Gloucestershire (UK Parliament constituency)

Gloucestershire
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
1290–1832
Seatstwo

The constituency of Gloucestershire was a UK Parliamentary constituency. After it was abolished under the 1832 Electoral Reform Act, two new constituencies, West Gloucestershire and East Gloucestershire, were created.

Gloucestershire 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 1832. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire.

Boundaries

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The constituency consisted of the historic county of Gloucestershire, excluding the part of the city of Bristol in the geographical county. Bristol had the status of a county of itself after 1373. Although Gloucestershire contained a number of other parliamentary boroughs, each of which elected two MPs in its own right for part of the period when Gloucestershire was a constituency, these were not excluded from the county constituency. Owning property within such boroughs could confer a vote at the county election. This was not the case, though, for Bristol.[citation needed]

Members of Parliament

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Roman numerals are used to differentiate MPs with the same name, who are not holders of a title with different succession numbers. It is not suggested that the people involved would have used Roman numerals in this way.

1290–1339

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Richard de Croupes shield[1]

Constituency created (1290)

1340–1385

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1386–1421

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(Source: Roskell, 1992)[3]

Election First Member Second Member
1386 Sir Thomas FitzNichol William Hervy
1388 (Feb) Sir John Berkeley William Hayberer
1388 (Sept) Sir John Berkeley Sir Laurence Sebrooke
1390 (Jan) Sir John Cheyne Sir Laurence Sebrooke
1390 (Nov) Sir Gilbert Denys Thomas Berkeley
1391 Sir Maurice Berkeley Robert Whittington
1393 Sir John Cheyne Sir Thomas FitzNichol
1394 Sir John Cheyne Sir Henry de la River
1395 Sir Thomas FitzNichol Sir Gilbert Denys
1397 (Jan) Sir Thomas Butler Sir John Berkeley
1397 (Sept) Hugh Mortimer John Browning
1399 Sir John Cheyne Sir Thomas FitzNichol
1401 John Browning Sir Thomas FitzNichol
1402 Sir Maurice Russell Sir Thomas FitzNichol
1404 (Jan) Sir Maurice Russell Robert Whittington
1404 (Oct) Richard Mawarden James Clifford
1406 Sir Thomas FitzNichol Robert Whittington
1407 Sir Thomas FitzNichol Thomas Mille
1410 Sir John Drayton unknown
1411 Thomas Mille Robert Whittington
1413 (Feb) unknown unknown
1413 (May) Sir Thomas FitzNichol Sir John Pauncefoot
1414 (April) Robert Whittington John Greville
1414 (Nov) Sir Thomas FitzNichol John Browning
1415 Sir Thomas FitzNichol Robert Poyntz
1416 (Mar) unknown unknown
1416 (Oct) unknown unknown
1417 Robert Poyntz Robert Greyndore
1419 John Greville William Tracy
1420 Robert Greyndore Guy Whittington
1421 (May) John Greville Guy Whittington
1421 (Dec) (Sir) John Blaket Sir John Pauncefoot

1422–1508

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Parliament First Member Second Member
1422 (Oct) John Grevell Robert Stranshawe[2]
1423 (Oct) John Grevell Robert Stranshawe[2]
1425 (Apr) Sir Maurice Berkeley[4] John Grevell[2]
1426 (Jan) Robert Stranshawe Robert Greyndore[2]
1427 (Sep) John Grevell Guy Whittington[2]
1429 (July) John Langley Sir Maurice Berkeley[5]
1430 (Dec) Nicholas Poyntz Giles Brugges or Bridges[2]
1432 (Apr) John Langley Guy Whittington[2]
1433 (Jun) Robert Greyndore Robert Stranshawe[2]
1435 (Jul) John Langley Thomas Mill[2]
1436 (Dec) John Langley John Cassy[2]
1442 (Jan) William Tracy John Langley[2]
1447 (Jan) Thomas Pauncefoot John Cassy[2]
1449 (Jan) Thomas Mill Thomas Pauncefoot[2]
1449 (Oct) William Gyfford Thomas Derehurst[2]
1450 (Oct) John Barre John Kemmyse[2]
1455 (Jun) Giles Brugges or Bridges William Whittington[2]
1460 (Sep) Thomas Yonge Thomas Bridges[2]
1467 (May) Maurice Berkeley Thomas Herbert senior[2]
1472 (Aug) Sir Richard Beauchamp Thomas Lymryk[2]
1476 John Twynyho[6]
1478 (Jan) Thomas Cokesey John Twynyho[2]
1491 (Sep) Sir Edmond Montfort Thomas Morton[2]

1509–1558

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(Source: Bindoff (1982))[7]

Parliament of 1510–23 No names known No names known
Parliament of 1529 Sir William Kingston Sir John Brydges
Parliament of 1536 Not known Not known
Parliament of 1539 Sir William Kingston Anthony Kingston
Parliament of 1542 ?Sir Anthony Kingston Not known
Parliament of 1545 Sir Anthony Kingston Nicholas Arnold
Parliament of 1547 Sir Anthony Kingston Sir Nicholas Poyntz
Parliament of 1553 (Mar) Sir Anthony Kingston Sir Nicholas Arnold
Parliament of 1553 (Oct) Sir Edmund Brydges Sir Anthony Hungerford
Parliament of 1554 (Apr) Sir Giles Poole Nicholas Wykes
Parliament of 1554 (Nov) Arthur Porter William Rede
Parliament of 1555 Sir Anthony Kingston Sir Nicholas Arnold
Parliament of 1558 Sir Henry Jerningham Sir Walter Denys

1559–1639

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Parliament First Member Second Member
1563 (Jan) Nicholas Walshe Richard Denys[2]
1571 (Apr) Sir Giles Poole Sir Nicholas Poyntz[2]
1572 (Apr) Hon. Giles Bridges Sir Nicholas Arnold[2]
1576 Thomas Chester
1581 Sir Thomas Porter
1584 (Nov) Sir John Darcy Hon. William Bruges or Bridges[2]
1586 (Oct) Hon. William Bridges Sir William Wynter[2]
1588 (Dec) Sir Thomas Throckmorton Edward Wynter[2]
1593 (Jan) Sir Henry Poole Sir John Pointz[2]
1597 (Sep) Sir John Tracy Sir John Hungerford[2]
1601 (Sep) Sir Edward Wynter John Throckmorton[2]
1604 (Mar) Hon. Sir Thomas Berkeley Sir Richard Berkeley, died in office
and replaced 30 May 1604 by
John Throckmorton[2]
1614 (Mar) Sir William Cooke Richard Berkeley [2]
1620 (Dec) Sir Robert Tracy Maurice Berkeley [2]
1624 (Feb) Sir Thomas Estcourt, died in office
and replaced 20 Oct 1624 by
Sir Maurice Berkeley
John Dutton[2]
1625 (May) Sir Maurice Berkeley John Dutton[2]
1626 (Jan) Sir Robert Tracy Sir Robert Pointz[2]
1628 (Mar) Sir Robert Pointz Nathaniel Stephens[2]
1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned

1640–1832

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Election First member First party Second member Second party
1640, April Sir Robert Tracy Royalist Sir Robert Cooke Parliamentarian
1640, November Nathaniel Stephens Parliamentarian John Dutton 1 Royalist
c. 1644 Sir John Seymour 2 Parliamentarian
Gloucestershire's representation was increased to 3 nominated MPs in Barebones Parliament
1653 John Crofts; William Neast; Robert Holmes
Gloucestershire's representation was increased to 5 elected MPs in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1654 George Berkeley; Matthew Hale; John Howe; Christopher Guise; Sylvanus Wood
1656 George Berkeley; John Howe; John Crofts; Baynham Throckmorton; William Neast
Gloucestershire's representation was decreased to 2 MPs in the Third Parliament of the Protectorate and thereafter
1659, January John Grobham Howe I John Stephens
1659, May unknown unknown
1660, April 18 Edward Stephens Matthew Hale
17 April 1661 John Grobham Howe I Sir Baynham Throckmorton, 2nd Bt 3
21 December 1664 Sir Baynham Throckmorton, 3rd Bt
26 February 1679 Sir John Guise, 2nd Bt Sir Ralph Dutton, Bt
18 March 1685 Marquess of Worcester Sir Robert Atkyns
18 January 1689 Sir John Guise, 2nd Bt Whig Sir Ralph Dutton, Bt Whig
11 December 1695 Thomas Stephens I Whig
3 August 1698 John Grobham Howe II Tory Sir Richard Cocks, Bt Whig
3 December 1701 Maynard Colchester Whig
6 August 1702 John Grobham Howe II Tory
16 May 1705 Sir John Guise, 3rd Bt Whig
12 May 1708 Matthew Moreton Whig
25 October 1710 John Symes Berkeley Tory
23 September 1713 Thomas Stephens II Whig
9 February 1715 Matthew Moreton Whig
30 March 1720 Hon. Henry Berkeley
22 June 1720 Edmund Bray
28 March 1722 Kinard de la Bere
6 September 1727 Sir John Dutton, Bt
8 May 1734 Thomas Chester Tory Benjamin Bathurst Tory
12 May 1741 Norborne Berkeley
27 April 1763 Thomas Tracy
23 November 1763 Edward Southwell
6 August 1770 Sir William Guise, Bt
6 May 1776 William Bromley-Chester Tory 4
24 January 1781 James Dutton
28 April 1783 Hon. George Cranfield Berkeley Whig 5
12 April 1784 Thomas Master Tory 5
2 June 1796 Marquess of Worcester Tory
14 November 1803 Lord Edward Somerset Tory
18 May 1810 Viscount Dursley
7 February 1811 Sir Berkeley Guise, Bt Whig
10 May 1831 Hon. Henry Reynolds-Moreton Whig
Constituency abolished (1832)

Notes:-

  • 1 Dutton was disabled from sitting for adhering to the King and joining the King's Oxford Parliament, c. 1644.
  • 2 Seymour was excluded from Parliament by the Army, c. 1648.
  • 3 Father of the Baynham Throckmorton elected in 1656 and 1664.
  • 4 Stooks Smith classifies Bromley-Chester as Tory in the 1776 by-election, but gives no label in subsequent elections.
  • 5 Stooks Smith classifies Berkeley as Whig in the 1776 by-election (which he lost), but gives no label in subsequent elections before the general election of 1790. Both Berkeley and Master are classified by party from 1790.

Elections

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Gloucestershire by-election, May 1776 [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory William Bromley-Chester 2,919 50.4 n/a
Whig George Cranfield Berkeley 2,873 49.6 n/a
Majority 46 0.8 n/a
Turnout 5,792 n/a
Registered electors

See also

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Sources

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References

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  1. ^ Foster, Joseph (1902). Some feudal coats of arms. p. 59. Retrieved 6 February 2023 – via Wikisource.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv "The parliamentary history of the county of Gloucester". Internet Archive. 1898. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  3. ^ Roskell, J.S. (ed.), The History of Parliament; The House of Commons 1386-1421, 4 vols., Stroud, 1992. Vol.1, p.398
  4. ^ Sir Maurice Berkeley (9 Feb 1401-1464) of Stoke Gifford, MP for Gloucestershire in 1425 and 1429. Born posthumously. "He was made a ward of one of the ‘King’s knights’, Sir Francis Court, and was destined to be even wealthier than his father, for in 1407, when his father's first cousin Joyce, Lady Burnell (wife of Hugh Burnell, Baron Burnell and daughter of John de Botetourt (dvp.1369), son and heir apparent of the 2nd Baron) suo jure Baroness Botetourt, died childless, he inherited a third part of the abeyant barony of Botetourt. On proving his age in 1423 he took possession of both the Berkeley and his share of the Botetourt estates, and as Sir Maurice Berkeley he was returned for Gloucestershire to the Parliaments of 1425 and 1429". (History of Parliament biog of his father Sir Maurice Berkeley (1358-1400), of Uley and Stoke Gifford, MP for Gloucestershire in 1391 [1]). He married Ellen Montfort dau of William Montfort
  5. ^ Sir Maurice Berkeley (9 Feb 1401-1464) of Stoke Gifford, MP for Gloucestershire in 1425 and 1429
  6. ^ Holt, Anne D., & Wedgwood, Josiah Clement, History of Parliament: Biographies of the Members of the Commons House, 1439–1509, Vol. 1, London: HMSO, 1936-1938, p.886-7, biography of John Twynyho
  7. ^ Bindoff S.T. (ed.) The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1509-1558, London, 1982, pp. 91–92
  8. ^ Poll book