Middlesex (UK Parliament constituency)


Middlesex was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, then of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until abolished in 1885. It returned two members per election by various voting systems including hustings.

Boundaries and boundary changes

This county constituency until 1832 covered all the historic county of Middlesex, in south-eastern England, comprising Spelthorne, Poyle, South Mimms and Potters Bar in other modern counties, together with the north, west, and north-west sectors of the present-day Greater London. Apart from the ability of some voters to participate in the borough franchises of the cities of London and Westminster, it gave rise to three more urban offshoot divisions in 1832, one of which was split in two at the next national review or reform, in 1868. Its southern boundary was the River Thames.
The county seat returned two Members of Parliament. The place of election for the county was until 1700 at Hampstead Heath, thereafter at The Butts in the town centre of Brentford. Hustings were typically over a period of a fortnight when candidates set out their stall, and visible bribery had become not uncommon in closer contests around the country in such larger seats at the time, inspiring William Hogarth’s series of four pictures titled ‘Four Prints of An Election’.
Until 1832 the county franchise was limited to forty shilling freeholders. The decrease in the value of money due to inflation and the expansion of the wealth and population as the urbanised area in the east around London and Westminster grew contributed to gradually expanding the electorate. The county was estimated by Henning to have about 1,660 voters in 1681. Sedgwick estimated about 3,000 in the 1715–54 period. Namier and Brook suggested there were about 3,500 in 1754–90. The number had reached about 6,000 by 1790–1820, according to Thorne. Close elections between popular candidates would therefore be expensive - the worth of being a local magistrate, major landowner or other dignitary carrying little weight among such a generally urban and numerous upper-middle class forming the bulk of the electorate.
For subsequent changes in the franchise see Reform Act 1832 and Reform Act 1867. From 1832 voters were registered; the size of the electorate is shown below.
The geographic county until 1885 also contained the borough constituencies of City of London and Westminster. In 1832 three two-seat Boroughs were added : Finsbury, Marylebone, and Tower Hamlets. In 1867 two new parliamentary boroughs each returning two MPs were constituted: 'Hackney' formerly represented in borough elections via Tower Hamlets and 'Chelsea'. The single-member non-territorial University constituency of London University was somewhat connected to the county by having most of its graduates eligible to vote.
Possession of a county electoral qualification, deriving from owning various types of property or having ecclesiastical 'offices' in an area not otherwise represented, conferred the right to vote in the county elections.
An 1885 redistribution of seats saw Middlesex and its early breakaway seats in and around the City reformed under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 reflecting the wider electorate of the Reform Act 1884 and need to 'liberate' boroughs, i.e. urban areas without properly apportioned representation:
;Local government bodies
In 1889 the 40 urban constituencies that comprised the south-eastern part fell into a County of London save for the much smaller City of London which remained a separate quasi-county and legal jurisdiction. The seven county divisions in the north and west of the historic county came under a new local government body, the administrative county of Middlesex. Both counties were also known by their governing bodies' name, County Councils. The seven successor seats were Brentford, Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, Hornsey, Tottenham and Uxbridge. These had MCC local governance until its abolition in 1965.

Members of Parliament

Preliminary note: The English civil year started on Lady Day, 25 March, until 1752. The year used in the lists of Parliaments in this article have been converted to the new style where necessary. Old style dates for days between 1 January and 24 March actually referred to days after 31 December. No attempt has been made to compensate for the eleven days which did not occur in September 1752 in both England and Scotland as well as other British controlled territories, so as to bring the British Empire fully in line with the Gregorian calendar.
Constituency created'' : See Montfort's Parliament for further details. Knights of the shire are known to have been summoned to most Parliaments from 1290 and to every one from 1320.

Knights of the shire 1265–1660

Some of the members elected during this period have been identified, but this list does not include Parliaments where no member has been identified before the reign of King Henry VIII. In the list the year given is for the first meeting of the Parliament, with the month added where there was more than one Parliament in the year. If a second year is given this is a date of dissolution. Early Parliaments usually only existed for a few days or weeks, so dissolutions in the same year as the first meeting are not recorded in this list If a specific date of election is known this is recorded in italic brackets. The Roman numerals in brackets, following some names, are those used to distinguish different politicians of the same name in 'The House of Commons' 1509-1558 and 1558-1603.
In this period, Parliament was not an institution with a regular pattern of elections and sittings. Therefore, a separate entry is made for each Parliament, even if the same Knight of the Shire served in successive Parliaments.
List of known Knights of the Shire before 1509
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1295 William de BrookStephen de Gravesend
1296Richard de WyndesorRichard le Rous
1297 Richard le Rous?
1298 Richard le Rous?
1298 Richard le Rous?
1300Richard le Rous?
1301Richard le Rous?
1302 Richard le Rous?
1305 Richard le Rous?
1306Richard le Rous?
1386Sir Adam FrancisWilliam Swanland
1388 Sir Adam FrancisWilliam Swanland
1388 William BarnvilleGodfrey Atte Perry
1390 John Shorditch IThomas Coningsby
1390 John Shorditch ISir Adam Francis
1391Thomas BrayWilliam Norton
1393William TamworthThomas Maidstone
1394John Shorditch IIJames Ormesby
1395John Shorditch IIThomas Coningsby
1397 Thomas GoodlakeThomas Maidstone
1397 Sir Adam FrancisSir John Wroth
1399John DurhamThomas Maidstone
1401William LoveneySir John Wroth
1402James NorthamptonThomas Coningsby
1404 William WrothSir John Wroth
1404 Sir Roger StrangeWilliam Powe
1406Henry SomerSir John Wroth
1407Henry SomerWilliam Loveney
1410-
1411Sir Adam FrancisSir Roger Strange
1413 -
1413 William LoveneyRichard Wyot
1414 Simon CampWalter Green
1414 Thomas CharltonJohn Walden
1415Simon CampThomas Coningsby
1416 -
1416 Henry SomerWalter Gawtron
1419Thomas FrowykThomas Coningsby
1420Sir John BoysWalter Green
1421 Henry SomerSir Thomas Charlton
1421 Richard MaidstoneEdmund Bibbesworth
1429Henry Somer-
1442Thomas CharltonJohn Somerset
1447Thomas Charlton-
1449Thomas Charlton-
1453Thomas Charlton-
1459Sir Thomas Charlton-
1460Sir Thomas Charlton-
1491Sir Thomas Lovell-

Table of Knights of the Shire 1509-1660
SummonedElectedAssembledDissolvedFirst MemberSecond Member
17 October 15091509/1021 January 151023 February 1510Sir Thomas Lovell unknown
28 November 15111511/124 February 15124 March 1514unknownunknown
23 November 15141514/155 February 151522 December 1515unknownunknown
unknown152315 April 152313 August 1523Sir Thomas More aunknown
9 August 152915293 November 152914 April 1536Robert Wroth bRichard Hawkes c
27 April 153615368 June 153618 July 1536unknownunknown
1 March 1539153928 April 153924 July 1540Sir Ralph SadlerRobert Cheeseman
23 November 15411541/4216 January 154228 March 1544Robert CheesemanJohn Hughes d
1 December 15441544/4523 November 154531 January 1547Sir William PagetThomas Wroth
2 August 154715474 November 154715 April 1552Sir Thomas WrothJohn Newdigate
5 January 155315531 March 155331 March 1553Sir Robert BowesSir Thomas Wroth
14 August 155315535 October 15535 December 1553Sir Edward HastingsJohn Newdigate
17 February 155415542 April 15543 May 1554Sir Edward HastingsJohn Newdigate
3 October 1554155412 November 155416 January 1555Sir Edward HastingsSir Roger Cholmley
3 September 1555155521 October 15559 December 1555Sir Edward HastingsSir Roger Cholmley
6 December 15571557/5820 January 155817 November 1558Sir Roger CholmleyJohn Newdigate
5 December 155829 December 155823 January 15598 May 1559Sir Roger CholmleySir Thomas Wroth
10 November 15621562/6311 January 15632 January 1567Sir William CordellSir Thomas Wroth
unknown15712 April 157129 May 1571Francis NewdigateJohn Newdigate
28 March 157215728 May 157219 April 1583Robert Wroth Sir Owen Hopton
12 October 1584158423 November 158414 September 1585Robert Wroth Sir Owen Hopton
15 September 1586158615 October 158623 March 1587Robert Wroth William Fleetwood
18 September 158819 December 15884 February 158929 March 1589Robert Wroth William Fleetwood
4 January 1593159318 February 159310 April 1593Robert Wroth Francis Bacon
23 August 159715 September 159724 October 15979 February 1598Sir Robert Wroth Sir John Peyton
11 September 16018 October 160127 October 160119 December 1601Sir John Fortescue Sir Robert Wroth
31 January 1604160419 March 16049 February 1611Sir William FleetwoodSir Robert Wroth
unknown16145 April 16147 June 1614Sir Julius CaesarSir Thomas Lake
13 November 16201620/2116 January 16218 February 1622Sir Francis DarcySir Gilbert Gerard, Bt
20 December 16231623/2412 February 162427 March 1625Sir Gilbert Gerard, BtSir John Suckling
2 April 1625162517 May 162512 August 1625Sir John FrancklynSir Gilbert Gerard, Bt
20 December 162516266 February 162615 June 1626Sir Gilbert Gerard, BtSir Edward Spencer
31 January 1628162817 March 162810 March 1629Sir Francis DarcySir Henry Spiller
1629–1640No Parliaments summonedNo Parliaments summonedNo Parliaments summonedNo Parliaments summonedNo Parliaments summoned
20 February 1640164013 April 16405 May 1640Sir John FrancklynSir Gilbert Gerard, Bt
24 September 164016403 November 164016 March 1660 eSir John Francklyn fSir Gilbert Gerard, Bt g
24 September 164018 May 16483 November 164016 March 1660 eSir Edward Spencer hSir Gilbert Gerard, Bt g

Notes:-
Table of Members of the Commonwealth Parliaments 1653-1659
The County had three nominated members in the Barebones Parliament, four representatives in the First and Second and the usual two in the Third of the Protectorate Parliaments

Knights of the shire 1660–1885

Notes:-

General notes

In multi-member elections the bloc voting system was used. Voters could cast a vote for one or two candidates, as they chose. The leading candidates with the largest number of votes were elected.
In by-elections, to fill a single seat, the first past the post system applied.
After 1832, when registration of voters was introduced, a turnout figure is given for contested elections. In two-member elections, when the exact number of participating voters is unknown, this is calculated by dividing the number of votes by two. To the extent that electors did not use both their votes this will be an underestimate of turnout.
Where a party had more than one candidate in one or both of a pair of successive elections change is calculated for each individual candidate, otherwise change is based on the party vote.
Candidates for whom no party has been identified are classified as Non Partisan. The candidate might have been associated with a party or faction in Parliament or consider himself to belong to a particular political tradition. Political parties before the nineteenth century were not as cohesive or organised as they later became. Contemporary commentators in the eighteenth century did not necessarily agree who the party supporters were. The traditional parties, which had arisen in the late seventeenth century, became increasingly irrelevant to politics in the eighteenth century, although for some contests in some constituencies party labels were still used. It was only towards the end of the century that party labels began to acquire some meaning again, although this process was by no means complete for several more generations.
Sources: The results for elections 1660-1790 were taken from the History of Parliament Trust publications. The results are based on Stooks Smith from 1790 until the 1832 general election and Craig from 1832. Where Stooks Smith gives additional information after 1832 this is indicated in a note.

Results 1660–1885

Parliament of England

Byng's death caused a by-election.
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