![Open-air theatre, Northstead Manor Gardens (1) (geograph 5332518)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Open-air_theatre%2C_Northstead_Manor_Gardens_%281%29_%28geograph_5332518%29.jpg)
Northstead is an area on the North Bay of
Scarborough in
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four co ...
, England. The area near
Newlands
Newlands may refer to:
Places Australia
* Newlands, Queensland, a locality in the Whitsunday Region
New Zealand
* Newlands, Wellington, a suburb of Wellington
South Africa
* Newlands, Cape Town, a suburb of Cape Town
* Newlands, Johannesbu ...
and
Barrowcliff includes
Peasholm Park
Peasholm Park is an oriental themed municipal park located in the seaside town of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1912 and became a venue for galas, displays and exhibitions. The park was extended to include Peasholm Glen, ...
and
Scarborough Open Air Theatre
Scarborough Open Air Theatre (commonly abbreviated the SOAT or OAT) is an outdoor theatre in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It was built in Northstead Manor Gardens in 1932, and originally closed in 1986 but was reopened in May 2010.
...
.
In 2011, the namesake ward had a population of 4,038, since 2019 the ward no longer covers the area with most of the old ward now in the Woodlands ward.
History
The Manor of Northstead consisted of a medieval
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals ...
surrounded by fields and farms in the parish of
Scalby in the
North Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire is a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point is at Mickle Fell with 2,585 ft (788 metres).
From the Restoration it was used ...
.
The estate originally bordered the northern side of the ancient boundary of the Borough of
Scarborough, following the line of Peasholm Beck. The estate passed into the ownership of
the Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...
during the reign of
King Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Batt ...
(1483–1485). By 1600, the manor house had fallen into disrepair, being latterly occupied by
Sir Richard Cholmeley's shepherd until it finally collapsed.
The land, but not the lordship of the manor, was bought from the Crown by the Scarborough Corporation in 1921.
The site of the manor house is believed to have been covered by the lake in
Peasholm Park
Peasholm Park is an oriental themed municipal park located in the seaside town of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1912 and became a venue for galas, displays and exhibitions. The park was extended to include Peasholm Glen, ...
, a municipal park opened in 1912.
The
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals ...
for the former estate no longer exists and the land has since been redeveloped as part of modern-day
Scarborough.
Politics
The ancient title of the Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead persisted beyond the manor, however, being used since the 19th century as a
sinecure
A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval ch ...
post which plays a role in the procedure for effecting
resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament (MPs) sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are not permitted to resign their seats. To circumvent this prohibition, MPs who wish to step down are instead appointed to an " office of profit under the Crown", ...
.
By virtue of the fact that it became and was retained as a Lordship of
the Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...
beyond the sale and eventual disappearance of the estate, since the 19th century the post of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead has played a role in the procedure for effecting
resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament (MPs) sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are not permitted to resign their seats. To circumvent this prohibition, MPs who wish to step down are instead appointed to an " office of profit under the Crown", ...
by
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 ...
(MPs). While no longer having any actual role or responsibility, it remains a nominal
paid office of the Crown, a sort of
sinecure
A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval ch ...
, appointment to which is one of the things that by law disqualifies an MP from the House. This principle goes back to the
Act of Settlement 1701
The Act of Settlement is an Act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants, which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Catholic, or who married one, be ...
, and is now regulated by the
House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975
The House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that prohibits certain categories of people from becoming members of the House of Commons. It is an updated version of similar older acts, known col ...
. Since 1624, MPs have not been permitted to resign their seats directly. Although several such offices have been used for this purpose in the past, in the present day only two are used: the Northstead post and that of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three
Chiltern Hundreds
The Chiltern Hundreds is an ancient administrative area in Buckinghamshire, England, composed of three " hundreds" and lying partially within the Chiltern Hills. "Taking the Chiltern Hundreds" refers to one of the legal fictions used to effect ...
of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham.
Most references say that the Northstead post was first used in this way on 20 March 1844 to allow
Sir George Henry Rose, Member for
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
, to resign his seat. But the official book recording appointments to the various Stewardships (lodged in
The National Archives
National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives.
Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...
under catalogue reference E 197/1) indicates that
Patrick Chalmers, MP for
Montrose Burghs, was appointed Steward of the Manor of Northstead on 6 April 1842. The
writ of election
A writ of election is a writ issued ordering the holding of an election. In Commonwealth countries writs are the usual mechanism by which general elections are called and are issued by the head of state or their representative. In the United S ...
for a replacement was moved as if Chalmers had been appointed to the Chiltern Hundreds.
Appointments to the posts are made by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...
. Using two posts allows more than one MP to resign simultaneously, although more commonly, single resignations are effected by alternating appointments to the Northstead and Chiltern Hundreds offices. One of the most recent MPs to be appointed to the Northstead office was former
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
, who announced his decision to resign from his Parliamentary seat of
Witney
Witney is a market town on the River Windrush in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is west of Oxford. The place-name "Witney" is derived from the Old English for "Witta's island". The earliest known record of it is as ...
on 12 September 2016.
Appointment of Gerry Adams
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...
MP
Gerry Adams
Gerard Adams ( ga, Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish republican politician who was the president of Sinn Féin between 13 November 1983 and 10 February 2018, and served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Louth from 2011 to 2020 ...
was appointed to the post after announcing his intention to resign from the UK Parliament to stand in the
2011 Irish general election
The 2011 Irish general election took place on Friday 25 February to elect 166 Teachtaí Dála across 43 constituencies to Dáil Éireann, the lower house of Ireland's parliament, the Oireachtas. The Dáil was dissolved and the general electi ...
.
Adams denied that he had accepted the appointment, which would conflict with Sinn Féin's
longstanding policy of refusing to pledge allegiance to the British Crown. It was later clarified in Parliament that Adams had not "accepted" the post, but had been appointed to it on announcing his desire to resign as an MP.
See also
*
The Manor of Northstead, a play
References
{{Coord, 54.2905, N, 0.4100, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Geography of North Yorkshire
Buildings and structures in Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Northstead
Legal fictions
Westminster system
Parliament of the United Kingdom