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Hertford (UK Parliament constituency)

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Hertford
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyHertfordshire
Major settlementsHertford
1885–1974 (1974)
SeatsOne
Replaced byHertford & Stevenage
1298–1885
Seatstwo (1298-1868), one (1868-1885)
Type of constituencyBorough constituency

Hertford was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire, which elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1298 until 1974. It was represented in the House of Commons of England from 1298 to 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1974.

From 1298 it was a borough consisting of the town of Hertford, electing two MPs until 1868 and one from 1868 to 1885. In 1885 the borough was abolished and the name was transferred to the county constituency which contained the town.

The constituency disappeared in the redistribution at the February 1974 general election, being mostly included in the new Hertford and Stevenage constituency.

Boundaries

1885-1918: The Municipal Borough of Hertford, the Sessional Divisions of Bishop's Stortford and Cheshunt, parts of the Sessional Divisions of Hertford and Ware, and in the Sessional Division of Aldbury the civil parishes of Great Hadham and Little Hadham.

1918-1950: The Municipal Borough of Hertford, the Urban Districts of Bishop's Stortford, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Sawbridgeworth, and Ware, the Rural Districts of Hadham and Ware, and in the Rural District of Hertford the civil parishes of Bayford, Bengeo Rural, Bengeo Urban, Bramfield, Brickendon Liberty, Brickendon Rural, Hertingfordbury, Little Amwell, Little Berkhamsted, St Andrew Rural, St John Rural, Stapleford, and Tewin.

1950-1955: The Municipal Borough of Hertford, the Urban Districts of Bishop's Stortford, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Sawbridgeworth, and Ware, the Rural District of Ware, in the Rural District of Braughing the civil parishes of Albury, Braughing, Brent Pelham, Furneux Pelham, High Wych, Little Hadham, Much Hadham, Stocking Pelham, and Thorley, and in the Rural District of Hertford the civil parishes of Bayford, Bengeo Rural, Bengeo Urban, Bramfield, Brickendon Liberty, Brickendon Rural, Hertingfordbury, Little Amwell, Little Berkhamsted, St Andrew Rural, St John Rural, Stapleford, and Tewin.

1955-1974: The Municipal Borough of Hertford, the Urban District of Welwyn Garden City, and the Rural Districts of Hatfield, Hertford, and Welwyn.

Members of Parliament

Hertford borough (1298-1885)

1298-1640

Parliament First member Second member
1376 Constituency franchise lapsed
1624 Constituency re-enfranchised by Parliament
1624 William Ashton Thomas Fanshawe
1625 William Ashton Thomas Fanshawe
1626 Sir William Harrington Sir Capell Bedell
1628 Sir Edward Howard ennobled
and replaced by Sir Charles Morrison		 Sir Thomas Fanshawe
1629 John Carey, Viscount Rochford Sir Thomas Fanshawe
1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned

1640-1868

Year First member First party Second member Second party
April 1640 rowspan="4" style="background-color: Template:Roundhead/meta/color" | Viscount Cranborne Parliamentarian rowapan="2"style="background-color: Template:Cavalier/meta/color" | Sir Thomas Fanshawe Royalist
November 1640
November 1643 Fanshawe disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1645 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | William Leman
December 1648 Cranborne not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653 Hertford was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654 rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Isaac Pulter Hertford had only one seat in the First and
Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656
January 1659 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | James Cowper
May 1659 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Arthur Sparke style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | James Cowper
1661 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Sir Edward Turnor rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Thomas Fanshawe
1673 rowspan="7" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Sir Thomas Byde
1675 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Edmund Feilde
1677 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Sir John Gore
February 1679 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Sir Charles Caesar
September 1679 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Sir William Cowper
1685 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Sir Francis Boteler
1689 rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Sir William Cowper
1690 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Sir William Leman
1695 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | William Cowper
January 1701 rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Charles Caesar style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Thomas Filmer
February 1701 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Richard Goulston
1705 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Sir Thomas Clarke
1708 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | William Monson
1710 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Charles Caesar style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Richard Goulston
1715 [1] style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Sir Thomas Clarke style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | John Boteler
1722 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Edward Harrison style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Charles Caesar [2]
1723 rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Sir Thomas Clarke
1727 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | George Harrison
1734 rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Nathaniel Brassey
1741 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | George Harrison
1759 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Viscount Fordwich
1761 rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | John Calvert style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Timothy Caswall
1768 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | William Cowper
1770 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Paul Feilde
1780 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Thomas, Baron Dimsdale [3] style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | William Baker
1784 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | John Calvert
1790 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Nathaniel, Baron Dimsdale [3]
1802 style="background-color: Template:British Whig Party/meta/color" | Hon. Edward Spencer Cowper Whig rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:British Whig Party/meta/color" | Nicolson Calvert Whig
1817 style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" | Viscount Cranborne Tory
1823 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Thomas Byron
1826 rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Radical Party (UK)/meta/color" | Thomas Slingsby Duncombe Radical
1830 style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" | Viscount Ingestre Tory
1831 style="background-color: Template:British Whig Party/meta/color" | John Currie Whig
1832 [4] style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Viscount Ingestre Conservative style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Viscount Mahon Conservative
1832 writ suspended: both seats vacant until 1835[4]
1835 rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:British Whig Party/meta/color" | Hon. William Francis Cowper Whig style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Viscount Mahon Conservative
1852 style="background-color: Template:British Whig Party/meta/color" | Thomas Chambers Whig
1857 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Sir Walter Minto Townshend-Farquhar Conservative
1859 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal
1866 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Robert Dimsdale Conservative
1868 Representation reduced to one MP

1868-1885

Election Member Party
1868 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Robert Dimsdale Conservative
1874 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Arthur James Balfour Conservative
1885 Constituency abolished; name transferred to county division

Hertford county constituency (1885-1974)

Election Member Party
1885 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Abel Smith Conservative
1898 by-election style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Evelyn Cecil Conservative
1900 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Abel Henry Smith Conservative
Jan. 1910 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Sir John Rolleston Conservative
1916 by-election style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Noel Pemberton Billing Independent
1918 style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Silver Badge Party
1921 by-election style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | (Sir) Murray Sueter Anti-Waste League/Independent Parliamentary Group
1922 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative
1945 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Sir Derek Walker-Smith Conservative
1955 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Lord Balniel Conservative
Feb. 1974 Constituency abolished - see Hertford and Stevenage

Elections

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

Smith
General Election 1885: Hertford [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Abel Smith 4,263 58.1 n/a
Liberal Hon. Henry Frederick Cowper 3,072 41.9 n/a
Majority 1,191 16.2 n/a
Turnout n/a
Conservative win (new seat)
General Election 1886: Hertford [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Abel Smith unopposed n/a n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Hertford [7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Abel Smith 4,276 60.3 n/a
Liberal Edwin Robert Speirs 2,818 39.7 n/a
Majority 1,458 20.6 n/a
Turnout 75.8 n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a
General Election 1895: Hertford [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Abel Smith unopposed n/a n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a
Spencer
Hertford by-election, 1898 [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Evelyn Cecil 4,118 51.7 n/a
Liberal Rt Hon. Charles Robert Spencer 3,850 48.3 n/a
Majority 268 3.4 n/a
Turnout 77.4 n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1900s

Smith
General Election 1900: Hertford [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Abel Henry Smith unopposed n/a n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a
Buxton
General Election 1906: Hertford [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Abel Henry Smith 4,836 n/a
Liberal Charles Roden Buxton 4,756 n/a
Majority 80 n/a
Turnout n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Hertford [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir John Fowke Lancelot Rolleston 6,147 58.0
Liberal Edmond Broughton Barnard 4,455 42.0
Majority 1,692 16.0
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing
General Election December 1910: Hertford [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir John Fowke Lancelot Rolleston 5,594 57.0 −1.0
Liberal George Strachan Pawle 4,226 43.0 +1.0
Majority 1,368 14.0 −2.0
Turnout 83.0
Conservative hold Swing -1.0

General Election 1914/15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

Billing
Hertford by-election, 1916 [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Noel Pemberton Billing 4,590 56.3 n/a
Conservative Brodie Haldane Henderson 3,559 43.7
Majority 1,031 12.6
Turnout 64.2
Independent gain from Conservative Swing n/a
General Election 1918: Hertford [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Noel Pemberton-Billing 9,628 52.1
National Edmond Broughton Barnard 7,158 38.8 n/a
Labour Cyril Harding 1,679 9.1
Majority 2,470 13.3
Turnout 57.4
Independent hold Swing
  • no coupon issued.

Elections in the 1920s

Hertford by-election, 1921[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Anti-Waste League Murray Fraser Sueter 12,329 68.9 N/A
Unionist Sir Edward Hildred Carlile 5,553 31.1 N/A
Majority 6,776 N/A N/A
Turnout 17,882 N/A N/A
Anti-Waste League gain from Independent Swing n/a
General Election 1922: Hertford [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Murray Fraser Sueter 11,406 63.6 −5.3
Liberal Thomas Greenwood 6,534 36.4 n/a
Majority 4,872 27.2 −10.6
Turnout 54.1 −1.0
Unionist hold Swing n/a
General Election 1923: Hertford [16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Murray Fraser Sueter 10,660 52.2 −11.4
Liberal Thomas Greenwood 9,763 47.8 +11.4
Majority 897 4.4 −22.8
Turnout 60.6 +6.5
Unionist hold Swing -11.4
General Election 1924: Hertford[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Murray Fraser Sueter 14,582 60.0 +7.8
Liberal Thomas Morris Davies 5,828 24.0 −23.8
Labour Ernest Selley 3,885 16.0 n/a
Majority 8,754 36.0 +31.6
Turnout 70.8 +10.2
Unionist hold Swing +15.8
General Election 1929: Hertford[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Murray Fraser Sueter 13,525 39.5 −20.5
Independent Noel Pemberton Billing 10,149 29.6 n/a
Liberal Thomas Evander Evans 6,419 18.7 −5.3
Labour Dr Roger S Edwards 4,193 12.2 −3.8
Majority 3,376 9.9 −26.1
Turnout 74.7 +3.9
Unionist hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Hertford [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Murray Fraser Sueter 25,751 78.4 +38.9
Labour Dr Roger S Edwards 7,092 21.6 +9.4
Majority 56.8 +46.9
Turnout 69.1 −5.6
Conservative hold Swing +14.7
General Election 1935: Hertford [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Murray Fraser Sueter 21,193 64.8 −9.8
Labour Dr Roger S Edwards 11,492 35.2 +13.6
Majority 9,701 29.6 −27.2
Turnout 62.5 −6.6
Conservative hold Swing -11.7

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939/40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

General Election 1945: Hertford[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Derek Colclough Walker-Smith 19,877 43.3 −21.5
Labour Lynton Scutts 17,349 37.9 +2.7
Liberal Thomas Peter Hughes 7,587 16.6 n/a
Independent A B Swain 1,005 2.2 n/a
Majority 2,528 5.4 −24.2
Turnout 70.4 +7.9
Conservative hold Swing -12.1

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950: Hertford[18] [19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Derek Colclough Walker-Smith 25,074 45.90 +2.60
Labour Lynton Scutts 19,324 35.37 −2.53
Liberal Thomas Peter Hughes 10,234 18.73 +2.13
Majority 5,750 10.52 +5.12
Turnout 54,632 83.18 +12.78
Registered electors 65,683
Conservative hold Swing +2.57
General Election 1951: Hertford[18] [20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Derek Colclough Walker-Smith 30,519 56.28 +10.38
Labour Richard William Marsh 23,708 43.72 +8.35
Majority 6,811 12.56 +2.04
Turnout 54,227 80.80 −2.38
Registered electors 67,110
Conservative hold Swing +1.02
General Election 1955: Hertford[18] [21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Alexander Lindsay, Lord Balniel 25,014 56.79 +0.51
Labour John McKnight 19,030 43.21 −0.51
Majority 5,984 13.59 +1.03
Turnout 44,044 82.24 +1.44
Registered electors 53,556
Conservative hold Swing +0.51
General Election 1959: Hertford[18][22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Alexander Lindsay, Lord Balniel 31,418 58.17 +1.38
Labour Gerald D Southgate 22,597 41.83 −1.38
Majority 8,821 16.33 +2.74
Turnout 54,015 84.26 +2.02
Registered electors 64,106
Conservative hold Swing +1.38

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: Hertford[18][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Alexander Lindsay, Lord Balniel 29,134 46.23 −11.94
Labour Thomas A Deacon 25,161 39.93 −1.90
Liberal Anna Charlotte Malcolm Harman 8,722 13.84 N/A
Majority 3,973 6.30 −10.03
Turnout 63,017 84.64 +0.38
Registered electors 74,450
Conservative hold Swing -5.02
General Election 1966: Hertford[18][24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Alexander Lindsay, Lord Balniel 32,302 50.62 +3.79
Labour Peter Nurse 31,508 49.38 +9.45
Majority 794 1.24 −5.06
Turnout 63,810 83.70 −0.94
Registered electors 76,234
Conservative hold Swing -2.83

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Hertford[18][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Alexander Lindsay, Lord Balniel 36,494 52.58 +1.96
Labour Mrs. Yvonne Sieve 26,924 38.79 −10.59
Liberal John Melling 5,994 8.64 N/A
Majority 9,570 13.79 +12.55
Turnout 69,412 78.08 −5.62
Registered electors 88,900
Conservative hold Swing +6.28

References

  1. ^ At the general election of 1715, Caesar and Goulston were initially declared re-elected, but on petition the result was overturned and their opponents, Clarke and Boteler, were seated in their place
  2. ^ On petition, Caesar was adjudged not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Clarke, was declared elected in his place
  3. ^ a b Dimsdale was a baron in the Russian peerage
  4. ^ a b At the election of 1832 Ingestrie and Mahon were declared elected, but on petition was their election was declared void, Hertford's writ was suspended and the seats remained vacant until the next general election
  5. ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  6. ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  7. ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  8. ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  9. ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  10. ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  11. ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  12. ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1918
  13. ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1918
  14. ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1918
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  16. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  17. ^ Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  18. ^ a b c d e f g British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, F W S Craig
  19. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results February 1950". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  20. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1951". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  21. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1955". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  22. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1959". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  23. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1964". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  24. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1966". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  25. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1970". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  • Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [1]
  • 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) [2]
  • 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)
  • Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 3)
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