Yorkshire was a
constituencyIn the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly....
of 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 646 members, who are known as "Members...
of the
Parliament of EnglandThe Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. The English Parliament traces its origins to the Anglo-Saxon Witenagemot. In 1066, William of Normandy brought a feudal system, by which he sought advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
from 1290, then of the
Parliament of Great BritainThe Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
from 1707 to 1800 and 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 and British overseas territories. It alone has parliamentary sovereignty, conferring upon it ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories...
from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two
Members of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
until 1826, when the county benefited from the disfranchisement of
GrampoundGrampound in Cornwall, was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1821. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.-History:Grampound's...
by taking an additional two members.
The constituency was split into its three historic ridings, for Parliamentary purposes, under the
Reform Act 1832The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of the United Kingdom...
. Each riding returned two MPs.
Yorkshire was a
constituencyIn the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly....
of 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 646 members, who are known as "Members...
of the
Parliament of EnglandThe Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. The English Parliament traces its origins to the Anglo-Saxon Witenagemot. In 1066, William of Normandy brought a feudal system, by which he sought advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
from 1290, then of the
Parliament of Great BritainThe Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
from 1707 to 1800 and 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 and British overseas territories. It alone has parliamentary sovereignty, conferring upon it ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories...
from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two
Members of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
until 1826, when the county benefited from the disfranchisement of
GrampoundGrampound in Cornwall, was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1821. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.-History:Grampound's...
by taking an additional two members.
The constituency was split into its three historic ridings, for Parliamentary purposes, under the
Reform Act 1832The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of the United Kingdom...
. Each riding returned two MPs. The county was then represented by the Yorkshire East Riding, Yorkshire North Riding and Yorkshire West Riding constituencies.
Boundaries
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the British Isles. Because of its great size, functions were increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as...
was the largest of the
historic counties of EnglandThe historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires. They were used for various functions for several hundred years and continue to form, albeit with considerably...
. The constituency comprised the whole county. Yorkshire also contained several
boroughsParliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament. The term came into use in the 19th century in the United Kingdom, when certain boroughs were disenfranchised, becoming merely municipal boroughs. The two...
which each returned two members to Parliament. These were
AldboroughAldborough is a former parliamentary borough located in the West Riding of Yorkshire, abolished in the great reform act of 1832. Aldborough returned two Members of Parliament from 1558 until 1832....
,
BeverleyBeverley has been the name of a parliamentary constituency in the East Riding of Yorkshire for three separate periods. From medieval times until 1869, it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the market town of Beverley, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons...
,
BoroughbridgeBoroughbridge was a parliamentary borough in Yorkshire from 1553 until 1832, when it was abolished under the Great Reform Act. Throughout its existence it was represented by two Members of Parliament in the House of Commons....
,
HedonHedon, sometimes spelt Heydon, was a parliamentary borough in the East Riding of Yorkshire, represented by two Members of Parliament in the House of Commons briefly in the 13th century and again from 1547 to 1832.-History:...
, Kingston-upon-Hull,
KnaresboroughKnaresborough was a parliamentary constituency which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, and then one MP until its abolition in 1885.-Before the Great Reform Act:...
,
MaltonMalton, also called New Malton, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England in 1295 and 1298, and again from 1640, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885...
,
NorthallertonNorthallerton was a parliamentary borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire, represented by two Members of Parliament in the House of Commons briefly in the 13th century and again from 1640 to 1832, and by one member from 1832 until 1885....
,
PontefractPontefract was an English parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Pontefract in the West Riding of Yorkshire, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons briefly in the 13th century and again from 1621 until 1885, and one member from 1885 to 1974.-In the Unreformed...
,
RichmondRichmond is a 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...
,
RiponRipon was a constituency sending members to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1983, centred on the town of Ripon in North Yorkshire.-History:...
,
ScarboroughScarborough was the name of a constituency in Yorkshire, electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, at two periods. From 1295 until 1918 it was a parliamentary borough consisting only of the town of Scarborough, electing two MPs until 1885 and one from 1885 until 1918...
,
ThirskThirsk was a parliamentary borough in Yorkshire, represented in the English and later British House of Commons in 1295, and again from 1553. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832, and by one member from 1832 to 1885, when the constituency was abolished and absorbed into the new...
and York.
1290-1660
- 1555: Sir John Constable
- 1588-1589: Sir Henry Constable
- 1593: Sir George Savile
- 1601: Thomas Fairfax, Edward Stanhope
- 1624: Thomas Savile
Thomas Savile, 1st Earl of Sussex Thomas Savile was born on 14 September 1590, the son of John Savile, 1st Baron Savile of Pomfret and Elizabeth Cary. He was baptised at Doddington-Pigot in the English county of Cheshire....
- 1626: Sir William Constable
- 1629: Sir Henry Savile
Short ParliamentThe Short Parliament of King Charles I is so called because it lasted only two months.After eleven years of attempting personal rule, Charles recalled Parliament in 1640, under the advice of Lord Wentworth, recently created Earl of Strafford...
- 1640: Sir William Savile
- 1640: ?
Long ParliamentThe Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, 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...
- 1640-1648: Ferdinando, Lord Fairfax
Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron , English parliamentary general, was a son of Thomas Fairfax, whom Charles I in 1627 created Lord Fairfax of Cameron in the Peerage of Scotland....
(Parliamentarian"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they were the supporters of Oliver Cromwell against King Charles I. Cromwell rose to prominence as a Member of Parliament and Parliamentary soldier, and eventually...
) - died March 1648
- 1640-1642: Henry Belasyse (Royalist) - disabled to sit, September 1642
(Although writs were issued to fill both these vacancies, no elections seem to have been held and the seats remained vacant to the end of the Parliament)
Barebones ParliamentBarebone's Parliament, also known as 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. It was an assembly entirely...
(Nominated members)
- 1653: Lord Eure, Walter Strickland
Walter Strickland was an English politician and diplomat who held high office during the Protectorate.-Life:Strickland was the younger son of Walter Strickland of Boynton. His elder brother, William, was knighted in 1630 and created a baronet in 1641, and was a Member of Parliament from 1640 to 1660...
, Francis LascellesFrancis Lascelles was a member of the landed gentry from an old Yorkshire family whose residence was at Stank Hall near Northallerton. During the English Civil War he fought for the Parliamentarians...
, John Anlaby, Thomas Dickenson, Thomas St. Nicholas, Roger Coats, Edward Gill
First Protectorate ParliamentThe 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....
(Fourteen members elected for the three Ridings)
- 1654-1655: East Riding: Hugh Bethell, Richard Robinson, Walter Strickland
Walter Strickland was an English politician and diplomat who held high office during the Protectorate.-Life:Strickland was the younger son of Walter Strickland of Boynton. His elder brother, William, was knighted in 1630 and created a baronet in 1641, and was a Member of Parliament from 1640 to 1660...
, Sir William StricklandSir William Strickland, 1st Baronet was an English Member of Parliament who supported the parliamentary cause during the English Civil War....
; North Riding: Lord Eure, Francis LascellesFrancis Lascelles was a member of the landed gentry from an old Yorkshire family whose residence was at Stank Hall near Northallerton. During the English Civil War he fought for the Parliamentarians...
, Thomas Harrison, George Smithson; West Riding: Lord Fairfax, John LambertGeneral John Lambert served as an English Parliamentary general in the English Civil War.-Early life:Lambert, born at Calton Hall, Kirkby Malham, near Skipton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, of a long-established family, studied law at the Inns of Court in London...
, Henry Tempest, John Bright, Edward Gill, Martin Lister
Second Protectorate ParliamentThe 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...
(Fourteen members elected for the three Ridings)
- 1656-1658: East Riding: Hugh Bethell, Richard Darley, Henry Darley, Sir William Strickland
Sir William Strickland, 1st Baronet was an English Member of Parliament who supported the parliamentary cause during the English Civil War....
; North Riding: Lord Eure, Francis LascellesFrancis Lascelles was a member of the landed gentry from an old Yorkshire family whose residence was at Stank Hall near Northallerton. During the English Civil War he fought for the Parliamentarians...
, Major General Robert Lilburnethumb|right|Robert LilburneColonel Robert Lilburne , was the older brother of John Lilburne, the well known Leveller, but unlike his brother who severed his relationship with Oliver Cromwell, Robert Lilburne remained in the army...
, Luke RobinsonLuke Robinson , of Riseborough, was an English Member of Parliament and of the Council of State during the Commonwealth period....
; West Riding: John LambertGeneral John Lambert served as an English Parliamentary general in the English Civil War.-Early life:Lambert, born at Calton Hall, Kirkby Malham, near Skipton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, of a long-established family, studied law at the Inns of Court in London...
, Colonel Henry Tempest, Edward Gill, Francis Thorpe, Henry Arthington, John Stanhope
Third Protectorate ParliamentThe 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 the Commons...
- 1659: Lord Fairfax, Thomas Harrison
Long Parliament (restored)
Both seats vacant
1660-1826
| Year | First member | First party | Second member | Second party |
|---|
|
|
1660 |
Thomas, Lord Fairfax Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron was a general and parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War.-Early life:...
|
|
Sir John Dawnay |
|
|
|
1661 |
Conyers Darcy Conyers Darcy, 2nd Earl of Holderness was an English nobleman and Member of Parliament.Conyers Darcy was the eldest son of Conyers Darcy, 8th Lord Darcy of Knayth and 5th Lord Conyers, who was created Earl of Holderness in 1682.He sat in the House of Commons as MP for Boroughbridge in 1660, then...
|
|
Sir John Goodricke |
|
|
1670 |
Sir Thomas Slingsby Sir Thomas Slingsby, 2nd Baronet , of Scriven in Yorkshire was an English landowner and Member of Parliament.He was the second but oldest surviving son of Sir Henry Slingsby, executed in 1658 for his adherence to the Royalist cause during the English Civil War...
|
|
|
|
1679 |
Viscount Dungarvan Charles Boyle, 3rd Viscount Dungarvan, FRS was a British peer and politician.Boyle was the son of Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Cork and his wife, Elizabeth, suo jure 2nd Baroness Clifford and was styled with the courtesy title of Viscount Dungarvan from birth...
|
|
Henry, Lord Fairfax Henry Fairfax, 4th Lord Fairfax of Cameron was the grandson of Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron. His father was the Honourable Henry Fairfax, of York, and his mother was Lady Mary Cholomdeley.....
|
|
|
1685 |
Sir John Kaye |
|
|
1689 |
Thomas, Lord Fairfax Thomas Fairfax, 5th baron Fairfax of Cameron was the great-grandson of Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron. His father was Henry Fairfax, 4th Lord Of Cameron and his mother was Francis Barwick...
|
|
|
1698 |
The Viscount Downe |
|
|
January 1701 |
Sir John Kaye |
|
|
December 1701 |
The Viscount of Irvine |
|
|
|
1702 |
Marquess of Hartington William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire KG, PC was a British nobleman and politician, the eldest son of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire and Lady Mary Butler. A prominent Whig, he was sworn of the Privy Council in 1707, and served as Lord President of the Council from 1716 to 1717 and...
|
|
Sir John Kaye |
|
|
January 1707 |
Thomas, Lord Fairfax Thomas Fairfax, 5th baron Fairfax of Cameron was the great-grandson of Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron. His father was Henry Fairfax, 4th Lord Of Cameron and his mother was Francis Barwick...
|
|
|
|
December 1707 |
The Viscount Downe |
|
Conyers Darcy Sir Conyers Darcy or Darcey, KB was a British politician and courtier of the 18th century. He was a younger brother of Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness....
|
|
|
1708 |
Sir William Strickland Sir William Strickland , 3rd Baronet of Boynton, Yorkshire, was an English landowner and racehorse owner who also served for many years as a Member of Parliament ....
|
|
|
1710 |
Sir Arthur Kaye |
|
|
February 1727 |
Cholmley Turner |
|
|
August 1727 |
Sir Thomas Watson-Wentworth Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, KB, PC was a British peer and Whig politician.Watson-Wentworth was the only son and heir of Hon...
|
|
|
1728 |
Sir George Savile |
|
|
1734 |
Sir Miles Stapylton |
|
|
1741 |
Charles Howard, Viscount Morpeth Charles Howard, Viscount Morpeth was a British Member of Parliament.Howard was the eldest son of Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle, and his first wife Lady Frances, daughter of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland. He gained the courtesy title of Viscount Morpeth in 1738 when his father...
|
|
|
1742 |
Cholmley Turner |
|
|
1747 |
Sir Conyers Darcy Sir Conyers Darcy or Darcey, KB was a British politician and courtier of the 18th century. He was a younger brother of Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness....
|
|
|
1750 |
The Viscount Downe |
|
|
1759 |
Sir George Savile Sir George Savile, 8th Baronet was an English politician.The only son of Sir George Savile, 7th Baronet, of Rufford, Nottinghamshire, he was born in London. He inherited his father's baronetcy upon his death in 1743. He entered the House of Commons as member for Yorkshire in 1759...
|
Whig The Whigs are often described as one of the two original political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid-19th centuries. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
|
|
1761 |
Edwin Lascelles Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood was a West Indian plantation owner of English ancestry.-Life:He was the son of Henry Lascelles and Mary Carter. His father split the family fortune leaving Edwin's elder brother Daniel as head of the business whilst raising Edwin as a lord of the manor over...
|
Tory |
|
1780 |
Henry Duncombe Henry Duncombe , M.P. for Yorkshire lived at Copgrove, Yorkshire.Duncombe was a vocal supporter of the Parliamentary struggle for the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts...
|
Tory |
|
January 1784 |
Francis Ferrand Foljambe Francis Ferrand Foljambe , M.P., politician born Aldwark, North Yorkshire, England.Born 17 January 1749 – Foljambe inherited estates at Wadworth, Steeton, Westow, and Aldwark, Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, his family later moved to Osberton Hall, Scofton, Worksop)...
|
Whig The Whigs are often described as one of the two original political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid-19th centuries. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
|
|
April 1784 |
William WilberforceWilliam Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 and became the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
|
Tory |
|
1796 |
Hon. Henry Lascelles Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood , known as Viscount Lascelles from 1814 to 1820, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
|
Tory |
|
1806 |
Walter Ramsden Fawkes Walter Ramsden Fawkes , Member of Parliament and High Sheriff of Yorkshire, was a writer and patron of the landscape painter J. M. W. Turner. Their friendship made Turner a regular visitor to Fawkes' home at Farnley Hall, two miles from Otley, near Leeds, West Yorkshire.Fawkes was elected as an...
|
Whig The Whigs are often described as one of the two original political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid-19th centuries. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
|
|
1807 |
Viscount MiltonCharles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 5th Earl Fitzwilliam KG was a British nobleman. He was three times President of the Royal Statistical Society ....
|
Whig The Whigs are often described as one of the two original political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid-19th centuries. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
|
|
1812 |
Hon. Henry Lascelles Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood , known as Viscount Lascelles from 1814 to 1820, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
|
Tory |
|
1818 |
James Stuart-Wortley Colonel James Archibald Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, 1st Baron Wharncliffe PC , was a British soldier and politician...
|
Tory |
| 1826 |
representation increased to 4 members |
1826-1832
| Year | First member | Party | Second member | Party | Third member | Party | Fourth Member | Party |
|---|
| Representation increased to 4 members |
|
|
|
|
1826 |
Viscount MiltonCharles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 5th Earl Fitzwilliam KG was a British nobleman. He was three times President of the Royal Statistical Society ....
|
Whig The Whigs are often described as one of the two original political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid-19th centuries. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
|
William Duncombe William Duncombe, 2nd Baron Feversham was a British peer and Tory politician.-Background:Feversham was the eldest son of Charles Duncombe, 1st Baron Feversham, and Lady Charlotte, daughter of William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth. The Hon. Arthur Duncombe and the Hon...
|
Tory |
Richard Fountayne Wilson |
Tory |
John Marshall |
Whig The Whigs are often described as one of the two original political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid-19th centuries. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
|
|
|
|
|
1830 |
Viscount Morpeth George William Frederick Howard, 7th Earl of Carlisle KG, PC , styled Viscount Morpeth from 1825 to 1848, was a British politician, statesman and orator.-Background and education:...
|
Whig The Whigs are often described as one of the two original political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid-19th centuries. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
|
Ultra-Tory The Ultra-Tories were a right-wing Anglican section of the British Tory Party that broke away from the party in 1829 after the passing of Catholic Emancipation, in the United Kingdom....
|
Richard Bethell |
Tory |
Henry BroughamHenry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux was a British statesman who became Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom....
|
Whig The Whigs are often described as one of the two original political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid-19th centuries. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
|
|
1830 |
Sir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone Sir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 2nd Baronet , was a British Member of Parliament.Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone was the son of Sir Richard Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 1st Baronet. He succeeded as second Baronet in 1807, at the age of seven, on the death of his father...
|
Whig The Whigs are often described as one of the two original political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid-19th centuries. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
|
|
|
1831 |
George Strickland Sir George Strickland, 7th Baronet was an English Member of Parliament and lawyer.Strickland was the second son of Sir William Strickland, 6th Baronet, of Boynton in Yorkshire, but his older brother died before him and he inherited the baronetcy on his father's death in 1834.He started in the law,...
|
Whig The Whigs are often described as one of the two original political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid-19th centuries. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
|
John Charles Ramsden |
Whig The Whigs are often described as one of the two original political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid-19th centuries. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
|
| 1832 |
Constituency abolished: see North Yorkshire North Riding of Yorkshire was a parliamentary constituency in the North Riding of Yorkshire. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, East YorkshireEast Riding of Yorkshire was a parliamentary constituency in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
and West YorkshireWest Riding of Yorkshire was a former UK Parliament constituency in England, returning two Members of Parliament 1832-1865.-Boundaries and History:This constituency comprised part of Yorkshire, the largest of the ancient counties of England...
|
Notes
Elections
The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each voter had as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which took place in the
county townA county town is the 'capital' of a county in Republic of Ireland or the United Kingdom. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of
YorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence....
. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the (very large) county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of voters, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.
The expense, to candidates, of contested elections encouraged the leading families of the county to agree on the candidates to be returned unopposed whenever possible. Contested county elections were therefore unusual.
Elections in the eighteenth century
Only two elections in the eighteenth century were contested.
At the UK general election, 1784, the seat was initially contested, but the two Whig candidates
Francis Ferrand FoljambeFrancis Ferrand Foljambe , M.P., politician born Aldwark, North Yorkshire, England.Born 17 January 1749 – Foljambe inherited estates at Wadworth, Steeton, Westow, and Aldwark, Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, his family later moved to Osberton Hall, Scofton, Worksop)...
and William Weddell conceded without calling for a poll.
Elections in the 1800s
At the UK general election, 1802,
William WilberforceWilliam Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 and became the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
and
Henry LascellesHenry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood , known as Viscount Lascelles from 1814 to 1820, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
were elected unopposed.
At the UK general election, 1806,
William WilberforceWilliam Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 and became the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
and
Walter Ramsden FawkesWalter Ramsden Fawkes , Member of Parliament and High Sheriff of Yorkshire, was a writer and patron of the landscape painter J. M. W. Turner. Their friendship made Turner a regular visitor to Fawkes' home at Farnley Hall, two miles from Otley, near Leeds, West Yorkshire.Fawkes was elected as an...
were elected unopposed.
Elections in the 1810s and 1820s
At the UK general election, 1812,
Viscount MiltonCharles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 5th Earl Fitzwilliam KG was a British nobleman. He was three times President of the Royal Statistical Society ....
and
Henry LascellesHenry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood , known as Viscount Lascelles from 1814 to 1820, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
were elected unopposed.
At the 1818 and 1820 UK general elections,
Viscount MiltonCharles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 5th Earl Fitzwilliam KG was a British nobleman. He was three times President of the Royal Statistical Society ....
and James Stuart Wortley were elected unopposed.
At the UK general election, 1826, Richard Fountayne Wilson, John Marshall,
William DuncombeWilliam Duncombe, 2nd Baron Feversham was a British peer and Tory politician.-Background:Feversham was the eldest son of Charles Duncombe, 1st Baron Feversham, and Lady Charlotte, daughter of William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth. The Hon. Arthur Duncombe and the Hon...
and
Viscount MiltonCharles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 5th Earl Fitzwilliam KG was a British nobleman. He was three times President of the Royal Statistical Society ....
were elected unopposed.
Elections in the 1830s
At the UK general election, 1831,
George StricklandSir George Strickland, 7th Baronet was an English Member of Parliament and lawyer.Strickland was the second son of Sir William Strickland, 6th Baronet, of Boynton in Yorkshire, but his older brother died before him and he inherited the baronetcy on his father's death in 1834.He started in the law,...
, John Charles Ramsden,
John Vanden-Bempde-JohnstoneSir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 2nd Baronet , was a British Member of Parliament.Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone was the son of Sir Richard Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 1st Baronet. He succeeded as second Baronet in 1807, at the age of seven, on the death of his father...
and
Viscount MorpethGeorge William Frederick Howard, 7th Earl of Carlisle KG, PC , styled Viscount Morpeth from 1825 to 1848, was a British politician, statesman and orator.-Background and education:...
were elected unopposed.