Richmond (Yorks) (UK Parliament constituency)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Richmond (Yorks) County constituency |
|
|---|---|
  |
|
| Richmond (Yorks) shown within North Yorkshire, and North Yorkshire shown within England | |
| Created: | 1585 |
| MP: | William Hague |
| Party: | Conservative |
| Type: | House of Commons |
| County: | North Yorkshire |
| EP constituency: | Yorkshire and the Humber |
Richmond (Yorks) is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It is the second safest Conservative seat in the United Kingdom.
Contents |
[edit] Boundaries
The Richmond constituency covers the Richmondshire district and the northern part of the Hambleton district. It is mostly rural but is also a significant commuter area, covering parts of the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, including Wensleydale and Swaledale. It contains the market towns of Northallerton, Richmond, Stokesley and Great Ayton as well as surrounding villages. It also includes the large army base, Catterick Garrison.
[edit] Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in York and North Yorkshire, the Boundary Commission for England has recommended minor changes to the Richmond constituency, which will come into effect (subject to Parliamentary Approval)at the next general election.
The revised constituency is comprised of the following:
- the entire district of Richmondshire;
- the Hambleton wards of Bedale, Brompton, Broughton and Greenhow, Cowtons, Crakehall, Great Ayton, Leeming, Leeming Bar, Morton on Swale, Northallerton Broomfield, Northallerton Central, Northallerton North, Osmotherley, Romanby, Rudby, Stokesley, Swainby, and Tanfield.
[edit] History
Richmond was one of the seats in the Unreformed House of Commons, first being represented in 1585. In modern times it has been a safe seat for the Conservative Party, with them having held it continually since at least 1929.
From 1983, the seat was represented by the Conservative cabinet minister Leon Brittan, after boundary changes saw his Cleveland and Whitby seat abolished. He resigned his seat in December 1988 in order to take up the position of Vice-President of the European Commission. The ensuing by-election, held in February 1989, was won by William Hague, although the decision by the remnants of the Social Democratic Party and their former colleagues in the newly-merged Social and Liberal Democrats (who later renamed themselves the Liberal Democrats) to both contest the seat split their vote. The SDP candidate, local farmer Mike Potter, came second, and Hague's majority of 2,634 was considerably smaller than the number of votes for the Social and Liberal Democrat candidate Barbara Peace combined (11,589 votes in third place). Hague has retained the seat at every general election since then and significantly built up the Conservative majority to 17,807.
At the 2001 general election, Richmond became the Conservatives' safest seat in the UK, both in terms of the actual numerical majority and by percentage. Although the numerical majority was surpassed by Buckingham at the 2005 election, Richmond has a smaller electorate and consequently was able to retain its position of having the second largest percentage majority. It can therefore be regarded as the Conservatives' second safest seat to Kensington and Chelsea.
[edit] Members of Parliament
[edit] 1585-1660
- 1585: Marmaduke Wyvill
- 1597-1598: Marmaduke Wyvill
- 1640: Sir William Pennyman, Bt.
- 1640-1642: Sir Thomas Danby (Royalist) - disabled to sit, September 1642
- 1640-1643: Sir William Pennyman, Bt. (Royalist) - died August 1643
- 1645(?)-1653: Thomas Chaloner
- 1645(?)-1653: Francis Thorpe
Richmond was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
First Protectorate Parliament (One member only)
- 1654-1655: ?
Second Protectorate Parliament (One member only)
- 1656-1658: ?
- 1659: Sir Christopher Wyvill, Bt.
Long Parliament (restored)
- 1659-1660: ?
[edit] 1660-1868
| Year | First member | First party | Second member | Second party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1660 | James Darcy | Sir Christopher Wyvill, Bt. | ||||
| 1661 | Sir John Yorke | Joseph Cradock | ||||
| 1662 | John Wandesford | |||||
| 1664 | Sir William Killigrew | |||||
| 1665 | Marmaduke Darcy | |||||
| 1679 | Humphrey Wharton | Thomas Cradock | ||||
| 1681 | John Darcy | |||||
| 1685 | Thomas Cradock | |||||
| January 1689 | Thomas Yorke | |||||
| February 1689 | Philip Darcy | |||||
| 1690 | Sir Mark Milbanke, Bt | Theodore Bathurst | ||||
| 1695 | Thomas Yorke | Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, Bt. | ||||
| 1698 | James Darcy | |||||
| 1701 | John Hutton | |||||
| 1702 | James Darcy | |||||
| May 1705 | Wharton Dunch | |||||
| December 1705 | William Walsh | |||||
| 1708 | Harry Mordaunt | |||||
| 1710 | John Yorke | |||||
| 1713 | Thomas Yorke | |||||
| 1717 | John Yorke | |||||
| 1720 | Richard Abell | |||||
| 1722 | Conyers Darcy | |||||
| 1727 | Charles Bathurst | Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, Bt. | ||||
| 1728[1] | John Yorke | Sir Conyers Darcy [2] | ||||
| 1747 | Earl of Ancram | |||||
| 1757 | Thomas Yorke | |||||
| 1761 | Sir Ralph Milbanke | |||||
| 1763 | Thomas Dundas | |||||
| March 1768 | Alexander Wedderburn | Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt[3] | ||||
| November 1768 | William Norton | |||||
| 1769 | Charles John Crowle | |||||
| 1774 | Thomas Dundas[4] | Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt [5] | ||||
| January 1775 | Charles Dundas | |||||
| December 1775 | William Norton | |||||
| 1780 | Marquess of Graham | Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt | ||||
| 1781 | George Fitzwilliam | |||||
| 1784 | The Earl of Inchiquin | Charles Dundas | ||||
| 1786 | Sir Grey Cooper | |||||
| 1790 | Lawrence Dundas | Whig | ||||
| 1796 | Charles George Beauclerk | |||||
| 1798 | Arthur Shakespeare | Whig | ||||
| 1802 | George Heneage Lawrence Dundas | Whig | ||||
| 1806 | Charles Lawrence Dundas | Whig | ||||
| 1808 | Lawrence Dundas | Whig | ||||
| 1810 | Robert Chaloner | Whig | ||||
| January 1812 | George Heneage Lawrence Dundas | Whig | ||||
| October 1812 | Dudley North | Whig | ||||
| 1818 | Thomas Dundas | Whig | Viscount Maitland | Whig | ||
| 1820 | Samuel Barrett Moulton Barrett | Whig | ||||
| 1828 | Hon. Sir Robert Dundas | Whig | ||||
| 1830 | Hon. John Dundas (senior) | Whig | ||||
| 1835 | Alexander Speirs | Whig | Hon. Thomas Dundas[6] | Whig | ||
| 1839 | Hon. Sir Robert Dundas | Whig | ||||
| February 1841 | Hon. George Fitzwilliam | Whig | ||||
| June 1841 | Hon. John Dundas (senior) | Whig | Hon. William Colborne | Whig | ||
| 1846 | Henry Rich | Whig, later Liberal | ||||
| 1847 | Marmaduke Wyvill | Whig, later Liberal | ||||
| 1861 | Sir Roundell Palmer | Liberal | ||||
| 1865 | Hon. John Dundas (senior) | Liberal | ||||
| 1866 | Marmaduke Wyvill | Liberal | ||||
[edit] 1868-present
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1868 | Sir Roundell Palmer | Liberal | |
| 1872 | Lawrence Dundas | Liberal | |
| 1873 | Hon. John Dundas (junior) | Liberal | |
| 1885 | Sir Frederick Milbank, Bt | Liberal | |
| 1886 | George William Elliot[7] | Conservative | |
| 1895 | John Hutton | Conservative | |
| 1906 | Francis Dyke Acland | Liberal | |
| 1910 | Hon. William Orde-Powlett | Conservative | |
| 1918 | Sir Murrough John Wilson | Unionist | |
| 1929 | Thomas Dugdale | Conservative | |
| 1959 | Timothy Kitson | Conservative | |
| 1983 | Leon Brittan | Conservative | |
| 1989 | William Hague | Conservative | |
[edit] Notes
- ^ At the general election of 1727, Wyvill and Bathurst were returned as elected, but on petition they were unseated in favour of Yorke and Darcy, the dispute turning on who had the right to vote
- ^ Sir Conyers Darcy was re-elected in 1747 but had also been elected for Yorkshire, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Richmond
- ^ Sir Lawrence Dundas was also elected for Edinburgh, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Richmond
- ^ Thomas Dundas was also elected for Stirlingshire, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Richmond in this parliament
- ^ Sir Lawrence Dundas was also elected for Edinburgh, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Richmond
- ^ Styled Lord Dundas after his father was created an Earl in 1838
- ^ Later Sir George Elliott
[edit] Election results
| General Election 2005: Richmond (Yorks) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | William Hague | 26,722 | 59.1 | +0.2 | |
| Labour | Neil Foster | 8,915 | 19.7 | -2.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jacquie Bell | 7,982 | 17.7 | -0.2 | |
| Green | Leslie Rowe | 1,581 | 3.5 | N/A | |
| Majority | 17,807 | 39.4 | |||
| Turnout | 45,200 | 65.0 | -2.5 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 2001: Richmond (Yorks) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | William Hague | 25,951 | 58.9 | +10.1 | |
| Labour Co-op | Fay Tinnion | 9,632 | 21.9 | -5.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Edward Forth | 7,890 | 17.9 | -0.5 | |
| Monster Raving Loony | Boney Maronie Steniforth | 561 | 1.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 16,319 | 37.0 | |||
| Turnout | 44,034 | 67.4 | -6.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
[edit] References
- D Brunton & D H Pennington, “Members of the Long Parliament” (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
- F W S Craig, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885" (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
- J Holladay Philbin, "Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
- Henry Stooks Smith, "The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847" (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
- "The Constitutional Yearbook for 1913" (London: National Unionist Association, 1913)
This page incorporates information from Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page.
