May 1559
On Munday the first day of May, the Bill for
the Restitution of the Brothers and Sister of the
Duke of Norfolk; The Bill for the Restitution
in Blood of the Lord Dacres of the South; The Bill that Timber Trees in divers places shall not
be felled for Cole to make Iron; And the Bill
that the Inhabitants of Dorking, Coxall, and
Dedham Westharford, &c. may make Woollers
Cloths there; were each of them read the third
time, and passed the House.
The Bill lastly, that Watermen of the Thames
shall have and shoot in Harque-buts, &c, was
read, and upon the Question and Division of
the House, dashed by the difference of ten Voices, viz, with the Bill fifty two, and against the
Bill sixty two.
On Tuesday the second day of May, the Bill
that the Queen by Commission may restore such
spiritual persons, as have been unlawfully deprived, was read the third time, and passed the
House, and was sent up to the Lords by Mr. Sadler and others, with the four other Bills which
last passed.
The Bill lastly, for the continuance of divers
Acts, was brought from the Lords.
On Wednesday the third day of May, three Bills
of no great moment, had each of them one reading; of which the second being the Bill for carriage of Corn over Sea, when Wheat is 10s Barley 3s 8d, Beans and Rye at 6s, and Oats at 3s 4d,
the Quarter, was read the third time, and passed the House.
On Friday the 5th day of May, the Bill for
continuance of certain Acts, was read the third
time, and passed the House, and was sent up to
the Lords by Mr. Secretary.
On Saturday the 6th day of May, the Bill
touching Abbies, &c. was brought from the
Lords, to be reformed with three Provisoes of
their Lordships; And the Bill for preservation of
Fry of Fish, was likewise brought down from
the Lords to be amended.
May the 7th Sunday.
On Monday the 8th of May, the Provisoes in
the Bill for preservation of the Fry and Spawn
of Fish, were read the second and third time,
and passed the House.
In the Afternoon the Queens Majesty sitting in
her Royal Seat, the Lords and Commons attending Mr Speaker made a Learned Oration, Exhibiting the Bill for the Subsidy, and the Bill of
Tonnage and Poundage, and required the Queens
Assent might be given to such Bill as had passed
both the Houses; which Oration being praised
and Answered by the Lord Keeper of the Great
Seal, the Royal Assent was given to forty two
Acts, and by the Queens Pleasure this Parliament
was Dissolved.
¶ (fn. *) Henry the VI.6 Martii An. 31. called a Parliament at Reading; 8 Martii, Thorpe was Chosen
Speaker; from thence the Parliament was Adjourned to Westminster till 25. Apr. where it
continued till 2. July, and then Prorogued till
12. Nov. to Reading, again Adjourned till 12.
February, after till 14. at Westm. During these
Adjournments and Prorogations, Richard Duke
of York, having got the Ascendant of the King,
prepared Habiliments of War at the Palace of
the Bishop of Durham; (fn. ||) Thorpe being Speaker,
by Command of the King took the Arms; whereupon in Michaelmas Term the Duke brought his
Action of Trespass in the Exchequer, against
Thorpe, and upon Tryal that Term, recovered
a thousand pound Damages, and ten pound for
Costs of Suit, and thereupon Thorpe was Committed to the Prison of the Fleet, in Execution.
After all this the Parliament met 14. Feb. and
the Duke of York having got a Commission to
hold and dissolve the Parliament, laboured to
keep Thorpe in Prison, whom he mortally hated,
as being faithful to King Henry; and having
gained his point in the Lords House, afterwards
the Commons gave up their Speaker; which was
no sooner done, and another Chosen, but the
Duke, by the Assent of the Lords and Commons,
and after Confirmed by Commission from the
King, was made Protector of the Realm; Thorpe
having paid the Debt, fled to the Kings Party,
and after was taken at Nottingham Field, from
thence sent to Newgate, then to the Marshalsey,
and at last Beheaded at Haryingay Park in Middlesex.