The county constituency of Northamptonshire, in the East Midlands of England was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832 and was represented in Parliament by two MPs, traditionally known as Knights of the Shire.
After 1832 the county was split into two new constituencies, North Northamptonshire and South Northamptonshire.
Boundaries The constituency consisted of the historic county of Northamptonshire. Although the county contained a number of parliamentary boroughs, each of which elected one or two MPs in its own right for parts of the period when Northamptonshire was a constituency, these areas were not excluded from the county constituency. Owning freehold property of the required value, within such boroughs, could confer a vote at the county election. (After 1832, only non-resident owners of forty shilling freeholds situated in borough seats could qualify for a county vote on the basis of that property.)
Members of Parliament 1290–1640 Constituency created (1290)
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1305 (Feb) Oliver la Zouch John de Seyton 1319 John de Longeville William Trussell 1324 Henry de Trailly 1330 (Nov) Robert de Daventry Edmund Trussell 1337 John de Seyton 1343 Sir William Brabazon 1351 Sir Peter Mallore 1369 John de Verdon William de Quenton 1380 (Jan) John Tyndale 1382 (Oct) John Wydeville John Tyndale 1383 (Feb) John Wydeville John Tyndale 1383 (Oct) John Wydeville 1384 (Apr) Roger de la Chamber John Tyndale 1384 (Nov) Roger de la Chamber John Tyndale 1385 Sir Giles Mallore 1386 Roger de la Chamber John Tyndale 1388 (Feb) Sir Giles Mallore John Wydeville 1388 (Sep) John Harrowden John Mulsho 1390 (Jan) Roger de la Chamber John Mulsho 1390 (Nov) John Wydeville John Mulsho 1391 Roger de la Chamber Sir Nicholas Lilling 1393 Sir Giles Mallore John Tyndale 1394 Sir Henry Green Sir Giles Mallor4 1395 Roger de la Chamber Robert Chiselden 1397 (Jan) Sir Henry Green John Cope 1397 (Sep) Hugh Northborough John Mulsho 1399 John Cope Robert Chiselden 1401 Sir Giles Mallore John Warwick 1402 Sir Giles Mallore John Cope 1404 (Jan) Sir John Trussell Ralph Parles 1404 (Oct) Ralph Green John Cope 1406 Ralph Parles / John Cope John Warwick 1407 John Tyndale Thomas Wake 1410 Sir John St. John Ralph Green 1411 Sir John St. John William Huddlestone 1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) Nicholas Merbury Thomas Wake 1414 (Apr) Thomas Wydeville Nicholas Merbury 1414 (Nov) Sir John Trussell John Mortimer 1415 1416 (Mar) Sir John St. John William Huddlestone 1416 (Oct) 1417 Thomas Mulsho Thomas Wake 1419 Thomas Strange John Boseno 1420 Sir John Beaufo Richard Knightley 1421 (May) Sir John St. John Thomas Strange 1421 (Dec) Sir John Knyvet Simon Kynnesman 1423 William Tresham Richard Knightley 1425 John Catesby 1427 William Tresham 1429 William Tresham John Catesby 1431 ? 1432 William Tresham 1433 William Tresham 1435 William Tresham 1437 ? 1439 William TreshamRichard Knightley 1442 William Tresham 1445 William Tresham 1447 William TreshamHenry Green 1449 (Feb) William TreshamWilliam Catesby 1449 (Oct) William TreshamThomas Thorpe 1450 (Nov) Thomas Mulsho 1453 Sir Thomas TreshamWilliam Catesby 1459 Sir Thomas Tresham 1484 William Catesby 1486 Sir Thomas Lovell 1491 Richard Empson Davy Philip 1510–1512No names known 1515 ?Sir Nicholas Vaux ? 1523 1529 Sir William Parr Richard Knightley 1536 1539 Sir William Parr Sir Thomas Tresham 1542Sir Thomas Tresham Sir William Newenham 1545 1547 Henry Williams Sir John Cope 1553 (Mar) Sir Nicholas Throckmorton Robert Lane 1553 (Oct) Sir John Fermor William Chauncy 1554 (Apr) Sir Thomas Tresham Sir John Spencer 1554 (Nov) Sir Thomas Tresham William Chauncy 1555 Sir John Fermor William Chauncy
As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given for those up to 1640. Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or is not recorded in a surviving document, the entry unknown is entered in the table.
ElectedAssembledDissolvedFirst MemberSecond Member1558 20 January 1558 17 November 1558 Sir Walter Mildmay Sir John Spencer 1559 23 January 1559 8 May 1559 Edward Montagu 1563 11 January 1563 2 January 1567 Sir William Cecil1571 2 April 1571 29 May 1571 Sir Robert Lane1572 8 May 1572 19 April 1583 (Sir) Christopher Hatton1584 23 November 1584 14 September 15851586 15 October 1586 23 March 15871588 4 February 1589 29 March 1589 Sir Richard Knightley1593 18 February 1593 10 April 1593 Sir Thomas CecilChristopher Yelverton1597 24 October 1597 9 February 1598 Sir Richard Knightley1601 27 October 1601 19 December 1601 Sir John Stanhope Sir William Lane 1604 19 March 1604 9 February 1611 Sir Valentine KnightleySir Edward Montagu 1614 5 April 1614 7 June 1614 Sir William Tate 1620 16 January 1621 8 February 1622 Sir William Spencer(1621)Richard KnightleyElected following the elevation of Sir Edward Montagu to the peerage in 1621 1624 12 February 1624 27 March 1625 1625 17 May 1625 12 August 1625 1626 6 February 1626 15 June 1626 Sir John Pickering 1628 17 March 1628 10 March 1629 Francis Nicolls Richard Knightley 1629–1640 No Parliaments convened
1640–1832 ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyNorthamptonshire was represented by 2 elected Knights of the Shire1640, AprilJohn Crew Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt 1640, November Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt Parliamentarian Sir John Dryden, Bt ParliamentarianNorthamptonshire was represented by 2 nominated MPs in Barebones Parliament1653 From: 'List of members nominated for Parliament of 1653', Diary of Thomas Burton esq, volume 4: March - April 1659 (1828), pp. 499-500. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=36965. Date accessed: 27 January 2008. Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt Thomas Brooke Northamptonshire's representation was increased to 6 elected MPs in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate 1654 (1) Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt (2) John CrewAppointed to Cromwell's Upper House, which first sat on 20 January 1658. (3) Sir John Norwich, Bt (4) John Claypole, senior (5) Sir John Dryden, Bt (6) Thomas Brooke 1656 (1) Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt (2) John ClaypoleClaypole was also elected for Carmarthenshire and chose Northamptonshire. (3) William Boteler (4) James Langham (5) Thomas Crew (6) Alexander Blake Northamptonshire's representation was decreased to 2 MPs in the Third Parliament of the Protectorate and thereafter1659, January Richard Knightley Philip Holman 1659, May Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bt vacant 1660, April 22 John Crew Sir Henry Yelverton, Bt 21 March 1661 Sir Justinian Isham, 2nd Bt George Clerke 29 April 1675 Lord Burghley 28 February 1678 Miles Fleetwood 6 February 1679 Sir Roger Norwich, Bt John Parkhurst 21 August 1679 Miles Fleetwood 12 May 1685 Sir Roger Norwich, Bt Edward Montagu Tory 14 January 1689 Edward Harby Whig 13 June 1689 Sir Thomas Samwell, Bt 20 February 1690 Sir St Andrew St John, Bt Whig John Parkhurst Whig 14 November 1695 Thomas Cartwright Tory 21 July 1698 Sir Justinian Isham, 4th Bt Tory John Parkhurst Whig 4 December 1701 Thomas Cartwright Tory 21 May 1730 Sir Justinian Isham, 5th Bt 31 March 1737 Sir Edmund Isham, Bt 14 April 1748 Valentine Knightley 26 December 1754 William Cartwright 31 March 1768 Sir William Dolben, Bt 14 January 1773 Lucy Knightley 18 October 1774 Thomas Powys 15 April 1784 Sir James Langham, Bt 23 June 1790 Francis Dickins 2 August 1797 William Ralph Cartwright Tory 12 November 1806 Viscount Althorp Whig 23 May 1831 Viscount Milton Whig Constituency abolished 1832: see North Northamptonshire and South Northamptonshire.
Notes
Elections
See also List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies Unreformed House of Commons
References Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) The House of Commons 1690-1715, by Eveline Cruickshanks, Stuart Handley and D.W. Hayton (Cambridge University Press 2002) J E Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949) The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973))