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List of speakers of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom facts for kids

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This is a list of speakers of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801.

For the 'prolocutors' and speakers of the House of Commons of England, see List of speakers of the House of Commons of England.

List of speakers

House of Commons of Great Britain, 1707–1800

The Kingdom of Great Britain was created by the Acts of Union 1707. At the beginning of 1801, Great Britain was combined with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with a single House of Commons serving the whole kingdom.

John Smith, Speaker of the House of Commons of England since October 1705, was elected the first Speaker of the House of Commons of Great Britain.

Portrait Name
Constituency
(Birth–Death)
Term of office
E: Election
R: Royal approbation
†: Death
Election(s)
(in brackets if unopposed)
Parliament(s)
Retirement peerage
John Smith, Speaker of the House of Commons.jpg John Smith
MP for Andover
(1656–1723)
E 23 October
R 30 October

1707
1708 (1707) 1
Richardonslow.jpg Sir Richard Onslow
Bt
MP for Surrey
(1654–1717)
E 16 November
R 18 November

1708
1710 (1708) 2 Baron Onslow
WilliamBromleySpeaker.jpg William Bromley
MP for Oxford University
(1663–1732)
E 25 November
R 27 November

1710
1713 (1710) 3
Sir Thomas Hanmer by Godfrey Kneller.jpg Sir Thomas Hanmer
Bt
MP for Suffolk
(1677–1746)
E 16 February
R 18 February

1714
1715 (1714) 4
Spencer Compton 1st Earl of Wilmington.jpg Sir Spencer Compton
KB
MP for Sussex
(c. 1673–1743)
E 17 March
R 21 March

1715
1727 (1715)
(1722)
5
6
Baron Wilmington
Arthur Onslow by Hans Hysing.jpg Arthur Onslow
MP for Surrey
(1691–1768)
E 23 January
R 27 January

1728
18 March
1761
(1728)
(1735)
(1741)
(1747)
(1754)
7
8
9
10
11
Watercolour drawing of Sir John Cust, 3rd Baronet by Thomas Athow after Watson and Reynolds crop.jpg Sir John Cust
Bt
MP for Grantham
(1718–1770)
E 3 November
R 6 November

1761
19 January
1770
(1761)
(1768)
12
13
Fletcher Norton.jpg Sir Fletcher Norton
MP for Guildford
(1716–1789)
E 22 January
R 23 January

1770
31 October
1780
1770
(1774)
13
14
Baron Grantley
CW Cornwall by Phillips after Gainsborough.jpg Charles Wolfran Cornwall
MP for Winchelsea until 1784
MP for Rye from 1784
(1735–1789)
E 31 October
R 1 November

1780
2 January
1789
1780
(1784)
15
16
Lord Grenville as Chancellor of Oxford by William Owen.jpg William Wyndham Grenville
MP for Buckinghamshire
(1759–1834)
E 5 January
1789
no royal approbation
5 June
1789
Jan.1789 16 Baron Grenville
John Singleton Copley - Henry Addington, First Viscount Sidmouth - 26-1929 - Saint Louis Art Museum.jpg Henry Addington
MP for Devizes
(1757–1844)
E 8 June
R 9 June

1789
continued as
UK Speaker
Jun.1789
(1790)
(1796)
16
17
18
Viscount Sidmouth

House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was created in 1801. In 1922 the Irish Free State ceased to be part of the UK. The official name of the United Kingdom was changed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in 1927.

Portrait Name
Constituency
(Birth–Death)
Term of office
E: Election
R: Royal approbation
†: Death
Election(s)
(in brackets if unopposed)
Parliament(s)
Party Retirement peerage
John Singleton Copley - Henry Addington, First Viscount Sidmouth cropped.jpg Henry Addington
MP for Devizes
(1757–1844)
E 22 January
R 23 January

1801
10 February
1801
(Jan.1801) 1 Tory Viscount Sidmouth
Sir John Freeman-Mitford by Thomas Lawrence.jpg Sir John Mitford
KC FRS
MP for East Looe
(1748–1830)
E 11 February
R 12 February

1801
9 February
1802
(Feb.1801) 1 Tory Baron Redesdale
Speaker Abbot after James Northcote.jpg Charles Abbot
FRS
MP for Helston until 1802
MP for Woodstock 1802–1806
MP for Oxford University after 1806
(1757–1829)
E 10 February
R 11 February

1802
2 June
1817
(Feb.1802)
(Nov.1802)
(1806)
(1807)
(1812)
1
2
3
4
5
Tory Baron Colchester
Charles Manners Sutton, 1st Viscount Canterbury by Henry William Pickersgill.jpg Sir Charles Manners-Sutton
GCB
MP for Scarborough until 1832
MP for Cambridge University after 1832
(1780–1845)
E 2 June
R 3 June

1817
19 February
1835
1817
(1819)
(1820)
(1826)
(1830)
(1831)
1833
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Tory Viscount Canterbury
James Abercrombie of Fife, 1st Baron Dunfermline.jpg James Abercromby
MP for Edinburgh
(1776–1858)
E 19 February
R 20 February

1835
27 May
1839
1835
(1837)
12
13
Whig Baron Dunfermline
Charles Shaw-Lefevre by Martin Archer Shee (crop).jpg Charles Shaw-Lefevre
MP for North Hampshire
(1794–1888)
E 27 May
R 28 May

1839
30 April
1857
1839
(1841)
(1847)
(1852)
13
14
15
16
Whig Viscount Eversley
1stViscountOssington.jpg John Evelyn Denison
MP for North Nottinghamshire
(1800–1873)
E 30 April
R 1 May

1857
9 February
1872
(1857)
(1859)
(1866)
(1868)
17
18
19
20
Liberal Viscount Ossington
Henry Brand, 1st Viscount Hampden.jpg Sir Henry Brand
GCB
MP for Cambridgeshire
(1814–1892)
E 9 February
R 12 February

1872
26 February
1884
(1872)
(1874)
(1880)
20
21
22
Liberal Viscount Hampden
Arthur Wellesley Peel NPG.jpg Arthur Peel
MP for Warwick until 1885
MP for Warwick and Leamington after 1885
(1829–1912)
E 26 February
R 27 February

1884
10 April
1895
(1884)
(Jan.1886)
(Aug.1886)
(1892)
22
23
24
25
Liberal Viscount Peel
William Court Gully NPG.jpg William Court Gully
KC
MP for Carlisle
(1835–1909)
E 10 April
R 22 April

1895
8 June
1905
Apr.1895
(Aug.1895)
(1900)
25
26
27
Liberal Viscount Selby
JW Lowther Speaker NPG.jpg James Lowther
MP for Penrith until 1918
MP for Penrith and Cockermouth after 1918
(1855–1949)
E 8 June
R 20 June

1905
28 April
1921
(1905)
(1906)
(1910)
(1911)
(1919)
27
28
29
30
31
Conservative Viscount Ullswater
1915 John Henry Whitley.jpg John Henry Whitley
MP for Halifax
(1866–1935)
E & R
28 April

1921
20 June
1928
(1921)
(1922)
(Jan.1924)
(Dec.1924)
31
32
33
34
Liberal
(Coalition)
Edward FitzRoy, Commons Speaker (3x4 cropped).png Edward FitzRoy
DL
MP for Daventry
(1869–1943)
E 20 June
R 21 June

1928
3 March
1943
(1928)
(1929)
(1931)
(1935)
34
35
36
37
Conservative
Douglas Clifton Brown 1925 (3x4 cropped).jpg Douglas Clifton Brown
MP for Hexham
(1879–1958)
E & R
9 March

1943
31 October
1951
(1943)
(1945)
(1950)
37
38
39
Conservative Viscount Ruffside
Lord Dunrossil-02.jpg William Morrison
MC QC
MP for Cirencester and Tewkesbury
(1893–1961)
E 31 October
R 1 November

1951
19 September
1959
1951
(1955)
40
41
Conservative Viscount Dunrossil
Sir Harry Hylton-Foster
MP for Cities of London and Westminster
(1905–1965)
E 20 October
R 21 October

1959
2 September
1965
(1959)
(1964)
42
43
Conservative
Horace King in Bonn, 1966.jpg Horace King
MP for Southampton Itchen
(1901–1986)
E & R
26 October

1965
12 January
1971
(1965)
(1966)
(1970)
43
44
45
Labour Baron Maybray-King for Life
SelwynLloyd1960.jpg Selwyn Lloyd
CH CBE QC DL
MP for Wirral
(1904–1978)
E & R
12 January

1971
3 February
1976
1971
(Mar.1974)
(Oct.1974)
45
46
47
Conservative Baron Selwyn-Lloyd for Life
George Thomas
MP for Cardiff West
(1909–1997)
E & R
3 February

1976
10 June
1983
(1976)
(1979)
47
48
Labour Viscount Tonypandy
Bernard Weatherill
MP for Croydon North East
(1920–2007)
E 15 June
R 16 June

1983
9 April
1992
(1983)
(1987)
49
50
Conservative Baron Weatherill for Life
Official portrait of Baroness Boothroyd crop 2.jpg Betty Boothroyd
MP for West Bromwich West
(1929–2023)
E 27 April
R 28 April

1992
23 October
2000
1992
(1997)
51
52
Labour Baroness Boothroyd for Life
Michael Martin MP (cropped, coloured).jpg Michael Martin
MP for Glasgow Springburn until 2005
MP for Glasgow North East after 2005
(1945–2018)
E & R
23 October

2000
22 June
2009
2000
(2001)
(2005)
52
53
54
Labour Baron Martin of Springburn for Life
Apvienotās Karalistes parlamenta Pārstāvju palātas priekšsēdētāja oficiālā vizīte Latvijā (39361465685) (cropped).jpg John Bercow
MP for Buckingham
(born 1963)
E & R
22 June

2009
4 November
2019
2009
(2010)
(2015)
(2017)
54
55
56
57
Conservative
Official portrait of Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP crop 2.jpg Sir Lindsay Hoyle
MP for Chorley
(born 1957)
E & R
4 November

2019
Incumbent Nov.2019
(Dec.2019)
57
58
Labour
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