Amersham was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England 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. A borough constituency (in Scotland, a burgh constituency) is a type of parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. ... Events March 27 - Prince Charles Stuart becomes King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... In the United Kingdom each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... In the United Kingdom each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... English parliament in front of the king c. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ...

Boundaries

The constituency was a Parliamentary borough in Buckinghamshire, covering the small town of Amersham. It is located 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills of England. Davis describes it as "a thriving little market town". Parliamentary boroughs are boroughs that are entitled to representation in a Parliament. ... Map of Bucks (1904) This article is about the English county. ... Amersham (previously Agmondesham) is a market town 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills, England. ...

Before the borough was re-enfranchised in 1625 and after it was disenfranchised in 1832, the area was represented as part of the county constituency of Buckinghamshire. A County constituency is a constituency in the United Kingdom that covers a predominantly rural area. ... Buckinghamshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. ...

History

The borough was first enfranchised in 1300, but only seems to have sent burgesses to Parliament for a short time. By 1307 it was no longer included in the list of Parliamentary boroughs. Events February 22 - Jubilee of Pope Boniface VIII. March 10 - Wardrobe accounts of King Edward I of Englanddo (aka Edward Longshanks) include a reference to a game called creag being played at the town of Newenden in Kent. ... Events July - The Knights Hospitaller begin their conquest of Rhodes. ... Parliamentary boroughs are boroughs that are entitled to representation in a Parliament. ...

The privilege of electing two burgesses to Parliament was revived in 1625. The right of election was held by householders paying scot and lot, a local tax. This was one of the most democratic franchises used in elections to the Unreformed House of Commons. However because this was a small borough, from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, it was under the patronage of the Drake family of Shardeloes (an estate about a mile from the town). Events March 27 - Prince Charles Stuart becomes King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... Scot and lot (0. ... The House of Commons in the 18th century The unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act of 1832. ...

In the early eighteenth century there were about 150 electors. Although, at this period, the Drake's did not own most of the houses they were able to nominate candidates for both seats. An anti-Drake element in the electorate supported a candidate in opposition to the Tory candidates promoted by the Drake interest, at elections in 1728, 1734 and 1735. That opposition proved to represent about a third of the electorate.

Thereafter the Drakes enjoyed unchallenged possession of their pocket borough. There was no further sign of the sort of resistance to the dominant interest that broke out from time to time in many similar boroughs. The term rotten borough (or pocket borough, as they were seen as being in the pocket of a patron) refers to a parliamentary borough or constituency in the Kingdom of England (pre-1707), the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707-1801), the Kingdom of Ireland (1536-1801) and the United Kingdom...

By the latter half of the eighteenth century the Drakes owned most of the town. The number of voters were reduced to about 70. Elections were all uncontested.

The borough was treated with respect by its patrons. Uncontested elections were accompanied by generous expenditure, estimated by Davis as £350 in the eighteenth century and £600 in the 1820s.

Amersham was one of the boroughs totally disenfranchised by the Reform Act 1832. The Reform Act of 1832 (known also as the Great Reform Act and The Parliamentary Reform Act 1832) introduced wide-ranging changes to electoral franchise legislation in the United Kingdom. ...

Members of Parliament

• Not represented in the First and Second Protectorate Parliaments; returned two members for the Third Protectorate Parliament.

• Constituency disenfranchished (1832)
• This page incorporates information from Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page.

Events March 27 - Prince Charles Stuart becomes King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... Events September 30 - Nurhaci, chieftain of the Jurchens and founder of the Qing Dynasty dies and is succeeded by his son Hong Taiji. ... Events March 1 - writs were issued in February 1628 by Charles I of England that every county in England (not just seaport towns) pay ship tax by this date. ... The Short Parliament (April-May, 1640) of King Charles I is so called because it lasted only three weeks. ... The Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, in 1640, following the Bishops Wars. ... // Events January 17 - Englands Long Parliament passes the Vote of No Address, breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War. ... The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. ... The Second Protectorate Parliament sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658 with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House. ... The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session from 27 January until 22 April 1659 with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfield as the Speakers of the House. ... The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session from 27 January until 22 April 1659 with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfield as the Speakers of the House. ... // Events January 1 - Colonel George Monck with his regiment crosses from Scotland to England at the village of Coldstream and begins advance towards London in support of English Restoration. ... Events January 6 - The fifth monarchy men unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London. ... // Events Samuel Pepys stopped writing his diary. ... Events January 24 - King Charles II of England disbands Parliament August 7 - The brigantine Le Griffon, which was commissioned by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, is towed to the southern end of the Niagara River, to become the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes. ... Events March 4 - Charles II of England grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania. ... William Cheyne, 2nd Viscount Newhaven (1657 – 1728) was a viscount in the Peerage of Great Britain. ... Events Louis XIV of France passed the Code Noir, allowing the full use of slaves in the French colonies. ... Events Giovanni Domenico Cassini observes differential rotation within Jupiters atmosphere. ... Events January 27 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed II to Mustafa II (1695-1703) July 17 - The Bank of Scotland is founded by an Act of Parliament of the old Scottish Parliament. ... Events January 4 - Palace of Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire. ... William Cheyne, 2nd Viscount Newhaven (1657 – 1728) was a viscount in the Peerage of Great Britain. ... Events January 26 - Treaty of Karlowitz signed March 30 - the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa. ... Events January 18 - Frederick I becomes King of Prussia. ... William Cheyne, 2nd Viscount Newhaven (1657 – 1728) was a viscount in the Peerage of Great Britain. ... Events January 18 - Frederick I becomes King of Prussia. ... Events January 18 - Frederick I becomes King of Prussia. ... Events January 18 - Frederick I becomes King of Prussia. ... William Cheyne, 2nd Viscount Newhaven (1657 – 1728) was a viscount in the Peerage of Great Britain. ... Events March 8 - William III died; Princess Anne Stuart becomes Queen Anne of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... // Events Construction begins on Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire, England. ... William Cheyne, 2nd Viscount Newhaven (1657 – 1728) was a viscount in the Peerage of Great Britain. ... Events January 1 - John V is crowned King of Portugal March 26 - The Acts of Union becomes law, making the separate Kingdoms of England and Scotland into one country, the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... // Events March 23 - James Francis Edward Stuart lands at the Firth of Forth July 1 - Tewoflos becomes Emperor of Ethiopia September 28 - Peter the Great defeats the Swedes at the Battle of Lesnaya Kandahar conquered by Mir Wais In Masuria one third of the population die during the plague J... // Events April 10 - The worlds first copyright legislation became effective, Britains Statute of Anne Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713) Births January 3 - Richard Gridley, American Revolutionary soldier (d. ... // Events April 11 - War of the Spanish Succession: Treaty of Utrecht June 23 - French residents of Acadia given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia Canada first Orrery built by George Graham Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713... // Events January 4 — The Netherlands, Britain & France sign Triple Alliance February 26-March 6 What is now the northeastern United States was paralyzed by a series of blizzards that buried the region. ... // Events Abraham De Moivre states De Moivres theorem connecting trigonometric functions and complex numbers Publication of the first book of Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier Fall of Persias Safavid dynasty during a bloody revolt of the Afghani people. ... Events 1727 to 1800 - Lt. ... Events Astronomical aberration discovered by the astronomer James Bradley Swedish academy of sciences founded at Uppsala The founding of the University of Havana (Universidad de la Habana), Cubas most well-established university. ... Events Astronomical aberration discovered by the astronomer James Bradley Swedish academy of sciences founded at Uppsala The founding of the University of Havana (Universidad de la Habana), Cubas most well-established university. ... Events January 8 - Premiere of George Frideric Handels opera Ariodante at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. ... Events April 16 - The London premiere of Alcina by George Frideric Handel, his first the first Italian opera for the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. ... // Events Catharine de Ricci (born 1522) canonized. ... 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1761 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1767 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1768 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Elections

General Notes

In multi-member elections the bloc voting system was used. Voters could cast a vote for one or two candidates, as they chose. The leading candidates with the largest number of votes were elected. Bloc voting (or block voting) (also called Plurality-at-large) refers to a class of voting systems which can be used to elect several representatives from a single constituency. ...

In by-elections, to fill a single seat, the first past the post system applied. A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... The plurality voting system, also known as first past the post, is a voting system used to elect a single winner in a given election. ...

Where a party had more than one candidate in one or both of a pair of successive elections change is calculated for each individual candidate, otherwise change is based on the party vote. Change figures at by-elections are from the preceding general election or the last intervening by-election. Change figures at general elections are from the last general election.

Candidates for whom no party has been identified are classified as Non Partisan. The candidate might have been associated with a party or faction in Parliament or considered himself to belong to a particular political tradition. Political parties before the nineteenth century were not as cohesive or organised as they later became. Contemporary commentators (even the reputed leaders of parties or factions) in the eighteenth century did not necessarily agree who the party supporters were. The traditional parties, which had arisen in the late seventeenth century, became increasingly irrelevant to politics in the eighteenth century (particularly after 1760), although for some contests in some constituencies party labels were still used. It was only towards the end of the century that party labels began to acquire some meaning again, although this process was by no means complete for several more generations.

Sources: The results for elections before 1790 were taken from the History of Parliament Trust publications on the House of Commons. The results from 1790 until 1832 are based on Stooks Smith. Where Stooks Smith gives additional information to the other sources this is indicated in a note.

Dates of Elections 1660-1715

• -- Apr 1660 GE
• 23 Mar 1661 GE
• -1 Nov 1669 BE
• -4 Feb 1679 GE
• -- --- 1679 GE
• 29 Jan 1681 GE
• 23 Mar 1685 GE
• -5 Jan 1689 GE
• -- --- 1690 GE
• -8 Oct 1690 BE
• -9 Nov 1691 BE
• 21 Oct 1695 GE
• 21 Jul 1698 GE
• -2 Jan 1699 BE
• -7 Jan 1701 GE
• 19 Feb 1701 BE
• 10 Mar 1701 BE
• 21 Nov 1701 GE
• 14 Nov 1702 GE
• -8 May 1705 GE
• 21 Nov 1707 BE
• -4 May 1708 GE
• -3 Oct 1710 GE
• 27 Aug 1713 GE
• 18 Mar 1714 BE

Election Results 1715-1832

As with most boroughs in the unreformed House of Commons, Amersham was uncontested at most elections. The only known contested elections after 1715 were those of 1728, 1735 and 1736. // Events July 24 - Spanish treasure fleet of ten ships under admiral Ubilla leave Havana, Cuba for Spain. ... Events Astronomical aberration discovered by the astronomer James Bradley Swedish academy of sciences founded at Uppsala The founding of the University of Havana (Universidad de la Habana), Cubas most well-established university. ... Events April 16 - The London premiere of Alcina by George Frideric Handel, his first the first Italian opera for the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. ... Events January 26 - Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne. ...

• Death of Fermanagh 23 June 1717

• Choice of Drake to sit for Buckinghamshire

• Choice of Leveson Gower to sit for Newcastle-under-Lyme

• Death of Drake 26 April 1728

• (Note May 1728): Drake, the late MP, had been the owner of the largest interest in the constituency. His heir was a child and the anti-Drake element in the borough took advantage of the opportunity to contest the seat. Only about a third of the votes were cast for the challenger.

• (Note 1734): Thomas Bladen stood for the anti-Drake forces in the borough. The result again suggested that only about a third of the electorate opposed the borough's long term patrons.
• Death of Lutwyche 13 November 1734

• (Note 1735): The vote totals are unknown, but Gore won and no further contested elections took place during the remaining ninety seven years when the borough returned MPs.

• Appointment of Gore as Commissary General of the Musters (he was returned for Portsmouth)

• Death of Marshall 2 February 1754

• 27 Mar 1761 GE
• -4 Dec 1767 BE
• 28 Mar 1768 GE
• -7 Oct 1774 GE
• -8 Sep 1780 GE
• 31 Mar 1784 GE
• -- --- 1790 GE
• -4 Jun 1795 BE
• 26 May 1796 GE
• -- --- 1802 GE
• 31 Jan 1805 BE
• -- --- 1806 GE
• -- --- 1807 GE
• 21 Nov 1810 BE
• -- --- 1812 GE
• -- --- 1818 GE
• -- --- 1820 GE
• -- --- 1826 GE
• -- --- 1830 GE
• -- --- 1831 GE

|} The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... // Events January 4 — The Netherlands, Britain & France sign Triple Alliance February 26-March 6 What is now the northeastern United States was paralyzed by a series of blizzards that buried the region. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Swing in a British political context is a single figure used as an indication of the scale of voter change in a single constituency. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Buckinghamshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Swing in a British political context is a single figure used as an indication of the scale of voter change in a single constituency. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Newcastle-under-Lyme is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Swing in a British political context is a single figure used as an indication of the scale of voter change in a single constituency. ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... Events Astronomical aberration discovered by the astronomer James Bradley Swedish academy of sciences founded at Uppsala The founding of the University of Havana (Universidad de la Habana), Cubas most well-established university. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Swing in a British political context is a single figure used as an indication of the scale of voter change in a single constituency. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... Events January 8 - Premiere of George Frideric Handels opera Ariodante at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Swing in a British political context is a single figure used as an indication of the scale of voter change in a single constituency. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Swing in a British political context is a single figure used as an indication of the scale of voter change in a single constituency. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Swing in a British political context is a single figure used as an indication of the scale of voter change in a single constituency. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ...

See also

• List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies

This is a list of former Parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom, organised by date of abolition. ...

References

• Political Change and Continuity 1760-1885: A Buckinghamshire Study, by Richard W. Davis (David and Charles 1972)
• The House of Commons 1715-1754, by Romney Sedgwick (HMSO 1970)
• The House of Commons 1754-1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke (HMSO 1964)
• The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844-50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)