Yorkshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Yorkshire
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
Extract from 1831 result: the dark "quadruply" (very) orange area for this election; inside: 14 small areas, 'parliamentary boroughs'.
County	Yorkshire
1290–1832
Seats	Two until 1826, then Four
Replaced by	Yorkshire East Riding, Yorkshire North Riding and Yorkshire West Riding

Yorkshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament, traditionally known as Knights of the Shire, until 1826, when the county benefited from the disfranchisement of Grampound by taking an additional two members.

The constituency was split into its three historic ridings, for Parliamentary purposes, under the Reform Act 1832. Each riding returned two MPs. The county was then represented by the Yorkshire East Riding, Yorkshire North Riding and Yorkshire West Riding constituencies.

Boundaries

Yorkshire is the largest of the historic counties of England. The constituency comprised the whole county. Yorkshire contained several boroughs which each independently returned two members to Parliament. These were Aldborough, Beverley, Boroughbridge, Hedon, Kingston upon Hull, Knaresborough, Malton, Northallerton, Pontefract, Richmond, Ripon, Scarborough, Thirsk and York.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1290–1640

• Constituency created 1290

Parliament	First member	Second member
1309	Robert de Boynton
1320	Sir Thomas Ughtred
1324	Sir John Tempest of Bracewell
1339	Sir Robert Hilton of Swine & Winestead
1341	John de Siggeston	William Bruys
1364	Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton
1376	Sir John Savile of Shelley and Golcar	Sir Robert de Boynton
1377–1395	Henry FitzHugh
1378	Sir John Hotham
1380	Ralph Hastings of Kirby and Burton Hastings
1382	John St Quentin of Harpham
1382	Sir John Savile of Shelley and Golcar
1383	Sir James Pickering
1384	Sir John Savile of Shelley and Golcar	Sir James Pickering
1385	Sir William Melton of Aston and Kyllon
1386	Sir John Godard	Sir John St Quentin of Harpham[1]
1388 (Feb)	Sir William Melton of Aston and Kyllon	Sir Robert Constable[1]
1388 (Sep)	Sir James Pickering	Sir Robert Neville of Hornby[1]
1390 (Jan)	Sir John Savile of Shelley and Golcar	Sir Robert Neville of Hornby[1]
1390 (Nov)	Sir William Ellis	Sir James Pickering[1]
1391	Sir John Godard	Sir Robert Neville of Hornby[1]
1393	Sir Ralph Euer	Sir Robert Neville of Hornby[1]
1394	Sir John Routh of Routh	Sir Robert Neville of Hornby[1]
1395	Sir Peter Buckton	Sir John St Quentin[1]
1397 (Jan)	Sir Peter Buckton	Sir Ralph Euer[1]
1397 (Sep)	Sir James Pickering	Sir David Roucliffe[1]
1399	Sir Ralph Euer	Sir Robert Neville of Hornby[1]
1401	Sir John Scrope of Hollinhall & Haldenby	Sir Gerard Usflete[1]
1402	Thomas Colville	Sir Robert Rockley[1]
1404 (Jan)	Sir John Routh of Routh	Sir Richard Tempest of Bracewell[1]
1404 (Oct)	Sir Peter Buckton	Sir William Dronsfield[1]
1406	Sir Richard Redman	Sir Thomas Rokeby[1]
1407	Sir Edmund Hastings	Sir Alexander Lound[1]
1410
1411	Sir John Etton	Sir Robert Plumpton[1]
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	Sir Edmund Hastings	Sir Alexander Lound[1]
1414 (Apr)	Sir Alexander Lound[1]
1414 (Nov)	Sir Richard Redman	Sir John Etton[1]
1415	Sir Richard Redman	Sir John Etton[1]
1416 (Mar)	Sir Brian Stapleton	Sir Robert Plumpton 1[1]
1416 (Oct)
1417
1419	Sir Robert Hilton	Sir Halnath Mauleverer[1]
1420	Sir Richard Redman	Sir John Langton[1]
1421 (May)	Sir Edmund Hastings	Sir William Gascoigne[1]
1421 (Dec)	Sir Richard Redman	Sir John Etton[1]
1422 (Nov)	Sir William Euer
1423	Sir Thomas Rokeby
1425	Sir Robert Hilton[2]	Sir William Ryther de Ryther
1426	Sir Robert Hilton[2]
1427	Sir Robert Hilton[2]
1431 (Jan)	Sir William Euer
1439	Sir Thomas Savile
1449	Sir James Strangways	William Eure
1450	Sir John Savile
1461	Sir James Strangways
1467	Sir John Savile
1491	Thomas Scrope, 6th Baron Scrope of Masham
1491	Sir Richard Tunstall	Sir Henry Wentworth[3]
1510–1515	Not known[4]
1523	Sir William Bulmer	?[4]
1529	Sir John Neville, ennobled and repl. Feb 1533 by Sir John Neville II	Sir Marmaduke Constable[4]
1536
1539	Sir Henry Savile	Robert Bowes[4]
1542	Sir Ralph Ellerker	Sir Robert Bowes, disqualified and repl. Feb 1543 by Thomas Waterman[4]
1545
1547	Sir Nicholas Fairfax	Sir William Babthorpe[4]
1553 (Mar)	Sir Thomas Gargrave	Sir Robert Constable[4]
1553 (Oct)	Sir Robert Constable	Sir William Vavasour[4]
1554 (Apr)	Sir William Babthorpe	Sir Christopher Danby[4]
1554 (Nov)	Sir Thomas Wharton II	Sir Thomas Gargrave[4]
1555	?Sir Robert Constable	Sir Thomas Gargrave[4]
1558	?Thomas Wharton, 2nd Baron Wharton	Sir Richard Cholmley[4]
1559	Sir Thomas Gargrave	Sir Henry Savile[5]
1562	Sir Thomas Gargrave	Sir Nicholas Fairfax[5]
1571	Sir Thomas Gargrave	Sir Henry Gates[5]
1572	Sir Thomas Gargrave	Thomas Waterton died and repl. Jan 1576 by Sir Robert Stapleton[5]
1584	Ralph Eure	Sir William Mallory[5]
1586	Sir Henry Gates	Sir Thomas Fairfax of Denton[5]
1588	Sir Henry Constable	Sir Ralph Bourchier[5]
1593	Sir George Savile, Bt	John Aske[5]
1597	Sir John Savile	Sir William Fairfax[5]
1601	Thomas Fairfax	Sir Edward Stanhope[5]
1604	Sir Francis Clifford	Sir John Savile
1606	Sir Richard Gargrave
1614	Sir John Savile	Sir Thomas Wentworth
1621	Sir Thomas Wentworth	Lord George Calvert
1624	Sir Thomas Savile	Sir John Savile
1625	Sir Thomas Wentworth	Thomas Fairfax
1626	Sir John Savile	Sir William Constable, Bt
1628	Henry Belasyse	Sir Thomas Wentworth
1629		Sir Henry Savile, Bt
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned

MPs 1640–1826

Short Parliament

• 1640: Sir William Savile, Bt
• 1640: Henry Belasyse

Long Parliament

• 1640–1648: The Lord Fairfax of Cameron (Parliamentarian) – died March 1648
• 1640–1642: Henry Belasyse (Royalist) – disabled to sit, September 1642

(Although writs were issued to fill both these vacancies, no elections seem to have been held and the seats remained vacant to the end of the Parliament)

Barebones Parliament (Nominated members)

• 1653: Lord Eure, Walter Strickland, Francis Lascelles, John Anlaby, Thomas Dickenson, Thomas St. Nicholas, Roger Coats, Edward Gill

First Protectorate Parliament (Fourteen members elected for the three Ridings)

• 1654–1655: East Riding: Hugh Bethell, Richard Robinson, Walter Strickland, Sir William Strickland; North Riding: Lord Eure, Francis Lascelles, Thomas Harrison, George Smithson; West Riding: Lord Fairfax, John Lambert, Henry Tempest, John Bright, Edward Gill, Martin Lister

Second Protectorate Parliament (Fourteen members elected for the three Ridings)

• 1656–1658: East Riding: Hugh Bethell, Richard Darley, Henry Darley, Sir William Strickland; North Riding: Lord Eure, Francis Lascelles, Major General Robert Lilburne, Luke Robinson; West Riding: John Lambert, Colonel Henry Tempest, Edward Gill, Francis Thorpe, Henry Arthington, John Stanhope

Third Protectorate Parliament

• 1659: The Lord Fairfax of Cameron, Thomas Harrison

Long Parliament (restored) Both seats vacant

Year			First member	First party	Second member	Second party
		1660	Thomas Fairfax		Sir John Dawnay
		1661	Conyers Darcy		Sir John Goodricke, Bt
		1670			Sir Thomas Slingsby, Bt
		1679	Charles Boyle		Henry Fairfax
		1685			Sir John Kaye, Bt
		1689	Thomas Fairfax
		1698			Henry Dawnay
		January 1701			Sir John Kaye, Bt
		December 1701			Arthur Ingram
		1702	Marquess of Hartington		Sir John Kaye, Bt
		January 1707			Thomas Fairfax
		December 1707	Henry Dawnay		Conyers Darcy
		1708			Sir William Strickland, Bt
		1710			Sir Arthur Kaye, Bt
		February 1727			Cholmley Turner
		August 1727	Sir Thomas Watson-Wentworth
		1728 by-election	Sir George Savile, Bt
		1734	Sir Miles Stapylton, Bt
		1741			Charles Howard
		1742 by-election			Cholmley Turner
		1747			Sir Conyers Darcy
		1750 by-election	Henry Dawnay[6]
		1759 by-election			Sir George Savile, Bt	Whig
		1761	Edwin Lascelles	Tory
		1780	Henry Duncombe	Tory
		January 1784 by-election			Francis Ferrand Foljambe	Whig
		April 1784			William Wilberforce	Independent
		1796	Hon. Henry Lascelles	Tory
		1806	Walter Fawkes	Whig
		1807	Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliam	Whig
		1812			Hon. Henry Lascelles	Tory
		1818			James Stuart-Wortley	Tory
1826			representation increased to 4 members

MPs 1826–1832

Election					First member	Party	Second member	Party	Third member	Party	Fourth Member	Party
Representation increased to 4 members
				1826	Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliam	Whig	William Duncombe	Tory	Richard Fountayne Wilson	Tory	John Marshall	Whig
				1830	George Howard	Whig		Ultra-Tory	Richard Bethell	Tory	Henry Brougham[7]	Whig
				Dec 1830 by-election							Sir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, Bt	Whig
				1831			George Strickland	Whig	John Charles Ramsden	Whig
1832					Constituency abolished: see North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and West Yorkshire

Notes

1. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 31 August 2011.
2. "HILTON, Sir Robert (d.c.1431), of Swine and Winestead in Holderness, Yorks". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
3. Cavill. The English Parliaments of Henry VII 1485-1504.
4. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 31 August 2011.
5. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 31 August 2011.
6. Henry Dawnay, 3rd Viscount Downe died December 1760, but a new writ was not issued before the general election in 1761
7. Brougham was also elected for Knaresborough; he was elevated to the House of Lords before having chosen which constituency he would represent in the Commons

Elections

The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each voter had as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which took place in the county town of York. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the (very large) county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of voters, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.

The expense, to candidates, of contested elections encouraged the leading families of the county to agree on the candidates to be returned unopposed whenever possible. Contested county elections were therefore unusual.

Elections in the eighteenth century

Only two elections in the 18th century were contested.

General election 1734: Yorkshire (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Miles Stapylton	7,896	34.3	N/A
	Whig	Cholmley Turner	7,879	34.2	N/A
	Whig	Rowland Winn	7,699	33.5	N/A
	Whig	Edward Wortley Montagu	5,898	25.6	N/A
Majority			180	0.1	N/A
Turnout			23,007	N/A	N/A

1741 Yorkshire by-election (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Cholmley Turner	8,005	53.2	N/A
		George Fox	7,049	46.8	N/A
Majority			956	6.4	+6.3
Turnout			15,054	N/A	N/A

At the 1784 general election, the seat was initially contested, but the two Whig candidates Francis Ferrand Foljambe and William Weddell conceded without calling for a poll.

Elections in the 1800s

At the 1802 general election, William Wilberforce and Henry Lascelles were elected unopposed.

At the 1806 general election, William Wilberforce and Walter Ramsden Fawkes were elected unopposed.

Yorkshire election 1807
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	William Wilberforce	11,808	34.75	N/A
	Whig	Lord Milton	11,177	32.90	N/A
	Tory	Henry Lascelles	10,990	32.35	N/A
Majority			187	0.55	N/A
Turnout			33,975	N/A	N/A
	Independent hold		Swing
	Whig hold		Swing

Elections in the 1810s and 1820s

At the 1812 general election, Viscount Milton and Henry Lascelles were elected unopposed.

At the 1818 and 1820 general elections, Viscount Milton and James Stuart Wortley were elected unopposed.

At the 1826 general election, Richard Fountayne Wilson, John Marshall, William Duncombe and Viscount Milton were elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Yorkshire (4 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Howard	1,464	29.0	N/A
	Whig	Henry Brougham	1,295	25.7	N/A
	Ultra-Tory	William Duncombe	1,123	22.3	N/A
	Tory	Richard Bethell	1,065	21.1	N/A
	Whig	Martin Stapyllton	94	1.9	N/A
Majority			71	19.2	N/A
Turnout			5,041	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing
	Whig hold		Swing
	Ultra-Tory hold		Swing
	Tory hold		Swing

1830 Yorkshire by-election (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone	361	77.6	N/A
	Whig	George Strickland	104	22.4	N/A
Majority			257	55.2	+36.0
Turnout			465	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing

At the 1831 general election, George Strickland, John Charles Ramsden, John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone and George Howard were elected unopposed.

See also

• 1807 Yorkshire election
• List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies
• Unreformed House of Commons

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "Y"
• 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) originally published in 1844–50, so out of copyright