Harwich () was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 1604 until its abolition for the 2010 general election.
History The Parliamentary Borough of Harwich had sent two members to the Parliament of England since it was founded in 1604 until 1707, then to the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and to the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801. Under the Reform Act 1867 its representation was reduced to one, and in 1885 the parliamentary borough was abolished and replaced with a division of the County of Essex (later a county constituency) under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. For a long period of time it was known as a "Treasury borough" due to the control the Treasury had over its elections.Pages 358 to 389, Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition – London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
The constituency was abolished for the 2010 general election by the Fifth periodic review of Westminster constituencies, being succeeded by the new constituency of Clacton and part of the new constituency of Harwich and North Essex.
Boundaries and boundary changes
1885–1918
The Municipal Borough of Harwich; and Parts of the Sessional Divisions of Lexden and Winstree.
Non-resident freeholders of the Parliamentary Borough of Colchester, which constituted the Municipal Borough thereof, were also entitled to vote.
Formally known as the North Eastern or Harwich Division of Essex, incorporating the abolished Parliamentary Borough of Harwich and extending southwards and westwards to include the towns of Clacton and Brightlingsea and the rural areas surrounding Colchester.
1918–1950
The Municipal Borough of Harwich; The Urban Districts of Brightlingsea, Clacton, Frinton-on-Sea, Walton-on-the-Naze, and Wivenhoe; and The Rural District of Tendring.
Western, rural areas now included in the new Colchester Division of Essex.
1950–1983
The Municipal Borough of Harwich; The Urban Districts of Brightlingsea, Clacton, Frinton and Walton, and Wivenhoe; and The Rural District of Tendring.
No changes. (The Urban Districts of Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze had been merged).
1983–1997
The District of Tendring wards of Beaumont and Thorpe, Bockings Elm, Bradfield Wrabness and Wix, Frinton, Golf Green, Great and Little Oakley, Harwich East, Harwich East Central, Harwich West, Harwich West Central, Haven, Holland and Kirby, Little Clacton, Ramsey, Rush Green, Southcliff, St Bartholomew's, St James, St John's, St Mary's, St Osyth, Tendring and Weeley, and Walton.
Western parts, including Brightlingsea and Wivenhoe, included in the new constituency of North Colchester.
1997–2010
The District of Tendring wards of Beaumont and Thorpe, Bockings Elm, Frinton, Golf Green, Great and Little Oakley, Harwich East, Harwich East Central, Harwich West, Harwich West Central, Haven, Holland and Kirby, Little Clacton, Ramsey, Rush Green, St Bartholomew's, St James, St John's, St Mary's, Southcliff, and Walton.
A further western slice, including St Osyth, added to the new constituency of North Essex (which had largely succeeded North Colchester).
Following the Boundary Commission's Fifth periodic review of Westminster constituencies, Parliament radically altered some constituencies and created new ones to allow for changes in population. Consequently, the constituency of Harwich was abolished. The majority of the constituency, including Clacton, Frinton and Walton, formed the new constituency of Clacton, and Harwich and surrounding areas were included in the new constituency of Harwich and North Essex.
Members of Parliament Constituency founded 1604
1604 to 1660 ParliamentFirst memberSecond member1604 Richard Browne Thomas Trevor1605 John Panton1614Sir Harbottle Grimston Sir Robert Mansell1614 (Apr) Sir Charles Montagu 1620 Sir Thomas Cheek Edward Grimston1624 Sir Nathaniel Rich Christopher Herrys1625 Sir Edmund Sawyer Christopher Herrys1626 Sir Nathaniel Rich Christopher Herrys1628–1629 Sir Nathaniel Rich Christopher Herrys1629–1640No Parliaments convened1640 (Apr) Sir Thomas Cheek Sir John Jacob, 1st Baronet 1640 (Nov) Sir Harbottle Grimston, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Cheek1645 Sir Harbottle Grimston, 1st Baronet, died replaced 1647 by Harbottle Grimston, 2nd Baronet who was secluded Dec 1648 in Pride's PurgeSir Thomas Cheek1648 Sir Thomas Cheek Capel Luckyn1653Harwich not represented in Barebone's Parliament1654 Harwich not represented in First Protectorate Parliament1656 Harwich not represented in Second Protectorate Parliament1659 John Sicklemore Thomas King
1660–1868 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party1660 Sir Capel Luckyn, Bt Sir Henry Wright, Bt 1661 Thomas King 1664 Sir Capel Luckyn, Bt February 1679 Sir Anthony Dean Samuel Pepys August 1679 Sir Philip Parker, Bt Sir Thomas Middleton 1685 Sir Anthony Dean Samuel Pepys 1689 Sir Thomas Middleton John Eldred 1690 The Viscount Newhaven 1695 Sir Thomas Davall 1698 Samuel Atkinson 1699 Sir Thomas Middleton 1701 Dennis Lydell 1702 John Ellis May 1708 Sir John Leake Thomas Frankland December 1708 Kenrick Edisbury 1713 Carew Hervey Mildmay Sir Thomas Davall May 1714 Thomas Heath June 1714 Benedict Calvert 1715 Sir Philip Parker-a-Morley-Long, Bt Thomas Heath 1722 Humphrey Parsons 1727 John Perceval 1734 Carteret Leathes Charles Stanhope 1741 John Phillipson Hill Mussenden 1747 Edward Coke 1753 Wenman Coke 1756 William Ponsonby 1758 Thomas Sewell 1761 Charles Townshend John Roberts 1767 Thomas Bradshaw 1768 Edward Harvey 1772 Charles Jenkinson 1774 John Robinson 1778 George North 1784 Thomas Orde Tory1796 Richard Hopkins 1799 Henry Dillon-Lee 1802 Thomas Myers January 1803 John Hiley Addington ToryApril 1803 James Adams 1806 William Fremantle ToryMarch 1807 James Adams May 1807 William Huskisson Tory1812 Nicholas Vansittart Tory1818 Charles Bathurst Tory1823 George Canning Tory John Charles Herries Tory1826 Nicholas Conyngham Tindal Tory1827 Sir William Rae, Bt Tory1830 George Robert Dawson Tory1832 Christopher Thomas Tower Whig1834 Conservative1835 Francis Robert Bonham Conservative1837 Alexander Ellice Whig1841 John Attwood Conservative William Beresford Conservative1847 Peelite John Bagshaw Whig1848 by-election Sir John Hobhouse, Bt RadicalMarch 1851 by-election Henry Thoby Prinsep ConservativeMay 1851 by-election Robert Wigram Crawford Whig July 1851 Writ suspendedApril 1852 by-election Sir Fitzroy Kelly ConservativeMay 1852 by-election Isaac Butt ConservativeJuly 1852 George Peacocke Conservative David Waddington Conservative1853 by-election John Bagshaw WhigMarch 1857 George Drought Warburton Independent WhigDecember 1857 by-election Robert John Bagshaw WhigMarch 1859 by-election Henry Jervis-White-Jervis ConservativeMay 1859 Hon. William Campbell Liberal1860 by-election Richard Rowley Conservative1865 John KelkConservative1868 Constituency reduced to one member
1868–2010 ElectionMemberParty1868 Representation reduced to one member 1868 Henry Jervis-White-Jervis Conservative 1880 Henry Tyler Conservative 1885 James Round Conservative 1906 Arthur Lever Liberal 1910 Harry Newton Conservative 1922 Albert Hillary Liberal 1924 Sir Frederick Rice Conservative 1929 Sir John Pybus Liberal 1931 Liberal National 1935 Sir Stanley Holmes Liberal National 1954 by-election Julian Ridsdale National Liberal 1968 Conservative 1992 Iain Sproat Conservative 1997 Ivan Henderson Labour 2005 Douglas Carswell Conservative2010 Constituency abolished: see Clacton and Harwich and North Essex
Elections Elections in the 1830s Herries was appointed Secretary at War, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s
Attwood's election was declared void on petition due to bribery by his agents, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s Hobhouse was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Broughton and causing a by-election.
Prinsep's election was declared void on petition due to bribery, causing a by-election.
Crawford's election was declared void, due to polling being closed prematurely, and the seat's writ was suspended in July 1851. A by-election was called the next year.
Kelly resigned to contest a by-election in East Suffolk, causing a by-election.
Peacocke's election was declared void on petition, due to corrupt practices, causing a by-election.
Warburton's death caused a by-election.
Bagshaw's resignation caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s Campbell succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Stratheden and Campbell, and causing a by-election.
Seat 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; Unionist: Harry Newton Liberal: Edward Aylmer Digby
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1940s 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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected; Liberal National: Stanley Holmes Labour: Ald. Joseph HewittReport of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
1979 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 27,950 54.6 Labour 12,379 24.2 Liberal 10,387 20.3 Others 440 0.9Turnout51,156Electorate
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1990s
1992 notional result Party Vote % Conservative 29,372 51.7 Labour 14,047 24.7 Liberal Democrats 13,187 23.2 Others 256 0.5Turnout56,86276.1Electorate74,676
This was the Referendum Party's best result in the election.
Elections in the 2000s
See also Parliamentary constituencies in Essex
References
External links Harwich UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK