Chatham was a parliamentary constituency in Kent which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 1832 general election, when the borough of Chatham was enfranchised under the Reform Act 1832.
It was abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new Rochester and Chatham constituency. This then became Medway in 1983. When the boroughs of Rochester upon Medway and Gillingham merged to form the larger unitary Borough of Medway in 1998, the Parliamentary constituency of Medway only covered part of the new borough, so for the 2010 election it was renamed Rochester and Strood.
Boundaries 1918–1950: The Borough of Rochester except part of St Peter's ward, and the Borough of Chatham wards of Luton and St John.
Members of Parliament ElectionMemberParty 1832 William Leader Maberly Whig 1834 by-election George Byng Whig 1835 Sir John Beresford, Bt. Conservative 1837 George Byng Whig 1852 Sir Frederick Smith Conservative 1853 by-election Leicester Viney Vernon Conservative 1857 Sir Frederick Smith Conservative 1865 Arthur Otway Liberal 1874 George Elliot Conservative 1875 by-election Sir John Eldon Gorst Conservative 1892 Lewis Vivian Loyd Conservative 1895 Sir Horatio Davies Conservative 1906 John Jenkins Labour 1910 Gerald Hohler Conservative 1918 John Moore-Brabazon Conservative 1929 Frank Markham Labour 1931 National Labour 1931 Sir Park Goff Conservative 1935 Leonard Plugge Conservative 1945 Arthur Bottomley Labour1950 constituency abolished: see Rochester and Chatham
Elections Elections in the 1830s
Maberly resigned on appointment as a Commissioner of Customs, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1850s
The election was declared void on petition, due to bribery, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Elections in the 1870s
Elliot resigned, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s
Gorst was appointed Solicitor General for England and Wales, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
The sitting MP Sydney Frank Markham sought re-election as a National Labour candidate. However, the Conservatives refused to withdraw in his favour. As a result, he was forced to withdraw. Communist candidate Walter Hannington was also adoptedOUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. "Kent." Times [London, England] 14 October 1931: 6. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 18 July 2016. but subsequently withdrew."General Election: List Of Nominations." Times [London, England] 17 October 1931: 6. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 18 July 2016.
Elections in the 1940s
References