Abingdon (UK Parliament constituency)

UK former constituency infobox
Name = Abingdon division of Berkshire
Type = County
Year = 1885
Abolition = 1983
members = one

UK former constituency infobox
Name = Abingdon
Type = Borough
Year = 1558
Abolition = 1885
members = one

Abingdon was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (and its predecessor institutions for England and Great Britain), electing one Member of Parliament (MP) from 1558 until 1983. (It was one of the few English constituencies in the unreformed House of Commons to elect only one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.)

History

Abingdon was one of three English parliamentary boroughs enfranchised by Queen Mary I as anomalous single-member constituencies, and held its first Parliamentary election in 1558. The borough consisted of part of two parishes in the market town of Abingdon, then the county town of Berkshire. The right to vote was exercised by all inhabitant householders paying scot and lot and not receiving alms; the highest recorded number of votes to be cast before 1832 was 253, at the general election of 1806.

Abingdon's voters seem always to have maintained their independence, and the constituency never came under the influence of a "patron" who assumed the right to choose the MP. Nevertheless, this did not always guarantee a pure election, and Porritt records that Abingdon offers the earliest case he was able to trace of a candidate trying to bribe voters with the promise of official office, later one of the most widespread abuses in English elections. In 1698, the defeated candidate, William Hucks, petitioned against the election of Sir Simon Harcourt, but during the hearing of the case it emerged that Hucks had promised that should he be elected an MP he would be made a Commissioner of the Excise, in which case he would use that power to appoint several of the voters to well-paid excise posts. The petition was dismissed and Hucks was committed to the custody of the sergeant-at-arms. (But ten years later, defeated again by Harcourt at the election of 1708, Hucks petitioned once more, on grounds of intimidation and other illegal practices, and this time Harcourt was ejected from his seat and Hucks declared to have been duly elected. Harcourt complained that the decision was a partisan one - which would have been by no means unusual at the period - "insisting to the last that he was the legal member, by a clear majority, by the most fair estimation".)

In 1831, the population of the borough was approximately 5,300, and contained 1,192 houses. This was sufficient for Abingdon to retain its MP under the Great Reform Act. (Indeed, it would have been big enough to retain two MPs had it had them, but there was no question of its representation being increased.) Its boundaries were unaltered, and under the reformed franchise 300 of the residents were qualified to vote.

In 1885 the borough constituency was abolished and the town was moved into a new county, The Northern or Abingdon Division of Berkshire. This constituency consisted of the northern part of the historic county, and as well as Abingdon included the towns of Wantage and Wallingford; it was predominantly agricultural at first, although its character changed during the 20th century with the growth of light industry round Abingdon, and it was generally a safe Conservative seat. This constituency survived essentially intact, with only minor boundary changes, until the 1983 general election, by which time it was simply called Abingdon County Constituency.

Changes in administrative boundaries during the 1970s moved most of the northern part of the historic county of Berkshire, including Abingdon, into the county of Oxfordshire. These changes were reflected in the constituency boundary changes introduced in 1983, and the Abingdon constituency was divided; most of its electors were placed in the new Wantage constituency and a significant minority including electors in the town of Abingdon were placed in the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency.

Boundaries

Northern or Abingdon Division of Berkshire, 1885 - 1918

The constituency was defined as consisting of:The Abingdon, Faringdon, Wallingford, and Wantage petty sessional divisions of Berkshire, the municipal borough of Wallingford and the parts of the boroughs of Abingdon and Oxford in Berkshire. [Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885 c.23, Schedule 7]

Abingdon Division of Berkshire, 1918 - 1950

The constituency's boundaries were adjusted in 1918, and it was redefined in terms of the administrative county of Berkshire and the county districts created by the Local Government Acts of 1888 and 1894 as follows: [Representation of the People Act 1918 c.64, schedule 9]
*The rural districts of Abingdon, Wallingford, and Wantage, the part of the rural district of Bradfield which consists of the civil parishes of Ashampstead, Basildon, Frilsham, Streatley, and Yattendon;
*The part of the rural district of Faringdon which is within the administrative county of Berks;
*The municipal boroughs of Abingdon and Wallingford;
*The urban district of Wantage.

Abingdon County Constituency, 1950 - 1983

The Representation of the People Act 1948 reorganised parliamentary constituencies, and Abingdon County Constituency was altered slightly. The official definition of the constituency was: [Representation of the People Act 1948, c. 65, Schedule 1]
*The boroughs of Abingdon and Wallingford;
*the urban district of Wantage;
*the rural districts of Abingdon, Faringdon, Wallingford and Wantage

The constituency was not altered by the Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1970, and continued unchanged until 1983.

Members of Parliament

1558-1640

1640-1983

*"Constituency abolished" (1983)

Notes

Elections

Sources 1754-1784: Narnier and Brooke; (parties) Stooks Smith. Positive swing is from Whig to Tory.Sources 1885-1900: House of Commons 1901.

Election box begin
title=General Election 15 April 1754: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Tory Party
candidate = John Morton
votes = 133
percentage = 57.08
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Non Partisan
candidate = Henry Thrale
votes = 100
percentage = 42.92
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 33
percentage = 14.16
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 233
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Tory Party
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 25 March 1761: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Tory Party
candidate = John Morton
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Tory Party
swing = "N/A"
* "Seat vacated on appointment of Morton as Chief Justice of Chester"

Election box begin
title=By-Election 15 December 1762: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Tory Party
candidate = John Morton
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Tory Party
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 17 March 1768: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Tory Party
candidate = John Morton
votes = 126
percentage = 50.40
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = British Whig Party
candidate = Nathaniel Bayly
votes = 124
percentage = 49.60
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 2
percentage = 0.80
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 250
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Tory Party
swing = "N/A"
* "On petition Nathaniel Bayly seated in place of John Morton, 8 February 1770"

Election box begin
title=General Election 7 October 1774: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Tory Party
candidate = John Mayor
votes = 146
percentage = 55.73
change = +5.33Election box candidate with party link
party = British Whig Party
candidate = Thomas Wooldridge
votes = 116
percentage = 44.27
change = -5.33Election box majority
votes = 30
percentage = 11.45
change = +10.65Election box turnout
votes = 262
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Tory Party
swing = +5.33
* "Tory hold from previous general election; Tory gain from Whig, from change on petition."
* "Election declared void, 6 March 1775"

Election box begin
title=By-Election 11 March 1775: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Tory Party
candidate = John Mayor
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Tory Party
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 6 September 1780: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Tory Party
candidate = John Mayor
votes = 137
percentage = 71.35
change = +15.62Election box candidate with party link
party = British Whig Party
candidate = Thomas Wooldridge
votes = 55
percentage = 28.65
change = -15.62Election box majority
votes = 82
percentage = 42.71
change = +31.26Election box turnout
votes = 192
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Tory Party
swing = +15.62
* "Change is calculated from the previous general election."
* "Resignation of Mayor."

Election box begin
title=By-Election 21 December 1782: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Non Partisan
candidate = Henry Howorth
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box gain with party link
winner = Non Partisan
loser = Tory Party
swing = "N/A"
* "Resignation of Howorth"

Election box begin
title=By-Election 19 May 1783: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = British Whig Party
candidate = Edward Loveden Loveden
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box gain with party link
winner = British Whig Party
loser = Non Partisan
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 20 March 1784: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = British Whig Party
candidate = Edward Loveden Loveden
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = British Whig Party
swing = "N/A"

*"incomplete"

Election box begin
title=General Election 1885: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Philip Wroughton
votes = 4245
percentage = 58.71
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Robert Purvis
votes = 2986
percentage = 41.29
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 1259
percentage = 17.41
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 7231
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box gain with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
loser = Liberal Party (UK)
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 1886: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Philip Wroughton
votes = 3899
percentage = 67.07
change = +8.36Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Edward Colston Keevil
votes = 1914
percentage = 32.93
change = -8.36Election box majority
votes = 1985
percentage = 34.15
change = +16.74Election box turnout
votes = 5813
percentage = "N/A"
change = -1418Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +8.36

Election box begin
title=General Election 1892: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Philip Wroughton
votes = 3565
percentage = 52.40
change = -14.67Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Charles Alfred Pryce
votes = 3239
percentage = 47.60
change = +14.67Election box majority
votes = 326
percentage = 4.79
change = -29.36Election box turnout
votes = 6804
percentage = "N/A"
change = +991Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = -14.67

Election box begin
title=General Election 1895: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Archie Kirkman Loyd
votes = 4064
percentage = 57.38
change = +4.98Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Charles Alfred Pryce
votes = 3019
percentage = 42.62
change = -4.98Election box majority
votes = 1045
percentage = 14.75
change = +9.96Election box turnout
votes = 7083
percentage = "N/A"
change = +279Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = +4.98

Election box begin
title=General Election 1900: AbingdonElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Archie Kirkman Loyd
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 8698
percentage = "N/A"
change = +1615Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = "N/A"

ee also

*List of UK Parliamentary constituencies 1955-1974 by region

References

* "Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972", compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1972)
* "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885", compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press 1977)
* "British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918", compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press 1974)
* "British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949", compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press 1977)
* D Brunton & D H Pennington, "Members of the Long Parliament" (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
* Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke, "The House of Commons 1754-1790" (London: HMSO 1964)
* J E Neale, "The Elizabethan House of Commons" (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949)
* Robert H O'Byrne, "The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland, Part II" - Berkshire (London: John Ollivier, 1848)
* T H B Oldfield, "The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland" (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)
* Henry Pelling, "Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910" (London: Macmillan, 1967)
* J Holladay Philbin, "Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
* Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt, "The Unreformed House of Commons" (Cambridge University Press, 1903)
* Henry Stooks Smith, "The Parliaments of England" (1st edition published in three volumes 1844-50; 2nd edition edited in one volume by F.W.S. Craig, Political Reference Publications, 1973)
* Frederic A Youngs, jr, "Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I" (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)
*