Evesham (UK Parliament constituency)

Evesham
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1295, 1604 (1295, 1604)1885 (1885)
Number of members two until 1868, then one
Worcestershire, Evesham
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1885 (1885)1950 (1950)
Number of members one

Evesham was a parliamentary constituency in Worcestershire which was represented in the British House of Commons. Originally a parliamentary borough consisting of the town of Evesham, it was first represented in 1295. After this its franchise lapsed for several centuries, but it then returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1604 until 1868, when its representation was reduced to one member under the Representation of the People Act 1867.

From the 1885 general election, Evesham was abolished as a borough but the name was transferred to a larger county constituency electing one MP. This constituency was abolished for the 1950 general election, with the town of Evesham itself being transferred to the new seat of South Worcestershire. Between 1885 and 1918 the constituency had the alternative name of South Worcestershire (not to be confused with the 1950 seat).

Contents

Boundaries

Members of Parliament

1604-1640

Parliament First member Second member
1604-1611 Thomas Biggs Sir Philip Knightley, died
and replaced 1605 by
Robert Bowyer, appointed to crown office
and replaced 1610 by
Edward Salter
1614-1622 Sir Thomas Biggs Anthony Langston
1621 Sir Thomas Biggs Anthony Langston
1624 Sir Edward Conway Richard Cresheld
1625 Richard Cresheld Anthony Langston
1626 Sir John Hare Anthony Langston
1628 Sir Robert Harley Richard Cresheld
1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned

1640-1868

Year 1st Member 1st Party 2nd Member 2nd Party
April 1640 William Sandys [1] Royalist William Morton
November 1640 Richard Cresheld Parliamentarian
1641 John Coventry Royalist
September 1642 Coventry disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1645 Samuel Gardner
December 1648 Cresheld not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653 Evesham was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
January 1659 Theophilus Andrews Robert Atkyns
May 1659 Evesham was not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 John Egioke Sir Thomas Rouse
1661 William Sandys Abraham Cullen
1669 Sir John Hanmer
1670 Sir James Rushout
1679 Henry Parker
1681 Edward Rudge
1685 Henry Parker Sir John Matthewes
1690 Sir James Rushout Edward Rudge
1695 Henry Parker
1698 John Rudge
January 1701 Sir James Rushout
November 1701 Hugh Parker
1702 John Rudge
1708 Sir Edward Goodere
1705 John Deacle
1722 Sir John Rushout
1734 William Taylor
1741 Edward Rudge
1754 John Porter
1756 Edward Rudge
1761 John Rushout
1768 George Durant
1774 Henry Seymour
1780 Charles Boughton
1790 Thomas Thompson
1796 Charles Thellusson
1802 Patrick Craufurd Bruce
1806 William Manning Humphrey Howorth
1807 Sir Manasseh Masseh Lopes [2] Tory
1808 Humphrey Howorth
1818 William Rouse-Boughton
1819 Sir Charles Cockerell Whig
1820 William Rouse-Boughton
1826 Edward Davis-Protheroe
1830 Lord Kennedy
1831 Thomas Hudson Whig
1835 Peter Borthwick [3] Conservative
1837 George Rushout Conservative
1838 Lord Marcus Hill Whig
1841 Peter Borthwick Conservative
1847 Sir Henry Willoughby, Bt Conservative
1852 Grenville Berkeley Whig
1855 Edward Holland Whig
1859 Liberal
1865 James Bourne Conservative

1868-1950

Election Member Party
1868 James Bourne Conservative
1880 Daniel Rowlinson Ratcliff Liberal
July 1880 Frederick Lehmann [4] Liberal
1881 Frederick Dixon-Hartland Conservative
1885 Sir Richard Temple Conservative
1892 Sir Edmund Lechmere Conservative
1895 Colonel Charles Wigram Long Conservative
January 1910 Bolton Eyres-Monsell Conservative
1935 Rupert de la Bere Conservative
1950 constituency abolished

Notes

  1. ^ Expelled as a monopolist in 1641
  2. ^ On petition, Lopes was declared not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Howorth, was seated in his place
  3. ^ Borthwick was re-elected in 1837 but on petition his election was declared void and Hill declared elected in his place. A petition against the other successful candidate, Rushout, was dismissed. Borthwick and Rushout subsequently fought a duel over the outcome of the election.
  4. ^ On petition, Lehmann's election was declared void and his opponent Dixon-Hartland was declared elected in his place

Election results

General Election 1945: Evesham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rupert de la Bere 17,835 53.38
Liberal D McGuffie 7,849 23.49
Common Wealth Desmond Donnelly 7,727 23.13
Majority 9,986 29.89
Turnout 63.32
Conservative hold Swing

References