Reading (UK Parliament constituency)
Reading was a parliamentary borough, and later a borough constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It comprised the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire.
From 1295, as a parliamentary borough, Reading elected two members of parliament. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885,
History
Reading was one of the boroughs summoned to send members to the Model Parliament. The boundaries were effectively unchanged from 1295 to 1918. In 1831, the population of the borough was 15,935, and contained 3,307 houses.The right to vote was exercised by all inhabitants paying scot and lot, a relatively wide franchise for the period, and almost 2,000 votes were cast at the general election of 1826. Despite this high electorate, the corporation of the town was generally considered in practice to control elections to a large extent. In the second half of the 18th century, Reading was notoriously one of the most corrupt constituencies in England, bribery being both routine and expensive: Namier quotes the accounts kept for Prime Minister Newcastle of the 1754 election, which note that John Dodd, the government's candidate there, had already received £1000 and was promised £500 or £600 more to help him win the seat. A few years later, the nomination to one of Reading's seats was advertised for sale in a London newspaper, though Reading was not mentioned by name and no price was specified; the newspaper's printers were charged by the Commons with a breach of privilege, but the sale of seats remained legal if frowned-upon until 1809.
The Great Reform Act left Reading's representation and boundaries unchanged, and the reformed franchise far from increasing its electorate seems to have reduced it: it was estimated that there were 1,250 voters in 1831, but only 1,001 were registered for the first post-Reform election, that of 1832.
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, coming into effect at the 1885 general election, reduced the representation of the parliamentary borough to a single MP. The single-member Reading constituency continued to exist until it was split in 1950 into the separate constituencies of Reading North and Reading South. These two constituencies were merged back into a single Reading constituency in 1955, but again split apart in 1974; despite its name, the 1955 constituency contained only ten wards of the County Borough of Reading. Today the area formerly covered by the Reading constituency is within the constituencies of Reading East and Reading West.
Boundaries and boundary changes
1918–1950: The County Borough of Reading.Boundaries extended to the south and west, and to the north of the River Thames with the annexation of the Urban District of Caversham by Reading County Borough.
For the 1950 general election, Reading was abolished as a single-member Parliamentary Borough and split between the two new Borough Constituencies of Reading North and Reading South.
1955–1974: For the 1955 general election, Reading was re-established as Borough Constituency, replacing Reading North and Reading South and comprising the County Borough of Reading wards of Abbey, Battle, Castle, Caversham East, Caversham West, Church, Katesgrove, Minster, Redlands, Victoria, West. The East and Tilehurst wards were respectively included in the Wokingham and Newbury constituencies.
From the 1964 general election, following a revision to the County Borough wards, the constituency comprised the wards of Abbey, Battle, Castle, Caversham, Christchurch, Katesgrove, Minster, Redlands, Thames, and Whitley, resulting in minor changes.
The constituency was abolished once again for the 1974 general election. Christchurch, Redlands and Whitley wards were included in the re-established County Constituency of Reading South, with remaining wards being included in the re-established Borough Constituency of Reading North.
Members of Parliament
1295–1660
- Constituency created 1295
| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1369 | William Catour | |
| 1371 | William Catour | |
| 1378 | David atte Hacche | |
| 1385 | John Doublet | |
| 1386 | William Stapper | Robert atte Lee |
| 1388 | David atte Hacche | Richard Bedull |
| 1388 | John Balet | Nicholas Vachell |
| 1390 | John Kent | Robert Capellade |
| 1390 | - | |
| 1391 | Henry Barbour | John Doublet |
| 1393 | William Catour | David atte Hacche |
| 1394 | William Saville | William Tho... |
| 1395 | William Shortwade | John Ede |
| 1397 | John White | Richard Pernecote |
| 1397 | Thomas Selham | Robert Godewyn |
| 1399 | Roger Hay | John Hunt |
| 1401 | ||
| 1402 | ||
| 1404 | John Kent | William Derby |
| 1404 | ||
| 1406 | John Hunt | Philip Richard |
| 1407 | John Merehan | William Kenelme |
| 1410 | John White | Alexander Colshull |
| 1411 | - | |
| 1413 | ||
| 1413 | William Wilton | Richard Farle |
| 1414 | John Hastyng | John Clerk |
| 1414 | Stephen Stapper | John Pernecote |
| 1415 | ||
| 1416 | Walter Mustard | Thomas Lavyngton 1 |
| 1416 | ||
| 1417 | Alexander Colshull | Thomas Lavyngton |
| 1419 | Robert Morys | Richard Cross |
| 1420 | Thomas Lavyngton | John Veyr |
| 1421 | Thomas Lavyngton | Simon Porter alias Kent |
| 1421 | John Hunt | William Kyng |
| 1422 | Simon Porter alias Kent | |
| 1425 | Simon Porter alias Kent | |
| 1432 | Simon Porter alias Kent | |
| 1433 | Simon Porter alias Kent | |
| 1435 | Simon Porter alias Kent | |
| 1437 | Simon Porter alias Kent | |
| 1447 | Simon Porter alias Kent | |
| 1449 | Simon Porter alias Kent | |
| 1449 | Simon Porter alias Kent | |
| 1510 | Richard Cleche | William Justice |
| 1512 | William Gifford | Richard Smith |
| 1515 | Edmund Knightley | John Pownsar |
| 1523 | Nicholas Hyde | William Edmonds |
| 1529 | Thomas Vachell I | John Raymond |
| 1536 | Thomas Vachell I | John Raymond |
| 1539 | ?Thomas Vachell I | ?John Raymond |
| 1542 | Thomas Vachell I | Richard Justice |
| 1545 | Thomas Vachell I | Roger Amyce |
| 1547 | William Grey, died May 1551 repl. 1552 by Sir John Mason | John Marshe |
| 1553 | John Bourne | John Winchcombe |
| 1553 | Thomas Vachell I | John Bell |
| 1554 | Robert Bowyer III | John Lovelace |
| 1554 | John Bourne | Edmund Plowden |
| 1555 | Thomas Vachell II | John Bell |
| 1558 | Thomas Aldworth | John Bell |
| 1558/9 | Thomas Aldworth | Thomas Turner |
| 1562/3 | Henry Knollys | Robert Rowbotham |
| 1571 | Henry Knollys | John Hastings |
| 1572 | Robert Knollys | Francis Alford |
| 1584 | Robert Knollys | Robert Harris |
| 1586 | Robert Knollys | Robert Harris |
| 1588 | Robert Knollys, sat for Breconshire, repl. Feb 1589 by Thomas Egerton | Robert Harris |
| 1593 | Humphrey Donatt | Charles Wednester |
| 1597 | Sir Humphrey Forster | Francis Moore |
| 1601 | Francis Moore | Anthony Blagrave |
| 1604 | Francis Moore | Jerome Bowes |
| 1614 | Francis Moore | Robert Knollys |
| 1621–1622 | Anthony Barker | John Saunders |
| 1624 | Francis Knollys III | John Saunders |
| 1625 | Francis Knollys III | John Saunders |
| 1626 | Francis Knollys III | John Saunders |
| 1628 | Francis Knollys III | John Saunders |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | No Parliaments summoned |
1640–1885
1885–1950
1955–1974
Elections
Elections in the 1830s
Elections in the 1840s
Talfourd resigned after being appointed a judge of the Court of Common Pleas, causing a by-election.Elections in the 1850s
Keating was appointed Solicitor General for England and Wales, requiring a by-election.Keating was appointed Solicitor General for England and Wales, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Keating resigned after being appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, causing a by-election.Pigott resigned after being appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, causing a by-election.
Pigott resigned after being appointed a Judge of the Court of the Exchequer, causing a by-election.
Shaw-Lefevre was appointed a Civil Lord of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1870s
Goldsmid's death caused a by-election.Elections in the 1880s
Lefevre was appointed First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings, requiring a by-election.Elections in the 1890s
Murdoch's death caused a by-election.Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1910s
Isaacs is appointed Solicitor General of England and Wales, requiring a by-election.Issacs is appointed Lord Chief Justice of England and is elevated to the peerage as Lord Reading, requiring a by-election.
A General Election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the summer of 1914, the following candidates had been adopted to contest that election. Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place.
- Unionist Party: Leslie Orme Wilson
- Liberal Party: Henry Norman Spalding
- British Socialist Party: Joseph George Butler
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
- The Liberal Party candidate, Rosalie Glynn Grylls withdrew at close of nominations
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
- Conservative: Alfred Howitt
- Labour: Margaret Bondfield
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
General
- Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III
- J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales
- Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt, The Unreformed House of Commons
Specific