Cambridgeshire is a former Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. It was a constituency represented by two Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then in the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and in the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832, when its representation was increased to three until it was abolished in 1885.

It was reconstituted as a single-member seat in 1918 and abolished once again in 1983.

History The county was represented by two Knights of the Shire until 1832, when the number of members was increased to three by the Great Reform Act. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the constituency was abolished and was divided into three single-member constituencies: the Western or Chesterton Division, the Eastern or Newmarket Division and the Northern or Wisbech Division.

Under the Local Government Act 1888, the historic county of Cambridgeshire was divided between the administrative counties of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely. When the parliamentary constituencies were next redistributed under the Representation of the People Act 1918, Cambridgeshire was re-constituted as a single-member Parliamentary County, largely formed from combining the Chesterton Division (excluding areas that were now part of the expanded Municipal Borough of Cambridge) and the Newmarket Division (excluding the city of Ely which was included in the Parliamentary County of Isle of Ely).

The administrative counties of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely had been recombined in 1965 and Cambridgeshire was further expanded in 1974 to include Huntingdon and Peterborough under the Local Government Act 1972. Under the subsequent redistribution of seats, which did not come into effect until the 1983 general election, Cambridgeshire was abolished as a county constituency, forming the bulk of the new constituency of South East Cambridgeshire and the majority of South West Cambridgeshire.

Boundaries

Prior to 1885 1290–1653, 1658-1885: The historic county of Cambridgeshire. (Although Cambridgeshire contained the borough of Cambridge, which elected two MPs in its own right, this was not excluded from the county constituency, and owning property within the borough could confer a vote at the county election. In the elections of 1830 and 1831, about an eighth of the votes cast for the county came from within Cambridge itself. The city of Ely also elected its own MPs in 1295.)

1654–1658: The historic county was divided for the First and the Second Protectorate Parliaments, between the two-member Isle of Ely area and the four-member constituency consisting of the rest of the county.

1918–1983

The administrative county of Cambridgeshire, excluding the Municipal Borough of Cambridge.

There were minor boundary changes in 1950, when some of the constituency was transferred to the Cambridge seat, which was expanded to align with the Municipal Borough, and in 1974, to align with changes to the county boundary.

Members of Parliament

Constituency created (1290)

MPs 1290-1660 YearFirst memberSecond member 1372 William Papworth 1373 Henry English 1377 (Oct) Henry English 1381 William Papworth 1382 (May) William Papworth 1383 John Andrew 1383 (Oct) Henry English 1384 (Nov) Henry English 1386Sir William Papworth Thomas Hasilden I 1388 (Feb) Sir John Engaine Sir John Chalers 1388 (Sep) Sir John Engaine Robert Parys 1390 (Jan) Henry English Simon Burgh 1390 (Nov) Sir John Colville Simon Burgh 1391Sir Robert Denny Simon Burgh 1393Sir John Colville Sir Robert Denny 1394 Sir Baldwin St George Richard Hasilden 1395Sir Edmund de la Pole Thomas Hasilden II 1397 (Jan) Sir Thomas Skelton Thomas Hasilden II 1397 (Sep) John Tyndale Thomas Hasilden II 1399Sir Payn Tiptoft Richard Hasilden 1401Sir Baldwin St George Thomas Hasilden II 1402Thomas Priour John Hobildod 1404 (Jan) Sir Payn Tiptoft John Brunne 1404 (Oct) Sir Baldwin St George William Standon 1406Sir Baldwin St George William Asenhill 1407 Sir John Howard (Sir) John Rochford 1410William Alington 1411Sir Walter de la Pole John Hobildod 1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) William Porter John Burgoyne 1414 (Apr) Sir Baldwin St George Nicholas Morys 1414 (Nov) Sir Walter de la Pole Thomas Lopham 1415John Hore Nicholas Huish 1416 (Mar) John Hobildod Thomas Wykes 1416 (Oct) William Alington Sir William Asenhill 1417Sir Walter de la Pole Thomas Chalers 1419John Burgoyne William Goodred 1420Nicholas Caldecote Thomas Camp 1421 (May) Sir Walter de la Pole William Freville 1421 (Dec) John Burgoyne William Fulbourn 1425 John Hore Google Books 1429 William Alington of Bottisham 1431 Laurence Cheyne 1432 Laurence Cheyne Henry Somer 1433 William Alington of Horseheath 1435 Laurence Cheyne 1436 William Alington of Horseheath 1437 Gilbert Hore William Allington 1439/40 William AllingtonWilliam Cotton 1442 Laurence CheyneThomas Burgoyne 1445/46 John Ansty the younger‘Calendar of Fine Rolls’ Volume XVII, page 328Edmund Ingeldesthorp 1447 William CottonJohn Moris‘Notitia Parliamentaria’ by Browne Willis published in 1730 1449 (Feb) Sir John SayEdmund Ingeldesthorp‘Calendar of Fine Rolls’ Volume XVIII, page 125 1449/50 (Nov) John CheyneThomas Tynderne 1450/51 John Ansty the younger‘The Commons and Their Speakers in English Parliaments 1376-1523’ by John Smith Roskell, page 284Thomas Tynderne 1453/54 William CottonEdmund Ingeldesthorp‘Calendar of Fine Rolls’ Volume XIX, page 51 1455/56 John Ansty‘History of Parliament (1439-1509)’ by Josiah C. Wedgewood, published 1936, page 13Thomas Lockton 1459 1460/61 1461/62 John Ansty(son of John Ansty in 1445) 1463/65 1467/68 John AnstyWilliam Frevill 1472/75 Sir William AllingtonThomas Grey 1478 Sir William AllingtonThomas Grey 1491/2 John BurgoyneWilliam Finderne 1510–1523 No names known 1529Robert Peyton Giles Alington 1536 1539Sir Giles Alington Sir Thomas Elyot 1542Edward North Thomas Rudston 1545 1547(Sir) Edward North James Dyer 1553 (Mar) (Sir) Edward North James Dyer 1553 (Oct) Sir John Huddleston Sir John Cotton 1554 (Apr) Sir John Huddleston Sir Giles Alington 1554 (Nov) Sir John Huddleston Sir John Cotton 1555Roger North, 2nd Baron North Thomas Wendy 1558Sir Giles Alington Robert Peyton 1559 (Jan) Roger North Francis Hynde 1562–1563 Roger North, ennobled and repl. 1566 by Robert Peyton John Hutton 1571John Hutton Henry Long 1572 (Apr) Francis Hynde John Hutton 1584 (Nov) John North Sir John Cutts 1586 (Oct) John North Sir John Cutts 1588 (Oct) John North (Sir) Francis Hynde 1593 John Cotton John Peyton 1597 (Oct) (Sir) Henry North William Hynde 1601Sir John Cutts (Sir) John Cotton 1604 Sir John Peyton, 1st Baronet Sir John Cutts 1614 Sir Thomas Chicheley Sir John Cutts 1621 Sir Edward Peyton, 2nd Baronet Sir John Cutts 1624 Sir Simon Steward Sir John Cutts 1625 Sir Edward Peyton, 2nd Baronet Sir John Cutts 1626 Sir Edward Peyton, 2nd Baronet Sir John Cutts 1628 Sir Miles Sandys, 1st Baronet Sir John Carleton, 1st Baronet 1629–1640No Parliaments convened

YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party Apr 1640 Sir Dudley North Sir John Cutts Nov 1640 Sir Dudley North ParliamentarianThomas Chicheley RoyalistChicheley disabled 16 September 1642 replaced 1645 by Francis Russell. North secluded 1648

YearFirst memberSecond memberThird member Fourth member 1653 John Sadler Thomas French Robert Castle Samuel Warner 1654 John Delbrow Henry Pickering Robert Castle Francis Russell 1656 Robert West Henry Pickering Robert Castle Francis Russell 1659 Sir Thomas Willys, 1st Baronet Sir Henry Pickering

MPs 1660-1832 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party 1660Thomas Wendy Isaac Thornton 1661Thomas Chicheley 1674Sir Thomas Hatton, Bt February 1679Gerard Russell Edward Partherich August 1679Sir Levinus Bennet, Bt Tory Sir Robert Cotton 1693The Lord Cutts 1695Edward Russell Whig1697Sir Rushout Cullen, Bt 1702Granado Pigot 1705John Bromley 1707John Bromley 1710John Jenyns 1717Robert Clarke 1718Francis Whichcote 1722Sir John Hynde Cotton, Bt Lord Harley 1724Samuel Shepheard 1727Henry Bromley 1741Soame Jenyns 1747Viscount Royston Whig1754Marquess of Granby 1764Sir John Hynde Cotton, Bt 1770Sir Sampson Gideon, Bt 1780Lord Robert Manners ToryViscount Royston Tory1782Sir Henry Peyton, Bt Whig1789James Whorwood Adeane Whig1790Charles Philip Yorke ToryMay 1802Sir Henry Peyton, Bt WhigJuly 1802Lord Charles Manners Tory1810Lord Francis Osborne Whig1830Henry John Adeane Whig1831Richard Greaves Townley Whig1832third member added

MPs 1832–1885 ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyThird memberThird party 1832Richard Greaves Townley Whig Charles Yorke Tory John Walbanke-Childers Whig 1834 Conservative 1835Eliot Yorke ConservativeRichard Jefferson Eaton Conservative1841John Peter Allix Conservative 1847Richard Greaves Townley WhigLord George Manners Conservative1852Edward Ball Conservative1857Henry John Adeane Whig1859 Liberal1863 by-electionLord George Manners Conservative1865Viscount Royston ConservativeRichard Young Liberal1868Hon. Sir Henry Brand LiberalJanuary 1874 by-electionHon. Eliot Yorke ConservativeOctober 1874 by-electionBenjamin Rodwell Conservative1879 by-electionEdward Hicks Conservative1881 by-electionJames Redfoord Bulwer Conservative1884 by-electionArthur Thornhill Conservative 1885 Constituency abolished, Chesterton, Newmarket and Wisbech from 1885

MPs 1918-1983 ElectionMemberPartyChesterton and Newmarket prior to 19181918Edwin Montagu Coalition Liberal 1922 National Liberal1922Harold Gray Conservative1923Richard Briscoe Conservative1945A. E. Stubbs Labour1950Gerald Howard Conservative1961 by-electionFrancis Pym Conservative 1983 Constituency abolished, SE Cambs and SW Cambs from 1983

Elections Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1880s

Caused by Brand's elevation to the peerage, becoming Viscount Hampden.

Caused by Rodwell's resignation.

Elections in the 1870s

Caused by Yorke's death.

Caused by Manners' death.

Caused by Yorke's succession to the peerage, becoming Earl of Hardwicke.

Elections in the 1860s

Caused by Yorke's appointment as Comptroller of the Household.

Caused by Ball's resignation.

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1830s

Caused by Osborne's resignation

See also Parliamentary representation from Cambridgeshire List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies Unreformed House of Commons

References

Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972) British Parliamentary Constituencies: A Statistical Compendium, by Ivor Crewe and Anthony Fox (Faber and Faber 1984) John Cannon, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973)