Portsmouth (UK Parliament constituency)


Portsmouth was a borough constituency based upon the borough of Portsmouth in Hampshire. It returned two members of parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

History

The constituency first elected MPs in 1295. It was abolished at the 1918 general election, when the Representation of the People Act 1918 divided it into three new constituencies; Portsmouth North, Portsmouth South and Portsmouth Central.
According to Namier and Brooke in The House of Commons 1754–1790, the right of election was in the freemen of the borough who numbered about 100. The town was known as an Admiralty borough and at least one MP was usually an Admiral.
The Earl of Sandwich was First Lord of the Admiralty from 1771 to 1782. He imposed tighter Admiralty control over the borough. This change of policy led to an independent element of the local Council supporting challengers to the Admiralty candidates between 1774 and 1780.
When party politics re-emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Portsmouth was a predominantly Whig constituency. It only once elected a Tory Member of Parliament between 1790 and 1832.
The Reform Act 1832 considerably expanded the electorate of the borough. The freemen retained their ancient right franchise, but were outnumbered by the new occupier voters amongst the 1,295 electors registered in 1832. As a result of the expanded electorate the borough became more competitive. Contested elections became the norm rather than the exception, as they had been before the Reform Act.
Candidates with naval connections continued to be frequent in Portsmouth, after the Reform Act. The borough developed into a marginal constituency, particularly in the last half century of its existence.

Boundaries

The parliamentary borough of Portsmouth was a major seaport and naval base on the south coast of England. It is situated in the county of Hampshire.
From the 1885 general election until the dissolution before the 1918 election the constituency was surrounded by the Fareham seat.

Members of Parliament

1295–1640

ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1372Richard Abraham?
January 1377Richard Abraham?
February 1383Richard Abraham?
1386William BristoweRichard Mautravers
1388 John atte Mede?
1388 Richard GayWilliam Bristowe
1390 Richard RobustWilliam atte Pury
1390 -
1391William atte PuryHenry Seys
1393William atte PuryRichard Whiliare
1394William Hicche IHenry Seys
1395Richard GayStephen Agulon
1397 William Hicche IIHenry Seys
1397 William Hicche IIHenry Seys
1399William atte PuryWilliam Balchief
1401-
1402Richard Spicer alias NewportWilliam Hicche II
1404 -
1404 -
1406William atte PuryRichard Gay
1407-
1410Henry Abraham-
1411William BalchiefWilliam atte Pury
1413 -
1413 William atte PuryWilliam Balchief
1414 -
1414 William BalchiefWilliam atte Pury
1415William atte PuryHenry Abraham
1416 William atte PuryThomas Robust
1416 -
1417William atte PuryRichard Gay
1419William BalchiefJohn Serle
1420William BalchiefJohn Versy
1421 Simon StubbereHenry Abraham
1421 William BalchiefRichard Hert
1422Henry Abraham
1433Robert AbrahamUnknown
1437Richard AbrahamUnknown
1467Henry UvedaleUnknown
1449-1450Robert AbrahamUnknown
1510–1523No names knownNo names known
1529Geoffrey LeeFrancis Dignely
1536?-
1539?John Chaderton?
1542Christopher Staverton?John Chaderton
1545John FryerMichael Gore
1547Robert BlountHenry Knollys
1553 Sir Richard WingfieldJohn Chaderton
1553 John ChadertonHenry Bickley
1554 Richard SackvilleWilliam Cooke
1554 Edmund CockerellJohn de Vic
1555Ralph HensloweEdmund Cockerell
1558Edward CordellEdmund Cockerell
1559William WynterGeorge Brooke alias Cobham
1563William WynterThomas Smythe
1571Lawrence BlundestoneHenry Slater
1572Sir Henry RadclyffeRobert Colshill
1584Thomas BodleyThomas Radcliffe
1586Thomas HarrisThomas Thorney
1588Thomas HarrisThomas Thorney
1593Edward RadclyffeThomas Thorney
1597William GreeneThomas Thorney
1601John MooreEdward Jones
1604Sir Oliver St JohnSir Richard Jenvoy
1614John GriffithGeorge Thorpe
1621–1622Sir Daniel NortonSir Benjamin Rudyerd
1624Sir William UvedaleSir Benjamin Rudyerd
1625Sir Benjamin RudyerdSir Daniel Norton
1626Sir James FullertonThomas Whatman
1628Owen JennensWilliam Towerson
1629–1640No Parliaments summoned-

1640–1918

Notes

Election notes

The bloc vote electoral system was used in two seat elections and first past the post for single member by-elections. Each voter had up to as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings.
Note on percentage change calculations: Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party percentage vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote.
Note on sources: The information for the election results given below is taken from Sedgwick 1715–1754, Namier and Brooke 1754–1790, Stooks Smith 1790–1832 and from Craig thereafter. Where Stooks Smith gives additional information or differs from the other sources this is indicated in a note after the result.

Election results 1715–1800


[|1710s] –
[|1720s] –
[|1730s] –
[|1740s] –
[|1750s] –
[|1760s] –
[|1770s] –
[|1780s] –
[|1790s]

Elections in the 1710s

Elections in the 1730s

[|1800s] – [|1810s] – [|1820s] – [|1830s] – [|1840s] – [|1850s] – [|1860s] – [|1870s] – [|1880s] – [|1890s] – [|1900s] – [|1910s]

Elections in the 1800s

Elections in the 1830s

Note : Stooks Smith gives a registered electorate figure of 1,517; but Craig's figure is used to calculate turnout.
Note : Daniel Quarrier was a candidate for this by-election, but retired before the poll.

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s