Lincolnshire was a county constituency of the Parliaments of England before 1707, Great Britain before 1800 and the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1290 until 1832.

History The constituency consisted of the historic county of Lincolnshire, excluding the city of Lincoln which had the status of a county in itself after 1409. (Although Lincolnshire contained four other boroughs, Boston, Grantham, Great Grimsby and Stamford, each of which elected two MPs in its own right for part of the period when Lincolnshire was a constituency, these were not excluded from the county constituency, and owning property within the borough could confer a vote at the county election. This was not the case, though, for Lincoln.)

As in other county constituencies the franchise between 1430 and 1832 was defined by the Forty Shilling Freeholder Act, which gave the right to vote to every man who possessed freehold property within the county valued at £2 or more per year for the purposes of land tax; it was not necessary for the freeholder to occupy his land, nor even in later years to be resident in the county at all.

Except during the period of the Commonwealth, Lincolnshire had two MPs, traditionally referred to as Knights of the Shire, elected by the bloc vote method, under which each voter had two votes. In the nominated Barebones Parliament, five members represented Lincolnshire. In the First and Second Parliaments of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate, however, there was a general redistribution of seats and Lincolnshire elected ten members, while each of the boroughs apart from Lincoln had their representation reduced to a single MP. The traditional arrangements were restored from 1659.

At the time of the Great Reform Act in 1832, Lincolnshire had a population of approximately 317,000, though only 5,391 electors voted at the last contested election, a by-election in 1823.

Elections were held at a single polling place, Lincoln, and voters from the rest of the county had to travel to the county town to exercise their franchise. It was normal for voters to expect the candidates for whom they voted to meet their expenses in travelling to the poll, making the cost of a contested election substantial. Contested elections were therefore rare, potential candidates preferring to canvass support beforehand and usually not insisting on a vote being taken unless they were confident of winning; at all but 4 of the 29 general elections between 1701 and 1832, Lincolnshire's two MPs were elected unopposed.

The constituency was abolished in 1832 by the Great Reform Act, being divided into two two-member county divisions, Northern Lincolnshire (or The Parts of Lindsey) and Southern Lincolnshire (or The Parts of Kesteven and Holland).

Members of Parliament

MPs 1290–1640 YearFirst memberSecond member 1290 John Dyne John de Hoyland 1295 Ranulph de Otteby Ralph de Littlebury 1297 Simon fitz Ralph Richard de Huwell 1298 William Disney Sir John Marmion 1300 Thomas de Burnham Thomas fitz Eustace 1301 Thomas fitz Eustace Thomas de Burnham 1302 Thomas de Burnham Simon fitz Ralph of Ormesby 1305 Henry de Bayeaux Thomas de Burnham 1306 Ranulph de Friskney John de Neville of Stoke 1307 (Jan) Ranulph de Friskney William de Alta Ripa 1307 (Oct) Simon fitz Ralph Ranulph de Friskney 1309 Henry de Bayeaux Thomas de Burnham 1311 (Aug) Simon fitz Ralph William Disney 1311 (Nov) William Disney Simon de Lunderthorp 1313 (Mar) Henry de Bayeaux John de Neville 1313 Laurence de Holbech William de Helewell 1314 Laurence de Holbech William de Helewell 1315 Thomas de Tittele William de Paris 1316 (Jan) Roger de Cubbeldyk Simon le Chamberlain 1316 (Jul) Richard de Buslingthorpe William Disney 1318 Laurence de Holbech William Disney 1319 Robert Darcy John Darcy (le Frere) 1320 Henry de Bayeaux Simon de Berford 1321 William de Paris Walter de Trikingham 1322 (May) Thomas de Newmarch Simon le Chamberlain 1322 (Nov) Richard Byron William de Paris 1324 (Feb) John Darcy (le Frere) William Disney 1324 (Oct) Sir William de Wasteneys John de Trehampton, sergeant 1325 Thomas de Willoughby John de Yordeburgh 1327 (Jan) William de Bayeaux John de Barkeworth 1327 (Sep) Thomas de Newmarch Norman Darcy 1328 (Feb) Simon de Kynardesleye Thomas de Newmarch 1328 (Apr) Simon de Kynardesleye Thomas de Newmarch 1328 (Jul) Simon de Kynardesleye John Torny 1329 Simon de Kynardesleye John Torny 1330 (Mar) Thomas de Newmarch John de Trehampton 1330 (Nov) John de Trehampton Thomas de Carleton 1331 Thomas de Willoughby John de Barkeworth 1332 (Mar) William de Trikingham John de Trehampton 1332 (Sep) Thomas de Newmarch William de Lunderthorp 1333 John de Trehampton Thomas de Carleton 1334 (Feb) Ralph de St. Lo John de Trehampton 1334 (Sep) John de Trehampton Gilbert de Ledred 1335 Philip de Nevill, jnr. Richard de Waldegrave 1336 (Mar) Norman Darcy John Darcy 1336 (Sep) Norman Darcy John Deyncourt 1337 (Mar) Thomas Lovelaunce Ranulph de Paris 1337 (Sep) Walter de Trikingham Richard Byron 1338 (Feb) Thomas de Willoughby Henry de Killingholme 1338 (Jul) Gilbert de Ledred Thomas Lovelaunce 1339 (Feb) Sir Walter de Trikingham Sir John Torny 1339 (Oct) John Torny Thomas Lovelaunce 1340 (Jan) John Torny 1340 (Mar) Sir John Torny Sir Walter de Trikingham 1341 Sir William de Bayeaux Sir William de Friskney 1343 Saierus de Rochford John de Bayeaux 1344 Thomas de Roos of Dowesby Thomas Lovelaunce 1346 Walter de Trikingham John Bernack 1348 (Jan) Sir Walter de Trikingham Thomas Lovelaunce 1348 (Mar) Sir John de Trehampton Sir John de Gaunt 1351 Sir William de Belesby Sir William de Toutheby 1352 Edmund de Cornewaill Thomas de Swynford 1353 Nicholas de Ry 1354 Norman de Swynford William de Colvill 1355 John de Boys William Hauley 1357 Sir William Marmion Thomas de Fulnetby 1358 Sir Thomas de Bernardeston Sir Thomas de Fulnetby 1360 Edmund de Cornewaill Thomas de Swynford 1361 Sir Thomas de Fulnetby Sir Laurence de Flete 1362 Sir Thomas de Fulnetby Sir Laurence de Flete 1363 Sir Thomas de Fulnetby Sir Laurence de Flete 1365 Sir William de Belesby Sir William Marmion 1366 Sir Thomas de Fulnetby William Hauley, Snr. 1368 Sir Thomas de Fulnetby William Bussy 1369 Edmund de Cornewaill Thomas de Fulnetby 1371 Robert Hauley 1372 John Dymoke Sir William Marmion 1373 Sir John Dymoke Sir John de Multon 1376 Sir Thomas de Kydale Sir William Bussy 1377 (Jan) John de Rochford John Auncell 1377 (Oct) Sir John Dymoke Sir John Auncell 1378 Sir William Bussy Sir John Auncell 1379 Ralph Rochford John Auncell 1380 (Jan) Sir William Bussy John de Boys 1380 (Nov) William Spaigne 1381 Sir John de Toutheby Sir Robert de Leek 1382 (May) John de Toutheby William Airmyn 1382 (Oct) Robert de Leek William Spaigne 1383 (Feb) Sir John Bozoun Walter Tailboys 1383 (Oct) John de Multon John Bussy 1384 (Apr) Sir John de Multon Sir John Bozoun 1384 (Nov) Sir John Bozoun Sir Robert de Leek 1385 Sir Philip de Tilney Sir William Airmyn 1386 Sir John Bozoun Sir Walter Tailboys 1388 (Feb) Sir Philip Tilney Sir Walter Tailboys 1388 (Sep) Sir Philip Tilney Sir John Bussy 1390 (Jan) Sir Philip Tilney Sir John Bussy 1390 (Nov) John Rochford Sir John Bussy 1391 Gerard Sothill Sir John Bussy 1393 Robert Cumberworth Sir John Bussy 1394 John Rochford Sir John Bussy 1395 Robert Cumberworth Sir John Bussy 1397 (Jan) Sir John Copledyke Sir John Bussy 1397 (Sep) John Rochford Sir John Bussy 1397 Philip Spencer 1399 John Rochford Sir Thomas Hawley 1401 Sir Henry de Retford Sir John Copildyke 1402Sir Henry de Retford (Sir) Gerard Sothill 1404 (Jan) Sir Richard Hansard Sir John Copildyke 1404 (Oct) Sir Henry de Retford Sir Thomas Hawley 1406 John Skipwith Sir John Copildyke 1407 John Skipwith John Meres 1410 1411 Sir Thomas Willoughby John Pouger 1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) Sir Richard Hansard John Bell 1414 (Apr) John Skipwith Thomas Cumberworth 1414 (Nov) Sir Richard Hansard Sir Thomas Willoughby 1415 1416 (Mar) Sir Robert Hilton William Tirwhit 1416 Geoffrey Paynel 1416 (Oct) 1417 1419 1420Sir Robert Hakebeche Sir Thomas Cumberworth 1421 (May) Sir Richard Hansard Sir Godfrey Hilton 1421 (Dec) Richard Welby Sir Thomas Cumberworth 1423 Sir Richard HansardWilliam Tyrwhit 1425 Sir Thomas Cumberworth 1426 William Tyrwhit 1431 Hamond Sutton 1435 Hamond Sutton 1432 Geoffrey Paynel 1437 Sir Thomas Cumberworth 1439 Hamond Sutton 1445 William Tailboys 1447 John Byron Sir Manser Marmion 1488 Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam 1491 Sir William Tyrwhitt 1510 1512 ?Sir Robert Sheffield ? 1515 ?Sir Robert Sheffield ?John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford 1523 John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford ? 1529 John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford Gilbert Tailboys 1536 1539 Sir William Skipwith John Heneage 1542 1545Sir Robert Tyrwhitt I Sir William Willoughby 1547 Sir Edward Dymoke Sir William Skipwith 1553 (Mar) ?Sir William Cecil Sir Robert Tyrwhitt II 1553 (Oct) William Dalison Thomas Hussey 1554 (Apr) Sir Edward Dymoke Sir Robert Tyrwhitt II 1554 (Nov) Sir John Copledyke Philip Tyrwhitt 1555 Sir William Cecil George St. Poll 1558 Sir Edward Dymoke Sir Robert Tyrwhitt II 1559 (Jan) Sir William Cecil Sir Richard Thymbleby 1562–1563 Sir William Cecil Richard Bertie 1563 Sir Thomas Heneage 1571 Sir Henry Clinton Sir Thomas Heneage 1572 Sir Thomas Heneage Thomas St Poll 1584 (Nov) Sir Thomas Cecil Sir Edward Dymoke 1586 (Oct) Sir Thomas Cecil Sir Edward Dymoke 1588–1589 Sir Edward Dymoke George St. Poll 1593 Sir Edward Dymoke George St. Poll 1597 (Oct) Thomas Monson William Pelham 1601 (Oct) John Sheffield William Wray 1604 John Sheffield Thomas Clinton, Lord Clinton 1610 John Sheffield Sir Valentine Browne 1614 Sir George Manners Sir Peregrine Bertie 1621 Sir George Manners Sir Thomas Grantham 1624 Montagu Bertie Sir Thomas Grantham 1625 Sir John Wray, 2nd Baronet Sir Nicholas Saunderson Bt 1626 John Monson Sir William Airmine 1628–1629 Sir John Wray, 2nd Baronet Sir William Airmine 1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned

MPs 1640–1832