Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)

Wycombe
County constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.

Outline map

Location of Buckinghamshire within England.
County Buckinghamshire
Electorate 73,956 (April 2015)[1]
Major settlements High Wycombe
Current constituency
Created 1885
Member of parliament Steve Baker (Conservative)
Number of members One
1295–1885
Number of members Two until 1868, then One
Type of constituency County constituency
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency South East England

Wycombe /ˈwɪkəm/ is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Steve Baker, a Conservative.[n 2]

History

Wycombe has continuously returned MPs since the Model Parliament of 1295. As a parliamentary borough (often referred to as High Wycombe or Chepping Wycombe), it returned two MPs until 1868 and then one until its abolition in 1885. The name was then transferred to a new county division, formally known as the "Wycombe division of Buckinghamshire".

Constituency profile

The constituency shares similar borders with Wycombe local government district, although it covers a slightly smaller area. The main town within the constituency, High Wycombe contains many working/middle class voters and a sizeable ethnic minority population that totals around one quarter of the town's population, with some census output areas of town home to over 50% ethnic minorities. The surrounding villages which account for just under half of the electorate are some of the most wealthy areas in the country with extremely low unemployment, and high incomes. Workless claimants totalled 3.0% of the population in November 2012, lower than the national average of 3.8%.[2]

Boundaries

In the earliest centuries the boundaries were narrow and electorate limited to certain rate-paying men (see parliamentary borough).

The village of Eton and town of Slough (including its village outskirts) were part of the Wycombe constituency from 1885 until 1945, when the new seat of Eton and Slough was created at the redistribution of that year.

The seat has electoral wards:

Members of Parliament

MPs 1295–1640

YearFirst memberSecond member
1295Stephen AyottThomas le Tayleur
1298Adam de GuldefordRoger Allitarius
1300John le Pistor
1306Peter le CotilerJohn le Bake
1307Andrew Batyn
1307Roger de Sandwell
1308Edmond de Haveringdoun
1312Thomas GerveysMatthew le Fuller
1312Robert PaerWilliam le Cassiere
1318Robert SmithWilliam le Fote
1322Richard le HaslereBennet le Cassiere
1325John le TayleurJohn de Sandwell
1326Roger SandwellMatthew le Fuller
1327Richard atte WalleJohn atte Donne
1328John atte DonneHenry de Mussenden
1330John le HarriereRichard Perre
1332Matthew le FullerRichard Tottering
1333Jordan de WycombeRichard Bennet
1335John AyotRichard Perkyn
1336John le HarriereThomas Gerveys
1336John AyotRichard Abyndon
1337John le ClerkJohn Pool
1338Stephen AyotJohn le Taverner
1338Thomas GerveysJordan de Preston
1341Robert StenstooleRobert Harleyford
1346Ralph Barber
1347John MartynRobert Cattingham
1348Walter atte LeechWilliam Cassiere
1355Thomas GerveysRalph Harleyford
1357Robert Harleyford
1357John Mepertshale
1360Robert le Weeler
1360Richard Spigurnell
1362William Frere
1365Thomas CornwaileRichard Barbour
1368William atte Dene
1369Thomas Gerveys
1371No other?
1372John Bledlowe
1373Thomas Ballard
1377Richard Sandwell
1378Richard Jordaine
1379Richard Sandwell
1381Thomas RavellWalter Frere
1382William KeleWilliam atte Dene
1383Stephen WatfordJohn Petymin
1384William atte DeneRichard Kele
1385Stephen Watford
1386Walter FrereRichard Holyman
1388Stephen WatfordWilliam atte Dene
1391William Depham
1392Walter Waltham
1394Walter atte DeneNicholas Depham
1396Richard SandwellWalter Waltham
1399John CotynghamWilliam Clerk
1401Nicholas SperlingJohn Sandwell
1413Henry SperlingRoger More
1414William HallJohn Coventre II
1415William ClerkAndrew Sperling
1417Roger More
1419William MerchantJohn Cotyngham
1420Roger MoreThomas Merston
1421John HorewodeThomas Pusey
1421Roger MoreRichard Merston
1422Nicholas SteptonJohn Coventry
1423Roger More
1424William WhaplodeJohn Cotyngham
1425Thomas MustonWilliam Stocton
1427John CoventryJohn Justice
1429John WellesbournJohn Bishop
1430Roger MoreWilliam Fowler
1432John MartynJohn Blackpoll
1434John DureinJohn Cotyngham
1436John HillBartholomew Halling
1441John RadeshillJohn Martyn
1446John Wellesbourn
1448John Haynes
1449William StoctonNicholas Fayrewell
1450Thomas More
1452William CollardDavid Thomasyn
1461Thomas MansellThomas Catsbury
1469Thomas FowlerThomas Fayrewell
1478Thomas GateThomas Wellesbourn
1529William Windsor
1542John GatesWilliam Dormer
1547Thomas FisherArmigyll Wade
Mar 1553Henry PeckhamJohn Cheyne
Oct 1553Robert Drury
Apr 1554Thomas Pymme alias Fryer
Nov 1554John CheyneWilliam Drury
1555Henry PeckhamRobert Drury
1558Thomas PymmeRobert Woodleafe
1558Paul WentworthRoland Bracebridge
1562Thomas Fermore alias DraperThomas Keele
1570John RussellRobert Christmas
1571Thomas NaleRowland Goules
1584 John Morley George Cawfield
1585Thomas Ridley George Fleetwood
1589Owen OglethorpFrancis Goodwin
1592 Thomas TasburghThomas Fortescue
1596 William Fortescue John Tasburgh
1601 Richard Blount Henry Fleetwood
1604 Sir John Townsend
1614 William Borlase Sir Henry Neville, jnr
1621 Richard Lovelace Arthur Goodwin
1624 Henry Coke
1625 Thomas Lane
1626 Edmund Waller
1628 Sir William Borlase Thomas Lane
1629–1640No Parliament summoned

MPs 1640–1868

YearFirst member[4]First partySecond member[4]Second party
April 1640 Sir Edmund VerneyRoyalist Thomas LaneParliamentarian
November 1640
October 1642 Verney killed in battle – seat left vacant
1645 Richard Browne
December 1648 Browne and Lane excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant
1653 Wycombe was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654 Thomas Scot Wycombe had only one seat in the First and
Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656 Tobias Bridge
January 1659 Thomas Scot
May 1659 Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 Edmund Petty Richard Browne
1661 Sir Edmund Pye, Bt Sir John Borlase, Bt
February 1673 Sir John Borlase, Bt
November 1673 Robert Sawyer
1679 Thomas Lewes
1685 Sir Dennis Hampson, Bt Edward Baldwin
1689 Thomas Lewes William Jephson
1691 Charles Godfrey
1696 Fleetwood Dormer
1698 John Archdale[5]
1699 Thomas Archdale
1701 Fleetwood Dormer
1710 Sir Thomas Lee, Bt
1713 Sir John Wittewrong, Bt
February 1722 John Neale
March 1722 Charles Egerton The Earl of Shelburne
February 1726 Charles Colyear [6]
March 1726 Harry Waller
1727 William Lee
1730 Sir Charles Vernon
1734 Edmund Waller [7]
1734 Sir Charles Vernon
1741 Edmund Waller
1747 Edmund Waller, junior
1754 The Earl of Shelburne John Waller Opposition Whig
1757 Edmund Waller, junior
1760 Viscount FitzMaurice Whig
March 1761 Robert Waller
December 1761 Isaac Barré Whig
1774 Hon. Thomas FitzMaurice
1780 Viscount Mahon Whig
1786 Earl Wycombe
1790 Rear-Admiral Sir John Jervis [8] Whig
1794 Sir Francis Baring, Bt
1796 Sir John Dashwood-King, Bt Tory
1802 Sir Francis Baring, Bt
1806 Sir Thomas Baring, Bt
1831 Hon. Robert Smith Whig
1832 Hon. Charles Grey Whig
1837 Sir George Dashwood, Bt Whig
1838 George Robert Smith Whig
1841 Ralph Bernal Whig
1847 Martin Tucker Smith Whig
1859 Liberal Liberal
1862 John Remington Mills Liberal
1865 Hon. Robert Carington[n 3]Liberal

MPs 1868–present

YearMember[4]Party
1868 Hon. William Carington Liberal
1883 Gerard Smith Liberal
1885 Viscount Curzon Conservative
1900 William Grenfell Conservative
1906 Thomas Arnold Herbert Liberal
January 1910 Sir Charles Alfred Cripps Conservative
1914 William Baring du Pré Conservative
1923 Lady Terrington Liberal
1924 Sir Alfred Knox Unionist
1945 John Haire Labour
1951 William Astor Conservative
1952 Sir John Hall Conservative
1978 Sir Ray Whitney Conservative
2001 Paul Goodman Conservative
2010 Steve Baker Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2015: Wycombe[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Steve Baker 26,444 51.4 +2.8
Labour David Williams 11,588 22.5 +5.2
UKIP David Meacock 5,198 10.1 +5.7
Liberal Democrat Steve Guy 4,546 8.8 -20.0
Green Jem Bailey 3,086 6.0 n/a
Independent David Fitton 577 1.1 +0.7
Majority 14,856 28.9 +9.0
Turnout 51,439 67.4[11] +1.2
General election 2010: Wycombe[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Steve Baker 23,423 48.6 +2.8
Liberal Democrat Steve Guy 13,863 28.8 +9.0
Labour Andrew Lomas 8,326 17.3 −12.6
UKIP John Wiseman 2,123 4.4 +0.5
Independent Mudassar Khokar 228 0.5 N/A
Independent David Fitton 188 0.4 −0.3
Majority 9,560 19.9
Turnout 48,151 66.2 +4.0
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Wycombe[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Goodman 20,331 45.8 +3.4
Labour Julia Wassell 13,280 29.9 −5.4
Liberal Democrat James Oates 8,780 19.8 +2.8
UKIP Robert Davis 1,735 3.9 +1.5
Independent David Fitton 301 0.7 +0.2
Majority 7,051 15.9
Turnout 44,427 62.2 +1.7
Conservative hold Swing +4.4
General election 2001: Wycombe[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Goodman 19,064 42.4 +2.5
Labour Chauhdry Shafique 15,896 35.3 -0.1
Liberal Democrat Dee Tomlin 7,658 17.0 -1.5
UKIP Christopher Cooke 1,059 2.4 N/A
Green John Laker 1,057 2.4 +1.0
Independent David Fitton 240 0.5 N/A
Majority 3,168 7.1
Turnout 44,974 60.5 -10.6
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Wycombe[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ray Whitney 20,890 39.9 -14.2
Labour Chris Bryant 18,520 35.4 +13.8
Liberal Democrat Paul Bensilum 9,678 18.5 -3.1
Referendum Alan Fulford 2,394 4.6 N/A
Green John Laker 716 1.4 +0.2
Natural Law Mark Heath 121 0.2 N/A
Majority 2,370 4.5
Turnout 52,319 71.1 -6.9
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1992: Wycombe[17][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ray Whitney 30,081 53.14 -0.7
Liberal Democrat Tim Andrews 13,005 22.97 -5.5
Labour John Huddart 12,222 22.6 +3.0
Green John Laker 686 1.2 N/A
Social Democratic Alan Page 449 0.8 N/A
Natural Law T. Anton 168 0.3 N/A
Majority 17,076 30.2 +3.8
Turnout 56,611 78.0 +5.2
Conservative hold Swing +1.9

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Wycombe[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ray Whitney 28,209 53.9 -0.3
Social Democratic Tom Hayhoe 14,390 27.5 -0.4
Labour John Huddart 9,773 18.7 +1.4
Majority 13,819 26.4 +0.1
Turnout 56,611 72.8 +1.1
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1983: Wycombe[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ray Whitney 27,221 54.22
Social Democratic A. Page 14,024 27.93
Labour C. Bastin 8,636 17.20
Multiracial Political Party M. Amin 327 0.65
Majority 13,197 26.28
Turnout 71.66
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ray Whitney 38,171 57.30
Labour Trevor Fowler 18,000 27.02
Liberal A. Lawson 9,615 14.43
National Front Sylvia Jones 833 1.25
Majority 20,171 30.28
Turnout 77.61
Conservative hold Swing
Wycombe by-election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ray Whitney 29,677 59.96 +13.63
Labour Trevor Fowler 14,109 28.51 -2.31
Liberal Harry Warschauer 3,665 7.41 -11.94
National Front Sylvia Jones 2,040 4.12 +0.62
Turnout 49,491
Conservative hold Swing
General election 10 October 1974: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Frederick John Frank Hall 27,131 46.33
Labour W.F. Back 18,052 30.82
Liberal M.T. James 11,333 19.35
National Front D.H. Smith 2,049 3.50
Majority 9,079 15.50
Turnout 74.29
Conservative hold Swing
General election 28 February 1974: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Frederick John Frank Hall 29,521 46.23
Labour W.F. Back 18,822 29.48
Liberal M.T. James 15,512 24.29
Majority 10,699 16.76
Turnout 81.65
Conservative hold Swing
General election 18 June 1970: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick John Frank Hall 40,151 55.93
Labour Bryan S Jones 23,341 32.51
Liberal Ernest Henry Palfrey 8,297 11.56
Majority 16,810 23.42
Turnout 74.83
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 31 March 1966: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick John Frank Hall 31,577 49.25
Labour Joseph Holland 24,498 38.21
Liberal Morris Janis 8,037 12.54
Majority 7,079 11.04
Turnout 77.19
Conservative hold Swing
General election 15 October 1964: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick John Frank Hall 30,877 50.01
Labour Michael Cecil John Barnes 21,534 34.88
Liberal Arthur Donald Dennis 9,330 15.11
Majority 9,343 15.13
Turnout 81.34
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 8 October 1959: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick John Frank Hall 30,774 53.29
Labour Wilfred Gurney Fordham 19,904 34.47
Liberal Arthur Donald Dennis 7,068 12.24
Majority 10,870 18.82
Turnout 84.67
Conservative hold Swing
General election 26 May 1955: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick John Frank Hall 29,845 57.67
Labour Leopold Raymond Fletcher 21,905 42.33
Majority 7,940 15.34
Turnout 82.02
Conservative hold Swing
Wycombe by-election, 1952
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick John Frank Hall 26,750
Labour John Edwin Haire 24,650
Majority 2,100
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing
General election 25 October 1951: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Waldorf Astor 27,084 51.67
Labour John Edwin Haire 25,331 48.33
Majority 1,753 3.34
Turnout 86.21
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election 23 February 1950: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Edwin Haire 21,491 42.09
Conservative William Waldorf Astor 21,015 41.16
Liberal Brian Armstrong Law 8,354 16.36
Communist Mrs. E. Leigh 199 0.39
Majority 476 0.93
Turnout 85.83
Labour hold Swing

Election in the 1940s

General election 5 to 19 July 1945: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Edwin Haire 20,482 45.17
Conservative R. Peake 17,946 39.58
Liberal Brig. Cecil Arthur Harrop Chadwick 6,916 15.25
Majority 2,536 5.59
Turnout 72.10
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

A general election was expected 1939/40 and by 1939 the following had been adopted as candidates;

In 1938, the local Labour and Liberal parties had set up a formal organisation, 'The South Bucks Unity Committee' in support of a Popular Front and may well have agreed to support a joint candidate against the sitting Conservative.[21]

Election in the 1930s

General election 14 November 1935: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Alfred William Fortescue Knox 34,747 64.87
Labour Dr Ernest A Whitfield 18,817 35.13
Majority 15,930 29.74
Turnout 61.41
Conservative hold Swing
General election 27 October 1931: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Alfred William Fortescue Knox 41,208 79.20
Labour Leslie Haden-Guest 10,821 20.80
Majority 30,387 58.40
Turnout 52,029 67.47
Conservative hold Swing

Election in the 1920s

General election 30 May 1929: Wycombe [22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Sir Alfred William Fortescue Knox 23,231 47.4 -7.4
Liberal Leonard John Humphrey 16,929 34.5 +1.5
Labour Mrs R Townsend 8,899 18.1 +5.9
Majority 6,302 12.9 -8.9
Turnout 49,059 71.1 -6.9
Unionist hold Swing -4.5
General election 29 October 1924: Wycombe [22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Sir Alfred William Fortescue Knox 20,820 54.8
Liberal Lady Vera Terrington 12,526 33.0
Labour George Young 4,626 12.2
Majority 8,294 21.8
Turnout 78.0
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing
General election 6 December 1923: Wycombe [22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Lady Vera Terrington 14,910 46.9 +11.1
Unionist William Baring du Pré 13,228 41.7 -8.4
Labour George Young 3,611 11.4 -2.7
Majority 1,682 5.2 19.5
Turnout 68.2 -1.0
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +9.8
Vera Terrington
General election 15 November 1922: Wycombe [22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist William Baring du Pré 15,627 50.1 n/a
Liberal Lady Vera Terrington 11,154 35.8 n/a
Labour Samuel Stennett 4,403 14.1 n/a
Majority 4,473 14.3 n/a
Turnout 69.2 n/a
Unionist hold Swing n/a

Election in the 1910s

General election 14 December 1918: Wycombe [23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist William Baring Du Pré unopposed n/a n/a
Unionist hold Swing n/a
Wycombe by-election, 1914 [24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist William Baring Du Pré 9,044 57.4 n/a
Liberal Tonman Mosley 6,713 42.6 n/a
Majority 2,331 14.8 n/a
Turnout 86.3 n/a
Unionist hold Swing n/a
General election December 1910: Wycombe [24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Charles Alfred Cripps unopposed n/a n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a
General election January 1910: Wycombe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Charles Alfred Cripps 8,690 58.6
Liberal Thomas Arnold Herbert 6,134 41.4
Majority 2,556 17.2
Turnout
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing

Election in the 1900s

T.A.Herbert
General election January 1906: Wycombe [24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Arnold Herbert 6,839 54.9
Conservative A H S Cripps 5,626 45.1
Majority 1,213 9.8
Turnout 12,465 82.8
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
  3. Linked article relates to the marquess, the father of Charles Carington
References
  1. "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2015 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  2. Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
  3. 2010 post-revision map non-metropolitan areas and unitary authorities of England
  4. 1 2 3 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)
  5. Archdale, a Quaker, never took his seat as he was not prepared to take the prescribed oath
  6. On petition, Colyear's election was declared void and a by-election was called. He was re-elected at the by-election but once more voted by the committee not to have been duly returned, and his opponent, Waller, was seated instead.
  7. Waller was also elected for Marlow, which he chose to represent, and did not for Wycombe in this Parliament
  8. Vice Admiral from 1793
  9. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  10. https://councillors.wycombe.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?ID=96&RPID=29924966
  11. electorate 76371 provided by Wycombe Council elections office 22Jun2015
  12. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  13. "Wycombe". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  14. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  17. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
  19. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. http://www.marxists.org/history/etol/revhist/backiss/vol1/no3/ayles.html
  22. 1 2 3 4 British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F.W.S.
  23. Craig, F. W. S. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 London: Macmillan.
  24. 1 2 3 Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 (1 ed.). London: Macmillan.

Further reading

Coordinates: 51°36′N 0°48′W / 51.6°N 0.8°W / 51.6; -0.8

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