, the 'Addled Parliament'
  summoned 19 February 1614, assembled 5 April 1614, dissolved 7 June 1614; one session.
    Edward Cox and Richard Yearwood, Members for Southwark. 

Third Parliament of James I
  summoned 13 November 1620, assembled 16 January 1621, dissolved 8 February 1622; two sessions.
    Richard Yearwood and Robert Bromfield, Members for Southwark. 

Fourth Parliament of James I, the 'Happy Parliament'
  summoned 30 December 1623, assembled 12 February 1624, dissolved 27 March 1625; one session.
    Richard Yearwood and Robert Bromfield, Members for Southwark.  [Francis Myngaye a contested member. 

  Charles I  



First Parliament of Charles I, the 'Useless Parliament'
  summoned 2 April 1625, assembled 17 May 1625, dissolved 12 August 1625; two sessions.
    Richard Yearwood and William Cox, Members for Southwark. 

Second Parliament of Charles I
  summoned 26 December 1625, assembled 6 February 1626, dissolved 15 June 1626; one session.
    Richard Yearwood and William Cox, Members for Southwark. 

Third Parliament of Charles I
  summoned 31 January 1628, assembled 17 March 1628, dissolved 10 March 1629; two sessions.
    Richard Yearwood and William Cox, Members for Southwark. 

Fourth Parliament of Charles I, the 'Short Parliament'
  summoned 20 February 1640, assembled 13 April 1640, dissolved 5 May 1640; one session.
    Richard Yearwood and William Cox, Members for Southwark. 

Fifth Parliament of Charles I, the 'Long Parliament'
  summoned 24 September 1640, assembled 3 November 1640, dissolved 16 March 1660.
    Richard Yearwood and William Cox, Members for Southwark. 






 


 
 

The Ward of Bridge Within
(whose boundaries include the structures on London Bridge)

 

===================================================================== 1553 (Mar) John Eston John Sayer 1553 (Oct) Humphrey Colet John Sayer 1554 (Apr) John Eston John Sayer 1554 (Nov) John Eston John Sayer 1555 John Eston Humphrey Colet 1558 John Eston Robert Freeman 1559 John Eston Robert Freeman 1562/3 Thomas Cure Oliffe Burr 1571 Thomas Cure William Wilson 1572 Oliffe Burr Thomas Way 1584 Thomas Way Richard Hutton 1586 Thomas Cure Richard Hutton 1588/9 Richard Hutton William Pratt 1593 Hugh Browker Richard Hutton 1597 Edmund Bowyer Richard Hutton 1601 Mathew Dale Zachariah Locke 1604–1611 Sir George Rivers William Counden 1614 Edward Coxe Richard Yarward 1621 Richard Yarward Robert Bromfield 1624 Richard Yarward Robert Bromfield 1625 Richard Yarward William Coxe 1626 Richard Yarward William Coxe 1628 Richard Yarward William Coxe 1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned Election First Member First Party Second Member Second Party November 1640 Edward Bagshawe Royalist John White Parliamentarian <== white died 1645 January 1644 Bagshawe disabled from sitting – seat vacant 1645 George Thomson George Snelling