| Truro | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Map1: | TruroStAustell |
| Map2: | EnglandCornwall |
| Map Entity: | Cornwall |
| Map Year: | 1992 |
| Year: | 1950 |
| Abolished: | 1997 |
| Type: | County |
| Elects Howmany: | One |
| Region: | England |
| Towns: | Truro, St Austell |
| Year2: | 1885 |
| Abolished2: | 1918 |
| Type2: | County |
| Elects Howmany2: | One |
| Year3: | 1295 |
| Abolished3: | 1885 |
| Type3: | Borough |
| Next3: | Truro |
| Elects Howmany3: | Two |
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.
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.
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.
| Parliament | First member | Second member | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1358 | John Hamely[1] | |||
| 1386 | John Tregoose | Robert Clerk[2] | ||
| 1388 (Feb) | Henry Gourlyn | John Tremayne | ||
| 1388 (Sep) | John Tr...uran | John Trebernet | ||
| 1390 (Jan) | John Coke | Walter Bloyowe | ||
| 1390 (Nov) | ||||
| 1391 | John Urban | Roger Juyl | ||
| 1393 | Ralph Trenewith I | Walter Bloyowe | ||
| 1394 | ||||
| 1395 | Richard Respryn | Andrew Borlase | ||
| 1397 (Jan) | John Trereise | John Megre | ||
| 1397 (Sep) | Nicholas Trenewith | John Lawhire | ||
| 1399 | Richard Carhorta | Pascoe Polruddan | ||
| 1401 | ||||
| 1402 | Ralph Kayl | John Trereise | ||
| 1404 (Jan) | ||||
| 1404 (Oct) | ||||
| 1406 | Ralph Cardrewe | Thomas Brunsham | ||
| 1407 | ||||
| 1410 | ||||
| 1411 | Thomas Paderda | William Colyn | ||
| 1413 (Feb) | ||||
| 1413 (May) | John Chinals | William Chamberlain | ||
| 1414 (Apr) | ||||
| 1414 (Nov) | John Trereise | William Trethake I | ||
| 1415 | ||||
| 1416 (Mar) | Peter Hayme | William Moun | ||
| 1416 (Oct) | ||||
| 1417 | John Megre | Andrew Hirnans | ||
| 1419 | John Trewint | John Langedon | ||
| 1420 | William Panter | Robert Trenerth | ||
| 1421 (May) | William Trethake II | William Richard | ||
| 1421 (Dec) | Robert Treage | William Richard | ||
| 1422 | John But | |||
| 1425 | John But | |||
| 1467 | ||||
| 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 | John Methnes | |||
| Parliament of 1554 | William Iseham | Thomas Duppa | ||
| Parliament of 1554–1555 | John Melhuish | Thomas Roydon | ||
| Parliament of 1555 | Nicholas Randall | Thomas Randall | ||
| Parliament of 1558 | Thomas Roydon | |||
| Parliament of 1563–1567 | John Carminow | John Mitchell | ||
| Parliament of 1571 | Henry Killigrew | Vincent Skinner | ||
| Parliament of 1572–1581 | 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[3] | John Trefusis[4] | ||
| 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 | ||||
| Election | Member | 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 | |||
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | ||||
| Conservative | ||||
| Liberal | ||||
| 1987 by-election | Matthew Taylor | Liberal | ||
| 1988 | Liberal Democrats | |||
| 1997 | name changed to Truro & St. Austell | |||
178 free burgesses polled for Lubbock and Tooke, and one for Scott and Peach, but their votes were rejected.
24 votes were tendered by inhabitant householders for Tooke and Willyams, but these were rejected.
Turner's death caused a by-election.
Montague Edward Smith resigned after being appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, causing a by-election.
Vivian was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, causing a by-election.
Vivian resigned after being appointed Under-Secretary of State for War.
Williams' death caused a by-election.
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;