Taunton (UK Parliament constituency)

Taunton
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of Taunton in Somerset for the 1997-2010 general election.

Outline map

Location of Somerset within England.
County Somerset
Major settlements Taunton
19182010
Number of members One
Replaced by Taunton Deane
1295–1918
Number of members Two (1295-1885), One (1885-1918)
Type of constituency Borough constituency

Taunton was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and its predecessors from 1295 to 2010, taking its name from the town of Taunton in Somerset. Until 1918, it was a parliamentary borough, electing two Member of Parliaments (MPs) between 1295 and 1885 and one from 1885 to 1918; the name was then transferred to a county constituency, electing one MP.

In the boundary changes that came into effect at the general election of 2010, the Boundary Commission for England replaced Taunton with a modified constituency called Taunton Deane, to reflect the district name.

History

Famous MPs for the borough include Thomas Cromwell.

The 1754 by-election was so fiercely contested that rioting broke out in which two people died.

In the 2005 general election, the victorious Liberal Democrats candidate in Taunton required the smallest percentage swing from the Conservative MP for them to take the seat.

Boundaries

1918-1950: The Municipal Borough of Taunton, the Urban Districts of Wellington and Wiveliscombe, and the Rural Districts of Dulverton, Taunton, and Wellington.

1950-1983: The Municipal Borough of Taunton, the Urban District of Wellington, and the Rural Districts of Dulverton, Taunton, and Wellington.

1983-2010: The Borough of Taunton Deane, and the District of West Somerset wards of Dulverton and Brushford, Exmoor, Haddon, and Quarme.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1295–1640

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Parliament First member Second member
1362 William Portman ?
1363, 1365, 1366,
1368, 1369, 1371
Unknown
1372 William Portman ?
1373, 1376, 1377 (Jan),
1377 (Oct), 1378
Unknown
1379 William Portman ?
1380 (Jan) ?
1380 (Nov), 1381, 1382 (May),
1382 (Oct), 1383 (Feb), 1383 (Oct),
1384 (Apr)
Unknown
1384 (Nov) William Portman ?
1385 ?
1386 William Marchaunt
1388 (Feb)
1388 (Sep) William Damarle
1390 (Jan) John Porter
1390 (Nov) Unknown
1391 William Portman William Marchaunt
1393 John Porter
1394
1395 Walter Puryham
1397 (Jan) Robert Coullyng Robert Eysel
1397 (Sept) Richard Marchaunt John Northmore
1399 Walter Puryham Edmund Rokes
1401 Unknown
1402 William Portman Ralph Sargor
1404 (Jan), 1404 (Oct) Unknown
1406 William Portman Robert Bathe
1407 Richard Marchaunt John Northmore
1410 Thomas Bacot Thomas Edward
1411, 1413 (Feb) Unknown
1413 (May) John Rydon Lewis John
1414 (Apr) John Marchaunt Edmund Dyer
1414 (Nov)
1415, 1416 (Mar), 1416 (Oct) Unknown
1417 John Rydon Walter Portman
1419 Walter Portman Robert Croke
1420 Robert Croke William Borde
1421 (May) Walter Portman
1421 (Dec) John Bowe
1422 ?
1423 Unknown
1425 Walter Portman ?
1426 ?
1427 ?
1429 Unknown
1431 Walter Portman ?
1432, 1433 Unknown
1435 Walter Portman ?
1437, 1439, 1442,
1445, 1447, 1449 (Feb),
1449 (Nov), 1450, 1453
Unknown
1455 Ralph Legh ?
1459, 1460, 1461, 1463 Unknown
1467 Sir William Danvers Robert Ashetill
1470 Sir William Danvers Edward Aysheton
1472 Sir William Danvers ?
1478 Edward Aysheton Robert Lovelord
1483–1523 Unknown
1529 Thomas Cromwell William Portman
1536 ?Richard Pollard ?William Portman
1547 Sir Nicholas Hare John Caryll
1553 (Mar) John Mason ?
1553 (Oct) James Basset Jacques Wingfield
1554 (Apr) William Barne Oliver Vachell
1554 (Nov) Thomas Eden John Norres
1555 Dr Valentine Dale ?
1558 Richard Myrfield
1559 ?
1563–7 Miles Sandys Anthony Leigh
1571 Robert Hill Richard Blount
1572–81 Roger Hill Richard Blount[1]
Edmund Hodges
1584–5 Maurice Horner William Goldwell
1586–7 Francis Bacon John Goldwell
1588–9 Thomas Fisher
1593 William Aubrey, DCL John Davidge
1597–8 Edward Barker Edward Hext
1601 John Bond Daniel Donne, DCL
1604–11 Edward Hext
Addled Parliament (1614) James Clarke John Dunn
1621–2 Lewis Pope Thomas Brereton
Happy Parliament (1624–5) Roger Prowse
Useless Parliament (1625) Hugh Portman Thomas Brereton
1625–6 Sir Robert Gorges George Browne
1628 Hugh Portman
1629–40 No Parliament summoned

MPs 1640–1885

YearFirst member[2] First partySecond member[3] Second party
April 1640 Sir William Portman Royalist Roger HillParliamentarian
November 1640 George SearleParliamentarian
February 1644 Portman disabled from sitting — seat vacant
1645 John Palmer, MD [4]
1653 Taunton was unrepresented in the Barebone's Parliament
1654 Colonel Thomas Gorges John Gorges
1656 Admiral Robert Blake
January 1659 Sir William Wyndham
May 1659 John Palmer, MD One seat vacant
March 1660 Thomas Gorges Sir William Wyndham
1661 Sir William Portman
February 1679 John Trenchard Whig
September 1679 Sir John Cutler Bt
1680 Edmund Prideaux
1685 Sir William Portman Tory John Sanford Tory
March 1690 Edward Clarke Whig
April 1690 John Speke Whig
1698 Henry Seymour Portman Tory
1701 by-election Sir Francis Warre Tory
1710 Henry Seymour Portman Tory
1715 [5] William Pynsent Whig James Smith Whig
1722 John Trenchard Whig
1724 by-election Abraham Elton Whig
1727 George Speke Whig Francis Fane Whig
1734 Henry William Berkeley Portman Tory
1741 Sir John Chapman Whig John Buck Tory
1745 Percy Wyndham-O'Brien Whig
1747 Sir Charles Wyndham [6] Whig Robert Webb Whig
1750 Admiral William Rowley Whig
1754 The Lord Carpenter [7] Whig John Halliday Whig
1754 by-election Robert Maxwell [8] Whig
1762 Laurence Sulivan Whig
1768 Alexander Popham Nathaniel Webb
1774 [9] Hon. Edward Stratford Whig
1775 John Halliday Alexander Popham
1780 Major-General John Roberts
1782 by-election (Sir) Benjamin Hammet
1784 Alexander Popham
1796 William Morland
1800 John Hammet
1806 Alexander Baring
1812 Henry Powell Collins
1818 Sir William Burroughs, Bt
1819 Henry Powell Collins
1820 John Ashley Warre
1826 Henry Seymour William Peachey
1830 Henry Labouchere Whig Edward Thomas Bainbridge Whig
1842 by-election Sir Thomas Colebrooke Whig
1852 Arthur Mills [10] Conservative
1853 by-election Sir John Ramsden Whig
1857 Arthur Mills Conservative
1859 Liberal
1859 by-election George Cavendish-Bentinck Conservative
1865 Alexander Charles Barclay Liberal Lord William Hay Liberal
1868 Edward William Cox [11] Conservative
1869 (Sir) Henry James Liberal
1873 by-election
1880 Sir William Palliser Conservative
1882 by-election Samuel Charles Allsopp Conservative
1885 Representation reduced to one Member

MPs since 1885

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Samuel Charles Allsopp Conservative
1887 by-election Alfred Percy Allsopp Conservative
1895 Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby Conservative
1906 Sir Edward Boyle Conservative
1909 by-election William Wellesley Peel Conservative
1912 by-election Sir Gilbert Wills, Bt. Conservative
1918 Dennis Fortescue Boles Coalition Conservative
1921 by-election Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen Coalition Conservative
1922 John Hope Simpson Liberal
1924 Andrew Hamilton Gault Conservative
1935 Lt Col Edward Wickham Conservative
1945 Victor Collins Labour
1950 Henry Hopkinson Conservative
1956 by-election Sir Edward du Cann Conservative
1987 David Nicholson Conservative
1997 Jackie Ballard Liberal Democrat
2001 Adrian Flook Conservative
2005 Jeremy Browne Liberal Democrat
2010 Constituency abolished: see Taunton Deane

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

Jessel
General Election 1885: Taunton [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Samuel Charles Allsopp 1,361 58.2
Liberal Sir Charles James Jessel 978 41.8
Majority 383 16.4
Turnout 92.1
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1886: Taunton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Hon. Samuel Charles Allsopp unopposed n/a n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a
Taunton by-election, 1887 [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Hon. Alfred Percy Allsopp 1,426 61.6 n/a
Liberal James Harris Sanders 890 38.4 n/a
Majority 536 23.2 n/a
Turnout 2,321 89.4 n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Taunton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Hon. Alfred Percy Allsopp 1,402 60.4
Liberal Henry Hewitt Bridgman 921 39.6
Majority 481 20.8
Turnout 82.2
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1895: Taunton [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby unopposed n/a n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1900: Taunton [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby 1,387 57.5 n/a
Liberal Walker King 1,024 42.5 n/a
Majority 363 15.0 n/a
Turnout 73.7 n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a
General Election 1906: Taunton [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sir Sir Edward Gurney Boyle 1,842 55.1 -2.4
Liberal Arthur Augustus William Harry Ponsonby 1,503 44.9 +2.4
Majority 339 10.2 -4.8
Turnout 3,345 93.2
Conservative hold Swing -2.4
Smith
Taunton by-election, 1909 [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Hon. William Robert Wellesley Peel 1,976 64.6
Labour Francis Samuel Smith 1,085 35.4 n/a
Majority 891 29.2
Turnout 80.4
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Taunton [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Hon. William Robert Wellesley Peel 1,906 55.3
Liberal William Arthur Addinsell 1,538 44.7 n/a
Majority 368 10.6
Turnout 90.3
Conservative hold Swing n/a
General Election December 1910: Taunton [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Hon. William Robert Wellesley Peel 1,806 53.4
Liberal John Edward Schunck 1,573 46.6
Majority 6.8
Turnout 3,379
Conservative hold Swing
Wills
Taunton by-election, 1912
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Sir Gilbert Alan Hamilton Wills 1,882 54.1 +0.7
Liberal John Edward Schunk 1,597 45.9 -0.7
Majority 8.2 +1.4
Turnout 3,479
Unionist hold Swing +0.7

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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

General Election 1918: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist 12,619 72.4
Labour George Saville Woods 4,816 27.6
Majority 7,803 44.8
Turnout 60.4
Unionist hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s

Taunton by-election, 1921
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Rt Hon. Sir Arthur Sackville Trevor Griffith-Boscawen 12,994 61.1
Labour James Lunnon 8,290 38.9
Majority 4,704 22.2
Turnout 73.5
Unionist hold Swing -11.3
John Simpson
General Election 1922: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal John Hope Simpson 13,195 56.4 n/a
Unionist Rt Hon. Sir Arthur Sackville Trevor Griffith-Boscawen 10,182 43.6 -17.5
Majority 3,007 12.8
Turnout 79.1 +5.6
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing n/a
Andrew Gault
General Election 1923: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal John Hope Simpson 13,053 52.5 -3.9
Unionist Andrew Hamilton Gault 11,798 47.5 +3.9
Majority 1,255 5.0 -7.8
Turnout 82.6 +3.5
Liberal hold Swing -3.9
General Election 1924: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Andrew Hamilton Gault 13,930 52.1 +4.6
Liberal John Hope Simpson 10,381 38.8 -13.7
Labour George Saville Woods 2,441 9.1 n/a
Majority 3,549 13.3 18.3
Turnout 85.6 +3.0
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +9.1
General Election 1929: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Andrew Hamilton Gault 15,083 45.9 -6.2
Liberal Walter Russell Rea 11,121 33.9 -4.9
Labour Joseph Alfred Sparks 6,615 20.2 +11.1
Majority 3,962 12.0 -1.3
Turnout 82.2 -3.4
Unionist hold Swing -0.6

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Andrew Hamilton Gault 22,564 72.95
Labour Frank George Bushnell 8,367 27.05
Majority 14,197 45.90
Turnout 75.43
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1935: Taunton[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Edward Thomas Ruscombe Wickham 19,443 63.41
Labour James Lunnon 11,219 36.59
Majority 8,224 26.82
Turnout 30720 72.39
Conservative hold Swing

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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

General Election 1945: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Victor John Collins 19,976 52.80
Conservative Edward Thomas Ruscombe Wickham 17,858 47.20
Majority 2,118 5.60
Turnout 72.98
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Henry Lennox D'Aubigne Hopkinson 20,724 46.43
Labour Victor John Collins 19,352 43.35
Liberal John Robert Phillipson 4,561 10.22
Majority 1,372 3.07
Turnout 88.81
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General Election 1951: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Henry Lennox D'Aubigne Hopkinson 24,826 54.36
Labour Victor John Collins 20,845 45.64
Majority 3,981 8.72
Turnout 89.00
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1955: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Henry Lennox D'Aubigne Hopkinson 22,962 52.11
Labour Reginald Alfred Pestell 17,420 39.53
Liberal Guy Barrington 3,684 8.36
Majority 5,542 12.58
Turnout 85.46
Conservative hold Swing
Taunton by-election, 1956
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Edward Dillon Lott du Cann 19,820 50.84
Labour Reginald Alfred Pestell 19,163 49.16
Majority 657 1.68
Turnout 38,983
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1959: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Edward Dillon Lott du Cann 22,680 49.42
Labour Leonard V Pike 16,182 35.26
Liberal Charles Meddon Karslake Bruton 7,031 15.32
Majority 6,498 14.16
Turnout 87.12
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Edward Dillon Lott du Cann 21,367 46.52
Labour Leonard V Pike 16,619 36.18
Liberal Margaret Irene Gaenor Heathcoat Amory 7,944 17.30
Majority 4,748 10.34
Turnout 84.74
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1966: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Edward Dillon Lott du Cann 22,369 47.55
Labour Robin J Bradbury 19,216 40.85
Liberal Margaret Irene Gaenor Heathcoat Amory 5,460 11.61
Majority 3,153 6.70
Turnout 85.27
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Edward Dillon Lott du Cann 26,158 53.55
Labour Steven Mama 17,823 36.48
Liberal Gerald O'Donnell 4,871 9.97
Majority 8,335 17.06
Turnout 78.96
Conservative hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Edward Dillon Lott du Cann 23,841 45.11
Labour D.W. Keene 15,401 29.14
Liberal M.E. Mann 13,607 25.75
Majority 8,440 15.97
Turnout 83.88
Conservative hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Edward Dillon Lott du Cann 22,542 44.61
Labour Barry John Sheerman 15,721 31.11
Liberal M.E. Mann 11,984 23.72
United Democratic Party L.D. Bradford 283 0.56
Majority 6,821 13.50
Turnout 79.38
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1979: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Edward Dillon Lott du Cann 28,483 53.17
Labour S. Horne 15,759 29.42
Liberal M. Lee 7,928 14.80
Ecology G. Garbett 1,403 2.62
Majority 12,724 23.75
Turnout 80.74
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1983: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Rt Hon. Edward Dillon Lott du Cann 28,112 52.89
Social Democratic Michael Alfred Kelynack Cocks 15,545 29.24
Labour J. Gray 9,498 17.87
Majority 12,567 23.64
Turnout 75.55
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1987: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative David John Nicholson 30,248 51.38
Social Democratic Michael Alfred Kelynack Cocks 19,868 33.75
Labour Gary Reynolds 8,754 14.87
Majority 10,380 17.63
Turnout 79.40
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1992: Taunton[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative David John Nicholson 29,576 46.0 −5.3
Liberal Democrat Jacqueline Margaret Ballard 26,240 40.8 +7.1
Labour Mrs L. Jean Hole 8,151 12.7 −2.2
Natural Law Philip A. Leavey 279 0.4 +0.4
Majority 3,336 5.2 −12.4
Turnout 64,246 82.3 +3.0
Conservative hold Swing −6.2
General Election 1997: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Jacqueline Margaret Ballard 26,064 42.7 +1.9
Conservative David John Nicholson 23,621 38.7 -7.3
Labour Elizabeth Lisgo 8,248 13.5 +0.8
Referendum Brian Ahern 2,760 4.5 N/A
BNP Leslie Andrews 318 0.5 N/A
Majority 2,443
Turnout 76.5 −5.8
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2001: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Adrian John Flook 23,033 41.7 +3.0
Liberal Democrat Jacqueline Margaret Ballard 22,798 41.3 −1.4
Labour Andrew Govier 8,254 14.9 +1.4
UKIP Michael Canton 1,140 2.1 N/A
Majority 235 0.4
Turnout 55,225 67.6 −8.8
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrat Swing
Jeremy Browne
General Election 2005: Taunton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrat Jeremy Richard Browne 25,764 43.3 +2.0
Conservative Adrian John Flook 25,191 42.3 +0.6
Labour Andrew Govier 7,132 12.0 −2.9
UKIP Helen Miles 1,441 2.4 +0.3
Majority 573 1.0 +0.6
Turnout 59,528 69.7 +2.1
Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative Swing -0.7

See also

Notes and references

  1. Blount died during the 1572 Parliament, and Hodges was elected in his place in 1575.
  2. "Taunton". The History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  3. Cassidy, Irene. "Taunton 1660-1690". The History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  4. Cobbett records Admiral Robert Blake as being elected for Taunton and Palmer for Bridgwater; but Brunton & Pennington agree with the Dictionary of National Biography that Blake was MP for Bridgwater and Palmer for Taunton.
  5. At the general election of 1715, Warre and Portman were initially declared re-elected, but on petition (in a dispute over the franchise) they were adjudged not to have been duly elected and their opponents, Pynsent and Smith, were seated in their place
  6. Styled Lord Cockermouth from October 1749
  7. Created Earl of Tyrconnell (in the Peerage of Ireland), May 1761
  8. Succeeded as The Lord Farnham , August 1759; created Viscount Farnham, September 1760 and Earl of Farnham, May 1763 (all these titles being in the Peerage of Ireland).
  9. On petition, Stratford and Webb were adjudged not to have been duly elected, and their opponents, Halliday and Popham, were seated in their place
  10. On petition, Mills' election was declared void and a by-election was held
  11. On petition, the election of Cox was declared void and after scrutiny of the votes his opponent, James, was declared to have been duly elected
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  13. "Election of Lieut-Colonel E. T. R. Wickham". Taunton Courier. 20 November 1935. Retrieved 14 January 2015 via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  14. Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  15. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 Dec 2010.

Sources

External links

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