This article is about Parliaments prior to union with Scotland in 1707. For the current debate on a devolved parliament for England, see Devolved English Parliament.
The Parliaments of England were traditionally referred to by the number counting forward from the start of the reign of a particular monarch, unless the Parliament was notable enough to come to be known by a particular title, such as the Good Parliament or the Parliament of Merton.
This Parliament was at Oxford. It is sometimes known as the Mad Parliament. Knights of the shire (representing counties) were the only commoners summoned. They were not required to be chosen by election.
8th²
...
n/a
9 February 1259
...
?
n/a
9th²
...
n/a
13 October 1259
...
?
n/a
10th²
...
n/a
>30 April 1260
...
?
n/a
11th²
...
n/a
8 July 1260
...
?
n/a
12th²
...
n/a
13 October 1260
...
?
n/a
13th²
...
n/a
c.23 February 1261
...
?
n/a
14th²
...
n/a
9 September 1263
>18 September 1263
?
n/a
15th²
...
n/a
13 October 1263
...
?
n/a
16th
4 June 1264
n/a
22 June 1264
...
?
n/a
Knights of the shire were the only commoners summoned. They were not required to be chosen by election.
This Parliament is sometimes known as Montfort's Parliament. This is the first Parliament to which representatives of cities and boroughs were summoned, as well as knights of the shires. It is also the first Parliament to which the representatives were required to be chosen by election.
18th²
...
n/a
14 September 1265
...
?
n/a
19th²
...
n/a
9 February 1267
...
?
n/a
20th²
...
n/a
13 October 1268
...
?
n/a
21st²
...
n/a
24 June 1269
...
?
n/a
22nd²
...
n/a
c.13 October 1270
...
?
n/a
23rd²
...
n/a
c.>29 September 1272
...
?
n/a
Notes:
¹ The presiding officer of the House of Commons was initially known as the "Prolocutor" and sometimes as the Parlour, but the term most often used was "Speaker" and this became the title always used from the 1540s onwards.
For the first time since 1264-65 the representatives of the communities of the Realm are known to have been summoned to Parliament.
2nd
1 September 1275
1275
13 October 1275
24 October 1275
?
unknown
The knights of the shires only were summoned to this Parliament.
3rd²
...
n/a
c.3 May 1276
...
?
n/a
4th²
...
n/a
>29 September 1276
...
?
n/a
5th²
...
n/a
1 May 1278
...
?
n/a
6th²
...
n/a
8 July 1278
...
?
n/a
7th²
...
n/a
29 September 1278
...
?
n/a
8th²
...
n/a
c.16 April 1279
...
?
n/a
9th²
...
n/a
c.20 October 1279
...
?
n/a
10th²
...
n/a
c.12 May 1280
...
?
n/a
11th²
...
n/a
c.>29 September 1280
...
?
n/a
12th²
...
n/a
c.11 May 1281
...
?
n/a
13th²
...
n/a
c.>29 September 1281
...
?
n/a
14th²
...
n/a
4 May 1285
...
?
n/a
15th²
...
n/a
c.>14 April 1286
...
?
n/a
16th²
...
n/a
c.24 April 1286
...
?
n/a
17th²
...
n/a
>25 December 1289
...
?
n/a
18th²
...
n/a
>13 January 1290
...
?
n/a
19th
13 June 1290
1290
15 July 1290
...
?
unknown
Knights only summoned 13–14 June 1290. Assembled 23 April 1290 Lords and 15 July 1290 Commons. After this Parliament it became fairly usual for the representatives of the counties, cities and boroughs to be summoned to attend Parliament and from 1320 they were always included.
20th
...
1290
27 October 1290
...
?
unknown
21st
...
1290/91
7 January 1291
...
?
unknown
22nd
6 May 1291
1291/92
8 January 1292
...
?
unknown
met at Norham Castle, Northumberland, in the Palatinate of the Prince-bishop of Durham.
23rd²
Jan 1292
n/a
2 June 1292
...
?
n/a
This Parliament included Scottish members; met at Westminster.
Model Parliament summoned 30 September, 1 and 3 October 1295. This is the traditional start of the regular participation of the Commons in Parliament.
30th
26 August 1296
1296
3 November 1296
29 November 1296
?
unknown
...
31st²
26 January 1297
n/a
24 February 1297
...
?
n/a
32nd²
...
n/a
8 July 1297
...
?
n/a
33rd
6 October 1297
1297
15 September 1297
14 October 1297
?
unknown
Summoned 30 September 1297 (peers) and 6 October 1297 (knights of the shire). Assembled 9 October 1297 Lords and 15 October 1297 Commons. Met in London.
34th
15 March 1298
March 1298
30 March 1298
...
?
unknown
Met in York.
35th
10 April 1298
1298
25 May 1298
...
?
unknown
Summoned 10, 11 and 13 April 1298.
36th²
6 February 1299
n/a
8 March 1299
...
?
n/a
37th²
10 April 1299
n/a
3 May 1299
...
?
n/a
38th²
21 September 1299
n/a
18 October 1299
...
?
n/a
39th
29 December 1299
1299/00
6 March 1300
20 March 1300
?
unknown
...
40th
26 September 1300
1300/01
20 January 1301
30 January 1301
?
unknown
Met in Lincoln. Dissolved 27–30 January 1301.
41st²
2 June 1302
n/a
1 July 1302
...
?
n/a
42nd
14 July 1302
1302
14 October 1302
21 October 1302
?
unknown
Summoned 14, 20 and 24 July 1303. Met in London.
43rd
12 November 1304
1304/05
28 February 1305
20 March 1305
?
unknown
44th²
15 July 1305
n/a
15 September 1305
...
?
n/a
45th
5 April 1306
1306
30 May 1306
30 May 1306
?
unknown
Assembled and dissolved 30 May 1306.
46th
3 November 1306
1306/07
20 January 1307
19 March 1307
?
unknown
Met in Carlisle. Deemed dissolved when writs de expensis were issued 20 January 1307 (burgesses only) and 19 March 1307 (knights only).
Notes:
¹ The presiding officer of the House of Commons was initially known as the "Prolocutor" and sometimes as the Parlour, but the term most often used was "Speaker" and this became the title always used from the 1540s onwards.
This Parliament continued after the deposition of the King, into the next reign. See 1st Parliament of King Edward III of England for further details and duration.
Notes:
¹ The presiding officer of the House of Commons was initially known as the "Prolocutor" and sometimes as the Parlour, but the term most often used was "Speaker" and this became the title always used from the 1540s onwards.
May have met at New Sarum (Salisbury), York or Northampton, as it is uncertain which meeting was of this Parliament and which were gatherings of lesser status.
¹ The presiding officer of the House of Commons was initially known as the "Prolocutor" and sometimes as the Parlour, but the term most often used was "Speaker" and this became the title always used from the 1540s onwards.
² Hungerford was the first presiding officer of the Commons to be recorded as having the title of Speaker.
This Parliament was held during a period when King Henry VI was restored to the throne. It ended when King Edward IV deposed Henry for the second time.
The Long Parliament, which commenced in this reign, had the longest term and the most complex history of any English Parliament. The entry in the first table below relates to the whole Parliament. Although it rebelled against King Charles I and continued to exist long after the King's death, it was a Parliament he originally summoned. An attempt has been made to set out the different phases of the Parliament in the second table in this section and in subsequent sections. The phases are explained in a note.
(a) Speakers of the Long Parliament (including times when it sat as the Rump Parliament): Lenthall 3 November 1640 – 26 July 1647; Pelham 30 July 1647 – 5 August 1647; Lenthall 6 August 1647 – 20 April 1653 (restored to the Chair by the Army and sat until Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament) and 26 December 1653 – 13 January 1660 (when the Rump was restored); Say 13 January 1660 – 21 January 1660 and Lenthall 21 January 1660 – 16 March 1660.
(a) Phase 'a' of the Long Parliament was when it functioned as a conventional Parliament, requiring the assent of King Charles I to legislation. An unusual feature was that a law was enacted providing that this Parliament could not be lawfully dissolved without its own consent. This phase ended when the King raised his standard (22 August 1642) and commenced the English Civil War. The day before this event is the date inserted in the Dissolved column.
(b) Phase 'c' of the Long Parliament was the King's Oxford Parliament. The King was unable to lawfully dissolve the Long Parliament, without its consent, so he summoned the members to meet at Oxford. Royalists and those interested in trying to settle the Civil War by compromise attended the meetings, which were in opposition to the revolutionary body (phase 'b' of the Long Parliament, see below) sitting concurrently at Westminster. The date of the first meeting is given in the Assembled column and of the last sitting in the Dissolved column.
(a) This was phase 'b' of the Long Parliament, when it functioned as a revolutionary Parliament, after the start of the English Civil War. Parliament assumed the power to legislate by Ordinance, without needing Royal assent. This phase ended with Pride's Purge, which converted the Long Parliament into the Rump Parliament. In 1644 the King summoned the Long Parliament to meet at Oxford. Those members who responded constituted the King's Oxford Parliament (phase c of the Parliament, see the previous section), in opposition to the revolutionary Parliament which continued to sit at the Palace of Westminster. The date in the Assembled column is the day when King Charles I raised his standard and commenced the English Civil War. The date in the Dissolved column is the day before Pride's Purge, when the full Long Parliament last met (until the Purge was reversed on 21 February 1660).
(b) This was phase 'd' of the Long Parliament, known as the Rump Parliament. During this period the Army only permitted selected members to continue to participate. The House of Lords was abolished (6 February 1649) as was the monarchy (7 February 1649). Thereafter the Rump of the House of Commons was the only remaining element of Parliament. It legislated the Commonwealth of England into existence on 19 May 1649. The date of Pride's Purge is given in the Assembled column and the date when Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump by force is in the Dissolved column.
(a) This was phase 'e' of the Long Parliament. The Army restored the Rump Parliament, to liquidate the Protectorate and re-establish the Commonwealth regime.
(a) This was phase 'f' of the Long Parliament, with the Rump Parliament running the restored Commonwealth regime.
(b) This was phase 'g' of the Long Parliament. Pride's Purge was reversed and the full Long Parliament made arrangements for a Convention Parliament and then dissolved itself.
The Convention Parliament of 1689 was not summoned by King James II, who was outside the country, but by the future William III. On February 12, 1689, the Convention decided that James had abdicated by fleeing the capital on 18 December 1688 and by throwing the Great Seal of the Realm into the River Thames and offered the throne jointly to William III and Mary II, who accepted it. The Convention converted itself to a formal parliament the next day (February 13), and legal records use that date (February 13 rather than the original assembly date of January 22) as the official start date of the parliament.[13]
Note: The Convention Parliament of 1689 is usually referred to as the 1st Parliament of William & Mary and thus the 1690 parliament is referred to as the "Second Parliament".[14] The very first act of the 1690 parliament (2 Will. & Mar., c.1) [15] was to legitimize the Convention parliament as a lawfully-summoned parliament.
Note: Queen Mary II died in December 1694, during the sixth session of the second parliament. Subsequent parliamentary sessions are labelled as "William III" alone (rather than "William & Mary"), but their numbering is not reset. The next parliament (1695) is conventionally called the "third parliament", the 1698 parliament the "fourth parliament" etc.
^e.g. A Parliamentary History of England (1809 vol. 5)
^2 Will & Mar, c.1 in Statutes at Large (note: legal year is given here, not historical year).
References
Coke, Edward; Littleton, Thomas; Hargrave, Francis (1817), The ... Part of the Institutes of the Laws of England; Or, a Commentary Upon Littleton: Not the Name of the Author Only, But of the Law Itself : Including Also the Notes of Lord Chief Justice Hale and Lord Chancellor Nottingham, and an Analysis of Littleton, Written by an Unknown Hand ..., vol. 3 (19 ed.), Clarke, p. ii