Northumberland (UK Parliament constituency)

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Northumberland
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1290–1832
Number of memberstwo
Replaced byNorth Northumberland, South Northumberland and Tynemouth and North Shields

Northumberland, was a County 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. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.

The constituency was split into two two-member divisions, for Parliamentary purposes, by the Reform Act of 1832. The county was then represented by the Northumberland North and Northumberland South constituencies.

Members of Parliament[]

MPs 1290–1640[]

Parliament First member Second member
1300
1311
1311
1314
1331
1334
1371
1372
1373
1377
1378
1379
1380 Sir Ralph Euer
1381 (Sir Aymer de Strathbogie of Felton) Sir Ralph Euer
1382 Sir Robert Clifford
1386 Sir Sir Robert Clavering[1]
1388 (Feb) Sir [1]
1388 (Sep) [1]
1390 (Jan) Sir [1]
1390 (Nov) [1]
1391 [1]
1393 [1]
1394 [1]
1395 [1]
1397 (Jan) [1]
1397 (Sep) [1]
1399 [1]
1401 [1]
1402 [1]
1404 (Jan) [1]
1404 (Oct) [1]
1406 [1]
1407 Sir Edmund Hastings [1]
1410
1411
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May) [1]
1414 (Apr) [1]
1414 (Nov) [1]
1415
1416 (Mar) Sir Robert Ogle [1]
1416 (Oct)
1417 [1]
1417
1419 Sir Robert Ogle [1]
1420 Sir Robert Ogle [1]
1421 (May) [1]
1421 (Dec) Sir Robert Ogle [1]
1425 Sir Robert Ogle [2]
1434
1435 Sir Robert Ogle [2]
1451 Sir John Ogle
1491 Sir William Tyler[3]
1510–1523 No Names Known[4]
1529 [4]
1536
1539
1542
1545
1547 Sir Thomas Hilton [4]
1553 (Mar)
1553 (Oct) Cuthbert Horsley[4]
1554 (Apr) [4]
1554 (Nov) Cuthbert Horsley[4]
1555 Sir Thomas Wharton George Heron[4]
1558 Sir Thomas Wharton [4]
1558–1589 Cuthbert Horsley[5]
1562–1565 John Vaughan (died 1665)[5]
1571 Sir Henry Percy [5]
1572 (Apr) [5]
1584 Edward Talbot[5]
1586 Edward Talbot[5]
1588 (Oct) [5]
1593 [5]
1597 Sir Robert Carey William Selby[5]
1601 (Oct) Sir Robert Carey William Selby[5]
1604–1611 Sir Henry Widdrington
1614 Sir Henry Widdrington Sir George Selby, declared inelig.
and repl. by
1621–1622 Sir William Grey Sir Henry Widdrington
1624 Sir John Fenwick Sir Francis Brandling
1625 Sir John Fenwick Sir Francis Brandling
1626 Sir John Fenwick Sir John Delaval
1628 Sir John Fenwick Sir William Carnaby
1629–1640 No Parliaments convened

MPs 1640–1832[]

Year First member First party Second member Second party
April 1640 Sir John Fenwick Sir William Widdrington Royalist
November 1640 Henry Percy[6] Royalist
1642 Sir John Fenwick[7] Parliamentarian
August 1642 Widdrington disabled from sitting – seat vacant
1645 William Fenwick
December 1648 Both Fenwicks excluded in Pride's Purge – seats vacant
1653 Not separately represented in Barebone's Parliament[8]
Northumberland's representation was increased to three members in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1654 William Fenwick, Robert Fenwick,
1656 William Fenwick, Robert Fenwick, Sir Thomas Widdrington
Representation reverted to two members in the Third Protectorate Parliament
January 1659 Sir William Fenwick (Sir) Ralph Delaval
May 1659 Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 Sir William Fenwick (Sir) Ralph Delaval[9]
1661 Viscount Mansfield
1677 Sir John Fenwick Sir Ralph Delaval
1685
1689 Philip Bickerstaffe
1698 Sir Edward Blackett
January 1701 Hon. William Howard
December 1701
1702
1705 Sir John Delaval
1708 Thomas Forster, junior[10] Tory Earl of Hertford
1716 Francis Blake Delaval
1722 Sir William Middleton, Bt
1723 William Wrightson[11]
1724 Ralph Jenison
1741
1748 Lord Ossulston[12]
1749
1754
1757
1768 Sir Edward Blackett
1774 Lord Algernon Percy Sir William Middleton, Bt
1786 Hon. Charles Grey[13]
1795 Thomas Richard Beaumont Tory
1807 Earl Percy
1812 Sir Charles Monck
1818 Thomas Wentworth Beaumont Tory
1820 Charles John Brandling
February 1826 Matthew Bell Tory
July 1826[14] Hon. Henry Liddell Tory
1830 Thomas Wentworth Beaumont Whig
1831 Henry Grey Whig
1832 Constituency abolished – see Northern Northumberland, Southern Northumberland

Elections[]

The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the adult male owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each elector had as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which took place in the town of Alnwick. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of electors, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.

The expense, to candidates, of contested elections encouraged the leading families of the county to agree on the candidates to be returned unopposed whenever possible. Contested county elections were therefore unusual. The Tory Percys, led by the Duke of Northumberland, shared the county representation with the Whig Grey Family.

See also[]

Sources[]

  1. ^ 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 "History of Parliament". Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  2. ^ a b "OGLE, Sir Robert (c.1370-1436), of Ogle, Northumb". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  3. ^ Cavill. The English Parliaments of Henry VII 1485-1504.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "History of Parliament". Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament". Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  6. ^ Expelled, December 1641, "for being concerned in a plot to bring up the King's army in the North, to over-awe the Parliament"
  7. ^ Fenwick was temporarily disabled from sitting in January 1644, but re-admitted in June 1646
  8. ^ Charles Howard, Robert Fenwick, Henry Dawson and Henry Ogle were collectively nominated for the Four Northern Counties (Northumberland, Durham, Westmorland and Cumberland
  9. ^ Created a baronet, June 1660
  10. ^ Expelled from the House of Commons for involvement in the Jacobite rising of 1715
  11. ^ On petition, Wrightson was adjudged not to have been duly elected
  12. ^ On petition, Ossulston waived his return in favour of his opponent, Allgood
  13. ^ Styled Viscount Howick from 1806
  14. ^ The Poll Book of the Contested Election for the County of Northumberland, from June 20th to July 6th, 1826. Alnwick: W. Davison. 1827. (results at p.381)
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