Family and Education

m. (1) 18 Aug. 1567, Elizabeth Durrant (bur. 20 Apr. 1587) of Hastings, 3s. 4da. (at least 1 d.v.p.); (2) by 1590, Alice (bur. 27 Apr. 1604), 4s. 1da. d.v.p. bur. 15 Apr. 1623.1

Offices Held

Jurat, Hastings by 1579-d.,2 mayor 1589-90, 1601-3, 1607-8, 1612;3 dep. for Hastings, Brotherhood of the Cinque Ports 1579, 1585, 1587, 1592, 1601, 1602, 1606, 1607, 1613, 1614, 1616; dep. for Hastings, Guestling 1598; Speaker of the Brotherhood 1590; bailiff for the Cinque Ports to Yarmouth, Norf. 1592-3.4

Biography

Five times mayor of Hastings, Lasher served as speaker of the Brotherhood of the Cinque Ports in 1590, and was instructed to help support the queen’s canopy at the coronation of James I. By 1600 he and his wife owned the Swan inn, which has been described as ‘the greatest and most popular hostelry in the town’.5 Following the death of Richard Lyffe in September 1605, he was returned to Parliament but took no known part in its activities. Described as ‘James Lasher jurat’, he was re-elected in 1614 by the corporation, which resolved to pay him 5s. a day while riding to and from Westminster and 2s. 6d. a day as parliamentary wages.6 Once again he took no recorded part in the Commons’ proceedings. In 1616 he was presented for enclosing the common well in the highway. Although he defended this action, saying that he wanted to keep the well ‘from common annoyance of bad people and boys’, he promised to remove the offending fencing.7 At the next parliamentary election in December 1620 Lasher transferred his interest in the borough’s junior seat to his eldest son, James. He ceased to attend meetings of the Hastings corporation after 12 May 1622, and died in April 1623, being buried in his local parish church of St. Clements. No will or letters of administration have been found.

Ref Volumes: 1604-1629

Author: Andrew Thrush

Notes

• 1. E. Suss. RO, St. Clement’s par. reg.
• 2. Ibid. bap. of s. James, 24 Apr. 1579.
• 3. W.G. Moss, Hist. Hastings, 135; J.M. Baines, Historic Hastings, 375.
• 4. Cal. of White and Black Bks. of Cinque Ports ed. F. Hull (Kent Recs. xix), 310, 330, 333, 337, 339-41, 354, 368, 373, 382-3, 400-1, 412.
• 5. Baines, 11, 266-7.
• 6. E. Suss. RO, HAS/DH/B98/1, ff. 107v, 174.
• 7. Baines, 165.