Rutland (UK Parliament constituency)
Rutland | |
---|---|
Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | Rutland |
Major settlements | Oakham and Uppingham |
1290–1918 | |
Seats | 1290–1885: Two 1885–1918: One |
Replaced by | Rutland & Stamford |
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), traditionally known as Knights of the Shire, 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 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
1295–1640
![]() |
1640–1885
1885–1918
Year | Member of Parliament | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1885 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | George Finch | Conservative |
1907 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Gretton | Conservative |
1918 | Constituency abolished: see Rutland and Stamford |
Elections
Population in 1831: 19,380
General Election 1832 (December 14)
Registered Electors: 1,296
G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
G Heathcote Whig
General Election 1835 (January 10)
G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
G Heathcote Whig
General Election 1837 (July 29)
G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
G Heathcote Whig
Following the death of Sir G N Noel:
By-Election 1838 (March 13)
W M Noel Conservative
Noel accepted the Chiltern Hundreds (a procedural device to allow resignation from the House of Commons).
By-Election 1840 (January 28)
C G Noel Whig
General Election 1841 (July 12)
G J Heathcote Whig (767 votes)
W H Dawnay Conservative (676 votes)
- C G Noel Whig (664 votes – unsuccessful candidate)
Dawnay accepts Chiltern Hundreds.
By-Election 1846 (February 14)
Geo Finch Protectionist
General Election 1847 (August 7)
G J Heathcote Protectionist
G J Noel Protectionist
Elections in the 1850s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Gilbert John Heathcote | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Gerard Noel | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 1,876 | ||||
Whig hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Heathcote was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Aveland and causing a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Gilbert Heathcote | Unopposed | |||
Whig hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Gilbert Heathcote | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Gerard Noel | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 1,822 | ||||
Whig hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Gilbert Heathcote | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Gerard Noel | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 1,810 | ||||
Liberal hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Elections in the 1860s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Gilbert Heathcote | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Gerard Noel | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 1,774 | ||||
Liberal hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Noel was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gerard Noel | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Heathcote succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Aveland and causing a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Finch | Unopposed | |||
Conservative gain from Liberal |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Finch | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Gerard Noel | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 2,200 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative gain from Liberal |
Elections in the 1870s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Finch | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Gerard Noel | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 1,950 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Noel was appointed First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gerard Noel | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Elections in the 1880s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Finch | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Gerard Noel | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 1,736 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Noel's resignation caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Lowther | 860 | 81.6 | N/A | |
Liberal | John William Davenport-Handley[18] | 194 | 18.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 666 | 63.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 1,054 | 59.6 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 1,768 | ||||
Conservative hold |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/df/Buszard-1880.jpg/120px-Buszard-1880.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Finch | 2,366 | 68.1 | N/A | |
Liberal | Marston Clarke Buszard | 1,110 | 31.9 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,256 | 36.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 3,476 | 83.4 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 4,166 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f1/George_Finch_%28Rutland%29.jpg/120px-George_Finch_%28Rutland%29.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Finch | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Elections in the 1890s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Finch | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Finch | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Elections in the 1900s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Finch | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/67/Harold_Pearson.jpg/120px-Harold_Pearson.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Finch | 2,047 | 56.7 | N/A | |
Liberal | Harold Pearson | 1,564 | 43.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 483 | 13.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 3,611 | 89.3 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 4,042 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/John_Gretton%2C_1st_Baron_Gretton.jpg/120px-John_Gretton%2C_1st_Baron_Gretton.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Gretton | 2,213 | 61.9 | +5.2 | |
Liberal | W F H Lyon | 1,362 | 38.1 | −5.2 | |
Majority | 851 | 23.8 | +10.4 | ||
Turnout | 3,575 | 87.6 | −1.7 | ||
Registered electors | 4,083 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +5.2 |
Elections in the 1910s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Gretton | 2,235 | 59.3 | +2.6 | |
Liberal | Joseph Nathaniel Emery | 1,531 | 40.7 | −2.6 | |
Majority | 704 | 18.6 | +5.2 | ||
Turnout | 3,766 | 91.2 | +1.9 | ||
Registered electors | 4,128 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Gretton | 2,169 | 61.3 | +2.0 | |
Liberal | Joseph Nathaniel Emery | 1,367 | 38.7 | −2.0 | |
Majority | 802 | 22.6 | +4.0 | ||
Turnout | 3,536 | 85.7 | −5.5 | ||
Registered electors | 4,128 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.0 |
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;
- Unionist: John Gretton
- Liberal:
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Members of Parliament 1213–1702. London: House of Commons. 1878.
- ^ a b c d "SCARLE, Walter (d.c.1401), of Uppingham, Rutland". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ a b c d "WITTLEBURY, John (1333–1400), of Whissendine, Rutland and Milton and Marholm, Northants". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ^ http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/member/harrington-sir-robert-1399
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad "History of Parliament". Retrieved 2011-09-08.
- ^ History of Parliament: Register of the Ministers and of the Members of Both Houses 1439–1509. London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office. 1938. p. 17.
- ^ History of Parliament: Register of the Ministers and of the Members of Both Houses 1439–1509. London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office. 1938. p. 82.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "History of Parliament". Retrieved 2011-09-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament". Retrieved 2011-09-08.
- ^ Sir Andrew Noel was elected despite being ineligible, being Sheriff of Rutland|| the Commons annulled his election and issued a new writ
- ^ Edward Noel was returned despite being ineligible to sit|| he was underage, and owned no freeholds in the county. The controversial election, conducted by the candidate's father in his capacity as Sheriff, led to a suit in the Court of Star Chamber
- ^ On petition, Noel was declared not to have been duly elected
- ^ Adopted the surname Noel on succeeding to his uncle's estates in 1798
- ^ Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. p. 94. Retrieved 13 August 2018 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Stamford Mercury". 23 July 1841. p. 3. Retrieved 13 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
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(help) - ^ "The Rutland Election". South Wales Daily News. 28 August 1883. p. 3. Retrieved 10 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
- ^ a b c d e f The Liberal Year Book, 1907
- ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
- ^ a b c Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
- ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
- 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, Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972 (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
- F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
- M Kinnear, The British Voter (London: Batsford, 1968)
- McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book of All Elections 1832–1918
- Lewis Namier & John Brooke, The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754–1790 (London: HMSO, 1964)
- J E Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949)
- Henry Pelling, Social Geography of British Elections 1885–1910 (Macmillan, 1967)
- Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 2)