author
Henry Elsynge
d. 1656
A key figure in the history of Parliament, this 17th-century clerk helped shape how the House of Commons recorded and understood its own proceedings. He is also remembered for writing about parliamentary procedure at a moment of major political upheaval in England.
1 Audiobook
A Remonstrance of the State of the Kingdom
by England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons, Henry Elsynge
About the author
Born around 1606 and baptized that year, he was the eldest son of Henry Elsynge, a parliamentary official. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, then spent several years traveling abroad before entering public service.
Elsynge became clerk of the House of Commons in the late 1630s and served during one of the most turbulent periods in English political history. His careful work in administration and record-keeping made him an important witness to the workings of Parliament in the years leading up to the Civil War and the trial of Charles I.
He later resigned rather than remain in office during the king's trial, and he is remembered not only as an administrator but also as a writer on parliamentary practice. His best-known work, The Manner of Holding Parliaments in England, helped preserve details of parliamentary procedure for later generations. He died on 30 September 1656.