Abandoned families - Smith - Contents

John Smith, Speaker of the House of Commons

• Sources yet to be consulted:
  • John Smith in [DNB, 1885-1900 edn].
  • John Smith in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660-1690, ed. B.D. Henning, 1983.
  • John Smith in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715, ed. D. Hayton, E. Cruickshanks, S. Handley, 2002.
  • John Smith in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754, ed. R. Sedgwick, 1970.

John Smith, Speaker of the House of Commons.
Portrait c.1707-1708 by Godfrey Kneller.
From the Tate (and here).
He is shown holding a scroll inscribed "The Union Act".

• A copy of this Kneller portrait was presented to the Palace of Westminster in 1803. This must be the copy, by unknown artist, now in Palace of Westminster Collection, WoA 2724. See image. From here.
• In the early 19th century, a copy was made of this copy, as part of a series on the Speakers of the House of Commons, attributed to Thomas Athow. See image. From NPG.

John Smith, Speaker of the House of Commons (see here),
the Whig politician, born 1656.
He was educ St. John's College, Oxford. He matric 18 May 1672, aged 16.
Admitted to Middle Temple 1674 (or 1675).
First elected an MP in the March 1679 Parliament, for Ludgershall.
Succeeded to his estate of his father 1690 and then to the estate of his uncle Thomas Smith in 1692.
Inherited Tidworth House, South Tidworth.
Chancellor of the Exchequer 1699-1701.
He was the last Speaker of the House of Commons of England 1705-1706.
He was a Commissioner for arranging the Union of England and Scotland which came into effect 1707.
He was the first Speaker of the House of Commons of Great Britain 1707-1708.
Chancellor of the Exchequer 1708-1710.
He died 30 Sept or 2 Oct 1723, age 67 yrs,
buried 4 Oct 1723 in the old church at South Tidworth.
He had issue:

1. Mary Smith,
   mar before 1723 to Robert Sawyer Herbert.

John Smith in a list of the Speakers of the House of Commons.
From "A View of the House of Commons", published 1749.
See full size. From here.