Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards
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The constituency of Huntingdon has existed in three separate forms: as a Parliamentary Borough from 1295 to 1885; as a Division of a Parliamentary County from 1885 to 1918; and as a County Constituency from 1983 until the present day.
Representatives for the seat, the standard two burgesses per parliamentary borough, were summoned to form the first fully assembled parliament, the Model Parliament in 1295 and at all parliaments assembled from then until 1868, in which year the constituency was reduced to a single-member Borough in accordance with the Reform Act 1867. In the mid-17th century, this was Oliver Cromwell's constituency.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the Parliamentary Borough was abolished altogether and the two-member Parliamentary County of Huntingdonshire was replaced by the two-single member seats formally known as the Northern or Ramsey Division and the Southern or Huntingdon Division. It was abolished under the Representation of the People Act 1918 when it was re-combined with Ramsey and Huntingdonshire was re-established as a single member constituency.
As a result of the Local Government Act 1972, the two counties of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely, and Huntingdon and Peterborough were merged to form the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire, with effect from 1 April 1974. However, the next redistribution did not come into effect until the 1983 general election, when the majority of the Huntingdonshire constituency, including Huntingdon, Godmanchester, Ramsey and St Ives, was formed into the new County Constituency of Huntingdon. Areas to the south of Peterborough, which were now part of the expanded City of Peterborough, were included the Borough Constituency of Peterborough and southernmost areas, including St Neots, were included in the new County Constituency of South West Cambridgeshire. The re-established constituency also included rural areas to the west of Peterborough, including Barnack and Werrington.
There were significant boundary changes at the 1997 general election, when the neighbouring seat of North West Cambridgeshire was created from areas previously in the seats of Huntingdon and Peterborough.
The former Conservative Prime Minister (1990–1997) John Major represented the seat from its re-creation in 1983 until his retirement in 2001. His majority in 1992 (36,230) was the largest majority for any member of parliament post-1832 until 2017, in which George Howarth won a 42,214 vote majority in Knowsley.
1832–1885: The townships of Huntingdon and Godmanchester.[3]
1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Leightonstone and Toseland, incorporating the towns of Huntingdon, Godmanchester, and St Neots.[4]
1983–1997: The District of Huntingdon wards of Brampton, Bury, Earith, Ellington, Elton, Farcet, Fenstanton, Godmanchester, Hemingford Abbots and Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Houghton and Wyton, Huntingdon North, Huntingdon West, Kimbolton, Needingworth, Ramsey, Sawtry, Somersham, Stilton, St Ives North, St Ives South, The Stukeleys, Upwood and The Raveleys, Warboys, and Yaxley, and the City of Peterborough wards of Barnack, Glinton, Northborough, Werrington, and Wittering.[5]
1997–2010: The District of Huntingdonshire wards of Brampton, Buckden, Eaton Ford, Eaton Socon, Ellington, Eynesbury, Fenstanton, Godmanchester, Gransden, Hemingford Abbots and Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Houghton and Wyton, Huntingdon North, Huntingdon West, Kimbolton, Needingworth, Paxton, Priory Park, St Ives North, St Ives South, Staughton, The Offords, and The Stukeleys.[6]
Gained the parts of the District of Huntingdon, including St Neots, which had previously been part of the abolished South West Cambridgeshire constituency. The City of Peterborough ward of Werrington was transferred to the Peterborough constituency. Remaining Peterborough wards and northern parts of the District of Huntingdon, including Ramsey, were included in the new County Constituency of North West Cambridgeshire.
2010–present: The District of Huntingdonshire wards of Alconbury and The Stukeleys, Brampton, Buckden, Fenstanton, Godmanchester, Gransden and The Offords, Huntingdon East, Huntingdon North, Huntingdon West, Kimbolton and Staughton, Little Paxton, St Ives East, St Ives South, St Ives West, St Neots Eaton Ford, St Neots Eaton Socon, St Neots Eynesbury, St Neots Priory Park, and The Hemingfords.[7]
Local authority wards revised. Further minor loss to North West Cambridgeshire.
The constituency consists of the towns of St Neots, Huntingdon, St Ives, Godmanchester and a number of smaller settlements in Western Cambridgeshire.
Members of Parliament[]
MPs c1290–1660[]
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Wells and Sweeting were put forward as candidates, and received "a show of hands of ten to one" against Calvert and Stuart, who had received seven and five respectively. However, the mayor declared Stuart and Calvert as having the majority of legal votes and the seat was not put to a poll.[29]
^A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
^As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years, though this was not the case in its first creation
^ Jump up to: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyCraig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885(e-book)|format= requires |url= (help) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN978-1-349-02349-3.
^"Huntingdon and Godmanchester Election". Huntingdon, Bedford & Peterborough Gazette. 15 December 1832. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
