The Parliamentary Constituency (to 1970)
Peterborough acquired the right of returning two MPs to
Parliament on becoming a City in 1541; in 1885 the number of
Members was reduced to one.
From 1541 until the 1832 Reform Act, the Peterborough
Constituency Boundary was so far as we know just the Township of
Peterborough, and excluded those of Longthorpe, Dogsthorpe, and
Newark with Eastfield. In 1832 it was extended to include those
townships, and thus encompass the whole of the parish of St John.
This area remained the Peterborough Constituency (except for the
minor addition of New Fletton civil parish in 1868) until 1918. In
that year the it was merged with the North Northants Division, but
kept the name of Peterborough Constituency (or Division); it then
extended through the Soke of Peterborough, down to and beyond
Thrapston and Corby. Despite minor variations in its southern
boundary, the Constituency remained much the same until 1970.
Outside of the City of Peterborough, the remainder of the Soke
was always part of Northamptonshire Constituency (or one of its
sub-Divisions), whilst all south of the river was in
Huntingdonshire Constituency (except for the transfer of New
Fletton in 1868), and Thorney was in Cambridgeshire
Constituency.
Printed sources:
- Northamptonshire county elections & electioneering
1695-1832 by E G Forrester. (Oxford UP., 1941).
- 'A complete fool's paradise': the attack on the Fitzwilliam
interest in Peterborough, 1852 by T Bromund, in, Parliamentary
History 12(1), 1993; pp47-67.
- Minutes of evidence taken before the Select Committee on the
Peterborough Election Petition; together with the proceedings of
the Committee. (For the House of Commons, 1853). [Library copy
covers the May Enquiry; a separate one was held in July the same
year].
- 'The liberal revival in Northamptonshire 1880-1895: a case
study [etc]' by J Howarth, in, Historical Journal 12(1),
1969; pp78-118.
- Social geography of British elections 1885-1910 by H
Pelling. (Macmillan, 1967); see especially pp96-7,
&106-124
Voting Rights & Ballots (to 1872)
The basis of voting rights in "boroughs" differed considerably,
there being at least six or seven types of franchise. In
Peterborough the right was vested in those paying "Scot and Lot"
(ie all male ratepayers), and in 1831 that was about 1% of the
population. Legislation in 1832 and 1867 extended the franchise in
"boroughs", firstly to those owning property worth the annual
rental of £10 or more, and then in 1867 to all householders and
lodgers paying £10 pa or more in rent. So by 1868 the percentage of
voters in Peterborough had risen to about 20% of the
population.
Candidates in parliamentary elections, or their local political
organisation, nearly always drew up a list of voters and tried to
determine how each would vote. By the late eighteenth century this
idea had formalised into printed 'poll books' which showed for whom
each voter had voted. After the extension of the franchise in 1832,
the subsequent creation of electoral registers provided a
ready-made list of voters, and poll books began to occur more
frequently. However, as they showed personal voting preferences,
they could be used by landlords to retaliate against those who
voted contrarily, consequently the idea of a secret ballot was
introduced by an Act of 1872. Hence there were no more poll
books.
Printed Poll Books:
- Cambridgeshire: 1857 and 1868
- Huntingdonshire: 1857
- Lincolnshire: 1818 and 1823
- Northamptonshire: 1702, 1705, 1730, 1748, and 1806 (all in one
volume), and 1832.
- Peterborough City: 1837, July and Dec 1852, 1853, 1857, 1859,
1865, and 1868.
Northamptonshire Record Office is known to hold a set of Poll
Books for the County.
Members of Parliament
There is a simple list of MPs for Peterborough on pp192-4
of:
- Peterborough: a history by HF Tebbs (Oleander Press,
1979).
See also:
- British Parliamentary election results 1832-1970
edited by F W S Craig (4 vols, Macmillan, 1971-1977).
Otherwise the following have more detailed biographies:
- The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1509-1603;
1660-1690; 1715-1820.
- (19 vols, The History of Parliament Trust, 1964-ongoing).
- Who's who of British Members of Parliament 1832-1979.
- (4 vols, Harvester Press, 1976-1981).
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