Refusing taxes was a delicate issue in the 14th century -
especially when those taxes were partly designed to
support the King's mistress. The Good Parliament was
fortunate in having a man of powerful and impressive
character, Sir Peter de la Mare, to present their case to
the King. When he alone was granted access to the Lords,
he held up proceedings for two hours until the Commons
was permitted to join him - thus establishing the right of the
Commons to be heard by the Lords if it wished.
'What one of us says, all of us say and consent to,' he said -
a declaration which remains true today. Since then, the Commons has always communicated with the monarch through an elected 'Speaker' - the first of whom, Sir Thomas Hungerford, was elected a year later, in 1377.
