Cumberland is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire. It was divided between the constituencies of Cumberland East and Cumberland West in 1832.
Members of Parliament
Constituency created 1290
MPs 1290–1640 ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1301 Sir John Wigton 1305 Sir John Wigton 1306 Sir John de Lucy 1312 Andrew Harclay 1313 Sir John Wigton 1316 John de Skelton 1324 Hugh de Lowther 1325Robert Parning 1327Robert Parning 1328Robert Parning 1331Robert Parning 1332Robert Parning 1337 Thomas de Skelton 1342 Hugh de LowtherPeter de Tylliol 1344 Hugh de LowtherJohn de Orreton 1345 Hugh de Lowther Henry de Malton 1368 James Pickering 1377 Richard de Sandys Sir Richard Moubray 1377 John FitzHugh de Lowther 1378 Peter Tilliol 1380 (Jan) Sir William Curwen 1380 (Nov) Peter Tilliol 1383 John de Burgham John de Kirby 1385 Sir Richard de BeaulieuSir Peter Tilliol 1386Amand Monceaux John Thirlwall 1388 (Feb) Sir John de Derwentwater Sir John Ireby 1388 (Sep) Amand Monceaux Sir Robert Muncaster 1390 (Jan) Amand Monceaux William de Threlkeld 1390 (Nov) William Stapleton Thomas Sands 1391Sir Peter Tilliol Robert Lowther 1393Geoffrey Tilliol William Lowther 1394Sir Clement Skelton Robert Lowther 1395William Stapleton Thomas Sands 1397 (Jan) Sir John Ireby Sir Clement Skelton 1397 (Sep) Sir Peter Tilliol William Osmundlaw 1399Sir William Leigh Roland Vaux 1401Robert Lowther William Stapleton 1402 Sir Peter Tilliol John Skelton 1404 (Jan) Sir Robert Lowther William Lowther I 1404 (Oct) John More I William Bewley 1406Sir Robert Lowther Sir John Skelton 1407William Stapleton William More 1410Sir Peter Tilliol Christopher Moresby 1411 1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) Sir Peter Tilliol William Bewley 1414 (Apr) (Sir) Robert Lowther Sir William Leigh 1414 (Nov) Sir Christopher Curwen John Eaglesfield 1415 1416 (Mar) (Sir) John Lancaster William Stapleton 1416 (Oct) 1417Sir Peter Tilliol (Sir) Robert Lowther 1419Sir Peter Tilliol Richard Restwold I 1420Sir Peter Tilliol Thomas de la More 1421 (May) Sir John Lamplugh Richard Restwold II 1421 (Dec) Sir Peter Tilliol Sir Nicholas Radcliffe 1422 Sir Peter Tilliol Sir John Skelton 1423 Sir Christopher Curwen 1425 Sir Christopher CurwenSir Peter Tilliol 1426 Sir Peter Tilliol 1427 Sir Christopher CurwenSir Nicholas Ratcliffe of Derwentwater 1431 Sir Christopher Curwen 1432 Sir Christopher Curwen 1445 Sir Thomas Parr 1446 Sir John Penington 1467 Sir John Huddleston 1491 Sir Christopher Dacre 1510–1515 No Names Known 1523?Sir Christopher Dacre ? 1529Sir Christopher Dacre John Lee I 1536 1539 1542?Sir Thomas Wharton ?Hon. Sir Thomas Wharton 1545Hon. Sir Thomas WhartonCuthbert Hutton 1547Hon. Sir Thomas Wharton Richard Musgrave 1553 (Mar) (Sir) Richard Musgrave Henry Curwen 1553 (Oct) Hon. Sir Thomas Wharton Thomas Dacre 1554 (Apr) John Lee II Robert Penruddock 1554 (Nov) John Lee II Robert Penruddock 1555Thomas Threlkeld Henry Curwen 1558Leonard Dacre John Dalston 1558–1559 Leonard Dacre William Musgrave 1563 (Jan) Leonard Dacre Henry Curwen 1571Sir Henry Percy, sat for Northumberland and repl. by ? Sir Simon Musgrave 1572 Sir Simon Musgrave Edward Scrope, died and repl. Nov 1580 by Sir Thomas Boynton? 1584Thomas Scrope Robert Bowes I 1586Robert Bowes I Henry Leigh 1588–9 Sir Thomas Scrope Robert Bowes I 1593Nicholas Curwen Wilfred Lawson 1597Joseph Pennington (MP) Christopher Pickering 1601 (Oct) William Huddleston Gerard Lowther II 1604–1611 Sir Wilfred Lawson Edward Musgrave 1614 Sir Wilfred LawsonSir Thomas Penruddock 1621–2 Sir George Dalston Sir Henry Curwen 1624 Sir George Dalston Ferdinando Huddleston 1625 Sir George Dalston Patricius Curwen 1626 Sir George Dalston Patricius Curwen 1628 Sir George Dalston Sir Patricius Curwen, Bt 1629–1640 No Parliament summoned
MPs 1640–1832 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyApril 1640 Sir Patricius Curwen, Bt Sir George Dalston November 1640 Sir George Dalston RoyalistMarch 1643Curwen and Dalston disabled to sit – both seats vacant1646 William ArmineSir William Armine, Bt., from 1651 Richard Tolson December 1648Tolson excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant1653Cumberland was not separately represented in the Barebones Parliament. The following were nominated for The Four Northern Counties collectively: Major-General Charles Howard, Robert Fenwick, Henry Dawson, Henry Ogle1654Colonel William Briscoe Major-General Charles Howard1656January 1659Sir Wilfrid Lawson May 1659Not represented in the restored Rump, Armine having died in the interim April 1660Sir Wilfrid Lawson Charles Howard 1661Sir Patricius Curwen, Bt Sir George Fletcher, Bt 1665Sir John Lowther, Bt February 1679Richard Lamplugh August 1679Viscount Morpeth 1681Sir George Fletcher, Bt 1685The Viscount Preston 1689Sir George Fletcher, Bt January 1701Richard Musgrave Gilfrid Lawson December 1701Sir Edward Hasell George Fletcher Whig 1702Richard Musgrave Gilfrid Lawson 1705George Fletcher Whig 1708James Lowther Gilfrid Lawson 1722Sir Christopher Musgrave, Bt 1727James Lowther 1734Sir Joseph Pennington, Bt 1745Sir John Pennington, Bt 1755Sir William Lowther, Bt 1756Sir William Fleming 1757Sir James Lowther, Bt 1761Sir Wilfrid Lawson, Bt 1762Sir James Lowther, Bt ToryMarch 1768Henry Curwen WhigDecember 1768Sir Henry Fletcher, BtAt the general election of 1768, Lowther defeated Fletcher by two votes, but on petition the result was overturned and Fletcher declared electedWhig1774Sir James Lowther, Bt Tory1784Sir William Lowther, Bt Tory1790Humphrey Senhouse Tory1796John LowtherCreated a baronet as Sir John Lowther, 1824Tory1806Viscount Morpeth Tory1820John Christian Curwen Whig1829Sir James Graham, Bt Whig1831William Blamire Whig Constituency abolished (1832)
Notes
Elections
The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the adult male owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each elector had as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which took place in the town of Cockermouth. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of electors, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.
The expense, to candidates, of contested elections encouraged the leading families of the county to agree on the candidates to be returned unopposed whenever possible. Contested county elections were therefore unusual.
Election results
Election results taken from the History of Parliament Trust series.
Elections in the 18th century
Note: James Lowther succeeded his brother as baronet in 1731
Death of Pennington
incomplete
On petition, Fletcher returned in place of Lowther, 16 December 1768
incomplete
See also
List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies Unreformed House of Commons
References D. Brunton & D. H. Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by F. W. S. Craig – Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973) House of Commons records at British History Online