Worcestershire (UK Parliament constituency)

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

Worcestershire, was a county 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 Worcestershire Eastern and Worcestershire Western constituencies.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries

Worcestershire was one of the historic counties of England. The constituency comprised the whole county, except for the boroughs of Bewdley, Droitwich, Evesham and Worcester.

[edit] Members of Parliament

1640 Mar Sir John Pakington, 2nd Bt with unknonw

[edit] 1660-1832

Year First member Second member
1660 Henry Bromley John Talbot
1661 Sir John Pakington, 2nd Bt Samuel Sandys
1679 Thomas Foley
1681 Bridges Nanfan
1685 Sir John Pakington, 3rd Bt James Pytts
1689 Sir James Rushout Thomas Foley
1690 Sir John Pakington, 4th Bt
1695 Edwin Sandys
1698 Sir John Pakington, 4th Bt William Walsh
1701 William Bromley
1702 William Walsh
1705 William Bromley
1707 Sir Thomas Winford
1710 Samuel Pytts
1715 Thomas Vernon
1720 Sir Thomas Lyttelton, 4th Bt
1727 Sir Herbert Pakington
1734 Edmund Lechmere
1741 Edmund Pytts I
1747 Viscount Deerhurst
1751 John Bulkeley Coventry
1753 Edmund Pytts II
1761 John Ward, later Viscount Dudley William Dowdeswell
1774 Edward Foley
1775 William Lygon, later 2nd Earl Beauchamp
March 1803 John Ward, later Earl of Dudley
November 1803 William Lygon, later 2nd Earl Beauchamp
1806 William Lyttelton, 3rd Lord Lyttelton
1816 Henry Beauchamp Lygon, later 3rd Earl Beauchamp
1820 Sir Thomas Winnington, 3rd Bt
1830 Thomas Foley, later 4th Lord Foley
1831 Frederick Spencer, later 4th Earl Spencer

[edit] Elections

The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each voter 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 Worcester. 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 voters, 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.


[edit] References