Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency) explained

Norfolk
Type:	County
Parliament:	uk
Year:	1290
Abolished:	1832
Elects Howmany:	two

Norfolk was a County constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290 to 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament. In 1832 the county was divided for parliamentary purposes into two new two member divisions – East Norfolk and West Norfolk.

History

Boundaries

The constituency consisted of the historic county of Norfolk in the East of England, excluding the city of Norwich which had the status of a county corporate after 1404. (Although Norfolk contained four other parliamentary boroughs – Castle Rising, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Thetford – each of which elected two MPs in its own right for part of the period when Norfolk was a constituency, these were not excluded from the county constituency: owning property within a borough could confer a vote at the county election. This was not the case, though, for Norwich.)

Franchise and electorate

As in other county constituencies the franchise between 1430 and 1832 was defined by the Forty Shilling Freeholder Act, which gave the right to vote to every man who possessed freehold property within the county valued at £2 or more per year for the purposes of land tax; it was not necessary for the freeholder to occupy his land, nor even in later years to be resident in the county at all.

Except during the period of the Commonwealth, Norfolk had two MPs elected by the bloc vote method, under which each voter had two votes. In the nominated Barebones Parliament of 1653, five members represented Norfolk. In the First and Second Parliaments of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate, however, there was a general redistribution of seats and Norfolk elected ten members, while the two smallest of the county's boroughs (Castle Rising and Thetford) lost their seats. The traditional arrangements were restored from 1659.

At the time of the Great Reform Act in 1832, Norfolk had a population of approximately 390,000, though only a fraction of these could vote: the highest recorded turnouts in Norfolk were at the 1802 and 1806 elections, at each of which under 12,000 votes were cast, even though each voter could cast two votes.

Political character

Norfolk's electorate was predominantly rural, partly as an effect of the Norwich freeholders voting in the city rather than the county. It has been estimated from the pollbooks that in the early 19th century only around one in six of the voters lived in towns, with Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn contributing the largest numbers of these. Fittingly for such a constituency, the families of two of the best-known pioneers of the agrarian revolution, Coke of Holkham and "Turnip" Townshend, frequently provided the county's Members of Parliament.

Nevertheless, no one or two families controlled the constituency, and competition was fostered by the leading families lining up on different sides of the partisan divide. The leading Whig families around the turn of the 18th century were those of Walpole and Townshend, while the most important Tory interests were those of the Wodehouse and Astley families, until Sir Jacob Astley defected to the Whigs before the 1715 election. By the middle of the 18th century, the list of local peerage families who could expect to exert influence at Norfolk elections had grown to include the Hobart Earls of Buckinghamshire, the Earls Cholmondeley and the Lord Suffield, but these magnates remained divided, with contention between support for the "court" and "country" factions within the Whigs as well as between Whigs and Tories.

Consequently, the independent voters generally held the balance of power. But this did not prevent the various leading families from monopolising the representation between them, a process that accelerated in the 18th century: 16 different families represented Norfolk in the 22 Parliaments from 1660 to 1746, but only 7 in the 18 Parliaments from 1747 to 1832. The minor gentry could not expect to secure election for themselves, only to choose between the candidates of the major families. The Cokes of Holkham were generally regarded as the champions of the independent freeholders, and were frequently elected. Elections in Norfolk were therefore rarely a foregone conclusion, and often hard-fought at the canvassing stage even when the contest was not carried to a poll.

Elections were held at a single polling place, Norwich, and voters from the rest of the county had to travel to the county town to exercise their franchise. It was normal for voters to expect the candidates for whom they voted to meet their expenses in travelling to the poll, making the cost of a contested election substantial. Contested elections were therefore the exception rather than the rule, potential candidates preferring to canvass support beforehand and usually not insisting on a vote being taken unless they were confident of winning; at all but 8 of the 29 general elections between 1701 and 1832, Norfolk's two MPs were elected unopposed, with only two contests after 1768. But this was more frequent than in many other counties of Norfolk's size.

Members of Parliament

1290–1640

• Constituency created (1290)

Parliament	First member	Second member
c1290–1327	Robert Baynard
1377 (Jan)
1379	Sir Thomas Gissing
1380 (Jan)	Sir Stephen Hales
1380	Sir Thomas Gissing
1380	Sir Roger Walsingham
1381	Sir Stephen Hales	Sir Thomas Gerbridge
1382 (May)	Sir Stephen Hales	Sir Thomas Gerbridge
1382 (Oct)	Sir Stephen Hales	Sir Roger Walsingham
1383 (Feb)	Sir Stephen Hales
1383 (Oct)	Sir Stephen Hales
1383	Sir Roger Walsingham
1384 (Nov)	Sir Stephen Hales
1386	Sir Stephen Hales	Sir Thomas Gerbridge^[1]
1388 (Feb)	Sir John Strange	Sir John White
1388 (Sep)	Sir John Strange	Sir John White
1390 (Jan)	William Rees	Sir John White
1390 (Nov)	Sir Robert Berney	Hugh Fastolf
1391	Sir Robert Berney	Sir John White
1393	Sir Ralph Shelton	Sir John Curson
1394	William Rees	Sir John White
1395	Sir Robert Berney	Sir John White
1397 (Jan)	William Rees	Sir John Curdon
1397 (Sep)	Sir Nicholas Dagworth	Sir Edmund Thorpe
1399	Sir Robert Berney	John Gurney
1401	John Payn	John Wynter
1402	Sir Ralph Shelton	Sir Robert Berney
1404 (Jan)	John Reymes	John Wynter
1404 (Oct)	John Gurney	Sir Edmund Oldhall
1406	Sir Edmund Noon	John Reymes
1407	Sir Edmund Thorpe	John Wynter
1410	John Wodehouse	John Wynter
1411	Sir Edmund Oldhall	John Wynter
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	Sir Edmund Oldhall	John Wynter
1414 (Apr)	Sir Robert Berney	John Wynter
1414 (Nov)	Sir John Ingoldisthorpe	John Wodehouse
1415
1416 (Mar)	Sir Edmund Oldhall	John Wodehouse
1416 (Oct)
1417	Sir Edmund Oldhall	John Wodehouse
1419	John Lancaster^[2]	Oliver Groos
1420	Sir John Radcliffe	Edmund Winter
1421 (May)	John Lancaster	John Wodehouse
1421 (Dec)	John Lancaster	Edmund Winter
1422	John Lancaster	Edmund Winter
1427	Edmund Winter
1429	Edmund Winter
1432	Edmund Winter	Sir Thomas Tuddenham
1435	Edmund Winter	Sir Thomas Tuddenham
1437	Edmund Winter
1442	Sir Thomas Tuddenham
1449	Thomas Shernborne ^[3]
1450	Henry Gray
1460	John Paston
1461	John Paston
1463	William Knyvett^[4]
1467	John Paston
1467	William Knyvett
1470	William Knyvett
1491	__? Calthorpe^[5]
1492	Ralph Shelton
1495	Sir Thomas Lovell^[6]
1510–1523	No names known^[7]
1529	Sir Roger Townsend	Sir James Boleyn
1536	?Sir Roger Townsend	?
1539	Richard Southwell	Edmund Wyndham
1539	?Sir Nicholas Hare
1542	Sir Roger Townsend	?Sir Richard Southwell
1545	Sir Thomas Paston	Christopher Heydon
1547	Sir Edmund Knyvet, died 1550 and repl.Jan 1552 by Sir Robert Dudley	Sir Nicholas Lestrange
1553 (Mar)	Sir Robert Dudley	Sir Thomas Radcliffe
1553 (Oct)	Sir Richard Southwell	Sir Henry Bedingfield
1554 (Apr)	Sir Richard Southwell	Sir Henry Bedingfield
1554 (Nov)	Sir Richard Southwell	Sir John Shelton
1555	Sir John Clere	John Appleyard
1558	Sir Henry Bedingfield	Sir William Woodhouse
1558–59	Sir Robert Dudley	Sir Edmund Wyndham^[8]
1562–63	Sir William Woodhouse	Sir Edward Warner
1566	Both died and replaced 1566 by Clement Paston and Roger Townshend
1571	Sir Christopher Heydon	Sir William Butts
1572	Henry Woodhouse	Francis Wyndham made judge and repl. 1581 by Sir Roger Woodhouse
Parliament of Oct 1584–1585	Sir Drue Drury	Nathaniel Bacon
Parliament of 1586–1587	Thomas Farmer	William Gresham^[9]
Parliament of 1588–1589	Sir Henry Woodhouse	Christopher Heydon
Parliament of 1593	Edward Coke	Nathaniel Bacon
Parliament of 1597–1598	Henry Gawdy	Sir John Townshend
Parliament of 1601		Sir Bassingbourne Gawdy
Parliament of 1604–1611	Sir Nathaniel Bacon	Sir Charles Cornwallis
Addled Parliament (1614)	Sir Henry Bedingfield	Sir Hamon le Strange
Parliament of 1621–1622	Drue Drury
Happy Parliament (1624–1625)	Sir Thomas Holland	Sir John Corbet, 1st Baronet
Useless Parliament (1625)		Sir Edmund Bacon, 2nd Baronet, of Redgrave
Parliament of 1625–1626		Sir Anthony Drury
Parliament of 1626	Sir Edward Coke	Sir Robert Bell
Parliament of 1628	Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet	John Heveningham
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned

1640–1832

Year	1st Member		1st Party	2nd Member		2nd Party
April 1640		Sir Edmund Moundeford^[10]			Sir John Holland, Bt	Parliamentarian
November 1640					(Sir) John Potts^[11]
1645		Sir John Hobart, Bt
1647		Sir John Palgrave, Bt
December 1648	Palgrave and Potts excluded in Pride's Purge – both seats vacant
Norfolk was represented by five members in the Barebones Parliament
1653	Robert Jermy (?); Tobias Frere; Ralph Wolmer; Henry King; William Burton
Norfolk was represented by ten members in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
	Sir John Hobart Sir William D'Oyly; Sir Ralph Hare, Bt; Thomas Weld; Robert Wilton Thomas Sotherton; Philip Wodehouse; Robert Wood (senior); Philip Bedingfield (senior); Tobias Frere
	Sir John Hobart Charles Fleetwood; Sir William D'Oyly; Sir Ralph Hare, Bt; Sir Horatio Townsend; Colonel Robert Wilton Philip Wodehouse; Colonel Robert Wood; John Buxton; Thomas Sotherton
Representation reverted to two members in the Third Protectorate Parliament
		Sir Horatio Townsend			Sir William D'Oyly
May 1659	Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660
1661					Sir Ralph Hare, Bt
1673					Sir John Hobart, Bt
1675		Sir Robert Kemp, Bt
February 1679^[12]						Sir Nevill Catlin <	-- (3 March 1634 – July 1702 -->
May 1679		Sir John Hobart, Bt
August 1679
1685		Sir Thomas Hare, Bt					Tory
1689		Sir William Cook, Bt	Tory		Sir Henry Hobart, Bt	Whig
1690					Sir Jacob Astley, Bt	Tory
1695		Sir Henry Hobart, Bt	Whig
1698		Sir William Cook, Bt	Tory
January 1701		Hon. Roger Townshend<	-- (to 1702) after 1675–1622 May 1709 -->				Whig
December 1701				Sir John Holland, Bt
1702						Tory
1705
1708
1710		Sir John Wodehouse, Bt			Sir Jacob Astley, Bt<	-- to 1722 -->
1713						Whig
1715		Thomas de Grey <	-- 13 August 1680 – December 1765 grandfather of 1st Baron Walsingham-->				Whig
1722				Sir Thomas Coke	Whig
1727						Whig
1728						Sir Edmund Bacon, Bt
1734
1737		Armine Wodehouse^[13]
1741						Whig
1747						Whig
1764					Thomas de Grey <	-- (to 1774) 29 Sep 1717 23 June 1781 father of 1st baron Walsingham-->
1768		Sir Edward Astley, Bt <	-- (to 1790) 26 December 1729 27 March 1802 -->
1774
1776
1784
1790		Thomas Coke				Whig
1797				Jacob Astley^[14]
1806^[15]					Whig
March 1807			Whig			Whig
May 1807			Whig
1817						Tory
1830						Whig
1832	Constituency abolished see: Norfolk East and Norfolk West

Election results 1710–1832

Note on percentage change calculations: Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party percentage vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote.

Note on sources: The information for the election results given below is taken from Sedgwick 1715–1754, Stooks Smith 1715–1754, Namier and Brooke 1754–1790 and Stooks Smith 1790–1832.

Elections in the 1710s

• Note (1710): Stooks Smith, whose compilation of results normally starts with the 1715 general election, is the source for this result. He gives no party classification for the candidates, but for three of them the position is obvious from the survey of Norfolk politics in The History of Parliament 1715–1754. Windham was probably a Whig, but this has not yet been confirmed.
• Note (1713): No source for the full result of this election has yet been located. Sir Jacob Astley was re-elected as a Tory but defected to the Whigs during the Parliament.

Elections in the 1720s

• Creation of Hobart as Lord Hobart and of Coke as Lord Lovel.

Elections in the 1730s

• Death of Wodehouse

Elections in the 1760s

• Succession of Townshend as the 4th Viscount Townshend

• Note (1768): Stooks Smith has different figures for Astley (2,977) and Coke (2,510).

Elections in the 1770s

• Death of Coke

Elections in the 1800s

• Creation of Wodehouse as 1st Baron Wodehouse

• Note (1802): Stooks Smith records that the polls were open for eight days

• Note (1806): Stooks Smith records that the polls were open for six days
• Election declared void

Elections in the 1810s

• Death of Astley

• Note (1817): Stooks Smith records that the polls were open for five days.

Elections in the 1830s

• Constituency divided following the Reform Act 1832, with effect from the 1832 United Kingdom general election.

See also

• List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies

Notes and references

Bibliography

• Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) https://books.google.com/books?id=Gh2wKY2rkDUC&q=Return+of+Members+of+Parliament
• D. Brunton & D. H. Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
• John Cannon, Parliamentary Reform 1640–1832 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1972)
• Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) https://web.archive.org/web/20150904125310/http://www2.odl.ox.ac.uk/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=p-000-00---0modhis06--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4------0-1l--1-en-50---20-about---00001-001-1-1isoZz-8859Zz-1-0&a=d&cl=CL1
• Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988) https://books.google.com/books?id=L9GqTX0uoT8C&pg=PR9
• Lewis Namier & John Brooke, The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754–1790 (London: HMSO, 1964)
• J. E. Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949)
• T. H. B. Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)
• J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
• Romney Sedgwick, The House of Commons 1715–1754 (London: HMSO, 1970)
• M Stenton (ed.), Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832–1885 (Harvester Press, 1976)
• M Stenton (ed.), Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886–1918 (Harvester Press, 1978)
• Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig – Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)

Notes and References

1. Web site: History of Parliament. 15 September 2011.
2. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/member/lancaster-john-ii-1424 History of Parliament Online: John Lancaster II
3. Book: Davis, Norman. The Paston Letters: A Selection in Modern Spelling.
4. Book: History of Parliament: Biographies of the Members of the Commons House 1439-1509. Colonel the Right Honourable Josiah C. Wedgwood, DSO, MP. Anne D. Holt, MA. 1936. London. 520–521. His Majesty's Stationery Office. 8 February 2023.
5. Book: Cavill. The English Parliaments of Henry VII 1485-1504.
6. Book: Cavill. The English Parliaments of Henry VII 1485-1504.
7. Web site: History of Parliament. 15 September 2011.
8. Web site: History of Parliament. 15 September 2011.
9. Christopher Heydon was defeated, but the Privy Council ordered a fresh poll, which Heydon won; the House of Commons then challenged the Council's right to interfere in elections, and the second poll was quashed. See Capp, Bernard, Heydon, Sir Christopher (1561–1623), soldier and writer on astrology in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004)
10. Died 1643
11. Created a baronet, August
12. On petition, Calthorpe and Sir Nevill Catlin were adjudged not to have been duly elected, and the House of Commons ordered the arrest of two of the under-sheriffs responsible for conducting the election.
13. Succeeded to a baronetcy, October 1754
14. Succeeded to a baronetcy, March 1802
15. On petition, Coke and Windham were adjudged not to have been duly elected, and a by-election was held. Windham had also been elected for New Romney, and sat for that borough for the remainder of the Parliament.