| Rutland | |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 1290 |
| Abolished: | 1918 |
| Type: | County |
| Elects Howmany: | 1290–1885: Two 1885–1918: One |
| Region: | England |
| Towns: | Oakham and Uppingham |
Rutland was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Rutland. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1918, when it became part of the Rutland and Stamford constituency, along with Stamford in Lincolnshire. Since 1983, Rutland has formed part of the Rutland and Melton constituency along with Melton Mowbray from Leicestershire.
The constituency elected two Members of Parliament (MPs), traditionally known as Knights of the Shire, until 1885, when it was reduced to one Member.
The constituency comprised the whole of the historic county of Rutland, in the East Midlands. Rutland, the smallest of the historic counties of England, never had any Parliamentary borough constituencies within its borders.
The place of election for the county was at Oakham. This was where the hustings were held; at which candidates were nominated (before the Ballot Act 1872), polling took place (before the introduction of multiple polling places in county constituencies) and where the result was announced.
Pelling in his Social Geography of British Elections 1885–1910 describes most of the people in this county as "engaged in or dependent upon agriculture". The constituency was a safe Conservative one and was rarely contested in the period covered by the book. G. H. Finch MP had personally owned almost one tenth of the county he represented.
| Parliament | First member | Second member | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1295 (Nov) | Robert de Flixthorpe[1] | Simon de Bokminster | ||
| 1297 (Sep) | William Murdak | Adam de Jernemuta | ||
| 1298 (May) | John Folville | William de Berck | ||
| 1301 (Jan) | William Blount | John Folville | ||
| 1302 (Oct) | John de Seyton | Robert de Flixthorpe | ||
| 1310 | Ralf de Beaufoy | |||
| 1312 | William de St Liz | |||
| 1313 (Mar) | William de Hellewell | Alan de Frankton | ||
| 1318 | John de Beaufoy | |||
| 1328 | Richard de St Liz | |||
| 1330 | Richard de St Liz | |||
| 1335 | Richard de St Liz | |||
| 1336 | Richard de St Liz | |||
| 1337 | John de Seyton | |||
| 1340 (Jan) | Robert de Hellewell | no 2nd member | ||
| 1363 | William Beaufoy | |||
| 1365 | William Beaufoy | |||
| 1368 | Walter Scarle[2] | |||
| 1369 | William Beaufoy | |||
| 1372 | John Wittlebury[3] | |||
| 1377 | Thomas de Burton | |||
| 1378 | Walter Scarle | |||
| 1380 (Jan) | Walter Scarle | |||
| 1380 (Nov) | John Wittlebury | |||
| 1380 | Thomas de Burton | |||
| 1381 | John Wittlebury | |||
| 1382 | Thomas de Burton | |||
| 1383 | John Calveley | |||
| 1383 (Oct) | John Wittlebury | |||
| 1384 | Robert Harrington[4] | |||
| 1385 | Hugh Calveley | Walter Scarle | ||
| 1386 | John Wittlebury | Walter Scarle[5] | ||
| 1388 (Feb) | Sir Hugh Browe | Sir Oliver Mauleverer | ||
| 1388 (Sep) | Sir John Daneys | |||
| 1390 (Jan) | Hugh Calveley | Sir Oliver Mauleverer | ||
| 1390 (Nov) | Sir Hugh Browe | Sir John Calveley | ||
| 1391 | Sir John Bussy | Sir Hugh Greenham | ||
| 1393 | Sir Walter Scarle | Sir John Elme | ||
| 1394 | Sir John Daneys | Sir John Elme | ||
| 1395 | John Wittlebury | Sir Walter Scarle | ||
| 1397 (Jan) | Sir Robert Plesington | Roger Flore | ||
| 1397 (Sep) | Sir Oliver Mauleverer | Sir Thomas Oudeby | ||
| 1399 | John Durant | Roger Flore | - | |
| 1401 | John Durant | William Oudeby | ||
| 1402 | Sir Thomas Oudeby | Roger Flore | ||
| 1404 (Jan) | Thomas Thorpe | John Pensax | ||
| 1404 (Oct) | Sir Thomas Oudeby | Roger Flore | ||
| 1406 | John Pensax | Robert Scarle | ||
| 1407 | Robert Browe | William Sheffield | ||
| 1410 | ||||
| 1411 | ||||
| 1413 (Feb) | ||||
| 1413 (May) | John Pensax | John Burgh | ||
| 1414 (Apr) | Roger Flore | Robert Browe | ||
| 1414 (Nov) | Roger Flore | John Newbold | ||
| 1415 | Roger Flore | John Burgh | ||
| 1416 (Mar) | Roger Flore | Geoffrey Paynell | ||
| 1416 (Oct) | Roger Flore | |||
| 1417 | Roger Flore | ? | ||
| 1419 | Roger Flore | |||
| 1420 | Sir Thomas Burton | Sir Henry Pleasington | ||
| 1421 (May) | John Pensax | William Sheffield | ||
| 1421 (Dec) | John Culpepper | |||
| 1422 | Roger Flore | Sir Henry Pleasington | ||
| 1423 | Robert Browe | |||
| 1425 | Sir Thomas Burton | Sir Henry Pleasington | ||
| 1427 | Sir Thomas Burton | |||
| 1429 | Robert Browe | |||
| 1431 | Robert Browe | |||
| 1432 | Thomas Flore | |||
| 1433 | William Beaufoy | |||
| 1434 | William Beaufoy | |||
| 1439–40 | Robert Browe | Hugh Boivyle[6] | ||
| 1445 | Thomas Flore | |||
| 1447 | Hugh Boyvyle | Everard Dygby[7] | ||
| 1449 | Everard Digby | John Browe | ||
| 1450 | Thomas Palmer | Everard Digby | ||
| 1510–1523 | No names known[8] | |||
| 1529 | Sir Everard Digby | John Harington | ||
| 1536 | ||||
| 1539 | John Harington | Edward Sapcote | ||
| 1542 | John Harington | Simon Digby | ||
| 1545 | Kenelm Digby | Anthony Colly | ||
| 1547 | Kenelm Digby | Anthony Colly | ||
| 1553 (Mar) | Kenelm Digby | Anthony Colly | ||
| 1553 (Oct) | Andrew Nowell | Kenelm Digby | ||
| 1554 (Apr) | Anthony Colly | John Hunt | ||
| 1554 (Nov) | James Harington | Anthony Colly | ||
| 1555 | James Harington | Kenelm Digby | ||
| 1558 | Kenelm Digby | James Harington | ||
| 1558–1559 | James Harington | Kenelm Digby[9] | ||
| 1562–1563 | Anthony Colly | John Flower | ||
| 1571 | Kenelm Digby | John Harington | ||
| 1572 (Apr) | Sir James Harington | Kenelm Digby | ||
| 1584 | Kenelm Digby | (Sir) Andrew Noel | ||
| 1586 (Oct) | Sir James Harington | (Sir) Andrew Noel | ||
| 1588 | Sir James Harington | (Sir) Andrew Noel | ||
| 1593 | Sir John Harington | (Sir) Andrew Noel | ||
| 1597 | William Cecil | Sir James Harington | ||
| 1601 (Oct) | Sir John Harington | (Sir) Andrew Noel, declared void, Nov 1601 [10] | the Commons annulled his election and issued a new writ replaced by Edward Noel[11] | he was underage, and owned no freeholds in the county. The controversial election, conducted by the candidate's father in his capacity as Sheriff, led to a suit in the Court of Star Chamber |
| 1604–1611 | Sir James Harington | Sir William Bulstrode | ||
| 1614 | Sir Guy Palmes | Basil Fielding | ||
| 1621–1622 | Sir Guy Palmes | Sir William Bulstrode | ||
| 1624 | Sir Guy Palmes | Sir William Bulstrode | ||
| 1625 | Sir Guy Palmes | Sir William Bulstrode | ||
| 1626 | Sir William Bulstrode | Sir Francis Bodenham | ||
| 1628 | Sir Guy Palmes | Sir William Bulstrode | ||
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments convened | |||
| Year | Member of Parliament | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | George Finch | Conservative | ||
| 1907 | John Gretton | Conservative | ||
| 1918 | Constituency abolished: see Rutland and Stamford | |||
Population in 1831: 19,380
General Election 1832 (14 December)
Registered Electors: 1,296
G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
G Heathcote Whig
General Election 1835 (10 January)
G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
G Heathcote Whig
General Election 1837 (29 July)
G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
G Heathcote Whig
Following the death of Sir G N Noel:
By-Election 1838 (13 March)
W M Noel Conservative
Noel's death caused a by-election.
Noel resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Dawnay resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Heathcote was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Aveland and causing a by-election.
Noel was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
Heathcote succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Aveland and causing a by-election.
Noel was appointed First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings.
Noel's resignation caused a by-election, which was the first contest in the constituency for 42 years.[19]
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;