Norwich was a borough constituency in Norfolk which was represented in the House of Commons of England from 1298 to 1707, in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election. Consisting of the city of Norwich in Norfolk, it returned two members of parliament (MPs), elected by the bloc vote system.
It was replaced in 1950 by two new single-member constituencies, Norwich North and Norwich South.
Members of Parliament 1298–1660
YearFirst memberSecond member1378 Henry Limner 1386 Walter Niche Walter Bixton1388 (Feb)William AppleyardWalter Bixton1388 (Sep) John Moulton Walter Bixton1390 (Jan) Henry Limner Walter Bixton1390 (Nov) William AppleyardThomas Gerard1391 Walter Bixton Thomas Gerard1393 John Moulton William Everard1394 Henry LimnerWilliam Everard1395 William AppleyardThomas Gerard1397 (Jan)William Appleyard Henry Limner1397 (Sep)Walter Bixton Richard White1399 Henry LimnerRoger Blickling1401 Edmund Warner Walter Eaton1402 William Appleyard William Crakeford1404 (Jan) William Everard Walter Eaton1404 (Oct)1406 Walter Eaton John Alderford1407 Walter Eaton Robert Dunston1410 Robert Dunston William Ampulford1411 Bartholomew Appleyard Thomas Gerard1413 (Feb) John AlderfordBartholomew Appleyard1413 (May)William SedmanJohn Bixley1414 (Apr)Robert BrasierJohn Alderford1414 (Nov) William SedmanRichard Purdance1415 John Bixley Robert Dunston1416 (Mar) Henry Rafman William Sedman1416 (Oct) William Appleyard John Bixley1417 Robert Brasier Robert Dunston1419 William AppleyardJohn Bixley1420 Robert Baxter Robert Dunston1421 (May)Robert BaxterRobert Dunston1421 (Dec) Henry Piking Robert Dunston1485 John Paston1504 Robert Burgh 1510 ?1512 Robert Harydance John Clerke I1515 ?1523 ?1529 Edward Rede Reginald Lytilprowe1536 ?John Corbet II ?1539 Augustine StewardJohn Godsalve1542 William Rogers ?John Godsalve1545 Robert Rugge Richard Catlin1547 Augustine Steward Richard Catlin1553 (Mar) Thomas Marsham Alexander Mather1553 (Oct) Thomas Gawdy I Richard Catlin1554 (Apr) Henry WardJohn Ball1554 (Nov) John Corbet II Alexander Mather1555 John Aldrich Thomas Grey1558 Sir Thomas GawdyThomas Sotherton1559 Sir William WoodhouseThomas Sotherton1562–3 Robert Michell, died and repl. 1566 by John Blennerhassett Thomas Parker1571 John Blennerhassett Robert Suckling1572 John Aldirich Thomas Beaumont, sick and repl. 1581 by Edward Flowerdew1584 Christopher Layer Simon Bowde1586 Robert SucklingThomas Layer1588 Francis Rugge Thomas Gleane1593 Robert Houghton Robert Yarham1597 Christopher LayerThomas Sotherton II1601 Alexander Thurston John Pettus1604–1611 Sir Henry Hobart John Pettus1614 Sir Thomas Hyrne Rice Gwyn1621–1622 Richard Rosse William Denny1624 William Denny Sir Thomas Hyrne1625 William Denny Sir Thomas Hyrne1626 Sir John Suckling Sir Thomas Hyrne1628 Sir Peter Gleane Robert Debney1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned
1640–1950
Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd PartyApril 1640Thomas Tooley Thomas Atkins November 1640Richard HarmanParliamentarianRichard CatlinRoyalistJanuary 1644Catelyn disabled from sitting – seat vacant1645Erasmus Earle1646Thomas Atkins1653Norwich was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament1654Bernard ChurchJohn Hobart1656January 1659William BarnhamMay 1659Thomas AtkinsOne seat vacantApril 1660 William Barnham Thomas Rant 1661 Christopher Jay Francis Corie Feb 1678 William Paston May 1678 Augustine Briggs 1685 Robert Paston Sir Nevill Catlin Tory 1689 Thomas Blofield Tory 1690 Hugh Bokenham 1694 John Ward 1695 Francis Gardiner 1698 Robert Davy 1701 Edward Clarke Country Whig 1702 Thomas Blofield Tory 1703 Thomas Palgrave 1705 Waller Bacon John Chambers 1710 Robert Bene Richard Berney1715 Waller Bacon Robert Brightiffe1734 Horatio Walpole Whig 1735 by-election Thomas Vere1747 John Hobart June 1756 by-election Edward Bacon December 1756 by-election (Sir) Harbord Harbord Whig1784 William Windham Tory1786 by-election Hon. Henry Hobart Tory 1799 by-election John Frere Tory1802 Robert Fellowes Whig William Smith Radical1806 John Patteson Tory1807 William Smith Radical1812 Charles Harvey Tory1818 Richard Hanbury Gurney Whig1826 Jonathan Peel Tory1830 Robert Grant Whig Richard Hanbury Gurney Whig1832 William Murray Tory James Scarlett Tory1834 Conservative Conservative1835 Robert ScarlettScarlett was initially declared re-elected in 1837, but on petition his election was declared void and his opponent, Smith, was seated in his place after scrutiny of the votes Conservative1837 Arthur Wellesley Conservative 1838 Benjamin Smith Whig1847 Morton Peto Whig1852 Edward Warner Radical1854 by-election Samuel Bignold Conservative1857 Henry Schneider Radical William Keppel Whig1859On petition, the result of the 1859 general election was declared void, as was that of a subsequent by-election in which Viscount Bury (who had been found guilty of bribery) had been re-elected, and a writ for a new election was issued. The result had been Lord Bury 2,154; Mr Schneider 2,138; Sir S Bignold 1,966; Mr Lushington 1,900 (Bury and Norwich Post 3 April 1860)LiberalLiberal1860 by-electionThe result was Mr Warner 2,083; Sir W Russell 2,045; Mr Lewis 1,636; Mr Forlonge 1,631 (Bury and Norwich Post 3 April 1860) Edward Warner Liberal Sir William Russell, Bt Liberal1868 Henry StraceyStracey's election was declared void, the writ for the constituency was suspended and a Royal Commission was appointed to investigate allegations of corruption. After its report, a writ for a by-election was issued in 1870. Conservative1870 by-election Jacob Henry TillettOn petition, Tillett's election was declared void and a new election was held. Liberal1871 by-election Jeremiah Colman Liberal1874 John Walter Huddleston Conservative1875 by-election Jacob Henry TillettTillett's election was declared void, the writ for the constituency was suspended and a Royal Commission was appointed to investigate allegations of corruption. The seat remained vacant until the next general election, when Tillett was re-elected. Liberal1885 Harry BullardOn petition, Bullard's election was declared void and a by-election was held Conservative1886 by-election Samuel HoareCreated a baronet, August 1899 Conservative1895 Harry Bullard Conservative1904 by-election Louis Tillett Liberal1906 George Roberts LabourJan 1910 Frederick Low Liberal1915 by-election Hilton Young Liberal1916Coalition Liberal1918Coalition Labour Jan 1922 National Liberal Nov 1922 Independent Labour Aug 1923 Conservative Nov 1923 LiberalDec 1923 Walter Smith Labour Dorothy Jewson Labour1924 Hilton Young Liberal J. Griffyth Fairfax Conservative 1926 Conservative1929 Walter Smith Labour Geoffrey Shakespeare Liberal1931 George Hartland Conservative Liberal National1935 Henry Strauss Conservative1945 Lucy Noel-Buxton Labour John Paton Labour1950 constituency abolished: see Norwich North and Norwich South
Election results Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1880s
Caused by Bullard being unseated on petition.
Elections in the 1870s
Caused by Huddleston's appointment as a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. This by-election was later declared void on petition, and the writ was suspended, leaving Norwich with one MP until 1880.
Caused by the previous by-election being declared void on petition.
Caused by Stracey's election being declared void on petition.
Elections in the 1860s
Caused by both the 1859 general election and the June by-election being declared void on petition due to bribery.
Elections in the 1850s
Caused by Keppel's appointment as Treasurer of the Household.
Caused by Peto's resignation in order to go to the Crimean War and construct the Grand Crimean Central Railway.Faith, Nicholas The world the railways made The Bodley Head, London, 1990 p. 106
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1830s
On petition, Scarlett was unseated and Smith was declared elected.
Wetherell and Sadler were proposed without their knowledge
Caused by Grant's appointment as Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces
Notes
References
Sources 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)
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) Robert Walcott, English Politics in the Early Eighteenth Century (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1956)