Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885–2010
Taunton was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and its predecessors from 1295 to 2010, taking its name from the town of Taunton in Somerset . Until 1918, it was a parliamentary borough , electing two Member of Parliaments (MPs) between 1295 and 1885 and one from 1885 to 1918; the name was then transferred to a county constituency , electing one MP.
In the boundary changes that came into effect at the general election of 2010 , the Boundary Commission for England replaced Taunton with a modified constituency called Taunton Deane , to reflect the district name. The new constituency's boundaries are coterminous with the local government district of the same name.
History [ edit ] Famous MPs for the borough include Thomas Cromwell .
The 1754 by-election was so fiercely contested that rioting broke out in which two people died.
In the 2005 general election , the victorious Liberal Democrats candidate in Taunton required the smallest percentage swing from the Conservative MP for them to take the seat.
Boundaries [ edit ] 1918–1950 : The Borough of Taunton, the Urban Districts of Wellington and Wiveliscombe, and the Rural Districts of Dulverton, Taunton, and Wellington.
1950–1974 : As above less Wiveliscombe Urban District. This had been absorbed by Wellington Rural District in 1933. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged.
1974–1983 : As 1950 but with redrawn boundaries.
1983–2010 : The Borough of Taunton Deane, and the District of West Somerset wards of Dulverton and Brushford, Exmoor, Haddon, and Quarme.
Members of Parliament [ edit ] MPs 1295–1640 [ edit ] Constituency created (1295) Parliament First member Second member 1362 William Portman ? 1363, 1365, 1366, 1368, 1369, 1371 Unknown 1372 William Portman ? 1373, 1376, 1377 (Jan), 1377 (Oct), 1378 Unknown 1379 William Portman ? 1380 (Jan) ? 1380 (Nov), 1381, 1382 (May), 1382 (Oct), 1383 (Feb), 1383 (Oct), 1384 (Apr) Unknown 1384 (Nov) William Portman ? 1385 ? 1386 William Marchaunt 1388 (Feb) 1388 (Sep) William Damarle 1390 (Jan) John Porter 1390 (Nov) Unknown 1391 William Portman William Marchaunt 1393 John Porter 1394 1395 Walter Puryham 1397 (Jan) Robert Coullyng Robert Eysel 1397 (Sept) Richard Marchaunt John Northmore 1399 Walter Puryham Edmund Rokes 1401 Unknown 1402 William Portman Ralph Sargor 1404 (Jan), 1404 (Oct) Unknown 1406 William Portman Robert Bathe 1407 Richard Marchaunt John Northmore 1410 Thomas Bacot Thomas Edward 1411, 1413 (Feb) Unknown 1413 (May) John Rydon Lewis John 1414 (Apr) John Marchaunt Edmund Dyer 1414 (Nov) 1415, 1416 (Mar), 1416 (Oct) Unknown 1417 John Rydon Walter Portman 1419 Walter Portman Robert Croke 1420 Robert Croke William Borde 1421 (May) Walter Portman 1421 (Dec) John Bowe 1422 ? 1423 Unknown 1425 Walter Portman ? 1426 ? 1427 ? 1429 Unknown 1431 Walter Portman ? 1432, 1433 Unknown 1435 Walter Portman ? 1437, 1439, 1442, 1445, 1447, 1449 (Feb), 1449 (Nov), 1450, 1453 Unknown 1455 Ralph Legh ? 1459, 1460, 1461, 1463 Unknown 1467 Sir William Danvers Robert Ashetill 1470 Sir William Danvers Edward Aysshton 1472 Sir William Danvers ? 1478 Edward Aysshton Robert Lovelord 1483–1523 Unknown 1529 Thomas Cromwell William Portman 1536 ?Richard Pollard ?William Portman 1547 Sir Nicholas Hare John Caryll 1553 (Mar) John Mason ? 1553 (Oct) James Basset Jacques Wingfield 1554 (Apr) William Barne Oliver Vachell 1554 (Nov) Thomas Eden John Norres 1555 Dr Valentine Dale ? 1558 Richard Myrfield 1559 ? 1563–7 Miles Sandys Anthony Leigh 1571 Robert Hill Richard Blount 1572–81 Roger Hill Richard Blount [1] Edmund Hodges 1584–5 Alexander Pym [2] Maurice Horner William Goldwell 1586–7 Francis Bacon John Goldwell 1588–9 Thomas Fisher 1593 William Aubrey, DCL John Davidge 1597–8 Edward Barker Edward Hext 1601 John Bond Daniel Donne, DCL 1604–11 Edward Hext Addled Parliament (1614) James Clarke John Donne 1621–2 Lewis Pope Thomas Brereton Happy Parliament (1624–5) Roger Prowse Useless Parliament (1625) Hugh Portman Thomas Brereton 1625–6 Sir Robert Gorges George Browne 1628 Hugh Portman 1629–40 No Parliament summoned
MPs 1640–1885 [ edit ] MPs since 1885 [ edit ] Elections [ edit ] Elections in the 1830s [ edit ] Labouchere was appointed as a Lord of the Admiralty, causing a by-election.
Labouchere was appointed as vice-president of the Board of Trade, and Master of the Mint, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s [ edit ] Bainbridge resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds , causing a by-election.
Labouchere was appointed Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland , requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s [ edit ] Mills' election was declared void on petition.
Labouchere was appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies , requiring a by-election.
Labouchere was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord 1st Baron Taunton and causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s [ edit ] On petition, Cox's election was scrutinised, and some of his votes were found to have been acquired by bribery, and were then struck off. This caused him to be unseated on 8 March 1869 and James was declared elected.[26] While a petition was then lodged against James, the court ruled a petitioner who had been seated on petition could not then be petitioned against.[21]
Elections in the 1870s [ edit ] James was appointed Solicitor-General for England and Wales , causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s [ edit ] James was appointed Attorney General for England and Wales , requiring a by-election.
Palliser's death caused a by-election.
Jessel Allsopp succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Hindlip, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1890s [ edit ] Elections in the 1900s [ edit ] Smith Elections in the 1910s [ edit ] Peel Wills General Election 1914–15 :
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
Elections in the 1920s [ edit ] John Simpson Andrew Gault Elections in the 1930s [ edit ] Elections in the 1940s [ edit ] General Election 1939–40
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;
Elections in the 1950s [ edit ] Elections in the 1960s [ edit ] Elections in the 1970s [ edit ] Elections in the 1980s [ edit ] Elections in the 1990s [ edit ] Elections in the 2000s [ edit ] Jeremy Browne See also [ edit ] Notes and references [ edit ] ^ Blount died during the 1572 Parliament, and Hodges was elected in his place in 1575. ^ Pym died in January 1585. ^ "Taunton" . The History of Parliament . The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 24 September 2012 . ^ Cassidy, Irene. "Taunton 1660-1690" . The History of Parliament . The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 24 September 2012 . ^ Cobbett records Admiral Robert Blake as being elected for Taunton and Palmer for Bridgwater; but Brunton & Pennington agree with the Dictionary of National Biography that Blake was MP for Bridgwater and Palmer for Taunton. ^ At the general election of 1715, Warre and Portman were initially declared re-elected, but on petition (in a dispute over the franchise) they were adjudged not to have been duly elected and their opponents, Pynsent and Smith, were seated in their place ^ Styled Lord Cockermouth from October 1749 ^ Created Earl of Tyrconnell (in the Peerage of Ireland ), May 1761 ^ Succeeded as The Lord Farnham , August 1759; created Viscount Farnham, September 1760 and Earl of Farnham, May 1763 (all these titles being in the Peerage of Ireland ). ^ On petition, Stratford and Webb were adjudged not to have been duly elected, and their opponents, Halliday and Popham, were seated in their place ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive . London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 34–337. Retrieved 18 December 2018 – via Google Books . ^ Matthew, H. C. G.; Barker, G. F. R. (4 October 2008) [2004]. "Labouchere, Henry, Baron Taunton (1798–1869)" . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi :10.1093/ref:odnb/15838 . Retrieved 14 July 2018 . (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) ^ Barker, George Fisher Russell (1892). "Labouchere, Henry" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 31. London: Smith, Elder & Co. ^ Jenkins, Terry (2009). Fisher, D. R. (ed.). "Taunton" . The History of Parliament . Retrieved 14 July 2018 . ^ a b "Worcester Journal" . 3 August 1837. p. 6. Retrieved 14 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive . ^ "The Scotsman" . 12 February 1842. p. 2. Retrieved 14 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive . ^ "Taunton Election - Final Close of the Poll" . Leeds Intelligencer . 19 February 1842. p. 4. Retrieved 14 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive . ^ On petition, Mills' election was declared void and a by-election was held ^ On petition, the election of Cox was declared void and after scrutiny of the votes his opponent, James, was declared to have been duly elected ^ a b c Jenkins, Terry. "Taunton" . The History of Parliament . Retrieved 26 April 2020 . ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Craig, F. W. S. , ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3 . ^ "Taunton Election: Close of the Poll" . Elgin Courier . 6 May 1853. p. 2. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive . ^ "Taunton" . Cheltenham Mercury . 21 March 1857. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive . ^ "Taunton Election" . Sherborne Mercury . 3 May 1859. p. 6. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive . ^ "Election Intelligence" . Bristol Times and Mirror . p. 3. Retrieved 19 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive . ^ "Untitled" . The Scotsman . 6 March 1869. p. 2. Retrieved 19 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive . ^ "Election Intelligence" . The Globe . 6 February 1882. p. 5. Retrieved 12 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive . ^ Craig, F. W. S. , ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918 . London: Macmillan Press. p. 198. ISBN 9781349022984 . ^ a b c d e f g h i British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig) ^ "Election of Lieut-Colonel E. T. R. Wickham" . Taunton Courier . 20 November 1935. Retrieved 14 January 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive . ^ Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939 ^ "Election Data 1983" . Electoral Calculus . Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015 . ^ "Election Data 1987" . Electoral Calculus . Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015 . ^ "Election Data 1992" . Electoral Calculus . Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015 . ^ "Politics Resources" . Election 1992 . Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010 . ^ "Election Data 1997" . Electoral Calculus . Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015 . ^ "Election Data 2001" . Electoral Calculus . Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015 . ^ "Election Data 2005" . Electoral Calculus . Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015 . Sources [ edit ] Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [1] D. Brunton & D. H. Pennington , Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [2] Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X . F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989) Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988) J E Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949) Willis, Browne (1750). Notitia Parliamentaria, Part II: A Series or Lists of the Representatives in the several Parliaments held from the Reformation 1541, to the Restoration 1660 ... London. p. 1 . Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society , 1979) The BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services, 1983) Concise Dictionary of National Biography List of speakers: Parliaments of 1656 and 1658-9 , Diary of Thomas Burton esq, volume 4: March - April 1659 (1828) at British History Online External links [ edit ]