Huntingdon_(UK_Parliament_constituency)

Huntingdon (UK Parliament constituency)

Huntingdon (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1801-1918 & 1983 onwards


Huntingdon is a constituency[n 1] west of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire and including its namesake town of Huntingdon. It has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2001 by Jonathan Djanogly of the Conservative Party.[n 2]

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Huntingdon is a safe Conservative seat and was the seat of former Conservative Prime Minister, John Major.

First established around the time of the Model Parliament in 1295, Huntingdon was the seat of Oliver Cromwell in 1628–29 and 1640–1642.

History

The constituency of Huntingdon has existed in three separate forms: as a parliamentary borough from 1295, represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885; as a division of a parliamentary county from 1885 to 1918; and as a county constituency from 1983 until the present day.

Representatives for the seat, the standard two burgesses per parliamentary borough, were summoned to form the first fully assembled parliament, the Model Parliament in 1295 and at all parliaments assembled from then until 1868, in which year the constituency was reduced to a single-member borough in accordance with the Reform Act 1867. In the mid-17th century, this was Oliver Cromwell's constituency.

Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the parliamentary borough was abolished altogether and the two-member parliamentary county of Huntingdonshire was replaced by the two-single member seats formally known as the Northern or Ramsey Division and the Southern or Huntingdon Division. It was abolished under the Representation of the People Act 1918 when it was re-combined with Ramsey and Huntingdonshire was re-established as a single member constituency.

As a result of the Local Government Act 1972, the two counties of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely, and Huntingdon and Peterborough were merged to form the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire, with effect from 1 April 1974. However, the next redistribution did not come into effect until the 1983 general election, when the Huntingdonshire constituency was abolished once again, with the majority comprising the re-established county constituency of Huntingdon which also included rural areas to the west of Peterborough.

There were significant boundary changes at the 1997 general election, when the neighbouring seat of North West Cambridgeshire was created from areas previously in the seats of Huntingdon and Peterborough.

The former Conservative Prime Minister (1990–1997) John Major represented the seat from its re-creation in 1983 until his retirement in 2001. His majority in 1992 (36,230) was the largest majority for any member of parliament post-1832 until 2017, in which George Howarth won a 42,214 vote majority in Knowsley.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1832–1885

  • The townships of Huntingdon and Godmanchester.[3]

1885–1918

  • The Sessional Divisions of Leightonstone and Toseland.[4]

The new county division incorporated the towns of Huntingdon, Godmanchester, and St Neots.

1983–1997

  • The District of Huntingdon wards of Brampton, Bury, Earith, Ellington, Elton, Farcet, Fenstanton, Godmanchester, Hemingford Abbots and Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Houghton and Wyton, Huntingdon North, Huntingdon West, Kimbolton, Needingworth, Ramsey, Sawtry, Somersham, Stilton, St Ives North, St Ives South, The Stukeleys, Upwood and The Raveleys, Warboys, and Yaxley; and
  • The City of Peterborough wards of Barnack, Glinton, Northborough, Werrington, and Wittering.[5]

The re-established seat comprised the majority of the abolished Huntingdonshire constituency, including Huntingdon, Godmanchester, Ramsey and St Ives, together with rural areas to the west of Peterborough, including Barnack and Werrington.

1997–2010

  • The District of Huntingdonshire wards of Brampton, Buckden, Eaton Ford, Eaton Socon, Ellington, Eynesbury, Fenstanton, Godmanchester, Gransden, Hemingford Abbots and Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Houghton and Wyton, Huntingdon North, Huntingdon West, Kimbolton, Needingworth, Paxton, Priory Park, St Ives North, St Ives South, Staughton, The Offords, and The Stukeleys.[6]

Gained the parts of the District of Huntingdon, including St Neots, which had previously been part of the abolished South West Cambridgeshire constituency. The City of Peterborough ward of Werrington was transferred to the Peterborough constituency. Remaining Peterborough wards and northern parts of the District of Huntingdon, including Ramsey, were included in the new constituency of North West Cambridgeshire.

Map of current boundaries

2010–present

  • The District of Huntingdonshire wards of Alconbury and The Stukeleys, Brampton, Buckden, Fenstanton, Godmanchester, Gransden and The Offords, Huntingdon East, Huntingdon North, Huntingdon West, Kimbolton and Staughton, Little Paxton, St Ives East, St Ives South, St Ives West, St Neots Eaton Ford, St Neots Eaton Socon, St Neots Eynesbury, St Neots Priory Park, and The Hemingfords.[7]

Local authority wards revised. Further minor loss to North West Cambridgeshire.

The constituency consists of the towns of St Neots, Huntingdon, St Ives, Godmanchester and a number of smaller settlements in Western Cambridgeshire.

Proposed

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following wards of the District of Huntingdonshire (as they existed on 1st December 2020):

Alconbury; Brampton; Buckden; Godmanchester & Hemingford Abbots; Great Staughton; Hemingford Grey & Houghton; Holywell-cum-Needingworth; Huntingdon East; Huntingdon North; Kimbolton; St. Ives East; St. Ives South; St. Ives West; Sawtry; Somersham; The Stukeleys; Warboys.[8]

The seat will be subject to major changes with the town of St Neots being included in the newly formed constituency of St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, partly offset by the transfer of mainly rural areas to the north from North West Cambridgeshire.

Members of Parliament

MPs c1290–1660

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MPs 1660–1868

MPs 1868–1918

MPs since 1983

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Elections

Elections in the 2020s

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Elections in the 2010s

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Elections in the 2000s

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Elections in the 1990s

The constituency underwent boundary changes prior to the 1997 election and the changes are not based on the 1992 result.

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Elections in the 1980s

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Elections in the 1910s

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Elections in the 1900s

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Elections in the 1890s

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Elections in the 1880s

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  • Caused by Montagu's succession to the peerage, becoming Earl of Sandwich.
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Elections in the 1870s

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  • Caused by Karslake's resignation.
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  • Caused by Baring's death.

Elections in the 1860s

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Seat reduced to one member

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Elections in the 1850s

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Elections in the 1840s

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  • Caused by Pollock's resignation upon his appointment as Chief Justice of the Court of the Exchequer
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Elections in the 1830s

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Wells and Sweeting were put forward as candidates, and received "a show of hands of ten to one" against Calvert and Stuart, who had received seven and five respectively. However, the mayor declared Stuart and Calvert as having the majority of legal votes and the seat was not put to a poll.[35]

See also

Notes

  1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years, though this was not the case in its first creation

References

  1. "England Parliamentary electorates 2010-2018". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  2. "'Huntingdon', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  3. "H.M.S.O. Boundary Commission Report 1868, Huntingdon". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  4. "H.M.S.O. Boundary Commission Report 1885, Huntingdonshire". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  5. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  6. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  7. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  8. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule I Part 2 Eastern region.
  9. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  10. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  11. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  12. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  13. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 151–153. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  14. 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.
  15. "Find My PPC (Eastern England)" (PDF). Reform UK. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  16. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  17. "mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=123". Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  18. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  19. "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  20. F. W. S. Craig (1989), British Parliamentary Election Results, 1885–1918. Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 299
  21. "Election of Sir R. Peel for Huntingdon". Edinburgh Evening News. 22 March 1884. p. 4. Retrieved 1 December 2017 via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. "Huntingdon and Godmanchester Election". Huntingdon, Bedford & Peterborough Gazette. 15 December 1832. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  23. Harratt, Simon. "Huntingdon". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
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