Stafford (UK Parliament constituency)
Stafford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Theodora Clarke, a Conservative.
The seat since its resurrection in 1983 has proven to be somewhat of a bellwether being held always by the incumbent government.
History
Stafford, as a parliamentary borough, first existed between the Model Parliament in 1295 and 1950.The current constituency was created for the 1983 general election.
;Prominent members
The town was represented in Parliament by leading playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan at the end of the 18th century.
;Political history
Taken together with the Stafford and Stone seat which existed during the 33-year gap mentioned above, since 1910 when the last Liberal served the seat, the Conservative party has had five members and the Labour party two. In summary:
- Labour saw a bellwether result in their 1945 landslide victory, but Conservative Hugh Fraser regained the seat at the next election in 1950 in the successor seat which he held until his death in 1984.
- Effects from the creation of the Stone constituency in 1997 made Stafford somewhat more marginal: sitting Stafford MP Bill Cash followed some of his electors into the Stone constituency, which he won, and after a 47-year lack of a member, Labour's David Kidney gained the constituency in his party's landslide victory in 1997. The defeated Conservative candidate in 1997 was David Cameron, who in the next election was elected as the MP for the safe seat of Witney, and became the Conservative Party leader in 2005, and Prime Minister in 2010.
Boundaries
1983–1997: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Beaconside, Castletown, Church Eaton, Common, Coton, Doxey, Eccleshall, Forebridge, Gnosall, Highfields, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Parkside, Rowley, Seighford, Swynnerton, Tillington, Weeping Cross, and Woodseaves, and the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme wards of Loggerheads, Madeley, and Whitmore.
1997–2010: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Beaconside, Castletown, Common, Coton, Doxey, Forebridge, Haywood, Highfields, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Parkside, Rowley, Seighford, Tillington, and Weeping Cross, and the District of South Staffordshire wards of Acton Trussell, Bishopswood and Lapley, Penkridge North East, Penkridge South East, and Penkridge West.
2010–present: The Borough of Stafford wards of Baswich, Castletown, Common, Coton, Doxey, Haywood and Hixon, Highfields and Western Downs, Holmcroft, Littleworth, Manor, Milford, Parkside, Rowley, Seighford, Tillington, and Weeping Cross, and the District of South Staffordshire wards of Penkridge North East and Acton Trussell, Penkridge South East, Penkridge West, and Wheaton Aston, Bishopswood and Lapley.
The constituency forms the southerly part of the borough of Stafford, including the eponymous town itself plus the Penkridge area.
Constituency profile
The town has historical significance, featuring the Elizabethan Ancient High House, a museum with changing exhibitions and Stafford Castle. In terms of industry and commerce, the physics and engineering niche of large power station transformers are produced in the seat whereas the area to the north is famous for fine china, the Staffordshire Potteries from the companies Aynsley, Burleigh, Doulton, Dudson, Heron Cross, Minton, Moorcroft, Twyford, and Wedgwood. The area is also well known for the Staffordshire Hoard, Alton Towers and has a Building Society based in the town.Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.7% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.
Members of Parliament
Stafford parliamentary borough
MPs 1295–1640
- Constituency created
| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1295 | William Reynor | John Beyton |
| 1337 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1353 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1360 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1362 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1363 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1365 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1366 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1368 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1369 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1371 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1373 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1376 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1377 | Hugh Snel | |
| 1386 | Thomas Jockery | Richard Stanford |
| 1388 | John Newton | Nicholas Snell |
| 1388 | John Newton | Richard Stanford |
| 1390 | John Newton | John Snell |
| 1390 | - | |
| 1391 | John Newton | Richard Stanford |
| 1393 | Henry Warrilewe | John Baxter |
| 1394 | - | |
| 1395 | John Wylaston | John Baxter |
| 1397 | John Wylaston | John Clifton |
| 1397 | - | |
| 1399 | John Wylaston | Richard Stanford |
| 1401 | - | |
| 1402 | Richard Stanford | Thomas Barber |
| 1404 | Roger Coton | Adam Hewster |
| 1404 | - | |
| 1406 | Thomas Jockery | John Huntingdon |
| 1407 | Thomas Jockery | John Huntingdon |
| 1410 | - | |
| 1411 | Thomas Barber | Robert Whitgreve |
| 1413 | - | - |
| 1413 | Thomas Barber | Adam Edgeley |
| 1414 | - | |
| 1414 | Sampson Erdeswyk | Robert Whitgreve |
| 1415 | - | |
| 1416 | Henry Fenton | Robert Whitgreve |
| 1416 | - | |
| 1417 | - | |
| 1419 | John Harper | John Parker |
| 1420 | John Harper | Robert Whitgreve |
| 1421 | John Harper | Robert Whitgreve |
| 1421 | Adam Edgeley | Robert Whitgreve |
| 1495 | Humphrey Barber | |
| 1510–1523 | No names known | No names known |
| 1529 | Thomas Stanford, died and replaced by 1553 by Sampson Erdeswick | John Bickley |
| 1536 | ? | - |
| 1539 | ? | - |
| 1542 | Walter Blount | William Stamford |
| 1545 | Sir Henry Stafford | William Stamford |
| 1547 | Sir Henry Stafford | Richard Forsett |
| 1553 | Edward Colbarne | Francis Smith |
| 1553 | Sir Henry Stafford | ?Sir Anthony Browne/Simon Lowe alias Fyfield |
| 1554 | John Giffard | Humphrey Swynnerton |
| 1554 | James Fowler | Matthew Cradock |
| 1555 | Sir Henry Stafford | Thomas Harcourt |
| 1558 | Edward Stafford | James Fowler |
| 1559 | Edward Stafford | William Bowyer |
| 1562/3 | William Twyneho | Henry Goodere |
| 1571 | Walter Stafford | William Knollys |
| 1572 | Richard Broughton | Thomas Purslow |
| 1584 | John Stafford | Francis Cradock |
| 1586 | John Stafford | Francis Cradock |
| 1588 | Francis Cradock | Henry Bourchier |
| 1593 | Henry Bourchier | Francis Cradock |
| 1597 | Sir Edward Stafford | Henry Bourchier |
| 1601 | Sir Edward Stafford | William Essex |
| 1604–1611 | Hugh Beeston replaced 1609 by Arthur Ingram | George Cradock |
| 1614 | Sir Walter Devereux | Thomas Gibbs |
| 1621 | Matthew Cradock | Richard Dyott |
| 1624 | Matthew Cradock | Richard Dyott |
| 1625 | Matthew Cradock | Sir Robert Hatton Sat for Sandwich replaced by Sir John Offley |
| 1626 | Sir John Offley | Bulstrode Whitlock |
| 1628 | Matthew Cradock | William Wingfield |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments convened | No Parliaments convened |
MPs 1640–1885
MPs 1885–1918
Stafford division of Staffordshire
MPs 1918–1950
Stafford county constituency
MPs since 1983
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
- Death of Sir Hugh Fraser 6 March 1984
Election in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1880s
- Caused by Macdonald's death.
Elections in the 1870s
Elections in the 1860s
- The 1868 election was declared void on petition "on account of corrupt practices", causing a by-election.
- Caused by Wise's resignation.
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1840s
- Caused by Carnegie's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
Elections in the 1830s
- Caused by Goodricke's resignation, in 1835, to contest a by-election at. A writ for a by-election was denied for nearly two years.
- Farrand retired before the poll. The election was later declared void and no writ was issued before the 1835 general election.