Yorkshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Yorkshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament, traditionally known as Knights of the Shire, until 1826, when the county benefited from the disfranchisement of Grampound by taking an additional two members.
The constituency was split into its three historic ridings, for Parliamentary purposes, under the Reform Act 1832. Each riding returned two MPs. The county was then represented by the Yorkshire East Riding, Yorkshire North Riding and Yorkshire West Riding constituencies.
Boundaries
Yorkshire is the largest of the historic counties of England. The constituency comprised the whole county. Yorkshire contained several boroughs which each independently returned two members to Parliament. These were Aldborough, Beverley, Boroughbridge, Hedon, Kingston upon Hull, Knaresborough, Malton, Northallerton, Pontefract, Richmond, Ripon, Scarborough, Thirsk and York.Members of Parliament
MPs 1290–1640
- Constituency created 1290
| Parliament | First member | Second member | - |
| 1309 | Robert de Boynton | - | - |
| 1320 | Sir Thomas Ughtred | - | - |
| 1324 | Sir John Tempest of Bracewell | - | - |
| 1339 | Sir Robert Hilton of Swine & Winestead | - | - |
| 1341 | John de Siggeston | William Bruys | - |
| 1364 | Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton | - | - |
| 1376 | Sir John Savile of Shelley and Golcar | Sir Robert de Boynton | - |
| 1377–1395 | Henry FitzHugh | - | - |
| 1378 | Sir John Hotham | - | - |
| 1380 | Ralph Hastings of Kirby and Burton Hastings | - | - |
| 1382 | John St Quentin of Harpham | - | - |
| 1382 | Sir John Savile of Shelley and Golcar | - | - |
| 1383 | Sir James Pickering | - | - |
| 1384 | Sir John Savile of Shelley and Golcar | Sir James Pickering | - |
| 1385 | Sir William Melton of Aston and Kyllon | - | - |
| 1386 | Sir John Godard | Sir John St Quentin of Harpham | - |
| 1388 | Sir William Melton of Aston and Kyllon | Sir Robert Constable | - |
| 1388 | Sir James Pickering | Sir Robert Neville of Hornby | - |
| 1390 | Sir John Savile of Shelley and Golcar | Sir Robert Neville of Hornby | - |
| 1390 | Sir William Ellis | Sir James Pickering | - |
| 1391 | Sir John Godard | Sir Robert Neville of Hornby | - |
| 1393 | Sir Ralph Euer | Sir Robert Neville of Hornby | - |
| 1394 | Sir John Routh of Routh | Sir Robert Neville of Hornby | - |
| 1395 | Sir Peter Buckton | Sir John St Quentin | - |
| 1397 | Sir Peter Buckton | Sir Ralph Euer | - |
| 1397 | Sir James Pickering | Sir David Roucliffe | - |
| 1399 | Sir Ralph Euer | Sir Robert Neville of Hornby | - |
| 1401 | Sir John Scrope of Hollinhall & Haldenby | Sir Gerard Usflete | - |
| 1402 | Thomas Colville | Sir Robert Rockley | - |
| 1404 | Sir John Routh of Routh | Sir Richard Tempest of Bracewell | - |
| 1404 | Sir Peter Buckton | Sir William Dronsfield | - |
| 1406 | Sir Richard Redman | Sir Thomas Rokeby | - |
| 1407 | Sir Edmund Hastings | Sir Alexander Lound | - |
| 1410 | - | - | |
| 1411 | Sir John Etton | Sir Robert Plumpton | - |
| 1413 | - | - | |
| 1413 | Sir Edmund Hastings | Sir Alexander Lound | - |
| 1414 | Sir Alexander Lound | - | - |
| 1414 | Sir Richard Redman | Sir John Etton | - |
| 1415 | Sir Richard Redman | Sir John Etton | - |
| 1416 | Sir Brian Stapleton | Sir Robert Plumpton 1 | - |
| 1416 | - | - | |
| 1417 | - | - | |
| 1419 | Sir Robert Hilton | Sir Halnath Mauleverer | - |
| 1420 | Sir Richard Redman | Sir John Langton | - |
| 1421 | Sir Edmund Hastings | Sir William Gascoigne | - |
| 1421 | Sir Richard Redman | Sir John Etton | - |
| 1422 | Sir William Euer | - | - |
| 1423 | Sir Thomas Rokeby | - | - |
| 1425 | Sir Robert Hilton | Sir William Ryther de Ryther | |
| 1426 | Sir Robert Hilton | - | - |
| 1427 | Sir Robert Hilton | - | - |
| 1431 | Sir William Euer | - | - |
| 1439 | Sir Thomas Savile | - | - |
| 1449 | Sir James Strangways | William Eure | - |
| 1450 | Sir John Savile | - | - |
| 1461 | Sir James Strangways | - | - |
| 1467 | Sir John Savile | - | - |
| 1491 | Thomas Scrope, 6th Baron Scrope of Masham | - | - |
| 1491 | Sir Richard Tunstall | Sir Henry Wentworth | - |
| 1510–1515 | Not known | - | - |
| 1523 | Sir William Bulmer | ? | - |
| 1529 | Sir John Neville, ennobled and repl. Feb 1533 by Sir John Neville II | Sir Marmaduke Constable | - |
| 1536 | - | - | |
| 1539 | Sir Henry Savile | Robert Bowes | - |
| 1542 | Sir Ralph Ellerker | Sir Robert Bowes, disqualified and repl. Feb 1543 by Thomas Waterman | - |
| 1545 | - | - | |
| 1547 | Sir Nicholas Fairfax | Sir William Babthorpe | - |
| 1553 | Sir Thomas Gargrave | Sir Robert Constable | - |
| 1553 | Sir Robert Constable | Sir William Vavasour | - |
| 1554 | Sir William Babthorpe | Sir Christopher Danby | - |
| 1554 | Sir Thomas Wharton II | Sir Thomas Gargrave | - |
| 1555 | ?Sir Robert Constable | Sir Thomas Gargrave | - |
| 1558 | ?Thomas Wharton, 2nd Baron Wharton | Sir Richard Cholmley | - |
| 1559 | Sir Thomas Gargrave | Sir Henry Savile | - |
| 1562 | Sir Thomas Gargrave | Sir Nicholas Fairfax | - |
| 1571 | Sir Thomas Gargrave | Sir Henry Gates | - |
| 1572 | Sir Thomas Gargrave | Thomas Waterton died and repl. Jan 1576 by Sir Robert Stapleton | - |
| 1584 | Ralph Eure | Sir William Mallory | - |
| 1586 | Sir Henry Gates | Sir Thomas Fairfax of Denton | - |
| 1588 | Sir Henry Constable | Sir Ralph Bourchier | - |
| 1593 | Sir George Savile, Bt | John Aske | - |
| 1597 | Sir John Savile | Sir William Fairfax | - |
| 1601 | Thomas Fairfax | Sir Edward Stanhope | - |
| 1604 | Sir Francis Clifford | Sir John Savile | - |
| 1606 | Sir Richard Gargrave | Sir John Savile | - |
| 1614 | Sir John Savile | Sir Thomas Wentworth | - |
| 1621 | Sir Thomas Wentworth | Lord George Calvert | - |
| 1624 | Sir Thomas Savile | Sir John Savile | - |
| 1625 | Sir Thomas Wentworth | Thomas Fairfax | - |
| 1626 | Sir John Savile | Sir William Constable, Bt | - |
| 1628 | Henry Belasyse | Sir Thomas Wentworth | - |
| 1629 | Henry Belasyse | Sir Henry Savile, Bt | - |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | - | - |
MPs 1640–1826
Short Parliament- 1640: Sir William Savile, Bt
- 1640: Henry Belasyse
- 1640–1648: The Lord Fairfax of Cameron – died March 1648
- 1640–1642: Henry Belasyse – disabled to sit, September 1642
Barebones Parliament
- 1653: Lord Eure, Walter Strickland, Francis Lascelles, John Anlaby, Thomas Dickenson, Thomas St. Nicholas, Roger Coats, Edward Gill
- 1654–1655:
- 1656–1658:
- 1659: The Lord Fairfax of Cameron, Thomas Harrison
Both seats vacant
MPs 1826–1832
NotesElections
The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each voter had as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which took place in the county town of York. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of voters, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.The expense, to candidates, of contested elections encouraged the leading families of the county to agree on the candidates to be returned unopposed whenever possible. Contested county elections were therefore unusual.
Elections in the eighteenth century
Only two elections in the 18th century were contested.At the 1784 general election, the seat was initially contested, but the two Whig candidates Francis Ferrand Foljambe and William Weddell conceded without calling for a poll.
Elections in the 1800s
At the 1802 general election, William Wilberforce and Henry Lascelles were elected unopposed.At the 1806 general election, William Wilberforce and Walter Ramsden Fawkes were elected unopposed.
Elections in the 1810s and 1820s
At the 1812 general election, Viscount Milton and Henry Lascelles were elected unopposed.At the 1818 and 1820 general elections, Viscount Milton and James Stuart Wortley were elected unopposed.
At the 1826 general election, Richard Fountayne Wilson, John Marshall, William Duncombe and Viscount Milton were elected unopposed.