| Much Wenlock | |
| Type: | Borough |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 1290 |
| Abolished: | 1885 |
| Next: | Ludlow |
Much Wenlock, often called simply Wenlock, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885, when it was abolished.It was named after the town of that name in Shropshire.
The seat was founded in 1468 as a borough constituency and was represented throughout its history by two burgesses.
Much Wenlock's constituency boundaries ran from Leighton to just west of Dawley, to Ironbridge, and finally to just east of Madeley along the northern border; travelling eastwards, the boundaries ran from just east of Madeley to the bend in the River Severn, following the river thereafter. The far southern border, commencing in the east, travelled along the southern part of the Severn across to Easthope; the western border, running northwards, going from Easthope through to Benthall, and onwards back to Leighton.
| Parliament | First member | Second member | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1510–1523 | No names known[1] | ||
| 1529 | John Foster | Edward Hall | |
| 1536 | ? | ||
| 1539 | ? | ||
| 1542 | William Blount | Reginald Corbet | |
| 1545 | Richard Lawley | ||
| 1547 | Thomas Lawley | ||
| 1553 (Mar) | Thomas Lawley | ||
| 1553 (Oct) | Robert Eyton | ||
| 1554 (Apr) | Edward Lacon | ||
| 1554 (Nov) | John Evans | ||
| 1555 | Sir George Blount | Thomas Ridley | |
| 1558 | George Bromley | ||
| 1558–9 | George Bromley[2] | ||
| 1562–3 | Charles Foxe | ||
| 1571 | Thomas Eyton | ||
| 1572 | Thomas Lawley | ||
| 1584 | William Baynham | ||
| 1586 | William Baynham | ||
| 1588 | Robert Lawley | ||
| 1593 | Sir John Poole | ||
| 1597 | William Lacon | ||
| 1601 | William Leighton | ||
| 1604 | George Lawley | ||
| 1614 | Edward Lawley | ||
| 1621 | Thomas Wolryche | ||
| 1624 | Thomas Wolryche | ||
| 1625 | Thomas Wolryche | ||
| 1626 | Francis Smallman | ||
| 1628 | George Bridgmant | ||
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | ||
| Year | First member | First party | Second member | Second party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1640 (Apr) | ||||||
| 1640 (Nov) | ||||||
| 1645 | ||||||
| 1653, 1654, 1656 | Much Wenlock excluded from Barebones and 1st & 2nd Protectorate Parliaments | |||||
| 1659 | ||||||
| 1660 | ||||||
| 1661 | George Weld | |||||
| Feb 1679 | ||||||
| Aug 1679 | ||||||
| 1685 | George Weld | |||||
| 1689 | ||||||
| 1701 | ||||||
| 1708 | ||||||
| 1710 | ||||||
| 1713 | ||||||
| 1714 | ||||||
| 1715 | ||||||
| 1716 | ||||||
| 1722 | ||||||
| 1727 | ||||||
| 1734 | ||||||
| 1739 | ||||||
| 1741 | ||||||
| 1744 | ||||||
| 1754 | ||||||
| 1758 | ||||||
| 1761 | ||||||
| 1768 | Tory[3] | Tory | ||||
| Sept. 1780 | Tory | |||||
| Dec. 1780 | Tory | |||||
| 1784 | Tory | |||||
| 1785 | Tory | |||||
| 1790 | Cecil Forester (from 1811 Weld-Forester) | Tory | ||||
| 1794 | Tory | |||||
| 1820 | Tory | Tory | ||||
| 1826 | Tory | Whig | ||||
| 1828 | Tory | |||||
| 1832 | Tory | |||||
| 1834 | Conservative | Conservative | ||||
| 1868 | Liberal | |||||
| 1874 | Conservative | |||||
Weld-Forester was appointed Groom of the Bedchamber to William IV, requiring a by-election.
Gaskell was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
Weld-Forester was appointed Comptroller of the Household, requiring a by-election.
Gaskell was appointed Comptroller of the Household, requiring a by-election.
Forester succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Forester and causing a by-election.