Henry Spiller

Sir Henry Spiller (born c. 1570 – died 16 April 1649) was an English office-holder, landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1629. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.

Spiller was born in about 1570, fifth son of John Spiller of Shaftesbury, Dorset. His only known education was as a law student at Lincoln's Inn in 1606, but he was already employed in government service as clerk to the Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer by 1594. He was later responsible for deriving income from recusants and his policies led to the sale of baronetcies from 1611. In 1612 James I granted him the manor of Laleham.

In 1614, Spiller was elected Member of Parliament for Arundel. He was knighted at Whitehall on 20 July 1618. He obtained the manor of Colquire in Cornwall in 1618 and was one of those granted the advowson of Esher in 1620.

He was re-elected MP for Arundel in 1621, 1624 and 1625. In 1628 he was elected MP for Thetford and Middlesex and chose to sit for Middlesex until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.

He sought re-election, to the Short Parliament of 1640, at Tewkesbury but was defeated by Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper (who was then a minor but was backed by the influence of Lord Coventry). Ashley Cooper called Spiller "a crafty, perverse, rich man" and "a great enemy to the town and the puritans".

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