Petersfield was an English Parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Petersfield in Hampshire. It existed for several hundred years until its abolition for the 1983 general election.
Until 1832, it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Thereafter, its representation was reduced to one member until its abolition in 1983.
Boundaries 1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Alton, Droxford, and Petersfield, and part of the Sessional Division of Winchester.
1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Alton and Petersfield, and the Rural Districts of Alresford, Alton, Catherington, Droxford, and Petersfield.
1950–1955: The Urban Districts of Alton and Petersfield, the Rural Districts of Alton, Droxford, and Petersfield, and in the Rural District of Winchester the parishes of Botley, Burlesdon, Hamble, Hedge End, Hound, and West End.
1955–1983: The Urban Districts of Alton and Petersfield, and the Rural Districts of Alton, Droxford, and Petersfield.
Members of Parliament
MPs for Petersfield borough (1547–1885)
MPs 1547–1660 ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1547 George Tadlowe Lawrence Elveden alias Cattaneo 1553 (Mar) Sir Anthony Browne John Vaughan 1553 (Oct) Sir Anthony Browne George Rithe 1554 (Apr) John Vaughan Henry Weston 1554 (Nov) John Vaughan Henry Weston 1555 Christopher Rithe Henry Weston 1558 Henry Weston Christopher Rithe 1559 Sir Henry Weston George Rithe 1563 Sir Henry Weston Tomas Dering 1571 John Cowper Robert Rithe 1572 Richard Norton Ralph Bourchier, sat for Newcastle-under-Lyme and repl. Apr 1572 by Thomas Chatterton 1584 Sir Henry Weston Edmund Marvyn 1586 Edward Radclyffe Edmund Marvyn 1588 Benjamin Tichborne Edmund Marvyn 1593 Sir Walter Covert Richard Weston (MP for Petersfield) 1597 William Kingswell Thomas Hanbury 1601 William Kingswell John Swynnerton 1604 Sir William Hervey Sir William Kingswell 1614 Sir Walter Tichborne Walter Savage 1621-1622 Richard Norton John Hippisley 1624 Sir John Jephson Sir John Hippisley 1625 Sir John Jephson William Uvedale 1626 Benjamin Tichborne William Uvedale 1628-1629 Benjamin Tichborne William Uvedale 1629–1640No Parliaments summoned 1640 (Apr) William Uvedale Sir William Lewis 1640 (Nov) William Uvedale, disabled Sir William Lewis 1645 Sir William Lewis,excluded 1648 William Uvedale 1653Petersfield not represented in Barebones Parliament 1654Petersfield not represented in 1st Protectorate Parliament 1656Petersfield not represented in 2nd Protectorate Parliament 1659 Josias Child Sir Henry Norton
MPs 1660–1832
YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyApril 1660 Thomas ColeApril 1660: Cole was also elected for Winchester, but appears never to have chosen which constituency he would sit for so as to allow a replacement to be elected for the other Arthur Bold 1661 Sir Humphrey Bennet 1668 Thomas Neale 1677 Leonard Bilson 1679 Sir John Norton, Bt 1685 Thomas Bilson 1689 Robert Michell 1690 Richard Holt 1698 Peter Bettesworth January 1701 Ralph Bucknall Richard Markes November 1701 Robert Michell 1704 Leonard Bilson 1705 Norton Powlett Whig 1715 Samuel Pargiter-Fuller 1722 Edmund Miller January 1727 Joseph TaylorOn petition (in a dispute over the franchise), Taylor's election was declared void and his opponent, Miller, was declared to have been duly elected ToryMay 1727 Edmund Miller August 1727 Joseph Taylor Tory 1734 Sir William Jolliffe Edward Gibbon 1741 John Jolliffe Francis Fane 1747 William Conolly WhigFebruary 1754 William Gerard Hamilton April 1754 William BeckfordBeckford was also elected for the City of London, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Petersfield December 1754 Sir John Philipps, Bt 1761 John Jolliffe Richard Pennant 1767 Richard Croftes 1768 William Jolliffe Welbore Ellis 1774 Sir Abraham Hume 1780 Tory Thomas Samuel Jolliffe Tory 1787 The Viscount Downe June 1790 Hon. George North WhigDecember 1790 Marquess of Titchfield 1791 Welbore Ellis 1795 Hon. Charles Greville 1796 Hylton Jolliffe 1797 Sir John Sinclair, Bt March 1802 Hylton Jolliffe July 1802 Tory William Best 1806 Hon. John Ward 1807 Booth Grey October 1812 George Canning ToryDecember 1812 George Canning, junior ToryMarch 1820 The Lord HothamHotham was also elected for Leominster, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Petersfield ToryJune 1820 Sir Philip Musgrave, Bt Tory 1825 James Lushington Tory 1826 William Marshall Whig 1830 Sir William Jolliffe, Bt Tory Gilbert East Jolliffe Tory 1831 Hylton Jolliffe Tory1832 Representation reduced to one member
MPs 1832–1885 ElectionMemberParty1832In 1832 a petition was lodged against the result, and the election of John Shaw-Lefevre was declared void. After scrutiny of the ballots, Hylton Jolliffe was declared elected in 1833.F.W.S. Craig's British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 and Henry Stooks Smith's The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 record the member seated after the petition as William Jolliffe. However, The History of Parliament's article on Petersfield borough note in footnote 42 that both the official returns (PP (1878), lxii, pt. ii, 348) and the 1833 petition (CJ, lxxxviii. 13-14) confirm that the member seated was Hylton Jolliffe. This is as reported in the Times article on the petition committee's report: "Petersfield Election Committee", The Times, 7 March 1833, page 4. John Shaw-Lefevre Whig 1833 Hylton Jolliffe Tory 1834 Conservative Party1835 Cornthwaite Hector Radical1837In 1837 a petition was lodged against the result, and the election of Jolliffe was declared void. After scrutiny of the ballots, Hector was declared elected in 1838 Sir William Jolliffe, Bt Conservative Party 1838 Cornthwaite Hector Radical1841 Sir William Jolliffe Conservative Party1866 by-election William Nicholson Liberal Party1874In 1874, a petition was lodged against the election of Jolliffe. Scrutiny of the results led to a referral to the Court of Common Pleas on the validity of 64 of Joliffe's votes and 11 of those for Nicholson. The votes were declared valid and the election upheld. William Sydney Hylton Jolliffe Conservative Party1880 William Nicholson Liberal Party1885 Borough abolished - name transferred to county division
MPs for Petersfield county constituency (1885–1983) ElectionMemberParty1885 Viscount Wolmer Liberal1886 Liberal Unionist1892 William Wickham Conservative 1897 William Graham Nicholson Conservative1935 Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith Conservative 1941 Sir George Jeffreys Conservative 1951 Peter Legh Conservative 1960 Joan Quennell Conservative 1974 Michael Mates Conservative1983 Constituency abolished
Elections Elections in the 1830s
201 householders voted for the Jolliffes and 148 for Herbert and Ogle, but these were all rejected
On petition, Shaw Lefevre was declared unelected, and Jolliffe was elected.
On petition, Jolliffe was unseated and Hector declared elected.
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1860s
Jolliffee was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Hylton and causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1870s
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
Liberal candidate Gerald Bailey withdrew at the last minute.
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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected; Conservative: Reginald Dorman-Smith Liberal: Basil GoldstoneThe Liberal Magazine, 1939 Labour: D Muir HunterReport of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939 British Union: Muriel G Whinfield
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
References
Sources
Robert Beatson, (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament Google Books