Truro_(UK_Parliament_constituency)

Truro (UK Parliament constituency)

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Truro was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Cornwall represented in the House of Commons of England and later of Great Britain from 1295 until 1800, then in the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918 and finally from 1950 to 1997. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, electing two members of parliament (MPs) by the plurality-at-large system of election; the name was then transferred to the surrounding county constituency, which elected a single Member by the first past the post system. In 1997, although there had been no changes to its boundaries, it was renamed as Truro and St Austell, reflecting the fact that St Austell by then had a larger population than Truro.

Quick Facts County, Major settlements ...

Truro
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Truro in Cornwall for the 1992 general election
Location of Cornwall within England
County	Cornwall
Major settlements	Truro, St Austell
1950–1997
Seats	One
Created from	Penryn and Falmouth and Camborne
Replaced by	Truro & St Austell
1885–1918
Seats	One
Type of constituency	County constituency
Created from	Helston, Truro and West Cornwall
Replaced by	Penryn and Falmouth, St Ives and Camborne
1295–1885
Seats	Two
Type of constituency	Borough constituency
Replaced by	Truro

Boundaries

1950–1974: The Borough of Truro, the Urban District of St Austell, the Rural District of Truro except the parish of Gwennap, and in the Rural District of St Austell the parishes of Creed, Grampound, Roche, St Dennis, St Ewe, St Goran, St Mewan, St Michael Caerhays, and St Stephen-in-Brannel.

1974–1983: The Boroughs of Truro, and St Austell with Fowey, the Rural District of Truro except the parish of Gwennap, and in the Rural District of St Austell the parishes of Creed, Grampound, Roche, St Dennis, St Ewe, St Goran, St Mewan, St Michael Caerhays, and St Stephen-in-Brannel.

1983–1997: The District of Carrick wards of Boscawen, Chacewater, Feock, Kea, Kenwyn, Moresk, Newlyn, Perranzabuloe, Probus, Roseland, St Agnes, St Clement, Tregolls, and Trehaverne, and the Borough of Restormel wards of Crinnis, Mevagissey, Poltair, Rock, St Ewe, St Mewan, St Stephen-in-Brannel, Trevarna, and Treverbyn.

History

The constituency has existed in a number of different forms. The constituency of Truro, up until 1885 elected two members to parliament; this was reduced to one. In 1918 the constituency was abolished but it was recreated again in 1950.

The seat became a safe Lib Dem bet thanks to the popularity and eloquence of its former MP, David Penhaligon. His death in a car crash, aged only 42, robbed the House of Commons of one of its most independent-minded and pragmatic members. His successor, Matthew Taylor, held the seat comfortably from a by-election in 1987, and remained its MP after the name change in 1997.

Members of Parliament

Truro Parliamentary borough

MPs 1295–1629

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

Constituency created (1295)

More information Parliament, First member ...

Parliament	First member	Second member
1358	John Hamely^[1]
1386	John Tregoose	Robert Clerk^[2]
1388 (Feb)	Henry Gourlyn	John Tremayne^[2]
1388 (Sep)	John Tr...uran	John Trebernet^[2]
1390 (Jan)	John Coke	Walter Bloyowe^[2]
1390 (Nov)
1391	John Urban	Roger Juyl^[2]
1393	Ralph Trenewith I	Walter Bloyowe^[2]
1394
1395	Richard Respryn	Andrew Borlase^[2]
1397 (Jan)	John Trereise	John Megre^[2]
1397 (Sep)	Nicholas Trenewith	John Lawhire^[2]
1399	Richard Carhorta	Pascoe Polruddan^[2]
1401
1402	Ralph Kayl	John Trereise^[2]
1404 (Jan)
1404 (Oct)
1406	Ralph Cardrewe	Thomas Brunsham^[2]
1407
1410
1411	Thomas Paderda	William Colyn^[2]
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	John Chinals	William Chamberlain^[2]
1414 (Apr)
1414 (Nov)	John Trereise	William Trethake I^[2]
1415
1416 (Mar)	Peter Hayme	William Moun^[2]
1416 (Oct)
1417	John Megre	Andrew Hirnans^[2]
1419	John Trewint	John Langedon^[2]
1420	William Panter	Robert Trenerth^[2]
1421 (May)	William Trethake II	William Richard^[2]
1421 (Dec)	Robert Treage	William Richard^[2]
1422	John But
1425	John But
1467	Edward Aysshton
1510–1523	No names known
1529	Roger Corbet	John Thomas
1536	?Roger Corbet	?
1539	?
1542	?
1545	Francis Smith	Robert Trencreke
1547	Robert Trencreke	Nicholas Randall
First Parliament of 1553	Nicholas Randall	Thomas Roydon
Second Parliament of 1553	Nicholas Randall	John Methnes^[3]
Parliament of 1554	William Iseham	Thomas Duppa
Parliament of 1554–1555	John Melhuish	Thomas Roydon
Parliament of 1555	Nicholas Randall	Thomas Randall^[4]
Parliament of 1558	Nicholas Randall	Thomas Roydon
Parliament of 1563–1567	John Carminow	John Mitchell^[5]
Parliament of 1571	Henry Killigrew	Vincent Skinner
Parliament of 1572–1581	Henry Killigrew	Oliver Carminow
Parliament of 1584–1585	Edward Darcy	Michael Hicks
Parliament of 1586–1587	John Stanhope	Roland Lytton
Parliament of 1588–1589	Hannibal Vyvyan	John Woolton
Parliament of 1593	John Parker	Nicholas Smyth
Parliament of 1597–1598	Maurice Berkeley	Reade Stafford
Parliament of 1601	William Daniel	Thomas Harris
Parliament of 1604–1611	Henry Cossen	Thomas Burgess
Addled Parliament (1614)	Thomas Russell	Thomas Burgess, junior
Parliament of 1621–1622	Barnaby Gough, sat for Cambridge Univ. and replaced by Sir John Catcher^[6]	John Trefusis^[7]
Happy Parliament (1624)	Richard Daniel	Thomas Burgess
Useless Parliament (1625)	William Rous	Henry Rolle
Parliament of 1626	Francis Rous
Parliament of 1628	Richard Daniel
No Parliament summoned 1629–1640

MPs 1640–1885

More information Election, 1st member ...

Election	1st member^[8]		1st party	2nd member^[8]		2nd party
April 1640		Francis Rous	Parliamentarian		John Rolle	Parliamentarian
November 1640					John Rolle	Parliamentarian
November 1648				Rolle died – seat left vacant
1653	Truro was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654		Francis Rous		Truro had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656		Walter Vincent
January 1659		Walter Vincent			Charles Boscawen
May 1659	Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660		Walter Vincent			Edward Boscawen
1661		Nicholas Arundell
1666		John Arundell
1679		William Boscawen
1681		Henry Ashurst
1685		John Arundell			Henry Vincent
1689		Sir Henry Ashurst, Bt
1690		John Cloberry
1695		Hugh Fortescue	Whig
March 1701		Sir John Hawles	Whig
December 1701		Sir William Scawen sat for Grampound
February 1702		Sir Robert Cotton	Tory
July 1702		Thomas Powys
November 1702		Sir Philip Meadowes
May 1705		Hugh Boscawen	Whig
November 1705		Peregrine Bertie	Whig
May 1708		James Brydges^[9]
December 1708		Robert Furnese	Whig
1710		Hugh Boscawen	Whig
1713		Thomas Hare			William Collier
1715		John Selwyn			Spencer Cowper	Whig
1721		Thomas Wyndham			Spencer Cowper	Whig
1727		Hugh Boscawen			Sidney Meadows
1734		Kelland Courtenay			Robert Trefusis
1741		Charles Hamilton			James Hammond
1742		Charles Hamilton			Admiral the Hon. Edward Boscawen	Tory^[10]
1747		Hon. John Boscawen^[11]	Tory^[10]		Admiral the Hon. Edward Boscawen	Tory^[10]
1761		Hon. John Boscawen^[11]	Tory^[10]		Lt General the Hon. George Boscawen	Tory^[10]
1767		Edward Hugh Boscawen	Tory^[10]		Lt General the Hon. George Boscawen	Tory^[10]
1774		George Boscawen	Tory^[10]		Bamber Gascoyne	Whig^[10]
1780		Henry Rosewarne	Whig^[10]
1783		John Pollexfen Bastard	Tory^[10]
February 1784		Sir John St Aubyn, Bt	Whig^[10]
April 1784		William Macarmick	Tory^[10]		William Augustus Spencer Boscawen	Tory^[10]
1787		John Hiley Addington	Tory^[10]
1790		James Gordon	Tory^[10]
1792		James Gordon	Tory^[10]		Charles Ingoldsby Paulet^[12]	Tory^[10]
1796		Lt Colonel John Leveson-Gower	Tory^[10]		John Lemon	Whig^[10]
1802		Captain Edward Leveson-Gower	Tory^[10]
1807		Edward Boscawen	Tory^[10]
1808		Charles Powlett Townshend	Tory^[10]
1810		William John Bankes	Tory^[10]
1812		Sir George Warrender, Bt	Tory^[10]
1814		Sir George Warrender, Bt	Tory^[10]		George Dashwood	Tory
1818		Lord FitzRoy Somerset	Tory^[10]		William Edward Tomline	Tory^[10]
1820		Sir Hussey Vivian	Whig^[10]		William Gossett	Whig^[10]
1826		Lord FitzRoy Somerset	Tory^[10]		William Edward Tomline	Tory^[10]
1829		Viscount Encombe	Tory^[10]		Nathaniel William Peach	Tory^[10]
1832		Sir Hussey Vivian	Whig^[10]		William Tooke	Whig^[10]
1835		John Ennis Vivian	Conservative^[10]		William Tooke	Whig^[10]
1837					Edmund Turner	Whig^[13]^[14]^[10]
1849					Humphrey Willyams	Whig^[15]^[16]
1852					Sir Henry Vivian	Whig^[17]^[18]
1857		Augustus Smith	Whig^[17]		Edward Brydges Willyams	Whig
1859			Liberal		Montague Edward Smith	Conservative
February 1865			Liberal		Sir Frederick Williams, Bt	Conservative
July 1865		Hon. John Vivian	Liberal
1871		Sir James McGarel-Hogg, Bt	Conservative
1878					Arthur Tremayne	Conservative
1880					Edward Brydges Willyams	Liberal
1885	Borough constituency abolished – name transferred to single-member county constituency

Truro County constituency

MPs 1885–1918

More information Election, Member ...

	Member^[8]	Party
1885	William Bickford-Smith	Liberal later Liberal Unionist
1892	John Charles Williams	Liberal Unionist
1895	Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence	Liberal Unionist
1906	George Hay Morgan	Liberal
1918	constituency abolished

MPs 1950–1997

More information Election, Member ...

	Member^[8]	Party
1950	Geoffrey Wilson	Conservative
1970	Piers Dixon	Conservative
Oct 1974	David Penhaligon	Liberal
1987 by-election	Matthew Taylor	Liberal
1988	Matthew Taylor	Liberal Democrats
1997	name changed to Truro & St. Austell