Surrey (UK Parliament constituency)

Surrey
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1290 (1290)–1832 (1832)
Number of members two
Replaced by East Surrey and West Surrey

Surrey 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 East Surrey and West Surrey constituencies.

Contents

Boundaries

Surrey is one of the historic counties of England, located south of the River Thames, in south east England. The constituency comprised the whole county. (Although Surrey contained eight towns which were boroughs for at least part of the time the county was a constituency - Bletchingley, Farnham, Gatton, Guildford, Haslemere, Kingston upon Thames, Reigate and Southwark - each of which elected two MPs in their own right, these were not excluded from the county constituency, and owning property within the boroughs could confer a vote at the county election.)

Members of Parliament

1290-1640

Parliament First member Second member
1290 Roland of Oxted
1379 John Legh
1386 Sir James Berners John Newdigate [1]
1388 (Feb) John Hathersham I Hugh Quecche [1]
1388 (Sep) John Thorpe Thomas Kynnersley [1]
1390 (Jan) John Thorpe John Hathersham I [1]
1390 (Nov) William Weston John Bentley [1]
1391 Sir Thomas Brewes Ralph Cuddington [1]
1393 Sir Thomas Brewes William Weston [1]
1394 Nicholas Carew William Weston [1]
1395 Nicholas Carew Robert Loxley [1]
1397 (Jan) Nicholas Carew William Weston [1]
1397 (Sep) Nicholas Carew Thomas Wintershall [1]
1399 John Hathersham II Ralph Cuddington [1]
1401 William Weston John Wintershall [1]
1402 John Waterton Ralph Cuddington [1]
1404 (Jan) Sir William Brantingham John Wintershall [1]
1404 (Oct) Sir William Brantingham William Croyser [1]
1406 John Wintershall John Gravesend [1]
1407 Ralph Cuddington Robert Bussebridge [1]
1410
1411
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May) John Burgh II William Yerde [1]
1414 (Apr) John Bonet John Clipsham [1]
1414 (Nov) John Burgh II John Wintershall [1]
1415 John Burgh II William Weston [1]
1416 (Mar) John Burgh II William Yerde [1]
1416 (Oct)
1417 Nicholas Carew John Clipsham [1]
1419 William Weston William Yerde [1]
1420 Robert Skerne William Ottworth [1]
1421 (May) John Clipsham John Bonet [1]
1421 (Dec) John Clipsham William Ottworth [1]
1422 Robert Skerne
1441 Anthony Brocas
1459 Ralph Legh
1460 John Wood [2]
1478 John Wood [3]
1510–1523 No names known [4]
1529 Sir William Fitzwilliam Sir Nicholas Carew [4]
1536  ?Sir William Fitzwilliam  ? [4]
1539 Sir Anthony Browne Sir Christopher More [4]
1542 Sir Anthony Browne Robert Southwell [4]
1545 Sir Anthony Browne Sir Edmund Walsingham [4]
1547 Sir Anthony Browne, died 1548
and repl. Jan 1552 by Sir Thomas Cawarden		 Sir Christopher More, died 1549
and repl. Feb 1552 by John Vaughan [4]
1553 (Mar) Sir Thomas Cawarden Sir Thomas Saunders[4]
1553 (Oct) Sir Edward Bray William Saunders[4]
1554 (Apr) Sir Anthony Browne Sir Edward Bray[4]
1554 (Nov) Sir Thomas Cawarden William Saunders[4]
1555 William Saunders John Skinner[4]
1558 Sir Thomas Saunders John Skinner[4]
Parliament of 1559 Sir Thomas Cawarden Thomas Browne
Parliament of 1563-1567 Hon. Charles Howard William More
Parliament of 1571 Sir Henry Weston
Parliament of 1572-1583 Hon. (Sir) Charles Howard, ennobled 1573 Thomas Lyfield
By-election 1574 Sir Francis Walsingham
Parliament of 1584-1585 Sir William More
Parliament of 1586-1587
Parliament of 1588-1589 William Howard
Parliament of 1593 Sir John Wolley Sir William More
Parliament of 1597-1598 Lord Howard of Effingham (1597)[5]
Hon. Charles Howard (1597-8)		 (Sir) George More
Parliament of 1601 Lord Howard of Effingham
Parliament of 1604-1611 Sir Edmund Bowyer Sir Robert More
Addled Parliament (1614) Sir George More
Parliament of 1621-1622 Nicholas Carew
Happy Parliament (1624-1625) Sir Robert More
Useless Parliament (1625) Sir Francis Leigh
Parliament of 1625-1626 Sir Francis Vincent
Parliament of 1628-1629 Sir Ambrose Browne Sir Richard Onslow
No Parliament summoned 1629-1640

MPs 1640–1832

Year 1st Member 1st Party 2nd Member 2nd Party
April 1640 Sir Ambrose Browne Parliamentarian Sir Richard Onslow Parliamentarian
November 1640
December 1648 Browne and Onslow excluded in Pride's Purge - both seats vacant
1653 Samuel Highland Lawrence March
Surrey's representation was increased to six members in the First and Second parliaments of the Protectorate
1654 Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Major-General John Lambert [6], Robert Holman, Colonel Robert Wood
1656 Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Lewis Audley, George Duncombe, John Blackwell
Representation reverted to two members in the Third Protectorate Parliament
January 1659 Arthur Onslow Francis Drake
May 1659 Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 The Lord Aungier Daniel Harvey
1661 (Sir) Adam Browne [7] Sir Edmund Bowyer
1679 Sir Arthur Onslow George Evelyn
1685 Sir Adam Browne Sir Edward Evelyn
1689 Sir Richard Onslow Whig George Evelyn
1690 Sir Francis Vincent
1695 Denzil Onslow Whig
1698 John Weston
1702 Leonard Wessell
1705 Sir William Scawen
1710 Hon. Heneage Finch [8] Sir Francis Vincent
1713 Sir Richard Onslow Whig
1715 by-election Thomas Onslow Whig
1717 by-election Denzil Onslow Whig
1719 by-election John Walter
1721 by-election Sir William Scawen
1722 Sir Nicholas Carew
April 1727 by-election Thomas Scawen
August 1727 Arthur Onslow
1741 The Lord Baltimore
1751 by-election Thomas Budgen
1761 George Onslow Sir Francis Vincent
1774 James Scawen
1775 by-election Sir Joseph Mawbey, Bt
1780 Admiral the Hon. Augustus Keppel
1782 by-election Viscount Althorp
1783 by-election Sir Robert Clayton
1784 Hon. William Norton
1789 by-election Lord William Russell Whig
1790 Captain the Hon. William Finch [9]
1794 by-election Sir John Frederick Tory
1807 Samuel Thornton Tory George Holme Sumner Tory
1812 Sir Thomas Sutton Tory
1813 by-election Samuel Thornton Tory
1818 William Joseph Denison Whig
1826 Charles Nicholas Pallmer Whig
1830 John Ivatt Briscoe Whig
1832 constituency divided

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "History of Parliament". http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/surrey. Retrieved 2011-09-17. 
  2. ^ "Wood, Sir John, speaker of the House of commons". http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/29875?docPos=2. Retrieved 2011-12-01. 
  3. ^ "Wood, Sir John, speaker of the House of commons". http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/29875?docPos=2. Retrieved 2011-12-01. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "History of Parliament". http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/constituencies/surrey. Retrieved 2011-09-17. 
  5. ^ Sir William Howard was elected in 1597 but before Parliament met his father was elevated to an Earldom and he thus acquired the courtesy title Lord Howard of Effingham. It seems to have been mistakenly supposed that this disqualified him from sitting in the House of Commons, and his younger brother was nominated to replace him. See Neale, op. cit., p 47
  6. ^ Lambert was also elected for the West Riding of Yorkshire
  7. ^ Succeeded to a baronetcy, August 1661
  8. ^ Styled Lord Guernsey from 1714
  9. ^ Rear Admiral from 1794

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 Guildford. 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.

Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote.

Parliament of the United Kingdom 1801-1832

General Election 1802: Surrey (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Lord William Russell Unopposed N/A N/A
Tory Sir John Frederick, Bt Unopposed N/A N/A
By-Election 22 February 1806: Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Lord William Russell Unopposed N/A N/A
Whig hold Swing N/A
General Election 1806: Surrey (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Lord William Russell 315 43.45 N/A
Tory Samuel Thornton 246 33.93 N/A
Tory Sir John Frederick, Bt 164 22.62 N/A
General Election 1807: Surrey (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Samuel Thornton 1,471 52.48 +18.55
Tory George Holme Sumner 994 35.46 +35.46
Whig Lord William Russell 338 12.06 -31.39
General Election 1812: Surrey (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory George Holme Sumner 1,924 40.66 +5.20
Tory Sir Thomas Sutton 1,791 37.85 +37.85
Tory Sir Thomas Turton, 1st Baronet 1,017 21.49 +21.49
By-Election November 1813: Surrey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Samuel Thornton 1,133 69.04 N/A
Tory Sir Thomas Turton, 1st Baronet 508 30.96 N/A
Majority 625 38.09 N/A
Tory hold Swing N/A
General Election 1818: Surrey (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory George Holme Sumner Unopposed N/A N/A
Whig William Joseph Denison Unopposed N/A N/A
General Election 1820: Surrey (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory George Holme Sumner Unopposed N/A N/A
Whig William Joseph Denison Unopposed N/A N/A
General Election 1826: Surrey (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig William Joseph Denison 2,309 40.23 N/A
Whig Charles Nicholas Pallmer 2,056 35.82 N/A
Tory George Holme Sumner 1,375 23.95 N/A
General Election 1830: Surrey (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig William Joseph Denison 2,159 44.08 +3.85
Whig John Ivatt Briscoe 1,487 30.36 +30.36
Tory Hylton Jolliffe 1,252 25.56 +1.61
General Election 1831: Surrey (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig William Joseph Denison Unopposed N/A N/A
Whig John Ivatt Briscoe Unopposed N/A N/A

See also

References