Chippenham (UK Parliament constituency)

Chippenham
County constituency
for the House of Commons

Boundary of Chippenham in Wiltshire for the 2010 general election.

Location of Wiltshire within England.
County Wiltshire
Electorate 73,312 (December 2010)[1]
Current constituency
Created 2010 (2010)
Member of Parliament Duncan Hames (Liberal Democrat)
Number of members One
Created from Westbury, North Wiltshire
1295 (1295)–1983 (1983)
Number of members One (Two 1295–1868)
Type of constituency County (Borough 1295–1885) constituency
Replaced by North Wiltshire
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency South West England

Chippenham is a parliamentary constituency, abolished in 1983 but recreated in 2010, and represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. The 2010 constituency includes the towns of Bradford on Avon, Chippenham, Corsham, and Melksham.

A borough constituency of Chippenham was enfranchised in 1295. It sent two burgesses to Parliament until 1868 and one thereafter until the borough constituency was abolished in 1885. There was a county division constituency named after the town of Chippenham from 1885 to 1983, when the name of that constituency was changed to North Wiltshire.

Following the 2003–2005 review into parliamentary representation in Wiltshire, the Boundary Commission created a new county constituency, reviving the name of Chippenham as a seat. It is formed from parts of the previously existing Devizes, North Wiltshire, and Westbury constituencies.

Contents

Boundaries

1295 to 1983

1295–1832: The parliamentary borough of Chippenham in the unreformed Parliament consisted of only part of the parish of Chippenham in Wiltshire. (However, as Chippenham was a burgage borough, in which the right to vote was confined to the resident occupiers of specific properties, the boundary had no practical function.) The borough had a population of 1,620 in 1831, and 283 houses.

1832–1885: The Boundary Act which accompanied the Great Reform Act extended the boundaries of the parliamentary borough, to include the whole of Chippenham parish, the adjoining parishes of Hardenhuish and Langley Burrell, and the extra-parochial district of Pewisham. This more than trebled the borough's population, to 5,270 by the 1831 figures, and 883 houses.

1885–1918: During this period, Wiltshire was split into five county divisions and one borough, of which The North-Western (or Chippenham) Division of Wiltshire was one; it was often colloquially referred to simply as either Chippenham or as North-West Wiltshire. It was bordered by the Cricklade division to the east, Westbury to the south and Devizes to the south-east. (Over the county boundary were the Thornbury division of Gloucestershire to the west, the Cirencester division of Gloucestershire to the north and the Frome division of Somerset to the south-west)

The Chippenham division included the towns of Calne and Malmesbury as well as Chippenham, both of which had also been parliamentary boroughs in their own right before 1885. By the outbreak of World War I, the population of the constituency was about 45,000.

1918–1950: In 1918 Wiltshire was split into five divisions, but there was no borough constituency in the county. The Wiltshire, Chippenham division was expanded, taking in the towns of Cricklade and Wootton Bassett, also former parliamentary boroughs, and the surrounding rural areas: in full, it was composed of the then Municipal Boroughs of Calne, Chippenham, and Malmesbury and the Rural Districts of Calne, Chippenham, Malmesbury, part of Cricklade and Wootton Bassett, and Tetbury Rural District (excluding the part in the administrative county of Gloucestershire).

1950–1983: In the redistribution, which took effect at the United Kingdom general election, 1950, Wiltshire was divided into one borough and four county constituencies. Chippenham County Constituency consisted of the same Municipal Boroughs as in 1918 and the Rural Districts of Calne and Chippenham, Cricklade and Wootton Bassett and Malmesbury.

2010 constituency

The electoral wards which form the new Chippenham seat are taken from the former districts of North Wiltshire and West Wiltshire.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1295–1640

Parliament First member Second member
1386 Thomas Gay Robert Chandler [2]
1388 (Feb) Thomas Gay John Suyput [2]
1388 (Sep) Thomas Gay Thomas Lote [2]
1390 (Jan) Thomas Gay Thomas Lote [2]
1390 (Nov)
1391
1393
1394 Nicholas Sambourne Hugh de la Lynde [2]
1413 (May) John Worth [2]
1510–1523 No names known[3]
1529 William Button Thomas Wilkes [3]
1536
1539
1542
1545 Robert Warner John Bonham [3]
1547 John Astley Francis Goldsmith [3]
1553 (Mar)  ?
1553 (Oct) Robert Wrastley Henry Goldney alias Fernell [3]
1554 (Apr) William Smith Thomas Smith [3]
1554 (Nov) Cyriak Petyt John Proctor [3]
1555 Nicholas Snell John Pollard[3]
1558 Sir John Sulyard William Neville [3]
1559 Edward Baynard Nicholas Snell[4]
1562 Francis Newdigate Nicholas Snell [4]
1571 John Scott Robert Viser [4]
1572 William Bayley John Scott [4]
1584 Robert Baynard Robert Hyde [4]
1586 Lawrence Hyde Robert Hyde [4]
1589 Henry Baynton William Swayne [4]
1593 Edward Maria Wingfield Francis Harvey [4]
1597 Thomas Edmondes, went abroad and
was replaced 1597 by Edward Wymarke		 Sharington Talbot [4]
1601 Robert Berkeley Edward Wymarke [4]
1604 John Hungerford General John Roberts
1614 William Maynard Thomas Colepeper
1621–1622 Sir Edward Hungerford John Baily
1624 Sir John Maynard Charles Maynard
replaced by Sir Francis Popham
1625 Sir John Maynard Sir Francis Popham
1626 Sir Edward Bayntun Sir Francis Popham
1628 Sir Francis Popham Sir John Eyres
1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned

MPs 1640–1868

Year First member[5] First party Second member[5] Second party
April 1640 Sir Edward Hungerford [6] Parliamentarian Sir Edward Bayntun
November 1640 Sir Edward Bayntun Parliamentarian
1648 William Eyre
1653 Chippenham was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
January 1659 Sir Edward Hungerford James Stedman
May 1659 Chippenham was unrepresented in the restored Rump
April 1660 Edward Hungerford Edward Poole
April 1661 Henry Bayntun
July 1661 Sir Hugh Speke
August 1661 Sir Edward Hungerford
1673 Francis Gwyn
February 1679 Sir John Talbot
August 1679 Samuel Ashe
1681 Sir George Speke
March 1685 Henry Bayntun Sharington Talbot, killed in duel, 1685
August 1685 Richard Kent
1689 Nicholas Bayntun
February 1690 Richard Kent Alexander Popham
December 1690 Sir Basil Firebrace[7] Tory
1692 Thomas Tollemache
1694 Richard Long
1695 Walter White
1698 Edward Montagu
1701 Viscount Mordaunt
1702 James Montagu
May 1705 Walter White Sir James Long
November 1705 Viscount Mordaunt
1708 James Montagu
1710 Joseph Ashe [8]
1711 Francis Popham
1713 Sir John Eyles [9] John Norris
1715 Giles Earle
1722 Edward Rolt
1723 Thomas Boucher
1727 Rogers Holland Gabriel Roberts
1734 Richard Long
1737 Sir Edward Bayntun-Rolt [10]
1741 Sir Edmond Thomas
1754 Sir Samuel Fludyer [11]
1768 Sir Thomas Fludyer
1769 Henry Dawkins
1774 Samuel Marsh
1780 Henry Dawkins Giles Hudson
1783 George Fludyer
1784 James Dawkins
1802 Charles Brooke [12]
1803 John Maitland
1806 Charles Brooke
1807 James Dawkins
1812 Charles Brooke Robert Peel
1817 John Maitland
1818 William Miles Tory Marquess of Blandford
1820 William Madocks John Rock Grossett
1826 Ebenezer Fuller Maitland Frederick Gye
1830 Joseph Neeld Tory Philip Pusey
1831 Henry George Boldero Tory
1832 Conservative William Henry Fox Talbot Whig
1835 Henry George Boldero Conservative
1856 Robert Parry Nisbet Conservative
1859 Richard Penruddocke Long Conservative William John Lysley Liberal
1865 Sir John Neeld Conservative Gabriel Goldney Conservative
1868 Representation reduced to one member

MPs 1868–1983

Election Member[5] Party
1868 Gabriel Goldney, created Baron Goldney of Bradenstoke Abbey on 11 May 1880 Conservative
1885 borough constituency abolished – county division created
1885 Banister Fletcher Liberal
1886 Lord Henry Bruce, later The 5th Marquess of Ailesbury Conservative
1892 Sir John Poynder Dickson-Poynder, Bt, later The 1st Baron Islington Conservative
1904 Liberal
1910 George Terrell Conservative
1918 Coalition Conservative
1922 Alfred James Bonwick Liberal
1924 Victor Cazalet Conservative
1943 by-election Sir David Eccles Conservative
1962 by-election Daniel Awdry Conservative
1979 Richard Needham[13] Conservative
1983 constituency abolished: see North Wiltshire

MPs since 2010

The Chippenham name was revived in 2010 for the new constituency that includes Chippenham, Melksham and Bradford on Avon.

Election Member[5] Party
2010 Duncan Hames Liberal Democrats

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2010: Chippenham[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Duncan Hames 23,970 45.8 N/A
Conservative Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones 21,500 41.0 N/A
Labour Greg Lovell 3,620 6.9 N/A
UKIP Julia Reid 1,783 3.4 N/A
BNP Michael Simpkins 641 1.2 N/A
Green Samantha Fletcher 446 0.9 N/A
English Democrats John Maguire 307 0.6 N/A
Christian Richard Sexton 118 0.2 N/A
Majority 2,470 4.7 N/A
Turnout 52,385 72.7 N/A
Liberal Democrat win (new seat)

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Chippenham[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Daniel Awdry 24,371 49.73
Liberal Margaret Wingfield 13,833 28.22
Labour J Eddie 10,807 22.05
Majority 10,538 21.5
Turnout 49,010 77.42

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Chippenham[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Daniel Awdry 18,275 39.63 +2.83
Liberal Christopher Layton 17,581 38.13 +5.63
Labour Giles Radice 10,257 22.24 -6.86
Majority 694 1.5 -1.8
Turnout 46,115 84.28
Chippenham by-election, 1962
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Daniel Awdry 13,439 36.80 −15.3
Liberal Christopher Layton 11,851 32.50 +15.6
Labour R. W. Portus 10,633 29.10 −1.9
Independent K. Jerrome 260 0.71
Independent J. Naylor 237 0.65
Independent M. Smith 88 0.24
Majority 1,588 4.3 −16.8
Turnout 36,508
Conservative hold Swing −15.5

Elections in the 1940s

Chippenham by-election, 1943
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Eccles 8,310 50.6 −2.7
Independent Liberal Donald Johnson 8,115 49.4 N/A
Majority 195 1.2 −17.6
Turnout 16,425 41.4 −36.1
Conservative hold Swing

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. http://www.boundarycommissionforengland.org.uk/electoral-figures/electoral-figures.htm. Retrieved 13 March 2011. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/chippenham. Retrieved 2011-10-14. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/constituencies/chippenham. Retrieved 2011-10-14. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/constituencies/chippenham. Retrieved 2011-10-14. 
  5. ^ a b c d Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 4)
  6. ^ Died October 1648
  7. ^ Unseated in 1691 and again in 1692 after being re-elected, as a result of election petitions]]
  8. ^ On petition, Ashe was found not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Popham, was declared elected in his place
  9. ^ Succeeded to baronetcy, May 1716
  10. ^ Created a baronet, July 1762
  11. ^ Knighted, September 1755; created a baronet, November 1759
  12. ^ Brooke was initially declared elected in 1802, but on petition he was found not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Maitland, was declared elected in his place
  13. ^ Needham is an Irish peer as The 6th Earl of Kilmorey, but does not use the title
  14. ^ BBC – Election 2010 – Chippenham
  15. ^ UK General Election results 1970 Political Science Resources
  16. ^ UK General Election results March 1966 Political Science Resources

Sources

External links

Conservative (36)
Liberal Democrats (15)
Labour (4)