Pontefract (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Pontefract 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.
of 1295, and in that which followed it in 1298, but gained a continuous franchise only from 1621. The constituency was a parliamentary borough
, returning two members, consisting only of the town of Pontefract
itself.
Until 1783, Pontefract was a burgage
borough, where the right to vote was attached to the holders of about 325 specified properties in the borough. As in most burgage boroughs, the majority of the burgage tenements were concentrated in a small number of hands, giving their owners an effective stranglehold on the choice of representatives; but, since an individual could not vote more than once in person, however, many of the burgages he controlled, such a majority could only be exercised by conveying each of the properties to a reliable nominee at election time. In Pontefract the two chief landowners in the first half of the 18th century, George Morton Pitt
and Lord Galway, owned between them a narrow majority of the burgages, but rather than putting in dummy voters to enforce their control they had preferred to reach an amicable settlement at each election with the remaining small burgage holders, who were mostly residents of the town. Consequently the inhabitants generally had some voice in the choice of their MPs, as well as benefiting from the monetary outlay that the patrons expended to secure their goodwill.
However, in 1766 Pitt sold his burgages to John Walsh, who persuaded Galway to join him in abandoning canvassing and treating of the other voters, instead bringing in "faggot voters" to enforce their majority. At the next general election, in 1768
, the indignant inhabitants put up their own candidates (Sir Rowland Winn and his brother), and a riot on polling day prevented the imported voters from reaching the polling booth. The election was declared void and Walsh's nominee duly returned at the by-election, but the townsmen refused to abandon their quest.
Defeated in 1774
, when Charles James Fox
stood as one of their candidates, they petitioned against the result, but the Commons upheld the burgage franchise. But in 1783, when they tried again, the Commons abandoned its usual practice of refusing to reconsider a decision on a constituency's franchise, and declared that the right to vote was properly vested in all the (male) resident householders; this remained the case for the final half century of the unreformed Parliament.
By the time of the Great Reform Act in 1831, roughly 800 householders were qualified to vote, and 699 did so in the contested election of 1830
; the total population of the borough at this period was just under 5,000. Nevertheless, Pontefract was still considered to be a pocket borough, where the Earl of Harewood
had the effective power to choose one of its two MPs.
, Knottingley
, Ferrybridge
and Carleton, as well as Pontefract Castle and Pontefract Park which had previously been excluded. This doubled the population to just over 10,000, in 4,832 houses.
In 1872, Pontefract was the first British constituency to hold a parliamentary election by secret ballot
, at a by-election held shortly after the Act ending the old practice of open voting had come into effect. There was considerable interest in the outcome, many observers believing that support for the parties might be drastically different once voters were able to make their choice in secret; but in the event the shares of the vote were much as they had been at the previous general election. Hugh Childers
was re-elected on 15 August 1872 following his appointment as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
. The original ballot box
, sealed in wax with a liquorice stamp, is held at Pontefract museum.http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/WryVwsknTr-aa4IQ-ID9iQ
In the third Reform Act, which came into effect at the general election of 1885
, Pontefract's representation was reduced from two members to one, though the boundaries remained essentially unchanged. In 1918
, Pontefract became a county constituency, and its boundaries were extended to cover a much wider area - Pontefract itself, the towns of Knottingley
and Goole
, and the Pontefract and Goole
rural districts.
At the 1950 general election
, Pontefract regained its borough status, being redrawn as a wholly urban constituency, consisting of Pontefract, Castleford
and Featherstone
. From February 1974
, the constituency was renamed Pontefract and Castleford
, although its composition remained unchanged.
Notes
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
centred on the town of Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
in the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
, which returned two Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
to the House of Commons
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...
briefly in the 13th century and again from 1621 until 1885, and one member from 1885 to 1974.
In the unreformed Parliaments (1295-1832)
Pontefract was represented in 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 in that which followed it in 1298, but gained a continuous franchise only from 1621. The constituency was a parliamentary borough
Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...
, returning two members, consisting only of the town of Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
itself.
Until 1783, Pontefract was a burgage
Burgage
Burgage is a medieval land term used in England and Scotland, well established by the 13th century. A burgage was a town rental property , owned by a king or lord. The property usually, and distinctly, consisted of a house on a long and narrow plot of land, with the narrow end facing the street...
borough, where the right to vote was attached to the holders of about 325 specified properties in the borough. As in most burgage boroughs, the majority of the burgage tenements were concentrated in a small number of hands, giving their owners an effective stranglehold on the choice of representatives; but, since an individual could not vote more than once in person, however, many of the burgages he controlled, such a majority could only be exercised by conveying each of the properties to a reliable nominee at election time. In Pontefract the two chief landowners in the first half of the 18th century, George Morton Pitt
George Morton Pitt
George Morton Pitt was a British politician and administrator who served as the President of Fort St George from 1730 to 1735....
and Lord Galway, owned between them a narrow majority of the burgages, but rather than putting in dummy voters to enforce their control they had preferred to reach an amicable settlement at each election with the remaining small burgage holders, who were mostly residents of the town. Consequently the inhabitants generally had some voice in the choice of their MPs, as well as benefiting from the monetary outlay that the patrons expended to secure their goodwill.
However, in 1766 Pitt sold his burgages to John Walsh, who persuaded Galway to join him in abandoning canvassing and treating of the other voters, instead bringing in "faggot voters" to enforce their majority. At the next general election, in 1768
British general election, 1768
The British general election, 1768 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.-Summary of the Constituencies:...
, the indignant inhabitants put up their own candidates (Sir Rowland Winn and his brother), and a riot on polling day prevented the imported voters from reaching the polling booth. The election was declared void and Walsh's nominee duly returned at the by-election, but the townsmen refused to abandon their quest.
Defeated in 1774
British general election, 1774
The British general election, 1774 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.-Summary of the Constituencies:...
, when Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
stood as one of their candidates, they petitioned against the result, but the Commons upheld the burgage franchise. But in 1783, when they tried again, the Commons abandoned its usual practice of refusing to reconsider a decision on a constituency's franchise, and declared that the right to vote was properly vested in all the (male) resident householders; this remained the case for the final half century of the unreformed Parliament.
By the time of the Great Reform Act in 1831, roughly 800 householders were qualified to vote, and 699 did so in the contested election of 1830
United Kingdom general election, 1830
The 1830 United Kingdom general election, was triggered by the death of King George IV and produced the first parliament of the reign of his successor, William IV. Fought in the aftermath of the Swing Riots, it saw electoral reform become a major election issue...
; the total population of the borough at this period was just under 5,000. Nevertheless, Pontefract was still considered to be a pocket borough, where the Earl of Harewood
Earl of Harewood
Earl of Harewood, in the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1812 for Edward Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy sugar plantation owner and former Member of Parliament for Northallerton...
had the effective power to choose one of its two MPs.
After the Reform Act
The Reform Act extended the boundaries of the constituency, bringing in the neighbouring townships of Tanshelf, MonkhillMonkhill
Monkhill is a small village in the civil parish of Beaumont, in City of Carlisle District, in the county of Cumbria, England. Nearby settlements include the small city of Carlisle and the villages of Burgh by Sands and Kirkandrews-on-Eden. Monkhill has a pub called the Drovers Rest Inn and a place...
, Knottingley
Knottingley
Knottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 13,503....
, Ferrybridge
Ferrybridge
Ferrybridge is a village in West Yorkshire, England at a historically important crossing of the River Aire. It is linked to other communities by the A1, which follows the route of the Great North Road....
and Carleton, as well as Pontefract Castle and Pontefract Park which had previously been excluded. This doubled the population to just over 10,000, in 4,832 houses.
In 1872, Pontefract was the first British constituency to hold a parliamentary election by secret ballot
Secret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
, at a by-election held shortly after the Act ending the old practice of open voting had come into effect. There was considerable interest in the outcome, many observers believing that support for the parties might be drastically different once voters were able to make their choice in secret; but in the event the shares of the vote were much as they had been at the previous general election. Hugh Childers
Hugh Childers
Hugh Culling Eardley Childers was a British and Australian Liberal statesman of the nineteenth century. He is perhaps best known for his reform efforts at the Admiralty and the War Office...
was re-elected on 15 August 1872 following his appointment as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
. The original ballot box
Ballot box
A ballot box is a temporarily sealed container, usually square box though sometimes a tamper resistant bag, with a narrow slot in the top sufficient to accept a ballot paper in an election but which prevents anyone from accessing the votes cast until the close of the voting period...
, sealed in wax with a liquorice stamp, is held at Pontefract museum.http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/WryVwsknTr-aa4IQ-ID9iQ
In the third Reform Act, which came into effect at the general election of 1885
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
, Pontefract's representation was reduced from two members to one, though the boundaries remained essentially unchanged. In 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...
, Pontefract became a county constituency, and its boundaries were extended to cover a much wider area - Pontefract itself, the towns of Knottingley
Knottingley
Knottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 13,503....
and Goole
Goole
Goole is a town, civil parish and port located approximately inland on the confluence of the rivers Don and Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, and the Pontefract and Goole
Goole Rural District
Goole was a rural district in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England from 1894 to 1974.It was created under the Local Government Act 1894, based on most of the Goole rural sanitary district . The town of Goole itself formed a separate urban district...
rural districts.
At the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
, Pontefract regained its borough status, being redrawn as a wholly urban constituency, consisting of Pontefract, Castleford
Castleford
Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
and Featherstone
Featherstone
Featherstone is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It lies south-west of Pontefract and has a population of 14,175.Featherstone railway station is on the Pontefract Line.-History:...
. From February 1974
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, the constituency was renamed Pontefract and Castleford
Pontefract and Castleford (UK Parliament constituency)
Pontefract and Castleford was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 2010 general election. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
, although its composition remained unchanged.
1621-1640
| Parliament | First member | Second member |
|---|---|---|
| 1621 | George Skillet | Sir Edwin Sandys, jnr |
| 1624 | Sir John Jackson | Sir Thomas Wentworth |
| 1625 | Sir John Jackson | Richard Beaumont Sir Richard Beaumont, 1st Baronet Sir Richard Beaumont, 1st Baronet JP was an English politician.He was a son of Edmund Beaumont and Elizabeth Ramsden, daughter of John Ramsden. Knighted by James I of England in 1609, he commanded two hundred train-band soldiers per commission in 1613. Two years later he was a Justice of the Peace... |
| 1626 | Sir John Jackson | Sir Francis Foljambe Bt Foljambe Baronets The Baronetcy of Foljambe of Walton was created in the Baronetage of England on 24 July 1622 for Francis Foljambe of Walton Hall, Walton, near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, who was later Member of Parliament for Pontefract in 1626 and High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1633.The family seat at Walton Hall... |
| 1628 | Sir John Ramsden John Ramsden (died 1646) Sir John Ramsden was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1628 and 1640. He fought for the Royalist army in the English Civil War and was killed in action at the Siege of Newark.... |
Sir John Jackson |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | |
1640-1885
| Year | First member | First party | Second member | Second party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
Sir George Wentworth of Woolley George Wentworth (of Woolley) Sir George Wentworth was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1642. He fought for the Royalist army in the English Civil War.... |
Royalist | Sir George Wentworth of Wentworth Woodhouse George Wentworth (of Wentworth Woodhouse) Sir George Wentworth was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1644... |
Royalist | ||
| September 1642 | Wentworth disabled to sit - seat vacant | |||||
| January 1644 | Wentworth disabled to sit - seat vacant | |||||
| 1645 | Henry Arthington Henry Arthington Henry Arthington was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1646 and 1660.Arthington was the eldest son of William Arthington of Arthington and his wife Anne Tancred, daughter of Thomas Tancred of Brampton Hall. He was baptised on 1 January 1616 and came... |
|||||
| 1646 | William White | |||||
| 1653 | Pontefract was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament Barebones Parliament Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the installation of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector... and the First First Protectorate Parliament The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House.... and Second Second Protectorate Parliament The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons... Parliaments of the Protectorate |
|||||
| January 1659 Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons... |
John Hewley John Hewley Sir John Hewley was an English magistrate and Member of Parliament, an early Whig.-Life:He was son of John Hewley of Wistow, near Selby. He was admitted to Gray's Inn, 4 February 1638, and became recorder of Doncaster.... |
John Lambert John Lambert (general) John Lambert was an English Parliamentary general and politician. He fought during the English Civil War and then in Oliver Cromwell's Scottish campaign , becoming thereafter active in civilian politics until his dismissal by Cromwell in 1657... |
||||
| 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.... |
William White | One seat vacant | ||||
| 1660 | William Lowther | Sir George Savile, Bt. George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax PC was an English statesman, writer, and politician.-Family and early life, 1633–1667:... |
||||
| 1661 | Sir John Dawnay John Dawnay, 1st Viscount Downe John Dawnay, 1st Viscount Downe , known as Sir John Dawnay between 1660 and 1681, was an English politician.... |
|||||
| 1679 | Sir Patience Ward | |||||
| 1685 | Sir Thomas Yarburgh | |||||
| 1690 | Henry Dawnay Henry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount Downe Henry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount Downe , styled The Honourable Henry Dawnay between 1681 and 1695, was an English Tory politician.... |
Sir John Bland, Bt. | ||||
| 1695 | Sir William Lowther | Robert Monckton | ||||
| 1698 | Sir John Bland, Bt. | John Bright | ||||
| 1701 | William Lowther Sir William Lowther, 1st Baronet, of Swillington Sir William Lowther, 1st Baronet was an English landowner dwelling at Swillington, the eldest son of Sir William Lowther.... |
|||||
| 1710 | Robert Frank | |||||
| 1713 | John Dawnay John Dawnay (MP) The Honourable John Dawnay , was a British Member of Parliament.Dawnay was the son of Henry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount Downe, by Mildred, daughter of William Godfrey, of Thornock, Lincolnshire. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford... |
|||||
| 1716 | Sir William Lowther, 1st Baronet Sir William Lowther, 1st Baronet, of Swillington Sir William Lowther, 1st Baronet was an English landowner dwelling at Swillington, the eldest son of Sir William Lowther.... |
Hugh Bethell Hugh Bethell Hugh Bethell may refer to*Hugh Bethell English MP for East Riding and Hedon*Hugh Bethell English MP for Hedon, son of above*Hugh Bethell English MP for Beverley.... |
||||
| 1722 | John Lowther | |||||
| 1729 | Sir William Lowther, 2nd Baronet Sir William Lowther, 2nd Baronet Sir William Lowther, 2nd Baronet was an English landowner dwelling at Swillington, the eldest son of Sir William Lowther, 1st Baronet and Hon. Annabella Maynard.... |
|||||
| 1730 | John Mordaunt | |||||
| 1734 | 1st Viscount Galway | |||||
| 1741 | George Morton Pitt George Morton Pitt George Morton Pitt was a British politician and administrator who served as the President of Fort St George from 1730 to 1735.... |
|||||
| 1747 | William Monckton | |||||
| 1749 | 1st Viscount Galway | |||||
| 1751 | Robert Monckton Robert Monckton Robert Monckton was an officer of the British army and a colonial administrator in British North America. He had a distinguished military and political career, being second in command to General Wolfe at the battle of Quebec and subsequently being the Governor of New York State... |
|||||
| 1754 British general election, 1754 The British general election, 1754 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 11th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.... |
2nd Viscount Galway | Sambrooke Freeman Sambrooke Freeman Sambrooke Freeman was a member of the prominent Freeman family of Fawley Court near Henley-on-Thames, England. He was a Member of Parliament, for Pontefract in Yorkshire from 1754–61 and Bridport in Dorset from 1768–74.Sambrooke Freeman was the son of John Freeman, a successful businessman... |
||||
| 1761 | William Gerard Hamilton William Gerard Hamilton William Gerard Hamilton , English statesman and Irish politician, popularly known as "Single Speech Hamilton," was born in London, the son of a Scottish bencher of Lincoln's Inn.... |
|||||
| March 1768 | Sir Rowland Winn | |||||
| December 1768 | Henry Strachey Sir Henry Strachey, 1st Baronet Sir Henry Strachey, 1st Baronet was a British civil servant and politician.Strachey was the eldest son of Henry Strachey, of Sutton Court, Somerset, and his first wife Helen, daughter of Robert Clerk, a Scottish physician. His grandfather was the geologist John Strachey and his great-grandfather... |
|||||
| 1772 | 3rd Viscount Galway | |||||
| March 1774 | Robert Monckton Robert Monckton Robert Monckton was an officer of the British army and a colonial administrator in British North America. He had a distinguished military and political career, being second in command to General Wolfe at the battle of Quebec and subsequently being the Governor of New York State... |
|||||
| October 1774 | Sir John Goodricke, Bt. | Charles Mellish Charles Mellish Charles Mellish was a British MPHe was born in London the only surviving son of William Mellish, MP, of Blyth, Nottinghamshire and his wife Catherine da Costa Villa Real. He entered Lincolns Inn in 1761 and was called to the Bar in 1766. He was the Recorder of Newarke, Nottinghamshire from 1770 to... |
||||
| 1780 British general election, 1780 The British general election, 1780 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 15th Parliament of Great Britain to be held after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707... |
William Nedham | 4th Viscount Galway Robert Monckton-Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway Robert Monckton-Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway, PC , was a British statesman of the late 18th and early 19th ceturies... |
||||
| February 1783 | Nathaniel Smith Nathaniel Smith (MP) Nathaniel Smith was a naval officer and official in the Honourable East India Company and a politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1783 and 1794.... |
|||||
| April 1783 | John Smyth John Smyth (1748–1811) John Smyth was a British politician. He was an MP for Pontefract from 1783 to 1807.-References:*Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Smyth, John , politician by Stephen M. Lee... |
|||||
| 1784 | William Sotheron | |||||
| 1796 | 4th Viscount Galway Robert Monckton-Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway Robert Monckton-Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway, PC , was a British statesman of the late 18th and early 19th ceturies... |
|||||
| 1802 | Richard Benyon Richard Benyon De Beauvoir Richard Benyon De Beauvoir MP was a 19th century British landowner, philanthropist and High Sheriff of Berkshire.-Background:He was born Richard Benyon in Westminster on 28 April 1769, the son of Richard Benyon of Gidea Hall in Essex and his wife, Hannah the eldest daughter of Sir Edward Hulse,... |
|||||
| 1806 | Robert Pemberton Milnes Robert Pemberton Milnes Robert Pemberton Milnes , was a British landowner and politician.Milnes was the son of Richard Slater Milnes, of Fryston Hall, Yorkshire, by Rachael, daughter of Hans Busk... |
|||||
| 1807 | Viscount Pollington John Savile, 3rd Earl of Mexborough John Savile, 3rd Earl of Mexborough , styled Viscount Pollington until 1830, was a British peer and Tory politician.-Background:... |
|||||
| October 1812 | Henry Lascelles Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood DL , known as Viscount Lascelles from 1814 to 1820, was a British peer and Member of Parliament.... |
|||||
| December 1812 | Viscount Pollington John Savile, 3rd Earl of Mexborough John Savile, 3rd Earl of Mexborough , styled Viscount Pollington until 1830, was a British peer and Tory politician.-Background:... |
|||||
| 1818 | Thomas Houldsworth Thomas Houldsworth Thomas Houldsworth was a Tory, and then Conservative Party, politician in England. He was a Member of Parliament for 34 years, from 1818 to 1852.... |
|||||
| 1826 | Le Gendre Nicholas Starkie Le Gendre Starkie (1799–1865) Le Gendre Nicholas Starkie was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1826 to 1830.... |
|||||
| 1830 United Kingdom general election, 1830 The 1830 United Kingdom general election, was triggered by the death of King George IV and produced the first parliament of the reign of his successor, William IV. Fought in the aftermath of the Swing Riots, it saw electoral reform become a major election issue... |
Hon. Henry Stafford-Jerningham Henry Stafford-Jerningham, 9th Baron Stafford Henry Valentine Stafford-Jerningham, 9th Baron Stafford , known as Henry Jerningham until 1824 and styled The Honourable Henry Stafford-Jerningham between 1824 and 1851, was a British peer 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... |
Sir Culling Eardley Smith, Bt. Sir Culling Eardley Eardley, 3rd baronet Sir Culling Eardley Eardley, 3rd baronet , born Culling Eardley Smith, was a Christian campaigner for religious freedom and for the protestant cause, one of the founders of the Evangelical Alliance.-Early life:... |
|||
| 1831 | The Earl of Mexborough John Savile, 3rd Earl of Mexborough John Savile, 3rd Earl of Mexborough , styled Viscount Pollington until 1830, was a British peer and Tory politician.-Background:... |
|||||
| 1832 | John Gully John Gully John Gully was an English prize-fighter, horse racer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1837.-Early life:... |
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... |
||||
| 1835 | Viscount Pollington John Savile, 4th Earl of Mexborough John Charles George Savile, 4th Earl of Mexborough , styled Viscount Pollington between 1830 and 1860, was a British peer and Tory politician... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
||||
| 1837 United Kingdom general election, 1837 The 1837 United Kingdom general election saw Robert Peel's Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their fourth election of the decade.... |
Richard Monckton Milnes Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton FRS was an English poet, patron of literature and 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... |
William Thomas Stanley-Massey-Stanley | 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... |
||
| 1841 | Viscount Pollington John Savile, 4th Earl of Mexborough John Charles George Savile, 4th Earl of Mexborough , styled Viscount Pollington between 1830 and 1860, was a British peer and Tory politician... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
||||
| 1847 | Samuel Martin Samuel Martin (PC) Sir Samuel Martin QC was a Anglo-Irish politician and judge.-Early life and education:Martin was born in 1801, the son of Samuel Martin of Calmore, County Londonderry. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, receiving a BA in 1821 and an MA in 1832. He became a student at Gray's Inn in 1821... |
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... |
||||
| 1851 | Hon. Beilby Lawley Beilby Lawley, 2nd Baron Wenlock Beilby Richard Lawley, 2nd Baron Wenlock was an English nobleman, eldest son of Paul Thompson, 1st Baron Wenlock and 8th Baronet... |
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 | Benjamin Oliveira | 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 | 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... |
William Wood | 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... |
|||
| 1859 | William Overend | 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... |
||||
| 1860 | Hugh Childers Hugh Childers Hugh Culling Eardley Childers was a British and Australian Liberal statesman of the nineteenth century. He is perhaps best known for his reform efforts at the Admiralty and the War Office... |
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... |
||||
| 1863 | Samuel Waterhouse Samuel Waterhouse Samuel Waterhouse was an English Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1863 to 1880.Waterhouse was the son of John Waterhouse of Wellhead and his wife Grace Elizabeth Rawson, daughter of John Rawson of Stony Royd, near Halifax. He was a director of the Great Northern... |
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 | Sidney Woolf Sidney Woolf Sidney Woolf was an English pottery manufacturer and a Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1885.... |
Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day... |
||||
| 1885 United Kingdom general election, 1885 -Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:... |
Representation reduced to one member | |||||
1885-1974
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across... |
reduced to one member | ||
| 1885 United Kingdom general election, 1885 -Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:... |
Rowland Winn Rowland Winn, 2nd Baron St Oswald Rowland Winn, 2nd Baron St Oswald was a Conservative Party politician in England.At the 1885 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Pontefract in Yorkshire... |
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... |
|
| 1893 | Harold James Reckitt Sir Harold Reckitt, 2nd Baronet Sir Harold James Reckitt was a British politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Pontefract from February to June, 1883. He was MP for Brigg from 1895 to 1907.- External links :... |
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... |
|
| 1893 | Sir Thomas Willans Nussey Thomas Willans Nussey Sir Thomas Willans Nussey, 1st Baronet was an English barrister and Liberal Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Pontefract from 1893 to 1910.-Family and education:... |
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 | Frederick Handel Booth Frederick Handel Booth Frederick Handel Booth was a British politician, who served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for Pontefract from 1910 to 1918.He was born near Manchester in 1867, and attended the high school in Bolton le Moor.... |
Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day... |
|
| 1918 United Kingdom general election, 1918 The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did... |
Sir Joseph Compton-Rickett Joseph Compton-Rickett Sir Joseph Compton-Rickett was a Liberal Party politician in England. He was Member of Parliament for Scarborough from 1895 to 1906, for Osgoldcross from 1906 to 1918, and for the Pontefract constituency that largely replaced it from 1918 until his death the following year... |
Coalition 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... |
|
| 1919 Pontefract by-election, 1919 The Pontefract by-election, 1919 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Pontefract in Yorkshire on 6 September 1919.-Vacancy:... |
Walter Forrest Walter Forrest Walter Forrest was a British Liberal, later Liberal National politician and businessman.-Birth and family:Walter Forrest was the son of Sir William Forrest of Roundhay a district of Leeds. Sir William Forrest was a textile manufacturer... |
Coalition 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... |
|
| 1922 United Kingdom general election, 1922 The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John... |
Tom Smith Tom Smith (Labour politician) Tom Smith was a Labour Party politician in England.At the 1922 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for the previously Liberal-held seat of Pontefract in West Yorkshire. He was re-elected at the 1923 election, but at the 1924 general election he lost his seat by 701 votes to... |
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... |
|
| 1924 United Kingdom general election, 1924 - Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *... |
Christopher Robert Ingham Brooke | Unionist 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 United Kingdom general election, 1929 -Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***... |
Tom Smith Tom Smith (Labour politician) Tom Smith was a Labour Party politician in England.At the 1922 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for the previously Liberal-held seat of Pontefract in West Yorkshire. He was re-elected at the 1923 election, but at the 1924 general election he lost his seat by 701 votes to... |
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... |
|
| 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... |
Thomas Edmund Sotheron-Estcourt Thomas E. Sotheron-Estcourt Captain Thomas Edmund Sotheron-Estcourt JP was a British Army officer and a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1931 to 1935.He married Anne Evelyn Anson on 10 October 1912... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 1935 United Kingdom general election, 1935 The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady... |
Adam Hills Adam Hills (UK politician) Adam Hills was a Labour Party politician in England. He was Member of Parliament for Pontefract from 1935 until his death.- External links :... |
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... |
|
| 1941 by-election Pontefract by-election, 1941 A by-election was held on 24 July 1941 for the British House of Commons parliamentary constituency of Pontefract in Yorkshire. The seat had become vacant on the death of the Labour Member of Parliament Adam Hills, who had held the seat since the 1935 general election.The Labour candidate, Percy... |
Percy Barstow Percy Gott Barstow Percy Gott Barstow was a Labour Party politician in Great Britain.He was elected as Member of Parliament for Pontefract at the Pontefract by-election, 1941 following the death of Adam Hills He was elected unopposed and held the seat until the 1950 General Election.Percy Barstow entered the House... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
|
| 1950 United Kingdom general election, 1950 The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five... |
George Sylvester | 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... |
|
| 1962 by-election | Joseph Harper Joseph Harper (English politician) Joseph Harper was a Labour Party politician in Great Britain.He was elected as the Member of Parliament MP for Pontefract at a by-election in 1962. He was MP for the constituency and then Pontefract and Castleford until he died in office aged 64... |
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... |
|
| Feb 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... |
constituency abolished: see Pontefract & Castleford Pontefract and Castleford (UK Parliament constituency) Pontefract and Castleford was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 2010 general election. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:... |
||
Notes