Higham Ferrers (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Higham Ferrers was a parliamentary borough
in Northamptonshire
, which was represented in the House of Commons
from 1558 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act. It was one of the very small number of English boroughs in that period which was entitled to elect only one rather than two Members of Parliament
.
, a small market town in the east of Northamptonshire. In 1831, the population of the borough was 965, and it contained 169 houses; a further two houses were in the town but outside the boundaries of the borough.
Higham Ferrers was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1556 and was first summoned to elect a representative to the Parliament of 1557-1558. The right to vote was exercised by the Mayor, aldermen
, burgesses (members of the town corporation) and freemen
, provided they were householders in the borough and not receiving alms; in 1831 this comprised a total of 33 voters. Since the corporation elected its own successors and had the right to create freemen (which was sparingly used), this ensured that the power was self-perpetuating and usually entirely under the influence of the local landowner or "patron".
In the first few years of its existence, during the early Elizabethan period, Higham Ferrers seems to have been entirely under the sway of the Duchy of Lancaster
, electing Duchy officers as its MPs, but later in the same reign the influence of the local landed families became more evident, in particular the Hattons and the Montagus of Boughton. From the start of the 18th century, however, the Watson-Wentworth family, later Marquesses of Rockingham
, owned the borough and exercised an unchallenged right to nominate its MP; on the death of the 2nd Marquess
in 1784, the patronage passed to his nephew and heir, the Earl Fitzwilliam
, who still retained it at the time of the Reform Act.
Higham Ferrers was abolished as a constituency by the Reform Act, those of its inhabitants who were qualified subsequently voting in the Northern division
of the county.
Notes
Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, which was represented in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
from 1558 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act. It was one of the very small number of English boroughs in that period which was entitled to elect only one rather than 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,...
.
History
The borough consisted of the parish of Higham FerrersHigham Ferrers
Higham Ferrers is a market town in the Nene Valley in East Northamptonshire, England, close to the Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire borders. It forms a single urban area with Rushden to the south and has an estimated population of 6,086...
, a small market town in the east of Northamptonshire. In 1831, the population of the borough was 965, and it contained 169 houses; a further two houses were in the town but outside the boundaries of the borough.
Higham Ferrers was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1556 and was first summoned to elect a representative to the Parliament of 1557-1558. The right to vote was exercised by the Mayor, aldermen
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
, burgesses (members of the town corporation) and freemen
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
, provided they were householders in the borough and not receiving alms; in 1831 this comprised a total of 33 voters. Since the corporation elected its own successors and had the right to create freemen (which was sparingly used), this ensured that the power was self-perpetuating and usually entirely under the influence of the local landowner or "patron".
In the first few years of its existence, during the early Elizabethan period, Higham Ferrers seems to have been entirely under the sway of the Duchy of Lancaster
Duchy of Lancaster
The Duchy of Lancaster is one of the two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Cornwall. It is held in trust for the Sovereign, and is used to provide income for the use of the British monarch...
, electing Duchy officers as its MPs, but later in the same reign the influence of the local landed families became more evident, in particular the Hattons and the Montagus of Boughton. From the start of the 18th century, however, the Watson-Wentworth family, later Marquesses of Rockingham
Marquess of Rockingham
Marquess of Rockingham was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1746 for Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Earl of Malton. The Watson family descended from Lewis Watson, Member of Parliament for Lincoln. He was created a Baronet, of Rockingham Castle in the County of Northampton,...
, owned the borough and exercised an unchallenged right to nominate its MP; on the death of the 2nd Marquess
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, KG, PC , styled The Hon. Charles Watson-Wentworth before 1733, Viscount Higham between 1733 and 1746, Earl of Malton between 1746 and 1750 and The Earl Malton in 1750, was a British Whig statesman, most notable for his two terms as Prime...
in 1784, the patronage passed to his nephew and heir, the Earl Fitzwilliam
William FitzWilliam, 4th Earl FitzWilliam
William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam PC , styled Viscount Milton until 1756, was a British Whig statesman of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1782 he inherited his uncle Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham's estates, making him one of the richest people in...
, who still retained it at the time of the Reform Act.
Higham Ferrers was abolished as a constituency by the Reform Act, those of its inhabitants who were qualified subsequently voting in the Northern division
North Northamptonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North Northamptonshire was a county constituency in Northamptonshire, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Boundaries :...
of the county.
1558-1640
| Parliament | Member |
|---|---|
| 1558 | Ralph Lane |
| 1559 (Jan) | John Purvey |
| 1562/3 | John Purvey |
| 1571 | Christopher Hatton Christopher Hatton Sir Christopher Hatton was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England.-Early days:... |
| 1572 | Edmund Downing |
| 1584 (Nov) | Humphrey Mildmay |
| 1586 (Sep) | Humphrey Mildmay |
| 1588 (Oct) | Richard Swale |
| 1593 | Henry Montagu Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester Sir Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester was an English judge, politician and peer.-Life:He was the grandson of Sir Edward Montagu, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1539 to 1545, who was named by King Henry VIII one of the executors of his will, and governor to his son, Edward VI.Born... |
| 1597 | Henry Montagu Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester Sir Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester was an English judge, politician and peer.-Life:He was the grandson of Sir Edward Montagu, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1539 to 1545, who was named by King Henry VIII one of the executors of his will, and governor to his son, Edward VI.Born... |
| 1601 (Sep) | Henry Montagu Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester Sir Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester was an English judge, politician and peer.-Life:He was the grandson of Sir Edward Montagu, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1539 to 1545, who was named by King Henry VIII one of the executors of his will, and governor to his son, Edward VI.Born... |
| 1604-1611 | Sir Goddard Pemberton |
| 1614 | Rowland St John Rowland St John Rowland St John was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1614 and 1625.St John was a son of Oliver St John, 3rd Baron St John of Bletso and his wife Dorothy Reid, daughter of Sir John Rede or Reid, of Odington, Gloucestershire. In 1614, St John was elected Member of... |
| 1620-1622 | Sir Charles Montagu |
| 1628 | Sir George Sondes George Sondes, 1st Earl of Feversham George Sondes, 1st Earl of Feversham KB was an English peer and member of the House of Lords.-Life:He was born at Lees Court, in the parish of Sheldwich, near Feversham in Kent, the son of Sir Richard Sondes of Throwley, by his wife Susan, daughter of Sir Edward Montagu of Boughton... |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned |
1640-1832
| Year | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 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... |
Sir Christopher Hatton | Royalist | |
| September 1642 | Hatton disabled from sitting - seat vacant | ||
| 1645 | Edward Harby | ||
| 1653 | Higham Ferrers was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament Barebones Parliament Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the installation of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector... and the First First Protectorate Parliament The 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 Second Protectorate Parliament The 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... Parliaments of the Protectorate |
||
| January 1659 Third Protectorate Parliament The 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... |
James Nutley | ||
| May 1659 Rump Parliament The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason.... |
Edward Harby | ||
| April 1660 | Sir Thomas Dacres Thomas Dacres Sir Thomas Dacres was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1626 and 1660. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.... |
||
| 1661 | Lewis Palmer | ||
| 1679 | Sir Rice Rudd | ||
| 1685 | Sir Lewis Palmer | ||
| January 1689 | Sir Rice Rudd | ||
| February 1689 | Hon. Lewis Watson Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham was an English peer and politician.Rockingham was the eldest son of Edward Watson, 2nd Baron Rockingham and his wife, the former Lady Anne Wentworth, daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. In 1677, he married Lady Catherine Sondes, a daughter of... |
||
| July 1689 | Thomas Andrew Thomas Andrew Thomas Andrew was a Scottish-born New Zealand cricketer who played for Otago. He was born in Crossgates and died in Roxburgh.Andrew made a single first-class appearance for the side, during the 1872-73 season, against Canterbury... |
||
| 1698 | Thomas Ekins | ||
| 1702 | Thomas Pemberton | ||
| 1703 | Thomas Watson Wentworth | ||
| 1714 | Charles Leigh Charles Leigh Charles "Charlie" Leigh is a former National Football League running back. He is best known for backing up Mercury Morris and Jim Kiick and returning kicks for the Miami Dolphins' back to back Super Bowl champions in the 1972 and 1973 seasons. He also played for the Cleveland Browns and Green... |
||
| 1722 | Thomas Watson Wentworth | ||
| 1724 | John Finch | ||
| May 1741 | Henry Finch | ||
| December 1741 | Henry Seymour Conway Henry Seymour Conway Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole, he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession and eventually rose to the rank of Field Marshal .-Family and education:Conway was... |
Whig | |
| 1747 | John Hill | ||
| 1753 | Hon. John Yorke | ||
| 1768 | Frederick Montagu Frederick Montagu Frederick Montagu PC, FRS was a British Whig MP.Montagu was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was MP for Northampton from 1759 to 1768, and for Higham Ferrers from 1768 to 1790. He was in favour of tolerance for Dissenters and the removal of adherence to the Thirty-Nine Articles... |
||
| June 1790 | Viscount Duncannon Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough was a British peer.Ponsonby was the eldest son of the 2nd Earl of Bessborough and succeeded to his father's titles in 1793... |
||
| December 1790 | John Lee John Lee (Attorney-General) John Lee KC was an English lawyer, politician, and law officer of the Crown. He assisted in the early days of Unitarianism in England.-Life:... |
||
| 1793 | Serjeant James Adair James Adair (serjeant) James Adair, KS was an Irish serjeant-at-law.He was admitted to Peterhouse, Cambridge, and took a B.A. in 1764, and M.A. in 1767. He was educated in law and in due course called to the bar by the society of Lincoln's Inn... |
Whig | |
| 1798 | Stephen Thurston Adey | Whig | |
| 1801 | Francis Ferrand Foljambe Francis Ferrand Foljambe Francis Ferrand Foljambe , M.P., politician born Aldwark, North Yorkshire, England.Born 17 January 1749 – Foljambe inherited estates at Wadworth, Steeton, Westow, and Aldwark, Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, his family later moved to Osberton Hall, Scofton, Worksop)... |
Whig | |
| 1807 | William Windham William Windham William Windham PC, PC was a British Whig statesman.-Early life:Windham was a member of an ancient Norfolk family and a great-great-grandson of Sir John Wyndham. He was the son of William Windham, Sr. of Felbrigg Hall and his second wife, Sarah Lukin... |
Whig | |
| 1810 | Viscount Duncannon John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough John William Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough PC , known as Viscount Duncannon from 1793 to 1844, was a British Whig politician... |
Whig | |
| 1812 | William Plumer | Whig | |
| 1822 | Viscount Normanby | Whig | |
| 1826 | Major-General Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby Major General The Honourable Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, GCMG, KCB, KCH , styled The Honourable from 1806 to 1837, was a British military officer, the second son of the 3rd Earl of Bessborough and Henrietta Spencer.... |
Whig | |
| 1830 | Viscount Howick Henry Grey, 3rd Earl Grey Henry George Grey, 3rd Earl Grey , known as Viscount Howick from 1807 until 1845, was an English statesman.-Background:Grey was the eldest son of Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, by his wife the Hon... |
Whig | |
| April 1831 | Viscount Milton Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 5th Earl FitzWilliam Charles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 5th Earl Fitzwilliam KG was a British nobleman. He was three times President of the Royal Statistical Society .... |
Whig | |
| July 1831 | Charles Christopher Pepys Charles Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham Charles Christopher Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham PC KC was a British lawyer, judge and politician. He was twice Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.-Background and education:... |
Whig | |
| October 1831 | John George Brabazon Ponsonby John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough John George Brabazon Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough PC , styled Viscount Duncannon from 1844 until 1847, was a British cricketer, courtier and Liberal politician.-Background:... |
Whig | |
| 1832 United Kingdom general election, 1832 -Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807.... |
Constituency abolished | ||
Notes