Gloucester is a

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

centred on the

cathedral city Cathedral city is a city status in the United Kingdom. Cathedral city may also refer to: * Cathedral City, California, a city in Southern California, United States * Cathedral City Cheddar, a brand of Cheddar cheese * Cathedral City High Scho ...

and

county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...

of the same name, represented in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

of the

UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

by Richard Graham of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

History

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...

was established by

1295 Year 1295 ( MCCXCV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * April 25 – King Sancho IV (the Brave) dies of a fatal illness (possibly tubercu ...

that returned two burgesses as

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

to the House of Commons. Its population meant this was a situation not leading to an outright

rotten borough A rotten or pocket borough, also known as a nomination borough or proprietorial borough, was a parliamentary borough or constituency in England, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom before the Reform Act 1832, which had a very small electorate ...

identified for abolition under the

Reform Act 1832 The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major changes to the electo ...

however on more fair (far more equal representation) national changes in 1885, representation was reduced to one member under the

Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict., c. 23) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equal ...

Profile

Since 1979 Gloucester has been a

bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...

constituency by passing between representatives of the two largest parties in the same way as the government. After nearly three decades as a Conservative seat, it was held by Labour from 1997 to 2010 before returning to a Conservative on a swing of 8.9%.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The County Borough of Gloucester. 1950–1955: The County Borough of Gloucester, and in the Rural District of Gloucester the parishes of Barnwood, Brockworth, Hempsted, Hucclecote, and Wotton Vill. 1955–1974: The County Borough of Gloucester, and in the Rural District of Gloucester the parishes of Barnwood, Brockworth, Hempsted, and Hucclecote. Wotton Vill parish had been absorbed by Gloucester CB in 1951. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged. 1974–1983: The County Borough of Gloucester. 1983–1997: The City of Gloucester, and the District of Stroud wards of Quedgeley and Hardwicke, and Upton St Leonards. 1997–2010: The City of Gloucester. 2010–present: The City of Gloucester wards of Abbey, Barnwood, Barton and Tredworth, Elmbridge, Grange, Hucclecote, Kingsholm and Wotton, Matson and Robinswood, Moreland, Podsmead, Quedgeley Fieldcourt, Quedgeley Severn Vale, Tuffley, and Westgate.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1295–1640

MPs 1640–1885

In 1881, Robinson's willingness to stand down faced with a popular petition and the unwillingness of the Conservatives to make allegations nor investigate matters further led to suspicions of

collusion Collusion is a deceitful agreement or secret cooperation between two or more parties to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading or defrauding others of their legal right. Collusion is not always considered illegal. It can be used to att ...

between the parties and a Royal Commission was set up to examine electoral practices. The Royal Commission concluded that Gloucester was among the most corrupt of the seven towns investigated and that

bribery Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Cor ...

was endemic in all elections in the city. The Commission concluded that half of the electorate had taken bribes in 1880 and blamed local politicians for most of the corruption. Despite these findings and virtually halving the electorate eligible to vote Robinson was reelected for Gloucester in 1885 when representation had been reduced to one member under the

MPs since 1885

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

Note: The Brexit Party were due to field Richard Ford as a candidate, but the nomination was withdrawn.

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Election in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1880s

* A petition was raised against the election of Robinson and Monk, leading to Robinson's election being made void. Although the petition against Monk was dismissed, the writ was suspended and Monk became the only MP for the constituency.

Elections in the 1870s

* Caused by Price's resignation after being appointed a railway commissioner.

Elections in the 1860s

* Caused by Powell's appointment as Recorder of Wolverhampton. * Caused by the previous election being declared void on petition "by reason of extensive corruption".

Elections in the 1850s

* Caused by Price seeking re-election after resigning to accept a contract for supplying huts to the army in the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

. * Caused by Berkeley's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty.

Elections in the 1840s

*Appointment of Berkeley as a Naval

Lord of the Admiralty This is a list of Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty (incomplete before the Restoration, 1660). The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of The Board of Admiralty, which exercised the office of Lord High Admiral when it was ...

Elections in the 1830s

*Hope seeks re-election after election petition against him had been dismissed. *Appointment of Berkeley as a Naval Lord of the Admiralty

Notes

References

Sources

Williams, W. R., Parliamentary History of Co. of Gloucester, Hereford, 1898
* Robert Beatson, ''A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament'' (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807
A Chronological Register of Both Houses of the British Parliament, from the Union in 1708, to the Third Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in 1807
* D. Brunton &

D. H. Pennington Donald Henshaw Pennington (15 June 1919 – 28 December 2007) was a historian of 17th-century England. He taught at Manchester and Oxford universities, becoming a tutor at Balliol College, Oxford in 1965. Donald was born in Marple, Greater Manc ...

, ''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
titles A-Z
* ''The Constitutional Year Book for 1913'' (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913) * F. W. S. Craig, ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885'' (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989) * F. W. S. Craig, ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949'' (Glasgow: Political Reference Publications, 1969) * F. W. S. Craig, ''British parliamentary election results 1885–1918'' (2 ed.). (Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989) * Maija Jansson (ed.), ''Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons)'' (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988
Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons)
* Lewis Namier & John Brooke, ''The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754–1790'' (London: HMSO, 1964) * J. E. Neale, ''The Elizabethan House of Commons'' (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949) * J. Holladay Philbin, ''Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965) * Henry Stooks Smith, ''The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847'' (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig – Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)

External links

Gloucester CLP website
{{Authority control Parliamentary constituencies in South West England Politics of Gloucester Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1295