South Northamptonshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Sarah Bool of the Conservative Party. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
The seat was first formed in 1832 and, until the current version was formed in 2010, it was interchangeable with the constituency of Daventry.
Constituency profile
South Northamptonshire is a constituency in Northamptonshire in the East Midlands of England. Its largest town is Brackley, which has a population of around 17,000. Other settlements include the town of Towcester and the villages of Middleton Cheney, Silverstone, Deanshanger, Roade, Bugbrooke and Wollaston.
This constituency covers a large, rural area to the south of Northampton with many small villages. Brackley and Towcester are historic market towns; Brackley was traditionally a centre for rural trade, especially in wool and lace, whilst Towcester was an important stopping point on Watling Street and was originally a Roman garrison town called Lactodurum. South Northamptonshire has a significant motorsport industry; The Mercedes and Aston Martin Formula One teams are based here and Silverstone Circuit is partially located within its boundaries. This constituency is affluent, especially in Brackley and Towcester which have very low levels of deprivation. House prices here are generally higher than the UK average and considerably higher than the rest of the East Midlands.
South Northamptonshire has a low proportion of young adults and an above-average population of retirees. Residents have high levels of income and homeownership and the child poverty rate is less than half the overall UK figure. They have average levels of education and a high proportion work in the technology, arts and construction sectors. The percentage of residents claiming unemployment benefits is half the UK-wide rate. White people made up 95% of the population at the 2021 census.
At the local council level, most of the constituency is represented by Conservatives with some Reform UK councillors also elected. An estimated 55% of voters in South Northamptonshire supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, marginally higher than the UK-wide rate of 52%.
History The constituency was first created in 1832 as the Southern Division of Northamptonshire under the Great Reform Act when the Parliamentary County of Northampton was split into the Northern and Southern Divisions. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) by the bloc vote system of election. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Northamptonshire was reorganised into four divisions (Eastern, Mid, Northern and Southern) each electing one MP by the first past the post system.
The seat was abolished under the Representation of the People Act 1918, forming the bulk of the new constituency of Daventry. Under the Representation of the People Act 1948, which came into effect for the 1950 general election, the seat was recreated (formally known as South Northants), replacing Daventry. This was reversed once again from the February 1974 election.
Finally, the current version of the seat was created for the 2010 election under the fifth periodic review of Westminster constituencies, taking approximately half the Daventry seat and parts of Northampton South. This time, however, Daventry was retained with revised boundaries, as the parliamentary representation in Northamptonshire was increased by one seat following substantial population growth.
Prominent members Three names feature prominently among the area's Commons members, the 3rd and 5th Earl Spencer (during their tenures as MP having a courtesy title only, Viscount Althorp – Althorp is a major country house in the seat, well known as the childhood home of Diana, Princess of Wales); Edward Fitzroy (son of Lord Southampton), Speaker of the House of Commons from 1928 until his death in 1943; and lastly, Reginald Manningham-Buller, 1st Viscount Dilhorne who on accomplishment of a peerage sat for the final two years of his life as the historic equivalent of the President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom with additional functions, the Lord Chancellor.
In the 19th century history of the seat the Cartwright family (with three members) lived in the stately home Aynhoe Park near Banbury.
Boundaries Historic 1832–1885: The Hundreds of Kings Sutton, Chipping Warden, Greens Norton, Cleley, Towcester, Fawsley, Wymersley, Spelhoe, Nobottle Grove, and Guilsborough.
1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Brackley and Towcester, and part of the Sessional Division of Daventry. (The part of the Sessional Division of Daventry included in South Northamptonshire excluded the parishes of Ashby St. Ledgers, Barby, Claycoton Crick, Elkington, Kilsby, Lilboume, Long Buckley, Stanford, Watford, West Haddon, Winwick, and Yelvertoft, which were assigned to Mid Northamptonshire).
1950–1974: The Boroughs of Daventry and Brackley, and the Rural Districts of Brackley, Daventry, Northampton, and Towcester.
2010–2021: The District of South Northamptonshire wards of Astwell, Blakesley, Blisworth, Brackley East, Brackley South, Brackley West, Chase, Cogenhoe, Collingtree, Cosgrove, Courteenhall, Deanshanger, Grafton, Kings Sutton, Kingthorn, Little Brook, Middleton Cheney, Salcey, Silverstone, Steane, Tove, Towcester Brook, Towcester Mill, Wardoun, Washington, Whittlewood, and Yardley, and the Borough of Northampton wards of East Hunsbury, Nene Valley, and West Hunsbury.
2021–2024: With effect from 1 April 2021, the Borough of Northampton and the District of South Northamptonshire were abolished and absorbed into the new unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. From that date, the constituency comprised the District of West Northamptonshire wards of Brackley, Bugbrooke (part), Deanshanger, Duston West and St. Crispin (part), East Hunsbury and Shelfleys, Hackleton and Grange Park, Middleton Cheney, Nene Valley, Silverstone, Sixfields (part), and Towcester and Roade.
Current Further to the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency was defined as follows (as they existed on 1 April 2021):
The District of North Northamptonshire ward of Irchester (part) The District of West Northamptonshire wards of Brackley; Bugbrooke; Deanshanger; Hackleton and Grange Park; Middleton Cheney; Silverstone (most); Towcester and Roade.
The parts in the former Borough of Northampton were transferred to Northampton South. The constituency gained the part of the Irchester ward from Wellingborough and the remainder of the Bugbrooke ward from Daventry. A small part of Silverstone ward was transferred to Daventry.
Further to local government boundary reviews which came into effect in May 2025, the constituency now comprises the following:
The District of North Northamptonshire ward of Irchester (part) The District of West Northamptonshire wards of: Brackley; Campion (most); Cogenhoe and The Houghtons (most); Deanshanger and Paulerspury; Hackleton and Roade; Middleton Cheney; Nene Valley (part); Rural South Northamptonshire (most); Towcester.
Present bordering constituencies The constituency is bordered by Daventry and Northampton South to the north, Wellingborough and Rushden to the north east, Milton Keynes North to the south east, Buckingham and Bletchley to the south, Bicester and Woodstock to the south west, and Banbury to the west.
Members of Parliament MPs 1832–1885
Northamptonshire prior to 1832
ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party 1832 Viscount Althorp WhigWilliam Ralph CartwrightTory 1834 Conservative 1835 Sir Charles Knightley, Bt ConservativeMillbank Systems – reference to government on the opposition benches, July 1836Note that at this time party affiliations were only beginning to become more rigid. 1846 by-election Cpt. Richard Howard-Vyse Conservative 1852 Rainald Knightley Conservative 1857 Viscount Althorp Whig 1858 by-election Col. Henry Cartwright Conservative 1868 Fairfax Cartwright Conservative 1881 by-election Pickering Phipps Conservative1885 Redistribution of Seats Act: reduced to one member
MPs 1885–1918 YearMemberParty 1885 Sir Rainald Knightley Conservative 1892David GuthrieLiberal 1895 Hon. Edward Douglas-Pennant Conservative 1900 Hon. Edward FitzRoy Conservative 1906 Archibald Grove Liberal 1910 Hon. Edward FitzRoy Conservative 1917 National Party1918 Unionist 1918 Constituency abolished, but revived in 1950
MPs 1950–1974
Daventry and Kettering prior to 1950
ElectionMemberPartyNotes 1950 Reginald Manningham-Buller Conservative Resigned 1962 on being raised to the peerage 1962 by-election Arthur Jones Conservative February 1974 Constituency abolished, but revived in 2010
MPs since 2010
Daventry prior to 2010
ElectionMemberParty 2010 Andrea Leadsom Conservative 2024 Sarah Bool Conservative
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
Election results 1868–1918 Elections in the 1860s
Elections in the 1870s
Elections in the 1880s
Cartwright's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1890s
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; Unionist: Edward FitzRoy Liberal: Arthur Augustus ThomasNorthampton Mercury 10 Apr 1914
Election results 1832–1868 Elections in the 1830s
Elections in the 1840s
Cartwright resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s
Spencer succeeded to the peerage, becoming 5th Earl Spencer and causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
See also parliamentary constituencies in Northamptonshire
Notes
References
External links South Northamptonshire UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK South Northamptonshire UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK