Woodstock (UK Parliament constituency)

Woodstock, sometimes called New Woodstock, was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom named after the town of Woodstock in the county of Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire, Mid or Woodstock Division
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Seatsone
Woodstock
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1553–1885
Seatstwo to 1832, then one
Replaced byBanbury and Henley

History

The Parliamentary Borough comprised the town of Woodstock and (from 1832) the surrounding countryside and villages.[1] It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from its re-enfranchisement in 1553 until 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801. Under the Great Reform Act 1832, the representation of the borough was reduced to one member.

Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the borough was abolished and was reconstituted as the Mid or Woodstock Division of Oxfordshire when the three-member Parliamentary County of Oxfordshire was divided into the three single-member constituencies of Banbury, Woodstock and Henley. It comprised the middle part of Oxfordshire, including Witney and Bicester as well as the abolished borough.

The constituency was abolished under the Representation of the People Act 1918.  The western half, including Witney and Woodstock, was added to the Banbury Division and the eastern half, including Bicester, to the Henley Division.

Boundaries

1885–1918
  • The Municipal Borough of Oxford;
  • The Sessional Divisions of Bampton East, Bampton West, Ploughley, and Wooton South; and
  • Part of the Sessional Division of Bullingdon.[2]

Only non-resident freeholders of the Parliamentary Borough of Oxford (which included the Municipal Borough thereof) were entitled to vote.

Members of Parliament

1553–1640
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1553 (Oct)William CookeSir Ralph Chamberlain[3]
1554 (Apr)Sir Ralph ChamberlainWilliam Johnson[3]
1554 (Nov)Anthony RestwoldGeorge Chamberlain[3]
1571Thomas PenistonMartin Johnson[4]
1572George WhitonMartin Johnson[4]
1584Lawrence TanfieldHenry Unton[4]
1586Lawrence TanfieldFrancis Stonor[4]
1588Lawrence TanfieldJohn Lee[4]
1593Lawrence TanfieldJohn Lee[4]
1597Lawrence TanfieldJohn Lee[4]
1601Lawrence TanfieldWilliam Scott[4]
1604Sir Richard LeeThomas Spencer
1609Sir James Whitelocke
1614Sir James WhitelockeSir Philip Cary
1621Sir James WhitelockeSir Philip Cary
1624Sir Philip CaryWilliam Lenthall
1625Sir Philip CarySir Gerard Fleetwood
1626Edward TavernorSir Gerard Fleetwood
1628Edward TavernorSir Miles Fleetwood
1629–1640No Parliaments summoned

1640–1832
YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
April 1640 William LenthallParliamentarian William Fleetwood
November 1640 Hon. William Herbert[5]Royalist
December 1640 Sir Robert PyeParliamentarian
December 1648 Pye excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant
1653 Woodstock was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654 Lieutenant General Charles Fleetwood Woodstock had only one seat in the First and
Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656 Major General William Packer
January 1659 Sir Jerome Sankey Miles Fleetwood
May 1659 William Lenthall One seat vacant
April 1660 Sir Thomas Spencer Edward Atkyns
1661 Sir William Fleetwood
1674 Thomas Howard
1679 Sir Littleton Osbaldeston Nicholas Bayntun
1681 Henry Bertie
1685 Richard Bertie Sir Littleton Osbaldeston
1689 Sir Thomas Littleton Sir John D'Oyly
1690 Thomas Wheate
1695 James Bertie
1702 Sir William Glynne
1705 Lieutenant General William Cadogan Whig Hon. Charles Bertie
1708 Sir Thomas Wheate
1716 William Clayton
1721 Charles Crisp
1722 Samuel Trotman Sir Thomas Wheate
1727 Marquess of Blandford Whig
1732 Hon. John Spencer
1734 James Dawkins
1746 Hon. John Trevor, KC
1747 John Bateman
1753 Anthony Keck
1767 Hon. William Gordon
1768 Lord Robert Spencer
1771 John Skynner
1774 William Eden
1777 Viscount Parker Tory
1784 Sir Henry Dashwood Tory Francis Burton
1790 Lord Henry Spencer
1795 The Lord Lavington
1799 Charles Moore
1802 Charles Abbot Speaker
1806 Hon. William Eden
1810 Hon. George Eden Whig
1812 William Thornton
1813 Hon. George Eden Whig
1814 William Thornton
1818 Lord Robert Spencer
1820 John Gladstone Tory[6] James Langston Whig[6]
1826 Marquess of Blandford Tory[6] Lord Ashley Tory[6]
1830 Lord Charles Spencer-Churchill Tory[6]
1831 Viscount Stormont Tory[6]
1832 Constituency abolished

1832–1918
YearMemberParty
1832 George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford Conservative[6]
1835 Lord Charles Spencer-ChurchillConservative
1837 Henry PeytonConservative[6]
1838 George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford Conservative[6]
1840 Frederic Thesiger Conservative[6]
1844 John Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of BlandfordConservative[6]
May 1845 John Loftus, Viscount LoftusConservative
December 1845 Lord Alfred Spencer-ChurchillConservative
1847 John Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of BlandfordConservative
1857 Lord Alfred Spencer-ChurchillConservative
1865 Henry BarnettConservative
1874 Lord Randolph ChurchillConservative
1885 Francis William MacleanLiberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1891 George Herbert MorrellConservative
1892 Godfrey BensonLiberal
1895 George Herbert MorrellConservative
1906 Ernest BennettLiberal
January 1910 Alfred HamersleyConservative
1918 Constituency abolished

Elections
Decades:

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1830: Woodstock[6][7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Charles Spencer-Churchill Unopposed
Tory George Spencer-Churchill Unopposed
Registered electors c. 200
Tory hold
Tory hold
General election 1831: Woodstock[6][7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Charles Spencer-Churchill 81 46.8
Tory William Murray 74 42.8
Whig James Silk Buckingham 12 6.9
Whig Charles Richardson 6 3.5
Majority 62 35.9
Turnout c. 87 c. 43.5
Registered electors c. 200
Tory hold
Tory hold
  • Buckingham and Richardson each received 138 householder votes, but these were declared ineligible
General election 1832: Woodstock[8][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory George Spencer-Churchill Unopposed
Registered electors 317
Tory hold
General election 1835: Woodstock[8][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Charles Spencer-Churchill Unopposed
Registered electors 306
Conservative hold
General election 1837: Woodstock[8][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Henry Peyton 126 51.9
Whig Charles Spencer-Churchill 117 48.1
Majority 9 3.8
Turnout 243 73.6
Registered electors 330
Conservative hold

Peyton resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 11 May 1838: Woodstock[8][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Spencer-Churchill 160 50.8 −1.1
Whig Henry John Spencer-Churchill 155 49.2 +1.1
Majority 5 1.6 −2.2
Turnout 315 81.8 +8.2
Registered electors 385
Conservative hold Swing −1.1

Elections in the 1840s

Spencer-Churchill succeeded to the peerage, becoming 6th Duke of Marlborough and causing a by-election.

By-election, 20 March 1840: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederic Thesiger Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1841: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederic Thesiger Unopposed
Registered electors 356
Conservative hold

Thesiger was appointed Solicitor-General for England and Wales and decided to contest Abingdon, causing a by-election.

By-election, 22 April 1844: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Spencer-Churchill Unopposed
Conservative hold

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

By-election, 1 May 1845: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Loftus Unopposed
Conservative hold

Loftus succeeded to the peerage, becoming 3rd Marquess of Ely and causing a by-election.

By-election, 18 December 1845: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Spencer-Churchill Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Spencer-Churchill Unopposed
Registered electors 404
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1852: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Spencer-Churchill Unopposed
Registered electors 347
Conservative hold
General election 1857: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Spencer-Churchill Unopposed
Registered electors 336
Conservative hold

Spencer-Churchill succeeded to the peerage, becoming 7th Duke of Marlborough and causing a by-election.

By-election, 24 July 1857: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Spencer-Churchill Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1859: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Spencer-Churchill Unopposed
Registered electors 310
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1865: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Barnett 143 54.6 N/A
Liberal Mitchell Henry 119 45.4 New
Majority 24 9.2 N/A
Turnout 262 91.6 N/A
Registered electors 286
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1868: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Barnett 502 51.1 −3.5
Liberal George Charles Brodrick 481 48.9 +3.5
Majority 21 2.2 −7.0
Turnout 983 87.2 −4.4
Registered electors 1,127
Conservative hold Swing −3.5

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Randolph Churchill 569 58.5 +7.4
Liberal George Charles Brodrick[9] 404 41.5 −7.4
Majority 165 17.0 +14.8
Turnout 973 90.8 +3.6
Registered electors 1,071
Conservative hold Swing +7.4

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Randolph Churchill 512 53.1 −5.4
Liberal William Hall[10] 452 46.9 +5.4
Majority 60 6.2 −10.8
Turnout 964 90.9 +0.1
Registered electors 1,060
Conservative hold Swing −5.4

Churchill was appointed Secretary of State for India, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 6 July 1885: Woodstock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Randolph Churchill 532 56.8 +3.7
Liberal Corrie Grant 405 43.2 −3.7
Majority 127 13.6 +7.4
Turnout 937 86.4 −4.5
Registered electors 1,084
Conservative hold Swing +3.7
General election 1885: Woodstock[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Francis William Maclean 4,327 51.1 +4.2
Conservative Arthur Annesley 4,138 48.9 −4.2
Majority 189 2.2 N/A
Turnout 8,465 84.5 −6.4
Registered electors 10,012
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +4.2
General election 1886: Woodstock[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Francis William Maclean Unopposed
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1890s

Maclean resigned after being appointed a Master in Lunacy.

Morrell
By-election, 21 Apr 1891: Woodstock[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Herbert Morrell 4,448 54.2 N/A
Liberal Godfrey Benson 3,760 45.8 New
Majority 688 8.4 N/A
Turnout 8,208 84.4 N/A
Registered electors 9,725
Conservative hold
General election 1892: Woodstock[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Godfrey Benson 4,278 50.7 N/A
Conservative George Herbert Morrell 4,167 49.3 N/A
Majority 111 1.4 N/A
Turnout 8,445 86.6 N/A
Registered electors 9,756
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing N/A
General election 1895: Woodstock[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Herbert Morrell 4,669 55.5 +6.2
Liberal Godfrey Benson 3,740 44.5 -6.2
Majority 929 11.0 N/A
Turnout 8,409 86.1 -0.5
Registered electors 9,767
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +6.2

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Woodstock[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Herbert Morrell Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1906: Woodstock[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ernest Bennett 4,585 52.5 New
Conservative George Herbert Morrell 4,144 47.5 N/A
Majority 441 5.0 N/A
Turnout 8,729 87.4 N/A
Registered electors 9,985
Liberal gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Woodstock[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Hamersley 5,098 53.8 +6.3
Liberal Ernest Bennett 4,378 46.2 -6.3
Majority 720 7.6 12.6
Turnout 9,476 90.0 +2.6
Registered electors 10,525
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +6.3
General election December 1910: Woodstock [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Hamersley 4,773 52.1 -1.7
Liberal Ernest Bennett 4,381 47.9 +1.7
Majority 392 4.2 -3.4
Turnout 9,154 87.0 -3.0
Registered electors 10,525
Conservative hold Swing -1.7

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 July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

  • Unionist: Henderson
  • Liberal:

References
  1. "H.M.S.O. Boundary Commission Report 1832, New Woodstock". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  2. Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884.
  3. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  4. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  5. Herbert was also elected for Monmouthshire, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Woodstock
  6. 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. 9–12. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via Google Books.
  7. Fisher, David R. "New Woodstock". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  8. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 340–341. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3. {{cite book}}: |format= requires |url= (help)
  9. "Advertisements & Notices". Oxford Journal. 7 February 1874. p. 3. Retrieved 23 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "Liberal Meeting at Kidlington". Oxford Journal. 20 March 1880. p. 7. Retrieved 15 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. p. 371. ISBN 9781349022984.
  • 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)
  • The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)
  • F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
  • J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)
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