Herefordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

UK former constituency infobox
Name = Herefordshire
Type = County
Year = 1290
Abolition = 1885

The county constituency of Herefordshire, in the West Midlands of England bordering on Wales, was abolished when the county was divided for parliamentary purposes in 1885. 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.

The undivided county was represented by two Knights of the Shire until 1832 and three thereafter. After the county was split two new county constituencies were created, the North division or Leominster and the South division or Ross.

Boundaries

The constituency consisted of the historic county of Herefordshire. Although Herefordshire contained a number of parliamentary boroughs, each of which elected one or two MPs in its own right for parts of the period when Herefordshire was a constituency, these areas were not excluded from the county constituency. Owning freehold property of the required value, within such boroughs, could confer a vote at the county election. From 1832 only non-resident owners of forty shilling freeholds, situated in borough seats, could qualify for a county vote on the basis of that property.

Members of Parliament

1290-1640

"Constituency created" (1290)

As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given for those up to 1640. Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or is not recorded in a surviving document, the entry "unknown" is entered in the table.

1570s and 1580s Sir John Scudamore [Ian Atherton, ‘Scudamore family (per. 1500–1820)’, "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/71878, accessed 24 March 2008]

]

Notes

Elections

ee also

*List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies
*Unreformed House of Commons

References

*"Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803" (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [http://www2.odl.ox.ac.uk/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=p-000-00---0modhis06--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4------0-1l--1-en-50---20-about---00001-001-1-1isoZz-8859Zz-1-0&a=d&cl=CL1]
* "The House of Commons 1690-1715", by Eveline Cruickshanks, Stuart Handley and D.W. Hayton (Cambridge University Press 2002)
* "The Parliaments of England" by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844-50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973))
*Rayment