Dorchester was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Dorchester in Dorset. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England, Great Britain and House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1295 to 1868, when its representation was reduced to one member.
The constituency was abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, after which Dorchester was placed in the new Dorset South constituency. In 1918 it was transferred to Dorset West, where it has remained since.
Members of Parliament 1295-1629
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member1386Henry CravellPeter Blount1388 (Feb)John PerleThomas Lamer1388 (Sep)William ChuseThomas Gardener1390 (Jan)William TylleJohn Blount1390 (Nov)1391Thomas LamerJohn Gould1393Robert GuttonThomas Gardener1394William PullareWilliam Ash1395John BlountThomas Hussey1397 (Jan)Robert VeelJohn Jordan1397 (Sep)Robert GuttonJohn Jordan1399John BlountJohn Westpray14011402John BomelJohn Jordan1404 (Jan)John BlountJohn Jordan1404 (Oct)1406Richard HydeJohn Jordan1407John CheverellJohn Jordan1410John Jordan14111413 (Feb)1413 (May)Walter TracyWilliam Newton1414 (Apr)John BlountJohn Gryffyn1414 (Nov)John JordanRichard Berell14151416 (Mar)1416 (Oct)1417Reynold JacobJohn Ford1419John Ford 1420John StorkJohn Ford1421 (May)John StorkJohn Ford1421 (Dec)Robert MoseJohn FordSecond Parliament of 1553Christopher HoleWilliam HolmanParliament of 1554Owen HaymanParliament of 1554–1555John DavyParliament of 1555Robert RobothamRalph PerneParliament of 1558Christopher HoleJohn HaywardParliament of 1559William HolmanJohn LewestonParliament of 1563–1567Thomas MartenLewis Montgomery Chose to sit for NorthamptonBy-election John GardinerParliament of 1571Henry MacwilliamWilliam AdynParliament of 1572–1581George CarletonGeorge TrenchardParliament of 1584–1585Robert BealeThomas FrekeParliament of 1586–1587Robert NapierParliament of 1588–1589Nowell SothertonParliament of 1593Dr Francis JamesThomas DabridgecourtParliament of 1597–1598Robert AshleyRichard WrightParliament of 1601Henry BrounckerMatthew ChubbeParliament of 1604–1611John SpicerAddled Parliament (1614) Francis Ashley George HorseyParliament of 1621–1622 Sir Francis AshleyAshley resigned his place in favour of Sir Thomas Edmondes but was rechosen when Edmondes chose to sit for another constituencyJohn Parkins Happy Parliament (1624–1625) William Whiteway Richard BushrodeUseless Parliament (1625) Sir Francis AshleyWilliam WhitewayParliament of 1625–1626 Michael Humphreys died replaced by William Whiteway jnr Richard BushrodeParliament of 1628–1629Denzil HollesJohn HillNo Parliament summoned 1629-1640
1640-1868 YearFirst MemberFirst PartySecond MemberSecond PartyApril 1640 Denzil HollesDisabled from sitting January 1648 but re-instated June 1648 Parliamentarian Denis Bond Parliamentarian November 1640December 1648Holles excluded in Pride's Purge - seat vacant1653Dorchester was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament1654 John Whiteway Dorchester had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate 1656 John Whiteway January 1659 James Gould John Bushrode May 1659Dorchester was not represented in the restored RumpApril 1660 Denzil Holles John Whiteway March 1661 James Gould May 1661 John Churchill 1677 James Gould 1679 Sir Francis Holles Nicholas Gould 1680 James Gould 1681 Nathaniel Bond 1685 Edward Meller William Churchill January 1689 Gerard Napier Thomas Trenchard December 1689 Thomas Chafin March 1690 James Gould Sir Robert Napier, Bt December 1690 Thomas Trenchard 1695 Nathaniel Bond Nathaniel Napier 1698 Sir Robert Napier, Bt 1701 Thomas Trenchard 1702 Sir Nathaniel Napier, Bt 1705 Awnsham Churchill 1708 John Churchill 1709 Denis Bond 1710 Sir Nathaniel Napier, Bt Benjamin Gifford 1713 Henry Trenchard April 1720 Robert BrowneOn petition (in a dispute over the franchise), Browne was declared not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Janssen, was seated in his place May 1720 Abraham Janssen 1722 Edmund Morton PleydellOn petition, Pleydell was declared not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Chapple, was seated in his place Joseph Damer 1723 William Chapple 1727 John Browne 1737 Robert Browne 1741 Nathaniel Gundry 1751 George Damer John Pitt 1752 George Clavell 1754 The Lord Milton 1761 Thomas Foster 1762 John Damer Tory 1765 William Ewer Tory 1780 Hon. George DamerDamer was declared re-elected in 1790, but on petition was found not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Ashley, was seated in his place Tory 1789 Thomas Ewer Tory Jan. 1790 Hon. Cropley Ashley Tory Jun. 1790 Whig Francis Fane Tory 1791 Hon. Cropley Ashley Tory 1807 Robert Williams Whig 1811 Charles Henry Bouverie October 1812 Robert WilliamsDecember 1812 William A'Court 1814 Sir Samuel Shepherd 1819 Charles Warren 1826 William Ashley-Cooper Tory Tory Apr. 1830 Henry Sturt Aug. 1830 Lord Ashley Tory 1831 Hon. Henry Ashley-CooperTory 1834 ConservativeConservative 1835 Robert Williams Conservative 1841 Sir James Graham, Bt Conservative 1847 Hon. George Dawson-Damer Conservative Henry SturtConservative 1852 Richard Brinsley SheridanSheridan was the grandson of his celebrated namesake Richard Brinsley Sheridan Whig 1856 Charles Napier Sturt Conservative 1859 Liberal1868 representation reduced to one member
1868-1885 ElectionMemberParty1868 representation reduced to one member 1868 Charles Napier Sturt Conservative 1874 William Brymer Conservative1885 constituency abolished
Election results Elections in the 1830s
Ashley-Cooper resigned, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s
Graham was appointed Home Secretary, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s
Sturt resigned in order to contest the 1856 by-election in Dorset, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Seat reduced to one member
Elections in the 1870s
Elections in the 1880s
Notes
References Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989) Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988) J E Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949) M Stenton (ed), Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885 (The Harvester Press, 1976)