Rutland (UK Parliament constituency)
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Rutland was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Rutland. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1918, when it became part of the Rutland and Stamford constituency, along with Stamford in Lincolnshire. Since 1983, Rutland has formed part of the Rutland and Melton constituency along with Melton Mowbray from Leicestershire.
The constituency elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) until 1885, when it was reduced to one Member.
Boundaries
The constituency comprised the whole of the historic county of Rutland, in the East Midlands. Rutland, the smallest of the historic counties of England, never had any Parliamentary borough constituencies within its borders.
The place of election for the county was at Oakham. This was where the hustings were held; at which candidates were nominated (before the Ballot Act of 1872), polling took place (before the introduction of multiple polling places in county constituencies) and where the result was announced.
Pelling in his Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910 describes most of the people in this county as "engaged in or dependent upon agriculture". The constituency was a safe Conservative one and was rarely contested in the period covered by the book. G.H. Finch MP had personally owned almost one tenth of the county he represented.
Members of Parliament
1295-1660
- 1601: Edward Noel
- 1640-1643: Hon. Baptist Noel (Royalist) - succeeded to peerage, August 1643
- 1640-1643: Sir Guy Palmes (Royalist) - disabled to sit, September 1643
- 1646-1653: James Harington
- 1646(?)-1653: Thomas Waite
Barebones Parliament (One member nominated)
- 1653: Edward Horseman
- 1654-1655: Edward Horseman
- 1654-1655: ?
Second Protectorate Parliament
- 1656-1658: Abel Barker
- 1656-1658: ?
- 1659: Edward Horseman
- 1659: ?
Long Parliament (restored)
- 1659-1660: Thomas Waite
- 1659-1660: Sir James Harington
 | This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. |
1660-1885
1885-1918
| Year | Member of Parliament | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | George Henry Finch | Conservative |
| 1907 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Gretton | Conservative |
| 1918 | Constituency abolished | ||
In 1918, Rutland became part of the Rutland and Stamford constituency, along with Stamford in Lincolnshire. In 1983 it became part of the Rutland and Melton constituency along with Melton borough and part of Harborough district in Leicestershire.
Elections
Population in 1831: 19,380
General Election 1832 (December 14)
Registered Electors: 1,296
Sir G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
Sir G Heathcote Whig
General Election 1835 (January 10)
Sir G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
Sir G Heathcote Whig
General Election 1837 (July 29)
Sir G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
Sir G Heathcote Whig
Following the death of Sir G N Noel:
By-Election 1838 (March 13)
Hon W M Noel Conservative
Mr Noel accepts Chiltern Hundreds (a procedural device to allow resignation from the House of Commons).
By-Election 1840 (January 28)
Hon C G Noel Whig
General Election 1841 (July 12)
G J Heathcote Whig (767 votes)
Hon W H Dawnay Conservative (676 votes)
- Hon C G Noel Whig (664 votes - unsuccessful candidate)
Mr Dawnay accepts Chiltern Hundreds.
By-Election 1846 (February 14)
Geo Finch Protectionist
General Election 1847 (August 7)
Sir G J Heathcote Protectionist
Hon G J Noel Protectionist
General Election 1852 (July 13)
Sir G J Heathcote Whig
Hon G J Noel Conservative
Sir G J Heathcote created 1st Lord Aveland
By-Election 1856 (March 4)
Hon G H Heathcote Whig
General Election 1857 (March 30)
Hon G J Noel Conservative
Hon G H Heathcote Whig
General Election 1859 (May 3)
Hon G J Noel Conservative
Hon G H Heathcote Whig
Population in 1861: 21,861
General Election 1865 (July 18)
Hon G J Noel Conservative
Hon G H Heathcote Whig
Mr Noel appointed Lord of the Treasury. Members of some parliaments were required to seek re-election upon being appointed to a ministerial post. The subsequent by-elections were termed ministerial by-elections
Ministerial By-Election 1866 (July 14)
Hon G J Noel Conservative
Mr Heathcote succeeded to Peerage (Lord Aveland). Peers are not eligigble to sit in the House of Commons.
By-Election 1867 (November 23)
Geo H Finch Conservative
General Election 1868 (November 19)
Registered Electors: 2,200
Hon G J Noel Conservative
Geo H Finch Conservative
Population in 1871: 22,073
General Election 1874 (February 5)
Registered Electors: 1,840
Hon G J Noel Conservative
G H Finch Conservative
Hon G J Noel appointed First Commander of Works
Ministerial By-Election 1876 (August 17)
Rt Hon G J Noel Conservative
General Election 1880 (April )
Rt Hon G J Noel Conservative
G H Finch Conservative
Population in 1881: 21,434
Mr Noel accepts Chiltern Hundreds.
By-Election 1883 (August )
J W Lowther Conservative (860 votes)
- J W Davenport Handley Liberal Party (194 votes - unsuccessful candidate)
Rutland reduced to one Member of Parliament
General Election 1885 (November 28)
Registered Electors: 1,725
G H Finch Conservative (2,366 votes)
- M C Buzzard, QC Liberal Party (1,110 votes - unsuccessful candidate)
General Election 1886 (July 2)
G H Finch Conservative
Population in 1891: 20,659
General Election 1892 (July)
G H Finch Conservative
General Election 1895 (July 13)
G H Finch Conservative
General Election 1900 (October 1)
Rt Hon G H Finch Conservative
Population in 1901: 19,709
General Election 1906 (January 17)
Registered Electors: 4,042
Rt Hon G H Finch Conservative (2,047 votes)
- H W Pearson Liberal Party (1,564 votes - unsuccessful candidate)
Following the death of Mr G H Finch:
By-Election 1907 (June 11)
John Gretton Conservative (2,213 votes)
- W F H Lyon Liberal Party (1,362 votes - unsuccessful candidate)
January 1910 Election (January 20)
John Gretton Conservative (2,235 votes)
- W F H Lyon Liberal Party (1,531 votes - unsuccessful candidate)
December 1910 Election (December )
Population: 19,709; Registered Electors: 4,128
John Gretton Liberal Unionist Party (2,169 votes)
- J N Emery Liberal Party (1,367 votes - unsuccessful candidate)
References
- Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
- McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book of All Elections 1832 - 1918
- The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844-50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
- Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910, by Henry Pelling (Macmillan 1967)
- F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
- D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
- M Kinnear, The British Voter (London: Batsford, 1968)
Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages [self-published source] [better source needed] Parliamentary Papers at British History Online
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