Rochester was a parliamentary constituency in Kent. It returned two members of parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of England from 1295 to 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until the 1885 general election, when its representation was reduced to one seat.
In 1918, it was split between Chatham and Gillingham. The Chatham seat became Rochester and Chatham in 1950, and then Medway in 1983. When the boroughs of Rochester upon Medway and Gillingham merged to form the larger unitary Borough of Medway in 1998, the Parliamentary constituency of Medway only covered part of the new borough, so for the 2010 election it was renamed Rochester and Strood.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1295–1640
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member1386 John Fleming Peter Pope1388 (Feb) William Gillingham I John Marchaunt I1388 (Sep) Richard Crowborough Thomas White1390 (Jan) Richard Bolour John Mateshale1390 (Nov) 1391 Thomas Dudmere William Gillingham II1393 William Chylynden William Osbourne1394 1395 Richard Broke Thomas Taverner1397 (Jan) John Plomer II John Precy1397 (Sep) 1399 William Frere John Precy1401 Richard Berde Reynold Shrewsbury1402 Thomas Dudmere Reynold Shrewsbury1404 (Jan) Thomas Dunston William Frere1404 (Oct) Thomas Dudmere Richard Lorkyn1406 Thomas Chertsey Reynold Shrewsbury1407 John Everard I John Bosom1410 John Alcate Thomas Chertsey1411 John Everard I Roger Landford1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) John Deeping Roger Landford1414 (Apr) 1414 (Nov) John Deeping Richard Lorkyn1415 1416 (Mar) Robert Bury John Potager1416 (Oct) 1417 Thomas Bolour John Marchaunt III1419 William Hunt I Robert Kela1420 John Draper Thomas Turner1421 (May) 1421 (Dec) John Deeping John Marchaunt III1510–1523No names known1529 Nicholas Hurleston, died and repl. by 1533 by Edmund Page Robert Fisher1536 ? 1539 ? 1542 ? 1545 Sir Thomas Moyle William Roper1547 Sir Thomas Moyle William Roper1553 (Mar) Sir John Norton Christopher Roper1553 (Oct) Sir Thomas Moyle Robert Darknall1554 (Apr) Sir Thomas Moyle William Roper1554 (Nov) William Roper Edward Baeshe1555 Sir George Howard William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham1558 Hugh Cartwright Thomas Page1559 Edward Baeshe Thomas Brooke alias Cobham1562–3 Edward Baeshe Richard Watts1571 William Holstock George Catlyn1572 George Catelyn William Partridge, sick and repl. 1579 by Samuel Coxe1584 William Brooke alias Cobham George Byng1586 William Brooke alias Cobham William Lewin1588 William Lewin John Stanhope1593 William Lewin George Chowne1597 Sir Edward Hoby Sir Thomas Walsingham1601 Sir Edward Hoby Sir Thomas Walsingham1604 Sir Edward Hoby Sir Thomas Walsingham1614 Sir Edward HobySir Anthony Aucher refused to serve and replaced by Sir Edwin Sandys1621–1622 Sir Thomas Walsingham (younger) Henry Clerke1624 Maximilian Dallison Sir Thomas Walsingham (younger)1625 Henry Clerke Sir Thomas Walsingham (younger)1626 Henry Clerke Sir Thomas Walsingham (younger)1628 Sir Thomas Walsingham (younger) William Brooke1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned
MPs 1640–1885 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party April 1640 Sir Thomas Walsingham John Clerke November 1640 Sir Thomas Walsingham Parliamentarian Richard LeeParliamentarianDecember 1648Lee excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant1653Rochester was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament1654 John Parker Rochester had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate1656January 1659Peter Pett Richard HutchinsonMay 1659Sir Thomas WalsinghamOne seat vacant 1660 Peter Pett John Marsham 1661 Sir Francis Clerke Sir William Batten 1667 Sir Richard Head February 1679 Sir John Banks August 1679 Francis Barrell 1681 Sir Francis Clerke 1689 Sir Roger Twisden 1690 Sir Joseph Williamson Francis Clerke 1691 Caleb Banks 1695 Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell 1701 Francis Barrell William Bokenham 1702 Edward Knatchbull William Cage 1705 Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell Admiral Sir Stafford Fairborne 1708 Admiral Sir John Leake 1710 William Cage 1715 Sir Thomas Palmer, Bt Admiral Sir John Jennings 1724 Sir Thomas Colby 1727 David Polhill Whig 1734 Admiral Nicholas Haddock 1741 Admiral Edward VernonVernon was also elected for Ipswich, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Rochester 1743 David Polhill Whig 1746 Admiral Sir Chaloner Ogle 1751 Admiral The Hon. John Byng 1754 Nicholas Haddock 1757 Admiral Isaac Townsend 1761 Viscount Parker 1764 Admiral Sir Charles Hardy 1765 Grey Cooper Tory1768 John Calcraft Whig William Gordon Tory 1771 Admiral Thomas Pye Tory 1772 George Finch-Hatton Tory1774 Robert Gregory Whig1784 Captain Sir Charles MiddletonRear Admiral from 1787 Whig Nathaniel Smith Whig1790 George Best Tory Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton Tory 1792 Nathaniel Smith Whig 1794 Admiral Sir Richard King Tory1796 Hon. Henry Tufton Whig1802 Captain Sir Sidney SmithRear Admiral from 1805 Tory James Hulkes Whig1806 John Calcraft Whig James Barnett Whig1807Sir Thomas Thompson Tory 1816 James Barnett Whig1818 Lord Binning Tory1820 Ralph Bernal Whig1826 Captain Henry Dundas Tory1830 George Villiers Tory1831 John Mills Tory 1834 Conservative1835 Thomas Hodges Whig1837 Thomas Hobhouse Radical1841 James Douglas Stoddart Douglas Conservative William Bodkin Conservative1847 Ralph Bernal Whig Thomas Hodges Whig1852 Hon. Francis Child Villiers Conservative Sir Thomas Maddock Conservative1856 by-election Philip Wykeham Martin Radical1857 John Alexander Kinglake Radical1859 Liberal Liberal1870 by-election Julian Goldsmid Liberal1878 by-election Sir Arthur Otway Liberal1880 Roger Leigh Conservative1885 Representation reduced to one-member
MPs 1885–1918 ElectionMemberParty 1885 Francis Hughes-Hallett Conservative 1889 by-election Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen Liberal 1892 Horatio Davies Conservative 1893 by-election James Gascoyne-Cecil Conservative 1903 by-election Charles Tuff Conservative 1906 Ernest Lamb Liberal 1910 Samuel Forde Ridley Conservative 1910 Sir Ernest Lamb Liberal1918 constituency abolished: see Chatham and Gillingham
Elections
Elections in the 1830s
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1850s
Villiers resigned, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Elections in the 1870s Kinglake's death caused a by-election.
Martin's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s
Hughes-Hallett resigned, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1890s
Davies was unseated on petition, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1910s
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; Liberal: Ernest Lamb Unionist:
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) Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988) J E Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949)