Biggleswade was a county constituency in Bedfordshire which was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until its abolition in 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post voting system.

Boundaries The constituency was created as the Northern or Biggleswade Division of Bedfordshire under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, when the two-member Parliamentary County of Bedfordshire was divided into the two single-member constituencies of Biggleswade and Luton. It comprised the sessional divisions of Bedford, Biggleswade and Sharnbrook, part of the sessional division of Ampthill and the municipal borough of Bedford.Debretts Guide to the House of Commons 1886 Only non-resident freeholders of the municipal borough (which comprised the Parliamentary Borough of Bedford) were entitled to vote.

The constituency was abolished in 1918. The northern part of the Division surrounding the Borough of Bedford, including Kempston, was included in the Bedford Division. The southern part, including Ampthill and Biggleswade, was included in the new Mid Bedfordshire Division.

Members of Parliament ElectionMemberPartyNotes 1885 Charles Magniac Liberal Member for Bedford (1880–1885) 1886 Viscount Baring Liberal Unionist Member for Winchester (1880–1885) 1892 George Russell Liberal Member for Aylesbury (1880–1885) 1895 Lord Alwyne Compton Liberal Unionist 1906 Arthur Black Liberal Contested Mid Bedfordshire following redistribution1918Constituency abolished: see Bedford

Elections Elections in the 1880s

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; Liberal: Arthur Black Unionist: Geoffrey Carr GlynBiggleswade Chronicle 15 May 1914

See also List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies Parliamentary franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918

References