Yorkshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament, traditionally known as Knights of the Shire, until 1826, when the county benefited from the disfranchisement of Grampound by taking an additional two members.
The constituency was split into its three historic ridings, for Parliamentary purposes, under the Reform Act 1832. Each riding returned two MPs. The county was then represented by the Yorkshire East Riding, Yorkshire North Riding and Yorkshire West Riding constituencies.
Boundaries Yorkshire is the largest of the historic counties of England. The constituency comprised the whole county. Yorkshire contained several boroughs which each independently returned two members to Parliament. These were Aldborough, Beverley, Boroughbridge, Hedon, Kingston upon Hull, Knaresborough, Malton, Northallerton, Pontefract, Richmond, Ripon, Scarborough, Thirsk and York.
Members of Parliament MPs 1290–1640 Constituency created 1290
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1309 Robert de Boynton 1320 Sir Thomas Ughtred 1324 Sir John Tempest of Bracewell 1339 Sir Robert Hilton of Swine & Winestead 1341 John de SiggestonWilliam Bruys 1364 Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton 1376 Sir John Savile of Shelley and Golcar Sir Robert de Boynton 1377–1395 Henry FitzHugh 1378 Sir John Hotham 1380 Ralph Hastings of Kirby and Burton Hastings 1382 John St Quentin of Harpham 1382 Sir John Savile of Shelley and Golcar 1383 Sir James Pickering 1384 Sir John Savile of Shelley and GolcarSir James Pickering 1385 Sir William Melton of Aston and Kyllon 1386 Sir John Godard Sir John St Quentin of Harpham 1388 (Feb) Sir William Melton of Aston and Kyllon Sir Robert Constable 1388 (Sep) Sir James Pickering Sir Robert Neville of Hornby 1390 (Jan) Sir John Savile of Shelley and Golcar Sir Robert Neville of Hornby 1390 (Nov) Sir William Ellis Sir James Pickering 1391 Sir John Godard Sir Robert Neville of Hornby 1393Sir Ralph Euer Sir Robert Neville of Hornby 1394Sir John Routh of Routh Sir Robert Neville of Hornby 1395 Sir Peter Buckton Sir John St Quentin 1397 (Jan) Sir Peter Buckton Sir Ralph Euer 1397 (Sep) Sir James Pickering Sir David Roucliffe 1399Sir Ralph Euer Sir Robert Neville of Hornby 1401 Sir John Scrope of Hollinhall & Haldenby Sir Gerard Usflete 1402 Thomas Colville Sir Robert Rockley 1404 (Jan) Sir John Routh of Routh Sir Richard Tempest of Bracewell 1404 (Oct) Sir Peter Buckton Sir William Dronsfield 1406Sir Richard Redman Sir Thomas Rokeby 1407Sir Edmund Hastings Sir Alexander Lound 1410 1411Sir John Etton Sir Robert Plumpton 1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) Sir Edmund Hastings Sir Alexander Lound 1414 (Apr) Sir Alexander Lound 1414 (Nov) Sir Richard Redman Sir John Etton 1415Sir Richard Redman Sir John Etton 1416 (Mar) Sir Brian Stapleton Sir Robert Plumpton 1 1416 (Oct) 1417 1419Sir Robert Hilton Sir Halnath Mauleverer 1420Sir Richard Redman Sir John Langton 1421 (May) Sir Edmund Hastings Sir William Gascoigne 1421 (Dec) Sir Richard Redman Sir John Etton 1422 (Nov) Sir William Euer 1423 Sir Thomas Rokeby 1425 Sir Robert Hilton Sir William Ryther de Ryther 1426 Sir Robert Hilton 1427 Sir Robert Hilton 1431 (Jan) Sir William Euer 1439 Sir Thomas Savile 1449 Sir James Strangways William Eure 1450 Sir John Savile 1461 Sir James Strangways 1467 Sir John Savile 1491 Thomas Scrope, 6th Baron Scrope of Masham 1491 Sir Richard Tunstall Sir Henry Wentworth 1510–1515 Not known 1523Sir William Bulmer ? 1529Sir John Neville, ennobled and repl. Feb 1533 by Sir John Neville II Sir Marmaduke Constable 1536 1539Sir Henry Savile Robert Bowes 1542Sir Ralph Ellerker Sir Robert Bowes, disqualified and repl. Feb 1543 by Thomas Waterman 1545 1547Sir Nicholas Fairfax Sir William Babthorpe 1553 (Mar) Sir Thomas Gargrave Sir Robert Constable 1553 (Oct) Sir Robert Constable Sir William Vavasour 1554 (Apr) Sir William Babthorpe Sir Christopher Danby 1554 (Nov) Sir Thomas Wharton II Sir Thomas Gargrave 1555?Sir Robert Constable Sir Thomas Gargrave 1558?Thomas Wharton, 2nd Baron Wharton Sir Richard Cholmley 1559Sir Thomas Gargrave Sir Henry Savile 1562Sir Thomas Gargrave Sir Nicholas Fairfax 1571Sir Thomas Gargrave Sir Henry Gates 1572Sir Thomas Gargrave Thomas Waterton died and repl. Jan 1576 by Sir Robert Stapleton 1584Ralph Eure Sir William Mallory 1586Sir Henry Gates Sir Thomas Fairfax of Denton 1588Sir Henry Constable Sir Ralph Bourchier 1593Sir George Savile, Bt John Aske 1597Sir John Savile Sir William Fairfax 1601Thomas Fairfax Sir Edward Stanhope 1604 Sir Francis CliffordSir John Savile 1606 Sir Richard Gargrave 1614 Sir John Savile Sir Thomas Wentworth 1621 Sir Thomas Wentworth Lord George Calvert 1624 Sir Thomas Savile Sir John Savile 1625 Sir Thomas Wentworth Thomas Fairfax 1626 Sir John Savile Sir William Constable, Bt1628 Henry Belasyse Sir Thomas Wentworth 1629 Sir Henry Savile, Bt 1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned
MPs 1640–1826 Short Parliament 1640: Sir William Savile, Bt 1640: Henry Belasyse
Long Parliament 1640–1648: The Lord Fairfax of Cameron (Parliamentarian) – died March 1648 1640–1642: Henry Belasyse (Royalist) – disabled to sit, September 1642 (Although writs were issued to fill both these vacancies, no elections seem to have been held and the seats remained vacant to the end of the Parliament)
Barebones Parliament (Nominated members) 1653: Lord Eure, Walter Strickland, Francis Lascelles, John Anlaby, Thomas Dickenson, Thomas St. Nicholas, Roger Coats, Edward Gill
First Protectorate Parliament (Fourteen members elected for the three Ridings) 1654–1655: East Riding: Hugh Bethell, Richard Robinson, Walter Strickland, Sir William Strickland; North Riding: Lord Eure, Francis Lascelles, Thomas Harrison, George Smithson; West Riding: Lord Fairfax, John Lambert, Henry Tempest, John Bright, Edward Gill, Martin Lister
Second Protectorate Parliament (Fourteen members elected for the three Ridings) 1656–1658: East Riding: Hugh Bethell, Richard Darley, Henry Darley, Sir William Strickland; North Riding: Lord Eure, Francis Lascelles, Major General Robert Lilburne, Luke Robinson; West Riding: John Lambert, Colonel Henry Tempest, Edward Gill, Francis Thorpe, Henry Arthington, John Stanhope
Third Protectorate Parliament 1659: The Lord Fairfax of Cameron, Thomas Harrison
Long Parliament (restored) Both seats vacant
YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party 1660 Thomas Fairfax Sir John Dawnay 1661 Conyers Darcy Sir John Goodricke, Bt 1670 Sir Thomas Slingsby, Bt 1679 Charles Boyle Henry Fairfax 1685 Sir John Kaye, Bt 1689 Thomas Fairfax 1698 Henry Dawnay January 1701 Sir John Kaye, Bt December 1701 Arthur Ingram 1702 Marquess of Hartington Sir John Kaye, Bt January 1707 Thomas Fairfax December 1707 Henry Dawnay Conyers Darcy 1708 Sir William Strickland, Bt 1710 Sir Arthur Kaye, Bt February 1727 Cholmley Turner August 1727 Sir Thomas Watson-Wentworth 1728 by-election Sir George Savile, Bt 1734 Sir Miles Stapylton, Bt 1741 Charles Howard 1742 by-election Cholmley Turner 1747 Sir Conyers Darcy 1750 by-election Henry DawnayHenry Dawnay, 3rd Viscount Downe died December 1760, but a new writ was not issued before the general election in 1761 1759 by-election Sir George Savile, Bt Whig 1761 Edwin LascellesTory 1780 Henry DuncombeTory January 1784 by-election Francis Ferrand FoljambeWhig April 1784 William WilberforceIndependent 1796 Hon. Henry LascellesTory 1806 Walter FawkesWhig 1807 Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliamWhig 1812 Hon. Henry LascellesTory 1818 James Stuart-WortleyTory1826representation increased to 4 members
MPs 1826–1832 ElectionFirst memberPartySecond memberPartyThird memberPartyFourth MemberPartyRepresentation increased to 4 members 1826 Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliamWhig William DuncombeTory Richard Fountayne WilsonTory John MarshallWhig 1830 George HowardWhigUltra-Tory Richard BethellTory Henry BroughamBrougham was also elected for Knaresborough; he was elevated to the House of Lords before having chosen which constituency he would represent in the CommonsWhig Dec 1830 by-electionSir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, BtWhig 1831 George StricklandWhig John Charles RamsdenWhig1832Constituency abolished: see North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and West Yorkshire
Notes
Elections The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each voter had as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which took place in the county town of York. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the (very large) county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of voters, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.
The expense, to candidates, of contested elections encouraged the leading families of the county to agree on the candidates to be returned unopposed whenever possible. Contested county elections were therefore unusual.
Elections in the eighteenth century Only two elections in the 18th century were contested.
At the 1784 general election, the seat was initially contested, but the two Whig candidates Francis Ferrand Foljambe and William Weddell conceded without calling for a poll.
Elections in the 1800s At the 1802 general election, William Wilberforce and Henry Lascelles were elected unopposed.
At the 1806 general election, William Wilberforce and Walter Ramsden Fawkes were elected unopposed.
Elections in the 1810s and 1820s At the 1812 general election, Viscount Milton and Henry Lascelles were elected unopposed.
At the 1818 and 1820 general elections, Viscount Milton and James Stuart Wortley were elected unopposed.
At the 1826 general election, Richard Fountayne Wilson, John Marshall, William Duncombe and Viscount Milton were elected unopposed.
Elections in the 1830s
At the 1831 general election, George Strickland, John Charles Ramsden, John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone and George Howard were elected unopposed.
See also Yorkshire election 1807 List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies Unreformed House of Commons
References
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) originally published in 1844–50, so out of copyright