North Shropshire is a constituency represented in the
House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the
Parliament of the United KingdomThe 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...
. From its first creation in 1832 to the abolition of the first creation in 1885 it elected two
Knights of the ShireFrom 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...
. In 1885 it was - together with the constituency of
South ShropshireSouth Shropshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1885. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire....
- divided between four constituencies (
LudlowLudlow 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....
,
NewportNewport is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency for the town of Newport, Shropshire. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918...
,
OswestryOswestry is a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983, when it was renamed North Shropshire...
and
WellingtonWellington is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency, formally known as The Mid Division of Shropshire. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918...
).
In 1983 it was revived. It now elects one
Member of ParliamentA 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,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
The present MP is
Owen PatersonOwen William Paterson is a British Conservative Party politician and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He is the Member of Parliament for North Shropshire.-Early life and career:Paterson was born in Whitchurch, Shropshire...
, who has held the seat since 1997, and was appointed to be the
Secretary of State for Northern IrelandThe Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, informally the Northern Ireland Secretary, is the principal secretary of state in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is a Minister of the Crown who is accountable to the Parliament of...
in May 2010.
Boundaries
The constituency is coextensive with that of the North
areaMany large local government councils in the United Kingdom have a system of area committees, with responsibility for services in a particular part of the area covered by the council....
of
Shropshire CouncilShropshire Council is a unitary authority in Shropshire, United Kingdom.It replaced the former two-tier local government structure in the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire on 1 April 2009, which involved its immediate predecessor, Shropshire County Council, and five non-metropolitan districts -...
, which is the same as the former districts of
North ShropshireNorth Shropshire was a local government district in Shropshire, England. The district council was based at Edinburgh House, in Wem. Other settlements included the towns of Ellesmere, Market Drayton, Wem and Whitchurch, as well as the large villages of Shawbury and Baschurch...
and
OswestryOswestry was a small local government district with borough status in Shropshire, England. It was the smallest of the five districts of Shropshire in terms of both population and land area....
.
The constituency is rural and is north of
ShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, west of
Newcastle-under-LymeNewcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...
and south of
CheshireCheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. The towns of
WemWem is a small market town in Shropshire, England. It is the administrative centre for the northern area committee of Shropshire Council, which has its headquarters at Edinburgh House in the centre of Wem. Wem railway station is on the Shrewsbury to Crewe railway line...
,
WhitchurchWhitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
,
EllesmereEllesmere is a small market town near Oswestry in north Shropshire, England, notable for its proximity to a number of prominent lakes, the Meres.-History:...
,
OswestryOswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
, and
Market DraytonMarket Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
are present.
No boundary changes occurred to this constituency with the latest review of boundaries in England, despite the large population (estimated at 100,400 for mid-2007).
MPs 1832–1885
- Constituency created in 1832
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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....
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Sir Rowland Hill, Bt Rowland Hill, 2nd Viscount Hill , known as Sir Rowland Hill, Bt, between 1824 and 1842, was a British peer and politician.-Background:Hill was the son of Colonel John Hill, eldest son of Sir John Hill, 3rd Baronet...
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Tory |
John Cotes |
Whig |
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1834 |
ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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1835The 1835 United Kingdom general election was called when Parliament was dissolved on 29 December 1834. Polling took place between 6 January and 6 February 1835, and the results saw Robert Peel's Conservatives make large gains from their low of the 1832 election, but the Whigs maintained a large...
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William Ormsby-Gore For his great-great grandson, see William Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech.William Ormsby-Gore , known as William Gore until 1815, was a British Member of Parliament....
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ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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1843 by-election |
Viscount Clive Edward James Herbert, 3rd Earl of Powis , styled Viscount Clive between 1839 and 1848, was a British peer and politician.-Background:...
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ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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1848 by-election |
John Whitehall Dod |
ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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1857-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
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Hon. Rowland Hill Rowland Clegg-Hill, 3rd Viscount Hill , known as Rowland Hill until 1872, was a British Conservative politician. The Hon. G.R.C. Hill succeeded his father as Master of the Shropshire Foxhounds, and founded the Hawkstone Otter Hunt Club in 1870, and took over the pack that year, continuing as Master...
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ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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1859In the 1859 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, held their majority in the House of Commons over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives...
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John Ormsby-Gore John Ralph Ormsby-Gore, 1st Baron Harlech , was a British Conservative Member of Parliament.Harlech was the eldest son of William Ormsby-Gore and Mary Jane Ormsby. He was elected to the House of Commons for Carnarvonshire in 1837, a seat he held until 1841, and later represented North Shropshire...
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ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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1865The 1865 United Kingdom general election saw the Liberals, led by Lord Palmerston, increase their large majority over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives to more than 80. The Whig Party changed its name to the Liberal Party between the previous election and this one.Palmerston died later in the same...
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Hon. Charles Cust The Hon. Charles Henry Cust was a British soldier and Conservative politician.-Background:Cust was the second son of John Cust, 1st Earl Brownlow, and his first wife Sophia, daughter of Sir Abraham Hume, 2nd Baronet. John Egerton, Viscount Alford, was his elder brother.-Military and political...
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ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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1866 by-election |
Hon. Adelbert Brownlow-Cust Adelbert Wellington Brownlow-Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow GCVO, PC, VD, DL, JP , was a British soldier, courtier and Conservative politician.-Background and education:...
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ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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1867 by-election |
Viscount Newport George Cecil Orlando Bridgeman, 4th Earl of Bradford DL, JP was a British soldier and peer.The elder son of the 3rd Earl of Bradford and Selina Louisa Forester, Bridgeman was educated at Harrow School, and served in the 1st Life Guards and the Shropshire Yeomanry Cavalry, reaching the rank of...
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ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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1876 by-election |
Stanley Leighton Stanley Leighton was an English barrister, landowner, artist and Conservative politician. Leighton was the son of Sir Baldwin Leighton, 7th Baronet of Loton Park and his wife Mary Parker. He was educated at Harrow School and Balliol College, Oxford. He then attended Inner Temple and was called to...
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ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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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:...
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Constituency abolished |
MPs since 1983
| Election | Member | Party |
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1983The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
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John Biffen William John Biffen, Baron Biffen, PC, DL , was a Conservative member of the House of Lords, who previously spent 36 years in the House of Commons.-Early life:...
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ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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1997The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
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Owen Paterson Owen William Paterson is a British Conservative Party politician and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He is the Member of Parliament for North Shropshire.-Early life and career:Paterson was born in Whitchurch, Shropshire...
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ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Sources