Andover was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1295 to 1307, and again from 1586, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It was a parliamentary borough in Hampshire, represented by two Members of Parliament until 1868, and by one member from 1868 to 1885. The name was then transferred to a county constituency electing one MP from 1885 until 1918.
History The parliamentary borough of Andover, in the county of Hampshire (or as it was still sometimes known before about the eighteenth centuries, Southamptonshire), sent MPs to the parliaments of 1295 and 1302–1307. It was re-enfranchised as a two-member constituency in the reign of Elizabeth I of England. It elected MPs regularly from 1586.
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The House of Commons decided, in 1689, that the elective franchise for the seat was limited to the twenty four members of the Andover corporation and not the freemen of the borough. This ruling was confirmed after another disputed election in 1727. Matthew Skinner and Abel Kettleby received the most votes, from many householders, but James Brudenell and Charles Colyear (Viscount Milsington) were declared elected for winning the most support from corporation members. Under the Reform Act 1832 the electorate was expanded by allowing householders, whose property was valued at £10 or more, to vote. There were 246 registered electors in 1832.
From the 1868 United Kingdom general election the constituency returned one member. The electorate was further extended, in 1868, to 775 registered electors.
Apart from the period between 1653 and 1658, Andover continued to be represented as a borough constituency until that was abolished in 1885. Immediately thereafter, from the 1885 United Kingdom general election, the town of Andover was combined with surrounding rural territory to form a county division of Hampshire, known formally as the Western or Andover division. The registered electorate for the expanded seat was 9,175 in 1885, and 9,460 in 1901.
The constituency was abolished in 1918, when the Municipal Borough of Andover and Andover Rural District were included in the Basingstoke seat.
Boundaries The constituency was based on the northern Hampshire town of Andover.
The Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 (2 & 3 William IV, c. 64) defined the seat as "the respective parishes of Andover and Knights Enham, and the tithing of Foxcot". The boundaries were left unaltered, until the end of the borough constituency in 1885.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the county division was defined as including the Sessional Divisions of Andover, and Kingsclere; with parts of the Sessional Divisions of Winchester, Romsey, and Basingstoke, and the Municipal Boroughs of Andover and Winchester, and the parish of Coombe, Hampshire in the Hungerford Sessional Division of Berkshire.
Members of Parliament The Roman numerals after some names are to distinguish different members for this constituency, with the same name. It is not suggested this use of Roman numerals was applied at the time.
In this section by-elections are indicated by an asterisk after the date.
Parliament of England 1586-1707 (two members) As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments held in this period, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given. Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or (before 1558) is not recorded in a surviving document, the entry unknown is entered in the table.
ElectedAssembledDissolvedFirst MemberSecond Member 1586 13 October 1586 23 March 1587 Edwin Sandys James Hawley 1588 4 February 1589 29 March 1589 Thomas Temple Henry Reade 1593 18 February 1593 10 April 1593 Miles Sandys Edward Barker 1597 24 October 1597 9 February 1598 Edward Reynolds Edward Phelips 1601 27 October 1601 19 December 1601 Henry Ludlow Nicholas Hyde 1604 19 March 1604 9 February 1611 Sir Thomas Jermyn Thomas Antrobus 1614 5 April 1614 7 June 1614 Richard Venables Peter Noyes 1620 or 1621 16 January 1621 25 August 1621 Richard Venables John Shuter 1621 22 November 1621 8 February 1622 Robert Wallop 1623 or 1624 12 February 1624 27 March 1625 Robert Wallop John Shuter 1625 17 May 1625 12 August 1625 Sir Henry Wallop Henry Shuter 1626 6 February 1626 15 June 1626 Lord Henry Paulett John Shuter 1628 17 March 1628 10 March 1629 Robert Wallop Ralph Conway 1640 13 April 1640 5 May 1640 Robert Wallop Sir Richard Wynn 1640 3 November 1640 5 December 1648 Robert Wallop Sir Henry RainsfordRainsford died April 1641 1641 *Henry VernonOn petition, Vernon's election was declared void. The returning officer had given his casting vote to Vernon after he tied in votes with Sir William Waller, but Waller would have won had one of his supporters not been prevented from voting (on the grounds that he had not been sworn in as a burgess). After Vernon's election was declared void without a division, the House voted 107-102 to recognise Waller as duly elected. 3 May 1642Date on which the House of Commons resolved that Henry Vernon's election in 1641 was void and that Waller was duly electedSir William WallerWaller was disabled from membership in January 1648 at the instigation of the army, but this order was revoked in June 1648; he was excluded permanently in Pride's Purge, December 1648 6 December 1648Date of Pride's Purge, which converted the Long Parliament into the Rump Parliament. 20 April 1653Date when Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament by force. Seat vacant 1653Date when the members of the nominated or Barebones Parliament were selected. Andover was not represented in this body, except as part of Hampshire. 4 July 1653 12 December 1653 unrepresented 1654 3 September 1654 22 January 1655 John Duns 1656 17 September 1656 4 February 1658 Thomas Hussey 1658 or 1659 27 January 1659 22 April 1659 Colonel Gabriel Beck Robert Gough N/AThe Rump Parliament was recalled and subsequently Pride's Purge was reversed, allowing the full Long Parliament to meet until it agreed to dissolve itself. 7 May 1659 20 February 1660 Robert Wallop Seat vacant 21 February 1660 16 March 1660 Sir William Waller 1660, April 20 25 April 1660 29 December 1660 Sir John Trott, Bt John Collins 1661 8 May 1661 24 January 1679 Sir John Trott, BtTrott died 14 July 1672 John Collins 1673, January 31 * Sir Kingsmill Lucy, BtLucy died 19 September 1678 1678, October 29 * Charles West 1679, February 11 6 March 1679 12 July 1679 Francis Powlett William Wither 1679, August 14 21 October 1680 18 January 1681 Francis Powlett Sir Robert Henley 1681, March 4 21 March 1681 28 March 1681 Charles West Sir John Collins 1685, March 16 19 May 1685 2 June 1687 Robert Phelips Sir John Collins 1689, January 14 22 January 1689 6 February 1690 Francis Powlett John Pollen II 1690, March 3 20 March 1690 11 October 1695 Francis Powlett (Whig)Powlett died c. August 1695. Seat vacant at the dissolution. John Pollen II (Tory) 1695, October 30 22 November 1695 6 July 1698 John Smith (Whig) Sir Robert Smyth, Bt (Whig) 1698, July 21 24 August 1698 19 December 1700 John Smith (Whig) Anthony Henley (Whig) 1701, January 14 6 February 1701 11 November 1701 John Smith (Whig) Francis Shepheard (Whig)On petition, Shepheard was "discharged from membership" on 19 March 1701. No new writ was issued and the seat was vacant at the dissolution. 1701, November 25 30 December 1701 2 July 1702 John Smith (Whig) Francis Shepheard (Whig) 1702, July 16 20 August 1702 5 April 1705 John Smith (Whig) Francis Shepheard (Whig) 1705, May 11 14 June 1705 1707The MPs of the last Parliament of England and 45 members co-opted from the former Parliament of Scotland, became the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain which assembled on 23 October 1707 (see below for the members in that Parliament). John Smith (Whig) Francis Shepheard (Whig)
1707–1868 (two members) DateFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party 1707, October 23Co-opted, not elected, to the Parliament of Great Britain John Smith Whig Francis Shepheard Whig 1708, May 6 William Guidott Whig 1713, August 25 Sir Ambrose CrowleyCrowley died 7 October 1713 Tory 1714, March 30 * Gilbert Searle Tory 1715, January 29 * John Wallop 1715, April 1 James Brudenell 1727, August 23 Viscount MilsingtonMilsington succeeded as the 2nd Earl of Portmore in January 1730. 1730, January 20 * William Guidott Whig 1734, April 25 John Pollen III Whig 1741, May 5 Hon. John WallopStyled Viscount Lymington from 11 October 1743; died 19 November 1749. Whig 1749, November 28 * Sir John Griffin 1754, April 16 Sir Francis Blake Delaval 1768, March 21 Benjamin Lethieullier 1784, August 11 * William Fellowes 1796, May 25 Hon. Coulson Wallop 1797, December 14 * Thomas Assheton Smith IStooks Smith suggests that Thomas Assheton Smith I's term was interrupted by Henry Smith, in the 1812-18 Parliament. However Rayment does not mention such an additional MP. T. A. Smith resigned 1821 Tory 1802, July 5 Hon. Newton Fellowes Whig 1820, March 8 Sir John Pollen, 2nd Bt Tory 1821, May 11 * Thomas Assheton Smith II Tory 1831, May 2 Henry Arthur Wallop Fellowes Whig Ralph Etwall Whig 1835, January 8 Sir John Pollen, 2nd Bt Conservative 1841, June 29 Lord William Paget Whig 1847, July 29 Henry Beaumont Coles Conservative William CubittCubitt resigned in 1861, to contest a City of London by-election (which he lost). Conservative 1857, March 28 Hon. Dudley Fortescue Whig 1859 Liberal 1861, July 29 * Henry Beaumont ColesColes died 23 November 1862. Conservative 1862, December 17 * William CubittCubitt died 28 October 1863. Conservative 1863, November 18 * William HumpheryHumphery resigned, 1867. Conservative 1867, February 11 * Sir John Burgess Karslake Conservative 1868 constituency reduced to one member
In this sub-section Liberal MPs elected before the formal founding of the Liberal Party, in 1859, are indicated by a + symbol after the party name.F. W. S. Craig classified Whig, Radical and similar candidates, as Liberals from 1832. Other sources may classify all these groups as Whigs. The term Liberal gradually developed as a description for the Whigs and allies, until the formal creation of the Liberal Party shortly after the 1859 United Kingdom general election.
1868-1918 (one member) YearMemberPartyNote 1868 Hon. Dudley Fortescue Liberal 1874 Henry Wellesley Conservative 1880 Francis Buxton Liberal 1885 Bramston Beach Conservative Re-elected unopposed 1886, 1892, 1895, 1900; died 3 August 1901 1901 Edmund Faber Conservative 1906 Walter Faber Conservative Last MP for the constituency1918 constituency abolished
Elections Elections in the 1830s
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1860s Cubitt resigned to contest the 1861 by-election at City of London, causing a by-election.
Coles' death caused a by-election.
Cubitt's death caused a by-election.
Humphery resigned, causing a by-election.
Karslake was appointed Attorney General for England and Wales, requiring a by-election.
The seat was reduced to one member.
Elections in the 1870s
Elections in the 1880s
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; Conservative: Walter Faber Liberal:
Notes
References British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press 1977) 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)