Who is Commonest?

by Quizologist in Government, August 26, 2009

The holder of what British post is also referred to as the First Commoner of the Land, and who is the current incumbent of that post?

The First Commoner of the Land is the Speaker of the House of Commons.

In 1377 Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed Speaker, the first under its present title, prior to this the post was called parlour or prolocutor and this position has been traced to at least Sir Peter de Montfort in 1258.

The Speaker is basically the Chairman of the House of Commons and chairs debates in that chamber choosing which MP to call to speak and ensuring the rules of the House are complied with. The Speaker is also the representative of the House of Commons to the monarch and to the House of Lords and is the person responsible for the running of Parliament including the office that oversees Commons fees.

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The current First Commoner / Speaker is John Bercow MP, who has been in post since 22nd June 2009. The previous incumbent was Michael Martin MP, who resigned from the post on 21 June 2009 during the parliamentary expenses scandal as a result of diminishing parliamentary and public confidence over his role in the scandal.

Speakers of the British House of Commons since the Union of Parliaments in 1707

1707 ‐ 1708 J Smith
1708 ‐ 1710 Sir R Onslow
1710 ‐ 1713 W Bromley
1714 ‐ 1715 Sir T Hanmer
1715 ‐ 1727 Sir S Compton
1728 ‐ 1761 A Onslow
1761 ‐ 1770 Sir J Cust
1770 ‐ 1780 Sir F Norton
1780 ‐ 1789 C Wolfran Cornwall
1789 W W Grenville
1789 ‐ 1801 H Addington
1801 ‐ 1802 Sir J Mitford
1802 ‐ 1817 C Abbot
1817 ‐ 1834 C Manners‐Sutton
1835 ‐ 1839 J Abercromby
1839 ‐ 1857 C Shaw‐Lefevre
1857 ‐ 1872 J E Denison
1872 ‐ 1884 H B W Brand
1886 ‐ 1895 A W Peel
1895 ‐ 1905 W C Gully

WC Gully
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1905 ‐ 1921 J W Lowther
1921 ‐ 1928 J H Whitley
1928 ‐ 1943 E A Fitzroy
1943 ‐ 1951 D Clifton Brown
1951 ‐ 1959 W S Morrison
1959 ‐ 1965 Sir H Hylton‐Foster
1965 ‐ 1971 Dr H King
1971 ‐ 1976 J Selwyn Lloyd
1976 ‐ 1983 T G Thomas
1983 ‐ 1992 B B Weatherill
1992 ‐ 2000 Miss B Boothroyd
2000 ‐ 2009 M J Martin (Resigned in 2009)