Calais (Parliament of England constituency)
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Calais | |
---|---|
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
Major settlements | Calais |
1536–1558 | |
Seats | 2 |
Replaced by | Constituency abolished (annexed by France) |
Calais (dated, Cales /ˈkæləs/) was a former constituency of the Parliament of England.
The Flemish town of Calais was under English rule from 1347 until 7 January 1558. During part of that time it was represented in the Parliament of England by two members.
In 1360 the Treaty of Brétigny assigned Guînes, Marck and Calais – collectively the "Pale of Cales" – to English rule in perpetuity, but in a daring raid during the rule of Mary I, was retaken by France. In 1363 the town was made a staple port.
Reforms in the representation of the town
King Henry VIII of England decided to modify the arrangements for the government of Calais. A statute (27 Hen. 8. c. 63) made provision for two members to be returned to the Parliament of England. One member was to be nominated, elected and chosen by the Deputy (the king's representative in the town) and his council. The other member was to be nominated, elected and chosen by the mayor and his council.
Under the provisions of the statute, members were elected to ten parliaments. On 6 December 1557 a writ was issued for the election of members to an eleventh parliament, but before it met Calais had fallen to the French.
Members of Parliament 1536-1558
Summoned | Elected | Assembled | Dissolved | First Member | Second Member |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
27 April 1536 | 1536 | 8 June 1536 | 18 July 1536 | Thomas Boys | William Pryseley |
1 March 1539 | 1539 | 28 April 1539 | 24 July 1540 | Thomas Boys | Thomas Broke |
23 November 1541 | 1542 | 16 January 1542 | 28 March 1544 | unknown | unknown |
1 December 1544 | 1545 | 23 November 1545 | 31 January 1547 | Richard Blount | Eustace Abington |
2 August 1547 | 1547 | 4 November 1547 | 15 April 1552 | Thomas Broke | Thomas Fowler |
5 January 1553 | 1553 | 1 March 1553 | 31 March 1553 | unknown | Thomas Massingberd |
14 August 1553 | 1553 | 5 October 1553 | 5 December 1553 | Edmund Peyton | John Aster |
17 February 1554 | 1554 | 2 April 1554 | 3 May 1554 | William Horne | John Aster |
3 October 1554 | 1554 | 12 November 1554 | 16 January 1555 | Oliver Loveband | Hugh Counsell |
3 September 1555 | 1555 | 21 October 1555 | 9 December 1555 | John Challoner[a] | Edmund Peyton |
6 December 1557 | n/a | 20 January 1558 | 17 November 1558 | vacant | vacant |
- ^ It is not certain that Challoner was the member, but it was inferred that he was.
References
- Constituencies: Calais, The House of Commons 1509-1558, by S.T. Bindoff (Secker & Warburg 1982)