Kingston upon Hull, often simply referred to as Hull, was a parliamentary constituency in Yorkshire, electing two members of parliament to the Parliaments of England, Great Britain and House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1305 until 1885. Its MPs included the anti-slavery campaigner, William Wilberforce, and the poet Andrew Marvell.
History Kingston upon Hull was a borough constituency in the town (later city) of Hull. Until the Great Reform Act 1832, it consisted only of the parish of St Mary's, Hull and part of Holy Trinity, Hull, entirely to the west of the River Hull. This excluded parts of the urban area which had not been originally part of the town, but some of these – the rest of Holy Trinity parish, Sculcoates, Drypool, Garrisonside and part of Sutton-on-Hull – were brought into the constituency by boundary changes in 1832. This increased the population of the borough from around 16,000 to almost 50,000.
The borough sent its first two known Members to the parliament of 1305 and thereafter with fair regularity from 1334. Until the Reform Act 1832, the right to vote in Hull was vested in the freemen of the city, which made the constituency one of the larger and more competitive ones. At the general election of 1831, 2,174 voters went to the polls.
The Hull constituency was abolished for the 1885 general election, the city being divided into three single-member constituencies, Kingston upon Hull Central, Kingston upon Hull East and Kingston upon Hull West.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1305–1640
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1332 (Mar) William de la Pole 1332 (Sep) ? 1332/3 ? 1334 (Feb) ? 1334 (Sep) ? 1335 William de la Pole 1336 William de la Pole 1337 ? 1338 William de la Pole 1386 Adam Tutbury John Hedon 1388 (Feb) Simon Grimsby William Pound 1388 (Sep) Thomas Waltham John Spalding 1390 (Jan) 1390 (Nov) 1391 William Bubwith Thomas Kirkby 1393 Thomas Fountenay Thomas Kirkby 1394 Simon Grimsby Thomas Kirkby 1395 Robert Snainton Thomas Kirkby 1397 (Jan) William Terry Thomas Kirkby 1397 (Sep) 1399William Terry William Pound 1401 1402John Birken Thomas Kirkby 1404 (Jan) 1404 (Oct) 1406John Fitling Thomas Kirkby 1407John Fitling John Leversegge 1410 1411John Fitling Thomas Kirkby 1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) John Fitling Hugh Clitheroe 1414 (Apr) 1414 (Nov) John Aldwick Walter Grimsby 1415 Robert Hornsea Richard Swan 1416 (Mar) John Saunderson Walter Grimsby 1416 (Oct) 1417 1419 John Bedford John Fitling 1420 John Bedford Robert Kirkton 1421 (May) John Bedford John Fitling 1421 (Dec) Thomas Marshall Robert Holme 1426 John Aldwick 1495 Robert Chapman 1510 Roger Bushell John Eland 1512 Edward Baron Thomas Wilkinson 1515 Thomas Wilkinson Robert Harrison 1523 ? 1529 George Matheson Edward Madison 1536 Sir Edward Madison George Matheson 1539 George Matheson Robert Kemsey 1542 ? 1545 Edward Rogers Robert Googe or Goche 1547 John Thacker Walter Jobson 1553 (Mar) Alexander Stockdale William Johnson 1553 (Oct) John ThackerWilliam Johnson 1554 (Apr) Alexander Stockdale John Thacker 1554 (Nov) Walter Jobson John Thornton 1555 Walter Jobson Thomas Dalton 1558 Walter Jobson Thomas Aldred 1558/9 Walter Jobson John Oversall 1562/3 Christopher Estofte, died and replaced in 1566 by Henry Fanshawe John Thornton 1571John Thornton James Clerkson 1572 Thomas Dalton James Clerkson1581Dalton and Clerkson dismissed as idle and impotent and replaced in January 1581 by Thomas Fleming and John Fawether or Fairweather 1584 John Thornton John Aldred 1586 Edward Wakefield John Aldred 1588 Leonard Willan William Gee 1593 Leonard Willan Peter Proby 1597 Leonard Willan Anthony Cole 1601 John Lister John Graves 1604–1611 Anthony Cole John Edmonds 1614 Sir John Bourchier Richard Burgis 1621 John Lister Maurice Abbot 1624 John Lister Sir John Suckling, sat for Middlesex and was replaced by Maurice Abbot 1625 John Lister Maurice Abbot 1626 John Lister Lancelot Roper 1628 John Lister James Watkinson 1629–1640No Parliaments convened
MPs 1640–1885 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyApril 1640Sir Henry Vane, juniorParliamentarianSir John ListerParliamentarianNovember 1640 Sir Henry Vane, junior Parliamentarian Sir John Lister (died December 1640)Parliamentarian 1641Peregrine PelhamParliamentarian1650Pelham died 1650, seat vacant thereafter1653Hull was unrepresented in Barebone's Parliament1654William Lister Hull had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate1656William Lister January 1659John Ramsden Andrew Marvell May 1659 Sir Henry Vane, junior One seat vacant April 1660John RamsdenAndrew Marvell 1661Anthony Gilby 1678William Ramsden February 1679Lemuel Kingdon September 1679Sir Michael Warton William Gee 1685John Ramsden Sir Willoughby Hickman 1689William Gee 1690Charles Osborne 1695Sir William St Quintin Tory1701William Maister Tory1717Nathaniel Rogers 1724George Crowle 1727Joseph Micklethwaite February 1734 by-electionHenry Maister 1741William Carter 1744 by-electionHarry Pulteney 1747Lord Robert Manners ToryThomas Carter 1754 by-electionRichard Crowle 1757 by-electionSir George Metham 1766 by-electionWilliam Weddell 1774David Hartley Rockingham Whig1780William WilberforceWilberforce was re-elected at the general election of 1784, but was also elected for Yorkshire, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Hull in this parliamentTory1782 by-electionDavid Hartley Rockingham WhigMarch 1784Samuel Thornton Tory June 1784 by-electionWalter Spencer-Stanhope Tory1790Aubrey Beauclerk 1796Sir Charles Turner 1802John Staniforth Tory1806William Joseph Denison Whig1807Philip Stanhope Whig1812George DenysGeorge William Denys was created a baronet as Sir George Denys in 1813Tory1818John Mitchell ToryJames Graham Whig1820Daniel Sykes Whig1826John O'Neill Tory1830 George Schonswar Tory William Battie-Wrightson Whig1831 Whig1832Matthew Davenport Hill WhigWilliam Hutt RadicalJanuary 1835David Carruthers ConservativeJune 1835 by-electionThomas Perronet Thompson Radical1837Sir Walter James ConservativeWilliam WilberforceA petition was lodged after the 1837 election, and Wilberforce's qualification as a candidate was declared defective and his election voided. After scrutiny of the votes, Hutt (who had originally been placed third) was declared elected in his stead 7 May 1838Conservative1838William Hutt Radical1841Sir John Hanmer Conservative1847Matthew Talbot Baines WhigJames Clay Radical1852The 1852 election was declared void on petition. Hull's right to representation was suspended and a Royal Commission appointed to investigate. Once it had reported, a new election was held, which none of the four original candidates contested.George Robinson Whig1853 Writ suspended1854 by-electionWilliam Digby Seymour RadicalWilliam Henry Watson WhigFebruary 1857 by-electionJames Clay RadicalMarch 1857Anthony Ashley-Cooper PeeliteApril 1859Joseph HoareAfter the 1859 election, the election of Hoare was declared void on petition, and a by-election held in August 1859Conservative LiberalAugust 1859 by-electionJoseph Somes Conservative1865Charles Morgan Norwood Liberal1873 by-electionJoseph Walker Pease Conservative1874Charles Wilson Liberal 1885 constituency divided: see Kingston upon Hull Central, Kingston upon Hull East and Kingston upon Hull West
Election results Elections in the 1830s
Carruthers' death caused a by-election.
On petition, Wilberforce's election was declared void and Hutt was declared elected in 1838.
Elections in the 1840s
Baines was appointed President of the Poor Law Board, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s
After an election petition committee found evidence of bribery and treating, both members were unseated and the writ was suspended in March 1853. A by-election was then held in August 1854.
Watson resigned after being appointed a Baron of the Exchequer, causing a by-election.
Hoare was unseated after an election petition committee found evidence of corruption, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Elections in the 1870s Clay's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s
Notes
References
External links D. Brunton & D. H. Pennington, "Members of the Long Parliament" (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
F. W. S. Craig, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885" (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989) J. Holladay Philbin, "Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965) Henry Stooks Smith, "The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847" (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig – Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973) Frederic A. Youngs, jr., "Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol II" (London: Royal Historical Society, 1991)