Northampton was a parliamentary constituency (centred on the town of Northampton), which existed until 1974.

It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of England until 1707, the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800 and to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until its representation was reduced to one member for the 1918 general election. The constituency was abolished for the February 1974 general election, when it was replaced by the new constituencies of Northampton North and Northampton South.

A former MP of note for the constituency was Spencer Perceval, the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1295–1640

1295: constituency established, electing two MPs

ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1377 Sir Gerard de Braybooke of Castle Ashby 1377 Sir Thomas Preston of Gretton 1378 Sir John Seton 1379 Sir Thomas Preston of Gretton 1380 Sir Thomas Preston of Gretton 1382 Giles St John of Plumpton 1386 William Spriggy William Ringwood 1388 (Feb) Thomas Pirie John Stotesbury 1388 (Sep) John Honybourne John Besford 1390 (Jan) John Colingtree John Sywell 1390 (Nov) 1391 William Begworth John Stotesbury 1393 William Spriggy Stephen Wappenham 1394 1395 Nicholas Horncastle John Woodward 1397 (Jan) Richard Stormsworth Thomas Overton 1397 (Sep) 1399 John Loudham John Spring 1401 1406 Henry Empingham Thomas Wintringham 1407 John Rivell John Temple 1410 Simon Dunstall John Lincoln 1411 Richard Wems William Rushden 1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) Roger Maltman Alexander Deyster 1414 (Apr) 1414 (Nov) Geoffrey Balde John Hethersett 1415 1416 (Mar) John Hendley John Buckingham 1416 (Oct) 1417 William Clerk Thomas Colley 1419 Thomas Stotesbury Ralph Passenham 1420 William Maltman William Harpole 1421 (May) John Bernhill John Colden 1421 (Dec) John Spriggy Stephen Kynnesman 1427Thomas Compworth 1477–1478 Robert Pemberton 1510–1515 No names known 1523 John Parvyn Thomas Doddington 1529 Lawrence Manley Nicholas Rand 1536 ? 1539 ? 1542 ? 1545 ? 1547 Richard Wenman Anthony Bryan 1553 (Mar) George Tresham William Chauncy 1553 (Oct) Francis Morgan Lawrence Manley 1554 (Apr) Francis Morgan John Horpool 1554 (Nov) Henry Clerke Ralph Freeman 1555 Nicholas Rand John Balgye 1558 Thomas Colles Edward Manley 1559 (Jan) William Carvell Edmund (or Edward) Kinwelmersh 1562–3 Lewis Montgomery Ralph Lane 1571 Christopher Yelverton- 1572 (Apr) Christopher Yelverton John Spencer 1584 (Nov) Sir Richard Knightley Thomas Catesby 1586 (Sep) Sir Richard Knightley Peter Wentworth 1588 (Oct) Peter Wentworth Richard Knollys 1593 Valentine Knightley Peter Wentworth 1597 (Oct) Christopher Yelverton Henry Yelverton 1601 Henry Hickman Francis Tate 1604 Henry Yelverton Edward Mercer 1614 Henry Yelverton Francis Beale 1621–1622 Richard Spencer Thomas Crewe 1624 Richard Spencer Christopher Sherland 1625 Richard Spencer Christopher Sherland 1626 Richard Spencer Christopher Sherland 1628 Richard Spencer Christopher Sherland 1629–1640 No Parliaments convened

MPs 1640–1918 ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyApril 1640Richard KnightleyParliamentarianZouch TateParliamentarianNovember 1640December 1648Knightley excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacantTate not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge1653Northampton was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament1654Peter Whalley Northampton had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate1656Francis Harvey January 1659James LanghamMay 1659Not represented in the restored RumpMarch 1660 Francis Harvey Richard Rainsford June 1660 Sir John Norwich, Bt. April 1661 Francis Harvey James Langham November 1661 Sir Charles Compton Richard Rainsford 1662 Sir James Langham, Bt. March 1663 Sir William Dudley, Bt. April 1663 Hon. Christopher Hatton March 1664 Sir John Bernard April 1664 Sir Henry Yelverton, Bt. 1670 Sir William Fermor Henry O'Brien 1678 Hon. Ralph Montagu February 1679 Sir Hugh Cholmley, Bt. August 1679 William Langham Hon. Ralph Montagu 1685 Richard Rainsford Sir Justinian Isham, Bt. 1689 William Langham 1690 Sir Thomas Samwell, Bt. 1694 Sir Justinian Isham, Bt. 1695 Christopher Montagu 1698 William Thursby 1701 Thomas Andrew 1702 Sir Matthew Dudley, Bt. Bartholomew Tate 1704 Francis Arundell 1705 George Montagu 1710 William Wykes 1715 William Wilmer 1722 Edward Montagu 1727 Hon. George Compton 1734 William Wilmer 1744 George Montagu April 1754 Charles Montagu December 1754 Hon. Charles Compton 1755 Richard Backwell 1759 Frederick Montagu 1761 Spencer Compton 1763 Lucy Knightley 1768 Vice-Admiral Sir George Brydges Rodney Sir George Osborn, Bt.On petition, Osborn was declared not to have been duly elected and his opponent Howe was declared elected in his place 1769 Hon. Thomas Howe 1771 Wilbraham Tollemache 1774 Sir George Robinson, 5th Bt. 1780 George Spencer Whig George Rodney1782 George Bingham Tory1784 Charles Compton Tory Fiennes Trotman Whig1790 Hon. Edward Bouverie Whig1796 Hon. Spencer Perceval Tory1810 William Hanbury Whig1812 Spencer Compton Tory1818 Sir Edward Kerrison, Bt. Tory1820 Sir George Robinson, 6th Bt. Whig William Leader Maberly Whig1830 Sir Robert Gunning, Bt. Tory1831 Robert Vernon SmithWhig1832 Charles RossTory1834Conservative1837 Raikes CurrieRadical1857 Charles GilpinRadical1859 Liberal Liberal1859 by-election Anthony HenleyLiberalFebruary 1874 Pickering PhippsConservativeOctober 1874 by-election Charles MerewetherAccount of the 1874 by-election in The Times, Thursday, Oct 08, 1874; pg. 10; Issue 28128; col E "The Northampton Election" . Charles Merewether is among a list of former MPs who have died in 1884 in The Times, Wednesday, 31 December 1884; page. 7; Issue 31331; col A. At that time he was a Queen's Counsel. He was appointed Recorder of Leicester in 1868 Source: The Leicester Chronicle and the Leicestershire Mercury, Saturday, 24 October 1868; pg. 6. "Borough Sessions Wednesday 21 October".Conservative1880 Henry LabouchèreLiberal Charles BradlaughLiberal1891 by-election Philip ManfieldLiberal1895 Adolphus DruckerConservative1900 John Greenwood ShipmanLiberal1906 Herbert PaulLiberalJan. 1910 Hastings Lees-SmithLiberal Charles McCurdyLiberal 1916Coalition Liberal1918 Representation reduced to one member

MPs 1918–1974 ElectionMemberPartyNotes1918Charles McCurdy Coalition LiberalGovernment Chief Whip (1921–1922) 1922 Nov 1923 Dec 1923Margaret Bondfield 1924Arthur Holland Died December 19271928 by-election Cecil Malone Member for Leyton East (1918–1922)1931Mervyn Manningham-Buller Member for Kettering (1924–1929)1940 by-electionSpencer Summers Secretary for Overseas Trade (1945)1945Reginald Paget Feb 1974 constituency abolished: see Northampton North

Election results Elections in the 1830s

After the election, a 13-day scrutiny was approved by the Mayor and tallies were revised to 1,570 for Robinson, 1,279 for Vernon Smith, 1,157 for Gunning, and 185 for Lyon. 188 votes were rejected.

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1850s Vernon Smith was appointed Secretary of State for War, requiring a by-election.

Vernon Smith was appointed President of the Board of Control, requiring a by-election.

Vernon Smith was raised to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Lyveden, and causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1860s

Elections in the 1870s

Gilpin's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1880s

Bradlaugh was unseated after voting in the Commons before taking the Oath of Allegiance, causing a by-election.

Bradlaugh was expelled from the House of Commons due to his continuing prevention from taking the Oath, causing a by-election.

Bradlaugh resigned and sought election once more, after a resolution to exclude him from the precincts of the House of Commons was sought.

Elections in the 1890s Bradlaugh's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s

A General Election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the summer of 1914, the following candidates had been adopted to contest that election. Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place. British Socialist Party: Ben Tillett

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1939–40

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected; Conservative: Labour: Reginald PagetReport of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939 British Union: Norah Elam

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1970s

References

Sources Robert Beatson, "A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament" (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808)