Northamptonshire (UK Parliament constituency)

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Northamptonshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1290–1832
Number of memberstwo

The county constituency of Northamptonshire, in the East Midlands of England was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832 and was represented in Parliament by two MPs, traditionally known as Knights of the Shire.

After 1832 the county was split into two new constituencies, North Northamptonshire and South Northamptonshire.

Boundaries[]

The constituency consisted of the historic county of Northamptonshire. Although the county contained a number of parliamentary boroughs, each of which elected one or two MPs in its own right for parts of the period when Northamptonshire was a constituency, these areas were not excluded from the county constituency. Owning freehold property of the required value, within such boroughs, could confer a vote at the county election. (After 1832, only non-resident owners of forty shilling freeholds situated in borough seats could qualify for a county vote on the basis of that property.)

Members of Parliament[]

1290–1640[]

Constituency created (1290)

Parliament First member Second member
1305 (Feb) [1] [1]
1319 [1] William Trussell[1]
1324
1330 (Nov) [1] [1]
1337
1343 Sir William Brabazon[1]
1351 Sir Peter Mallore
1369 John de Verdon William de Quenton
1380 (Jan) John Tyndale
1382 (Oct) John Tyndale
1383 (Feb) John Tyndale
1383 (Oct)
1384 (Apr) John Tyndale
1384 (Nov) John Tyndale
1385
1386 John Tyndale[2]
1388 (Feb) [2]
1388 (Sep) [2]
1390 (Jan) [2]
1390 (Nov) [2]
1391 [2]
1393 John Tyndale[2]
1394 Sir Henry Green [2]
1395 [2]
1397 (Jan) Sir Henry Green [2]
1397 (Sep) [2]
1399 [2]
1401 [2]
1402 [2]
1404 (Jan) [2]
1404 (Oct) Ralph Green [2]
1406 / [2]
1407 John Tyndale [2]
1410 Sir John St. John Ralph Green[2]
1411 Sir John St. John [2]
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May) Nicholas Merbury [2]
1414 (Apr) Nicholas Merbury[2]
1414 (Nov) [2]
1415
1416 (Mar) Sir John St. John [2]
1416 (Oct)
1417 [2]
1419 [2]
1420 [2]
1421 (May) Sir John St. John [2]
1421 (Dec) Sir John Knyvet [2]
1423 William Tresham
1425
1427 William Tresham
1429 William Tresham
1431 ?
1432 William Tresham
1433 William Tresham
1435 William Tresham
1437 ?
1439 William Tresham
1442 William Tresham
1445 William Tresham
1447 William Tresham
1449 (Feb) William Tresham
1449 (Oct) William Tresham Thomas Thorpe
1450 (Nov)
1453 Sir Thomas Tresham
1459 Sir Thomas Tresham
1484 William Catesby
1486 Sir Thomas Lovell
1491 Richard Empson Davy Philip
1510–1512 No names known[3]
1515 ? ? [3]
1523
1529 Sir William Parr [3]
1536
1539 Sir William Parr Sir Thomas Tresham[3]
1542 Sir Thomas Tresham [3]
1545
1547 [3]
1553 (Mar) Sir Nicholas Throckmorton Robert Lane[3]
1553 (Oct) [3]
1554 (Apr) Sir Thomas Tresham Sir John Spencer[3]
1554 (Nov) Sir Thomas Tresham [3]
1555 [3]

As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given for those up to 1640. Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or is not recorded in a surviving document, the entry unknown is entered in the table.

Elected Assembled Dissolved First Member Second Member
1558 20 January 1558 17 November 1558 Sir Walter Mildmay Sir John Spencer
1559 23 January 1559 8 May 1559 Edward Montagu
1563 11 January 1563 2 January 1567 Sir William Cecil
1571 2 April 1571 29 May 1571 Sir Robert Lane
1572 8 May 1572 19 April 1583 (Sir) Christopher Hatton
1584 23 November 1584 14 September 1585
1586 15 October 1586 23 March 1587
1588 4 February 1589 29 March 1589 Sir Richard Knightley
1593 18 February 1593 10 April 1593 Sir Thomas Cecil Christopher Yelverton
1597 24 October 1597 9 February 1598 Sir Richard Knightley
1601 27 October 1601 19 December 1601 Sir John Stanhope Sir William Lane
1604 19 March 1604 9 February 1611 Sir Valentine Knightley Sir Edward Montagu
1614 5 April 1614 7 June 1614 Sir William Tate[4]
1620 16 January 1621 8 February 1622 Sir William Spencer
(1621) Richard Knightley[5]
1624 12 February 1624 27 March 1625
1625 17 May 1625 12 August 1625
1626 6 February 1626 15 June 1626
1628 17 March 1628 10 March 1629 Francis Nicolls Richard Knightley
1629–1640 No Parliaments convened

1640–1832[]

Election First member First party Second member Second party
Northamptonshire was represented by 2 elected Knights of the Shire
1640, April John Crew Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt
1640, November Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt Parliamentarian Sir John Dryden, Bt Parliamentarian
Northamptonshire was represented by 2 nominated MPs in Barebones Parliament
1653 [6] Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt
Northamptonshire's representation was increased to 6 elected MPs in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1654 (1) Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt (2) John Crew[7]
(3) Sir John Norwich, Bt (4) John Claypole, senior
(5) Sir John Dryden, Bt (6)
1656 (1) Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt (2) John Claypole[8]
(3) William Boteler (4) James Langham
(5) Thomas Crew (6) Alexander Blake
Northamptonshire's representation was decreased to 2 MPs in the Third Parliament of the Protectorate and thereafter
1659, January Richard Knightley Philip Holman
1659, May Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt vacant
1660, April 22 John Crew Sir Henry Yelverton, Bt
21 March 1661 Sir Justinian Isham, 2nd Bt
29 April 1675 Lord Burghley
28 February 1678
6 February 1679
21 August 1679
12 May 1685 Edward Montagu Tory
14 January 1689 Whig
13 June 1689 Sir Thomas Samwell, Bt
20 February 1690 Whig Whig
14 November 1695 Thomas Cartwright Tory
21 July 1698 Sir Justinian Isham, 4th Bt Tory Whig
4 December 1701 Thomas Cartwright Tory
Sir Justinian Isham, 5th Bt
Sir Edmund Isham, Bt
31 March 1768 Sir William Dolben, Bt
Lucy Knightley
18 October 1774 Thomas Powys
15 April 1784 Sir James Langham, Bt
23 June 1790
William Ralph Cartwright Tory
12 November 1806 Viscount Althorp Whig
23 May 1831 Viscount Milton Whig
Constituency abolished 1832: see North Northamptonshire and South Northamptonshire.

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Members of Parliament 1213-1702. London: House of Commons. 1878.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac "History of Parliament". Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "History of Parliament". Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  4. ^ "TATE, Sir William (1559/60-1617), of Delapré Abbey, Northants". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  5. ^ Elected following the elevation of Sir Edward Montagu to the peerage in 1621
  6. ^ From: 'List of members nominated for Parliament of 1653', Diary of Thomas Burton esq, volume 4: March - April 1659 (1828), pp. 499-500. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=36965. Date accessed: 27 January 2008.
  7. ^ Appointed to Cromwell's Upper House, which first sat on 20 January 1658.
  8. ^ Claypole was also elected for Carmarthenshire and chose Northamptonshire.[1]

Elections[]

See also[]

References[]

  • Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [2]
  • The House of Commons 1690-1715, by Eveline Cruickshanks, Stuart Handley and D.W. Hayton (Cambridge University Press 2002)
  • J E Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949)
  • The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973))
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 3)
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