Christopher Yelverton

Sir Christopher Yelverton (1536 – 31 October, 1612) was an English judge and Speaker of the House of Commons.

Christopher Yelverton came from an ancient Norfolk family, tracing their descent back to Andrew Yelverton, who held considerable estates there in the reign of Edward II. His great-great-grandfather William Yelverton I married, first, Anne, a daughter of John Paston I (1421-1466) and Margaret Mautby, of Paston Hall, Norfolk.

The William Yelvertons II, III and IV (Christopher's father) seem to be descended from William Yelverton I's second marriage, to Eleanor Brewse of Rougham.

Christopher's father, William Yelverton IV of Rougham, Norfolk, married Anne, daughter and heiress of Sir Henry Fermor of East Barsham in Norfolk, "by whom he acquired large landed possessions."

He was the third son of William Yelverton of Rougham, Norfolk. He matriculated at Queens' College, Cambridge, in 1550.

He was returned as MP for Brackley, Northamptonshire, in 1563, for Northampton in 1571, 1572 and 1597 and as knight of the shire for Northamptonshire in 1593. He was elected Speaker of the House of Commons in 1597, when his son Henry Yelverton was also returned for the same constituency. He was a conspicuously successful Speaker, exercising moderation and discretion to defuse tensions between Parliament and the crown. His Puritan tendencies were well known. He was an eloquent orator, though his contributions to debates show him to have been as much concerned with careful legal drafting as with rhetorical showmanship, and his conduct as Speaker was marked by a lawyerly concern to establish proper procedures for the conduct of the business.

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