List of parliamentary boroughs and associated county constituencies 1832–1918

This article lists parliamentary boroughs and associated county constituencies 1832–1918. The significance of this list is that during this period non-resident 40 shilling freeholders of (usually) land located in a borough, qualified for a parliamentary vote in the county.

Franchise provisions

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Amongst the qualifications for a county vote in United Kingdom parliamentary elections, which applied from 1832 until 1918, was the possession of a freehold estate of the annual value of 40 shillings. Residence on the property was not required from freeholders. A freehold situate in a Parliamentary borough qualified the owner for the county vote, unless it was in his own occupation.

List of associated constituencies

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The list includes all county constituencies 1832–1885, even if there are no associated boroughs. From 1885 the county constituency is only listed if it is known to have been associated with a borough.

The place of election was where the hustings were held; at which candidates were nominated, polling took place (before the introduction of multiple polling places in county constituencies) and where the result was announced.

England

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Some boroughs were a city or town which was a county of itself, in which the non-resident freeholders were ancient right voters in the borough. This applied to Bristol, Exeter, Norwich, and Nottingham. Those boroughs are not included in the list below.

Period County constituency Place of election Parliamentary borough
Bedfordshire
1832–1885 Bedfordshire Bedford Bedford
1885–1918 Biggleswade N/A Bedford
Berkshire
1832–1885 Berkshire Abingdon Abingdon
Reading
Wallingford
Windsor
1885–1918 Newbury N/A Reading
1885–1918 Wokingham N/A Windsor
Buckinghamshire
1832–1885 Buckinghamshire Aylesbury Aylesbury
Buckingham
Great Marlow
Wycombe
Cambridgeshire
1832–1885 Cambridgeshire Cambridge Cambridge
1885–1918 Chesterton N/A Cambridge
Cheshire a
1832–1868 North Cheshire Knutsford Macclesfield
Stockport
1832–1868 South Cheshire Chester Chester
1868–1885 East Cheshire Macclesfield
1868–1885 Mid Cheshire Knutsford
1868–1885 West Cheshire Chester
1885–1918 Altrincham N/A Stockport
1885–1918 Eddisbury N/A Chester
1885–1918 Hyde N/A Stalybridge
1885–1918 Wirral N/A Birkenhead b
Cornwall
1832–1885 East Cornwall Bodmin Bodmin
Launceston
Liskeard
1832–1885 West Cornwall Truro Helston
Penryn and Falmouth
St Ives
Truro
1885–1918 Truro N/A Penryn and Falmouth
Cumberland
1832–1885 East Cumberland Carlisle Carlisle
1832–1885 West Cumberland Cockermouth Cockermouth
Whitehaven
1885–1918 Egremont N/A Whitehaven
1885–1918 Eskdale N/A Carlisle
Derbyshire a
1832–1868 North Derbyshire Bakewell N/A
1832–1868 South Derbyshire Derby Derby
1868–1885 East Derbyshire Chesterfield N/A
1868–1885 North Derbyshire Bakewell N/A
1868–1885 South Derbyshire Derby Derby
1885–1918 South Derbyshire N/A Derby
Devon a
1832–1868 North Devon South Molton Barnstaple
Tiverton
1832–1868 South Devon Exeter Ashburton
Dartmouth
Devonport
Honiton
Plymouth
Tavistock
Totnes
1868–1885 East Devon
1868–1885 North Devon
1868–1885 South Devon
1885–1918 Tavistock N/A Devonport
Plymouth
Dorset
1832–1885 Dorset Dorchester Bridport
Dorchester
Lyme Regis
Poole
Shaftesbury
Wareham
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
County Durham
1832–1885 North Durham City of Durham City of Durham
Gateshead
South Shields
Sunderland
1832–1885 South Durham Darlington N/A
1885–1918 Chester-le-Street N/A Gateshead
1885–1918 Houghton-le-Spring N/A Sunderland
1885–1918 Jarrow N/A South Shields
1885–1918 Mid Durham N/A City of Durham
1885–1918 South East Durham N/A Darlington
The Hartlepools
Stockton-on-Tees
Essex a
1832–1868 North Essex Braintree Colchester
Harwich
1832–1868 South Essex Chelmsford Maldon
1885–1918 Harwich N/A Colchester
1885–1918 Romford N/A West Ham North
West Ham South
Gloucestershire
1832–1885 East Gloucestershire Gloucester Cheltenham
Cirencester
Gloucester
Stroud
Tewkesbury
1832–1885 West Gloucestershire Dursley N/A
1885–1918 Tewkesbury N/A Cheltenham
Gloucester
Hampshire
1832–1885 North Hampshire Winchester
1832–1885 South Hampshire Southampton
Herefordshire
1832–1885 Herefordshire Hereford
Hertfordshire
1832–1885 Hertfordshire Hertford
Huntingdonshire
1832–1885 Huntingdonshire Huntingdon
Isle of Wight
1832–1885 Isle of Wight Newport
Kent a
1832–1868 East Kent Canterbury
1832–1868 West Kent Maidstone
Lancashire a
1832–1868 North Lancashire Lamcaster
1832–1868 South Lancashire Newton
Leicestershire
1832–1885 North Leicestershire Loughborough
1832–1885 South Leicestershire Leicester
Lincolnshire a
1832–1868 Parts of Kesteven and Holland Sleaford
1832–1868 Parts of Lindsey Lincoln
Middlesex
1832–1885 Middlesex Brentford
Norfolk a
1832–1868 East Norfolk Norwich
1832–1868 West Norfolk Swaffham
Northamptonshire
1832–1885 North Northamptonshire Kettering
1832–1885 South Northamptonshire Northampton
Northumberland
1832–1885 North Northumberland Alnwick
1832–1885 South Northumberland Hexham
Nottinghamshire
1832–1885 North Nottinghamshire Mansfield
1832–1885 South Nottinghamshire Newark-on-Trent
Oxfordshire
1832–1885 Oxfordshire Oxford
Rutland
1832–1918 Rutland Oakham N/A
Shropshire
1832–1885 North Shropshire Shrewsbury
1832–1885 South Shropshire Church Stretton
Somerset a
1832–1868 East Somerset Wells
1832–1868 West Somerset Taunton
Staffordshire a
1832–1868 North Staffordshire Stafford
1832–1868 South Staffordshire Lichfield
Suffolk
1832–1885 East Suffolk Ipswich
1832–1885 West Suffolk Bury St. Edmunds
Surrey a
1832–1868 East Surrey Croydon
1832–1868 West Surrey Guildford
Sussex
1832–1885 East Sussex Lewes
1832–1885 West Sussex Chichester
Warwickshire
1832–1885 North Warwickshire Coleshill
1832–1885 South Warwickshire Warwick
Westmorland
1832–1885 Westmorland Appleby
Wiltshire
1832–1885 North Wiltshire Devizes
1832–1885 South Wiltshire Salisbury
Worcestershire
1832–1885 East Worcestershire Droitwich
1832–1885 West Worcestershire Worcester
Yorkshire a
1832–1868 East Riding of Yorkshire Beverley
1832–1868 North Riding of Yorkshire York
1832–1865 West Riding of Yorkshire c Wakefield

Notes:-

  • a County divisions redistributed in 1868. No information currently available about the association of divisions with Parliamentary boroughs 1868–1885.
  • b Birkenhead was enfranchised in 1861 and its association with a county division is unavailable until the 1885 redistribution.
  • c West Riding of Yorkshire divided in two in 1865 and three in 1868.

See also

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References

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  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • The Constitutional Year Book 1900 (William Blackstone & Sons 1900) out of copyright
  • Electoral Reform in England and Wales, by Charles Seymour (David & Charles Reprints 1970)
  • The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
  • Social Geography of British Elections 1885–1910. by Henry Pelling (Macmillan 1967)