Evesham was a parliamentary constituency in Worcestershire which was represented in the English and later British House of Commons. Originally a parliamentary borough consisting of the town of Evesham, it was first represented in 1295. After this its franchise lapsed for several centuries, but it then returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1604 until 1868, when its representation was reduced to one member under the Representation of the People Act 1867.

From the 1885 general election, Evesham was abolished as a borough but the name was transferred to a larger county constituency electing one MP. This constituency was abolished for the 1950 general election, with the town of Evesham itself being transferred to the new seat of South Worcestershire. Between 1885 and 1918 the constituency had the full name of the Southern, or Evesham, Division of Worcestershire (not to be confused with the 1950 seat).

Boundaries 1604–1885: The parishes of All Saints, Evesham, St Lawrence, Evesham and Bengeworth 1885–1918: The petty sessional divisions of Blockley, Evesham, Pershore and Upton-on-Severn, and parts of the petty sessional divisions of Malvern and Redditch 1918–1950: The municipal boroughs of Droitwich and Evesham, the rural districts of Droitwich, Evesham, Feckenham, Pershore and Shipston-on-Stour, the parishes of Bredon, Bredon's Norton, Conderton, Overbury and Teddington from the rural district of Tewkesbury and the parts of the rural districts of Stow on the Wold and Winchcombe within the administrative county of Worcestershire

Members of Parliament 1604-1640 ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1604-1611 Thomas Biggs Sir Philip Knightley, died and replaced 1605 by Robert Bowyer, appointed to crown office and replaced 1610 by Edward Salter 1614-1622 Sir Thomas Biggs Anthony Langston 1621 Sir Thomas Biggs Anthony Langston 1624 Sir Edward Conway Richard Cresheld 1625 Richard Cresheld Anthony Langston 1626 Sir John Hare Anthony Langston 1628 Sir Robert Harley Richard Cresheld 1629–1640No Parliaments summoned

1640-1868 Year1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd PartyApril 1640 William SandysExpelled as a monopolist in 1641 Royalist William Morton November 1640 Richard Cresheld Parliamentarian 1641John CoventryRoyalistSeptember 1642Coventry disabled from sitting - seat vacant1645 Samuel GardnerDecember 1648Cresheld not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge1653Evesham was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the ProtectorateJanuary 1659 Theophilus Andrews Robert AtkynsMay 1659Evesham was not represented in the restored RumpApril 1660 John Egioke Sir Thomas Rouse 1661 William Sandys Abraham Cullen 1669 Sir John Hanmer 1670 Sir James Rushout 1679 Henry Parker 1681 Edward Rudge 1685 Henry Parker Sir John Matthewes 1690 Sir James Rushout Edward Rudge 1695 Henry Parker 1698 John Rudge Whig January 1701 Sir James Rushout November 1701 Hugh Parker 1702 John Rudge Whig 1708 Sir Edward Goodere 1715 John Deacle 1722 Sir John Rushout Whig 1734 William Taylor 1741 Edward Rudge 1754 John Porter 1756 Edward Rudge 1761 John Rushout 1768 George Durant 1774 Henry Seymour 1780 Charles Boughton 1790 Thomas Thompson 1796 Charles Thellusson 1802 Patrick Craufurd Bruce 1806 William Manning Tory Humphrey Howorth Opposition Whig 1807 Sir Manasseh Masseh LopesOn petition, Lopes was declared not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Howorth, was seated in his place Tory 1808 Humphrey Howorth Whig 1818 William Rouse-Boughton Whig 1819 Sir Charles Cockerell Tory 1820 William Rouse-Boughton Whig 1826 Edward Protheroe Whig 1830 Lord Kennedy Tory 1831 Thomas Hudson Whig 1832 Whig 1835 Peter BorthwickBorthwick was re-elected in 1837 but on petition his election was declared void and Hill declared elected in his place. A petition against the other successful candidate, Rushout, was dismissed. Borthwick and Rushout subsequently fought a duel over the outcome of the election. Conservative 1837 George Rushout Conservative 1838 Lord Marcus Hill Whig 1841 Peter Borthwick Conservative 1847 Sir Henry Willoughby, Bt Conservative 1852 Grenville Berkeley Whig 1855 Edward HollandWhig 1859 Liberal 1865 James Bourne Conservative

1868-1950 ElectionMemberParty 1868 James Bourne Conservative 1880 Daniel Rowlinson Ratcliff Liberal July 1880 Frederick LehmannOn petition, Lehmann's election was declared void and his opponent Dixon-Hartland was declared elected in his place Liberal 1881 Frederick Dixon-Hartland Conservative 1885 Sir Richard Temple Conservative 1892 Sir Edmund Lechmere Conservative 1895 Charles Wigram Long Conservative January 1910 Bolton Eyres-Monsell Conservative 1935 Rupert de la Bere Conservative1950 constituency abolished

Elections Elections in the 1830s

The 1830 election was declared void on 13 December 1830, but no new writ was issued before dissolution ahead of the 1831 election.

Cockerell's death caused a by-election.

On petition, Borthwick was unseated and Hill declared elected instead.

Elections in the 1840s

Hill was appointed Comptroller of the Household, requiring a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

Berkeley resigned to contest the 1855 by-election in Cheltenham, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1860s Willoughby's death caused a by-election.

Seat reduced to one member

Elections in the 1870s

Elections in the 1880s

The 1880 election was declared void on account of bribery of electors, causing a by-election.

Lehmann's election was declared void, on account of bribery and corruption, and Hartland was then elected after scrutiny.

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected; Unionist: Bolton Eyres-Monsell Liberal: William Pearce Ellis

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1930s

withdrew

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: Rupert de la Bere Liberal: W F Newnes The Liberal Magazine, 1939 British Union: John Dowty

Elections in the 1940s

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) The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913) F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)

T. H. B. Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816) Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol II (London: Royal Historical Society, 1991)