Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency)

Leicestershire was a county constituency in Leicestershire

Leicestershire

Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...

, represented in the House of Commons. It elected two Members of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MPs), traditionally called Knights of the Shire

Knights of the Shire

From the creation of the Parliament of England in mediaeval times until 1826 each county of England and Wales sent two Knights of the Shire as members of Parliament to represent the interests of the county, when the number of knights from Yorkshire was increased to four...

, by the bloc vote

Plurality-at-large voting

Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...

 system of election, to the Parliament of England

Parliament of England

The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...

 until 1707, to the Parliament of Great Britain

Parliament of Great Britain

The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...

 from 1707 until 1800

Act of Union 1800

The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...

, and then to Parliament of the United Kingdom

Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

 until 1832

Reform Act 1832

The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...

.

History

The constituency was abolished by the Reform Act 1832

Reform Act 1832

The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...

 for the 1832 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1832

-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....

, when it was replaced by the Northern

North Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency)

North Leicestershire, formally the "Northern Division of Leicestershire", was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...

 and Southern

South Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency)

Leicestershire South is a county constituency 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 voting system....

 divisions, each of which elected two MPs.

Both divisions were abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885

Redistribution of Seats Act 1885

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...

 for the 1885 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1885

-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...

, when they were replaced by four new single-seat constituencies: Bosworth

Bosworth (UK Parliament constituency)

Bosworth is a county constituency 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.-Boundaries:...

, Harborough

Harborough (UK Parliament constituency)

Harborough is a county constituency 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.-Boundaries:...

, Loughborough

Loughborough (UK Parliament constituency)

Loughborough is a county constituency 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.-Boundaries:...

 and Melton

Melton (UK Parliament constituency)

Melton was a county constituency centred on the town of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....

.

1290–1640

Parliament	First member	Second member
1295	Robert de Wyvill
1297	Sir Thomas de Meynill
1315	Robert de Wyvill (son of Robert, 1295)
1322	Hugh de Prestwold
1324	Sir Robert de Burdet
1325	Ralph Beler
1327	Sir Robert de Burdet
1362–1391	William Flamville (13 times)
1371–1397	Thomas Walsh (15 times)
1376–1383	Ralph Bellers (4 times)
1378	Ralph Hastings
1378	Edmund Appleby
1380	John Burdet
1382	John Neville
1385	John Calverley
1386	Sir William Flamville	Sir Thomas Walsh
1388 (Feb)	Sir William Flamville	Sir Thomas Walsh
1388 (Sep)	Sir William Flamville	Sir Roger Perwych
1390 (Jan)	John Burdet	Sir Thomas Walsh
1390 (Nov)	Robert Langham	Sir Thomas Walsh
1391	Sir William Flamville	Sir Thomas Walsh
1393	Sir Robert Harrington	Sir Hugh Shirley
1394	Sir Robert Harrington	Sir Thomas Walsh
1395	Nicholas Colman	Sir Thomas Walsh
1397 (Jan)	Edmund Bugge	Sir Thomas Walsh
1397 (Sep)	Sir John Calverley	Sir Henry Neville
1399	Thomas Mandeville	Sir Thomas Maureward
1401	Thomas Derby	Sir John Neville
1402	Sir John Berkeley II	Sir Henry Neville
1404 (Jan)	William Brokesby	Edmund Bugge
1404 (Oct)	Sir John Berkeley II	Robert Veer
1406	Sir John Neville	Sir Henry Neville
1407	John Blaket	Robert Sherard
1410	John Blaket	Bartholemew Brokesby
1411	Sir John Berkeley II	Sir Thomas Maureward
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	James Bellers	William Belgrave
1414 (Apr)	Thomas Ashby	John Blaket
1414 (Nov)	James Bellers	Richard Hotoft
1415
1416 (Mar)
1416 (Oct)
1417
1419	Thomas Ashby	William Mallory
1420	James Bellers	Sir Ralph Shirley
1421 (May)	John Burgh III	Richard Hotoft
1421 (Dec)	Sir Laurence Berkeley	Sir William Trussell
1422	Bartholemew Brokesby
1433	Thomas Palmer	John Burgh
1439	Richard Hotoft	Thomas Palmer
1442	Thomas Palmer	Richard Neel
1449	Thomas Palmer
1455	Sir Leonard Hastings	Thomas Palmer
1467	Thomas Palmer	Robert Staunton
1510–1515	No names known
1523	?Sir Richard Sacheverell	?
1529	Sir Richard Sacheverell, died 1534	Sir William Skeffington, died 1535
by 1536	?William Ashby
1536	?William Ashby	?
1539	Sir John Villers	John Digby
1542	Sir Richard Manners	?Thomas Brokesby
1545	Sir Ambrose Cave	Robert Burdett
1547	Edward Hastings	Sir Ambrose Cave
1553 (Mar)	Edward Hastings	Sir Ambrose Cave
1553 (Oct)	Robert Strelley	Sir Thomas Hastings
1554 (Apr)	Sir Thomas Hastings	Henry Poole
1554 (Nov)	Sir Thomas Hastings	George Turpin
1555	William Faunt	William Skeffington
1558	George Vincent	George Sherard
1559 (Jan)	Adrian Stokes	Francis Cave
1562–1563	Nicholas Beaumont	George Turpin
1571	Francis Hastings (died 1610)	Adrian Stokes
1572 (Apr)	(Sir) George Turpin	Nicholas Beaumont
1584	George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon Sir George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon was an English nobleman.He was a son of Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon and Catherine Pole. He was a younger brother of Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon and older brother of Francis Hastings...	Francis Hastings Francis Hastings (died 1610) Sir Francis Hastings was an English Puritan politician.He was the fifth and youngest son of the 2nd Earl of Huntingdon. His older brothers were Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon and George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon....
1586	George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon Sir George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon was an English nobleman.He was a son of Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon and Catherine Pole. He was a younger brother of Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon and older brother of Francis Hastings...	Francis Hastings Francis Hastings (died 1610) Sir Francis Hastings was an English Puritan politician.He was the fifth and youngest son of the 2nd Earl of Huntingdon. His older brothers were Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon and George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon....
1588 (Oct)	Sir Henry Beaumont	William Turpin
1593	Francis Hastings (son of George)	Thomas Skeffington
1597	Sir Edward Hastings	Sir Francis Hastings Francis Hastings (died 1610) Sir Francis Hastings was an English Puritan politician.He was the fifth and youngest son of the 2nd Earl of Huntingdon. His older brothers were Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon and George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon....
1601	Henry Hastings (1551–1650)	William Skipwith
1604	Sir George Villiers	Thomas Beaumont
1614	Sir Thomas Hastings	Sir Thomas Hesilrige Sir Thomas Hesilrige, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Hesilrige, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1614 and 1624.Hesilrige was the son of Thomas Hesilrige of Noseley Hall, Noseley, Leicestershire and his wife Ursula Andrews daughter of Sir Thomas Andrews of Charwelton, Northamptonshire and his wife...
1621-1622	Sir George Hastings George Hastings (died 1641) Sir George Hastings was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1626.Hastings was the second son of Francis Hastings, Lord Hastings and his wife Sarah Harington, daughter of Sir James Harington and Lucy Sydney. He was admitted at Sidney Sussex...	Sir Henry Hastings
1624	Sir Thomas Hesilrige Sir Thomas Hesilrige, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Hesilrige, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1614 and 1624.Hesilrige was the son of Thomas Hesilrige of Noseley Hall, Noseley, Leicestershire and his wife Ursula Andrews daughter of Sir Thomas Andrews of Charwelton, Northamptonshire and his wife...	Sir Henry Hastings
1625	Ferdinando Lord Hastings Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon was the son of Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon and Lady Elizabeth Stanley, the daughter of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby and Alice Spencer...	Sir Wolstan Dixie Wolstan Dixie Sir Wolstan Dixie, , was a merchant and administrator, and Lord Mayor of London in 1585.-Life:He was the son of Thomas Dixie and Anne Jephson, who lived at Catworth in Huntingdonshire. Wolstan was the fourth son of his father, and went into business...
1626	Sir Henry Hastings	Francis Staresmore
1628-1629	Sir Edward Hartopp	Ferdinando, Lord Hastings Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon was the son of Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon and Lady Elizabeth Stanley, the daughter of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby and Alice Spencer...
1629-1640	No Parliament convened

1640–1832

Year	|2nd Member	2nd Party
Apr 1640		Sir Arthur Hesilrige			Hon. Lord Grey of Ruthyn Henry Grey, 10th Earl of Kent Henry Grey, 10th Earl of Kent , known as Lord Ruthin from 1639 to 1643, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and succeeded to the title Earl of Kent in 1643....
Nov 1640		Sir Arthur Hesilrige			Henry Smith Henry Smith (regicide) Henry Smith was an English Member of Parliament and one of the regicides of King Charles I.He was born in Withcote, Leicestershire in 1620; son of Henry Smith born in 1589 and Frideswide Wright. He studied at Oxford University and Lincoln's Inn. He married miss Holland.In 1640 he was elected...

Parliament	1st member	2nd member	3rd member	4th member
1653	Henry Danvers	Edward Smith Sir Edward Smith, 1st Baronet Sir Edward Smith, 1st Baronet was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1653.Smith was the son of Edward Smith of Cressy Hall Lincolnshire and his wife Elizabeth Heron daughter of Sir Edward Heron. His father died in 1632. He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn on 8...	John Prat	3 seats only
1654	Thomas Beaumont Sir Thomas Beaumont, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Beaumont, 1st Baronet was an English politician.He was the oldest son of Sir Henry Beaumont and Elizabeth Turpin, daughter of Sir William Turpin. Beaumont sat as a Member of Parliament for Leicestershire between 1654 and 1659 and was High Sheriff of Leicestershire between 1668 and 1669...	Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford , known as the Lord Grey of Groby from 1614 to 1628, was an English nobleman and military leader. He was the eldest son of Sir John Grey and Elizabeth Nevill...	Lord Grey of Groby Thomas Grey, Lord Grey of Groby Thomas Grey, Lord Grey of Groby , was an elected Member of Parliament for Leicester during the English Long Parliament, an active member of the Parliamentary party and a regicide...	Thomas Pochin
1656	Thomas Beaumont Sir Thomas Beaumont, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Beaumont, 1st Baronet was an English politician.He was the oldest son of Sir Henry Beaumont and Elizabeth Turpin, daughter of Sir William Turpin. Beaumont sat as a Member of Parliament for Leicestershire between 1654 and 1659 and was High Sheriff of Leicestershire between 1668 and 1669...	Francis Hacker (of Okeham)	William Quarks	Thomas Pochin

Year	|2nd Member	2nd Party
1659		Sir Thomas Beaumont, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Beaumont, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Beaumont, 1st Baronet was an English politician.He was the oldest son of Sir Henry Beaumont and Elizabeth Turpin, daughter of Sir William Turpin. Beaumont sat as a Member of Parliament for Leicestershire between 1654 and 1659 and was High Sheriff of Leicestershire between 1668 and 1669...			Francis Hacker
1660		Thomas Merry			Matthew Babington Matthew Babington Matthew Babington was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660.Babington was the son of Thomas Babington of Rothley Temple, Leicestershire. He matriculated from Queens College, Cambridge at Easter, 1631...
1661		Lord Roos John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland and 9th Earl of Rutland was the son of John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland and Frances Montagu. His maternal grandparents were Sir Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton and his wife Elizabeth Jeffries...			George Faunt
Feb 1679					The Lord Sherard
Apr 1679		Sir John Hartopp
1685		John Verney
1689		Sir Thomas Halford
1690		Sir Thomas Hesilrige Sir Thomas Hesilrige, 4th Baronet Sir Thomas Hesilrige, 4th Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1690 to 1695.Hesilrige was the son of Sir Thomas Hesilrige, 3rd Baronet and his wife Elizabeth Fenwick, daughter of George Fenwick, of Bruntonhall, Northumberland...
1695		John Verney			George Ashby George Ashby (MP) George Ashby was an English politician. He was Member of Parliament for Leicestershire from 1707 to 1708.- References :...
1698					John Wilkins
1701		Lord Roos John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland KG was the son of John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland and his third wife Catherine Wriothesley Noel, daughter of Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden...			The Lord Sherard Bennet Sherard, 1st Earl of Harborough Bennet Sherard, 1st Earl of Harborough was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
1702		John Verney			John Wilkins
1707		George Ashby George Ashby (MP) George Ashby was an English politician. He was Member of Parliament for Leicestershire from 1707 to 1708.- References :...
1708		Sir Geoffrey Palmer			Sir Gilbert Pickering
1710					The Marquess of Granby John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland KG was the son of John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland and his third wife Catherine Wriothesley Noel, daughter of Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden...
1711					Sir Thomas Cave Sir Thomas Cave, 3rd Baronet Sir Thomas Cave, 3rd Baronet DL was a British Tory politician and baronet.He was the oldest son of Sir Roger Cave, 2nd Baronet and his first wife Martha Browne, daughter of John Browne. In 1703, he succeeded his father as baronet. Cave was educated at Christ Church College, Oxford...	Tory Tory Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
1713		Viscount Tamworth	Tory Tory Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
1714		Sir Geoffrey Palmer
1719					Lord William Manners Lord William Manners Lord William Manners , English nobleman and Member of Parliament, was the second son of John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland and his first wife, Catherine Russell....
1722		Edmund Morris Edmund Morris (MP) Edmund Morris was an English politician. He was Member of Parliament for Leicestershire from 1722 to 1727.- References :...
1727		Sir Clobery Noel Sir Clobery Noel, 5th Baronet Sir Clobery Noel, 5th Baronet was an English politician. He sat as Member of Parliament for Leicestershire from 1727 to 1733....
Feb 1734		Ambrose Phillipps Ambrose Phillipps Ambrose Phillipps was an English politician. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Leicestershire at a by-election in February 1734, and held the seat until his death in 1737....
May 1734					Edward Smith Edward Smith (MP) Edward Smith was an English Tory politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1734 to 1762.Smith was the eldest son of Rev. Roger Smith of Bosworth and his wife Judith Tomlinson. He was educated at Melton Mowbray and at Rugby School...
1738		Lord Grey Harry Grey, 4th Earl of Stamford Harry Grey, 4th Earl of Stamford was an English peer, styled Lord Grey from 1720 to 1739.Harry Grey was born in Enville Hall, the eldest son of Henry Grey, 3rd Earl of Stamford. He was educated at Rugby and Westminster. In 1736, he married Lady Mary Booth, the only daughter and heiress of George...
1739		Lord Guernsey Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Aylesford Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Aylesford , styled Lord Guernsey between 1719 and 1757, was a British peer and politician.-Background and education:...
1741		Sir Thomas Cave Sir Thomas Cave, 5th Baronet Sir Thomas Cave, 5th Baronet was a British politician and lawyer.-Background:Baptised at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in Covent Garden, he was the second son of Sir Thomas Cave, 3rd Baronet and his wife Hon. Margaret Verney, daughter of John Verney, 1st Viscount Fermanagh. Cave was educated at...
1747		Wrightson Mundy Wrightson Mundy Wrightson Mundy was High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1737 and MP for Leicestershire in 1747.-Biography:Wrightson married Anne daughter of Robert Burdett and sister of Sir Robert Burdett, Bt of Foremarke Hall, Derbyshire by whom he had one son and four daughters...
1754		Sir Thomas Palmer Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Carlton Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Carlton was a British politician. He was a Member of Parliament for Leicestershire from 1754 to 1765....
1762					Sir Thomas Cave Sir Thomas Cave, 5th Baronet Sir Thomas Cave, 5th Baronet was a British politician and lawyer.-Background:Baptised at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in Covent Garden, he was the second son of Sir Thomas Cave, 3rd Baronet and his wife Hon. Margaret Verney, daughter of John Verney, 1st Viscount Fermanagh. Cave was educated at...
1765		Sir John Palmer
1774					Thomas Noel Thomas Noel, 2nd Viscount Wentworth Thomas Noel, 2nd Viscount Wentworth was a British politician.Wentworth was the only son of the Edward Noel, 1st Viscount Wentworth and his wife, Judith, and was educated at Eton and Brasenose College, Oxford...
1775					John Peach-Hungerford
1780		William Pochin
1790					Sir Thomas Cave Sir Thomas Cave, 7th Baronet Sir Thomas Cave, 7th Baronet was a British politician.The son of Sir Thomas Cave, 6th Baronet and Sarah Edwards, he succeeded to his father's baronetcy in 1780. Cave was educated at the Christ Church, Oxford, where he matriculated in 1785. From 1790 and 1792, he was Member of Parliament for...
1792					Penn Assheton Curzon
1797					George Anthony Legh-Keck
1798		Sir Edmund Cradock-Hartopp Sir Edmund Cradock-Hartopp, 1st Baronet Sir Edmund Cradock-Hartopp, 1st Baronet was a British baronet and politician.Born Edmund Bunney, he was the son of Joseph Bunney and Mary Cradock in Freathby, Leicestershire...
1806		Lord Robert William Manners Lord Robert William Manners Major-General Lord Robert William Manners, CB was a British soldier and nobleman, the third son of Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland and Lady Mary Somerset...
1818					Charles March Phillipps
1820					George Anthony Legh-Keck
1831		Charles March-Phillipps Charles March-Phillipps Charles March-Phillipps was a British Whig politician from Garrendon Park in Leicestershire.He sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1818 and 1837....			Thomas Paget Thomas Paget (1778–1862) Thomas Paget was a banker and Whig politician in England.He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Leicestershire in 1831, and held seat until the constituency was divided at the 1832 general election....	Whig
1832 United Kingdom general election, 1832 -Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....	Great Reform Act Reform Act 1832 The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales... : constituency abolished