Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Westbury was a parliamentary constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...

 in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

 from 1449 to 2010. It was represented in the House of Commons of England
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

 until 1707, and then in the House of Commons of Great Britain
House of Commons of Great Britain
The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the third estate of the Parliament of Scotland, as one of the most significant...

 from 1707 to 1800, and finally 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...

 from 1801 until 2010.

Until 1885, 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...

, returning 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) until 1832 and only one from 1832 to 1885. Then parliamentary borough was abolished in 1885, when the name was transferred to a county constituency returning one MP. Elections used 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 when two MPs were returned, and the first-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...

 system of election when one seat was contested.

Westbury returned a 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...

 Member at every election after 1924.

Boundaries

Originally a small rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....

, covering only a small part of the parish of Westbury
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...

, in the 19th century the borough became a rural parliamentary constituency in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 county of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

. At the time of the constituency's abolition in 2010 it included the towns of Westbury
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...

, Warminster
Warminster
Warminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. It has a population of about 17,000. The River Were runs through the town and can be seen running through the middle of the town park. The Minster Church of St Denys sits on the River Were...

, Trowbridge
Trowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....

, and Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....

, and the surrounding rural areas as far south as Mere
Mere, Wiltshire
Mere is a small town in Wiltshire, England. It lies at the extreme southwestern tip of Salisbury Plain close to the borders of Somerset and Dorset....

. Until boundary changes in 1997 it had also included Melksham
Melksham
Melksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon. It lies in the county of Wiltshire.It is situated southeast of the city of Bath, south of Chippenham, west of Devizes and north of Warminster on the A350 national route. The 2001 UK census cited Melksham as having 20,000...

.

Boundary review, 2005

Following a review of parliamentary representation in Wiltshire, the Boundary Commission for England created two new constituencies in the county. Chippenham
Chippenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Chippenham is a parliamentary constituency, abolished in 1983 but recreated in 2010, and 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...

 was created mostly from the adjoining North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North Wiltshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was known as Chippenham.- Boundaries :As the name suggests, the constituency covers most of north Wiltshire...

 constituency, plus the town of Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....

 at the northern end of the Westbury constituency, while the rest of Westbury saw minor changes to its composition and was renamed South West Wiltshire. These changes were approved in 2005, to take effect at the following general election, which ultimately took place in 2010.

MPs 1449–1640

ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1491 Sir Thomas Long of Draycot
1510-1523 No names known
1529 Thomas Kirton Thomas Temys
1536 ?
1539 ?
1542 ?
1545 William Hartgill Geoffrey Carter
1547 John Stokes Kenelm Throckmorton
1553 (Mar) ?
1553 (Oct) Andrew Baynton
Andrew Baynton
Sir Andrew Baynton , was an English scholar.Baynton was son and heir of Sir Edward Baynton, of Bromham-Baynton, Wiltshire, a favourite courtier of Henry VIII, vice-chamberlain to three of his queens, and a friend and patron of Hugh Latimer, some of the correspondence between them Sir Andrew Baynton...

Griffin Curteys
1554 (Apr) Griffin Curteys Peter Morgan
1554 (Nov) William Bennett Griffin Curteys
1555 Sir Thomas Throckmorton I William Hoskins
1558 John Buckland William Allen alias Helyer
1559 Anthony Carleton Ralph Skinner
1562/3 Hugh Ryley John Dyster
1571 Francis Blount Thomas Long
1572 William Brouncker Henry Brouncker
1584 William Brouncker Edward Midwinter
1586 Robert Baynard Henry Whitaker
1588 Henry Fanshawe
Henry Fanshawe
-Early life:Henry Fanshawe, baptised 15 August 1569, was the elder son of Thomas Fanshawe by his first wife, Mary, daughter of Antony Bourchier and was thus a half-brother of Thomas Fanshawe. In November 1586 he became a student of the Inner Temple...

John Bennett
1593 William Jordyn II Henry Fanshawe
Henry Fanshawe
-Early life:Henry Fanshawe, baptised 15 August 1569, was the elder son of Thomas Fanshawe by his first wife, Mary, daughter of Antony Bourchier and was thus a half-brother of Thomas Fanshawe. In November 1586 he became a student of the Inner Temple...

 
1597 Matthew Ley
Matthew Ley
Matthew Ley was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1597 to 1614.Ley was the second son of Henry Ley. In 1578 he and his brother James purchased the manor of Brembridge, near Westbury, and he later acquired Heywood north of Westbury. In 1597, he was elected...

James Ley
James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough
James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland and then in England; he was an English Member of Parliament and was Lord High Treasurer from 1624 to 1628. On 31 December 1624, James I created him Baron Ley, of Ley in the County of Devon, and on 5 February...

 
1601 Matthew Ley
Matthew Ley
Matthew Ley was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1597 to 1614.Ley was the second son of Henry Ley. In 1578 he and his brother James purchased the manor of Brembridge, near Westbury, and he later acquired Heywood north of Westbury. In 1597, he was elected...

Henry Jackman
1604 Matthew Ley
Matthew Ley
Matthew Ley was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1597 to 1614.Ley was the second son of Henry Ley. In 1578 he and his brother James purchased the manor of Brembridge, near Westbury, and he later acquired Heywood north of Westbury. In 1597, he was elected...

James Ley
James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough
James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland and then in England; he was an English Member of Parliament and was Lord High Treasurer from 1624 to 1628. On 31 December 1624, James I created him Baron Ley, of Ley in the County of Devon, and on 5 February...

, made judge
and replaced by
Alexander Choke
1614 Matthew Ley
Matthew Ley
Matthew Ley was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1597 to 1614.Ley was the second son of Henry Ley. In 1578 he and his brother James purchased the manor of Brembridge, near Westbury, and he later acquired Heywood north of Westbury. In 1597, he was elected...

Henry Ley
Henry Ley
Henry George Ley MA DMus FRCO FRCM HonRAM was an English organist, composer and music teacher.Dr Ley was born in Chagford in Devon on 30 December 1887...

1621 Sir James Ley
James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough
James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland and then in England; he was an English Member of Parliament and was Lord High Treasurer from 1624 to 1628. On 31 December 1624, James I created him Baron Ley, of Ley in the County of Devon, and on 5 February...

Sir Miles Fleetwood
Miles Fleetwood
Sir Miles Fleetwood of Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire was receiver of the court of wards and politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1614 and 1641.Fleetwood was the son of Sir William Fleetwood Sir Miles Fleetwood of Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire ( died 8 March 1641) was receiver...

1624 Sir John Saye Sir Henry Mildmay
Henry Mildmay
Sir Henry Mildmay was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1659. He supported the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War and was one of the Regicides of Charles I of England....

1625 Sir Walter Long, 1st Baronet
Sir Walter Long, 1st Baronet
Sir Walter Long, 1st Baronet of Whaddon was an English politician.The second son of Henry Long and Rebecca Bailey, Long was Educated at Lincoln's Inn...

Thomas Hopton
1626 Sir Walter Long, 1st Baronet
Sir Walter Long, 1st Baronet
Sir Walter Long, 1st Baronet of Whaddon was an English politician.The second son of Henry Long and Rebecca Bailey, Long was Educated at Lincoln's Inn...

Thomas Hopton
1628 Maximilian Petty Charles Thynne
1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned

  • 1625: ?Gifford Long
    Gifford Long
    Gifford Long was an English landowner, J.P and Member of Parliament.- Biography :Born at Broughton Gifford, Wiltshire, the eldest surviving son and heir of Edward Long, clothier of Monkton, and his wife Ann Brouncker , he was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, matriculating in...


MPs 1640–1832

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 Thomas Penyston John Ashe
John Ashe (of Freshford)
John Ashe was an English clothier and politician who sat in the House of Commons ar various times between 1640 and 1656.Ashe was the son of James Ashe of Freshford, Somerset and his wife Grace Pitt, daughter of Richard Pitt of Melcombe Regis He entered the cloth trade and became on the "greatest...

 
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...

John Ashe
John Ashe (of Freshford)
John Ashe was an English clothier and politician who sat in the House of Commons ar various times between 1640 and 1656.Ashe was the son of James Ashe of Freshford, Somerset and his wife Grace Pitt, daughter of Richard Pitt of Melcombe Regis He entered the cloth trade and became on the "greatest...

Parliamentarian William Wheler
Sir William Wheler, 1st Baronet
Sir William Wheler, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1660.Wheler was the son of John Wheler and his wife Martha Herrick daughter of Robert Herrick of Leicester....

Parliamentarian
December 1648 Wheler excluded in Pride's Purge
Pride's Purge
Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...

 - seat vacant
1653 Westbury 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...

 and the First
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....

 and Second
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...

 Parliaments of the Protectorate
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...

Robert Villiers, alias Danvers
Robert Danvers
Robert Danvers also Wright, Howard and Villiers was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1659 and 1660...

 
William Eyre
William Eyre of Neston
William Eyre of Neston, Wiltshire , was a parliamentarian army officer and politician.Eyre fought for the parliamentary cause in the English Civil War. He may have risen from the rank of captain of foot to colonel...

 
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....

Not represented in the restored Rump
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....

, Ashe having died in the interim
April 1660 Richard Lewis William Brouncker
1661 Thomas Wancklyn 
1678 Henry Bertie
Henry Bertie (of Weston-on-the-Green)
Captain Henry Bertie, JP , English politician, was a younger son of Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey by his second wife, Lady Norreys....

February 1679 William Trenchard
August 1679 Henry Bertie
Henry Bertie (of Weston-on-the-Green)
Captain Henry Bertie, JP , English politician, was a younger son of Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey by his second wife, Lady Norreys....

1680 Edward Norton William Trenchard
1681 John Ashe
1685 Richard Lewis James Herbert
1689 Peregrine Bertie
Peregrine Bertie (senior)
Peregrine Bertie was an English politician, the second son of Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey.One of the English volunteers in the French army in 1654, Bertie subsequently served as a cornet in the Royal Horse Guards in 1661, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1667 and captain from 1676 until...

1695 Robert Bertie
1701 Henry Bertie
Henry Bertie (of Weston-on-the-Green)
Captain Henry Bertie, JP , English politician, was a younger son of Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey by his second wife, Lady Norreys....

July 1702 William Trenchard Thomas Phipps
December 1702 Henry Bertie
Henry Bertie (of Weston-on-the-Green)
Captain Henry Bertie, JP , English politician, was a younger son of Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey by his second wife, Lady Norreys....

Robert Bertie
1708 Francis Annesley
January 1715
British general election, 1715
The British general election of 1715 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707...

 
Willoughby Bertie
Willoughby Bertie, 3rd Earl of Abingdon
Willoughby Bertie, 3rd Earl of Abingdon was an English peer.He was the son of James Bertie of Stanwell in Middlesex and Elizabeth Willoughby. He was elected to Parliament in 1715, but was unseated on petition. He married Anna Maria Collins in August 1727. They had ten children.- Children :# Lady...

June 1715 The Lord Carbery
George Evans, 1st Baron Carbery
George Evans, 1st Baron Carbery PC was an Irish politician and peer.Evans was the son of George Evans, of Bulgaddon Hall, County Limerick and his wife Mary . He was elected to the Irish House of Commons for Limerick County in 1707, a seat he held until 1715...

Charles Allanson
1722
British general election, 1722
The British general election of 1722 elected members to serve in the House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Great Britain. This event took place following the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was fiercely fought, with contests taking place...

James Bertie  Francis Annesley
March 1723 by-election The Lord Carbery
George Evans, 1st Baron Carbery
George Evans, 1st Baron Carbery PC was an Irish politician and peer.Evans was the son of George Evans, of Bulgaddon Hall, County Limerick and his wife Mary . He was elected to the Irish House of Commons for Limerick County in 1707, a seat he held until 1715...

1727
British general election, 1727
The British general election, 1727 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was triggered by the death of George I; at the time elections...

John Hoskins Gifford
1734
British general election, 1734
The British general election, 1734 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Robert Walpole's increasingly unpopular Whig government lost ground to the...

Hon. George Evans John Bance
1741
British general election, 1741
The British general election, 1741 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707...

Joseph Townsend
Joseph Townsend
Joseph Townsend was a physician, geologist and vicar of Pewsey in Wiltshire, perhaps best known for his 1786 treatise A Dissertation on the Poor Laws in which he expounded a naturalistic theory of economics and opposed the provision of 'outdoor' relief to the able bodied poor under English Poor...

1747
British general election, 1747
The British general election, 1747 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 10th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw Henry Pelham's Whig government increase its majority and...

 
John Bance Paul Methuen
Paul Methuen (MP)
Paul Methuen was an English politician.He was Member of Parliament for Westbury 1747–1748, for Warwick 1762–1768, Great Bedwyn 1774–1781.- References:...

1748 Chauncy Townsend
Chauncy Townsend
Chauncy Townsend was a businessman and a Member of Parliament in the British Parliament.He started his business career as a London linen draper, before becoming a merchant in about 1740. He developed extensive interests in coal mines in the Swansea area of Wales, as well as mining, smelting and...

Pro-Government Matthew Michell
1753 by-election Peregrine Bertie
1768
British general election, 1768
The British general election, 1768 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.-Summary of the Constituencies:...

William Blackstone
William Blackstone
Sir William Blackstone KC SL was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the Commentaries on the Laws of England. Born into a middle class family in London, Blackstone was educated at Charterhouse School before matriculating at Pembroke...

1770 by-election Hon. Charles Dillon
Charles Dillon, 12th Viscount Dillon
Charles Dillon-Lee, 12th Viscount Dillon, KP, PC was Member of Parliament for the English borough of Westbury ....

1774
British general election, 1774
The British general election, 1774 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.-Summary of the Constituencies:...

Hon. Thomas Wenman
Thomas Wenman
The Honourable Thomas Francis Wenman FRS was a British professor, natural historian, and antiquarian.Wenman was the second son of Philip Wenman, 6th Viscount Wenman and his wife Sophia, daughter and co-heiress of James Herbert of Tythorpe. He was born at Thame Park, near Thame, Oxfordshire in 1745...

Nathaniel Bayly
1779 by-election Samuel Estwick
1780
British general election, 1780
The British general election, 1780 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 15th Parliament of Great Britain to be held after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707...

(Sir) John Whalley-Gardiner 
1784
British general election, 1784
The British general election of 1784 resulted in William Pitt the Younger securing an overall majority of about 120 in the House of Commons of Great Britain, having previously had to survive in a House which was dominated by his opponents.-Background:...

Chaloner Arcedeckne
1786 by-election John Madocks
1790
British general election, 1790
The British general election, 1790 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 17th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.-Political Situation:...

Ewan Law
January 1795 by-election Samuel Estwick
November 1795 by-election Edward Wilbraham-Bootle
May 1796
British general election, 1796
The British general election, 1796 returned members to serve in the 18th and last House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain to be held before the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801...

Sir Henry Paulet St John-Mildmay, Bt George Ellis 
October 1796 by-election Lieutenant Colonel George Harcourt
1800 by-election John Simon Harcourt
1802
United Kingdom general election, 1802
The United Kingdom general election, 1802 was the election to the 2nd Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was the first to be held after the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

William Baldwin Charles Smith
Charles Smith (MP)
Charles Smith was a British politician. He sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1796 until its abolition in 1800, and then in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1806....

1806
United Kingdom general election, 1806
The United Kingdom general election, 1806 was the election of members to the 3rd Parliament of the United Kingdom. This was the second general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....

William Jacob
William Jacob
William Jacob was an English merchant, scientist, parliamentarian, public official and advocate for expanded British trade...

John Woolmore
May 1807
United Kingdom general election, 1807
The election to the 4th Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1807 was the third general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....

Edward Lascelles Glynn Wynn
July 1807 by-election Henry Lascelles
Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood
Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood DL , known as Viscount Lascelles from 1814 to 1820, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....

1809 by-election Francis Whittle
1810 by-election John de Ponthieu
1812
United Kingdom general election, 1812
The election to the 5th Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1812 was the fourth general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....

Benjamin Hall
Benjamin Hall (ironmaster)
Benjamin Hall, FRS was an industrialist and a prominent figure in South Wales.- Background, Education & Connections :...

Benjamin Shaw
Benjamin Shaw
Benjamin Shaw is an English a musician and artist based in London.He released his debut EP "I Got the Pox, the Pox is What I Got" in October 2009 on Audio Antihero which saw airplay from BBC 6 Music on the Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Steve Lamacq, Jon Holmes and Tom Robinson shows and positive...

1814 by-election Ralph Franco
Sir Ralph Lopes, 2nd Baronet
Sir Ralph Lopes, 2nd Baronet , of Maristow in Devon, was a British Member of Parliament .Lopes was born as Ralph Franco. His uncle, Manasseh Masseh Lopes, an MP and borough owner, was created a baronet in 1805, with a special remainder to his nephew...

Tory
1818
United Kingdom general election, 1818
The 1818 general election of the United Kingdom saw the Whigs gain a few seats, but the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool retained a majority of around 90 seats...

Lord Francis Conyngham
Francis Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham
General Francis Nathaniel Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham KP, GCH, PC , styled Lord Francis Conyngham between 1816 and 1824 and Earl of Mount Charles between 1824 and 1832, was a British soldier, courtier and politician.-Background and education:Born in Dublin, Conyngham was the second son of...

1819 by-election William Leader Maberly
William Leader Maberly
William Leader Maberly spent most of his life as a British army officer and Whig politician.He was the eldest child of John Maberly , a currier, clothing manufacturer, banker and MP, who had made and lost a fortune in a lifetime....

Whig
March 1820
United Kingdom general election, 1820
The 1820 UK general election, held shortly after the Radical War in Scotland and the Cato Street Conspiracy. In this atmosphere, the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool were able to win a substantial majority over the Whigs....

Jonathan Elford Tory Nathaniel Barton Tory
November 1820 by-election Sir Manasseh Masseh Lopes, Bt
Sir Manasseh Masseh Lopes, 1st Baronet
Sir Manasseh Masseh Lopes, 1st Baronet , of Maristow in Devon, was a British Member of Parliament and borough-monger.-Parliamentary career:...

Tory Philip John Miles Tory
1826
United Kingdom general election, 1826
The 1826 United Kingdom general election saw the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool win a substantial and increased majority over the Whigs. In Ireland, Home Rule candidates, working with the Whigs, won large gains from Unionist candidates....

Sir George Warrender
Sir George Warrender, 4th Baronet
Sir George Warrender of Lochend, 4th Baronet PC, FRS was a Scottish politician. In 1799, he succeeded to his father's baronetcy. Due to his lifestyle, he was nicknamed Sir Gorge Provender....

Canningite Tory
Canningite
Canningites was the name used for a faction of British Tories in the first decade of the 19th century through the 1820s who were led by George Canning. The Canningites were distinct within the Tory party because they favoured Catholic emancipation and freer trade.After the incapacity of Lord...

1829 by-election Robert Peel
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...

Tory
1830
United Kingdom general election, 1830
The 1830 United Kingdom general election, was triggered by the death of King George IV and produced the first parliament of the reign of his successor, William IV. Fought in the aftermath of the Swing Riots, it saw electoral reform become a major election issue...

Sir Alexander Cray Grant, Bt
Sir Alexander Grant, 8th Baronet
Sir Alexander Cray Grant, 8th Baronet was a British politician and plantation owner in the West Indies.He was born in 1782 in West Alvington, Devon, the eldest son of Sir Alexander Grant, 7th Baronet and Sarah Cray. He graduated from St John's College, Cambridge in 1806 with a Master of Arts...

Tory Michael George Prendergast Tory
May 1831
United Kingdom general election, 1831
The 1831 general election in the United Kingdom saw a landslide win by supporters of electoral reform, which was the major election issue. As a result it was the last unreformed election, as the Parliament which resulted ensured the passage of the Reform Act 1832. Polling was held from 28 April to...

Sir Ralph Lopes, Bt
Sir Ralph Lopes, 2nd Baronet
Sir Ralph Lopes, 2nd Baronet , of Maristow in Devon, was a British Member of Parliament .Lopes was born as Ralph Franco. His uncle, Manasseh Masseh Lopes, an MP and borough owner, was created a baronet in 1805, with a special remainder to his nephew...

Whig Henry Hanmer
Henry Hanmer
Henry Hanmer was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1831 to 1837.Hanmer was the fifth son of Sir Thomas Hanmer, 2nd Baronet of Hanmer, Bettisfield Park in Flintshire, and his wife Margaret Kenyon daughter of George Kenyon of Peel Hall Leicestershire. He was educated...

Whig
July 1831 by-election Henry Frederick Stephenson 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....

Representation reduced to one MP

MPs 1832–1885

Election Member Party
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....

Sir Ralph Lopes
Sir Ralph Lopes, 2nd Baronet
Sir Ralph Lopes, 2nd Baronet , of Maristow in Devon, was a British Member of Parliament .Lopes was born as Ralph Franco. His uncle, Manasseh Masseh Lopes, an MP and borough owner, was created a baronet in 1805, with a special remainder to his nephew...

Whig
1837
United Kingdom general election, 1837
The 1837 United Kingdom general election saw Robert Peel's Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their fourth election of the decade....

John Ivatt Briscoe
John Ivatt Briscoe
John Ivatt Briscoe was an English Whig and later Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1857 to 1870.Briscoe was the son of John Briscoe of Cross Deep, Twickenham and his wife Mary Winthrop, daughter of Stephen Winthrop. He was educated at University College, Oxford and graduated...

Whig
1841
United Kingdom general election, 1841
-Seats summary:-Whig MPs who lost their seats:*Viscount Morpeth - Chief Secretary for Ireland*Sir George Strickland, Bt*Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987...

Sir Ralph Lopes
Sir Ralph Lopes, 2nd Baronet
Sir Ralph Lopes, 2nd Baronet , of Maristow in Devon, was a British Member of Parliament .Lopes was born as Ralph Franco. His uncle, Manasseh Masseh Lopes, an MP and borough owner, was created a baronet in 1805, with a special remainder to his nephew...

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...

1847
United Kingdom general election, 1847
-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 *...

James Wilson
James Wilson (UK politician)
James Wilson was a Scottish businessman, economist and Liberal politician. He founded The Economist and the Standard Chartered Bank.-Early life:...

Whig
1857
United Kingdom general election, 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 *...

Sir Massey Lopes
Sir Massey Lopes, 3rd Baronet
Sir Massey Lopes, 3rd Baronet PC , known as Massey Franco until 1831 and as Massey Lopes from 1831 to 1854, was a British Conservative politician and agriculturalist....

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...

1868
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...

John Lewis Phipps
John Lewis Phipps
John Lewis Phipps , of Leighton House, Westbury, Wiltshire, was a Brazil merchant, briefly Conservative MP for Westbury and High Sheriff of Wiltshire ....

 
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 by-election Charles Paul Phipps
Charles Paul Phipps
Charles Paul Phipps , of Chalcot House, Westbury, Wiltshire, was an English merchant in Brazil and later Conservative MP for Westbury and High Sheriff of Wiltshire .-Origins:...

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...

1874
United Kingdom general election, 1874
-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 *...

Abraham Laverton
Abraham Laverton
Abraham Laverton , of Westbury, Wiltshire, was a cloth mill owner, philanthropist, and Liberal member of parliament for the parliamentary borough of Westbury from 1874 to 1880.-Mill owner and philanthropist:...

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
United Kingdom general election, 1880
-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 *...

Charles Nicholas Paul Phipps
Charles Nicholas Paul Phipps
Charles Nicholas Paul Phipps , of Chalcot House, Westbury, Wiltshire, was a Brazil merchant, Conservative MP for Westbury and High Sheriff of Wiltshire ....

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:...

Borough abolished - named transferred to county division

Westbury County Constituency (since 1885)

Election Member Party
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:...

George Fuller
George Fuller (British politician)
George Pargiter Fuller , was a British Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1895.Fuller was born at Baynton, Wiltshire, the eldest surviving son of John Bird Fuller, a partner in Fuller Smith & Turner, brewers, and his wife Sophia Hanning, daughter of John Hanning...

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...

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...

Richard Chaloner
Richard Chaloner, 1st Baron Gisborough
Richard Godolphin Walmesley Chaloner, 1st Baron Gisborough was a British soldier and politician...

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...

1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...

John Fuller
Sir John Fuller, 1st Baronet
Sir John Michael Fleetwood Fuller, 1st Baronet KCMG , was a British Liberal Party politician and colonial administrator....

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...

1911 by-election Hon. Geoffrey Howard
Geoffrey Howard (Liberal politician)
The Honourable Geoffrey William Algernon Howard JP was a British Liberal politician. He served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household under H. H...

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...

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...

George Llewellen Palmer
George Llewellen Palmer
George Llewellen Palmer was a British Conservative Party politician.In 1903-1904, Palmer was High Sheriff of Wiltshire....

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...

Charles Darbishire
Charles Darbishire
Charles William Darbishire was a British Liberal politician and East India merchant.-Early life and family:Darbishire was born in London, the son of Colonel C. H. Darbishire of Plas Mawr, Penmaenmawr in North Wales. He was educated at Giggleswick School in Yorkshire...

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 :* * *...

Captain W. W. Shaw
Walter William Shaw
Walter William Shaw was a British Conservative Party politician.He was elected at the 1924 general election as Member of Parliament for Westbury in Wiltshire, having unsuccessfully fought the seat in 1923...

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...

1927 by-election Richard Long
Richard Long, 3rd Viscount Long
Richard Eric Onslow Long, 3rd Viscount Long DL TD was a British Conservative Party politician. He married Gwendoline Hague-Cook in 1916, and they had three sons, including Richard Long, and one daughter....

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...

1931
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...

Sir Robert Grimston
Robert Grimston, 1st Baron Grimston of Westbury
Robert Villiers Grimston, 1st Baron Grimston of Westbury was a British Conservative politician.The eldest son of the Rev. and Hon...

 
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...

1964
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...

Sir Dennis Walters
Dennis Walters
Sir Dennis Murray Walters MBE was a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for Westbury.-Early life:The son of Douglas Walters and Clara Pomello, Walters is of English and Italian descent and was brought up as a Roman Catholic...

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...

1992
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...

David Faber
David Faber (politician)
David James Christian Faber was a Conservative member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, then an author, before in 2010 being appointed as head master of Summer Fields School, Oxford...

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...

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...

Andrew Murrison
Andrew Murrison
Dr Andrew William Murrison is a doctor and Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. After serving as the Member of Parliament for Westbury from 2001 to 2010, at the 2010 general election he was elected for the new seat of South West Wiltshire.-Early life:The son of William Gordon...

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...

2010 Constituency abolished: see South West Wiltshire and Chippenham
Chippenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Chippenham is a parliamentary constituency, abolished in 1983 but recreated in 2010, and 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

Sources

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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