Taunton (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Taunton was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the 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...

 and its predecessors from 1295 to 2010, taking its name from the town of Taunton in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

. Until 1918, it was a parliamentary borough
Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...

, electing two Member of Parliaments (MPs)
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,...

 between 1295 and 1885 and one from 1885 to 1918; the name was then transferred to a county constituency, electing one MP.

In the boundary changes that came into effect at the general election of 2010, the Boundary Commission for England replaced Taunton with a modified constituency called Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane (UK Parliament constituency)
Taunton Deane 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....

, to reflect the district name.

Boundaries

Taunton borough (to 1918): The borough consisted of the town of Taunton, Somerset. Until 1832, it retained the medieval boundaries, which included only part of the parish of St Mary Magdalene, Taunton
St Mary Magdalene, Taunton
The Church of St Mary Magdalene in Taunton, Somerset, England was completed in 1508, in Early Tudor Perpendicular Gothic style and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.-History and description:...

, but the boundary act extended it to take in more of the town, including parts of Taunton St James, Wilton, West Monkton
West Monkton
West Monkton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish includes the hamlets of Monkton Heathfield, Bathpool, Burlinch and Coombe, and had a population of 2,663 at the 2001 census.-History:The charter for West...

 and Bishop's Hull parishes, which more than doubled its population.

Taunton county constituency (1918–2010): The county constituency created in 1918 effectively combined the borough with the southern part of the existing West Somerset or Wellington
Wellington (Somerset) (UK Parliament constituency)
Wellington is a former county constituency in the United Kingdom, formally known as The Western or Wellington Division of Somerset...

 county division, so that it included the towns of Wellington
Wellington, Somerset
Wellington is a small industrial town in rural Somerset, England, situated south west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district, near the border with Devon, which runs along the Blackdown Hills to the south of the town...

 and Wiveliscombe
Wiveliscombe
Wiveliscombe is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The town has a population of 2,670. The parish includes the nearby hamlet of Maundown.-History:...

, many small villages and parts of Exmoor
Exmoor
Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...

. Until local government reorganisation in the 1970s, it was defined as consisting of Taunton borough, Wellington Urban District, Wiveliscombe Urban District (until that was abolished) and the Dulverton
Dulverton Rural District
Dulverton was a rural district in Somerset, England, from 1894 to 1974.It was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894.In 1974 it was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 and responsibilities transferred to West Somerset....

, Taunton
Taunton Rural District
Taunton was a rural district in Somerset, England, from 1894 to 1974.It was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894.In 1974 it was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 when it became part of Taunton Deane district....

 and Wellington
Wellington Rural District (Somerset)
Wellington was a rural district in Somerset, England, from 1894 to 1974.It was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894.In 1974 it was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 when it became part of Taunton Deane....

 rural districts. There were very minor boundary changes in 1983.

History

In the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....

, the victorious Liberal Democrats candidate in Taunton required the smallest percentage swing
Swing (politics)
An electoral swing analysis shows the extent of change in voter support from one election to another. It is an indicator of voter support for individual candidates or political parties, or voter preference between two or more candidates or parties...

 from the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

 MP
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,...

 for them to take the seat.

MPs 1295–1640

  • Constituency created (1295)

ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1386 William Portman William Marchaunt
1388 (Feb) William Marchaunt William Portman
1388 (Sep) William Marchaunt William Damarle
1390 (Jan) William Marchaunt John Porter
1390 (Nov)
1391 William Marchaunt William Portman
1393 William Marchaunt John Porter
1394 William Marchaunt John Porter
1395 William Marchaunt Walter Puryham
1397 (Jan) Robert Coullyng Robert Eysel
1397 (Sept) Richard Marchaunt John Northmore
1399 Walter Puryham Edmund Rokes
1401
1402 William Portman Ralph Sargor
1404 (Jan
1404 (Oct)
1406 William Portman Robert Bathe
1407 Richard Marchaunt John Northmore
1410 Thomas Bacot Thomas Edward
1411
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May) John Rydon Lewis John
1414 (Apr) John Marchaunt Edmund Dyer
1414 (Nov) John Marchaunt Edmund Dyer
1415
1416 (Mar)
1416 (Oct)
1417 John Rydon Walter Portman
1419 Walter Portman Robert Croke
1420 Robert Croke William Borde
1421 (May) Walter Portman William Borde
1421 (Dec) Walter Portman John Bowe
1510-1523 No names known
1529 Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, , was an English statesman who served as chief minister of King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540....

William Portman
1536 ?Richard Pollard ?William Portman
1547 Sir Nicholas Hare
Nicholas Hare
Sir Nicholas Hare of Bruisyard, Suffolk was Speaker of the House of Commons of England between 1539-1540.He was born the eldest son of John Hare of Homersfield, Suffolk, educated at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and admitted to the Inner Temple in 1515...

John Caryll
1553 (Mar) ?
1553 (Oct) James Basset John Wingfield
1554 (Apr) William Barne Oliver Vachell
1554 (Nov) Thomas Eden John Norres
1555 Dr Valentine Dale ?
1558 Richard Myrfield
1559 ? ?
1563-1567 Miles Sandys
Miles Sandys
Miles Sandys was an English courtier and Member of Parliament who sat in every Parliament from 1563 to 1597 yet never represented the same constituency twice. Sandys was the brother of the Archbishop of York, Edwin Sandys, and an influential crown official, working in the Court of Queen's Bench and...

Anthony Leigh
1571 Robert Hill Richard Blount died during the 1572 Parliament
In his place Edmund Hodges
1572-1581 Roger Hill
1584-1585 Maurice Horner William Goldwell
1586-1587 Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...

John Goldwell
1588-1589 Thomas Fisher
1593 William Aubrey, DCL
William Aubrey
William Aubrey was Regius Professor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford from 1553 to 1559, and was one of the founding Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford. He was also a MP.-Early life and Oxford University:...

John Davidge
1597-1598 Edward Barker Edward Hexte
1601 John Bond
John Bond (classicist)
John Bond was an English physician and classical scholar who also served twice as Member of Parliament for Taunton....

Daniel Donne, DCL
Daniel Donne
-Life:He was descended from John Dwnn of Radnorshire, was educated at Oxford, where he was a member of All Souls College, and was admitted to the degree of B.C.L. 14 July 1572. Eight years later the higher degree was conferred on him, when he became Principal of New Inn Hall.He entered the College...

1604-1611 Edward Hexte
Addled Parliament (1614)
Addled Parliament
The Addled Parliament was the second Parliament of England of the reign of James I of England , which sat between 5 April and 7 June 1614...

James Clerke John Dunn
1621-1622 Lewis Pope Thomas Brereton
Happy Parliament (1624-1625)
Happy Parliament
The Happy Parliament was the fourth and last Parliament of England of the reign of King James I, sitting from 19 February 1624 to 24 May 1624 and then from 2 November 1624 to 16 February 1625...

Roger Prowse
Useless Parliament (1625)
Useless Parliament
The Useless Parliament was the first Parliament of England of the reign of King Charles I, sitting only from June until August 1625. It gained its name because it transacted no significant business, making it 'useless' from the king's point of view...

Sir Hugh Portman
Sir Hugh Portman, 4th Baronet
Sir Hugh Portman, 4th Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in two parliaments between 1625 and 1629.Portman was the son of Sir John Portman, 1st Baronet and his wife Anne Gifford, daughter of Sir Henry Gifford...

Edward Brereton
1625-1626 Sir Robert Gorges
Robert gorges
Robert Gorges was a Captain in the English navy and briefly Governor-General of New England from 1623 to 1624. He was the son of Sir Ferdinando Gorges...

George Browne
1628 Sir Hugh Portman
Sir Hugh Portman, 4th Baronet
Sir Hugh Portman, 4th Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in two parliaments between 1625 and 1629.Portman was the son of Sir John Portman, 1st Baronet and his wife Anne Gifford, daughter of Sir Henry Gifford...

1629-1640 No Parliament summoned

MPs 1640–1885

YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
April 1640
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....

Sir William Portman
Sir William Portman, 5th Baronet
Sir William Portman, 5th Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1644. He supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War....

Royalist Roger Hill
Roger Hill (judge)
Roger Hill , of Poundsford in Somerset, was an English judge and Member of Parliament.Hill was born at Colyton in Devon, the eldest son of William Hill of Poundisford Park, member of a family of Somerset squires who could trace their ancestry back to a Sir John Hill in the reign of Edward III...

Parliamentarian
November 1640
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...

George Searle Parliamentarian
February 1644 Portman disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1645 John Palmer, MD 
1653 Taunton was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
Barebones Parliament
Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the installation of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector...

1654
First Protectorate Parliament
The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House....

Colonel Thomas Gorges
Thomas Gorges (Maine)
Thomas Gorges was a colonial governor of the Province of Maine, an officer in the Parliamentary Army, and a Member of Parliament both during the rule of Oliver Cromwell, and after the restoration of King Charles II to the throne....

John Gorges
1656
Second Protectorate Parliament
The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...

Admiral Robert Blake
Robert Blake (admiral)
Robert Blake was one of the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century. Blake is recognised as the chief founder of England's naval supremacy, a dominance subsequently inherited by the British Royal Navy into...

January 1659
Third Protectorate Parliament
The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...

Sir William Wyndham
Sir William Wyndham, 1st Baronet
Sir William Wyndham, 1st Baronet , English politician, was Member of Parliament for Somerset 1656-1658 and for Taunton 1659 and 1660-1679.He was made a Baronet in 1661, of Orchard, Somerset.- References :*...

May 1659
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason....

John Palmer, MD One seat vacant
March 1660 Thomas Gorges
Thomas Gorges (Maine)
Thomas Gorges was a colonial governor of the Province of Maine, an officer in the Parliamentary Army, and a Member of Parliament both during the rule of Oliver Cromwell, and after the restoration of King Charles II to the throne....

Sir William Wyndham
Sir William Wyndham, 1st Baronet
Sir William Wyndham, 1st Baronet , English politician, was Member of Parliament for Somerset 1656-1658 and for Taunton 1659 and 1660-1679.He was made a Baronet in 1661, of Orchard, Somerset.- References :*...

1661 Sir William Portman
Sir William Portman, 6th Baronet
Sir William Portman, 6th Baronet FRS was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1661 and 1690....

February 1679 John Trenchard
John Trenchard (Secretary of State)
Sir John Trenchard was an English politician belonging to an old Dorset family. His father was Thomas Trenchard of Wolverton , and his grandfather was Sir Thomas Trenchard of Wolverton...

Whig
September 1679 Sir John Cutler Bt
Cutler Baronets
The Baronetcy of Cutler of London was created in the Baronetage of England on 12 November 1660 for John Cutler of Deptford.Cutler was Master of the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London four times. He served as High Sheriff of Kent in 1676. He was Member of Parliament for Taunton...

1680 Edmund Prideaux
1685 Sir William Portman
Sir William Portman, 6th Baronet
Sir William Portman, 6th Baronet FRS was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1661 and 1690....

John Sanford
March 1690 Edward Clarke
April 1690 John Speke
1698 Henry Seymour Portman
1701 Sir Francis Warre
1710 Henry Seymour Portman
1715 William Pynsent James Smith
1722 John Trenchard
John Trenchard (writer)
John Trenchard , English writer and Commonwealthman, belonged to the same Dorset family as the Secretary of State Sir John Trenchard.Trenchard was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and became a lawyer...

Whig
1724 Abraham Elton
1727 George Speke Francis Fane
1734 Henry William Berkeley Portman
1741 Sir John Chapman
Sir John Chapman, 2nd Baronet
Sir John Chapman, 2nd Baronet was a British parliamentarian.He succeeded to the baronetcy in May 1737.He was elected at the 1741 general election as a Member of Parliament for Taunton, and held the seat until the 1741 general election, when he did not stand again...

John Buck
John Buck (MP)
Sir John Buck or Sir John Bucke was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1601.Bucke was the son of Francis Bucke of The Nash, Kempsey, Worcestershire and first cousin of George Wylde through their Wall grandparents. He matriculated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford under...

1745 Percy Wyndham-O'Brien
Percy Wyndham-O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond
Percy Wyndham-O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond was a British Member of Parliament, Irish peer and the younger son of Tory statesman Sir William Wyndham and brother to Sir Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont....

1747 Sir Charles Wyndham
Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont
Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont, PC and Catherine née Seymour, succeeded his uncle, Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset, as 2nd Earl of Egremont in 1750...

 
Robert Webb
Robert Webb (MP)
Robert Webb was the Member of Parliament for Taunton from 1747 to 1754. He was a prominent sugar merchant, owning plantations on Montserrat.-References:...

1750 Admiral William Rowley
William Rowley (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Rowley KB was a British naval commander who distinguished himself during the War of the Austrian Succession and also became a Member of Parliament.-Naval career:...

April 1754 The Lord Carpenter
George Carpenter, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell
George Carpenter, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell , known as The Lord Carpenter between 1749 and 1761, was a British peer and politician.-Background:...

 
John Halliday
December 1754 Robert Maxwell
Robert Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham
Robert Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham PC , styled The Honourable Robert Maxwell from 1756 to 1759, was an Irish peer and a Member of both the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland.-Background and education:...

 
Whig
1762 Laurence Sulivan
1768 Alexander Popham
Alexander Popham (penal reformer)
Alexander Popham was a British politician and penal reformer. Born to Alexander Popham, a rector, and his wife Mary, Popham matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford on 11 November 1746, transferring to All Souls, Oxford, where he was awarded his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1751 and his Master of...

Nathaniel Webb
1774 Hon. Edward Stratford
Edward Stratford, 2nd Earl of Aldborough
Edward Augustus Stratford, 2nd Earl of Aldborough FRS , styled The Honourable from 1763 to 1777 and Viscount Amiens in the latter year, was an Irish peer and Whig politician.-Background:...

Whig
1775 John Halliday Alexander Popham
Alexander Popham (penal reformer)
Alexander Popham was a British politician and penal reformer. Born to Alexander Popham, a rector, and his wife Mary, Popham matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford on 11 November 1746, transferring to All Souls, Oxford, where he was awarded his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1751 and his Master of...

1780 Major-General John Roberts
1782 (Sir) Benjamin Hammet
1784 Alexander Popham
Alexander Popham (penal reformer)
Alexander Popham was a British politician and penal reformer. Born to Alexander Popham, a rector, and his wife Mary, Popham matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford on 11 November 1746, transferring to All Souls, Oxford, where he was awarded his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1751 and his Master of...

1796 William Morland
1800 John Hammet
1806 Alexander Baring
Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton
Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton PC was a British politician and financier.-Background:Baring was the second son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, and of Harriet, daughter of William Herring...

1812 Henry Powell Collins
1818 Sir William Burroughs
1819 Henry Powell Collins
1820 John Ashley Warre
1826 Henry Seymour
Henry Seymour (Knoyle)
Henry Seymour MP, JP , of Knoyle House, Wiltshire, of Trent, and of Northbrook, was a British Tory politician....

William Peachey
1830 Henry Labouchere
Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton
Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton PC was a prominent British Whig and Liberal Party politician of the mid-19th century.-Background and education:...

Whig Edward Thomas Bainbridge Whig
1842 Sir Thomas Colebrooke
Sir Thomas Colebrooke, 4th Baronet
Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke, 4th Baronet was a British politician.He was the son of Henry Thomas Colebrooke and Elizabeth Colebrooke...

Whig
1852 Arthur Mills
Arthur Mills (MP)
Arthur Mills was a British Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Taunton [1852-53 and 1857-1865] and Exeter [1873-1880]. In his career, he was also a barrister, magistrate, and author in Cornwall and London...

 
Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1853 Sir John Ramsden
Sir John Ramsden, 5th Baronet
Sir John Ramsden, 5th Baronet was a British Liberal Party politician.The fifth Baronet was elected as a Member of Parliament for Hythe in 1857 and served as Under-Secretary of State for War from 1857 to 1858. He resigned through appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds on 9 February 1859...

Whig
1857 Arthur Mills
Arthur Mills (MP)
Arthur Mills was a British Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Taunton [1852-53 and 1857-1865] and Exeter [1873-1880]. In his career, he was also a barrister, magistrate, and author in Cornwall and London...

Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1859 Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...

August 1859 George Cavendish-Bentinck
George Cavendish-Bentinck
George Augustus Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck PC, JP , was a British barrister and Conservative politician. An MP from 1859 to 1891, he served under Benjamin Disraeli as Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade from 1874 to 1875 and as Judge Advocate General from 1875 to 1880.-Background and...

Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1865 Alexander Charles Barclay
Alexander Charles Barclay
Alexander Charles Barclay was an English brewer and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1880....

Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...

Lord William Hay Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...

1868 Edward William Cox  Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1869 (Sir) Henry James
Henry James, 1st Baron James of Hereford
Henry James, 1st Baron James of Hereford GCVO, PC, QC , known as Sir Henry James between 1873 and 1895, was an Anglo-Welsh lawyer and statesman. Initially a Liberal, he served under William Ewart Gladstone as Solicitor General in 1873 and as Attorney-General between 1873 and 1874 and 1880 and 1885...

Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...

1880 Sir William Palliser
William Palliser
Major Sir William Palliser CB MP was an Irish-born politician and inventor, Member of Parliament for Taunton from 1880 until his death.-Early life:...

Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1882 Samuel Charles Allsopp
Samuel Allsopp, 2nd Baron Hindlip
Samuel Charles Allsopp, 2nd Baron Hindlip , was a British businessman and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1873 and 1887 when he inherited the peerage....

Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1885
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:...

Representation reduced to one Member

MPs since 1885

ElectionMemberParty
1885
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:...

Samuel Charles Allsopp
Samuel Allsopp, 2nd Baron Hindlip
Samuel Charles Allsopp, 2nd Baron Hindlip , was a British businessman and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1873 and 1887 when he inherited the peerage....

Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1887 by-election Alfred Percy Allsopp
Alfred Percy Allsopp
Alfred Percy Allsopp was an English businessman and Conservative Party politician.Allsopp was the sixth and youngest son of Henry Allsopp, 1st Baron Hindlip and Elizabeth Tongue...

Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1895
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...

Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...

Sir Edward Boyle
Sir Edward Boyle, 1st Baronet
Sir Edward Boyle, 1st Baronet was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was elected at the 1906 general election as Member of Parliament for Taunton, but died in office three years later, aged 60....

Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1909 by-election William Wellesley Peel
William Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel
William Robert Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel GCSI, GBE, PC, TD was a British politician.-Background and education:...

Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1912 by-election Sir Gilbert Wills
Gilbert Wills, 1st Baron Dulverton
Gilbert Alan Hamilton Wills, 1st Baron Dulverton , known as Sir Gilbert Wills, 2nd Baronet, from 1909 to 1929, was a British businessman and Conservative Member of Parliament....

, Bt.
Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1918
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...

Dennis Fortescue Boles
Sir Dennis Boles, 1st Baronet
Sir Dennis Fortescue Boles, 1st Baronet CBE, DL , was a British Conservative politician.Boles was the son of Reverend James Thomas Boles of Ryll Court, Exmouth, Devon. He was educated at Bradfield School and Exeter College, Oxford...

Coalition Conservative
1921 by-election Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen
Arthur Griffith-Boscawen
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Arthur Sackville Trevor Griffith-Boscawen PC was a British Conservative Party politician whose career was cut short by losing a string of Parliamentary elections....

Coalition Conservative
1922
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...

John Hope Simpson
John Hope Simpson
Sir John Hope Simpson was a British Liberal politician who served as a Member of Parliament and later in the Government of Newfoundland....

Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...

1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...

Andrew Hamilton Gault Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1935
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...

Lt Col Edward Wickham
Edward Wickham
Edward Thomas Ruscombe Wickham was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was elected as Member of Parliament for Taunton at the 1935 general election, but was defeated at the 1945 general election by the Labour Party candidate, Victor Collins.- External links :...

Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1945
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...

Victor Collins
Victor Collins, Baron Stonham
Victor John Collins, Baron Stonham PC was a British Labour Party politician.Born in Whitechapel, London, he was elected at the 1945 general election as Member of Parliament for Taunton, in Somerset. He lost his seat at the 1950, to the Conservative Henry Hopkinson...

Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

1950
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...

Henry Hopkinson Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1956 by-election Sir Edward du Cann
Edward du Cann
Sir Edward Dillon Lott du Cann is a retired politician from the United Kingdom. He was a Member of Parliament from 1956–87, and served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1965–67, and Chairman of party's 1922 Committee from 1972-84.Du Cann was educated at Colet Court, Woodbridge School and...

Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...

David Nicholson Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The 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...

Jackie Ballard
Jackie Ballard
Jacqueline Margaret Ballard has been a politician and journalist in the United Kingdom. She was the Director General of the RSPCA, and took up post as CEO of the RNID on 22 October 2007....

Liberal Democrat
2001
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...

Adrian Flook Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The 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...

2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....

Jeremy Browne
Jeremy Browne
Jeremy Richard Browne is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Taunton Deane since 2005 and a Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 2010.-Early life and education:...

Liberal Democrat
2010 Constituency abolished: see Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane (UK Parliament constituency)
Taunton Deane 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....


Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Sources


External links

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