Ryedale was a constituency in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

 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...

 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...

. It elects one Member 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,...

 (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was created in 1983

United Kingdom general election, 1983

The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...

 and abolished in 2010.

History

This has traditionally been a safe Conservative seat, although it was briefly taken by Elizabeth Shields

Elizabeth Shields

Elizabeth Lois Shields is a British politician.Shields studied at the University of York and became a teacher and lecturer. She served as a councillor on Ryedale District Council from 1980 for Norton....

 for the Liberal Party

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...

, following a by-election in 1986

Ryedale by-election, 1986

The Ryedale by-election took place on 8 May, 1986. It is the latest by-election to have just three candidates standing. The seat was regained by the Conservatives at the 1987 general election by John Greenway.-Background:...

 held following the death of MP John Spence

John Spence (politician)

John Deane Spence was a British Conservative Party politician.Spence was educated at Queen's University, Belfast and worked as a building and civil engineering contractor, merchant banker and farmer....

.

Boundaries

The constituency was created in 1983 and was largely based on the previous Thirsk and Malton

Thirsk and Malton (UK Parliament constituency)

Thirsk and Malton is a 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....

 constituency. The constituency underwent the only boundary changes of its 17-year existence for the 1997 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1997

The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...

, when the areas surrounding Easingwold and the York suburbs of Haxby

Haxby

Haxby is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York, on the River Foss, five miles north of York and south of Strensall, in North Yorkshire, England. Haxby is bordered on the east by the River Foss, and to the west by the village of Wigginton, whose expansion has caused the...

, Wigginton

Wigginton, North Yorkshire

Wigginton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated north of York. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 3,714...

, New Earswick, Rawcliffe

Rawcliffe, York

Rawcliffe is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is bordered by the A19 and A1237, and lies about north-west of York between Skelton and Clifton Without....

, Skelton

Skelton, York

Skelton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York, in North Yorkshire England. It is northwest of the city of York, west of Haxby, and on the east bank of the River Ouse. Skelton was in the ancient royal Forest of Galtres and covers 977.3 hectares...

 and Clifton Without

Clifton Without

Clifton Without is a suburb and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York, North Yorkshire, England. It consists of those parts of Clifton that lie outside, i.e. Without, the city boundaries and Clifton Moor. It lies on the A19 about two miles north-west of central York.According...

 were transferred to the new Vale of York

Vale of York (UK Parliament constituency)

Vale of York was a county 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.-History:...

 constituency, as well as Osbaldwick and Heworth Without ward being added from the Selby

Selby (UK Parliament constituency)

Selby was a parliamentary constituency in North Yorkshire, 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....

 constituency.

At the time of its abolition in 2010, the constituency covered Ryedale

Ryedale

Ryedale is a non-metropolitan district of the shire county of North Yorkshire in England. Settlements include Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Malton, Norton-on-Derwent, Pickering, and Terrington.-Derivation of name:...

 (including Malton

Malton, North Yorkshire

Malton is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The town is the location of the offices of Ryedale District Council and has a population of around 4,000 people....

, Norton-on-Derwent

Norton-on-Derwent

Norton-on-Derwent, commonly referred to as 'Norton', is a town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. Norton borders the market town of Malton, and is divided by the River Derwent...

, Helmsley

Helmsley

Helmsley is a market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. The town is located at the point where the valleys of Bilsdale and Ryedale leave the higher moorland and join the flat Vale of Pickering. It is situated on the River Rye and lies on the A170 road, east...

 and Pickering

Pickering, North Yorkshire

Pickering is an ancient market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of the county of North Yorkshire, England, on the border of the North York Moors National Park. It sits at the foot of the Moors, overlooking the Vale of Pickering to the south...

), Filey

Filey

Filey is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...

 and the north eastern suburbs of York

York

York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...

 (including Huntington

Huntington, City of York

Huntington is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Foss, north of York and south of Strensall...

, Strensall

Strensall

Strensall is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Foss north of York and north-east of Haxby. Prior to 1996 it had been part of the Ryedale district. It covers an area of 2,908 acres....

, Osbaldwick

Osbaldwick

Osbaldwick is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It has been in existence since at least the 11th century, and is now a conservation area. It is the burial place of the nun Mary Ward....

 and Heworth Without

Heworth Without

Heworth Without is a civil parish in the City of York, North Yorkshire, England consisting of those parts of Heworth that lay beyond the city boundary....

).

Boundary review

Following its review of parliamentary representation of North Yorkshire, Ryedale constituency was abolished, with its electoral wards being used to form a new Thirsk and Malton

Thirsk and Malton (UK Parliament constituency)

Thirsk and Malton is a 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....

 seat. These changes were implemented in 2010.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party	Notes
	1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...	John Spence John Spence (politician) John Deane Spence was a British Conservative Party politician.Spence was educated at Queen's University, Belfast and worked as a building and civil engineering contractor, merchant banker and farmer....	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...	previously MP for Thirsk and Malton Thirsk and Malton (UK Parliament constituency) Thirsk and Malton is a 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....
	1986 by-election Ryedale by-election, 1986 The Ryedale by-election took place on 8 May, 1986. It is the latest by-election to have just three candidates standing. The seat was regained by the Conservatives at the 1987 general election by John Greenway.-Background:...	Elizabeth Shields Elizabeth Shields Elizabeth Lois Shields is a British politician.Shields studied at the University of York and became a teacher and lecturer. She served as a councillor on Ryedale District Council from 1980 for Norton....	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...
	1987 United Kingdom general election, 1987 The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...	John Greenway John Greenway John Robert Greenway is a former British politician who sat as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ryedale from 1987 until the constituency's abolition in 2010.-Early life:...	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...
	2010	constituency abolished: see Thirsk and Malton Thirsk and Malton (UK Parliament constituency) Thirsk and Malton is a 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....

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s