Rochester was a parliamentary constituency

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:...

 in Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

. It returned 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) to 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...

 from 1295 to 1707, then to 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 1708 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

 from 1801 until the 1885 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1885

-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...

, when its representation was reduced to one seat.

In 1918

United Kingdom general election, 1918

The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...

, it was split between Chatham

Chatham (UK Parliament constituency)

Chatham was a parliamentary constituency in Kent which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...

, Gillingham

Gillingham (UK Parliament constituency)

Gillingham was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...

 and the "old", rural, Medway constituency

Medway (UK Parliament constituency)

Medway was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1983 and 2010. A previous constituency of the same name existed from 1885 to 1918.-1885–1918:...

. The Chatham seat became Rochester and Chatham

Rochester and Chatham (UK Parliament constituency)

Rochester and Chatham was a parliamentary constituency in Kent which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election....

 in 1950, and then Medway in 1983. When the boroughs of Rochester upon Medway and Gillingham merged to form the larger unitary Borough of Medway

Medway

Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...

 in 1998, the Parliamentary constituency of Medway only covered part of the new borough, so for the next election it will be renamed Rochester and Strood.

MPs 1295–1640

Parliament	First member	Second member
1386	John Fleming	Peter Pope
1388 (Feb)	William Gillingham I	John Marchaunt I
1388 (Sep)	Richard Crowborough	Thomas White
1390 (Jan)	Richard Bolour	John Mateshale
1390 (Nov)
1391	Thomas Dudmere	William Gillingham II
1393	William Chylynden	William Osbourne
1394
1395	Richard Broke	Thomas Taverner
1397 (Jan)	John Plomer	John Precy
1397 (Sep)
1399	William Frere	John Precy
1401	Richard Berde	Reynold Shrewsbury
1402	Thomas Dudmere	Reynold Shrewsbury
1404 (Jan)	Thomas Dunston	William Frere
1404 (Oct)	Thomas Dudmere	Richard Lorkyn
1406	Thomas Chertsey	Reynold Shrewsbury
1407	John Everard	John Bosom
1410	John Alcate	Thomas Chertsey
1411	John Everard	Roger Landford
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	John Deeping	Roger Landford
1414 (Apr)
1414 (Nov)	John Deeping	Richard Lorkyn
1415
1416 (Mar)	Robert Bury	John Potager
1416 (Oct)
1417	Thomas Bolour	John Marchaunt III
1419	William Hunt	Robert Kela
1420	John Draper	Thomas Turner
1421 (May)
1421 (Dec)	John Deeping	John Marchaunt III
1510-1523	No names known
1529	Nicholas Hurleston, died and repl. by 1533 by Edmund Page	Robert Fisher
1536	?
1539	?
1542	?
1545	Sir Thomas Moyle	William Roper
1547	Sir Thomas Moyle	William Roper
1553 (Mar)	Sir John Norton	Christopher Roper
1553 (Oct)	Sir Thomas Moyle	Robert Darknall
1554 (Apr)	Sir Thomas Moyle	William Roper
1554 (Nov)	William Roper	Edward Bashe Edward Bashe Sir Edward Bashe was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1628 and 1640.Bashe was the son of Ralph Bashe, of Stanstead Abbots, Hertfordshire and his wife Frances Carey, daughter of Sir Edward Carey, Master of the Jewel Office. He matriculated at Peterhouse, Cambridge in...
1555	Sir George Howard	Sir William Brooke alias Cobham
1558	Hugh Cartwright	Thomas Page
1559	Edward Bashe Edward Bashe Sir Edward Bashe was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1628 and 1640.Bashe was the son of Ralph Bashe, of Stanstead Abbots, Hertfordshire and his wife Frances Carey, daughter of Sir Edward Carey, Master of the Jewel Office. He matriculated at Peterhouse, Cambridge in...	Thomas Brooke alias Cobham
1562/3	Edward Bashe Edward Bashe Sir Edward Bashe was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1628 and 1640.Bashe was the son of Ralph Bashe, of Stanstead Abbots, Hertfordshire and his wife Frances Carey, daughter of Sir Edward Carey, Master of the Jewel Office. He matriculated at Peterhouse, Cambridge in...	Richard Watts
1571	William Holstock	George Catlyn
1572	George Catelyn George Catelyn George Catelyn was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1571 and 1581.Catelyn was elected Member of Parliament for Rochester, Kent in 1571 and held the position until 1581....	William Partridge, sick and repl. 1579 by Samuel Coxe
1584	William Brooke alias Cobham	George Byng
1586	William Brooke alias Cobham	William Lewin
1588	William Lewin	John Stanhope John Stanhope, 1st Baron Stanhope John Stanhope, 1st Baron Stanhope of Harrington was an English courtier, politician and peer.-Life:He was the third son of Sir Michael Stanhope, born in Yorkshire, but brought up in Nottinghamshire after his father's attainder for treason in 1552...
1593	William Lewin	George Chowne
1597	Sir Edward Hoby	Sir Thomas Walsingham Thomas Walsingham (literary patron) Sir Thomas Walsingham was a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I and literary patron to such poets as Thomas Watson, Thomas Nashe, George Chapman and Christopher Marlowe. He was related to Elizabeth's spymaster Francis Walsingham and the employer of Marlowe's murderer Ingram Frizer...
1601	Sir Edward Hoby	Sir Thomas Walsingham
1604–1611	Sir Edward Hoby Edward Hoby Sir Edward Hoby was a diplomat, Member of Parliament, scholar, and soldier in England during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I...	Sir Thomas Walsingham Thomas Walsingham (literary patron) Sir Thomas Walsingham was a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I and literary patron to such poets as Thomas Watson, Thomas Nashe, George Chapman and Christopher Marlowe. He was related to Elizabeth's spymaster Francis Walsingham and the employer of Marlowe's murderer Ingram Frizer...
1614	Sir Edwin Sandys Edwin Sandys (American colonist) Sir Edwin Sandys was an English politician, a leading figure in the parliaments of James I of England. He was also one of the founders of the proprietary Virginia Company of London, which in 1607 established the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States in the colony of...	Sir Thomas Walsingham Thomas Walsingham (literary patron) Sir Thomas Walsingham was a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I and literary patron to such poets as Thomas Watson, Thomas Nashe, George Chapman and Christopher Marlowe. He was related to Elizabeth's spymaster Francis Walsingham and the employer of Marlowe's murderer Ingram Frizer...
1621–1622	Sir Thomas Walsingham (younger) Thomas Walsingham (MP) Sir Thomas Walsingham was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1614 and 1640. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War....	Henry Clerke Henry Clerke (MP) Henry Clerke was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1626.Clerke was recorder of Rochester. He was elected Member of Parliament for Rochester in 1621 until 1622 under the reign of King James I. He was re-elected MP for Rochester in 1625 for both...
1624	Maximilian Dalyson	Sir Thomas Walsingham (elder) Thomas Walsingham (literary patron) Sir Thomas Walsingham was a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I and literary patron to such poets as Thomas Watson, Thomas Nashe, George Chapman and Christopher Marlowe. He was related to Elizabeth's spymaster Francis Walsingham and the employer of Marlowe's murderer Ingram Frizer...
1625	Henry Clerke Henry Clerke (MP) Henry Clerke was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1626.Clerke was recorder of Rochester. He was elected Member of Parliament for Rochester in 1621 until 1622 under the reign of King James I. He was re-elected MP for Rochester in 1625 for both...	Sir Thomas Walsingham (elder) Thomas Walsingham (literary patron) Sir Thomas Walsingham was a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I and literary patron to such poets as Thomas Watson, Thomas Nashe, George Chapman and Christopher Marlowe. He was related to Elizabeth's spymaster Francis Walsingham and the employer of Marlowe's murderer Ingram Frizer...
1626	Henry Clerke Henry Clerke Henry Clerke was an English academic and physician, President of Magdalen College, Oxford from 1672.-Life:He was son of Thomas Clerke of Willoughby, Warwickshire, England, and matriculated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford on 20 April 1635, at the age of 16. He obtained a demyship at Magdalen College, and...	Sir Thomas Walsingham (elder) Thomas Walsingham (literary patron) Sir Thomas Walsingham was a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I and literary patron to such poets as Thomas Watson, Thomas Nashe, George Chapman and Christopher Marlowe. He was related to Elizabeth's spymaster Francis Walsingham and the employer of Marlowe's murderer Ingram Frizer...
1628	Sir Thomas Walsingham (younger) Thomas Walsingham (MP) Sir Thomas Walsingham was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1614 and 1640. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War....	William Brooke William Brooke, 12th Baron Cobham William Brooke, 12th Baron Cobham KB was an English peer, soldier and politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Rochester, Kent.-Biography:...
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned

MPs 1640–1885

Year		First member	First party		Second member	Second party
April 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....		Sir Thomas Walsingham Thomas Walsingham (MP) Sir Thomas Walsingham was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1614 and 1640. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War....			John Clerke John Clerke John Clerke was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640.Clerke was the son of Henry Clerke of Rochester, Kent and his wife Grace Morgan, daughter of George Morgan of Crow Lane House Rochester. His father was a lawyer and MP for Rochester...
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 Thomas Walsingham Thomas Walsingham (MP) Sir Thomas Walsingham was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1614 and 1640. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War....	Parliamentarian		Richard Lee Richard Lee (MP for Rochester) Richard Lee was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England from 1640 to 1648.Le was from a family of Rochester and in 1621 became one of the bridge wardens of Rochester Bridge, a post he held until 1653....	Parliamentarian
December 1648				Lee 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...  - seat vacant
1653	Rochester 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...
1654 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....		John Parker		Rochester had only one seat in 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
1656 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...
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...		Peter Pett Peter Pett Peter Pett, was an English Master Shipwright, and Second Resident Commissioner of Chatham Dockyard. He is noted for the incident concerning the protection of his scale models and drawings of the King's Fleet during the Dutch Raid on the Medway, in Kent in June 1667, during the Second Anglo-Dutch...			Richard Hutchinson
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....		Sir Thomas Walsingham Thomas Walsingham (MP) Sir Thomas Walsingham was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1614 and 1640. He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War....		One seat vacant
1660		Peter Pett Peter Pett Peter Pett, was an English Master Shipwright, and Second Resident Commissioner of Chatham Dockyard. He is noted for the incident concerning the protection of his scale models and drawings of the King's Fleet during the Dutch Raid on the Medway, in Kent in June 1667, during the Second Anglo-Dutch...			John Marsham Sir John Marsham, 1st Baronet Sir John Marsham, 1st Baronet was an English antiquary known as a writer on chronology, and also a chancery clerk and politician. He was a Member of Parliament for Rochester from 1660 to 1661.-Life:...
1661		Sir Francis Clerke Francis Clerke (c 1624- 1686) Sir Francis Clerke was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1661 and 1685.Clerke was the son of Henry Clerke of Rochester, who was a lawyer and MP for Rochester. Clerke inherited his father's property which included Restoration House at Rochester...			Sir William Batten William Batten Sir William Batten was an English naval officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1667.Batten was the son of Andrew Batten, master in the Royal Navy. In 1625 he was stated to be one of the commanders of two ships sent on a whaling voyage to Spitsbergen by the Yarmouth...
1667					Sir Richard Head Sir Richard Head, 1st Baronet Sir Richard Head, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1667 to 1679.Head was the son of Richard Head, of Rochester, and his wife Anne Hartridge, daughter of William Hartridge, of Cranbrook....
February 1679		Sir John Banks Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet, was an English merchant and MP, who rose from relatively humble beginnings to be one of the wealthiest merchants in London and owner of several properties.-Life:...
August 1679					Francis Barrell Francis Barrell (died 1679) Francis Barrell was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1679.Barrell was the son of a Kentish clergyman and became serjeant at law at Rochester...
1681					Sir Francis Clerke Francis Clerke (c 1624- 1686) Sir Francis Clerke was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1661 and 1685.Clerke was the son of Henry Clerke of Rochester, who was a lawyer and MP for Rochester. Clerke inherited his father's property which included Restoration House at Rochester...
1689					Sir Roger Twisden Sir Roger Twisden, 2nd Baronet Sir Roger Twisden, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1689 to 1690.Twisden was the son of Sir Thomas Twisden, 1st Baronet and his wife Jane Tomlinson daughter of John Tomlinson...
1690		Sir Joseph Williamson Joseph Williamson (politician) Sir Joseph Williamson, FRS was an English civil servant, diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1665 and 1701 and in the Irish House of Commons between 1692 and 1699....			Francis Clerke Francis Clerke (c 1665 - by 1691) Francis Clerke was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1690 to 1691.Clerke was the son of Sir Francis Clerke of Ulcombe and Rochester and his second wife Elizabeth Hastings, widow of John Hastings of Woodlands Dorset and daughter of John Cage of Brightwell Court...
1691					Caleb Banks Caleb Banks Caleb Banks was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1685 and 1696.Banks was the son of Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet and his wife Elizabeth Dethick, daughter of Sir John Dethick. He was educated at Queens College, Cambridge and admitted at Grey's Inn in February 1675...
1695					Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell Cloudesley Shovell Admiral of the Fleet Sir Cloudesley Shovell , was an English naval officer. Rising through the ranks and fighting in many of the important battles of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, he became a popular British hero, whose celebrated career was brought to an end in a disastrous shipwreck in...
1701		Francis Barrell Francis Barrell (1663–1724) Francis Barrell was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1701 and 1702.Barrell was the son of Francis Barrell and his wife Anne Somer daughter of Richard Somer of Clifford's Inn. He was educated at Eton College and Brasenose College, Oxford. He entered Middle Temple in...			William Bokenham William Bokenham William Bokenham was Royal Navy officer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1701 to 1702.Bokenham was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy on 10 August 1681 and became a captain on 7 May 1689. He was captain of HMS Happy Return from 1689 to 1690, of HMS Monck in...
1702		Edward Knatchbull Sir Edward Knatchbull, 4th Baronet Sir Edward Knatchbull, 4th Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England from 1702 to 1705 and in the House of Commons of Great Britain variously between 1713 and 1730....			William Cage William Cage William Cage was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons of England from 1702 to 1705 and in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1710 to 1715....
1705		Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell Cloudesley Shovell Admiral of the Fleet Sir Cloudesley Shovell , was an English naval officer. Rising through the ranks and fighting in many of the important battles of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, he became a popular British hero, whose celebrated career was brought to an end in a disastrous shipwreck in...			Admiral Sir Stafford Fairborne Stafford Fairborne Admiral of the Fleet Sir Stafford Fairborne was a Royal Navy officer and politician who represented Rochester as a Member of Parliament from 1705 to 1710.-Naval career:...
1708		Admiral Sir John Leake John Leake Sir John Leake was an English Admiral in the Royal Navy and a politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 to 1715.Leake was born at Rotherhithe, the second son of Richard Leake, Master Gunner of England....
1710					William Cage William Cage William Cage was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons of England from 1702 to 1705 and in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1710 to 1715....
1715		Sir Thomas Palmer, Bt			Admiral Sir John Jennings
1724		Sir Thomas Colby Sir Thomas Colby, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Colby, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1724 to 1727.Colby was the son of Philip Colby of Colby House and his wife Elizabeth Flewellin, daughter of William Flewellin...
1727		David Polhill David Polhill David Polhill was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1710 and 1754.Polhill was the son of Thomas Polhill of Otford and his wife Elizabeth Ireton, daughter of Henry Ireton, and granddaughter of Oliver Cromwell. He lived at Otford where he had various attempts at...
1734					Admiral Nicholas Haddock Nicholas Haddock Nicholas Haddock was an admiral in the British Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament .Haddock, the second son of Admiral Sir Richard Haddock, was destined for a naval career from childhood and first distinguished himself at the age of 16 as a midshipman at the Battle of Vigo in 1702...
1741		Admiral Edward Vernon Edward Vernon Edward Vernon was an English naval officer. Vernon was born in Westminster, England and went to Westminster School. He joined the Navy in 1700 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1702 and served on several different ships for the next five years...
1743		David Polhill David Polhill David Polhill was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1710 and 1754.Polhill was the son of Thomas Polhill of Otford and his wife Elizabeth Ireton, daughter of Henry Ireton, and granddaughter of Oliver Cromwell. He lived at Otford where he had various attempts at...
1746					Admiral Sir Chaloner Ogle Chaloner Ogle Admiral of the Fleet Sir Chaloner Ogle was a British naval commander during the War of the Austrian Succession.-Naval career:Born the son of John Ogle, a Newcastle barrister, Ogle came from the Kirkley Hall branch of the prominent Northumbrian Ogle family of Northumberland...
1751					Admiral The Hon. John Byng John Byng Admiral John Byng was a Royal Navy officer. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen he participated at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718. Over the next thirty years he built up a reputation as a solid naval officer and received promotion to Vice-Admiral in 1747...
1754		Nicholas Haddock Nicholas Haddock (1723–1781) Nicholas Haddock was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1761.Haddock was the son of Admiral Nicholas Haddock who was also MP for Rochester and the grandson of Admiral Sir Richard Haddock...
1757					Admiral Isaac Townsend Isaac Townsend Isaac Townsend was an admiral in the British Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament.A post-Captain from 1720, Townsend commanded various ships. As captain of HMS Shrewsbury he took part in the expedition against Cartagena in 1741. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1744, Vice Admiral in 1746 and...
1761 British general election, 1761 The British general election, 1761 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707...		Viscount Parker Thomas Parker, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield Thomas Parker, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield FRS , styled Viscount Parker between 1732 and 1764, was a British peer and politician.-Background:...
1764		Admiral Sir Charles Hardy Charles Hardy Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Hardy was a Royal Navy officer and colonial governor of New York.-Early career:Born at Portsmouth, the son of a vice admiral, Charles Hardy joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer in 1731....
1765					Grey Cooper Grey Cooper Grey Cooper was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1765 and 1790 and was Secretary to the Treasury under various administrations....
1768 British general election, 1768 The British general election, 1768 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.-Summary of the Constituencies:...		John Calcraft John Calcraft John Calcraft the elder , of Rempstone in Dorset and Ingress in Kent, was an English army agent and politician.-Business career:...			William Gordon
1771					Admiral Thomas Pye Thomas Pye Sir Thomas Pye was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the American War of Independence...
1772		George Finch-Hatton George Finch-Hatton (MP for Rochester) George Finch-Hatton was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1772 to 1784.Finch-Hatton was born George Finch, the son of the Honourable Edward Finch-Hatton, fifth son of Daniel Finch, 7th Earl of Winchilsea. He was educated at Westminster School and at Christ's College,...
1774 British general election, 1774 The British general election, 1774 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.-Summary of the Constituencies:...					Robert Gregory Robert Gregory (MP) Robert Gregory was an Irish-born East India merchant and politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1768 to 1784....
1784 British general election, 1784 The British general election of 1784 resulted in William Pitt the Younger securing an overall majority of about 120 in the House of Commons of Great Britain, having previously had to survive in a House which was dominated by his opponents.-Background:...		Captain Sir Charles Middleton Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham Admiral Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham PC was a British naval officer and politician.He was born at Leith, Midlothian to Robert Middleton, a customs collector of Bo'ness, Linlithgowshire, and Helen, daughter of Charles Dundas.-Naval career:Middleton entered the Royal Navy in 1741 as captain's...			Nathaniel Smith Nathaniel Smith (MP) Nathaniel Smith was a naval officer and official in the Honourable East India Company and a politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1783 and 1794....
1790 British general election, 1790 The British general election, 1790 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 17th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.-Political Situation:...		George Best George Best (MP) George Best DL, JP was a British politician.Best was the son of James Best, of Park House, Boxley, Kent, High Sheriff of Kent in 1751, by Frances, daughter of Richard Shelley, of Michaelgrove, Sussex. He sat as Member of Parliament for Rochester from 1790 to 1796...			Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton
1792					Nathaniel Smith Nathaniel Smith (MP) Nathaniel Smith was a naval officer and official in the Honourable East India Company and a politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1783 and 1794....
1794					Admiral Sir Richard King
1796 British general election, 1796 The British general election, 1796 returned members to serve in the 18th and last House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain to be held before the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801...		Hon. Henry Tufton Henry Tufton, 11th Earl of Thanet Henry James Tufton, 11th Earl of Thanet was a peer in the peerage of England and a noted English cricketer of the 1790s.-Biography:...
1802 United Kingdom general election, 1802 The United Kingdom general election, 1802 was the election to the 2nd Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was the first to be held after the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...		Captain Sir Sidney Smith			James Hulkes James Hulkes James Hulkes was an English brewer, banker and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1802 to 1806.Hulkes was the son of a brewer and was himself a brewer and banker of the city of London....
1806 United Kingdom general election, 1806 The United Kingdom general election, 1806 was the election of members to the 3rd Parliament of the United Kingdom. This was the second general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....		John Calcraft John Calcraft (the younger) John Calcraft the younger , of Rempstone in Dorset and Ingress in Kent, was an English landowner and Member of Parliament....	Whig		James Barnett James Barnett (MP) James Barnett was an English banker and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1806 and 1820.Barnett was the son of Charles Barnett and his wife Bridget Clayton, daughter of Alexander Clayton...
1807 United Kingdom general election, 1807 The election to the 4th Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1807 was the third general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....					Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson Sir Thomas Thompson, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson, 1st Baronet GCB was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the American Revolutionary, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Vice-Admiral...
1816					James Barnett James Barnett (MP) James Barnett was an English banker and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1806 and 1820.Barnett was the son of Charles Barnett and his wife Bridget Clayton, daughter of Alexander Clayton...
1818 United Kingdom general election, 1818 The 1818 general election of the United Kingdom saw the Whigs gain a few seats, but the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool retained a majority of around 90 seats...		Lord Binning Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington KT PC FRS , known as Lord Binning from 1794 to 1828, was a British Conservative politician and statesman.-Background and education:...	Tory
1820 United Kingdom general election, 1820 The 1820 UK general election, held shortly after the Radical War in Scotland and the Cato Street Conspiracy. In this atmosphere, the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool were able to win a substantial majority over the Whigs....					Ralph Bernal Ralph Bernal Ralph Bernal was a British Whig politician and art collector. His family were Sephardi Jews of Spanish origin, but he was baptised at St Olave Hart Street in London....
1826 United Kingdom general election, 1826 The 1826 United Kingdom general election saw the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool win a substantial and increased majority over the Whigs. In Ireland, Home Rule candidates, working with the Whigs, won large gains from Unionist candidates....		Captain Henry Dundas Henry Dundas, 3rd Viscount Melville Henry Dundas, 3rd Viscount Melville GCB was a British military leader.- Military career :The eldest son of Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville, he was captain of the 83rd Regiment from 1824, and was active in suppressing the Canadian rebellion in 1837...
1830 United Kingdom general election, 1830 The 1830 United Kingdom general election, was triggered by the death of King George IV and produced the first parliament of the reign of his successor, William IV. Fought in the aftermath of the Swing Riots, it saw electoral reform become a major election issue...		Lord Villiers George Child-Villiers, 6th Earl of Jersey George Augustus Frederick Child Villiers, 6th Earl of Jersey , was an English peer, the son of George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey.He was Member of Parliament for* Rochester 1830–1831...
1831 United Kingdom general election, 1831 The 1831 general election in the United Kingdom saw a landslide win by supporters of electoral reform, which was the major election issue. As a result it was the last unreformed election, as the Parliament which resulted ensured the passage of the Reform Act 1832. Polling was held from 28 April to...		John Mills John Mills (Hampshire cricketer) John Mills was a British soldier, politician and amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1816 to 1820....	Tory
1835 United Kingdom general election, 1835 The 1835 United Kingdom general election was called when Parliament was dissolved on 29 December 1834. Polling took place between 6 January and 6 February 1835, and the results saw Robert Peel's Conservatives make large gains from their low of the 1832 election, but the Whigs maintained a large...		Thomas Twisden Hodges Thomas Twisden Hodges Thomas Twisden Hodges was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1835 and 1852....
1837 United Kingdom general election, 1837 The 1837 United Kingdom general election saw Robert Peel's Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their fourth election of the decade....		Thomas Benjamin Hobhouse
1841 United Kingdom general election, 1841 -Seats summary:-Whig MPs who lost their seats:*Viscount Morpeth - Chief Secretary for Ireland*Sir George Strickland, Bt*Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987...		James Douglas Stoddart Douglas James Douglas Stoddart Douglas James Douglas Stoddart Douglas was a British Liberal Party politician. He was elected at the 1841 general election as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Rochester, but was defeated at the 1847 general election....			William Henry Bodkin
1847 United Kingdom general election, 1847 -Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...		Ralph Bernal Ralph Bernal Ralph Bernal was a British Whig politician and art collector. His family were Sephardi Jews of Spanish origin, but he was baptised at St Olave Hart Street in London....			Thomas Twisden Hodges Thomas Twisden Hodges Thomas Twisden Hodges was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1835 and 1852....
1852 United Kingdom general election, 1852 The July 1852 United Kingdom general election was a watershed election in the formation of the modern political parties of Britain. Following 1852, the Tory/Conservative party became, more completely, the party of the rural aristocracy, while the Whig/Liberal party became the party of the rising...		Hon. Francis Child Villiers			Sir Thomas Maddock Thomas Herbert Maddock Sir Thomas Herbert Maddock was a British civil servant in India and a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1852 to 1857.-Life:...
1856 by-election		Philip Wykeham Martin Philip Wykeham Martin Philip Wykeham-Martin was an English Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1856 to 1878.Martin was the son of Charles Wykeham-Martin of Leeds Castle and his wife Lady Jemima Isabella Cornwallis daughter of James Mann, 5th Earl Cornwallis. His father was a Member of Parliament ...
1857 United Kingdom general election, 1857 -Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...					John Alexander Kinglake John Alexander Kinglake John Alexander Kinglake was an English barrister and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1857 to 1870....
1870 by-election					Julian Goldsmid	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
1878 by-election		Sir Arthur Otway
1880 United Kingdom general election, 1880 -Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...					Roger Leigh Roger Leigh Roger Leigh was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1885.Leigh was the son of Thomas Yates and adopted son of Sir Robert Holt Leigh, 1st Baronet of Barham Court, Maidstone and Hindley Hall, Wigan. He was educated at Radley College and graduated at...
1885 United Kingdom general election, 1885 -Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...	Representation reduced to one-member

MPs 1885–1918

Election		Member	Party
	1885 United Kingdom general election, 1885 -Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...	Francis Charles Hughes-Hallett	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
	1889 by-election	Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen, 2nd Baron Brabourne Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen, 2nd Baron Brabourne DL JP was a British peer and Liberal Party politician.-Background and education:...	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1892 United Kingdom general election, 1892 The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...	Horatio David Davies	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
	1893 by-election	Viscount Cranborne James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, CB, PC , known as Viscount Cranborne from 1868 to 1903, was a British statesman.-Background and education:...	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
	1903 by-election Rochester by-election, 1903 The Rochester by-election, 1903 was a parliamentary by-election held in England in September 1903 for the House of Commons constituency of Rochester in Kent....	Charles Tuff Charles Tuff Charles Tuff was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician from the town of Rochester in Kent. He sat in the House of Commons from 1903 to 1906....	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
	1906 United Kingdom general election, 1906 -Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...	Ernest Lamb Ernest Lamb, 1st Baron Rochester Ernest Henry Lamb, 1st Baron Rochester, CMG was a British Liberal and National Labour politician who served as Paymaster-General from 1931 to 1935 in the National Government of Ramsay Macdonald....	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1910	Samuel Forde Ridley Samuel Forde Ridley Samuel Forde Ridley was a British industrialist and Conservative Party politician.He was son of S E Ridley of St Helens, Isle of Wight and his wife Nona née Jackson...	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
	1910	Sir Ernest Lamb Ernest Lamb, 1st Baron Rochester Ernest Henry Lamb, 1st Baron Rochester, CMG was a British Liberal and National Labour politician who served as Paymaster-General from 1931 to 1935 in the National Government of Ramsay Macdonald....	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day... , later Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
	1918 United Kingdom general election, 1918 The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...	constituency abolished: see Chatham Chatham (UK Parliament constituency) Chatham was a parliamentary constituency in Kent which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...  and Gillingham Gillingham (UK Parliament constituency) Gillingham was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...

Notes

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