Bath (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
, previously of the House of Commons of England
. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century. Perhaps its best-known representatives have been William Pitt the Elder (Prime Minister
1766-1768) and Chris Patten
(Conservative Party
chairman 1990–1992).
and Freshford
; following the review these have been transferred to the new North East Somerset
constituency.
The electoral wards (of Bath and North East Somerset district
) which make up the current Bath constituency are:
of 1295, and has been represented ever since. Like almost all English constituencies before the Great Reform Act of 1832, it originally returned two members to each Parliament.
The precise way in which its MPs were chosen in medieval times is unknown. It is recorded that "election was by the Mayor and three citizens being sent from thence to the county court who in the name of the whole community, and by the assent of the community, returned their representatives"; but what form the "assent of the community" took is unrecorded, even assuming it was not a complete dead letter. By the 17th century elections had become more competitive, and the means of election in Bath had been formalised to a franchise restricted to the Mayor
, Aldermen
and members of the Common Council (the City Corporation), a total of thirty voters. The freemen
of the city challenged this state of affairs in 1661 and again in 1705 claiming the right to vote and petitioning against the election of the candidates chosen by the corporation, but on both occasions the House of Commons
, which in those days was the final arbiter of such disputes, decided against them. The Commons resolution of 27 January 1708, "That the right of election of citizens to serve in Parliament for this city is in the mayor, aldermen and common-council only", settled the matter until 1832.
Bath was the biggest of the English boroughs where the right to vote was restricted to the corporation (at the time of the 1801 census it was one of the ten largest towns or cities in England by population), and almost unique in that the voters generally exercised their powers responsibly and independently. As was the case elsewhere, the Common Council was not popularly elected, all vacancies being filled by co-option by the remaining members, so that once any interest gained majority control it was easy to retain it. Most corporation boroughs quickly became pocket boroughs in this way, the nomination of their MPs being entirely under the influence of a "patron" who ensured that only his supporters became members of the corporation. But in Bath, the Common Council retained its independence in most periods, and took pride in electing suitable MPs who either had strong local connections or a national reputation. Nor was there any suggestion of bribery or other corruption, which often took the place of a patron's control in other "independent" constituencies. Pitt the Elder
wrote to the corporation in 1761, on the occasion of his re-election as Bath's MP, to pay tribute to "a city ranked among the most ancient and most considerable in the kingdom, and justly famed for its integrity, independence, and zeal for the public good".
But even in Bath the voters expected their MPs to work for the constituency's advantage and procure favours for their constituents to a degree that would be considered utterly corrupt today. By exercising their efforts successfully in this direction, MPs could in return expect a degree of control over the voters that differed little from patronage in pocket boroughs except that its duration was limited. Thus the lawyer Robert Henley
, MP from 1747 and Recorder
of Bath from 1751, seems to have been assumed to have had control over both seats while he remained Bath's MP; yet when he was transferred to the House of Lords, Pitt replaced him on the understanding that he was independently chosen. Pitt himself then acquired a similar degree of influence: the Council vetoed Viscount Ligonier's
suggestion that he should be succeeded by his nephew when he was elevated the Lords in 1763, but instead allowed Pitt to nominate a candidate to be his new colleague, and voted overwhelmingly for him when he was opposed by a local man. But Pitt's influence also waned when he fell out with the Council over the Treaty of Paris
.
In the final years before the Reform Act, however, local magnates seem to have been allowed to exercise more influence in Bath. Oldfield, writing early in the 19th century, stated that at that time the Marquess of Bath
nominated one member and John Palmer
the other; both were former MPs for the City (the Marquess having sat under the title Viscount Weymouth), but neither was still in the Commons - each had a family member sitting in their stead as MP for Bath. Palmer had succeeded another former MP, Earl Camden
(the former John Jeffreys Pratt), who had held one of the nominations before 1802. At the time of the Reform Act, the Marquess of Bath was still being listed as influencing one of the seats, though the second was considered independent once more.
and Conservative
control. The constituency boundaries were also slightly extended, but only to take in those areas where the city proper had grown outside its previous limits. Bath's most notable MP during this period was probably the Conservative social reformer Lord Ashley
, better remembered under his eventual title of 7th Earl of Shaftesbury for the Factory Acts
, the first of which came into effect while he was MP for Bath.
The franchise was further reformed in 1867 and 1885, but there were only minor boundary changes. Bath was probably lucky to retain its double-representation in the 1885 reforms, its electorate of under 7,000 being very near the lower limit. The continued Liberal
strength was unusual for a prosperous and predominantly middle-class town, and the seats could never be considered safe for the Conservatives.
held the seat continuously until 1992 except in the 1923 Parliament, and until the War generally won comfortably. The Liberals retained their strength so that the non-Conservative vote was split, and Labour
could not rise above third place until the landslide of 1945, when the Conservative James Pitman only narrowly squeezed home. For the next thirty years Bath verged on being a Conservative-Labour marginal, and Labour came within 800 votes of taking the seat in 1966.
The Liberal revival in the 1970s pushed Labour back into third place, helped by the adoption of a nationally-known candidate, Christopher Mayhew
, who had defected from the Labour Party. The formation of the SDP-Liberal Alliance
made Bath a realistic target. The SDP
came just 1500 votes from winning in 1987 under Malcolm Dean. In 1992, Conservative Chris Patten
was ousted by Liberal Democrat Don Foster in a narrow defeat which was widely blamed on Patten's being forced to concentrate during the election on his national responsibilities as Conservative Party Chairman rather than nursing his own constituency.
The boundary changes implemented in 1997 expanded the constituency beyond the city for the first time, to include five village wards from the neighbouring Wansdyke
district, encompassing about 7,000 voters. This change was considered slightly beneficial to the Conservatives. Nevertheless, Foster more than doubled his majority, and increased it again in 2001, although 2005 saw a fall.
Bath is one of only two UK Parliament constituencies to be completely within another constituency. Bath is entirely surrounded by wards in the North East Somerset constituency. The other completely enclosed constituency, York Central
, is entirely within York Outer
.
is Don Foster of the Liberal Democrats, who was elected in the 1992 general election. He famously succeeded Chris Patten
, the then Conservative Party
chairman. Patten's party had held the seat for several decades, fending off close calls and challenges by Labour, the SDP and the Liberal Democrats since before the 1960s.
William Pitt the Elder was briefly Prime Minister
from 30 July 1766 while a Bath MP. However on 4 August 1766 he was given a peerage, the Earl of Chatham
, so that he could also be Lord Privy Seal
, and ceased to be an MP.
saw two more candidates stand than in 2001, both of whom were independent. All parties apart from the Liberal Democrats ran different candidates.
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the Parliament of the United 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...
, previously of 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...
. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century. Perhaps its best-known representatives have been William Pitt the Elder (Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
1766-1768) and Chris Patten
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....
(Conservative Party
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...
chairman 1990–1992).
Current boundaries
Following the review of the constituencies in the former county of Avon carried out by the Boundary Commission for England, as of the 2010 general election the constituency covers only the city of Bath, and none of the surrounding rural area. Between 1997 and 2010, it also included some outlying villages such as SouthstokeSouthstoke
Southstoke is a small village and civil parish in north east Somerset, England. In 2004 the parish council requested that the name be formally changed to South Stoke, as "this is historically the more established spelling and better reflects the origin and meaning of the Parish name."It is south...
and Freshford
Freshford
Freshford is a village and civil parish in the Avon valley south-east of Bath, in the county of Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 530...
; following the review these have been transferred to the new North East Somerset
North East Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)
North East Somerset is a county constituency created by the Boundary Commission for England as the successor seat to the Wansdyke Parliamentary Seat. It came into being at the 2010 general election.- Boundaries :...
constituency.
The electoral wards (of Bath and North East Somerset district
Bath and North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset...
) which make up the current Bath constituency are:
- AbbeyAbbey, BathAbbey is the electoral ward covering the centre of Bath, England.Abbey is rarely used as the name of an area of Bath, and is primarily used just for electoral purposes within the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, electing two councillors....
, BathwickBathwickBathwick is an electoral ward in the City of Bath, England, on the opposite bank of the River Avon to the historic city centre.Bathwick was part of the hundred of Bath Forum....
, Combe DownCombe DownCombe Down is a village suburb of Bath, England in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Somerset. Combe Down sits on a ridge above and about 1.5 miles to the south of Bath city centre. "Combe" or "coombe" is a West Country word meaning a steep-sided...
, KingsmeadKingsmead, BathKingsmead is a largely residential electoral ward within Bath, England.Kingsmead is rarely used as the name of an area of Bath, and is primarily used just for electoral purposes within the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, electing two councillors. Kingsmead stretches about westward...
, Lambridge, Lansdown, Lyncombe, BathLyncombe, BathLyncombe is a district and electoral ward in Bath, Somerset and a former parish in the Diocese of Bath and Wells. In the mid-19th century the parish was formed when the parish of Widcombe and Lyncombe was split in two, but it was abolished in the late 1960s...
, NewbridgeNewbridge, BathNewbridge is a largely residential electoral ward within Bath, England. Informally, Newbridge refers to the area of Bath that roughly corresponds to the ward boundaries....
, Odd Down, Oldfield, Southdown, TwertonTwertonTwerton is a suburb of the city of Bath, Somerset, England, situated to the west of the city, and home to the city's football club, Bath City....
, WalcotWalcot, BathWalcot is a suburb of the city of Bath, England. It lies to the north-north-east of the city centre, and is an electoral ward of the city.The parish church, on The Paragon is dedicated to St Swithin and was built in 1779-90 by John Palmer....
, WestmorelandWestmoreland, BathWestmoreland is an electoral ward in the south-west of Bath, England. It covers an area straddling the border between the localities of Oldfield and Twerton, and is bordered to the north by the River Avon....
, Weston and WidcombeWidcombe, BathWidcombe is a district of Bath, England, immediately south-east of the city centre, across the River Avon.Widcombe was part of the hundred of Bath Forum.Widcombe Manor House is a grade I listed manor house built in 1656...
.
Historic boundaries
- Before 1832: The parishes of St James (Bath), St Peter and St Paul (Bath), St Michael (Bath), and part of the parish of WalcotWalcot, BathWalcot is a suburb of the city of Bath, England. It lies to the north-north-east of the city centre, and is an electoral ward of the city.The parish church, on The Paragon is dedicated to St Swithin and was built in 1779-90 by John Palmer....
. - 1832–1867: As above, plus the parishes of BathwickBathwickBathwick is an electoral ward in the City of Bath, England, on the opposite bank of the River Avon to the historic city centre.Bathwick was part of the hundred of Bath Forum....
and Lyncombe & Widcombe, and a further part of the parish of WalcotWalcot, BathWalcot is a suburb of the city of Bath, England. It lies to the north-north-east of the city centre, and is an electoral ward of the city.The parish church, on The Paragon is dedicated to St Swithin and was built in 1779-90 by John Palmer....
. - 1867–1918: As above, plus part of the parish of TwertonTwertonTwerton is a suburb of the city of Bath, Somerset, England, situated to the west of the city, and home to the city's football club, Bath City....
. - 1918–1983: The county boroughCounty boroughCounty borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of Bath - 1983–1997: The City of Bath
- 1997–2010: The City of Bath, and the BathamptonBathamptonBathampton is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England on the south bank of the River Avon. The parish has a population of 1,504.The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the village and a toll bridge links Bathampton to Batheaston on the north bank of the canal.-History:Bathampton Camp is...
, BatheastonBatheastonBatheaston is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England , on the north bank of the River Avon. The parish has a population of 2,625...
, BathfordBathfordBathford is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England. The parish, which includes Warleigh has a population of 1,753, and extends over .-History:...
, CharlcombeCharlcombeCharlcombe is a civil parish and small village just north of Bath in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 433 and includes the villages of Woolley and Langridge.-History:...
and FreshfordFreshfordFreshford is a village and civil parish in the Avon valley south-east of Bath, in the county of Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 530...
wards of the District of WansdykeWansdyke (district)Wansdyke was a non-metropolitan district within the County of Avon, in the west of England from 1974 to 1996.The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974 as part of a reform of local authorities throughout England and Wales...
.
The unreformed constituency (before 1832)
Bath was one of the cities summoned to send members to the Model ParliamentModel Parliament
The Model Parliament is the term, attributed to Frederic William Maitland, used for the 1295 Parliament of England of King Edward I. This assembly included members of the clergy and the aristocracy, as well as representatives from the various counties and boroughs. Each county returned two knights,...
of 1295, and has been represented ever since. Like almost all English constituencies before the Great Reform Act of 1832, it originally returned two members to each Parliament.
The precise way in which its MPs were chosen in medieval times is unknown. It is recorded that "election was by the Mayor and three citizens being sent from thence to the county court who in the name of the whole community, and by the assent of the community, returned their representatives"; but what form the "assent of the community" took is unrecorded, even assuming it was not a complete dead letter. By the 17th century elections had become more competitive, and the means of election in Bath had been formalised to a franchise restricted to the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, Aldermen
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
and members of the Common Council (the City Corporation), a total of thirty voters. The freemen
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of the city challenged this state of affairs in 1661 and again in 1705 claiming the right to vote and petitioning against the election of the candidates chosen by the corporation, but on both occasions the House of Commons
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...
, which in those days was the final arbiter of such disputes, decided against them. The Commons resolution of 27 January 1708, "That the right of election of citizens to serve in Parliament for this city is in the mayor, aldermen and common-council only", settled the matter until 1832.
Bath was the biggest of the English boroughs where the right to vote was restricted to the corporation (at the time of the 1801 census it was one of the ten largest towns or cities in England by population), and almost unique in that the voters generally exercised their powers responsibly and independently. As was the case elsewhere, the Common Council was not popularly elected, all vacancies being filled by co-option by the remaining members, so that once any interest gained majority control it was easy to retain it. Most corporation boroughs quickly became pocket boroughs in this way, the nomination of their MPs being entirely under the influence of a "patron" who ensured that only his supporters became members of the corporation. But in Bath, the Common Council retained its independence in most periods, and took pride in electing suitable MPs who either had strong local connections or a national reputation. Nor was there any suggestion of bribery or other corruption, which often took the place of a patron's control in other "independent" constituencies. Pitt the Elder
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
wrote to the corporation in 1761, on the occasion of his re-election as Bath's MP, to pay tribute to "a city ranked among the most ancient and most considerable in the kingdom, and justly famed for its integrity, independence, and zeal for the public good".
But even in Bath the voters expected their MPs to work for the constituency's advantage and procure favours for their constituents to a degree that would be considered utterly corrupt today. By exercising their efforts successfully in this direction, MPs could in return expect a degree of control over the voters that differed little from patronage in pocket boroughs except that its duration was limited. Thus the lawyer Robert Henley
Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington
Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington PC , was the Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. He was a member of the Whig Party in the parliament and was known for his wit and writing.-Family:...
, MP from 1747 and Recorder
Recorder (judge)
A Recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales. It now refers to two quite different appointments. The ancient Recorderships of England and Wales now form part of a system of Honorary Recorderships which are filled by the most senior full-time circuit judges...
of Bath from 1751, seems to have been assumed to have had control over both seats while he remained Bath's MP; yet when he was transferred to the House of Lords, Pitt replaced him on the understanding that he was independently chosen. Pitt himself then acquired a similar degree of influence: the Council vetoed Viscount Ligonier's
John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier
Field Marshal John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier, KB, PC was a French-born British soldier.He was born to a Huguenot family of Castres in the south of France, and who emigrated to England at the close of the 17th century...
suggestion that he should be succeeded by his nephew when he was elevated the Lords in 1763, but instead allowed Pitt to nominate a candidate to be his new colleague, and voted overwhelmingly for him when he was opposed by a local man. But Pitt's influence also waned when he fell out with the Council over the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
.
In the final years before the Reform Act, however, local magnates seem to have been allowed to exercise more influence in Bath. Oldfield, writing early in the 19th century, stated that at that time the Marquess of Bath
Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath
Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath KG , styled Viscount Weymouth from 1789 until 1796, was a British peer.-Background and education:...
nominated one member and John Palmer
John Palmer (postal innovator)
John Palmer of Bath was a theatre owner and instigator of the British system of mail coaches that was the beginning of the great British post office reforms with the introduction of an efficient mail coach delivery service in Great Britain during the late 18th century...
the other; both were former MPs for the City (the Marquess having sat under the title Viscount Weymouth), but neither was still in the Commons - each had a family member sitting in their stead as MP for Bath. Palmer had succeeded another former MP, Earl Camden
John Pratt, 1st Marquess Camden
John Jeffreys Pratt, 1st Marquess Camden KG, PC , styled Viscount Bayham from 1786 to 1794 and known as The Earl Camden from 1794 to 1812, was a British politician...
(the former John Jeffreys Pratt), who had held one of the nominations before 1802. At the time of the Reform Act, the Marquess of Bath was still being listed as influencing one of the seats, though the second was considered independent once more.
The reformed constituency (1832-1918)
The Great Reform Act opened up the franchise, imposing uniform provisions across all boroughs and allowing all resident (male) householders whose houses were valued at least £10 a year. This multiplied Bath's electorate by a factor of almost 100 (there were 2,853 voters registered at the first reformed election, in December 1832), and created a competitive and generally marginal constituency which swung between WhigBritish Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
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...
control. The constituency boundaries were also slightly extended, but only to take in those areas where the city proper had grown outside its previous limits. Bath's most notable MP during this period was probably the Conservative social reformer Lord Ashley
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury KG , styled Lord Ashley from 1811 to 1851, was an English politician and philanthropist, one of the best-known of the Victorian era and one of the main proponents of Christian Zionism.-Youth:He was born in London and known informally as Lord Ashley...
, better remembered under his eventual title of 7th Earl of Shaftesbury for the Factory Acts
Factory Acts
The Factory Acts were a series of Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to limit the number of hours worked by women and children first in the textile industry, then later in all industries....
, the first of which came into effect while he was MP for Bath.
The franchise was further reformed in 1867 and 1885, but there were only minor boundary changes. Bath was probably lucky to retain its double-representation in the 1885 reforms, its electorate of under 7,000 being very near the lower limit. The continued 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...
strength was unusual for a prosperous and predominantly middle-class town, and the seats could never be considered safe for the Conservatives.
The modern single-member constituency (since 1918)
Bath's representation was reduced to a single member in 1918. The ConservativesConservative 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...
held the seat continuously until 1992 except in the 1923 Parliament, and until the War generally won comfortably. The Liberals retained their strength so that the non-Conservative vote was split, and 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...
could not rise above third place until the landslide of 1945, when the Conservative James Pitman only narrowly squeezed home. For the next thirty years Bath verged on being a Conservative-Labour marginal, and Labour came within 800 votes of taking the seat in 1966.
The Liberal revival in the 1970s pushed Labour back into third place, helped by the adoption of a nationally-known candidate, Christopher Mayhew
Christopher Mayhew
Christopher Paget Mayhew, Baron Mayhew was a British politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1950 and from 1951 to 1974, when he left the Labour Party to become a Liberal...
, who had defected from the Labour Party. The formation of the SDP-Liberal Alliance
SDP-Liberal Alliance
The SDP–Liberal Alliance was an electoral pact formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom which was in existence from 1981 to 1988, when the bulk of the two parties merged to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, later referred to as simply the Liberal...
made Bath a realistic target. The SDP
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
came just 1500 votes from winning in 1987 under Malcolm Dean. In 1992, Conservative Chris Patten
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....
was ousted by Liberal Democrat Don Foster in a narrow defeat which was widely blamed on Patten's being forced to concentrate during the election on his national responsibilities as Conservative Party Chairman rather than nursing his own constituency.
The boundary changes implemented in 1997 expanded the constituency beyond the city for the first time, to include five village wards from the neighbouring Wansdyke
Wansdyke (district)
Wansdyke was a non-metropolitan district within the County of Avon, in the west of England from 1974 to 1996.The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974 as part of a reform of local authorities throughout England and Wales...
district, encompassing about 7,000 voters. This change was considered slightly beneficial to the Conservatives. Nevertheless, Foster more than doubled his majority, and increased it again in 2001, although 2005 saw a fall.
Bath is one of only two UK Parliament constituencies to be completely within another constituency. Bath is entirely surrounded by wards in the North East Somerset constituency. The other completely enclosed constituency, York Central
York Central
York Central is a parliamentary constituency which is 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....
, is entirely within York Outer
York Outer
York Outer 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....
.
Members of Parliament
The current Member of ParliamentMember 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,...
is Don Foster of the Liberal Democrats, who was elected in the 1992 general election. He famously succeeded Chris Patten
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....
, the then Conservative Party
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...
chairman. Patten's party had held the seat for several decades, fending off close calls and challenges by Labour, the SDP and the Liberal Democrats since before the 1960s.
William Pitt the Elder was briefly Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
from 30 July 1766 while a Bath MP. However on 4 August 1766 he was given a peerage, the Earl of Chatham
Earl of Chatham
Earl of Chatham, in the County of Kent, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1766 for William Pitt the Elder on his appointment as Lord Privy Seal, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Pitt, of Burton Pynsent in the County of Somerset, also in the Peerage of Great...
, so that he could also be Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
, and ceased to be an MP.
MPs 1295-1640
- Constituency created (1295)
| Parliament | First member | Second member |
|---|---|---|
| 1386 | Sewal Fraunceys | John Honybrigge |
| 1388 (Feb) | John Palmer I | Edmund Ford |
| 1388 (Sep) | William Shropshire | Roger Skinner |
| 1390 (Jan) | Richard Clewer | William Rous |
| 1390 (Nov) | ||
| 1391 | Hugh de la Lynde | Nicholas Sambourne I |
| 1393 | Hugh de la Lynde | Thomas Ryton |
| 1394 | John Touprest | John Marsh I |
| 1395 | Robert Draper | John Marsh I |
| 1397 (Jan) | Robert Aunger | John Marsh I |
| 1397 (Sep) | Hugh de la Lynde | John Chaunceys |
| 1399 | John Chaunceys | John Whittocksmead |
| 1401 | ||
| 1402 | John Whittocksmead | John Haygoby |
| 1404 (Jan) | ||
| 1404 (Oct) | ||
| 1406 | Thomas Rymour | Henry Bartlett |
| 1407 | Henry Bartlett | John Whittocksmead |
| 1410 | Henry Bartlett | John Whittocksmead |
| 1411 | ||
| 1413 (Feb) | ||
| 1413 (May) | Richard Widcombe | Roger Hobbes |
| 1414 (Apr) | John Marsh II | Walter Rich |
| 1414 (Nov) | Richard Widcombe | William Radstock |
| 1415 | ||
| 1416 (Mar) | ||
| 1416 (Oct) | ||
| 1417 | Ralph Hunt | Walter Rich |
| 1419 | Richard Widcombe | John Marsh II |
| 1420 | Richard Widcombe | William Philips |
| 1421 (May) | Richard Widcombe | John Marsh II |
| 1421 (Dec) | Walter Rich | Rober Newlyn |
| 1510-1523 | No names known | |
| 1529 | John Bird | Thomas Welpley |
| 1536 | ? | |
| 1539 | John Reynold | John Clement |
| 1542 | ? | |
| 1545 | Matthew Colthurst | Silvester Sedborough |
| 1547 | Richard Denys | John Clerke |
| 1553 (Mar) | ? | |
| 1553 (Oct) | Richard Chapman | Edward Ludwell |
| 1554 (Apr) | William Crowche | Edward Ludwell |
| 1554 (Nov) | John Story John Story Blessed John Story , English Roman Catholic martyr, was born the son of Nicholas Story of Salisbury and educated at Hinxsey Hall, University of Oxford, where he became lecturer on civil law in 1535, being made later principal of Broadgates Hall, afterwards Pembroke College.He appears to have... |
William Crowche |
| 1555 | ?Henry Hodgkins | ? |
| 1558 | Edward Ludwell | John Bale |
| 1558/9 | Edward St Loe | William Robinson |
| 1562/3 | Edward Ludwell, died and replaced 1566 by John Gwynne |
Thomas Turner |
| 1571 | Edward Baber | George Pearman |
| 1572 | George Pearman | Edward Baber |
| 1584 | Thomas Ayshe | William Sharestone |
| 1586 | Thomas Ayshe | William Sharestone |
| 1588 | John Court | John Walley |
| 1593 | William Sharestone | William Price |
| 1597 | William Sharestone | William Heath |
| 1601 | William Sharestone | William Heath |
| 1604-1611 | William Sharestone | Christopher Stone |
| 1614 | 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... |
Nicholas Hyde Nicholas Hyde Sir Nicholas Hyde was Lord Chief Justice of England.He was the son of Lawrence Hyde and Ann Sybill and the brother of Henry Hyde and Lawrence Hyde, who became attorney-general... |
| 1621-1622 | Sir Robert Phelips Robert Phelips Sir Robert Phelips was an English politician. He was the son of Sir Edward Phelips, Speaker of the House of Commons and Master of the Rolls... |
Sir Robert Pye Robert Pye (elder) Sir Robert Pye was an English courtier, administrator and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1629. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.... |
| 1624 | Sir Robert Pye Robert Pye (elder) Sir Robert Pye was an English courtier, administrator and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1629. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.... |
John Mallet |
| 1625 | Ralph Hopton Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton was a Royalist commander in the English Civil War.-Life:Hopton was the son of Robert Hopton of Witham Somerset. He was apparently educated at Lincoln College, Oxford and served in the army of Frederick V, Elector Palatine in the early campaigns of the Thirty... |
Edward Hungerford |
| 1626 | Richard Gray | William Chapman |
| 1628-1629 | John Popham | Sir Walter Long 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... |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | |
MPs 1640-1918
| Year | First member | First party | Second member | Second 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 Charles Berkley Charles Berkeley, 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge Charles Berkeley, 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1621 and 1668.... |
Alexander Popham Alexander Popham Alexander Popham, of Littlecote, Wiltshire was an English politician. He is now remembered for his role as patron of the philosopher John Locke.... |
||||
| 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... |
William Bassett William Bassett (Royalist) William Bassett was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640.Bassett was born at Colchester the son of Martin Bassett. He was at school in Colchester and was admitted at Christ's College, Cambridge on 15 January 1627 aged 15.... |
Royalist | Alexander Popham Alexander Popham Alexander Popham, of Littlecote, Wiltshire was an English politician. He is now remembered for his role as patron of the philosopher John Locke.... |
Parliamentarian | ||
| February 1642 | Bassett disabled from sitting - seat vacant | |||||
| 1645 | James Ashe | |||||
| 1653 | Bath 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.... |
Alexander Popham Alexander Popham Alexander Popham, of Littlecote, Wiltshire was an English politician. He is now remembered for his role as patron of the philosopher John Locke.... |
Bath had only one seat in 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 |
||||
| 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... |
James Ashe | |||||
| 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... |
John Harrington John Harrington (Parliamentarian) John Harrington was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1654. He fought in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War.... |
|||||
| 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.... |
One seat vacant | |||||
| March 1660 | Alexander Popham Alexander Popham Alexander Popham, of Littlecote, Wiltshire was an English politician. He is now remembered for his role as patron of the philosopher John Locke.... |
William Prynne William Prynne William Prynne was an English lawyer, author, polemicist, and political figure. He was a prominent Puritan opponent of the church policy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. Although his views on church polity were presbyterian, he became known in the 1640s as an Erastian, arguing for... |
||||
| November 1669 | Sir Francis Popham Francis Popham Sir Francis Popham was an English soldier and politician.Francis Popham was the only son of Sir John Popham and was educated at Balliol College, Oxford and the Middle Temple... |
|||||
| November 1669 | Sir William Bassett | |||||
| 1675 | Sir George Speke | |||||
| 1679 Habeas Corpus Parliament The Habeas Corpus Parliament, also known as the First Exclusion Parliament, was a short-lived English Parliament which assembled on 6 March 1679 during the reign of Charles II of England, the third parliament of the King's reign. It is named after the Habeas Corpus Act, which it enacted in May,... |
Sir Walter Long Sir Walter Long, 2nd Baronet Sir Walter Long, 2nd Baronet was born in Wiltshire, the son of Sir Walter Long, 1st Baronet of Whaddon and his wife Mary Cox.... |
|||||
| 1681 | The Viscount Fitzhardinge | Sir William Bassett | ||||
| 1690 | Joseph Langton | |||||
| 1693 | William Blathwayt William Blathwayt William Blathwayt was a civil servant and politician who established the War Office as a department of the British Government and played an important part in administering the Thirteen Colonies of North America.... |
Whig British Whig Party The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule... |
||||
| 1695 | Sir Thomas Estcourt Thomas Estcourt Sir Thomas Estcourt was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1624.Estcourt was the son of Thomas Estcourt of Gray's Inn and his wife Hannah Ascough..He matriculated at Magdalen College, Oxford on 29 April, 1586, aged 16 and was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in... |
|||||
| 1698 | Alexander Popham | |||||
| 1707 | Samuel Trotman | |||||
| 1710 | John Codrington | |||||
| 1720 | Robert Gay | |||||
| 1722 | General George Wade George Wade Field Marshal George Wade served as a British military commander and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.-Early career:Wade, born in Kilavally, Westmeath in Ireland, was commissioned into the Earl of Bath's Regiment in 1690 and served in Flanders in 1692, during the Nine Years War, earning a... |
|||||
| 1727 | Robert Gay | |||||
| 1734 | John Codrington | |||||
| 1741 | Philip Bennet | |||||
| 1747 | Robert Henley Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington PC , was the Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. He was a member of the Whig Party in the parliament and was known for his wit and writing.-Family:... |
|||||
| 1748 | General Sir John Ligonier John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier Field Marshal John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier, KB, PC was a French-born British soldier.He was born to a Huguenot family of Castres in the south of France, and who emigrated to England at the close of the 17th century... |
|||||
| 1757 | William Pitt the Elder William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War... |
Whig British Whig Party The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule... |
||||
| 1763 | Major-General Sir John Sebright Sir John Sebright, 6th Baronet Lt-Gen Sir John Saunders Sebright, 6th Baronet, , was the sixth Sebright baronet, and an officer in the British Army. Sir John was the son of Sir Thomas Sebright, 4th Baronet and Henrietta Dashwood.... |
|||||
| 1766 | John Smith | |||||
| 1774 | Abel Moysey | |||||
| 1775 | Lieutenant-General Sir John Sebright Sir John Sebright, 6th Baronet Lt-Gen Sir John Saunders Sebright, 6th Baronet, , was the sixth Sebright baronet, and an officer in the British Army. Sir John was the son of Sir Thomas Sebright, 4th Baronet and Henrietta Dashwood.... |
|||||
| 1780 | Hon. John Jeffreys Pratt John Pratt, 1st Marquess Camden John Jeffreys Pratt, 1st Marquess Camden KG, PC , styled Viscount Bayham from 1786 to 1794 and known as The Earl Camden from 1794 to 1812, was a British politician... |
|||||
| 1790 | Viscount Weymouth Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath KG , styled Viscount Weymouth from 1789 until 1796, was a British peer.-Background and education:... |
|||||
| 1794 | Sir Richard Pepper Arden | |||||
| 1796 | Lord John Thynne John Thynne, 3rd Baron Carteret John Thynne, 3rd Baron Carteret PC , known as Lord John Thynne between 1789 and 1838, was a British peer and politician.-Background and education:... |
|||||
| 1801 | John Palmer John Palmer (postal innovator) John Palmer of Bath was a theatre owner and instigator of the British system of mail coaches that was the beginning of the great British post office reforms with the introduction of an efficient mail coach delivery service in Great Britain during the late 18th century... |
|||||
| 1808 | Charles Palmer Charles Palmer (1777-1851) Charles Palmer was an English Whig and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1808 and 1837.... |
|||||
| 1826 | Earl of Brecknock George Pratt, 2nd Marquess Camden George Charles Pratt, 2nd Marquess Camden, KG was a British peer and Tory politician, styled Viscount Bayham from 1794 to 1812 and Earl of Brecknock from 1812 to 1840.... |
|||||
| 1830 | Charles Palmer Charles Palmer (1777-1851) Charles Palmer was an English Whig and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1808 and 1837.... |
Whig British Whig Party The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule... |
||||
| 1832 | John Arthur Roebuck John Arthur Roebuck John Arthur Roebuck , British politician, was born at Madras, in India.After the death of his father, a civil servant, his mother's second marriage transferred him to Canada, where he was chiefly brought-up. He came to England in 1824, was called to the bar John Arthur Roebuck (28 December 1802... |
Whig British Whig Party The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule... |
||||
| 1837 | The Viscount Powerscourt Richard Wingfield, 6th Viscount Powerscourt Richard Wingfield, 6th Viscount Powerscourt , was a British peer and Conservative Party politician.-Background:... |
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... |
William Heald Ludlow Bruges | 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... |
||
| 1841 | Viscount Duncan Adam Haldane-Duncan, 2nd Earl of Camperdown Adam Haldane-Duncan, 2nd Earl of Camperdown , styled Viscount Duncan between 1831 and 1859, was a British nobleman and politician.... |
Whig British Whig Party The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule... |
John Arthur Roebuck John Arthur Roebuck John Arthur Roebuck , British politician, was born at Madras, in India.After the death of his father, a civil servant, his mother's second marriage transferred him to Canada, where he was chiefly brought-up. He came to England in 1824, was called to the bar John Arthur Roebuck (28 December 1802... |
Whig British Whig Party The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule... |
||
| 1847 | Lord Ashley Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury KG , styled Lord Ashley from 1811 to 1851, was an English politician and philanthropist, one of the best-known of the Victorian era and one of the main proponents of Christian Zionism.-Youth:He was born in London and known informally as Lord Ashley... |
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... |
||||
| 1851 | George Treweeke Scobell | Whig British Whig Party The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule... |
||||
| 1852 | Thomas Phinn Thomas Phinn Thomas Phinn a British barrister and Liberal Party politician who held various positions in the Admiralty of the United Kingdom in the mid-nineteenth century.... |
Whig British Whig Party The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule... |
||||
| 1855 | (Sir) William Tite William Tite Sir William Tite, CB was an English architect who served as President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He was particularly associated with various London buildings, with railway stations and cemetery projects.... |
Whig British Whig Party The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule... |
||||
| 1857 | Sir Arthur Hallam Elton Sir Arthur Elton, 7th Baronet Sir Arthur Hallam Elton, 7th Baronet was a writer and Liberal party politician in the United Kingdom.He was appointed High Sheriff of Somerset for 1857... |
Whig British Whig Party The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule... |
||||
| 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... |
Arthur Edwin Way | 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 | James Macnaghten McGarel-Hogg James McGarel-Hogg, 1st Baron Magheramorne James Macnaghten McGarel Hogg, 1st Baron Magheramorne, KCB was a British politician, Member of Parliament, and local government leader.-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... |
||||
| 1868 | Donald Dalrymple Donald Dalrymple Donald Dalrymple was an English surgeon and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1873.Dalrymple was the son of William Dalrymple of Norwich, and his wife Marianne Bertram, daughter of Benjamin Bertram. He was educated at the Norwich Grammar School and became a doctor... |
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... |
||||
| May 1873 | Viscount Chelsea George Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan George Henry Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan KG, PC, JP was a British Conservative 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... |
||||
| June 1873 | Viscount Grey de Wilton Arthur Egerton, 3rd Earl of Wilton Arthur Edward Holland Grey Egerton, 3rd Earl of Wilton , known as Viscount Grey de Wilton from 1833 to 1882, was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament.... |
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... |
||||
| October 1873 | (Sir) Arthur Divett Hayter Arthur Hayter, 1st Baron Haversham Arthur Divett Hayter, 1st Baron Haversham PC , known as Sir Arthur Hayter, Bt, from 1878 to 1906, was a British Liberal politician... |
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... |
||||
| February 1874 | Nathaniel Bousfield | 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... |
||||
| 1880 | Edmond Wodehouse Edmond Wodehouse Edmond Robert Wodehouse PC , was an English Liberal and Liberal Unionist politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1906.... |
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... |
||||
| 1885 | Robert Stickney Blaine Robert Stickney Blaine Sir Robert Stickney Blaine was a leading Conservative politician in the English City of Bath, who was mainly involved in local politics, but sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1886.... |
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... |
||||
| 1886 | Liberal Unionist | Colonel Robert Laurie Robert Peter Laurie Robert Peter Laurie was a British Conservative Party politician.-Parliamentary career:Laurie was elected as one of the two Members of Parliament for the parliamentary borough of Canterbury at a by-election in May 1879, following the resignation from the House of Commons of the Conservative MP... |
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... |
|||
| 1892 | Colonel (Sir) Charles Wyndham Murray | 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 | Donald Maclean | 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... |
George Peabody Gooch George Peabody Gooch George Peabody Gooch OM, CH was a British journalist, historian and Liberal Party politician. A follower of Lord Acton, he never held an academic position, but knew the work of historians of continental Europe.-Early life:... |
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... |
||
| 1910 | Lord Alexander Thynne Lord Alexander Thynne Lord Alexander George Boteville Thynne DSO , was a British soldier and Conservative politician.Thynne was the third and youngest son of John Thynne, 4th Marquess of Bath, and his wife Frances Isabella Catherine... |
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... |
Sir Charles Hunter Sir Charles Hunter, 3rd Baronet Sir Charles Roderick Hunter, 3rd Baronet , was a British army officer and Conservative Party politician. The second son of Sir Claudius Stephen Paul Hunter, 2nd Baronet and his wife Constance née Bosanquet, he was educated at Eton College and the Royal Military College Sandhurst... |
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... |
||
| October 1918 | Charles Talbot Foxcroft | 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... |
Representation reduced to one Member | |||||
MPs since 1918
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
Charles Talbot Foxcroft | 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... |
|
| 1923 United Kingdom general election, 1923 -Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***... |
Frank Raffety | 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, 1923 -Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***... |
Charles Talbot Foxcroft | 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... |
|
| 1929 by-election Bath by-election, 1929 The Bath by-election, 1929 was a parliamentary by-election held on 21 March 1929 for the constituency of Bath in Somerset. It was caused by the death of the sitting MP, the Conservative Captain C. T. Foxcroft. Since a general election was due in May and the Liberal and Labour parties were not... |
Hon. Charles Baillie-Hamilton | 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... |
Loel Guinness Loel Guinness Group Captain Thomas Loel Evelyn Bulkeley Guinness OBE was a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for Bath , business magnate and philanthropist... |
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... |
Sir James Pitman | 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 Edward Brown Edward Brown (UK politician) Sir Edward Joseph Brown was a British Conservative politician.Brown was educated at the Greencoat School and Morley College. He became a laboratory technician working with non-ferrous metals... |
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... |
|
| 1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... |
Chris Patten Chris Patten Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust.... |
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... |
Don Foster | Liberal Democrat | |
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
The 2005 general electionUnited 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....
saw two more candidates stand than in 2001, both of whom were independent. All parties apart from the Liberal Democrats ran different candidates.
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1940s
Sources
- The BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services, 1983)
- Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) http://books.google.com/books?vid=024wW9LmFc5kXY0FI2&id=Gh2wKY2rkDUC&printsec=toc&dq=Return+of+Members+of+Parliament&as_brr=1&sig=SK5GVtGLfWQ9ovZDbyZObAyIO5I#PPP9,M1
- D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
- Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) http://www2.odl.ox.ac.uk/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=p-000-00---0modhis06--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4------0-1l--1-en-50---20-about---00001-001-1-1isoZz-8859Zz-1-0&a=d&cl=CL1
- The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)
- F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
- F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949 (Glasgow: Political Reference Publications, 1969)
- Lewis Namier & John Brooke, The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754-1790 (London: HMSO, 1964)
- T H B Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)
- Henry Pelling, Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910 (London: Macmillan, 1967)
- J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
- Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt, The Unreformed House of Commons (Cambridge University Press, 1903)
- Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher (eds), Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (London: BBC/ITN/PA News/Sky, 1995)
- Robert Walcott, English Politics in the Early Eighteenth Century (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1956)
- Robert Waller, The Almanac of British PoliticsAlmanac of British PoliticsThe Almanac of British Politics is a reference work which aims to provide a detailed look at the politics of the United Kingdom through an approach of profiling the social, economic and historical characteristics of each parliamentary constituency and of their individual representative Member of...
(1st edition, London: Croom Helm, 1983) - Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical SocietyRoyal Historical SocietyThe Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
, 1979)