Rye was a

parliamentary 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 town of Rye in East Sussex. It returned two

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 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

Parliament of the United Kingdom 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 suprema ...

until its representation was halved under the Reform Act 1832. From the 1832 general election, Rye returned one

Member 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 o ...

until its abolition for the 1950 general election, when the town of Rye itself was transferred to the redrawn

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

constituency where it remained until 1955 when it returned to the re-created Rye seat. The constituency was re-created for the 1955 general election, and abolished again for the 1983 general election.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Municipal Boroughs of Hastings and Rye, the Sessional Divisions of Battle, Burwash, Frant, Hastings, and Rye, the ancient town of Winchelsea, and the Liberty of the Sluice and Petit Iham. 1918–1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Bexhill and Rye, the Urban District of Battle, the Rural Districts of Battle, Hastings, Rye, and Ticehurst, and in the Rural District of Hailsham the civil parishes of Heathfield, Herstmonceux, Hooe, Ninfield, Warbleton, and Wartling. 1955–1983: The Municipal Boroughs of Bexhill and Rye, the Rural District of Battle, and part of the Rural District of Hailsham.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1366–1640

MPs 1640–1832

MPs 1832–1950

MPs 1955–1983

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

Bonham resigned, causing a by-election. * 15 votes for De Lacy Evans were rejected but, after petition, he was declared elected on 17 May 1830 and Pusey's election was declared void. * 200 inhabitants voted for Evans and Smith, but these were rejected * A riot broke out during the poll and it was then agreed that Pusey withdrew from the contest on the condition that De Lacy Evan's party would protect the peace of the town. Just three electors polled on the second day.

Elections in the 1840s

Curteis' death caused a by-election. Curteis' election was declared void on petition on 27 March 1848, due to insufficient notice being given of the election, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

Mackinnon was unseated when his election was declared void on petition due to bribery and treating, causing a by-election. £220 was left behind a sofa cushion at the Red Lion to pay for a dinner.

Elections in the 1860s

Elections in the 1870s

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected; * Conservative:

George Courthope Sir George Courthorpe (3 June 1616 – 18 November 1685) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1656 and 1679. Courthorpe was the son of George Courthorpe, of Ticehurst, Sussex. He matriculated at University Coll ...

* Independent Progressive:

John Langdon-Davies John Eric Langdon-Davies (18 March 1897 – 5 December 1971) was a British author and journalist. He was a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War and the Soviet-Finnish War. As a result of his experiences in Spain, he founded the Foste ...

Bexhill-on-Sea Observer, 22 July 1939

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1970s

Notes

References

* Robert Beatson, ''A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament'' (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807

* D Brunton & D H Pennington, ''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
* F W S Craig, ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885'' (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989) * 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) * Robert Walcott, ''English Politics in the Early Eighteenth Century'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1956) * {{Rayment-hc, r, 2, date=March 2012 History of East Sussex Parliamentary constituencies in South East England (historic) Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1366 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1950 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1955 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1983 Politics of East Sussex Rother District Rye, East Sussex Cinque ports parliament constituencies