Chippenham (UK Parliament constituency)

Chippenham is the largest town in rural North Wiltshire and in the new constituency

Chippenham will be a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like all such constituencies, it will elect one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

The original borough constituency was enfranchised in 1295. It sent two burgesses to Parliament until 1868 and one thereafter until the borough constituency was abolished in 1885. There was a county division constituency named after the town of Chippenham from 1885 to 1983, when the name of that constituency was changed to North Wiltshire.

Following the 2003–2005 review into parliamentary representation in Wiltshire, the Boundary Commission created a new constituency, reviving the name of Chippenham as a seat. It is formed from parts of the existing

Devizes (UK Parliament constituency),
North Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency), and
Westbury (UK Parliament constituency) constituencies.

Meanwhile, the name of the latter seat changes to South West Wiltshire. After a review process, the new seat was approved in 2005.

Boundaries

1295 to 1983

1295-1832: The parliamentary borough of Chippenham in the unreformed Parliament consisted of only part of the parish of Chippenham in Wiltshire. (However, as Chippenham was a burgage borough, in which the right to vote was confined to the resident occupiers of specific properties, the boundary had no practical function.) The borough had a population of 1,620 in 1831, and 283 houses.

1832-1885: The Boundary Act which accompanied the Great Reform Act extended the boundaries of the parliamentary borough, to include the whole of Chippenham parish, the adjoining parishes of Hardenhuish and Langley Burrell, and the extra-parochial district of Pewisham. This more than trebled the borough's population, to 5,270 by the 1831 figures, and 883 houses.

1885-1918: During this period, Wiltshire was split into five county divisions and one borough, of which The North-Western (or Chippenham) Division of Wiltshire was one; it was often colloquially referred to simply as either Chippenham or as North-West Wiltshire. It was bordered by the Cricklade division to the east, Westbury to the south and Devizes to the south-east. (Over the county boundary were the Thornbury division of Gloucestershire to the west, the Cirencester division of Gloucestershire to the north and the Frome division of Somerset to the south-west.)

The Chippenham division included the towns of Calne and Malmesbury as well as Chippenham, both of which had also been parliamentary boroughs in their own right before 1885. By the outbreak of World War I, the population of the constituency was about 45,000.

1918-1950: In 1918 Wiltshire was split into five divisions, but there was no borough constituency in the county. The Wiltshire, Chippenham division was expanded, taking in the towns of Cricklade and Wootton Bassett, also former parliamentary boroughs, and the surrounding rural areas: in full, it was composed of the then Municipal Boroughs of Calne, Chippenham, and Malmesbury and the Rural Districts of Calne, Chippenham, Malmesbury, part of Cricklade and Wootton Bassett, and Tetbury Rural District (excluding the part in the administrative county of Gloucestershire).

1950-1983: In the redistribution, which took effect at the United Kingdom general election, 1950, Wiltshire was divided into one borough and four county constituencies. Chippenham County Constituency consisted of the same Municipal Boroughs as in 1918 and the Rural Districts of Calne and Chippenham, Cricklade and Wootton Bassett and Malmesbury.

Modern Constituency

The northern portion of the present Westbury constituency combines with ...
... a southern portion of the present North Wiltshire constituency, and ...
... a small western portion of the present Devizes constituency.
A map of Wiltshire shows the expected boundaries of the Chippenham seat, numbered 1

A map of Wiltshire shows the expected boundaries of the Chippenham seat, numbered 1

The electoral wards which form the new Chippenham seat are taken from the districts of North Wiltshire and West Wiltshire.

From North Wiltshire: Cepen Park, Chippenham Allington, Chippenham Audley, Chippenham Avon, Chippenham Hill Rise, Chippenham London Road, Chippenham Monkton Park, Chippenham Park, Chippenham Pewsham, Chippenham Redland, Chippenham Westcroft/Queens, Corsham, Lacock with Neston and Gastard, and Pickwick
From West Wiltshire: the wards of Atworth and Whitley, Bradford-on-Avon North, Bradford-on-Avon South, Holt, Manor Vale, Melksham North, Melksham Spa, Melksham Without, Melksham Woodrow, and Paxcroft

Members of Parliament

1295-1640

1640-1868

Year		First member	First party		Second member	Second party
April 1640	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Sir Edward Hungerford ^[1]	Parliamentarian	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	?
November 1640	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Sir Edward Hungerford ^[1]	Parliamentarian	Sir Edward Bayntun	Parliamentarian
1648	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	William Eyre		Sir Edward Bayntun	Parliamentarian
1653	Chippenham was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
January 1659	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Sir Edward Hungerford		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	James Stedman
May 1659	Chippenham was unrepresented in the restored Rump
April 1660	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Edward Hungerford		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Edward Poole
April 1661	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Edward Hungerford		Henry Bayntun
July 1661	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Sir Hugh Speke
August 1661	rowspan="5" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Sir Edward Hungerford
1673	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Francis Gwyn
February 1679	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Sir John Talbot
August 1679	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Samuel Ashe
1681	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Sir George Speke
March 1685	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Henry Bayntun		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Sharington Talbot
August 1685	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Richard Kent
1689	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Nicholas Bayntun
February 1690	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Richard Kent		rowspan="5" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Alexander Popham
December 1690	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Sir Basil Firebrace
1692	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Thomas Tollemache
1694	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Richard Long
1695	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Walter White
1698	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Edward Montagu
1701	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Viscount Mordaunt
1702	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	James Montagu		Viscount Mordaunt
May 1705	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Walter White		rowspan="5" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Sir James Long
November 1705	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Viscount Mordaunt
1708	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	James Montagu
1710	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Joseph Ashe ^[2]
1711	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Francis Popham
1713	rowspan="4" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	(Sir) John Eyles ^[3]		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	John Norris
1715	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Giles Earle
1722	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Edward Rolt
1723	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Thomas Boucher
1727	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Rogers Holland		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Gabriel Roberts
1734	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Rogers Holland		Richard Long
1737	rowspan="6" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	(Sir) Edward Bayntun-Rolt ^[4]		Richard Long
1741	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Sir Edmond Thomas
1754	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			(Sir) Samuel Fludyer ^[5]
1768	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Sir Thomas Fludyer
1769	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Henry Dawkins
1774	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Samuel Marsh
1780	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Henry Dawkins		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Giles Hudson
1783	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Henry Dawkins		George Fludyer
1784	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	James Dawkins		George Fludyer
1802	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			Charles Brooke ^[6]
1803	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|			John Maitland
1806	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Charles Brooke
1807	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	James Dawkins
1812	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Charles Brooke		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Robert Peel
1817	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Charles Brooke		John Maitland
1818	style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" \|	William Miles	Tory	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Marquess of Blandford
1820	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	William Alexander Madocks		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	John Rock Grossett
1826	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Ebenezer Fuller Maitland		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Frederick Gye
1830	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" \|	Joseph Neeld	Tory	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" \|	Philip Pusey
1831	style="background-color: Template:Tory/meta/color" \|		Tory	Henry George Boldero	Tory
1832	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|		Conservative	style="background-color: Template:British Whig Party/meta/color" \|	William Henry Fox Talbot	Whig
1835	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|		Conservative	Henry George Boldero	Conservative
1856	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	Robert Parry Nisbet	Conservative	Henry George Boldero	Conservative
1859	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	Richard Penruddocke Long	Conservative	style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	William John Lysley	Liberal
1865	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	Sir John Neeld	Conservative	style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	Gabriel Goldney	Conservative
1868	Representation reduced to one member

1868-1983

Election		Member	Party
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1868	Gabriel Goldney, created Baron Goldney of Bradenstoke Abbey on 11 May, 1880	Conservative
1885		borough constituency abolished - county division created
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1885	Banister Fletcher	Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1886	Lord Henry Bruce, later The 5th Marquess of Ailesbury	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1892	Sir John Poynder Dickson-Poynder, Bt, later The 1st Baron Islington	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1904		Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1910	George Terrell	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1918	George Terrell	Coalition Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1922	Alfred James Bonwick	Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1924	Victor Cazalet	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1943 by-election	Sir David Eccles	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1962 by-election	Daniel Awdry	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" \|	1979	Richard Needham ^[7]	Conservative
1983		constituency abolished: see North Wiltshire

Notes

Election results

Elections in the 1940s

Chippenham by-election, 24th August 1943
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Eccles	8,310	50.6	−2.7
	Independent Liberal	Donald Johnson	8,115	49.4	N/A
Majority			195	1.2	−17.6
Turnout			16,425	41.4	−36.1
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

Chippenham by-election, 1962
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Daniel Awdry	13,439	36.8	−15.3
	Liberal	C. Laton	11,851	32.5	+15.6
	Labour	R. W. Portus	10,633	29.1	−1.9
	Independent	K. Jerrome	260	0.71
	Independent	J. Naylor	237	0.65
	Independent	M. Smith	88	0.24
Majority			1,588	4.3	−16.8
Turnout			36,508
	Conservative hold		Swing	−15.5

Future elections

Confirmed candidates for the next UK general election ^[8] ^[9]^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones
	Liberal Democrats	Duncan Hames
	UKIP	Julia Reid
	BNP	Michael Simpkins
	Labour	Nick Thomas-Symonds

References

^ Died October 1648
^ On petition, Ashe was found not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Popham, was declared elected in his place
^ Succeeded to baronetcy, May 1716
^ Created a baronet, July 1762
^ Knighted, September 1755; created a baronet, November 1759
^ Brooke was initially declared elected in 1802, but on petition he was found not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Maitland, was declared elected in his place
^ Needham is an Irish peer as The 6th Earl of Kilmorey, but does not use the title.
^ Chippenham, UKPollingReport
^ BNP fields candidate This Is Bath
^ UKIP Regional Members Notice, undated. Retrieved on March 23, 2008.

Bibliography

Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press, revised edition 1977)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1983)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919-1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV 1945-1979, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1981)
Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [1]
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) [2]
J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)
Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages ^{[self-published source]} ^{[better source needed]}

External links

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, Conservative PPC pre-campaign website
Duncan Hames, Liberal Democrat PPC pre-campaign website
Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour PPC pre-campaign website

[1] Died October 1648

[2] On petition, Ashe was found not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Popham, was declared elected in his place

[3] Succeeded to baronetcy, May 1716

[4] Created a baronet, July 1762

[5] Knighted, September 1755; created a baronet, November 1759

[6] Brooke was initially declared elected in 1802, but on petition he was found not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Maitland, was declared elected in his place

[7] Needham is an Irish peer as The 6th Earl of Kilmorey, but does not use the title.

[8] Chippenham, UKPollingReport

[9] BNP fields candidate This Is Bath

[10] UKIP Regional Members Notice, undated. Retrieved on March 23, 2008.

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[10]

v t e Constituencies in South West England (58)
Labour (24)	Bournemouth East Bournemouth West Bristol East Bristol North East Bristol North West Bristol South Camborne and Redruth Exeter Filton and Bradley Stoke Forest of Dean Gloucester North East Somerset and Hanham North Somerset Plymouth Moor View Plymouth Sutton and Devonport Poole South Dorset South East Cornwall St Austell and Newquay Stroud Swindon North Swindon South Truro and Falmouth Weston-super-Mare
Liberal Democrats (22)	Bath Cheltenham Chippenham Frome and East Somerset Glastonbury and Somerton Honiton and Sidmouth Melksham and Devizes Mid Dorset and North Poole Newton Abbot North Cornwall North Devon South Cotswolds South Devon St Ives Taunton and Wellington Tewkesbury Thornbury and Yate Tiverton and Minehead Torbay Wells and Mendip Hills West Dorset Yeovil
Conservative (11)	Bridgwater Central Devon Christchurch East Wiltshire Exmouth and Exeter East North Cotswolds North Dorset Salisbury South West Devon South West Wiltshire Torridge and Tavistock
Green (1)	Bristol Central