Richmond (Yorks) (UK Parliament constituency)

Richmond (Yorks)
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Boundary of Richmond (Yorks) in North Yorkshire.
Location of North Yorkshire within England.
County	1585–1974 North Riding of Yorkshire 1974– North Yorkshire
Electorate	78,902 (December 2010)^[1]
Current constituency
Created	1885 (1885)
Member of Parliament	William Hague (Conservative)
Number of members	One
1585 (1585)–1885 (1885)
Number of members	1585–1868: Two 1868–1885: One
Type of constituency	Borough constituency
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	Yorkshire and the Humber

Richmond (Yorks) is a constituency located in North Yorkshire, which elects one Member of Parliament (MP) at least once every five years using the First-past-the-post system of voting.

The constituency is an ultra-safe seat for the Conservative Party, having held it continuosly since 1910, and in the 2010 General Election, it produced the largest numerical majority for any Conservative MP in the House of Commons. The current MP William Hague, has held the seat since a by-election in 1989 and has held the posts of Leader of the Opposition (1997-2001) and Foreign Secretary (2010-).

Within the constituency is located the entire Richmondshire district, and the northern part of the Hambleton district. A mostly rural seat, the population is generally affluent.

History

Richmond was one of the seats in the Unreformed House of Commons, first being represented in 1585. In modern times it has been an ultra-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, this would be the last by-election won by the Conservative Government of 1979-1997. 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 23,336.

In 1992 the Labour candidate, David Abrahams was deselected after a series of rows within the local Labour party over his personal life and business interests. It emerged that he used the name David Martin when dealing with tenants in his various rental properties in the Newcastle area;^[2] and that he had claimed that he lived with his wife and son, though he had never been married. Divorcee Anthea Bailey later told a local newspaper she and her 11-year old son had posed as Mr Abrahams' family as part of a business arrangement so that Abrahams could create "the right impression".^[3]^[4] The Daily Mail suggested that this was done because the constituency in North Yorkshire would be averse to "a confirmed bachelor who enjoys musical theatre".^[5]

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. With the abolition of Kensington and Chelsea, based on notional 2005 results Richmond is the safest Conservative seat in the country, both in terms of numerical and percentage majority.

Boundaries

The Richmond constituency covers the Richmondshire district and the northern part of the Hambleton district. It is an affluent rural area with a significant commuter population, 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.

Boundary review

Following their review of parliamentary representation in York and North Yorkshire, the Boundary Commission for England recommended minor changes to the Richmond constituency, which come into effect at the 2010 general election.

The revised constituency comprises 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.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1585-1640

Parliament	First member	Second member
1584	John Pepper	Marmaduke Wyvill ^[6]
1586	Robert Bowes	Samuel Coxe ^[6]
1588	James Dale	John Smythe ^[6]
1593	Talbot Bowes	John Pepper ^[6]
1597	Marmaduke Wyvill	Cuthbert Pepper ^[6]
1601	Cuthbert Pepper	Talbot Bowes ^[6]
1604	Sir John Savile	Richard Percevall
1614	Sir Talbot Bowes	Sir William Richardson
1621	Sir Talbot Bowes	William Bowes
1624	Thomas Wandesford	Christopher Pepper
1625	Christopher Wandesford	Sir Talbot Bowes
1626	Christopher Wandesford	Matthew Hutton
1628	Sir Talbot Bowes	James Howell
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned

MPs 1640-1868

	First member^[7]	First party	Second member^[7]	Second party
April 1640	Sir William Pennyman, Bt.	Royalist	Maulger Norton
November 1640	Sir William Pennyman, Bt.	Royalist	Sir Thomas Danby	Royalist
August 1642	Pennyman disabled to sit - seat vacant (Pennyman died August 1643)		Sir Thomas Danby	Royalist
September 1642			Danby disabled to sit - seat vacant
1645	Thomas Chaloner		Francis Thorpe
1653	Richmond was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654	John Wastal		Richmond had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656	John Bathurst
January 1659	Sir Christopher Wyvill, Bt.		John Bathurst
May 1659	Thomas Chaloner		Francis Thorpe
April 1660	James Darcy		Sir Christopher Wyvill, Bt.
1661	Sir John Yorke		Joseph Cradock
1662	Sir John Yorke		John Wandesford
1664	Sir William Killigrew		John Wandesford
1665	Sir William Killigrew		Marmaduke Darcy
1679	Humphrey Wharton		Thomas Cradock
1681	Humphrey Wharton		John Darcy, Lord Conyers
1685	Thomas Cradock
January 1689	Thomas Yorke
February 1689	Thomas Yorke		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^[8]	John Yorke		Sir Conyers Darcy ^[9]
1747	John Yorke		Earl of Ancram
1757	Thomas Yorke
1761	Sir Ralph Milbanke
1763	Sir Ralph Milbanke		Thomas Dundas
March 1768	Alexander Wedderburn		Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt^[10]
November 1768	Alexander Wedderburn		William Norton
1769	Charles John Crowle		William Norton
1774	Thomas Dundas^[11]		Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt ^[10]
January 1775	Thomas Dundas^[11]		Charles Dundas
December 1775	William Norton		Charles Dundas
1780	Marquess of Graham		Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt
1781	Marquess of Graham		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	Charles Lawrence Dundas	Whig
1810	Lawrence Dundas	Whig	Robert Chaloner	Whig
January 1812	George Heneage Lawrence Dundas	Whig
October 1812	Dudley Long 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	Whig	Hon. Sir Robert Dundas	Whig
1835	Alexander Speirs	Whig	Hon. Thomas Dundas^[12]	Whig
1839	Alexander Speirs	Whig	Hon. Sir Robert Dundas	Whig
February 1841	Hon. George Wentworth-FitzWilliam	Whig	Hon. Sir Robert Dundas	Whig
June 1841	Hon. John Dundas	Whig	Hon. William Colborne	Whig
1846	Hon. John Dundas	Whig	Henry Rich	Whig, later Liberal
1847	Marmaduke Wyvill	Whig, later Liberal	Henry Rich	Whig, later Liberal
1861	Marmaduke Wyvill	Whig, later Liberal	Sir Roundell Palmer	Liberal
1865	Hon. John Dundas	Liberal
1866	Marmaduke Wyvill	Liberal

MPs 1868-present

The seat has been represented since a by-election in 1989 by William Hague, former Leader of the Opposition and current Foreign Secretary.

	Member^[7]	Party
1868	Sir Roundell Palmer	Liberal
1872	Lawrence Dundas	Liberal
1873	Hon. John Dundas	Liberal
1885	Sir Frederick Milbank, Bt	Liberal
1886	George Elliot^[13]	Conservative
1895	John Hutton	Conservative
1906	Francis Dyke Acland	Liberal
Jan 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 by-election	Rt Hon William Hague	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2010: Richmond (Yorks)^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	33,541^[15]	62.8	+3.5
	Liberal Democrat	Lawrence Meredith	10,205	19.1	+2.2
	Labour	Eileen Driver	8,150	15.3	−5.3
	Green	Leslie Rowe	1,516	2.8	−0.3
Majority			23,336	43.7	+4.1
Turnout			53,412	67.2	+2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.4

Elections in the 2000s

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 Democrat	Jacquie Bell	7,982	17.7	−0.2
	Green	Leslie Rowe	1,581	3.5	N/A
Majority			17,807	39.4	+2.4
Turnout			45,200	65.0	−2.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.2

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 Democrat	Edward Forth	7,890	17.9	−0.5
	Monster Raving Loony	Boney Maronie Steniforth	561	1.3	N/A
Majority			16,319	37.0	+15.9
Turnout			44,034	67.4	−6.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+8.0

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	23,326	48.9	−13.0
	Labour Co-op	Steven Merritt	13,275	27.8	+16.2
	Liberal Democrat	Jane Harvey	8,773	18.4	-7.3
	Referendum Party	Alex Bentley	2,367	5.0	N/A
Majority			10,051	21.1	−15.1
Turnout			47,741	73.4	−5.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	−13.9

General Election 1992: Richmond (Yorkshire)^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	40,202	61.9	+0.6
	Liberal Democrat	George Irwin	16,698	25.7	−1.3
	Labour	Ross F. Cranston	7,523	11.6	−0.2
	Independent	A. Michael Barr	570	0.9	N/A
Majority			23,504	36.2	+1.9
Turnout			64,993	78.4	+6.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.0

Elections in the 1980s

Richmond by-election, 1989
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	19,543	37.2	-24.0
	Social Democrat	Mike Potter	16,909	32.2
	Social and Liberal Democrats	Barbara Pearce	11,589	22.1	-4.9
	Labour	Frank Robson	2,591	4.9	-6.9
	Green	Dr. Robert Upshall	1,473	2.8
	Monster Raving Loony	Screaming Lord Sutch	167	0.3
	Independent	Anthony Millns¹	113	0.2
	Corrective Party	Lindi St. Claire	106	0.2
	Liberal	Nicholas Watkins	70	0.1
Majority			2,634	5.0
Turnout			52,561	64.4
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1987: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Leon Brittan	34,995	61.23
	Liberal	D. Lloyd-Williams	15,419	26.98
	Labour	F. Robson	6,737	11.79
Majority			19,576	34.25
Turnout				72.09
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1983: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Leon Brittan	32,373	62.64
	Liberal	D. Raw	14,307	27.69
	Labour	B. Hawkins	4,997	9.67
Majority			18,066	34.96
Turnout				68.72
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	28,958	61.49
	Liberal	G. Hodgson	9,964	21.16
	Labour	K.R. Bratton	8,173	17.35
Majority			18,994	40.33
Turnout				72.10
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election October 1974: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	23,156	56.88
	Liberal	P. Waudby	9,528	23.41
	Labour	I.A. Wilkie	8,025	19.71
Majority			13,628	33.48
Turnout				65.66
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election February 1974: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	26,994	58.20
	Liberal	B. Graham	11,727	25.28
	Labour	E.R. Pearce	7,659	16.51
Majority			15,267	32.92
Turnout				75.48
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1970: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	30,471	62.79
	Labour	M.J. Aldrich	12,702	26.18
	Liberal	J.R. Smithson	5,354	11.03
Majority			17,769	36.62
Turnout				68.44
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	23,541	56.62
	Labour	W.P. Lisle	10,210	24.56
	Liberal	C.K.W. Schellenberg	7,824	18.82
Majority			13,331	32.06
Turnout				71.29
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1964: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	25,345	58.89
	Labour	G.A. Knott	8,908	20.70
	Liberal	C.K.W. Schellenberg	8,787	20.42
Majority			16,437	38.19
Turnout				75.61
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	28,270	75.44
	Labour	M. McMillan	9,203	24.56
Majority			19,067	50.88
Turnout				71.49
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1955: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	24,979	73.57
	Labour	R. Hoyle	8,974	26.43
Majority			16,005	47.14
Turnout				67.25
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1951: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	26,231	70.62
	Labour	R. Hoyle	10,915	29.38
Majority			15,316	41.23
Turnout				74.36
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1950: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	22,999	59.20
	Labour	F.W. Beaton	8,694	22.38
	Liberal	D.E. Moore	7,157	18.42
Majority			14,305	36.82
Turnout				74.36
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	18,332	52.87
	Liberal	M.W. Darwin	9,427	27.19
	Labour	G.H. Metcalfe	6,104	17.60
	Common Wealth	R.N. Chesterton	813	2.34
Majority			8,905	25.68
Turnout				68.38
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1900s

1906 General Election: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Francis Dyke Acland	4,470	50.58	+10.05
	Conservative	Lord Ronaldshay	4,368	49.42	-10.05
Majority			102	1.16
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	5.02
Turnout

Notes and references

^ "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.
^ Profile: reclusive Labour donor David Abrahams The Times - 26 November 2007
^ Colin Patterson (2 December 2007). "How Sunday Sun broke first David Abrahams story". Sunday Sun. http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/sundaysun/news/tm_headline=how-sunday-sun-broke-first-david-abrahams-story&method=full&objectid=20190644&siteid=50081-name_page.html. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
^ Profile of David Abrahams BBC News - 27 November 2007
^ The fantasy world of Labour's dodgy donor, by Richard Pendlebury, Daily Mail, 27th November 2007
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "History of Parliament". History of Parliament trust. http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/constituencies/richmond. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
^ ^a ^b ^c Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
^ 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
^ ^a ^b 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
^ Styled Lord Dundas after his father was created an Earl in 1838
^ Later Sir George Elliott
^ "Richmond [Yorks]". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/d69.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
^ This was the Conservative Party's highest vote share in the general election.
^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/ge92index.htm. Retrieved 6 Dec 2010.

Sources

D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [1]
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)

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Huntingdon	Constituency represented by the Leader of the Opposition 1997–2001	Succeeded by Chingford and Woodford Green

Constituencies in Yorkshire and the Humber (54)

Labour (31)	Barnsley Central Barnsley East Batley and Spen Bradford South Bradford West Don Valley Doncaster Central Doncaster North Great Grimsby Halifax Hemsworth Huddersfield Hull East Hull North Hull West and Hessle Leeds Central Leeds East Leeds North East Leeds West Morley and Outwood Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford Penistone and Stocksbridge Rother Valley Scunthorpe Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough Sheffield Central Sheffield Heeley Sheffield South East Wakefield Wentworth and Dearne York Central

Conservative (19)	Beverley and Holderness Brigg and Goole Calder Valley Cleethorpes Colne Valley Dewsbury East Yorkshire Elmet and Rothwell Haltemprice and Howden Harrogate and Knaresborough Keighley Pudsey Richmond (Yorks) Scarborough and Whitby Selby and Ainsty Shipley Skipton and Ripon Thirsk and Malton York Outer

Liberal Democrats (3)	Bradford East Leeds North West Sheffield Hallam

Independent (1)	Rotherham

Yorkshire and the Humber European constituency: Liberal Democrats (2) Conservative (1) Labour (1) UKIP (1) British National Party (1)

William Hague

Politics	Shadow Cabinet • Richmond

General election	2001

Party election	1997