Cirencester (UK Parliament constituency)

Gloucestershire, East or Cirencester
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Seats	one

Cirencester
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons
1571–1885
Seats	two (1571-1868), one (1868-1885)

Cirencester was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire. From 1571 until 1885, it was a parliamentary borough, which returned two Member of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, and one member between 1868 and 1885. In 1885 the borough was abolished but the name was transferred to the county constituency in which it stood; this constituency was abolished for the 1918 general election.

History

The town sent Members to Parliament on at least one occasion during the 14th century and again in 1547. Cirencester borough as established in 1571 consisted of part of the parish of Cirencester, a market town in the east of Gloucestershire. In 1831, the population of the borough was 4,420, and the town contained 917 houses.

The right to vote was exercised by all resident householders of the borough who were not receiving alms, an unusually liberal franchise for the period in any but the smallest towns, which meant that there were about 500 qualified voters. This arose from the chance that a dispute over the franchise arose in 1624, and the House of Commons had to decide whether only the freeholders could vote or if the right should extend to all the householders. The 1620s was a rare period when the Commons as a matter of policy tended to decide for the broadest interpretation in franchise disputes (all 15 cases brought before them in that decade were resolved in favour of the solution which enfranchised most voters), and consequently in Cirencester the householders acquired the right of which they were never subsequently deprived (and which was later confirmed at another disputed election in 1724). Another election petition, in 1709, turned on whether the inhabitants of the Abbey, Emery and Sperringate Lane sections of the town were included within the borough; the Commons ruled that they were, but they were excluded again after yet another disputed election in 1792.

Despite Cirencester's relatively large electorate, the local landowners (or "patrons") were able to exert a very substantial influence over the elections, and it could probably be fairly described as a pocket borough. From at least the start of the 18th century, the Bathurst family were Lords of the Manor and had a share of the patronage, almost invariably filling one of the seats themselves and occasionally nominating the other MP as well. The Master family, whose influence predated that of the Bathursts, were able to command the second seat for long periods. In the 18th century, both the Bathursts and the Masters were Tories. Nevertheless, there were signs that the townspeople could show independence on occasion: in 1754, when the head of the Masters was a child and the Bathursts tried to take both seats, Cirencester shocked its Tory patrons by electing a local Whig nobleman instead.

The Reform Act 1832 extended the borough's boundaries slightly to include the whole of the parish, increasing the population to 5,420; but even with the revised franchise this gave Cirencester only 604 electors. The reform apparently did little to democratise the borough, for Bathursts and Masters continued to be elected almost continually throughout its existence. As subsequent Reform Acts raised the barrier for representation, Cirencester lost one of its two MPs in 1868 and had its boundaries further extended to take in the adjoining parish of Stratton; but, still too small, the borough was abolished altogether in 1885.

However, the name was transferred to the county constituency in which the town was placed, formally called The Eastern (or Cirencester) Division of Gloucestershire. This was a substantially-sized constituency fairly similar in its boundaries to the modern Cotswold District Council, with a strong rural element but including a number of small towns apart from Cirencester - Chipping Campden, Fairford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Tetbury and Stow-on-the-Wold among them. In character it proved more Liberal than Cirencester borough had done, though this may have been as much from the dilution of the Bathurst influence as from political factors - consequently instead of being a safe Conservative seat it was generally a knife-edge marginal. Arthur Winterbotham, the Liberal who had won the constituency by 700 votes at its first election, in 1885, was re-elected unopposed when he became a Liberal Unionist in 1886, but when he switched back to the Liberals at the next general election his majority fell to 153. Winterbotham died later the same year, and the by-election was decided in favour of the Conservative candidate, Colonel Thomas Chester-Master, by just 3 votes; but his defeated opponent petitioned against the result and after further scrutiny of the ballots the result was revised and declared to be tied. It was impossible at this stage to give a casting vote to the returning officer (the usual solution to a tied election at that period), so the election had to be run again.

The constituency was abolished in 1918, being split between the new Cirencester and Tewkesbury and Stroud constituencies.

Boundaries

1885-1918: The Sessional Divisions of Chipping Campden, Cirencester, Fairford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Northleach, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Tetbury.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1547

Year	First member	Second member
1547	John Eston	George Ferrers

Borough constituency (1571–1885)

MPs 1571–1640

Year	First member	Second member
1571	Gabriel Blike	Thomas Poole
1572	Thomas Poole	Thomas Strange
1584	Thomas Poole (jun)	William Estcourt
1586	George Master	William Bridges, sat for Gloucestershire and was replaced by Charles Danvers
1589	Charles Danvers	George Master
1593	Oliver St John	Henry Ferrers
1597	Henry Poole	James Wroughton
1601	Richard Browne	Richard George
1604–1611	Arnold Oldsworth	Richard Martin, sat for Christchurch and was replaced by Edward Jones, who died and was replaced by Sir Anthony Manie
1614	Sir Anthony Manie	Robert Strange
1621–1622	Sir Thomas Roe	Thomas Nicholas
1624	Henry Poole	Sir William Master
1625	Sir Miles Sandys	Henry Poole
1626	Sir Neville Poole	John George
1628–1629	Sir Giles Estcourt	John George

MPs 1640–1868

Year		First member	First party		Second member	Second party
April 1640	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Henry Poole		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	John George
November 1640	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Sir Theobald Gorges	Royalist	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	John George	Royalist
January 1644	Gorges and George disabled from sitting - both seats vacant
February 1648	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Sir Thomas Fairfax		rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Nathaniel Rich
December 1648	Fairfax not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653	Cirencester was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	John Stone		Cirencester had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656
January 1659	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			Richard Southby
May 1659	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Nathaniel Rich		One seat vacant
April 1660	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Thomas Master		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Henry Powle
1661	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	The Earl of Newburgh		rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	John George
1671	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Henry Powle
1679	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			Sir Robert Atkyns
1685	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Thomas Master		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	The Earl of Newburgh
1689	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			John Grobham Howe
March 1690	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Richard Grobham Howe		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Henry Powle
November 1690	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			John Grobham Howe
1698	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Henry Ireton		rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Charles Coxe
January 1701	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	James Thynne
December 1701	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	William Master
1705	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Allen Bathurst		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Henry Ireton
1708	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			Charles Coxe
1712	rowspan="5" style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" |	Thomas Master	Tory
1713	style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" |			Benjamin Bathurst	Tory
1727	style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" |			Peter Bathurst	Tory
1734	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			William Wodehouse
1735	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" |			Henry Bathurst	Tory
1747	style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" |	Thomas Master	Tory
1749	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	John Coxe
1754	style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" |	Hon. Benjamin Bathurst	Tory	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:British Whig Party/meta/color" |	Hon. John Dawnay	Whig
1761	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" |	James Whitshed	Tory
1768	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			Estcourt Creswell
1774	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			Samuel Blackwell
1783	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" |	Lord Apsley	Tory
1785	style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" |			Richard Master	Tory
1792	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			(Sir) Robert Preston
1794	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Michael Hicks-Beach
1806	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			Joseph Cripps
1812	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" |			Lord Apsley	Tory
1818	style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" |	Joseph Cripps	Tory
1834	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |		Conservative	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Lord Robert Somerset	Conservative
1837	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |			Thomas William Chester-Master I	Conservative
1841	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	William Cripps	Conservative
1844	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |			Viscount Villiers	Conservative
1848	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Joseph Randolph Mullings	Conservative
1852	style="background-color: Template:British Whig Party/meta/color" |			Hon. Ashley Ponsonby	Whig
1857	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |			Allen Alexander Bathurst	Conservative
1859	style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Hon. Ashley Ponsonby	Liberal
1865	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	Hon. Ralph Dutton	Conservative
1868	Representation reduced to one member

MPs 1868–1885

Election		Member	Party
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	1868	Allen Alexander Bathurst, later Earl Bathurst	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	1878 by-election	Thomas Chester-Master II	Conservative
1885		Borough abolished - name transferred to county division

County constituency (1885–1918)

Election		Member	Party
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	1885	Arthur Brend Winterbotham	Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Unionist/meta/color" |	1886		Liberal Unionist
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	1892		Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	1892 by-election	Thomas Chester-Master	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	1893 by-election	Harry Webster Lawson	Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	1895	Hon. Benjamin Bathurst	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" |	1906	Walter Essex	Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	1910	Hon. Benjamin Bathurst	Conservative
1918		constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1910s

General Election December 1910: Cirencester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hon. Allen Benjamin Bathurst	4,788	54.4	−0.9
	Liberal	Gilbert Hugh Beyfus	4,007	45.6	+0.9
Majority			781	8.9	−1.8
Turnout			8,795	88.5	−4.1
Registered electors			9,934		0.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.1

General Election January 1910: Cirencester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hon. Allen Benjamin Bathurst	5,091	55.3	+8.3
	Liberal	Richard Walter Essex	4,108	44.7	−8.3
Majority			983	10.7	+4.8
Turnout			9,199	92.6	+4.4
Registered electors			9,934		+2.7
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+8.3

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1906: Cirencester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Walter Essex	4,517	53.0	n/a
	Conservative	Hon. Allen Benjamin Bathurst	4,011	47.0	n/a
Majority			506	5.9	n/a
Turnout			8,528	88.2	n/a
Registered electors			9,673		n/a
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	n/a

General Election 1900: Cirencester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hon. Allen Benjamin Bathurst	unopposed	n/a	n/a
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

Elections in the 1890s

A.B. Bathurst

General Election 1895: Cirencester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hon. Allen Benjamin Bathurst	4,509	51.2	+2.5
	Liberal	Harry Lawson Webster Levy-Lawson	4,294	48.8	−2.5
Majority			215	2.4	−0.2
Turnout			8,803	89.6	−1.3
Registered electors			9,825		−2.2
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+2.5

Cirencester by-election, 1893

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Harry Lawson Webster Levy-Lawson	4,687	51.3	+1.3
	Conservative	Thomas William Chester Chester-Master	4,445	48.7	−1.3
Majority			242	2.7	+2.7
Turnout			9,132	90.9	+6.2
Registered electors			10,048		−0.5
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+1.3

Cirencester by-election, 1892

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas William Chester Chester-Master	4,275	50.0	−0.9
	Liberal	Harry Lawson Webster Levy-Lawson	4,275	50.0	+0.9
Majority			0	0.0	−1.9
Turnout			8,550	84.7	+2.9
Registered electors			10,095		0.0
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	0.9

• Chester-Master was originally declared the victor by 3 votes, but on petition and after scrutiny, the votes were declared equal and a new election was held.

General Election 1892: Cirencester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Arthur Brend Winterbotham	4,207	50.9	n/a
	Conservative	Thomas William Chester Chester-Master	4,054	49.1	n/a
Majority			153	1.9	n/a
Turnout			8,261	81.8	n/a
Registered electors			10,095		0.0
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	n/a

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1886: Cirencester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Arthur Brend Winterbotham	unopposed	n/a	n/a
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	n/a

John Dorington

General Election 1885: Cirencester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Arthur Brend Winterbotham	4,782	54.2	n/a
	Conservative	John Edward Dorington	4,037	45.8	n/a
Majority			745	8.4	n/a
Turnout			8,819	86.8	n/a
Registered electors			10,157		n/a
	Liberal win (new seat)

General Election 1880: Cirencester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Chester-Master	Unopposed	n/a	n/a
Registered electors			1,145		+1.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

Elections in the 1870s

Cirencester by-election, 1878

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas William Chester-Master	698	66.8	n/a
	Liberal	Hon. Ashley Ponsonby	347	33.2	n/a
Majority			351	33.6	n/a
Turnout			1,045	92.6	n/a
Registered electors			1,128		+2.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

General Election 1874: Cirencester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Allen Alexander Bathurst, later Earl Bathurst	unopposed	n/a	n/a
Registered electors			1,101		n/a
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

Elections in the 1860s

General Election 1868: Cirencester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Allen Alexander Bathurst, later Earl Bathurst	629	68.9	n/a
	Liberal	F.A. Inderwick	284	31.1	n/a
Majority			345	37.8	n/a
Turnout			913	84.9	n/a
Registered electors			1,076
	Conservative win (new seat)

General Election 1865: Cirencester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Allen Alexander Bathurst	296
	Conservative	Hon. Ralph Dutton	222
	Liberal	J. Goldsmid	172
Registered electors			464		+10.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	n/a

Elections in the 1850s

General Election 1859: Cirencester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Allen Alexander Bathurst	273
	Liberal	Hon. Ashley Ponsonby	190
	Conservative	B.S. Follett	182
Registered electors			421		−0.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	n/a

General Election 1857: Cirencester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Allen Alexander Bathurst	307
	Conservative	Joseph Randolph Mullings	200
	Liberal	Hon. Ashley Ponsonby	188
Registered electors			423		−2.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	n/a

General Election 1852: Cirencester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Joseph Randolph Mullings	235
	Liberal	Hon. Ashley Ponsonby	218
	Conservative	Viscount Villiers	214
Registered electors			434		−9.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	n/a

Elections in the 1840s

Cirencester by-election, 1848

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Joseph Randolph Mullings	262	66.8	n/a
	Liberal	Charles Frederick Ashley Cooper Ponsonby	130	33.2	n/a
Majority			132	33.7	n/a
Turnout			392	82.0	n/a
Registered electors			478		−1.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

General Election 1847: Cirencester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Cripps	Unopposed
	Conservative	Viscount Villiers	Unopposed
Registered electors			485
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

Cirencester by-election, 1845

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Cripps	Unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

Cirencester by-election, 1844

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Viscount Villiers	Unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

General Election 1841: Cirencester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Cripps	Unopposed
	Conservative	Thomas William Chester-Master	Unopposed
Registered electors			552		−5.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

Elections in the 1830s

General Election 1837: Cirencester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Joseph Cripps	Unopposed
	Conservative	Thomas William Chester-Master	Unnoposed
Registered electors			585		−4.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

General Election 1835: Cirencester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Joseph Cripps	494
	Conservative	Lord Robert Somerset	405
	Liberal	T.D. Whatley	91
Registered electors			615
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

Cirencester by-election, 1834

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lord Robert Somerset	Unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

General Election 1832: Cirencester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lord Apsley	Unopposed
	Conservative	Joseph Cripps	Unopposed
Registered electors			604
	Conservative win (new seat)

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 4)
• 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)
• John Cannon, Parliamentary Reform 1640-1832 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1972)
• 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)
• The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)
• Lewis Namier & John Brooke, The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754-1790 (London: HMSO, 1964)
• T. H. B. Oldfield The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)
• J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
• Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)

External links

• An account of the Cirencester election of 1647