Rutland (UK Parliament constituency)

Rutland was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Rutland. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1918, when it became part of the Rutland and Stamford constituency, along with Stamford in Lincolnshire. Since 1983, Rutland has formed part of the Rutland and Melton constituency along with Melton Mowbray from Leicestershire.

Rutland
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
County	Rutland
Major settlements	Oakham and Uppingham
1290–1918
Seats	1290–1885: Two 1885–1918: One
Replaced by	Rutland & Stamford

The constituency elected two Members of Parliament (MPs), traditionally known as Knights of the Shire, until 1885, when it was reduced to one Member.

Boundaries

The constituency comprised the whole of the historic county of Rutland, in the East Midlands. Rutland, the smallest of the historic counties of England, never had any Parliamentary borough constituencies within its borders.

The place of election for the county was at Oakham. This was where the hustings were held; at which candidates were nominated (before the Ballot Act 1872), polling took place (before the introduction of multiple polling places in county constituencies) and where the result was announced.

Pelling in his Social Geography of British Elections 1885–1910 describes most of the people in this county as "engaged in or dependent upon agriculture". The constituency was a safe Conservative one and was rarely contested in the period covered by the book. G. H. Finch MP had personally owned almost one tenth of the county he represented.

Members of Parliament

1295–1640

Parliament	First member	Second member
1295 (Nov)	Robert de Flixthorpe[1]	Simon de Bokminster[1]
1297 (Sep)	William Murdak[1]	Adam de Jernemuta[1]
1298 (May)	John Folville[1]	William de Berck[1]
1301 (Jan)	William Blount[1]	John Folville[1]
1302 (Oct)	John de Seyton[1]	Robert de Flixthorpe[1]
1310	Ralf de Beaufoy
1312	William de St Liz
1313 (Mar)	William de Hellewell[1]	Alan de Frankton[1]
1318	John de Beaufoy
1328	Richard de St Liz
1330	Richard de St Liz
1335	Richard de St Liz
1336	Richard de St Liz
1337	John de Seyton
1340 (Jan)	Robert de Hellewell[1]	no Second member[1]
1363	William Beaufoy
1365	William Beaufoy
1368	Walter Scarle[2]
1369	William Beaufoy
1372	John Wittlebury[3]
1377	Thomas de Burton
1378	Walter Scarle[2]
1380 (Jan)	Walter Scarle[2]
1380 (Nov)	John Wittlebury[3]
1380	Thomas de Burton
1381	John Wittlebury[3]
1382	Thomas de Burton
1383	John Calveley
1383 (Oct)	John Wittlebury[3]
1384	Robert Harrington[4]
1385	Hugh Calveley	Walter Scarle
1386	John Wittlebury	Walter Scarle[5]
1388 (Feb)	Sir Hugh Browe	Sir Oliver Mauleverer[5]
1388 (Sep)	Sir John Daneys[5]	Walter Scarle[2]
1390 (Jan)	Hugh Calveley	Sir Oliver Mauleverer[5]
1390 (Nov)	Sir Hugh Browe	Sir John Calveley[5]
1391	Sir John Bussy	Sir Hugh Greenham[5]
1393	Sir Walter Scarle	Sir John Elme[5]
1394	Sir John Daneys	Sir John Elme[5]
1395	John Wittlebury	Sir Walter Scarle[5]
1397 (Jan)	Sir Robert Plesington	Roger Flore[5]
1397 (Sep)	Sir Oliver Mauleverer	Sir Thomas Oudeby[5]
1399	John Durant	Roger Flore[5]|- [5]
1401	John Durant	William Oudeby[5]
1402	Sir Thomas Oudeby	Roger Flore[5]
1404 (Jan)	Thomas Thorpe	John Pensax[5]
1404 (Oct)	Sir Thomas Oudeby	Roger Flore[5]
1406	John Pensax	Robert Scarle[5]
1407	Robert Browe	William Sheffield[5]
1410
1411
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	John Pensax	John Burgh[5]
1414 (Apr)	Roger Flore	Robert Browe[5]
1414 (Nov)	Roger Flore	John Newbold[5]
1415	Roger Flore	John Burgh[5]
1416 (Mar)	Roger Flore	Geoffrey Paynell[5]
1416 (Oct)	Roger Flore[5]
1417	Roger Flore	? [5]
1419	Roger Flore	Robert Browe [5]
1420	Sir Thomas Burton	Sir Henry Pleasington[5]
1421 (May)	John Pensax	William Sheffield[5]
1421 (Dec)	John Culpepper	Thomas Greenham [5]
1422	Roger Flore	Sir Henry Pleasington
1423	Robert Browe
1425	Sir Thomas Burton	Sir Henry Pleasington
1427	Sir Thomas Burton
1429	Robert Browe
1431	Robert Browe
1432	Thomas Flore
1433	William Beaufoy
1434	William Beaufoy
1439–40	Robert Browe	Hugh Boivyle[6]
1445	Thomas Flore
1447	Hugh Boyvyle	Everard Dygby[7]
1449	Everard Digby	John Browe
1450	Thomas Palmer	Everard Digby
1510–1523	No names known[8]
1529	Sir Everard Digby	John Harington[8]
1536
1539	John Harington	Edward Sapcote[8]
1542	John Harington	Simon Digby[8]
1545	Kenelm Digby	Anthony Colly[8]
1547	Kenelm Digby	Anthony Colly[8]
1553 (Mar)	Kenelm Digby	Anthony Colly[8]
1553 (Oct)	Andrew Nowell	Kenelm Digby[8]
1554 (Apr)	Anthony Colly	John Hunt[8]
1554 (Nov)	James Harington	Anthony Colly[8]
1555	James Harington	Kenelm Digby[8]
1558	Kenelm Digby	James Harington[8]
1558–1559	James Harington	Kenelm Digby[9]
1562–1563	Anthony Colly	John Flower[9]
1571	Kenelm Digby	John Harington[9]
1572 (Apr)	Sir James Harington	Kenelm Digby[9]
1584	Kenelm Digby	(Sir) Andrew Noel[9]
1586 (Oct)	Sir James Harington	(Sir) Andrew Noel[9]
1588	Sir James Harington	(Sir) Andrew Noel[9]
1593	Sir John Harington	(Sir) Andrew Noel[9]
1597	William Cecil	Sir James Harington[9]
1601 (Oct)	Sir John Harington	(Sir) Andrew Noel, declared void, Nov 1601 [10] replaced by Edward Noel[9][11]
1604–1611	Sir James Harington	Sir William Bulstrode
1614	Sir Guy Palmes	Basil Fielding
1621–1622	Sir Guy Palmes	Sir William Bulstrode
1624	Sir Guy Palmes	Sir William Bulstrode
1625	Sir Guy Palmes	Sir William Bulstrode
1626	Sir William Bulstrode	Sir Francis Bodenham
1628	Sir Guy Palmes	Sir William Bulstrode
1629–1640	No Parliaments convened

1640–1885

Year		First member	First party		Second member	Second party
November 1640		Hon. Baptist Noel	Royalist		Sir Guy Palmes	Royalist
1643	Noel succeeded to peerage, August 1643 – seat vacant			Palmes disabled from sitting, September 1643 – seat vacant
1646		James Harington			Thomas Waite
1653		Edward Horseman		Rutland had only one representative in the Barebones Parliament
1654					William Shield
1656		Abel Barker
January 1659		Edward Horseman
May 1659		Sir James Harington		Thomas Waite not recorded as participating in the restored Rump
April 1660		Philip Sherard			Samuel Browne
1661					Edward Noel
February 1679					Sir Thomas Mackworth
August 1679					Sir Abel Barker
1680					Sir Thomas Mackworth
1681					Edward Fawkener
1685		Baptist Noel	Tory		Sir Thomas Mackworth
1689		Bennet Sherard
1694					Sir Thomas Mackworth
1695					Lord Burghley
1698		Richard Halford
1701					Sir Thomas Mackworth
1708					Philip Sherard
1710		Lord Finch			John Noel[12]
1711					Richard Halford
1713					The Lord Sherard
1715					John Noel
1719					Marquess of Granby	Whig
1721					Sir Thomas Mackworth
1727					John Noel
1728					Thomas Noel
1730		William Burton
1734		James Noel
1741					John Finch
1747					Lord Burghley
1753		Thomas Noel
1754					George Bridges Brudenell
1761					Hon. Thomas Chambers Cecil
1768					George Bridges Brudenell
1788		Gerard Edwardes[13]	Tory[14]
1790					John Heathcote	Tory[14]
1795					Lord Sherard	Tory[14]
1796					Sir William Lowther, Bt	Tory[14]
1802					The Lord Carbery	Tory[14]
1805					The Lord Henniker	Tory[14]
1808		Charles Noel	Tory[14]
1812					Sir Gilbert Heathcote, Bt	Whig[14]
1814		Sir Gerard Noel, Bt	Tory[14]
1830
1834			Conservative[14]
1838		Hon. William Noel	Conservative[14]
1840		Hon. Charles Noel	Whig[14][15]
1841		Sir Gilbert Heathcote, Bt	Whig[14][16][17]		Hon. William Dawnay	Conservative[14]
1846					George Finch	Conservative
1847					Hon. Gerard Noel	Conservative
1856		Hon. Gilbert Heathcote	Whig[18]
1859			Liberal
1867		George Finch	Conservative
1883					James Lowther	Conservative
1885	Representation reduced to one member

1885–1918

Year		Member of Parliament	Party
1885		George Finch	Conservative
1907		John Gretton	Conservative
1918	Constituency abolished: see Rutland and Stamford

Elections

Population in 1831: 19,380

General Election 1832 (14 December)
Registered Electors: 1,296
G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
G Heathcote Whig

General Election 1835 (10 January)
G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
G Heathcote Whig

General Election 1837 (29 July)
G N Noel, Bart. Conservative
G Heathcote Whig

Following the death of Sir G N Noel:

By-Election 1838 (13 March)
W M Noel Conservative

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Rutland (2 seats)^[14][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Gilbert Heathcote	Unopposed
	Tory	Gerard Noel Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 800
	Whig gain from Tory
	Tory hold

General election 1831: Rutland (2 seats)^[14][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Gilbert Heathcote	Unopposed
	Tory	Gerard Noel Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 800
	Whig hold
	Tory hold

General election 1832: Rutland (2 seats)^[14][20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Gilbert Heathcote	Unopposed
	Tory	Gerard Noel Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,296
	Whig hold
	Tory hold

General election 1835: Rutland (2 seats)^[14][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Gilbert Heathcote	Unopposed
	Conservative	Gerard Noel Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,264
	Whig hold
	Conservative hold

General election 1837: Rutland (2 seats)^[14][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Gilbert Heathcote	Unopposed
	Conservative	Gerard Noel Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,325
	Whig hold
	Conservative hold

Noel's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 13 March 1838: Rutland^[14][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	William Noel	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s

Noel resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 28 January 1840: Rutland^[14][20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles Noel	Unopposed
	Whig gain from Conservative

General election 1841: Rutland (2 seats)^[14][20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Gilbert John Heathcote	767	36.4	N/A
	Conservative	William Dawnay	676	32.1	N/A
	Whig	Charles Noel	664	31.5	N/A
Turnout			1,341	86.1	N/A
Registered electors			1,557
Majority			91	4.3	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			12	0.6	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Dawnay resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 14 February 1846: Rutland^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Finch	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1847: Rutland (2 seats) ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Gilbert John Heathcote	Unopposed
	Conservative	Gerard Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,887
	Whig hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Rutland (2 seats) ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Gilbert John Heathcote	Unopposed
	Conservative	Gerard Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,876
	Whig hold
	Conservative hold

Heathcote was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Aveland and causing a by-election.

By-election, 4 March 1856: Rutland^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Gilbert Heathcote	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1857: Rutland (2 seats) ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Gilbert Heathcote	Unopposed
	Conservative	Gerard Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,822
	Whig hold
	Conservative hold

General election 1859: Rutland (2 seats) ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Gilbert Heathcote	Unopposed
	Conservative	Gerard Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,810
	Liberal hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Rutland (2 seats) ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Gilbert Heathcote	Unopposed
	Conservative	Gerard Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,774
	Liberal hold
	Conservative hold

Noel was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 14 July 1866: Rutland ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gerard Noel	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Heathcote succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Aveland and causing a by-election.

By-election, 23 November 1867: Rutland ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Finch	Unopposed
	Conservative gain from Liberal

General election 1868: Rutland (2 seats) ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Finch	Unopposed
	Conservative	Gerard Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,200
	Conservative hold
	Conservative gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Rutland (2 seats) ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Finch	Unopposed
	Conservative	Gerard Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,950
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Noel was appointed First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings.

By-election, 17 Aug 1876: Rutland (1 seat) ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gerard Noel	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Rutland (2 seats) ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Finch	Unopposed
	Conservative	Gerard Noel	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,736
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Noel's resignation caused a by-election, which was the first contest in the constituency for 42 years.^[21]

By-election, 1 Sep 1883: Rutland (1 seat) ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Lowther	860	81.6	N/A
	Liberal	John William Davenport-Handley[22]	194	18.4	New
Majority			666	63.2	N/A
Turnout			1,054	59.6	N/A
Registered electors			1,768
	Conservative hold

Buszard

General election 1885: Rutland ^[23][24][25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Finch	2,366	68.1	N/A
	Liberal	Marston Clarke Buszard	1,110	31.9	N/A
Majority			1,256	36.2	N/A
Turnout			3,476	83.4	N/A
Registered electors			4,166
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Finch

General election 1886: Rutland ^[23][24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Finch	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Rutland ^[23][24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Finch	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1895: Rutland ^[23][24][26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Finch	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Rutland ^[23][24][26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Finch	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Pearson

General election 1906: Rutland ^[23][24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Finch	2,047	56.7	N/A
	Liberal	Harold Pearson	1,564	43.3	New
Majority			483	13.4	N/A
Turnout			3,611	89.3	N/A
Registered electors			4,042
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

John Gretton

1907 Rutland by-election^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Gretton	2,213	61.9	+5.2
	Liberal	W F H Lyon	1,362	38.1	−5.2
Majority			851	23.8	+10.4
Turnout			3,575	87.6	−1.7
Registered electors			4,083
	Conservative hold		Swing	+5.2

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Rutland ^[23][26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Gretton	2,235	59.3	+2.6
	Liberal	Joseph Nathaniel Emery	1,531	40.7	−2.6
Majority			704	18.6	+5.2
Turnout			3,766	91.2	+1.9
Registered electors			4,128
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.6

General election December 1910: Rutland ^[23][27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Gretton	2,169	61.3	+2.0
	Liberal	Joseph Nathaniel Emery	1,367	38.7	−2.0
Majority			802	22.6	+4.0
Turnout			3,536	85.7	−5.5
Registered electors			4,128
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.0

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: John Gretton
• Liberal:

References

1. Members of Parliament 1213–1702. London: House of Commons. 1878.
2. "SCARLE, Walter (d.c.1401), of Uppingham, Rutland". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
3. "WITTLEBURY, John (1333–1400), of Whissendine, Rutland and Milton and Marholm, Northants". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
4. "HARRINGTON, Sir Robert (d.1399), of Glaston, Rutland and Glooston, Leics. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org.
5. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 8 September 2011.
6. History of Parliament: Register of the Ministers and of the Members of Both Houses 1439–1509. London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office. 1938. p. 17.
7. History of Parliament: Register of the Ministers and of the Members of Both Houses 1439–1509. London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office. 1938. p. 82.
8. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 8 September 2011.
9. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 8 September 2011.
10. Sir Andrew Noel was elected despite being ineligible, being Sheriff of Rutland|| the Commons annulled his election and issued a new writ
11. Edward Noel was returned despite being ineligible to sit|| he was underage, and owned no freeholds in the county. The controversial election, conducted by the candidate's father in his capacity as Sheriff, led to a suit in the Court of Star Chamber
12. On petition, Noel was declared not to have been duly elected
13. Adopted the surname Noel on succeeding to his uncle's estates in 1798
14. Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 12–14. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via Google Books.
15. "Berkshire Chronicle". 1 February 1840. p. 2. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
16. Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. p. 94. Retrieved 13 August 2018 – via Google Books.
17. "Stamford Mercury". 23 July 1841. p. 3. Retrieved 13 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
18. "Miscellaneous Intelligence". Berkshire Chronicle. 8 March 1856. p. 6. Retrieved 13 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
19. Harratt, Simon. "Rutland". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
20. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
21. "Rutlandshire Election". The Cornishman. No. 269. 6 September 1883. p. 6.
22. "The Rutland Election". South Wales Daily News. 28 August 1883. p. 3. Retrieved 10 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
23. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
24. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
25. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
26. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
27. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916

Sources

• 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) Digital Bodleian
• F W S Craig, Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972 (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• M Kinnear, The British Voter (London: Batsford, 1968)
• McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book of All Elections 1832–1918
• 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)
• Henry Pelling, Social Geography of British Elections 1885–1910 (Macmillan, 1967)
• Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 2)