Amersham (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Amersham, often spelt as Agmondesham, was a constituency
of the House of Commons of England
until 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain
from 1707 to 1800 and finally in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament
(MPs), elected by the bloc-vote
system.
in Buckinghamshire
, covering part of the small town of Amersham
. It is located 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills of England. Davis describes it as "a thriving little market town".
Before the borough was re-enfranchised in 1625 and after it was disenfranchised in 1832, the area was represented as part of the county constituency of Buckinghamshire
.
s. In the 17th century a solicitor named William Hakewill
, of Lincoln's Inn, rediscovered ancient writs confirming that Amersham, Great Marlow, and Wendover had all sent members to Parliament in the past, and succeeded in re-establishing their privileges (despite the opposition of James I), so that they resumed electing members from the Parliament of 1624. Hakewill himself was elected for Amersham in 1624.
The right of election was held by householders paying scot and lot
, a local tax. This was one of the most democratic franchises used in elections to the Unreformed House of Commons
. However because this was a small borough, from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, it was under the patronage of the Drake family of Shardeloes (an estate about a mile from the town).
In the early eighteenth century there were about 150 electors. Although, at this period, the Drakes did not own most of the houses they were able to nominate candidates for both seats. An anti-Drake element in the electorate supported a candidate in opposition to the Tory candidates promoted by the Drake interest, at elections in 1728, 1734 and 1735. That opposition proved to represent about a third of the electorate.
Thereafter the Drakes enjoyed unchallenged possession of their pocket borough. There was no further sign of the sort of resistance to the dominant interest that broke out from time to time in many similar boroughs.
By the latter half of the eighteenth century the Drakes owned most of the town. The number of voters were reduced to about 70. Elections were all uncontested.
The borough was treated with respect by its patrons. Uncontested elections were accompanied by generous expenditure, estimated by Davis as £350 in the eighteenth century and £600 in the 1820s.
Amersham was one of the boroughs totally disenfranchised by the Reform Act 1832
. The 1831 census had shown that the population of the borough was 1,347, and there were 247 houses (although the whole town of Amersham had 360 houses).
Notes
system was used. Voters could cast a vote for one or two candidates, as they chose. The leading candidates with the largest number of votes were elected.
In by-elections, to fill a single seat, the first past the post system applied.
Where a party had more than one candidate in one or both of a pair of successive elections change is calculated for each individual candidate, otherwise change is based on the party vote. Change figures at by-elections are from the preceding general election or the last intervening by-election. Change figures at general elections are from the last general election.
Candidates for whom no party has been identified are classified as Non Partisan. The candidate might have been associated with a party or faction in Parliament or considered himself to belong to a particular political tradition. Political parties before the nineteenth century were not as cohesive or organised as they later became. Contemporary commentators (even the reputed leaders of parties or factions) in the eighteenth century did not necessarily agree who the party supporters were. The traditional parties, which had arisen in the late seventeenth century, became increasingly irrelevant to politics in the eighteenth century (particularly after 1760), although for some contests in some constituencies party labels were still used. It was only towards the end of the century that party labels began to acquire some meaning again, although this process was by no means complete for several more generations.
Sources: The results for elections before 1790 were taken from the History of Parliament Trust publications on the House of Commons. The results from 1790 until 1832 are based on Stooks Smith. Where Stooks Smith gives additional information to the other sources this is indicated in a note.
|}
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of the House of Commons of England
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
until 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain
House of Commons of Great Britain
The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the third estate of the Parliament of Scotland, as one of the most significant...
from 1707 to 1800 and finally in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MPs), elected by the bloc-vote
Plurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
system.
Boundaries
The constituency was a Parliamentary boroughParliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, covering part of the small town of Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
. It is located 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills of England. Davis describes it as "a thriving little market town".
Before the borough was re-enfranchised in 1625 and after it was disenfranchised in 1832, the area was represented as part of the county constituency of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Buckinghamshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It 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 1885.Its most prominent member was...
.
History
The borough was first enfranchised in 1300, but only seems to have sent burgesses to Parliament for a short time. By 1307 it was no longer included in the list of Parliamentary boroughParliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...
s. In the 17th century a solicitor named William Hakewill
William Hakewill
-Life:Born in Exeter, Devon, son of John Hakewill and his wife Thomasine . Educated, according to Anthony Wood at Exeter College, Oxford , he later studied law at Lincoln's Inn....
, of Lincoln's Inn, rediscovered ancient writs confirming that Amersham, Great Marlow, and Wendover had all sent members to Parliament in the past, and succeeded in re-establishing their privileges (despite the opposition of James I), so that they resumed electing members from the Parliament of 1624. Hakewill himself was elected for Amersham in 1624.
The right of election was held by householders paying scot and lot
Scot and lot
Scot and lot is a phrase common in the records of English medieval boroughs, applied to householders who were assessed for a tax paid to the borough for local or national purposes.They were usually members of a merchant guild.Before the Reform Act 1832, those who paid scot and bore...
, a local tax. This was one of the most democratic franchises used in elections to the Unreformed House of Commons
Unreformed House of Commons
The unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act 1832.Until the Act of Union of 1707 joining the Kingdoms of Scotland and England , Scotland had its own Parliament, and the term refers to the House of Commons of England...
. However because this was a small borough, from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, it was under the patronage of the Drake family of Shardeloes (an estate about a mile from the town).
In the early eighteenth century there were about 150 electors. Although, at this period, the Drakes did not own most of the houses they were able to nominate candidates for both seats. An anti-Drake element in the electorate supported a candidate in opposition to the Tory candidates promoted by the Drake interest, at elections in 1728, 1734 and 1735. That opposition proved to represent about a third of the electorate.
Thereafter the Drakes enjoyed unchallenged possession of their pocket borough. There was no further sign of the sort of resistance to the dominant interest that broke out from time to time in many similar boroughs.
By the latter half of the eighteenth century the Drakes owned most of the town. The number of voters were reduced to about 70. Elections were all uncontested.
The borough was treated with respect by its patrons. Uncontested elections were accompanied by generous expenditure, estimated by Davis as £350 in the eighteenth century and £600 in the 1820s.
Amersham was one of the boroughs totally disenfranchised by the Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
. The 1831 census had shown that the population of the borough was 1,347, and there were 247 houses (although the whole town of Amersham had 360 houses).
Members of Parliament
Constituency re-enfranchised in 1624| Year | First member | Second member |
|---|---|---|
| 1624 | John Crew John Crew, 1st Baron Crew John Crew, 1st Baron Crew of Stene was an English Puritan politician, who sided with the Parliamentary cause during the Civil War but was raised to a peerage by Charles II after the Restoration.-Career:... |
William Hakewill William Hakewill -Life:Born in Exeter, Devon, son of John Hakewill and his wife Thomasine . Educated, according to Anthony Wood at Exeter College, Oxford , he later studied law at Lincoln's Inn.... |
| 1625 | John Crew John Crew, 1st Baron Crew John Crew, 1st Baron Crew of Stene was an English Puritan politician, who sided with the Parliamentary cause during the Civil War but was raised to a peerage by Charles II after the Restoration.-Career:... |
Francis Drake |
| 1626 | William Clarke | Francis Drake |
| 1628 | William Hakewill William Hakewill -Life:Born in Exeter, Devon, son of John Hakewill and his wife Thomasine . Educated, according to Anthony Wood at Exeter College, Oxford , he later studied law at Lincoln's Inn.... |
Edmund Waller Edmund Waller Edmund Waller, FRS was an English poet and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1679.- Early life :... |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | |
| 1640 Short Parliament The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks.... |
William Drake Sir William Drake, 1st Baronet Sir William Drake, 1st Baronet was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1648 and again from 1661 to 1669.... |
Edmund Waller Edmund Waller Edmund Waller, FRS was an English poet and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1679.- Early life :... |
| 1640 Long Parliament The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and... |
Francis Drake | William Cheyney (d. April 1641) |
| 1641 | William Drake Sir William Drake, 1st Baronet Sir William Drake, 1st Baronet was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1648 and again from 1661 to 1669.... [1] |
|
| 1648 | Both members excluded in Pride's Purge Pride's Purge Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents... |
|
- Not represented in the FirstFirst Protectorate ParliamentThe First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House....
and Second Protectorate ParliamentSecond Protectorate ParliamentThe Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...
s; returned two members for the Third Protectorate ParliamentThird Protectorate ParliamentThe Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...
.Year First member First party Second member Second party 1659 Third Protectorate ParliamentThe Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...Francis Drake John Biscoe 1660 Charles Cheyne Charles Cheyne, 1st Viscount NewhavenCharles Cheyne, 1st Viscount Newhaven was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1660 and 1698....
Thomas Proby 1661 Sir William Drake, Bt Sir William Drake, 1st BaronetSir William Drake, 1st Baronet was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1648 and again from 1661 to 1669....
[1]1669 Sir William Drake [2] 1679 Sir Roger Hill 1681 Hon. William Cheyne William Cheyne, 2nd Viscount NewhavenWilliam Cheyne, 2nd Viscount Newhaven was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1681 until 1707 when as a viscount in the Peerage of Scotland he was required to sit in the House of Lords....
1689 Edmund Waller 1690 William Montagu William Montagu (judge)Sir William Montagu was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1676....
1695 Montagu Drake 1698 The 2nd Viscount Newhaven William Cheyne, 2nd Viscount NewhavenWilliam Cheyne, 2nd Viscount Newhaven was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1681 until 1707 when as a viscount in the Peerage of Scotland he was required to sit in the House of Lords....
Sir John Garrard, Bt 1699 John Drake 1701 The 2nd Viscount Newhaven William Cheyne, 2nd Viscount NewhavenWilliam Cheyne, 2nd Viscount Newhaven was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1681 until 1707 when as a viscount in the Peerage of Scotland he was required to sit in the House of Lords....
1701 John Drake 1701 Sir Samuel Garrard, Bt 1701 The 2nd Viscount Newhaven William Cheyne, 2nd Viscount NewhavenWilliam Cheyne, 2nd Viscount Newhaven was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1681 until 1707 when as a viscount in the Peerage of Scotland he was required to sit in the House of Lords....
1702 Sir Samuel Garrard, Bt 1705 The 2nd Viscount Newhaven William Cheyne, 2nd Viscount NewhavenWilliam Cheyne, 2nd Viscount Newhaven was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1681 until 1707 when as a viscount in the Peerage of Scotland he was required to sit in the House of Lords....
1707 John Drake 1708 Francis Duncombe 1710 John Drake 1713 Montague Garrard Drake Tory The 1st Viscount Fermanagh John Verney, 1st Viscount FermanaghJohn Verney, 1st Viscount Fermanagh , known as Sir John Verney, 2nd Baronet between 1696 and 1703, was an English peer, merchant and Tory politician.-Background:...
Tory 1717 The 2nd Viscount Fermanagh Ralph Verney, 1st Earl VerneyRalph Verney, 1st Earl Verney , styled The Honourable from 1703 to 1717 and subsequently known as The Viscount Fermanagh until 1742, was an Irish peer and Tory politician.-Background:...
Tory 1722 Thomas Chapman Tory 1727 Montague Garrard Drake Tory Baptist Leveson-Gower Tory 1728 Thomas Lutwyche Tory 1728 Marmaduke Alington Tory 1734 Sir Henry Marshall Tory 1735 Thomas Gore Tory 1746 William Drake, Sr [3] Tory 1754 Isaac Whittington Tory 1761 Benet Garrard 1767 John Affleck John AffleckJohn Affleck was a British Tory politician.He was the second and oldest surviving son of Gilbert Affleck and his wife Anna Dolben, daughter of John Dolben. His younger brother was Sir Edmund Affleck, 1st Baronet. In 1743, he entered the British House of Commons for Suffolk representing the...
Tory 1768 William Drake, Jr [4] Tory 1795 Thomas Drake Tyrwhitt-Drake Tory 1796 Charles Drake Garrard Tory 1805 Thomas Tyrwhitt-Drake Tory 1810 William Tyrwhitt-Drake Tory
- Constituency disenfranchished (1832)
Notes
General Notes
In multi-member elections the bloc votingPlurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
system was used. Voters could cast a vote for one or two candidates, as they chose. The leading candidates with the largest number of votes were elected.
In by-elections, to fill a single seat, the first past the post system applied.
Where a party had more than one candidate in one or both of a pair of successive elections change is calculated for each individual candidate, otherwise change is based on the party vote. Change figures at by-elections are from the preceding general election or the last intervening by-election. Change figures at general elections are from the last general election.
Candidates for whom no party has been identified are classified as Non Partisan. The candidate might have been associated with a party or faction in Parliament or considered himself to belong to a particular political tradition. Political parties before the nineteenth century were not as cohesive or organised as they later became. Contemporary commentators (even the reputed leaders of parties or factions) in the eighteenth century did not necessarily agree who the party supporters were. The traditional parties, which had arisen in the late seventeenth century, became increasingly irrelevant to politics in the eighteenth century (particularly after 1760), although for some contests in some constituencies party labels were still used. It was only towards the end of the century that party labels began to acquire some meaning again, although this process was by no means complete for several more generations.
Sources: The results for elections before 1790 were taken from the History of Parliament Trust publications on the House of Commons. The results from 1790 until 1832 are based on Stooks Smith. Where Stooks Smith gives additional information to the other sources this is indicated in a note.
Dates of Elections 1660-1715
- -- Apr 1660 GE
- 23 Mar 1661 GE
- -1 Nov 1669 BE
- -4 Feb 1679 GE
- -- --- 1679 GE
- 29 Jan 1681 GE
- 23 Mar 1685 GE
- -5 Jan 1689 GE
- -- --- 1690 GE
- -8 Oct 1690 BE
- -9 Nov 1691 BE
- 21 Oct 1695 GE
- 21 Jul 1698 GE
- -2 Jan 1699 BE
- -7 Jan 1701 GE
- 19 Feb 1701 BE
- 10 Mar 1701 BE
- 21 Nov 1701 GE
- 14 Nov 1702 GE
- -8 May 1705 GE
- 21 Nov 1707 BE
- -4 May 1708 GE
- -3 Oct 1710 GE
- 27 Aug 1713 GE
- 18 Mar 1714 BE
Election Results 1715-1832
As with most boroughs in the unreformed House of Commons, Amersham was uncontested at most elections. The only known contested elections after 1715 were those of 1728, 1735 and 1736.- Death of Fermanagh 23 June 1717
- Choice of Drake to sit for BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire (UK Parliament constituency)Buckinghamshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It 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 1885.Its most prominent member was...
- Choice of Leveson Gower to sit for Newcastle-under-LymeNewcastle-under-Lyme (UK Parliament constituency)Newcastle-under-Lyme is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
- Death of Drake 26 April 1728
- (Note May 1728): Drake, the late MP, had been the owner of the largest interest in the constituency. His heir was a child and the anti-Drake element in the borough took advantage of the opportunity to contest the seat. Only about a third of the votes were cast for the challenger.
- (Note 1734): Thomas Bladen stood for the anti-Drake forces in the borough. The result again suggested that only about a third of the electorate opposed the borough's long term patrons.
- Death of Lutwyche 13 November 1734
- (Note 1735): The vote totals are unknown, but Gore won and no further contested elections took place during the remaining ninety seven years when the borough returned MPs.
- Appointment of Gore as Commissary General of the Musters (he was returned for PortsmouthPortsmouth (UK Parliament constituency)Portsmouth was a borough constituency based upon the borough of Portsmouth in Hampshire. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.- History :...
)
- Death of Marshall 2 February 1754
- Death of Garrard
- -- --- 1790 GE
- -4 Jun 1795 BE
- 26 May 1796 GE
- -- --- 1802 GE
- 31 Jan 1805 BE
- -- --- 1806 GE
- -- --- 1807 GE
- 21 Nov 1810 BE
- -- --- 1812 GE
- -- --- 1818 GE
- -- --- 1820 GE
- -- --- 1826 GE
- -- --- 1830 GE
- -- --- 1831 GE
|}
See also
- List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies
- Chesham and Amersham (UK Parliament constituency) constituency created in 1974