Sir William Esturmy (died 1427^[1]) (alias Sturmy), of Wolfhall, Wiltshire was an English Knight of the Shire, Speaker of the House of Commons, and hereditary Warden of the royal forest of Savernake, Wiltshire.

Origins

He was born in about 1356, the son of Geoffrey Sturmy (d. 1381) and nephew and heir of Sir Henry Sturmy of Wolfhall in the Savernake Forest, Wiltshire.

Career

He succeeded his uncle in 1381 which brought him manors throughout Wiltshire, including Elvetham in the north of the county, where he created a 300-acre park, and Wolfhall and other manors in the east. He was knighted by October 1388. He held the post of hereditary warden of Savernake Forest from 1381 to 1417 and from 1420 until his death in 1427.

Between 1384 and 1422 he served as knight of the shire eight times for Wiltshire, twice for Hampshire (1384 and 1390) and twice for Devon (1391 and 1404). He was elected Speaker of the House of Commons in 1404 during the reign of King Henry IV, known as the Illiterate or Unlearned Parliament because the king forbade lawyers from attending.^[2] He was appointed High Sheriff of Wiltshire for 1418–19.

He held a number of public commissions and served several times as an ambassador abroad.

Marriage and children

He married Joan Crawthorne, the widow of Sir John Beaumont of Shirwell and Saunton in North Devon, by whom he had no sons, only two daughters and co-heiresses including:

Maud Esturmy, wife of Roger II Seymour (c.1367/70-1420),^[3] feudal barony of Hatch Beauchamp in Somerset, by whom she had a son John Seymour (d.1464).

Death

He died at Elvetham in 1427 and was buried at Easton Priory near Wolfhall. His heirs were his daughter Agnes (the wife of John Holcombe) and John Seymour (the son of Maud).

References

^ Easton Royal History
^ The Lives of the Speakers of the House of Commons, from the Time of King Edward III to Queen Victoria: Comprising the Biographies of Upwards of One Hundred Distinguished Persons, and Copious Details of the Parliamentary History of England from the Most Authentic Documents, James Alexander Manning
^ Loades, David, The Seymours of Wolf Hall: A Tudor Family Story, Chapter 1: The Origins[1]

STURMY (ESTURMY), Sir William (c.1356-1427) of Wolf Hall in Great Bedwyn, Wilts

Political offices Preceded byArnold Savage Speaker of the House of Commons 1404 Succeeded byJohn Tiptoft

Speakers of the House of Commons

House of Commons
of England

14th century	de Shareshull De la Mare 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 Martin
21st century	Martin Bercow Hoyle