List of MPs elected to the English parliament in 1604 Facts for Kids

In a stone-walled room, several armed men physically restrain another man, who is drawing his sword. This shows Guy Fawkes being discovered guarding gunpowder barrels in the House of Lords on 5 November 1605.

Sir Edward Phelips, who was the Speaker of this Parliament.

This article is about the first Parliament held during the reign of King James I, which started in 1604. It was also known as the "Blessed Parliament."

A Parliament is like a big meeting where elected representatives, called members of Parliament (MPs), gather to discuss laws and important issues for the country. This particular Parliament was called together on January 31, 1604.

It had several sessions, like different school terms:

The first session was from March 19, 1604, to July 7, 1604.
The second session started on November 5, 1605. This was the very day the famous Gunpowder Plot was discovered! It ended on May 27, 1606.
The third session ran from November 18, 1606, to July 5, 1607.
The fourth session began on February 9, 1609, and continued until July 23, 1610. After a short break, it met again until December 21, 1610, and was finally closed on February 9, 1611.

Back then, there wasn't an official list of all the MPs until 1621. So, finding out exactly who was in the 1604 Parliament was a bit tricky. However, a historian named Browne Willis was able to create a very good list thanks to notes from Sir Philip Sydenham.

The Gunpowder Plot and Parliament

The Gunpowder Plot was a plan by a group of people to blow up the Houses of Parliament. They wanted to kill King James I and many important people in the government. This event happened on November 5, 1605, right when the second session of this Parliament was about to begin.

Guy Fawkes was found guarding barrels of gunpowder hidden in the cellars beneath the House of Lords. His discovery stopped the plot and saved the King and Parliament. This event made the Parliament's second session very memorable and important.

Who Were the Members of Parliament?

MPs were chosen to represent different areas of England and Wales. These areas were called "constituencies." Each constituency would send one or two MPs to Parliament.

The table below shows some of the constituencies and the people who represented them. Sometimes, an MP might leave or pass away, and a new MP would be chosen to take their place. This was called a "by-election."

Constituency	Members	Notes
Bedfordshire MPs
Bedfordshire	Hon. Oliver St John Sir Edward Radclyffe
Bedford	Humphrey Winche Thomas Hawes	Winche was replaced by Sir Christopher Hatton.
Berkshire MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Berkshire	Sir Henry Neville Sir Francis Knollys
Windsor	Samuel Backhouse Thomas Durdent	Durdent passed away and was replaced by Sir Francis Howard.
Cornwall MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Cornwall	Sir Anthony Rous Sir Jonathan Trelawny	Trelawny passed away in 1604 and was replaced by Sir William Godolphin.
Grampound	William Noy Francis Barnham
Bossiney	George Upton Jerome Horsey	Upton passed away; George Calvert replaced him from 1609-1611.
Devon MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Devon	Edward Seymour Thomas Ridgeway	Ridgway was replaced in 1607 by Sir John Acland.
Plymouth	Sir Richard Hawkins James Bagg (a merchant)
Dorset MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Dorset	Sir Thomas Freke John Williams
Weymouth	Thomas Barfoot (the mayor) Sir John Hanham	Barfoot passed away and was replaced by William Cecil, Lord Cranborne.
Lyme Regis	Sir George Somers John Hassard	Somers passed away in 1610 and was replaced by Sir Francis Russell. Hassard was too ill in 1610 and was replaced by George Jeffreys.
Hampshire MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Hampshire	Sir Robert Oxenbridge William Jephson
Southampton	Thomas Fleming Sir John Jeffrys	Thomas Fleming became a Baron of the Exchequer in 1604. His son, Thomas Fleming, replaced him.
Stockbridge	Sir William Fortescue Edwin Sandys
Herefordshire MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Herefordshire	Sir James Scudamore Sir Herbert Croft
Hertfordshire MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Hertfordshire	Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland Sir Rowland Lytton
St Albans	Francis Bacon Adolph Carey	Bacon was also chosen for Ipswich, so Tobie Matthew replaced him. Carey passed away and was replaced by Sir Thomas Parry.
Huntingdonshire MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Huntingdonshire	Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington Sir Oliver Cromwell
Kent MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Kent	Sir John Scott Sir John Leveson
Rochester	Sir Edward Hoby (Sir) Thomas Walsingham (elder)
Lincolnshire MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Lincolnshire	Lord Clinton and Saye John Sheffield
Stamford	Sir Robert Wingfield Henry Hall	Wingfield passed away in 1609 and was replaced by Edward Cecil.
Middlesex MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Middlesex	Sir Robert Wroth Sir William Fleetwood	Julius Caesar served for part of the term.
City of London	Sir Henry Billingsley Sir Henry Montague Nicholas Fuller Richard Gore	Billingsley passed away in 1606 and was replaced by Sir Thomas Lowe.
Norfolk MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Norfolk	Nicholas Bacon Sir Charles Cornwallis
Norwich	Henry Hobart John Pettus
King's Lynn	Thomas Oxborough (the recorder) Robert Hitcham
Sussex MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Sussex	Robert Sackville Charles Howard
Horsham	John Dodderidge Michael Hicks
Midhurst	Francis Neville Sir Richard Weston	Weston might have replaced William Twinehoe.
Wiltshire MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Wiltshire	Sir Francis Popham Sir John Thynne
Wilton	Sir Thomas Edmondes Hugh Sandford
Westbury	Sir James Ley Matthew Ley	James Ley became a judge and was replaced by Alexander Chocke.
Yorkshire MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Yorkshire	Sir Francis Clifford Sir John Savile
Hedon	Sir Henry Constable Sir Christopher Hilliard	Constable was replaced in 1610 by John Digby.
Wales MPs
Constituency	Members	Notes
Glamorgan	Philip Herbert	Herbert was made a noble (ennobled) and was replaced by Sir Thomas Mansell.
Radnor	Sir Robert Harley