William Esturmy

Sir William Esturmy or Sturmy (died 1427^[1]) was hereditary Warden of Savernake Forest, a Knight of the Shire and Speaker of the House of Commons.

He was born around 1356, the son of Geoffrey Sturmy and nephew and heir of Sir Henry Sturmy of Wolfhall in the Savernake Forest, Wiltshire. He inherited in 1381 and 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. He entered politics, serving initially as knight of the shire for Hampshire in 1384 and again in 1390, but also eight times for Wiltshire and twice for Devon between then and 1422. He was elected Speaker of the House in 1404 during the reign of Henry IV, known as the Illiterate or Unlearned Parliament because the king forbid lawyers from attending.^[2] He was appointed High Sheriff of Wiltshire for 1418.

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

He died at Wolfhall. He had married Joan Crawthorne, the widow of Sir John Beaumont of Saunton and Sherwell, Devon. They had two daughters. His daughter Maud married John Seymour and through her William Esturmy would be one of the forefathers of Jane Seymour.

References

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

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 15th century Esturmy Tiptoft Chaucer Stourton Hungerford Chaucer Redman Beauchamp Flower Hunt Chaucer Baynard Russell Walton Vernon Tyrell Alington Bowes Burley Tresham Say Popham Oldhall Thorpe Charlton Wenlock Tresham Green Strangeways Wood Catesby Lovell Mordaunt Fitzwilliam Empson Drury Englefield 16th century Dudley Sheffield Nevill More Audley Wingfield Rich Hare Moyle Baker Dyer Pollard Broke Higham Cordell Gargrave Williams Onslow Wray Bell Popham Puckering Snagge Coke Yelverton 17th century Croke Phelips Crewe Richardson Crewe Finch Finch Glanville Lenthall Pelham Rous (Barebones Parliament) Widdrington (2nd Protectorate Parliament) Chute (3rd Protectorate Parliament) Long (3rd Protectorate Parliament) Bampfield (3rd Protectorate Parliament) Grimston Turnour Charlton Seymour Sawyer Gregory Williams Trevor Powle 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