Bedfordshire was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1295 until 1707, then the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1801 and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1885 when it was divided into two constituencies under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
History The constituency consisted of the historic county of Bedfordshire. (Although Bedfordshire contained the borough of Bedford, 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.)
As in other county constituencies the franchise between 1430 and 1832 was defined by the Forty Shilling Freeholder Act 1430, which gave the right to vote to every man who possessed freehold property within the county valued at £2 or more per year for the purposes of land tax; it was not necessary for the freeholder to occupy his land, nor even in later years to be resident in the county at all.
At the time of the Great Reform Act 1832, Bedfordshire had a population of approximately 95,000, but under 4,000 votes were cast at the election of 1826, and under 3,000 in election of 1830, even though each voter could cast two votes. Although local landowners could never control a county the size of Bedfordshire in the way they could own a pocket borough, titled magnates still exercised considerable influence over deferential county voters, and the Duke of Bedford was regarded as the hereditary "patron" of the constituency.
Elections were held at a single polling place, Bedford, and voters from the rest of the county had to travel to the county town to exercise their franchise. In many other counties this could make the cost of a contested election prohibitive, since it was normal for voters to expect the candidates for whom they voted to meet their expenses in travelling to the poll; but this was less of a factor in a small county like Bedfordshire, and contested elections were not uncommon.
Under the terms of the Great Reform Act 1832, the county franchise was extended to occupiers of land worth £50 or more, as well as the forty-shilling freeholders, but Bedfordshire was otherwise left unchanged. Under the new rules, 3,966 were registered and entitled to vote at the general election of 1832. While Bedford remained the place of election, where nominations were taken and the result declared, polling also took place at Luton, Leighton Buzzard, Ampthill, Biggleswade and Sharnbrook.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the constituency was abolished and the county divided into two single-member county constituencies, Biggleswade and Luton.
Members of Parliament MPs 1290-1640 — MPs 1640-1885 — Elections — See also — Notes
MPs 1290–1640
Constituency created (1290)
ParliamentFirst memberSecond memberParliament of 1295Sir David FlitwickParliament of 1313 (Jul)Peter de LoringDavid Flitwick, K.B.Parliament of 1313 (Sep)Sir Peter de LoringSir David Flitwick, K.B.Parliament of 1316Roger DakeneyParliament of 1322 (Sep)John Morice or MorizGood Parliament (1376)Johannes TrayleParliament of Jan 1377Sir Gerard Braybrooke IParliament of 1379William MordauntParliament of 1381Johannes TrayleParliament of 1385Reynold RagonParliament of 1386Ralph FitzrichardJohn HerveyParliament of Feb 1388 Sir Gerard Braybrooke IIRobert DigswellParliament of Sep 1388 William TerringtonRalph WaltonParliament of Jan 1390Baldwin PigotParliament of Nov 1390Sir Gerard Braybrooke IThomas ZoucheParliament of 1391 William TerringtonRalph WaltonParliament of 1393 John WorshipParliament of 1394Reynold ReganParliament of 1395Philip WalwynGiles DaubeneyParliament of Jan 1397William Terrington John WorshipParliament of Sep 1397Sir Baldwin PigotParliament of 1399Sir Gerard Braybrooke IISir Roger BeauchampParliament of 1401Sir Baldwin PigotGiles DaubeneyParliament of 1402 Reynold RagonJohn WorshipParliament of Jan 1404William TerringtonParliament of Oct 1404 Thomas DurantWilliam WenlockParliament of 1406Hugh HasildenParliament of 1407William BosomJohn WorshipParliament of 1409Returns lostParliament of 1411Returns lostParliament of May 1413William Bosom Thomas WawetonParliament of Apr 1414John GoldingtonParliament of Nov 1414John Enderby Roger HuntParliament of Mar 1416 William BosomParliament of 1417Thomas RoxtonParliament of 1419John EnderbySir Thomas WawetonParliament of 1420Robert ScottRoger HuntParliament of May 1421John Goldington IIThomas MordauntParliament of Dec 1421Thomas ManninghamHenry CockayneParliament of 1424 Sir Thomas WawetonParliament of 1431Parliament of 1433 John WenlockParliament of 1436Parliament of 1437Parliament of 1439Parliament of 1455Sir John WenlockParliament of 1529 Sir William GascoigneGeorge Acworth (died 1532) Sir John St JohnParliament of 1536Parliament of 1539 Sir John St JohnJohn GostwickParliament of 1542Sir John GascoigneParliament of 1545John Gostwick, died 1545Edmund ConquestParliament of 1547–1552Oliver St JohnLewis DyveParliament of March 1553Sir Humphrey RadclyffeParliament of October 1553Sir John GascoigneSir John MordauntParliament of 1554Sir Humphrey RadclyffeParliament of 1554-1555Parliament of 1555Parliament of 1558Sir John GascoigneParliament of 1559John St JohnThomas PigottParliament of 1563–1567Hon. John St JohnLewis MordauntParliament of 1571George RotheramThomas SnaggeParliament of 1572–1583Sir Henry Cheyne (1572 - created a peer)John Thomson (1572-1583)Parliament of 1584–1585Nicholas LukeParliament of 1586–1587Thomas SnaggeParliament of 1588–1589Hon. Oliver St JohnEdward RadclyffeParliament of 1593George RotheramParliament of 1597–1598Sir Edward RadclyffeNicholas LukeParliament of 1601Hon. Oliver St JohnParliament of 1604–1611Addled Parliament (1614)Sir Henry GreySir Oliver LukeParliament of 1621-1622Sir Beauchamp St JohnHappy Parliament (1624-1625)Oliver St JohnUseless Parliament (1625) Parliament of 1625-1626 Parliament of 1628-1629Oliver St John No Parliament summoned 1629-1640 Back to Members of Parliament
MPs 1640–1885 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party April 1640The Lord WentworthWentworth was summoned to the House of Lords in his father's barony, by writ of acceleration, before the Long Parliament had met for the first timeRoyalist Sir Oliver Luke Parliamentarian1641Roger BurgoyneParliamentarianDecember 1648Burgoyne and Luke excluded in Pride's Purge - both seats vacant1653 Nathaniel Taylor Edward Cater Representation increased to five members in First and Second Parliaments of the ProtectorateYearFirst memberSecond memberThird memberFourth memberFifth member1654 Sir William Boteler John HarveyEdmund WingateJohn NealeSamuel Bedford1656 Richard WagstaffeRichard Edwards Representation reverted to two members in Third Protectorate Parliament YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyJanuary 1659 Major Richard Wagstaffe Colonel John OkeyMay 1659Not represented in the restored Rump 9 April 1660Lord Bruce of Whorlton Samuel Browne 10 April 1661Sir Humphrey Winch, 1st Bt 2 May 1664Sir John Napier, 4th Bt 18 February 1679 Lord Russell Whig Sir Humphrey Monoux, 2nd Bt 1 September 167914 February 1681 10 March 1685Sir Villiers Chernock, 2nd Bt William Boteler 11 January 1689Lord Edward Russell WhigWilliam Duncombe Whig27 February 1690Thomas Browne 2 November 1695William Duncombe Whig20 July 1698Sir William Gostwick, 4th Bt Whigc. January 170111 December 170122 July 170223 May 1705Sir Pynsent Chernock, 3rd Bt Tory19 May 1708 Lord Edward Russell Whig5 October 1710 2 September 1713Sir Pynsent Chernock, 3rd Bt ToryJohn Harvey Tory16 February 1715William Hillersden Whig19 July 1715John CaterDeclared elected and Harvey unseated on petition Whig 4 April 1722Hon. Charles Leigh TorySir Rowland Alston, 4th Bt Whig1 September 1727Hon. Pattee Byng 16 February 1733Charles Leigh Tory24 April 1734Hon. John SpencerChose to sit for Woodstock26 February 1735Sir Roger Burgoyne, 6th Bt Whig18 May 1741Sir John Chester, 6th Bt Tory 6 July 1747Sir Danvers Osborn, 3rd Bt ToryThomas AlstonSucceeded as 5th baronet in 1759 Tory5 December 1753 The Earl of Upper Ossory Whig24 April 175413 December 1758Henry Osborn Tory 1 April 1761Marquess of Tavistock WhigRobert Henley-OngleyCreated Lord Ongley in 1776 Tory7 April 1767The Earl of Upper Ossory Whig28 March 176821 October 177427 September 1780 Hon. St Andrew St John Whig19 April 17841 July 1784The Lord OngleyDeclared elected and St John unseated on petition Tory19 May 1785Hon. St Andrew St JohnDeclared elected and Ongley unseated on petition Whig28 June 179015 September 1794John Osborn Tory31 May 179610 July 1802 5 July 1806Francis Pym Whig11 May 1807Hon. Richard FitzPatrickWhig14 October 1812Marquess of Tavistock Whig23 June 1818Sir John Osborn, 5th Bt Tory21 March 1820Francis Pym Whig15 June 1826Thomas Potter Macqueen Tory9 August 1830William Stuart Tory5 May 1831Peter Payne Whig 1832Lord Charles Russell Whig William Stuart Tory1834 Conservative1835Viscount Alford Conservative 1841William Astell Conservative March 1847Lord Charles Russell Whig August 1847Francis Russell Whig 1851Sir Richard Gilpin, 1st BtSir Richard Gilpin: Obituary in The Times, Monday, 10 Apr 1882; pg. 7; Issue 30477; col F: Died "on Saturday", No issue, Baronetcy extinct. Conservative 1859 Liberal1872Francis Bassett Liberal1875Marquess of Tavistock Liberal1880James Howard Liberal 1885 constituency divided: see Luton and Biggleswade Back to Members of Parliament
Elections 1810s — 1820s — 1830s — 1840s — 1850s — 1860s — 1870s — 1880s — See also — Notes
Elections in the 1800s
1802: John Osborn (Tory) and Hon. St Andrew St John (Whig) elected unopposed 1806: Following the elevation of Hon. St Andrew St John to the House of Lords, Francis Pym (Whig) elected unopposed 1806: John Osborn (Tory) and Francis Pym (Whig) elected unopposed
Back to Elections
Elections in the 1810s 1812: Marquess of Tavistock and Francis Pym (both Whig) elected unopposed 1818: Marquess of Tavistock (Whig) and Sir John Osborn, 5th Bt (Tory) elected unopposed
Back to Elections
Elections in the 1820s
Back to Elections
Elections in the 1830s
Back to Elections
Elections in the 1840s
Astell's death caused a by-election.
Back to Elections
Elections in the 1850s Egerton's death caused a by-election.
Back to Elections
Elections in the 1860s
Back to Elections
Elections in the 1870s Russell succeeded to the peerage, becoming Duke of Bedford and causing a by-election.
Bassett's resignation caused a by-election.
Back to Elections
Elections in the 1880s
Back to Elections
See also List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies Unreformed House of Commons
Notes
References
D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) John Cannon, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973) Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) F W S Craig, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885" (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989) Robert H O'Byrne, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland, Part I - Bedfordshire (London: John Ollivier, 1848) J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Reform 1640-1832 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965) Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt, The Unreformed House of Commons (Cambridge University Press, 1903) Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)