Cirencester (UK Parliament constituency)

Gloucestershire, East or Cirencester
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Number of members one
Cirencester
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1571–1885
Number of members 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

YearFirst memberSecond member
1547 John Eston George Ferrers

Borough constituency (1571–1885)

MPs 1571–1640

YearFirst memberSecond 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[1] 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
1614Sir 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

YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
April 1640 Henry Poole John George
November 1640 Sir Theobald GorgesRoyalist John GeorgeRoyalist
January 1644 Gorges and George disabled from sitting - both seats vacant
February 1648 Sir Thomas Fairfax [2] Nathaniel Rich
December 1648 Fairfax not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653 Cirencester was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654 John Stone Cirencester had only one seat in the First and
Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656
January 1659 Richard Southby
May 1659 Nathaniel Rich One seat vacant
April 1660 Thomas Master Henry Powle
1661 The Earl of Newburgh John George
1671 Henry Powle
1679 Sir Robert Atkyns
1685 Thomas Master The Earl of Newburgh
1689 John Grobham Howe
March 1690 Richard Grobham Howe Henry Powle
November 1690 John Grobham Howe
1698 Henry Ireton Charles Coxe
January 1701 James Thynne
December 1701 William Master
1705 Allen Bathurst Henry Ireton
1708 [3] Charles Coxe
1712 Thomas Master Tory
1713 Benjamin Bathurst Tory
1727 Peter Bathurst Tory
1734 William Wodehouse [4]
1735 Henry Bathurst Tory
1747 Thomas Master Tory
1749 John Coxe
1754 Hon. Benjamin Bathurst Tory Hon. John Dawnay [5] Whig
1761 James Whitshed Tory
1768 Estcourt Creswell
1774 Samuel Blackwell
1783 Lord Apsley Tory
1785 Richard Master [6] Tory
1792 (Sir) Robert Preston [7]
1794 Michael Hicks-Beach
1806 Joseph Cripps
1812 Lord Apsley Tory
1818 Joseph Cripps Tory
1834 Conservative Lord Robert Somerset Conservative
1837 Thomas William Chester-Master I Conservative
1841 William Cripps Conservative
1844 Viscount Villiers Conservative
1848 Joseph Randolph Mullings Conservative
1852 Hon. Ashley Ponsonby Whig
1857 Allen Alexander Bathurst Conservative
1859 Hon. Ashley Ponsonby Liberal
1865 Hon. Ralph Dutton Conservative
1868 Representation reduced to one member

MPs 1868–1885

ElectionMemberParty
1868 Allen Alexander Bathurst, later Earl Bathurst Conservative
1878 by-election Thomas Chester-Master II Conservative
1885 Borough abolished - name transferred to county division

County constituency (1885–1918)

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Arthur Brend Winterbotham Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1892 Liberal
1892 by-election Thomas Chester-Master Conservative
1893 by-election Harry Webster Lawson Liberal
1895 Hon. Benjamin Bathurst Conservative
1906 Walter Essex Liberal
1910 Hon. Benjamin Bathurst Conservative
1918 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

John Dorington
General Election 1885: Cirencester[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Arthur Brend Winterbotham 4,782 54.2
Conservative John Edward Dorington 4,037 45.8
Majority 745 8.4
Turnout 86.8
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing
General Election 1886: Cirencester[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Arthur Brend Winterbotham unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing n/a

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Cirencester[10]
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 1.8 n/a
Turnout 81.8 n/a
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing n/a
Cirencester by-election, 1892[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas William Chester Chester-Master 4,277 50.0
Liberal Harry Lawson Webster Levy-Lawson 4,274 50.0
Majority 3 0.0
Turnout 84.7
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing
Cirencester by-election, 1893[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Harry Lawson Webster Levy-Lawson 4,687 51.3
Conservative Thomas William Chester Chester-Master 4,445 48.7
Majority 242 2.6
Turnout 90.9
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing
A.B. Bathurst
General Election 1895: Cirencester[13]
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 5.0
Turnout 89.6 -1.3
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +2.5

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1900: Cirencester[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hon. Allen Benjamin Bathurst unopposed n/a n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a
General Election 1906: Cirencester[15]
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 6.0 n/a
Turnout 88.2 n/a
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing n/a

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Cirencester[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hon. Allen Benjamin Bathurst 5,091 55.3
Liberal Richard Walter Essex 4,108 44.7
Majority 983 10.6
Turnout 92.6 +4.4
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing
General Election December 1910: Cirencester[17]
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 8.8 -1.8
Turnout 88.5
Conservative hold Swing -1.8

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;

References

  1. ↑ s:St. John, Oliver (1559-1630) (DNB00)
  2. ↑ Fairfax was delayed from taking his seat by a dispute over the election; although he was eventually declared duly elected in February 1649, it is unlikely that he ever took his seat in the Rump, so probably never sat for Cirencester
  3. ↑ At the election of 1708, Bathurst and Coxe were initially declared elected; but on petition, the election was declared void because the inhabitants of the Abbey, Emery and Sperringate Lane had been excluded from voting. However, both were re-elected in the ensuing by-election.
  4. ↑ Wodehouse was also elected for Norfolk, but died before having chosen which constituency to represent
  5. ↑ Succeeded as the 4th Viscount Downe (in the Peerage of Ireland), 1760
  6. ↑ Master was re-elected in 1790, but on petition the committee declared he had not been duly elected, and seated his opponent, Preston, in his place
  7. ↑ Succeeded to a baronetcy, March 1800
  8. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  9. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  10. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  11. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  12. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  13. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  14. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  15. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  16. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  17. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)

External links

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