Calais (constituency)

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For constituencies covering Calais in the French National Assembly, see Pas-de-Calais' 6th constituency and Pas-de-Calais' 7th constituency.
Calais
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Major settlementsCalais
1536–1558
Number of members2
Replaced byConstituency abolished
(annexed by France)

Calais (dated, Cales /ˈkæləs/) was a former constituency of the Parliament of England.

The Flemish town of Calais was under English rule from 1347 until 7 January 1558. During part of that time it was represented in the Parliament of England by two members.

In 1360 the Treaty of Brétigny assigned Guînes, Marck and Calais – collectively the “Pale of Cales“ – to English rule in perpetuity, but in a daring raid during the rule of Mary I, was retaken by France. In 1363 the town was made a staple port.

Reforms in the representation of the town[]

King Henry VIII of England decided to modify the arrangements for the government of Calais. A statute (27 Hen. VIII, c. 63) made provision for two members to be returned to the Parliament of England. One member was to be nominated, elected and chosen by the Deputy (the King's representative in the town) and his Council. The other member was to be nominated, elected and chosen by the Mayor and his Council.

Under the provisions of the statute, members were elected to ten Parliaments. On 6 December 1557 a writ was issued for the election of members to an eleventh Parliament, but before it met Calais had fallen to the French.

Members of Parliament 1536-1558[]

Summoned Elected Assembled Dissolved First Member Second Member
27 April 1536 1536 8 June 1536 18 July 1536
1 March 1539 1539 28 April 1539 24 July 1540 Thomas Broke
23 November 1541 1542 16 January 1542 28 March 1544 unknown unknown
1 December 1544 1545 23 November 1545 31 January 1547 Richard Blount Eustace Abington
2 August 1547 1547 4 November 1547 15 April 1552 Thomas Broke
5 January 1553 1553 1 March 1553 31 March 1553 unknown
14 August 1553 1553 5 October 1553 5 December 1553
17 February 1554 1554 2 April 1554 3 May 1554 William Horne
3 October 1554 1554 12 November 1554 16 January 1555
3 September 1555 1555 21 October 1555 9 December 1555 John Challoner[a]
6 December 1557 n/a 20 January 1558 17 November 1558 vacant vacant
  1. ^ It is not certain that Challoner was the member, but it was inferred that he was.

References[]

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