Hertford (UK Parliament constituency)

Hertford
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
County Hertfordshire
Major settlements Hertford
1885–1974 (1974)
Number of members One
Replaced by Hertford & Stevenage
1298–1885
Number of members two (1298-1868), one (1868-1885)
Type of constituency Borough constituency

Hertford was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire, which elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1298 until 1974. It was represented in the House of Commons of England from 1298 to 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1974.

From 1298 it was a borough consisting of the town of Hertford, electing two MPs until 1868 and one from 1868 to 1885. In 1885 the borough was abolished and the name was transferred to the county constituency which contained the town.

The constituency disappeared in the redistribution at the February 1974 general election, being mostly included in the new Hertford and Stevenage constituency.

Boundaries

1885-1918: The Municipal Borough of Hertford, the Sessional Divisions of Bishop's Stortford and Cheshunt, parts of the Sessional Divisions of Hertford and Ware, and in the Sessional Division of Aldbury the civil parishes of Great Hadham and Little Hadham.

1918-1950: The Municipal Borough of Hertford, the Urban Districts of Bishop's Stortford, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Sawbridgeworth, and Ware, the Rural Districts of Hadham (the civil parishes of Braughing, Brent Pelham, Furneux Pelham, High Wych, Little Hadham, Much Hadham, Stocking Pelham, and Thorley) and Ware (the civil parishes of Broxbourne, Eastwick, Gilston, Great Amwell, Great Munden, Hoddesdon Rural, Hunsdon, Little Munden, Standon, Stanstead Abbots, Stanstead St Margaret, Thundridge, Ware Rural, Widford, and Wormley), and in the Rural District of Hertford the civil parishes of Bayford, Bengeo Rural, Bengeo Urban, Bramfield, Brickendon Liberty, Brickendon Rural, Hertingfordbury, Little Amwell, Little Berkhamsted, St Andrew Rural, St John Rural, Stapleford, and Tewin.

1950-1955: The Municipal Borough of Hertford, the Urban Districts of Bishop's Stortford, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Sawbridgeworth, and Ware, the Rural District of Ware (the civil parishes of Broxbourne, Eastwick, Gilston, Great Amwell, Great Munden, Hunsdon, Little Munden, Standon, Stanstead Abbots, Stanstead St Margaret, Thundridge, Ware Rural, Widford, and Wormley), in the Rural District of Braughing the civil parishes of Albury, Braughing, Brent Pelham, Furneux Pelham, High Wych, Little Hadham, Much Hadham, Stocking Pelham, and Thorley, and in the Rural District of Hertford the civil parishes of Bayford, Bengeo Rural, Bengeo Urban, Bramfield, Brickendon Liberty, Brickendon Rural, Hertingfordbury, Little Amwell, Little Berkhamsted, St Andrew Rural, St John Rural, Stapleford, and Tewin.

1955-1974: The Municipal Borough of Hertford, the Urban District of Welwyn Garden City, and the Rural Districts of Hatfield (the civil parishes of Essendon, Hatfield, Northaw, and North Mimms), Hertford (the civil parishes of Aston, Bayford, Bengeo Rural, Bengeo Urban, Benington, Bramfield, Brickendon Liberty, Brickendon Rural, Datchworth, Hertingfordbury, Little Amwell, Little Berkhamsted, Sacombe, St Andrew Rural, St John Rural, Stapleford, Tewin, Walkern, and Watton-at-Stone), and Welwyn (the civil parishes of Ayot St Lawrence, Ayot St Peter, Digswell, and Welwyn).

Members of Parliament

Hertford borough (1298-1885)

1298-1640

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1376 Constituency franchise lapsed
1624 Constituency re-enfranchised by Parliament
1624 William Ashton Thomas Fanshawe
1625 William Ashton Thomas Fanshawe
1626 Sir William Harrington Sir Capell Bedell
1628 Sir Edward Howard ennobled
and replaced by Sir Charles Morrison		 Sir Thomas Fanshawe
1629–1640No Parliaments summoned

1640-1868

YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
April 1640 Viscount CranborneParliamentarian Sir Thomas FanshaweRoyalist
November 1640
November 1643 Fanshawe disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1645 William Leman
December 1648 Cranborne not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653 Hertford was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654 Isaac Pulter Hertford had only one seat in the First and
Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656
January 1659 James Cowper
May 1659 Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 Arthur Sparke James Cowper
1661 Sir Edward Turnor Thomas Fanshawe
1673 Sir Thomas Byde
1675 Edmund Feilde
1677 Sir John Gore
February 1679 Sir Charles Caesar
September 1679 Sir William Cowper
1685 Sir Francis Boteler
1689 Sir William Cowper
1690 Sir William Leman
1695 William Cowper
January 1701 Charles Caesar Thomas Filmer
February 1701 Richard Goulston
1705 Sir Thomas Clarke
1708 William Monson
1710 Charles Caesar Richard Goulston
1715 [1] Sir Thomas Clarke John Boteler
1722 Edward Harrison Charles Caesar [2]
1723 Sir Thomas Clarke
1727 George Harrison
1734 Nathaniel Brassey
1741 George Harrison
1759 Viscount Fordwich
1761 John Calvert Timothy Caswall
1768 William Cowper
1770 Paul Feilde
1780 Thomas, Baron Dimsdale [3] William Baker
1784 John Calvert
1790 Nathaniel, Baron Dimsdale [3]
1802 Hon. Edward Spencer Cowper Whig Nicolson Calvert Whig
1817 Viscount Cranborne Tory
1823 Thomas Byron
1826 Thomas Slingsby Duncombe Radical
1830 Viscount Ingestrie Tory
1831 John Currie Whig
1832 [4] Viscount Ingestrie Conservative Viscount Mahon Conservative
1832 writ suspended: both seats vacant until 1835[4]
1835 Hon. William Francis Cowper Whig Viscount Mahon Conservative
1852 Thomas Chambers Whig
1857 Sir Walter Minto Townshend-Farquhar Conservative
1859 Liberal
1866 Robert Dimsdale Conservative
1868 Representation reduced to one MP

1868-1885

ElectionMemberParty
1868 Robert Dimsdale Conservative
1874 Arthur James Balfour Conservative
1885 Constituency abolished; name transferred to county division

Hertford county constituency (1885-1974)

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Abel Smith Conservative
1898 by-election Evelyn Cecil Conservative
1900 Abel Henry Smith Conservative
Jan. 1910 Sir John Rolleston Conservative
1916 by-election Noel Pemberton Billing Independent
1918 Silver Badge Party
1921 by-election (Sir) Murray Sueter Anti-Waste League/Independent Parliamentary Group
1922 Conservative
1945 Sir Derek Walker-Smith Conservative
1955 Lord Balniel Conservative
Feb. 1974 Constituency abolished - see Hertford and Stevenage

Elections

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1918: Hertford [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Noel Pemberton-Billing 9,628 52.1
National Party Edmond Broughton Barnard 7,158 38.8 n/a
Labour Cyril Harding 1,679 9.1
Majority 2,470 13.3
Turnout 57.4
Independent hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s

Hertford by-election, 1921[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Anti-Waste League Murray Fraser Sueter 12,329 68.9 N/A
Unionist Sir E. Hildred Carlile 5,553 31.1 N/A
Majority 6,776 N/A N/A
Turnout 17,882 N/A N/A
Anti-Waste League gain from Independent Swing n/a
General Election 1922: Hertford [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Murray Fraser Sueter 11,406 63.6 -5.3
Liberal Thomas Greenwood 6,534 36.4 n/a
Majority 4,872 27.2 -10.6
Turnout 54.1 -1.0
Unionist hold Swing n/a
General Election 1923: Hertford [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Murray Fraser Sueter 10,660 52.2 -11.4
Liberal Thomas Greenwood 9,763 47.8 +11.4
Majority 897 4.4 -22.8
Turnout 60.6 +6.5
Unionist hold Swing -11.4
General Election 1924: Hertford[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Murray Fraser Sueter 14,582 60.0 +7.8
Liberal Thomas Morris Davies 5,828 24.0 -23.8
Labour Ernest Selley 3,885 16.0 n/a
Majority 8,754 36.0 +31.6
Turnout 70.8 +10.2
Unionist hold Swing +15.8
General Election 1929: Hertford[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Murray Fraser Sueter 13,525 39.5 -20.5
Independent Noel Pemberton Billing 10,149 29.6 n/a
Liberal Thomas Evander Evans 6,419 18.7 -5.3
Labour Dr Roger S Edwards 4,193 12.2 -3.8
Majority 3,376 9.9 -26.1
Turnout 74.7 +3.9
Unionist hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Hertford [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Murray Fraser Sueter 25,751 78.4 +38.9
Labour Dr Roger S Edwards 7,092 21.6 +9.4
Majority 56.8 +46.9
Turnout 69.1 -5.6
Conservative hold Swing +14.7
General Election 1935: Hertford [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Murray Fraser Sueter 21,193 64.8 -9.8
Labour Dr Roger S Edwards 11,492 35.2 +13.6
Majority 9,701 29.6 -27.2
Turnout 62.5 -6.6
Conservative hold Swing -11.7

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939/40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

General Election 1945: Hertford[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Derek Colclough Walker-Smith 19,877 43.3 -21.5
Labour Lynton Scutts 17,349 37.9 +2.7
Liberal Capt. Thomas Peter Hughes 7,587 16.6 n/a
Independent A B Swain 1,005 2.2 n/a
Majority 2,528 5.4 -24.2
Turnout 70.4 +7.9
Conservative hold Swing -12.1

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950: Hertford[8] [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Derek Colclough Walker-Smith 25,074 45.90 +2.60
Labour Lynton Scutts 19,324 35.37 -2.53
Liberal Capt. Thomas Peter Hughes 10,234 18.73 +2.13
Majority 5,750 10.52 +5.12
Turnout 54,632 83.18 +12.78
Registered electors 65,683
Conservative hold Swing +2.57
General Election 1951: Hertford[8] [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Derek Colclough Walker-Smith 30,519 56.28 +10.38
Labour Richard William Marsh 23,708 43.72 +8.35
Majority 6,811 12.56 +2.04
Turnout 54,227 80.80 -2.38
Registered electors 67,110
Conservative hold Swing +1.02
General Election 1955: Hertford[8] [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Alexander Lindsay, Lord Balniel 25,014 56.79 +0.51
Labour John McKnight 19,030 43.21 -0.51
Majority 5,984 13.59 +1.03
Turnout 44,044 82.24 +1.44
Registered electors 53,556
Conservative hold Swing +0.51
General Election 1959: Hertford[8][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Alexander Lindsay, Lord Balniel 31,418 58.17 +1.38
Labour Gerald D Southgate 22,597 41.83 -1.38
Majority 8,821 16.33 +2.74
Turnout 54,015 84.26 +2.02
Registered electors 64,106
Conservative hold Swing +1.38

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: Hertford[8][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Alexander Lindsay, Lord Balniel 29,134 46.23 -11.94
Labour Thomas A Deacon 25,161 39.93 -1.90
Liberal Anna C M Harman 8,722 13.84 N/A
Majority 3,973 6.30 -10.03
Turnout 63,017 84.64 +0.38
Registered electors 74,450
Conservative hold Swing -5.02
General Election 1966: Hertford[8][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Alexander Lindsay, Lord Balniel 32,302 50.62 +3.79
Labour Peter Nurse 31,508 49.38 +9.45
Majority 794 1.24 -5.06
Turnout 63,810 83.70 -0.94
Registered electors 76,234
Conservative hold Swing -2.83

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Hertford[8][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Alexander Lindsay, Lord Balniel 36,494 52.58 +1.96
Labour Mrs. Yvonne Sieve 26,924 38.79 -10.59
Liberal John Melling 5,994 8.64 N/A
Majority 9,570 13.79 +12.55
Turnout 69,412 78.08 -5.62
Registered electors 88,900
Conservative hold Swing +6.28

References

  1. ↑ At the general election of 1715, Caesar and Goulston were initially declared re-elected, but on petition the result was overturned and their opponents, Clarke and Boteler, were seated in their place
  2. ↑ On petition, Caesar was adjudged not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Clarke, was declared elected in his place
  3. 1 2 Dimsdale was a baron in the Russian peerage
  4. 1 2 At the election of 1832 Ingestrie and Mahon were declared elected, but on petition was their election was declared void, Hertford's writ was suspended and the seats remained vacant until the next general election
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  6. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  7. ↑ Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, F W S Craig
  9. ↑ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results February 1950". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1951". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1955". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  12. ↑ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1959". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1964". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  14. ↑ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1966". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  15. ↑ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1970". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
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