Flint Boroughs (UK Parliament constituency)


Flint Boroughs was a parliamentary constituency in north-east Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and its predecessors, from 1542 until it was abolished for the 1918 general election.

Boundaries

From its first known general election in 1542 until 1918, the constituency consisted of a number of boroughs within the historic county of Flintshire in north-east Wales. The seat should not be confused with the county constituency of Flintshire, which existed from the 16th century until 1950.
After 1918 Flintshire was represented in Parliament by the single member county constituency, which included all the boroughs formerly in the Flint District of Boroughs.

Flint 1535–1832

On the basis of information from several volumes of the History of Parliament, it is apparent that the history of the borough representation of Wales and Monmouthshire is more complicated than that of the English boroughs.
The Laws in Wales Act 1535 provided for a single borough seat for each of 11 of the 12 Welsh counties and Monmouthshire. The legislation was ambiguous as to which communities were enfranchised. The county towns were awarded a seat, but these seats in some way represented all the ancient boroughs of the county, as the boroughs other than county towns were also required to contribute to the members' wages. It is not clear whether the burgesses of the contributing boroughs could vote in the election. The only election under the original scheme was that for the 1542 Parliament. It seems that only burgesses from the county towns actually took part. An Act of 1544 confirmed that the contributing boroughs could send representatives to take part in the election at the county town. As far as can be told from surviving indentures of returns, the degree to which the out boroughs participated varied, but by the end of the 16th century all the seats had some participation from them at some elections at least.
The original scheme was modified by later legislation and decisions of the House of Commons.
In the case of Flintshire, the county town was Flint. The out boroughs were Caergwrle, Caerwys, Overton and Rhuddlan.
In 1690–1715 the freemen of the five boroughs were entitled to vote. The exact number is unknown, but in the only poll of the period there were 760 voters.
Between 1715 and 1754 the House of Commons changed the franchise of the constituency. In 1727 there were about 1000 freemen entitled to vote. Thereafter the inhabitants of the five boroughs, paying scot and lot, formed the electorate. They numbered about 600.
From 1754 to 1790, there were still about 600 voters. Namier and Brooke point out that the constituency was controlled by local squires. No election went to a poll in that period.

Flint Boroughs 1832–1918

The Flint Boroughs was a district of boroughs constituency, which grouped a number of parliamentary boroughs in Flintshire into one single member constituency. The voters from each participating borough cast ballots, which were added together over the whole district to decide the result of the poll. The enfranchised communities in this district, from 1832, were the eight boroughs of Flint, Caergwrle, Caerwys, Holywell, Mold, Overton, Rhuddlan and St Asaph.
The boundaries of the parliamentary boroughs in the district were altered by the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1868, but the general nature of the constituency was unchanged. There were no further boundary changes in the 1885 redistribution of parliamentary seats.

Members of Parliament

Members of Parliament 1542–1640

As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments held in this period, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given. 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.
ElectedAssembledDissolvedMemberNote
154216 January 154228 March 1544unknown
154523 November 154531 January 1547Thomas Salusbury
15474 November 154715 April 1552Robert Massey
15531 March 155331 March 1553Edward Stanley
15535 October 15535 December 1553Edward Stanley
15542 April 15543 May 1554?Robert Massey
155412 November 155416 January 1555Robert Massey
155521 October 15559 December 1555Edward Stanley II
155820 January 155817 November 1558Peter Mostyn
155923 January 15598 May 1559John Hanmer-
1562/311 January 15632 January 1567John Conway
15712 April 157129 May 1571John Hanmer
15728 May 157219 April 1583Humphrey Hanmer
158423 November 158414 September 1585Richard Lloyd
158613 October 158623 March 1587Michael Doughty
15884 February 158929 March 1589John Edwards
159318 February 159310 April 1593Thomas Griffith
159724 October 15979 February 1598Edward Morgan
160127 October 160119 December 1601John Price
160419 March 16049 February 1611Roger Brereton
16145 April 16147 June 1614John Eyton
162016 January 16218 February 1622William Ravenscroft
162412 February 162427 March 1625William Ravenscroft
162517 May 162512 August 1625William Ravenscroft
16266 February 162615 June 1626John Salusbury
162817 March 162810 March 1629William Ravenscroft
164013 April 16405 May 1640Sir Thomas Hanmer, Bt

Members of Parliament 1640–1660

This sub-section includes the Long Parliament and the Rump Parliament, together with the Parliaments of the Commonwealth and the Protectorate.
ElectedAssembledDissolvedMemberNote
16403 November 16405 December 1648John Salusbury
Disabled 1643
Thomas Myddelton
1646–1648		Long Parliament
...6 December 164820 April 1653unrepresentedRump Parliament
...4 July 165312 December 1653unrepresentedBarebones Parliament
16543 September 165422 January 1655unrepresentedFirst Protectorate Parliament
165617 September 16564 February 1658unrepresentedSecond Protectorate Parliament
1658/5927 January 165922 April 1659John HanmerThird Protectorate Parliament
...7 May 165920 February 1660unrepresentedRump Parliament restored
...21 February 166016 March 1660unknownLong Parliament restored

Members of Parliament 1660–1918

Supplemental Notes:-
Sources 1690–1715: Cruickshanks et al.; 1715–1754: Stooks Smith; 1754–1784: Namier and Brooke; 1784–1832 Stooks Smith. Positive swing is from Whig to Tory.
Source 1832–1918: Craig. Positive swing is from Liberal to Conservative.

Elections in the 1830s

Lloyd was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Mostyn and causing a by-election.
Glynne resigned, causing a by-election.

Election results 1832-1868

Elections in the 1830s

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1860s

Election results 1868-1880

Elections in the 1860s

Elections in the 1870s

Hanmer was raised to the peerage, becoming Lord Hanmer.
Eyton's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1880s

Election results 1885-1918

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1914/15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;