Hertford (UK Parliament constituency)

Hertford was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire, which elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1298 until 1974.

History

The Parliamentary Borough of Hertford was represented by two MPs in the House of Commons of England from 1298 to 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 onwards. Under the Boundary Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. 46), its representation was reduced to one MP.

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (which followed on from the Representation of the People Act 1884) abolished the parliamentary borough and it gave its name to one of four divisions of the abolished three-member Parliamentary County of Hertfordshire, and was formally named as the Eastern or Hertford Division of Hertfordshire.

As well as the Borough of Hertford, the enlarged constituency included the towns of Ware, Bishop's Stortford and Hoddesdon. It remained largely unchanged until 1955, but was radically altered for the 1955 general election. It was abolished in 1974.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1885–1918

• The Borough of Hertford;
• The Sessional Divisions of Bishop's Stortford and Cheshunt;
• Parts of the Sessional Divisions of Hertford and Ware; and
• In the Sessional Division of Aldbury, the parishes of Great Hadham and Little Hadham.

1918–1950

• The Borough of Hertford;
• The Urban Districts of Bishop's Stortford, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Sawbridgeworth, and Ware;
• The Rural Districts of Hadham and Ware; and
• The Rural District of Hertford parishes of Bayford, Bengeo Rural, Bengeo Urban, Bramfield, Brickendon Liberty, Brickendon Rural, Hertingfordbury, Little Amwell, Little Berkhamsted, St Andrew Rural, St John Rural, Stapleford, and Tewin.

Minor changes to boundaries.

1950–1955

• The Borough of Hertford;
• The Urban Districts of Bishop's Stortford, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Sawbridgeworth, and Ware;
• The Rural District of Ware;
• The Rural District of Braughing parishes of Albury, Braughing, Brent Pelham, Furneux Pelham, High Wych, Little Hadham, Much Hadham, Stocking Pelham, and Thorley; and
• The Rural District of Hertford parishes of Bayford, Bengeo Rural, Bengeo Urban, Bramfield, Brickendon Liberty, Brickendon Rural, Hertingfordbury, Little Amwell, Little Berkhamsted, St Andrew Rural, St John Rural, Stapleford, and Tewin.

Nominal changes only to reflect restructuring of rural districts.

1955–1974

• The Borough of Hertford;
• The Urban District of Welwyn Garden City; and
• The Rural Districts of Hatfield, Hertford, and Welwyn.

Significant changes with only the Municipal Borough and the part of the Rural District of Hertford retained. The remainder of the constituency formed the basis of the new County Constituency of East Hertfordshire. The Urban District of Welwyn Garden City and the Rural District of Welwyn were transferred from St Albans; the Rural District of Hatfield from Barnet; and the remainder of the Rural District of Hertford from Hitchin.

The constituency was abolished in the redistribution taking effect for the February 1974 general election. The Municipal Borough and Rural District of Hertford were included in the new constituency of Hertford and Stevenage, with remaining areas forming the new constituency of Welwyn and Hatfield.

Members of Parliament

Hertford borough (1298–1885)

1298–1640

Parliament	First member	Second member
1376	Constituency franchise lapsed
1624	Constituency re-enfranchised by Parliament
1624	William Ashton	Thomas Fanshawe
1625	William Ashton	Thomas Fanshawe
1626	Sir William Harrington	Sir Capell Bedell
1628	Sir Edward Howard ennobled and replaced by Sir Charles Morrison	Sir Thomas Fanshawe
1629	John Carey, Viscount Rochford	Sir Thomas Fanshawe
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned

1640–1868

Year		First member	First party		Second member	Second party
April 1640	rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Viscount Cranborne	Parliamentarian	rowapan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir Thomas Fanshawe	Royalist
November 1640
November 1643	Fanshawe disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1645		William Leman
December 1648				Cranborne not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653	Hertford was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654		Isaac Pulter		Hertford had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656
January 1659					James Cowper
May 1659		Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660		Arthur Sparke			James Cowper
1661		Sir Edward Turnor			Thomas Fanshawe
1673		Sir Thomas Byde
1675					Edmund Feilde
1677					Sir John Gore
February 1679					Sir Charles Caesar
September 1679					Sir William Cowper
1685					Sir Francis Boteler
1689					Sir William Cowper
1690		Sir William Leman
1695		William Cowper
January 1701		Charles Caesar			Thomas Filmer
February 1701					Richard Goulston
1705					Sir Thomas Clarke
1708		William Monson
1710		Charles Caesar			Richard Goulston
1715		Sir Thomas Clarke			John Boteler
1722		Edward Harrison			Charles Caesar
1723					Sir Thomas Clarke
1727		George Harrison
1734		Nathaniel Brassey
1741					George Harrison
1759					George Cowper
1761		John Calvert			Timothy Caswall
1768					William Cowper
1770					Paul Feilde
1780		Thomas, Baron Dimsdale			William Baker
1784					John Calvert
1790		Nathaniel, Baron Dimsdale
1802	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Hon. Edward Spencer Cowper	Whig	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Nicolson Calvert	Whig
1817	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	James Gascoyne-Cecil	Tory
1823	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Thomas Byron	Tory
1826	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Thomas Slingsby Duncombe	Whig
1830	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Henry Chetwynd-Talbot	Tory
1831	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	John Currie	Whig
1832	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Henry Chetwynd-Talbot	Tory	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Philip Stanhope	Tory
1832	writ suspended: both seats vacant until 1835
1835	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Hon. William Cowper	Whig	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Philip Stanhope	Conservative
1852	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Thomas Chambers	Radical
1857	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Sir Walter Townshend-Farquhar	Conservative
1859	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |		Liberal
1866	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Robert Dimsdale	Conservative
1868	Representation reduced to one MP

1868–1885

Election		Member	Party
1868	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Robert Dimsdale	Conservative
1874	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Arthur Balfour	Conservative
1885	Constituency abolished; name transferred to county division

Hertford county constituency (1885–1974)

Election		Member	Party
1885	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Abel Smith	Conservative
1898 by-election	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Evelyn Cecil	Conservative
1900	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Abel Henry Smith	Conservative
Jan. 1910	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir John Rolleston	Conservative
1916 by-election		Noel Pemberton Billing	Independent
1918			Silver Badge Party
1921 by-election		(Sir) Murray Sueter	Anti-Waste League/Independent Parliamentary Group
1922	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |		Conservative
1945	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir Derek Walker-Smith	Conservative
1955	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Robert Lindsay	Conservative
Feb. 1974	Constituency abolished - see Hertford and Stevenage

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

General election 1830: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	hold
	hold

Template:Election box majority no changeTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

General election 1831: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Thomas Slingsby Duncombe		37.7
		John Currie (MP)		33.0
		Henry Chetwynd-Talbot		29.3
Turnout			739	c. Template:Trim
	hold
	gain from

General election 1832: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Chetwynd-Talbot	Template:Replace	32.5
		Philip Stanhope	Template:Replace	28.7
		Thomas Slingsby Duncombe	329	24.8
		John Eden Spalding	186	14.0
Majority			52	3.9
Turnout			671	95.9
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+12.2
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+10.3

The 1832 election was later declared void, but a new writ was not issued during the course of the parliament.

General election 1835: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Philip Stanhope	Template:Replace	35.7
		William Cowper	Template:Replace	32.5
		Henry Chetwynd-Talbot	321	31.9
Turnout			616	97.3
Registered electors			Template:Replace
Majority			32	3.2
	hold		Swing
Majority			6	0.6
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

General election 1837: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Cowper	Template:Replace	38.5
		Philip Stanhope	Template:Replace	31.2
		John Currie (MP)	297	30.3
Turnout			580	91.9
Registered electors			Template:Replace
Majority			72	7.3
	hold		Swing	+21.2
Majority			9	0.9
	hold		Swing	−21.2

Cowper was appointed as a commissioner of Greenwich Hospital, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 20 May 1839: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Cowper	Template:Replace	51.7
		Walter Townsend-Farquhar	278	48.3
Majority			19	3.4
Turnout			575	92.9
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	hold		Swing	−2.0

Elections in the 1840s

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1841: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	hold
	hold

Cowper was appointed a Civil Lord of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 11 July 1846: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1847: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	hold
	hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Cowper	Template:Replace	32.3
		Thomas Chambers	Template:Replace	25.2
		Philip Stanhope	213	22.9
		Charles Dimsdale	182	19.5
Turnout			466 (est)	68.0 (est)
Registered electors			Template:Replace
Majority			66	7.1
	hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			22	2.3
	gain from

Cowper was appointed Civil Lord of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 1 January 1853: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Cowper was appointed president of the General Board of Health, requiring a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 14 August 1855: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Cowper was appointed Vice-President of the Committee of the Council on Education, requiring a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 9 February 1857: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

General election 1857: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Cowper	Template:Replace	37.2
		Walter Townsend-Farquhar	Template:Replace	33.7
		Thomas Chambers	235	29.0
Turnout			405 (est)	65.2 (est)
Registered electors			Template:Replace
Majority			28	3.5
	hold		Swing	+4.6
Majority			38	4.7
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	−6.3

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1859: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	hold
	hold

Cowper was appointed Vice-President of the Board of Trade, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 19 August 1859: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Cowper	Template:Replace	57.9
		Robert Dimsdale	204	42.1
Majority			77	15.8
Turnout			485	91.5
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1860s

Cowper was appointed First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings, requiring a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 13 February 1860: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1865: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	hold
	hold

Townshend-Farquhar's death caused a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 30 June 1866: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Seat reduced to one member

General election 1868: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Dimsdale	Template:Replace	55.7
		Frederick Waymouth Gibbs	345	44.3
Majority			89	11.4
Turnout			779	84.5
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	hold

Elections in the 1870s

The head and shoulders of a middle-aged man, wearing a brown jacket, white shirt and black bow-tie.

Arthur Balfour was MP for Hertford between 1874 and 1885, and later Prime Minister.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1874: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			1,041
	hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Arthur Balfour	Template:Replace	58.5
		Edward Ernest Bowen	400	41.5
Majority			164	17.0
Turnout			964	89.2
Registered electors			1,081
	hold		Swing	N/A

Balfour was appointed President of the Local Government Board, requiring a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 30 Jun 1885: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

File:Abel Smith (1829–1898).jpg

Smith

General election 1885: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Abel Smith	Template:Replace	58.1
		Henry Cowper	3,072	41.9
Majority			1,191	16.2
Turnout			7,335	83.0
Registered electors			8,840
	hold		Swing	−0.4

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1886: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Abel Smith	Template:Replace	60.3
		Edwin Robert Speirs	2,818	39.7
Majority			1,458	20.6
Turnout			7,094	75.8
Registered electors			9,355
	hold		Swing	N/A

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1895: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Smith's death caused a by-election.

File:Charles Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer.jpg

Spencer

1898 Hertford by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Evelyn Cecil	Template:Replace	51.7
		Charles Spencer	3,850	48.3
Majority			268	3.4
Turnout			7,968	77.4
Registered electors			10,301
	hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1900s

File:Abel Henry Smith.jpg

Smith

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1900: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

File:Charles Roden Buxton.jpg

Buxton

General election 1906: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Abel Henry Smith	Template:Replace	50.4
		Charles Buxton	4,756	49.6
Majority			80	0.8
Turnout			9,592	86.2
Registered electors			11,124
	hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Rolleston	Template:Replace	58.0
		Edmund Broughton Barnard	4,455	42.0
Majority			1,692	16.0
Turnout			10,602	89.6
Registered electors			11,838
	hold		Swing	+7.6

General election December 1910: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Rolleston	Template:Replace	57.0
		George Strachan Pawle	4,226	43.0
Majority			1,368	14.0
Turnout			9,820	83.0
Registered electors			12,684
	hold		Swing	−1.0

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 July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: John Rolleston
• Liberal:
• Independent: W. H. Rolfe

File:Billing portrait.jpg

Billing

1916 Hertford by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Noel Pemberton Billing	Template:Replace	56.3
		Brodie Henderson	3,559	43.7
Majority			1,031	12.6
Turnout			8,149	64.2
Registered electors			12,684
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

General election 1918: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Noel Pemberton-Billing	Template:Replace	52.1
		*Edmund Broughton Barnard	7,158	38.8
		Cyril Harding	1,679	9.1
Majority			2,470	13.3
Turnout			18,465	57.4
Registered electors			32,158
	hold		Swing

* Barnard was also the nominee of the National Farmers' Union

Elections in the 1920s

1921 Hertford by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		*Murray Sueter	Template:Replace	68.9
		Hildred Carlile	5,553	31.1
Majority			6,776	37.8
Turnout			17,882	55.1
Registered electors			32,426
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

* Sueter was also the nominee of the Independent Parliamentary Group.

General election 1922: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Murray Sueter	Template:Replace	63.6
		Thomas Greenwood	6,534	36.4
Majority			4,872	27.2
Turnout			17,940	54.1
Registered electors			33,184
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

General election 1923: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Murray Sueter	Template:Replace	52.2
		Thomas Greenwood	9,763	47.8
Majority			897	4.4
Turnout			20,423	60.6
Registered electors			33,704
	hold		Swing	−11.4

General election 1924: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Murray Sueter	Template:Replace	60.0
		Thomas Morris Davies	5,828	24.0
		Ernest Selley	3,885	16.0
Majority			8,754	36.0
Turnout			24,295	70.8
Registered electors			34,315
	hold		Swing	+15.8

General election 1929: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Murray Sueter	Template:Replace	39.5
		Noel Pemberton Billing	10,149	29.6
		Thomas Evander Evans	6,419	18.7
		Roger S Edwards	4,193	12.2
Majority			3,376	9.9
Turnout			34,286	74.7
Registered electors			45,893
	hold		Swing	−7.6

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Murray Sueter	Template:Replace	78.4
		Roger S Edwards	7,092	21.6
Majority			18,659	56.8
Turnout			32,843	69.1
	hold		Swing	+14.7

General election 1935: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Murray Sueter	Template:Replace	64.8
		Roger S Edwards	11,492	35.2
Majority			9,701	29.6
Turnout			32,685	62.5
	hold		Swing	−11.7

Elections in the 1940s

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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

• Conservative: Murray Sueter
• Labour: Mitchell W. Gordon

General election 1945: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Derek Walker-Smith	Template:Replace	43.3
		Lynton Scutts	17,349	37.9
		Thomas Peter Hughes	7,587	16.6
		Arthur Bernard Swain	1,005	2.2
Majority			2,528	5.4
Turnout			45,818	70.4
	hold		Swing	−12.1

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Derek Walker-Smith	Template:Replace	45.90
		Lynton Scutts	19,324	35.37
		Thomas Peter Hughes	10,234	18.73
Majority			5,750	10.53
Turnout			54,632	83.18
Registered electors			65,683
	hold		Swing	+2.57

General election 1951: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Derek Walker-Smith	Template:Replace	56.28
		Richard Marsh	23,708	43.72
Majority			6,811	12.56
Turnout			54,227	80.80
Registered electors			67,110
	hold		Swing	+1.02

General election 1955: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Lindsay	Template:Replace	56.79
		John McKnight	19,030	43.21
Majority			5,984	13.58
Turnout			44,044	82.24
Registered electors			53,556
	hold		Swing	+0.51

General election 1959: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Lindsay	Template:Replace	58.17
		Gerald D Southgate	22,597	41.83
Majority			8,821	16.34
Turnout			54,015	84.26
Registered electors			64,106
	hold		Swing	+1.38

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Lindsay	Template:Replace	46.23
		Thomas A Deacon	25,161	39.93
		Anna Harman	8,722	13.84
Majority			3,973	6.30
Turnout			63,017	84.64
Registered electors			74,450
	hold		Swing	−5.02

General election 1966: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Lindsay	Template:Replace	50.62
		Peter Nurse	31,508	49.38
Majority			794	1.24
Turnout			63,810	83.70
Registered electors			76,234
	hold		Swing	−2.83

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Hertford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Lindsay	Template:Replace	52.58
		Yvonne Sieve	26,924	38.79
		John Melling	5,994	8.64
Majority			9,570	13.79
Turnout			69,412	78.08
Registered electors			88,900
	hold		Swing	+6.28

References

• 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]
• F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• F W S Craig, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949" (Glasgow: Political Reference Publications, 1969)
• Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)