Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)

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Wiltshire
County constituency
Created: 1290
Abolished: 1832
Type: House of Commons
Members: two

Wiltshire, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England 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 until 1832.

The constituency was split into two two-member divisions, for Parliamentary purposes, in 1832. The county was then represented by the Wiltshire Northern and Wiltshire Southern constituencies.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries

Wiltshire is one of the historic counties of England. The county constituency comprised the whole county, except for the boroughs of Calne, Chippenham, Cricklade, Devizes, Downton, Great Bedwyn, Heytesbury, Hindon, Ludgershall, Malmesbury, Marlborough, Old Sarum, Salisbury, Westbury, Wilton and Wootton Bassett.

[edit] Members of Parliament

[edit] 1295-1660

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] 1660-1832

Year First member First party Second member Second party
1660 Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper John Ernle
1661 Charles Seymour Henry Hyde
1664 Sir James Thynne
1670 Thomas Thynne
1675 Sir Richard Grobham Howe
1679 Sir Walter St John
1685 Viscount Cornbury Viscount Bruce
1689 Sir Thomas Mompesson
1690 Sir Walter St John
1695 Sir George Hungerford Henry St John
1698 Sir Edward Ernle
January 1701 Richard Grobham Howe
December 1701 Maurice Ashley William Ashe
1702 Richard Grobham Howe [1] Robert Hyde
1722 Richard Goddard
1727 Sir James Long John Ivory-Talbot
1729 John Howe
1741 Sir Robert Long Edward Popham
1767 Thomas Goddard
1770 Charles Penruddocke
1772 Ambrose Goddard
1788 Sir James Tylney-Long
1795 Henry Penruddocke Wyndham
1806 Richard Godolphin Long
1812 Paul Methuen
1818 William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley
1819 John Benett
1820 Sir John Dugdale Astley
1832 County divided into two constituencies

Notes

  1. ^ Succeeded his father as Sir Richard Grobham Howe, 3rd Baronet, in 1703

[edit] Elections

The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the adult male owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each elector 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 Wilton. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of electors, 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.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] References


 This United Kingdom constituency article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
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