A crisis developed in the spring of 1635 when an unpopular governor, Sir John Harvey, was arrested and deported to England by his own Council. This led to the February 1639 reappointment of former Governor Sir Francis Wyatt. Wyatt's instructions acknowledged the legal status of the General Assembly and of land titles granted by the London Company, ending 15 years of legal limbo.[2]
In late 1642 Sir William Berkeley was appointed Governor. He reorganized the Assembly into two houses along the lines of the English Parliament. The new lower house, the House of Burgesses, was to provide a counterweight to the Council-led group that had deposed Harvey. However, they maneuvered to elect one of their own, Thomas Stegg, as the first Speaker of the new House when it convened in March 1643.[2]
| Order[3] | Name | County or City | Born | Term began | Term ended | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Thomas Stegg | Charles City County | unknown | 1643 | 1643 | 1652 |
| 2nd | Edward Hill, Sr. | Charles City County | unknown | 1644 | 1645 | c.1663 |
| 3rd | Edmund Scarborough | Northampton County | c.1617 | 1645 | 1646 | 1671 |
| 4th | Ambrose Harmer | James City County | unknown | 1646 | 1646 | c.1647 |
| 5th | Thomas Harwood | Warwick County | unknown | 1647 | 1649 | 1652 |
| 6th | Edward Major | Nansemond County | 1615 | 1652 | 1652 | c.1655 |
| 7th | Thomas Dew | Nansemond County | unknown | 1652 | 1652 | c.1681 |
| 8th | Walter Chiles | James City County | unknown | 1653 | 1653 | 1653 |
| 9th | William Whitby | Warwick County | unknown | 1653 | 1653 | 1655 |
| 2nd | Edward Hill, Sr. | Charles City County | unknown | 1654 | 1655 | c.1663 |
| 10th | Francis Moryson | James City County | bef. 1628 | 1656 | 1656 | 1680/81 |
| 11th | John Smith | Warwick County | 1620 | 1658 | 1658 | 1663 |
| 2nd | Edward Hill, Sr. | Charles City County | unknown | 1659 | 1659 | c.1663 |
| 12th | Theodorick Bland | Charles City County | 1629 | 1660 | 1660 | 1671/72 |
| 13th | Henry Soane | James City County | unknown | 1661 | 1661 | 1661 |
| 14th | Robert Wynne | Charles City County | 1622 | 1662 | 1674 | 1675 |
| 15th | Augustine Warner, Jr. | Gloucester County | 1642/43 | 1676 | 1676 | 1681 |
| 16th | Thomas Godwin | Nansemond County | unknown | 1676 | 1676 | 1677/78 |
| 15th | Augustine Warner, Jr. | Gloucester County | 1642/43 | 1677 | 1677 | 1681 |
| 17th | William Travers | Rappahannock County | unknown | 1677 | 1677 | 1679 |
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