author
Henry Elsynge
d. 1656
Best known for his work behind the scenes in Parliament, this seventeenth-century writer turned the rules and rituals of the House of Commons into lasting historical record. His surviving work offers a rare close-up of how English government functioned during a tense and changing age.
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 at St Dunstan-in-the-West in London, he was the eldest son of Henry Elsynge and Blanche Hyett. He was educated at Westminster School and later studied at Christ Church, Oxford, before moving into public service.
Elsynge became clerk of the House of Commons in 1639. He is remembered not only as an administrator but also as a writer on parliamentary procedure, with The Manner of Holding Parliaments in England helping preserve details of how the Commons worked in practice.
His career unfolded during the upheavals of the English Civil War era, and he resigned rather than remain in office through the proceedings against Charles I. He died on September 30, 1656, and was buried at St Margaret's, Westminster.