Reading was a parliamentary borough, and later a borough constituency in England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950 and 1955 to 1974. Until 1885, the constituency comprised the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire; after 1885, it was centred on the town but the exact boundaries differed.
From 1295, as a parliamentary borough, Reading elected two members of parliament (MPs). Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, this representation was reduced to a single MP.
History Reading was one of the boroughs summoned to send members to the Model Parliament. The boundaries (encompassing the whole of one parish and parts of two others) were effectively unchanged from 1295 to 1918. In 1831, the population of the borough was 15,935, and contained 3,307 houses.
The right to vote was exercised by all inhabitants paying scot and lot, a relatively wide franchise for the period, and almost 2,000 votes were cast at the general election of 1826. Despite this high electorate, the corporation of the town was generally considered in practice to control elections to a large extent. In the second half of the 18th century, Reading was notoriously one of the most corrupt constituencies in England, bribery being both routine and expensive: Namier quotes the accounts kept for Prime Minister Newcastle of the 1754 election, which note that John Dodd, the government's candidate there, had already received £1000 and was promised £500 or £600 more to help him win the seat.Page 198, Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition – London: St Martin's Press, 1957) (Dodd lost by one vote, but had the result overturned on petition by a partisan vote in the House of Commons, and Newcastle's accounts show a continuing trickle of funds to him to nurse the constituency over the next few years.) A few years later, the nomination to one of Reading's seats was advertised for sale in a London newspaper, though Reading was not mentioned by name and no price was specified; the newspaper's printers were charged by the Commons with a breach of privilege, but the sale of seats remained legal if frowned-upon until 1809.
The Great Reform Act left Reading's representation and boundaries unchanged, and the reformed franchise far from increasing its electorate seems to have reduced it: it was estimated that there were 1,250 voters in 1831, but only 1,001 were registered for the first post-Reform election, that of 1832. The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, coming into effect at the 1885 general election, reduced the representation of the parliamentary borough to a single MP. The single-member Reading constituency continued to exist until it was split in 1950 into the separate constituencies of Reading North and Reading South. These two constituencies were merged back into a single Reading constituency in 1955, but again split apart in 1974; despite its name, the 1955 constituency did not contain the whole of the County Borough of Reading, with one ward being included in both of the Newbury and Wokingham seats.
After 1885, the constituency was marginal, regularly changing hands between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party up to 1918, then between the Conservatives and Labour.
Today the area formerly covered by the Reading constituency is within the constituencies of Reading Central, Reading West and Mid Berkshire, and Earley and Woodley.
Boundaries and boundary changes
1885–1918
The existing Parliamentary borough; and The area between the boundary of the Parliamentary borough and a boundary line drawn from the point at which the Reading and Reigate Railway crossed the boundary of the Parliamentary borough at the River Kennet, eastward along the Railway until it crossed Culver Lane, then westward along the centre of Culver Lane as far as the centre of Wokingham Road, then southward along the centre of Wokingham Road as far as the centre of Crescent Road, then westward along the centre of Crescent Road as far as the centre of Eastern Avenue, then southward along the centre of Eastern Avenue as far as the centre of Upper Redlands Road, then westward along the centre of Upper Redlands Road as far as the centre of Alexandra Road, then south and west along the centre of Junction Road to the centre of Christchurch Road, then along the centre of Christchurch Road until the line reached the boundary of the existing Parliamentary borough.
Minor expansion - see map on Vision of Britain website.
1918–1950
The County Borough of Reading.
Boundaries extended to the south and west (gained from the Newbury and Wokingham Divisions), and to the north of the River Thames with the annexation of the Urban District of Caversham (part of the Henley Division of Oxfordshire) by Reading County Borough.
For the 1950 general election, Reading was abolished as a single-member Parliamentary borough and split between the two new borough constituencies of Reading North and Reading South.
1955–1974 For the 1955 general election, Reading was re-established, replacing Reading North and Reading South and comprising:
The County Borough of Reading wards of Abbey, Battle, Castle, Caversham East, Caversham West, Church, Katesgrove, Minster, Redlands, Victoria, West.
The East and Tilehurst wards were included in the Wokingham and Newbury constituencies respectively.
From the 1964 general election, a revision to the County Borough wards resulted in minor changes. The constituency now comprised:
The County Borough of Reading wards of Abbey, Battle, Castle, Caversham, Christchurch, Katesgrove, Minster, Redlands, Thames, and Whitley.
The constituency was abolished once again for the 1974 general election. The Christchurch, Redlands and Whitley wards were included in the re-established constituency of Reading South, with remaining wards being included in Reading North.
Members of Parliament
1295–1660 Constituency created 1295
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1369 William Catour 1371 William Catour 1378 David atte Hacche 1385 John Doublet 1386William Stapper Robert atte Lee 1388 (Feb) David atte Hacche Richard Bedull 1388 (Sep) John Balet Nicholas Vachell 1390 (Jan) John Kent Robert Capellade 1390 (Nov) 1391Henry Barbour John Doublet 1393William Catour David atte Hacche 1394William Saville William Tho... 1395William Shortwade John Ede 1397 (Jan) John White Richard Pernecote 1397 (Sep) Thomas Selham Robert Godewyn 1399Roger Hay John Hunt 1401 1402 1404 (Jan) John Kent William Derby 1404 (Oct) 1406John Hunt Philip Richard 1407John Merehan William Kenelme 1410John White Alexander Colshull 1411 1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) William Wilton Richard Farle 1414 (Apr) John Hastyng John Clerk 1414 (Nov) Stephen Stapper John Pernecote 1415 1416 (Mar) Walter Mustard Thomas Lavyngton 1 1416 (Oct) 1417Alexander Colshull Thomas Lavyngton 1419Robert Morys Richard Cross 1420Thomas Lavyngton John Veyr 1421 (May) Thomas Lavyngton Simon Porter alias Kent 1421 (Dec) John Hunt William Kyng 1422Simon Porter alias Kent 1425Simon Porter alias Kent 1432Simon Porter alias Kent 1433Simon Porter alias Kent 1435Simon Porter alias Kent 1437Simon Porter alias Kent 1447Simon Porter alias Kent 1449 (Feb)Simon Porter alias Kent 1449 (Nov)Simon Porter alias Kent 1510Richard Cleche William Justice 1512William Gifford Richard Smith 1515Edmund Knightley John Pownsar 1523Nicholas Hyde William Edmonds 1529Thomas Vachell I John Raymond 1536Thomas Vachell I John Raymond 1539?Thomas Vachell I ?John Raymond 1542Thomas Vachell I Richard Justice 1545Thomas Vachell I Roger Amyce 1547William Grey, died May 1551 repl. 1552 by Sir John Mason John Marshe 1553 (Mar) John Bourne John Winchcombe 1553 (Oct) Thomas Vachell I John Bell 1554 (Apr) Robert Bowyer III John Lovelace 1554 (Nov) John Bourne Edmund Plowden 1555Thomas Vachell II John Bell 1558Thomas Aldworth John Bell 1558–9 Thomas Aldworth Thomas Turner 1562–3 Henry Knollys Robert Rowbotham 1571 Henry Knollys John Hastings 1572Robert Knollys Francis Alford 1584Robert Knollys Robert Harris 1586 Robert Knollys Robert Harris 1588Robert Knollys, sat for Breconshire, repl. Feb 1589 by Thomas Egerton Robert Harris 1593Humphrey DonattCharles Wednester 1597Sir Humphrey Forster Francis Moore 1601Francis Moore Anthony Blagrave 1604 Francis Moore Jerome Bowes 1614 Francis Moore Robert Knollys 1621–1622 Anthony Barker John Saunders 1624 Francis Knollys III John Saunders 1625 Francis Knollys III John Saunders 1626 Francis Knollys III John Saunders 1628 Francis Knollys III John Saunders 1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned
1640–1885 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party April 1640 Francis Knollys III Adm. Francis KnollysIn place of Edward Herbert and Sir John Berkeley, elected for Old Sarum and Heytesbury November 1640 Francis Knollys III (died 1643) Adm. Francis Knollys (died 1648) 1645 Daniel Blagrave 1648 Tanfield Vachell 1653 Not represented in Barebones Parliament 1654 Robert Hammond 1656 Daniel Blagrave 1659 Henry Neville Daniel Blagrave 1660 Thomas Rich John Blagrave 1661 Sir Thomas Dolman Richard Aldworth 1679 Nathan Knight John Blagrave March 1685 Thomas Coates John Breedon November 1685 William Aldworth 1689 Sir Henry Fane Whig Sir William Rich 1698 Sir Owen Buckingham John Dalby January 1701 Francis Knollys November 1701 Anthony Blagrave Tanfield Vachell 1702 Sir Owen Buckingham 1705 Sir William Rich 1708 Owen Buckingham Anthony Blagrave 1710 John Dalby 1713 Robert Clarges Felix Calvert 1716 Charles Cadogan Owen Buckingham 1720 Richard Thompson Whig 1722 Anthony Blagrave Clement Kent 1727 Richard Potenger Richard Thompson Whig 1734 Henry Grey Whig 1739 John Blagrave 1740 William Strode February 1741 John Dodd WhigMay 1741 William Strode 1747 John Conyers Richard Neville Aldworth Neville 1754 William Strode Charles Fane Opposition Whig 1755 John Dodd Whig 1761 Sir Francis Knollys 1768 Henry Vansittart 1774 Francis Annesley Tory 1782 Richard Aldworth-Neville Whig 1797 John Simeon Tory 1802 Charles Shaw-Lefevre Whig 1806 John Simeon Tory 1818 Charles Fyshe Palmer Whig 1820 John Monck Whig 1826 George Spence Tory 1827 Charles Fyshe Palmer Whig 1830 Charles RussellTory 1834 Conservative 1835 Thomas Talfourd Radical 1837 Charles Fyshe Palmer Whig 1841 Charles Russell Conservative Henry Cadogan Conservative 1847 Francis Pigott Whig Thomas Talfourd Radical 1849 John Frederick Stanford Conservative 1852 Sir Henry Singer Keating Whig 1859 LiberalLiberalJanuary 1860 Sir Francis Goldsmid LiberalNovember 1860 Gillery Pigott Liberal 1863 George Shaw-Lefevre Liberal 1878 George Palmer Liberal1885 Representation reduced to one member
1885–1950 ElectionMemberParty 1885 Charles Townshend Murdoch Conservative 1892 George William Palmer Liberal 1895 Charles Townshend Murdoch Conservative 1898 by-election George William Palmer Liberal 1904 by-election Rufus Isaacs Liberal 1913 by-election Leslie Orme Wilson Conservative 1922 Edward Cadogan Conservative 1923 Somerville Hastings Labour 1924 Herbert Williams Conservative 1929 Somerville Hastings Labour 1931 Alfred Howitt Conservative 1945 Ian Mikardo Labour1950 Constituency divided into Reading North and Reading South
1955–1974 ElectionMemberParty1955 Constituency recreated 1955 Ian Mikardo Labour 1959 Peter Emery Conservative 1966 John Lee Labour 1970 Gerard Vaughan ConservativeFeb 1974 Constituency redivided into Reading North and Reading South
Elections Elections in the 1830s
Elections in the 1840s