Tewkesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Tewkesbury is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elects one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
A parliamentary borough
of the same name existed from 1610 to 1918. It returned two MPs until 1868, then one until it was abolished in 1918.
, Cheltenham & West Gloucestershire.
As its name suggests, the main town in the constituency is Tewkesbury, but other settlements include Twyning, Ashchurch
, Bishop's Cleeve
, Winchcombe
, Prestbury
, Brockworth, Churchdown, Innsworth
, and Longlevens
.
The constituency was enfranchised on 23 March 1610 and the first record of members sworn was on 16 Apr 1610.
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...
. It elects one Member 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,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election.
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...
of the same name existed from 1610 to 1918. It returned two MPs until 1868, then one until it was abolished in 1918.
Boundaries
The constituency was created in 1997 from parts of the seats of Cirencester and TewkesburyCirencester and Tewkesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Cirencester and Tewkesbury was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, Cheltenham & West Gloucestershire.
As its name suggests, the main town in the constituency is Tewkesbury, but other settlements include Twyning, Ashchurch
Ashchurch
Ashchurch is a village and former civil parish in the Tewkesbury district of Gloucestershire, England. The parish was originally called Eastchurch, due to its position east of the parish and town of Tewkesbury, and had a population of 6,064 at the 2001 UK census.The former Ashchurch Parish covered...
, Bishop's Cleeve
Bishop's Cleeve
Bishop's Cleeve is an urbanised village in the Borough of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England, near Cheltenham. The village lies at the foot of Cleeve Hill, the highest point in the Cotswolds.- History :...
, Winchcombe
Winchcombe
Winchcombe is a Cotswold town in the local authority district of Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, England. Its population according to the 2001 census was 4,379.-Early history:...
, Prestbury
Prestbury, Gloucestershire
Prestbury is a medium sized village near the edge of the Cotswolds. It is on the outskirts of the larger town, Cheltenham, and forms part of the borough of Cheltenham, despite retaining its own parish council as a civil parish. It is part of the Tewkesbury parliamentary constituency, represented...
, Brockworth, Churchdown, Innsworth
Innsworth
Innsworth is a suburb of Gloucester, it is a civil parish and forms part of the borough of Tewkesbury.It contains Imjin Barracks, the home of HQ ARRC, which moved from Germany in 2010...
, and Longlevens
Longlevens
Longlevens is an area of Gloucester, United Kingdom. It was once a small farmstead outside the city of Gloucester. The name is believed to be based on the old Roman name Colonia Glevensis. Another possibility is that it was named after a row of eleven houses with long gardens...
.
Members of Parliament
Laurence Robertson of the Conservative Party has been the seat's MP since 1997.MPs 1610–1629
- Constituency created (1610)
The constituency was enfranchised on 23 March 1610 and the first record of members sworn was on 16 Apr 1610.
| Parliament | First member | Second member |
|---|---|---|
| Parliament of 1604-1611 (1610} | Sir Dudley Digges Dudley Digges Sir Dudley Digges , of Chilham Castle, Kent , was a Member of Parliament, elected to the Parliament of 1614 and that of 1621, and also a "Virginia adventurer," an investor who ventured his capital in the Virginia Company of London... |
Edward Ferrers Edward Ferrers (MP) Edwards Ferrers was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1610 to 1611.Ferrers was the eldest son of Roger Ferrers of Fiddlington. In 1610, Ferrers was elected as the first Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury when it received its franchise. Ferrers was the brother of William... |
| Addled Parliament (1614) Addled Parliament The Addled Parliament was the second Parliament of England of the reign of James I of England , which sat between 5 April and 7 June 1614... |
Sir John Ratcliffe John Ratcliffe (soldier) Sir John Ratcliffe was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1626. He was killed in action in France during the Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré.... |
|
| Parliament of 1621-1622 | Giles Brydges Sir Giles Brydges, 1st Baronet Sir Giles Brydges, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1629.... |
|
| Happy Parliament (1624-1625) Happy Parliament The Happy Parliament was the fourth and last Parliament of England of the reign of King James I, sitting from 19 February 1624 to 24 May 1624 and then from 2 November 1624 to 16 February 1625... |
Sir Baptist Hicks Baptist Hicks, 1st Viscount Campden Baptist Hicks, 1st Viscount Campden was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1628 when he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Campden.... |
|
| Useless Parliament (1625) Useless Parliament The Useless Parliament was the first Parliament of England of the reign of King Charles I, sitting only from June until August 1625. It gained its name because it transacted no significant business, making it 'useless' from the king's point of view... |
||
| Parliament of 1625-1626 | ||
| Parliament of 1628-1629 | Sir Thomas Colepeper Thomas Colepeper (Royalist) Sir Thomas Colepeper was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1629. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.... |
|
| May 1628 | Sir William Hicks Sir William Hicks, 1st Baronet Sir William Hicks, 1st Baronet , of Beverston, in Gloucestershire, and of Ruckholt, in Essex, was an English Member of Parliament.-Life:... |
|
MPs 1640–1868
| 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 Anthony Ashley Cooper Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury PC , known as Anthony Ashley Cooper from 1621 to 1631, as Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, 2nd Baronet from 1631 to 1661, and as The Lord Ashley from 1661 to 1672, was a prominent English politician during the Interregnum and during the reign of King Charles... |
Sir Edward Alford | ||||
| 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... |
Double return — election declared void | |||||
| August 1641 | Sir Robert Cooke Robert Cooke (Parliamentarian) Sir Robert Cooke was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1643. He served in the Parliamentarian army in the English Civil War.... |
Parliamentarian | Sir Edward Alford | Royalist | ||
| 1641 | Edward Stephens Edward Stephens (MP) Sir Edward Stephens was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1660.... |
Parliamentarian | ||||
| August 1643 | Cooke died — seat left vacant | |||||
| 1645 | John Stephens John Stephens (politician) John Stephens was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1645 and 1660.Stephens was the second son of Thomas Stephens of Little Sodbury, Gloucestershire and was educated at Lincoln College, Oxford. In 1620 he entered the Middle Temple, where he was called... |
|||||
| December 1648 | Edward Stephens excluded in Pride's Purge Pride's Purge Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents... - seat vacant |
|||||
| 1653 | Tewkesbury 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.... |
Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury PC , known as Anthony Ashley Cooper from 1621 to 1631, as Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, 2nd Baronet from 1631 to 1661, and as The Lord Ashley from 1661 to 1672, was a prominent English politician during the Interregnum and during the reign of King Charles... - chosen for Wiltshire - replaced by Francis St John Francis St John Francis St John was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654 and 1698.... |
Tewkesbury 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... |
Francis White Francis White (soldier) Francis White was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1656. He died at sea after serving in Flanders.... |
|||||
| 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... |
Edward Cooke Edward Cooke (MP) Edward Cooke was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1659.Cooke was the son of Sir Robert Cooke. He was a colonel of horse in the Parliamentary army.... |
Robert Long Sir Robert Long, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Long, 1st Baronet was a courtier, administrator and politician in 17th century England.He was the son of Sir Walter Long of South Wraxall and Draycot in Wiltshire, and his wife Catherine Thynne of Longleat... |
||||
| May 1659 Rump Parliament The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason.... |
Not represented in the restored Rump Rump Parliament The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason.... |
|||||
| April 1660 | (Sir) Henry Capell Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Tewkesbury KB, PC was a seventeenth century English politician.-Background:... |
Richard Dowdeswell Richard Dowdeswell (died 1673) Richard Dowdeswell was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660. He was an active Royalist in the English Civil War.... |
||||
| 1673 | Sir Francis Russell | |||||
| 1685 | Richard Dowdeswell | |||||
| 1690 | Sir Henry Capell Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Tewkesbury KB, PC was a seventeenth century English politician.-Background:... |
|||||
| 1692 | Sir Francis Winnington Francis Winnington (Solicitor-General) Sir Francis Winnington was a successful lawyer in England, who became Solicitor-General to King Charles II.He entered the Middle Temple in 1656 and was called to the bar in 1660 and rose steadily, serving as counsel in various Parliamentary impeachments... |
|||||
| 1698 | Charles Hancock | |||||
| 1701 | Edmund Bray | |||||
| 1708 | Henry Ireton | |||||
| 1710 | William Bromley | |||||
| 1712 | William Dowdeswell William Dowdeswell (1682–1728) William Dowdeswell was a British land-owner and politician from Worcestershire.He was a Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury from 1712 to 1722.... |
|||||
| 1713 | Charles Dowdeswell | |||||
| 1714 | Anthony Lechmere | |||||
| 1717 | Nicholas Lechmere Nicholas Lechmere, 1st Baron Lechmere Nicholas Lechmere, 1st Baron Lechmere was an English lawyer and politician who served as Attorney-General and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.... |
|||||
| 1721 | The Viscount Gage Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage Bt was the son of Joseph Gage of Sherborne Castle and Elizabeth Penruddock.He married Benedicta Maria Theresa Hall in 1717. Gage's first son was born in 1718... |
|||||
| 1722 | Brigadier George Reade | |||||
| 1734 | Robert Tracy | |||||
| 1741 | John Martin | |||||
| 1747 | William Dowdeswell | Whig | ||||
| 1754 | Nicolson Calvert | Whig | John Martin, junior | |||
| 1761 | Sir William Codrington | Tory | ||||
| 1774 | Joseph Martin | Whig | ||||
| 1776 | James Martin | Whig | ||||
| 1792 | Lieutenant-Colonel William Dowdeswell | Tory | ||||
| 1797 | Christopher Bethell Codrington | Tory | ||||
| 1807 | Charles Hanbury Tracy Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 1st Baron Sudeley Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 1st Baron Sudeley , known as Charles Hanbury until 1798 and as Charles Hanbury Tracy from 1798 to 1838, was a British Whig politician.... |
Whig | ||||
| 1812 | John Edmund Dowdeswell | Tory | John Martin | Whig | ||
| January 1832 | Charles Hanbury Tracy Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 1st Baron Sudeley Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 1st Baron Sudeley , known as Charles Hanbury until 1798 and as Charles Hanbury Tracy from 1798 to 1838, was a British Whig politician.... |
Whig | ||||
| December 1832 | John Martin | Whig | ||||
| 1835 | William Dowdeswell William Dowdeswell (1804–1870) William Dowdeswell was a British Conservative Party politician from GloucestershireHe was elected at the 1835 general election as one of the two Members of Parliament for the borough of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire,... |
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 | John Martin | Whig | ||||
| 1847 | Humphrey Brown | Whig | ||||
| 1857 | Hon. Frederick Lygon Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp PC , styled The Honourable Frederick Lygon between 1853 and 1866, 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... |
||||
| 1859 | James Martin | 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... |
||||
| 1864 | John Reginald Yorke John Reginald Yorke John Reginald Yorke was an English landowner and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1864 and 1886.-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... |
||||
| 1865 | William Edward Dowdeswell William Edward Dowdeswell William Edward Dowdeswell was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1865 and 1876.... |
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... |
||||
| 1866 | Sir Edmund Lechmere Sir Edmund Lechmere, 3rd Baronet Sir Edmund Anthony Harley Lechmere, 3rd Baronet was a British Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1866 and 1895. He was a pioneer of the Red Cross.... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
||||
| 1868 United Kingdom general election, 1868 The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom... |
Representation reduced to one Member | |||||
MPs 1868–1918
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1868 United Kingdom general election, 1868 The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom... |
William Edwin Price William Edwin Price William Edwin Price was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1880.... |
Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day... |
|
| 1880 by-election | Richard Biddulph Martin | 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:... |
John Reginald Yorke John Reginald Yorke John Reginald Yorke was an English landowner and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1864 and 1886.-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... |
|
| 1886 United Kingdom general election, 1886 -Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the UK general election, 1886*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**... |
Sir John Dorington | Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 1906 United Kingdom general election, 1906 -Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**... |
Hon. Michael Hicks Beach Michael Hicks Beach, Viscount Quenington thumb|Michael Hugh Hicks Beach, Viscount Quenington , was a British politician.Hicks Beach was the eldest son of the former Chancellor, Michael Hicks-Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn, and his wife Lucy Catherine... (Viscount Quenington from 1915) |
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... |
|
| 1916 by-election | William Frederick Hicks-Beach William Frederick Hicks-Beach William Frederick Hicks-Beach JP was the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury from 1916 to 1918.... |
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... |
Constituency abolished | ||
MPs since 1997
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... |
Laurence Robertson Laurence Robertson Laurence Anthony Robertson is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire since 1997... |
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... |
|
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Sources
- 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)
- J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
- Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig — Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)