Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)

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Coordinates: 51°15′36″N 2°11′10″W / 51.260°N 2.186°W / 51.260; -2.186

Westbury
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Westbury in Wiltshire for the 2005 general election.
Outline map
Location of Wiltshire within England.
County Wiltshire
Major settlements Westbury
1449 (1449)–2010 (2010)
Number of members One (Two 1449-1832)
Replaced by South West Wiltshire, Chippenham
European Parliament constituency South West England

Westbury was a parliamentary constituency in Wiltshire from 1449 to 2010. It was represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, and then in 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 until 2010.

Until 1885, it was a parliamentary borough, returning two Members of Parliament (MPs) until 1832 and only one from 1832 to 1885. Then parliamentary borough was abolished in 1885, when the name was transferred to a county constituency returning one MP. Elections used the bloc vote system when two MPs were returned, and the first-past-the-post system of election when one seat was contested.

Westbury returned a Conservative Member at every election after 1924.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries

Originally a small rotten borough, covering only a small part of the parish of Westbury, in the 19th century the borough became a rural parliamentary constituency in the English county of Wiltshire. At the time of the constituency's abolition in 2010 it included the towns of Westbury, Warminster, Trowbridge, and Bradford on Avon, and the surrounding rural areas as far south as Mere. Until boundary changes in 1997 it had also included Melksham.

[edit] Boundary review, 2005

Following a review of parliamentary representation in Wiltshire, the Boundary Commission for England created two new constituencies in the county. Chippenham was created mostly from the adjoining North Wiltshire constituency, plus the town of Bradford on Avon at the northern end of the Westbury constituency, while the rest of Westbury saw minor changes to its composition and was renamed South West Wiltshire. These changes were approved in 2005, to take effect at the following general election, which ultimately took place in 2010.

[edit] Members of Parliament

[edit] Westbury borough (before 1885)

[edit] MPs 1449–1640

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Parliament First member Second member
1491 Sir Thomas Long of Draycot
1510-1523 No names known [1]
1529 Thomas Kirton Thomas Temys [1]
1536  ?
1539  ?
1542  ?
1545 William Hartgill Geoffrey Carter [1]
1547 John Stokes Kenelm Throckmorton [1]
1553 (Mar)  ?
1553 (Oct) Andrew Baynton Griffin Curteys [1]
1554 (Apr) Griffin Curteys Peter Morgan [1]
1554 (Nov) William Bennett Griffin Curteys [1]
1555 Sir Thomas Throckmorton I William Hoskins [1]
1558 John Buckland William Allen alias Helyer [1]
1559 Anthony Carleton Ralph Skinner[2]
1562/3 Hugh Ryley John Dyster [2]
1571 Francis Blount Thomas Long [2]
1572 William Brouncker Henry Brouncker [2]
1584 William Brouncker Edward Midwinter [2]
1586 Robert Baynard Henry Whitaker [2]
1588 Henry Fanshawe John Bennett [2]
1593 William Jordyn II Henry Fanshawe [2]
1597 Matthew Ley James Ley[3] [2]
1601 Matthew Ley Henry Jackman [2]
1604 Matthew Ley James Ley, made judge
and replaced by Alexander Choke
1614 Matthew Ley Henry Ley
1621 Sir James Ley Sir Miles Fleetwood
1624 Sir John Saye Sir Henry Mildmay
1625 Sir Walter Long, 1st Baronet Thomas Hopton
1626 Sir Walter Long, 1st Baronet Thomas Hopton
1628 Maximilian Petty Charles Thynne
1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned

[edit] MPs 1640–1832

Year First member[4] First party Second member[4] Second party
April 1640 Sir Thomas Penyston John Ashe
November 1640 John Ashe Parliamentarian William Wheler Parliamentarian
December 1648 Wheler excluded in Pride's Purge - seat vacant
1653 Westbury was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
January 1659 Robert Villiers, alias Danvers William Eyre
May 1659 Not represented in the restored Rump, Ashe having died in the interim
April 1660 Richard Lewis William Brouncker
1661 Thomas Wancklyn [5]
1678 Henry Bertie
February 1679 William Trenchard
August 1679 Henry Bertie
1680 Edward Norton William Trenchard
1681 John Ashe
1685 Richard Lewis James Herbert
1689 Peregrine Bertie
1695 Robert Bertie
1701 Henry Bertie
July 1702 [6] William Trenchard Thomas Phipps
December 1702 [6] Henry Bertie Robert Bertie
1708 Francis Annesley
January 1715 [7] Willoughby Bertie
June 1715 [7] The Lord Carbery Charles Allanson
1722 James Bertie [8] Francis Annesley
March 1723 by-election [8] The Lord Carbery
1727 John Hoskins Gifford
1734 Hon. George Evans John Bance
1741 Joseph Townsend
1747 [9] John Bance Paul Methuen
1748 [9] Chauncy Townsend Pro-Government Matthew Michell
1753 by-election [10] Peregrine Bertie
1768 William Blackstone
1770 by-election [11] Hon. Charles Dillon
1774 Hon. Thomas Wenman[12] Nathaniel Bayly
1779 by-election Samuel Estwick
1780 (Sir) John Whalley-Gardiner [13]
1784 Chaloner Arcedeckne
1786 by-election John Madocks
1790 Ewan Law
January 1795 by-election Samuel Estwick
November 1795 by-election Edward Wilbraham-Bootle
May 1796 Sir Henry Paulet St John-Mildmay, Bt George Ellis [14]
October 1796 by-election Lieutenant Colonel George Harcourt
1800 by-election John Simon Harcourt
1802 William Baldwin Charles Smith
1806 William Jacob John Woolmore
May 1807 Edward Lascelles Glynn Wynn
July 1807 by-election Henry Lascelles
1809 by-election Francis Whittle
1810 by-election John de Ponthieu
1812 Benjamin Hall Benjamin Shaw
1814 by-election Ralph Franco Tory
1818 Lord Francis Conyngham
1819 by-election William Leader Maberly Whig
March 1820 Jonathan Elford Tory Nathaniel Barton Tory
November 1820 by-election Sir Manasseh Masseh Lopes, Bt Tory Philip John Miles Tory
1826 Sir George Warrender Canningite Tory
1829 by-election Robert Peel Tory
1830 Sir Alexander Cray Grant, Bt Tory Michael George Prendergast Tory
May 1831 Sir Ralph Lopes, Bt Whig Henry Hanmer Whig
July 1831 by-election Henry Frederick Stephenson Whig
1832 Representation reduced to one MP

[edit] MPs 1832–1885

Election Member Party
1832 Sir Ralph Lopes Whig
1837 John Ivatt Briscoe Whig
1841 Sir Ralph Lopes Conservative
1847 James Wilson Whig
1857 Sir Massey Lopes Conservative
1868 John Lewis Phipps [15] Conservative
1869 by-election Charles Paul Phipps Conservative
1874 Abraham Laverton Liberal
1880 Charles Nicholas Paul Phipps Conservative
1885 Borough abolished - named transferred to county division

[edit] Westbury County Constituency (since 1885)

Election Member[4] Party
1885 George Fuller Liberal
1895 Richard Chaloner Conservative
1900 John Fuller Liberal
1911 by-election Hon. Geoffrey Howard Liberal
1918 George Llewellen Palmer Coalition Conservative
1922 Charles Darbishire Liberal
1924 Captain W. W. Shaw Conservative
1927 by-election Richard Long Conservative
1931 Sir Robert Grimston [16] Conservative
1964 Sir Dennis Walters Conservative
1992 David Faber Conservative
2001 Andrew Murrison Conservative
2010 Constituency abolished: see South West Wiltshire and Chippenham

[edit] Elections

Election Political result Candidate Party Votes % ±%
General election 2005 [17]
Electorate: 82,380
Turnout: 55,604 (67.0%) +0.4		 Conservative hold
Majority: 5,346 (9.6%) −0.9
Swing: 0.4%% from Con to Lib Dem		 Andrew Murrison Conservative 24,749 44.5 +2.4
Duncan Hames Liberal Democrat 19,400 34.9 +3.3
Phil Gibby Labour 9,640 17.3 −4.1
Lincoln Williams UKIP 1,815 3.3 +0.8
General election 2001 [18]
Electorate: 76,056
Turnout: 50,628 (66.6%) −9.6		 Conservative hold
Majority: 5,294 (10.5%) −0.2
Swing: 0.1% from Con to Lib Dem		 Andrew Murrison Conservative 21,299 42.1 +1.5
David Vigar Liberal Democrat 16,005 31.6 +1.7
Sarah Cardy Labour 10,847 21.4 +0.3
Charles Booth-Jones UKIP 1,261 2.5 +1.1
Bob Gledhill Green 1,216 2.4 N/A
General election 1997 [19]
Electorate: 74,457
Turnout: 56,751 (76.2%) −6.6		 Conservative hold
Majority: 6,068 (10.7%) −6.7
Swing: 3.4% from Con to Lib Dem		 David Faber Conservative 23,037 40.6 −9.8
John Miller Liberal Democrat 16,969 29.9 −3.1
Kevin Small Labour 11,969 21.1 +7.8
G. Hawkings Liberal 1,956 3.4 +1.4
N. Hawkings-Byass Referendum Party 1,909 3.4 N/A
R. Westbury UKIP 771 1.4 N/A
C. Haysom Natural Law 140 0.2 N/A
General election 1992 [20]
Electorate: 87,356
Turnout: 72,488 (82.8%) +4.3		 Conservative hold
Majority: 12,618 (17.4%) +2.2
Swing: 1.1% from Lib Dem to Con		 David Faber Conservative 36,568 50.4 −1.1
Ms. VA Rayner Liberal Democrat 23,950 33.0 −3.3
W Stallard Labour 9,642 13.3 +1.3
P. I. Macdonald Liberal 1,440 2.0 −34.4
P. R. French Green 888 1.2 +1.2
General election 1987 [21]
Electorate: 84,860
Turnout: 66,397 (78.2%)		 Conservative hold
Majority: 10,097 (15.2%) +1.1
Swing: 0.1% from Lib to Con		 Dennis Walters Conservative 34,256 51.6 −0.2
D. J. Hughes Liberal 24,159 36.4 −1.0
H. W. Thomas Labour 7,982 12.0 +2.0

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/constituencies/westbury. Retrieved 2011-10-27. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/constituencies/westbury. Retrieved 2011-10-27. 
  3. ^ Wilfrid Prest, ‘Ley, James, first earl of Marlborough (1550–1629)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004|| online edn, Jan 2008 [1], accessed 22 Jan 2009.
  4. ^ a b c Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 2)
  5. ^ Expelled from the House of Commons for corrupt misuse of Parliamentary Privilege
  6. ^ a b In December 1702,William Trenchard and Thomas Phipps were returned. A petition was lodged, and the result was overturned on 1 December 1702 in favour of Robert Bertie and Henry Bertie
  7. ^ a b At the general election in January 1715, Willoughby Bertie and Francis Annesley were returned. A petition was lodged, and the result was overturned on 1 June 1715 in favour of the runners-up Lord Carbery and Charles Allanson
  8. ^ a b At the 1722 general election, James Bertie was also elected for Middlesex, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Westbury. A by-election for his seat was held in March 1723
  9. ^ a b At the 1747 general election, John Bance and Paul Methuen were returned. A petition was lodged, and the result was overturned on 16 March 1748 in favour of the runners-up Chauncy Townsend and Paul Methuen
  10. ^ The by-election in 1753 was caused by the death of Matthew Michell
  11. ^ The by-election in 1770 was caused by the appointment of William Blackstone as a judge of the King's Bench
  12. ^ later Regius Professor of Civil Law at Oxford
  13. ^ Created a baronet, December 1782
  14. ^ Ellis was also elected for Seaford, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Westbury
  15. ^ The election of 1868 was held void on petition, and a by-election held
  16. ^ Created a baronet, 1952
  17. ^ "UK General Election results May 2005". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge05/i21.htm. Retrieved 1 February 2011. 
  18. ^ "Westbury: General Election result, June 2001". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/constit/505.htm. Retrieved 1 February 2011. 
  19. ^ "Westbury: General Election result, May 1997". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/constit/505.htm. Retrieved 1 February 2011. 
  20. ^ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/ge92index.htm. Retrieved 6 Dec 2010. 
  21. ^ "UK General Election results June 1987". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge87/i21.htm. Retrieved 1 February 2011. 

[edit] Sources

 This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2010)
  • Guardian Unlimited (2004). Ask Aristotle - Westbury. Retrieved November 16, 2004.
  • 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]
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