North Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency) explained

North Wiltshire
Parliament:uk
Map1:NorthWiltshire2007
Map2:EnglandWiltshire
Map Entity:Wiltshire
Map Year:2010
Year:1983
Abolished:2024
Type:County
Year2:1832
Abolished2:1885
Electorate:67,154 (December 2010)[1]
Region:England
European:South West England
Elects Howmany:One

North Wiltshire was a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was represented since its 1983 recreation by the Conservative Party. In the period 1832–1983, North Wiltshire was an alternative name for Chippenham or the Northern Division of Wiltshire and as Chippenham dates to the original countrywide Parliament, the Model Parliament, this period is covered in more detail in that article.

The seat was abolished for the 2024 general election and replaced by parts of three other constituencies.[2]

Boundaries

1832–1885: The Hundreds of Chippenham, North Damerham, Bradford, Melksham, Potterne and Cannings, Calne, Selkley, Ramsbury, Whorwelsdown, Swanborough, Highworth, Cricklade and Staple, Kingsbridge, and Malmesbury.[3]

1983–1997: The District of North Wiltshire.

1997–2010: The District of North Wiltshire wards of Allington, Ashton Keynes, Audley, Avon, Box, Bremhill, Brinkworth, Colerne, Corsham, Crudwell, Hill Rise, Hilmarton, Kington Langley, Kington St Michael, Lacock, Lyneham, Malmesbury, Malmesbury Road, Minety, Monkton Park, Neston and Gastard, Nettleton, Park, Pickwick, Purton, Queen's, Redland, St Paul Malmesbury Without, Sherston, Somerford, The Lydiards, Town, Westcroft, Wootton Bassett North, and Wootton Bassett South.

2010–2024: The District of North Wiltshire wards of Ashton Keynes and Minety, Box, Bremhill, Brinkworth and The Somerfords, Calne Abberd, Calne Chilvester, Calne Lickhill, Calne Marden, Calne Priestley, Calne Quemerford, Calne Without, Colerne, Cricklade, Hilmarton, Kington Langley, Kington St Michael, Lyneham, Malmesbury, Nettleton, Purton, St Paul Malmesbury Without and Sherston, The Lydiards and Broad Town, Wootton Bassett North, and Wootton Bassett South.

The constituency covered most of the northern third of Wiltshire. However, it excluded the eastern town of Swindon which was represented as North Swindon and South Swindon.

North Wiltshire constituency was formed by a renaming for the 1983 general election, with boundaries identical to the former Chippenham constituency (1885–1983).[4] The constituency sat between the Cotswolds and Swindon. Its main towns were Calne, Royal Wootton Bassett, Cricklade and Malmesbury, and it also contained villages, both small and large, spread over a large area of farming countryside, including the well-known (often-painted and photographed) village of Castle Combe.

For the 2010 general election the North Wiltshire constituency changed radically as a result of boundary change recommendations. The revised constituency covered a northern swathe of the previous version, retaining the towns of Malmesbury, Cricklade, Royal Wootton Bassett and Calne, while the largest southern town of Chippenham was given its own seat (which was previously abolished in 1983) that brought in the nearby market towns of Bradford on Avon and Melksham.

Abolition

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished for the 2024 general election, with its contents distributed three ways:

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1885

Election1st member1st party2nd member2nd party
1832Paul Methuen <-- 21 Jun 1779 to 14 Sep 1849 -->Whig[5] Whig
1835Walter Long <-- 10 Oct 1793 to 31 Jan 1867 -->Whig
1837Francis Burdett <-- 25 Jan 1770 to 23 Jan 1844 -->Conservative
1841Conservative
February 1844T. H. S. Sotheron-EstcourtConservative
March 1865Lord Charles Bruce <-- 18 Jun 1834 to 16 Apr 1897 -->Liberal
1865Conservative
1868George Jenkinson <-- 27 Sep 1817 to 19 Jan 1892 -->Conservative
1874George Sotheron-Estcourt <-- 21 Jan 1839 to 12 Jan 1915 -->Conservative
1880Conservative
1885Redistribution of Seats Act

constituency abolished; see Chippenham constituency

MPs since 1983

ElectionMemberParty
1983Richard NeedhamConservative
1997James GrayConservative

Elections

Elections in the 1860s

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1830s

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 13 March 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101106204053/http://www.boundarycommissionforengland.org.uk/electoral-figures/electoral-figures.htm. 6 November 2010.
  2. Web site: The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South West Boundary Commission for England . 2023-07-21 . boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk.
  3. Web site: The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament.. London . His Majesty's statute and law printers . 1832 . 300–383 . 23 May 2020.
  4. http://www.jamesgray.org/site/about-north-wiltshire-2.html "About North Wiltshire"
  5. Book: Stooks Smith . Henry . The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I, to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive . 1845 . Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. . London . 106 . Google Books . 18 August 2018.
  6. Estcourt, Thomas Henry Sutton Sotheron . Stephens . H. M. . 2004 . 23 November 2008. 10.1093/ref:odnb/8894 .