Evesham (UK Parliament constituency)

Evesham was a parliamentary constituency in Worcestershire which was represented in the British House of Commons. Originally a parliamentary borough consisting of the town of Evesham, it was first represented in 1295. After this its franchise lapsed for several centuries, but it then returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1604 until 1868, when its representation was reduced to one member under the Representation of the People Act 1867.

Evesham
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1295, 1604–1885
Number of memberstwo until 1868, then one
Worcestershire, Evesham
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1950
Number of membersone
Replaced byWorcester and South Worcestershire

From the 1885 general election, Evesham was abolished as a borough but the name was transferred to a larger county constituency electing one MP. This constituency was abolished for the 1950 general election, with the town of Evesham itself being transferred to the new seat of South Worcestershire. Between 1885 and 1918 the constituency had the full name of the Southern, or Evesham, Division of Worcestershire (not to be confused with the 1950 seat).

Boundaries

Members of Parliament

1604-1640
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1604-1611Thomas BiggsSir Philip Knightley, died
and replaced 1605 by Robert Bowyer, appointed to crown office
and replaced 1610 by Edward Salter
1614-1622Sir Thomas BiggsAnthony Langston
1621Sir Thomas BiggsAnthony Langston
1624Sir Edward ConwayRichard Cresheld
1625Richard CresheldAnthony Langston
1626Sir John HareAnthony Langston
1628Sir Robert HarleyRichard Cresheld
1629–1640No Parliaments summoned

1640-1868
Year1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
April 1640 William Sandys[1]Royalist William Morton
November 1640 Richard CresheldParliamentarian
1641 John CoventryRoyalist
September 1642 Coventry disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1645 Samuel Gardner
December 1648 Cresheld not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653 Evesham was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
January 1659 Theophilus Andrews Robert Atkyns
May 1659 Evesham was not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 John Egioke Sir Thomas Rouse
1661 William Sandys Abraham Cullen
1669 Sir John Hanmer
1670 Sir James Rushout
1679 Henry Parker
1681 Edward Rudge
1685 Henry Parker Sir John Matthewes
1690 Sir James Rushout Edward Rudge
1695 Henry Parker
1698 John Rudge Whig
January 1701 Sir James Rushout
November 1701 Hugh Parker
1702 John Rudge Whig
1708 Sir Edward Goodere
1715 John Deacle
1722 Sir John Rushout Whig
1734 William Taylor
1741 Edward Rudge
1754 John Porter
1756 Edward Rudge
1761 John Rushout
1768 George Durant
1774 Henry Seymour
1780 Charles Boughton
1790 Thomas Thompson
1796 Charles Thellusson
1802 Patrick Craufurd Bruce
1806 William Manning Tory Humphrey Howorth Opposition Whig
1807 Sir Manasseh Masseh Lopes [2] Tory
1808 Humphrey Howorth Whig
1818 William Rouse-Boughton Whig[3]
1819 Sir Charles Cockerell Tory[3][4]
1820 William Rouse-Boughton Whig[3]
1826 Edward Protheroe Whig[3]
1830 Lord Kennedy Tory[3]
1831 Thomas Hudson Whig[3]
1832 Whig[3][4][5]
1835 Peter Borthwick [6] Conservative[3]
1837 George Rushout Conservative[3]
1838 Lord Marcus Hill Whig[3][7][8]
1841 Peter Borthwick Conservative[3]
1847 Sir Henry Willoughby, Bt Conservative
1852 Grenville Berkeley Whig[9]
1855 Edward Holland Whig[10][11][12]
1859 Liberal
1865 James Bourne Conservative

1868-1950
ElectionMemberParty
1868 James Bourne Conservative
1880 Daniel Rowlinson Ratcliff Liberal
July 1880 Frederick Lehmann [13] Liberal
1881 Frederick Dixon-Hartland Conservative
1885 Sir Richard Temple Conservative
1892 Sir Edmund Lechmere Conservative
1895 Colonel Charles Wigram Long Conservative
January 1910 Bolton Eyres-Monsell Conservative
1935 Rupert de la Bere Conservative
1950 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1830: Evesham[3][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Charles Cockerell 231 47.2
Tory Archibald Kennedy 148 30.3
Whig Alexander Raphael 110 22.5
Majority 38 7.8 N/A
Turnout 301 c. 70.5
Registered electors c. 427
Tory gain from Whig Swing
Tory gain from Whig Swing

The 1830 election was declared void on 13 December 1830, but no new writ was issued before dissolution ahead of the 1831 election.[14]

General election 1831: Evesham[3][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Charles Cockerell 208 41.5 −5.7
Whig Thomas Hudson (MP) 157 31.3 +8.8
Tory Archibald Kennedy 136 27.1 −3.2
Turnout 327 c. 76.6 c. +6.1
Registered electors c. 427
Majority 51 10.2 +2.4
Tory hold Swing −5.1
Majority 21 4.2 N/A
Whig gain from Tory Swing +8.9
General election 1832: Evesham[3][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Charles Cockerell 234 40.9 −0.6
Whig Thomas Hudson (MP) 212 37.1 +5.8
Tory Peter Borthwick 126 22.0 −5.1
Majority 86 15.0 +10.8
Turnout 332 92.5 c. +15.9
Registered electors 359
Whig hold Swing +1.0
Whig gain from Tory Swing +4.2
General election 1835: Evesham[3][15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Charles Cockerell Unopposed
Conservative Peter Borthwick Unopposed
Registered electors 338
Whig hold
Conservative gain from Whig

Cockerell's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 4 February 1837: Evesham[3][15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative George Rushout 165 54.1
Whig Marcus Hill 140 45.9
Majority 25 8.2
Turnout 305 86.2
Registered electors 354
Conservative gain from Whig
General election 1837: Evesham[3][15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Charles Cockerell 168 34.3
Conservative Peter Borthwick 166 33.9
Whig Marcus Hill 156 31.8
Majority 10 2.1
Turnout 307 86.7
Registered electors 354
Conservative hold
Conservative gain from Whig

On petition, Borthwick was unseated and Hill declared elected instead.

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1841: Evesham[3][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Marcus Hill 188 38.7 +6.9
Conservative Peter Borthwick 161 33.1 −0.8
Conservative George Rushout 137 28.2 −6.1
Majority 27 5.6 N/A
Turnout 335 87.7 +1.0
Registered electors 382
Whig gain from Conservative Swing +6.9
Conservative hold Swing −2.1

Hill was appointed Comptroller of the Household, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 11 July 1846: Evesham[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Marcus Hill Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1847: Evesham[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Marcus Hill 195 39.2 +19.8
Conservative Henry Willoughby 172 34.5 −26.8
Whig Ralph Howard 131 26.3 +6.9
Turnout 249 (est) 70.1 (est) −17.6
Registered electors 355
Majority 23 4.7 −0.9
Whig hold Swing +16.6
Majority 41 8.2 N/A
Conservative hold Swing −26.8

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1852: Evesham[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Willoughby 189 42.4 +7.9
Whig Grenville Berkeley 170 38.1 −1.1
Radical Charles Wilkins[16][17] 87 19.5 −6.8
Turnout 223 (est) 63.9 (est) −6.2
Registered electors 349
Majority 19 4.3 -3.9
Conservative hold Swing +4.5
Majority 83 18.6 +14.0
Whig hold Swing +1.2

Berkeley resigned to contest the 1855 by-election in Cheltenham, causing a by-election.

By-election, 11 July 1855: Evesham[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Edward Holland Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1857: Evesham[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Willoughby 172 42.7 +0.3
Whig Edward Holland 170 42.2 +4.1
Peelite Henry Robert Addison[18][19] 61 15.1 N/A
Turnout 202 (est) 61.1 (est) −2.8
Registered electors 330
Majority 2 0.5 −3.8
Conservative hold Swing −1.9
Majority 109 27.1 +8.5
Whig hold Swing +1.9
General election 1859: Evesham[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Willoughby 188 48.7 +6.0
Liberal Edward Holland 149 38.6 −3.6
Independent Liberal Edwin Chadwick[20][21] 49 12.7 New
Turnout 193 (est) 57.1 (est) −4.0
Registered electors 338
Majority 39 10.1 +9.6
Conservative hold Swing +4.8
Majority 100 25.9 −1.2
Liberal hold Swing −4.8

Elections in the 1860s

Willoughby's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 4 April 1865: Evesham[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Bourne Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1865: Evesham[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Bourne 175 53.4 +4.7
Liberal Edward Holland 124 37.8 −0.8
Liberal Josiah Harris[22] 29 8.8 N/A
Majority 51 15.4 +5.3
Turnout 299 (est) 88.7 (est) +31.6
Registered electors 337
Conservative hold Swing +2.8
Liberal hold Swing −2.8

Seat reduced to one member

General election 1868: Evesham[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Bourne 347 53.4 0.0
Liberal Thomas S Richardson[23] 303 46.6 0.0
Majority 44 6.8 −8.6
Turnout 650 84.5 −4.2
Registered electors 769
Conservative hold Swing 0.0

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: Evesham[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Bourne 346 53.6 +0.2
Liberal Joseph Napier Higgins[24] 299 46.4 −0.2
Majority 47 7.2 +0.4
Turnout 645 86.7 +2.2
Registered electors 744
Conservative hold Swing +0.2

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: Evesham[15][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Daniel Rowlinson Ratcliff 382 50.6 +4.2
Conservative Algernon Borthwick[26] 373 49.4 −4.2
Majority 9 1.2 N/A
Turnout 755 91.3 +4.6
Registered electors 827
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +4.2

The 1880 election was declared void on account of bribery of electors, causing a by-election.[27]

Dixon-Hartland
By-election, 9 Jul 1880: Evesham[15][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frederick Lehmann 378 50.1 −0.5
Conservative Frederick Dixon-Hartland 376 49.9 +0.5
Majority 2 0.3 −0.9
Turnout 754 91.2 −0.1
Registered electors 827
Liberal hold Swing −0.5

Lehmann's election was declared void, on account of bribery and corruption, and Hartland was then elected after scrutiny.[28]

Temple
General election 1885: Evesham [29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Temple 4,080 51.5 +2.1
Liberal Arthur Chamberlain 3,848 48.5 −2.1
Majority 232 3.0 N/A
Turnout 7,928 83.3 −8.0
Registered electors 9,522
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +2.1
General election 1886: Evesham [29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Temple 4,127 63.3 +11.8
Liberal Daniel Pidgeon 2,391 36.7 −11.8
Majority 1,736 26.6 +23.6
Turnout 6,518 68.5 −14.8
Registered electors 9,522
Conservative hold Swing +11.8

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Evesham [29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edmund Lechmere 4,170 53.7 −9.6
Liberal Frederick Impey 3,590 46.3 +9.6
Majority 580 7.4 −19.2
Turnout 7,760 81.0 +12.5
Registered electors 9,586
Conservative hold Swing −9.6
Long
1895 Evesham by-election[29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Long 4,760 57.0 +3.3
Liberal Frederick Impey 3,585 43.0 −3.3
Majority 1,175 14.0 +6.6
Turnout 8,345 84.2 +3.2
Registered electors 9,914
Conservative hold Swing +3.3
General election 1895: Evesham [29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Long Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Evesham [29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Long Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1906: Evesham [29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Long 4,385 50.5 N/A
Liberal Arthur Worthington Biggs 4,293 49.5 New
Majority 92 1.0 N/A
Turnout 8,678 89.0 N/A
Registered electors 9,756
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Evesham [29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bolton Eyres-Monsell 5,416 57.5 +7.0
Liberal Walter John Burt 3,998 42.5 −7.0
Majority 1,418 15.0 +14.0
Turnout 9,414 90.4 +1.4
Registered electors 10,416
Conservative hold Swing +7.0
General election December 1910: Evesham [29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bolton Eyres-Monsell Unopposed
Conservative hold

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;

General election 1918: Evesham[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Bolton Eyres-Monsell 10,479 62.0 N/A
Liberal William Pearce Ellis 3,570 21.1 New
Labour Walter Metcalfe Fielding 2,863 16.9 New
Majority 6,909 40.9 N/A
Turnout 16,912 58.5 N/A
Registered electors 28,931
Unionist hold Swing N/A
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1922: Evesham[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Bolton Eyres-Monsell 11,502 59.9 −2.1
Labour Robert Aldington 7,715 40.1 +23.2
Majority 3,787 19.8 −21.1
Turnout 19,217 65.7 +7.2
Registered electors 29,230
Unionist hold Swing −12.7
General election 1923: Evesham[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Bolton Eyres-Monsell 10,976 54.5 −5.4
Liberal William Henry Collett 5,453 27.1 New
Labour Robert Aldington 3,705 18.4 −21.7
Majority 5,523 27.4 +7.6
Turnout 20,134 67.7 +2.0
Registered electors 29,729
Unionist hold Swing +8.2
General election 1924: Evesham[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Bolton Eyres-Monsell 13,176 65.5 +11.0
Labour Robert Aldington 3,473 17.3 −1.1
Liberal Benjamin Ryle Swift 3,454 17.2 −9.9
Majority 9,703 48.2 +20.8
Turnout 20,103 66.4 −1.3
Registered electors 30,270
Unionist hold Swing +6.1
General election 1929: Evesham[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Bolton Eyres-Monsell 14,694 48.4 −17.1
Liberal Selick Davies 11,519 38.0 +20.8
Labour Robert Aldington 4,138 13.6 −3.7
Majority 3,175 10.4 −37.8
Turnout 30,351 76.4 +10.0
Registered electors 39,721
Unionist hold Swing −19.0

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1931: Evesham[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bolton Eyres-Monsell Unopposed N/A N/A
Liberal N/A N/A N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
  • withdrew
General election 1935: Evesham[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rupert de la Bere 18,757 65.1 N/A
Labour W E Warder 6,264 21.8 New
Liberal Christopher a'Becket Williams 3,774 13.1 N/A
Majority 12,493 43.3 N/A
Turnout 28,795 66.4 N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A

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 1940s
General election 1945: Evesham[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rupert de la Bere 17,835 53.4 -11.7
Liberal Duncan McGuffie 7,849 23.5 +10.4
Common Wealth Desmond Donnelly 7,727 23.1 New
Majority 9,986 29.9 -13.4
Turnout 33,411 63.3 -3.1
Conservative hold Swing

References
  1. Expelled as a monopolist in 1641
  2. On petition, Lopes was declared not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Howorth, was seated in his place
  3. 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. 131–133. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via Google Books.
  4. An Elector (1834). Letter I. of an Appeal to the Electors of the County and City of Worcester, Who Consider Themselves Unduly Represented in the Present Parliament; With an Appendix on the Progress of Discontent and the Prostration of the Late Government. Tewkesbury: James Bennett. p. 13. Retrieved 5 November 2018 – via Google Books.
  5. "Election Intelligence". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. 8 January 1835. p. 3. Retrieved 5 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. Borthwick was re-elected in 1837 but on petition his election was declared void and Hill declared elected in his place. A petition against the other successful candidate, Rushout, was dismissed. Borthwick and Rushout subsequently fought a duel over the outcome of the election.
  7. Froude, James Anthony; Tulloch, John, eds. (1838). "More of the Grenville-Act". Fraser's Magazine, Volume 17. G. W. Nickisson. p. 522. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  8. "The Country". The Spectator. 28 January 1837. p. 5. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  9. Horwood, Martin. "Grenville Berkeley". Martin Horwood for Cheltenham. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  10. Stooks Smith, Henry (1842). "English Contested Elections". The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections; Containing the Uncontested Elections Since 1830 (Second ed.). London: Simpkin, Marshall, and Co. p. 175. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  11. "General Election Returns". Roscommon and Leitrim Gazette. 7 February 1835. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 7 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, From 1st George I., to the Present Time: Volume II, Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 127. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  13. On petition, Lehmann's election was declared void and his opponent Dixon-Hartland was declared elected in his place
  14. Salmon, Philip. "Evesham". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  15. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) |format= requires |url= (help) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  16. "The Elections". Worcester Journal. 8 July 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. "General Election". Aris's Birmingham Gazette. 12 July 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 7 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. "Elections in this County, the Worcestershire Boroughs, and the Adjacent Counties". Worcester Herald. 28 March 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. "Evesham". Cheltenham Chronicle. 31 March 1857. p. 5. Retrieved 7 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. "The Elections". Chester Chronicle. 30 April 1859. p. 7. Retrieved 7 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. "To Correspondents". Worcester Journal. 23 April 1859. p. 5. Retrieved 7 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. "Evesham". Worcestershire Chronicle. 9 August 1865. p. 4. Retrieved 10 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  23. "To the Electors". Worcestershire Chronicle. 11 November 1868. p. 1. Retrieved 10 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. "Evesham". Pall Mall Gazette. 27 January 1874. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 29 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  25. "Evesham By-Election". The Cornishman (105). 15 July 1880. p. 3.
  26. "The General Election". London Evening Standard. 31 March 1880. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  27. "Evesham Election Declared Void". County Express; Brierley Hill, Stourbridge, Kidderminster, and Dudley News. 12 June 1880. p. 2. Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  28. "Evesham Election Petition". Aldershot Military Gazette. 18 December 1880. p. 6. Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  29. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  30. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  31. The Liberal Magazine, 1939
  • Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807)
  • 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)
  • The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)
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  • Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  • T. H. B. Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)
  • Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol II (London: Royal Historical Society, 1991)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 2)
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