Yorkshire (UK Parliament constituency)

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Yorkshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Extract from 1831 result: the dark "quadruply" (very) orange area for this election; inside: 14 small areas, 'parliamentary boroughs'.
CountyYorkshire
1290–1832
Number of membersTwo until 1826, then Four
Replaced byYorkshire East Riding, Yorkshire North Riding and Yorkshire West Riding

Yorkshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290, 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, traditionally known as Knights of the Shire, until 1826, when the county benefited from the disfranchisement of Grampound by taking an additional two members.

The constituency was split into its three historic ridings, for Parliamentary purposes, under the Reform Act 1832. Each riding returned two MPs. The county was then represented by the Yorkshire East Riding, Yorkshire North Riding and Yorkshire West Riding constituencies.

Boundaries[]

Yorkshire is the largest of the historic counties of England. The constituency comprised the whole county. Yorkshire contained several boroughs which each independently returned two members to Parliament. These were Aldborough, Beverley, Boroughbridge, Hedon, Kingston upon Hull, Knaresborough, Malton, Northallerton, Pontefract, Richmond, Ripon, Scarborough, Thirsk and York.

Members of Parliament[]

MPs 1290–1640[]

  • Constituency created 1290
Parliament First member Second member
1309
1320 Sir Thomas Ughtred
1324
1339
1341
1364 Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton
1376
1377–1395
1378
1380
1382
1382
1383 Sir James Pickering
1384 Sir James Pickering
1385
1386 Sir John Godard [1]
1388 (Feb) [1]
1388 (Sep) Sir James Pickering [1]
1390 (Jan) [1]
1390 (Nov) Sir James Pickering[1]
1391 Sir John Godard [1]
1393 Sir Ralph Euer [1]
1394 [1]
1395 Sir Peter Buckton [1]
1397 (Jan) Sir Peter Buckton Sir Ralph Euer[1]
1397 (Sep) Sir James Pickering [1]
1399 [1]
1401 Sir Gerard Usflete[1]
1402 [1]
1404 (Jan) Sir Richard Tempest of Bracewell[1]
1404 (Oct) Sir Peter Buckton [1]
1406 Sir Richard Redman Sir Thomas Rokeby[1]
1407 Sir Edmund Hastings [1]
1410
1411 Sir John Etton [1]
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May) Sir Edmund Hastings [1]
1414 (Apr) [1]
1414 (Nov) Sir Richard Redman Sir John Etton[1]
1415 Sir Richard Redman Sir John Etton[1]
1416 (Mar) 1[1]
1416 (Oct)
1417
1419 Sir Robert Hilton [1]
1420 Sir Richard Redman Sir John Langton[1]
1421 (May) Sir Edmund Hastings [1]
1421 (Dec) Sir Richard Redman Sir John Etton[1]
1422 (Nov) Sir William Euer
1423 Sir Thomas Rokeby
1425 Sir Robert Hilton[2]
1426 Sir Robert Hilton[2]
1427 Sir Robert Hilton[2]
1431 (Jan) Sir William Euer
1439
1449 Sir James Strangways William Eure
1450
1461 Sir James Strangways
1467
1491
1491 Sir Richard Tunstall Sir Henry Wentworth[3]
1510–1515 Not known[4]
1523 Sir William Bulmer ?[4]
1529 Sir John Neville, ennobled and
repl. Feb 1533 by Sir John Neville II		 Sir Marmaduke Constable[4]
1536
1539 Sir Henry Savile Robert Bowes[4]
1542 Sir Ralph Ellerker Sir Robert Bowes, disqualified and
repl. Feb 1543 by [4]
1545
1547 Sir Nicholas Fairfax Sir William Babthorpe[4]
1553 (Mar) Sir Thomas Gargrave Sir Robert Constable[4]
1553 (Oct) Sir Robert Constable Sir William Vavasour[4]
1554 (Apr) Sir William Babthorpe Sir Christopher Danby[4]
1554 (Nov) Sir Thomas Wharton II Sir Thomas Gargrave[4]
1555 ?Sir Robert Constable Sir Thomas Gargrave[4]
1558 ?Thomas Wharton, 2nd Baron Wharton Sir Richard Cholmley[4]
1559 Sir Thomas Gargrave Sir Henry Savile[5]
1562 Sir Thomas Gargrave Sir Nicholas Fairfax[5]
1571 Sir Thomas Gargrave Sir Henry Gates[5]
1572 Sir Thomas Gargrave died and
repl. Jan 1576 by [5]
1584 Ralph Eure [5]
1586 Sir Henry Gates [5]
1588 Sir Ralph Bourchier[5]
1593 Sir George Savile, Bt [5]
1597 Sir John Savile Sir William Fairfax[5]
1601 Thomas Fairfax [5]
1604 Sir Francis Clifford Sir John Savile
1606 Sir Richard Gargrave
1614 Sir John Savile Sir Thomas Wentworth
1621 Sir Thomas Wentworth Lord George Calvert
1624 Sir Thomas Savile Sir John Savile
1625 Sir Thomas Wentworth Thomas Fairfax
1626 Sir John Savile Sir William Constable, Bt
1628 Henry Belasyse Sir Thomas Wentworth
1629 Sir Henry Savile, Bt
1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned

MPs 1640–1826[]

Short Parliament

Long Parliament

(Although writs were issued to fill both these vacancies, no elections seem to have been held and the seats remained vacant to the end of the Parliament)

Barebones Parliament (Nominated members)

First Protectorate Parliament (Fourteen members elected for the three Ridings)

Second Protectorate Parliament (Fourteen members elected for the three Ridings)

Third Protectorate Parliament

Long Parliament (restored) Both seats vacant

Year First member First party Second member Second party
1660 Thomas Fairfax Sir John Dawnay
1661 Conyers Darcy Sir John Goodricke, Bt
1670 Sir Thomas Slingsby, Bt
1679 Charles Boyle Henry Fairfax
1685
1689 Thomas Fairfax
1698 Henry Dawnay
January 1701
December 1701 Arthur Ingram
1702 Marquess of Hartington
January 1707 Thomas Fairfax
December 1707 Henry Dawnay Conyers Darcy
1708 Sir William Strickland, Bt
1710 Sir Arthur Kaye, Bt
February 1727 Cholmley Turner
August 1727 Sir Thomas Watson-Wentworth
1728 by-election Sir George Savile, Bt
1734 Sir Miles Stapylton, Bt
1741 Charles Howard
1742 by-election Cholmley Turner
1747 Sir Conyers Darcy
1750 by-election Henry Dawnay[6]
1759 by-election Sir George Savile, Bt Whig
1761 Edwin Lascelles Tory
1780 Henry Duncombe Tory
January 1784 by-election Francis Ferrand Foljambe Whig
April 1784 William Wilberforce Independent
1796 Hon. Henry Lascelles Tory
1806 Walter Fawkes Whig
1807 Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliam Whig
1812 Hon. Henry Lascelles Tory
1818 James Stuart-Wortley Tory
1826 representation increased to 4 members

MPs 1826–1832[]

Election First member Party Second member Party Third member Party Fourth Member Party
Representation increased to 4 members
1826 Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliam Whig William Duncombe Tory Richard Fountayne Wilson Tory John Marshall Whig
1830 George Howard Whig Ultra-Tory Richard Bethell Tory Henry Brougham[7] Whig
Sir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, Bt Whig
1831 George Strickland Whig John Charles Ramsden Whig
1832 Constituency abolished: see North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and West Yorkshire

Notes

  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 ab "History of Parliament". Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "HILTON, Sir Robert (d.c.1431), of Swine and Winestead in Holderness, Yorks". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  3. ^ Cavill. The English Parliaments of Henry VII 1485-1504.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "History of Parliament". Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament". Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  6. ^ Henry Dawnay, 3rd Viscount Downe died December 1760, but a new writ was not issued before the general election in 1761
  7. ^ Brougham was also elected for Knaresborough; he was elevated to the House of Lords before having chosen which constituency he would represent in the Commons

Elections[]

The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each voter 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 county town of York. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the (very large) county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of voters, 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.

Elections in the eighteenth century[]

Only two elections in the 18th century were contested.

General election 1734: Yorkshire (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Miles Stapylton 7,896 34.3 N/A
Whig Cholmley Turner 7,879 34.2 N/A
Whig Rowland Winn 7,699 33.5 N/A
Whig Edward Wortley Montagu 5,898 25.6 N/A
Majority 180 0.1 N/A
Turnout 23,007 N/A N/A
(1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Cholmley Turner 8,005 53.2 N/A
George Fox 7,049 46.8 N/A
Majority 956 6.4 +6.3
Turnout 15,054 N/A N/A

At the 1784 general election, the seat was initially contested, but the two Whig candidates Francis Ferrand Foljambe and William Weddell conceded without calling for a poll.

Elections in the 1800s[]

At the 1802 general election, William Wilberforce and Henry Lascelles were elected unopposed.

At the 1806 general election, William Wilberforce and Walter Ramsden Fawkes were elected unopposed.

Yorkshire election 1807
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent William Wilberforce 11,808 34.75 N/A
Whig Lord Milton 11,177 32.90 N/A
Tory Henry Lascelles 10,990 32.35 N/A
Majority 187 0.55 N/A
Turnout 33,975 N/A N/A
Independent hold Swing
Whig hold Swing

Elections in the 1810s and 1820s[]

At the 1812 general election, Viscount Milton and Henry Lascelles were elected unopposed.

At the 1818 and 1820 general elections, Viscount Milton and James Stuart Wortley were elected unopposed.

At the 1826 general election, Richard Fountayne Wilson, John Marshall, William Duncombe and Viscount Milton were elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1830s[]

General election 1830: Yorkshire (4 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig George Howard 1,464 29.0 N/A
Whig Henry Brougham 1,295 25.7 N/A
Ultra-Tory William Duncombe 1,123 22.3 N/A
Tory Richard Bethell 1,065 21.1 N/A
Whig Martin Stapyllton 94 1.9 N/A
Majority 71 19.2 N/A
Turnout 5,041 N/A N/A
Whig hold Swing
Whig hold Swing
Ultra-Tory hold Swing
Tory hold Swing
(1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone 361 77.6 N/A
Whig George Strickland 104 22.4 N/A
Majority 257 55.2 +36.0
Turnout 465 N/A N/A
Whig hold Swing

At the 1831 general election, George Strickland, John Charles Ramsden, John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone and George Howard were elected unopposed.

See also[]

References[]

Retrieved from ""