Newcastle first sent Members to Parliament in 1283, although it was not always possible to act upon the writ of summons, which was disregarded on at least four occasions (1315, 1327, 1332 and 1337) because of warfare with the Scots.[1]
The constituency was based upon the town, later city, of Newcastle upon Tyne in the historic county of Northumberland in North East England. In 1848, the constituency boundaries were described in A Topographical Dictionary of England.[3]
The borough first exercised the elective franchise in the 23rd of Edward the First, since which time it has returned two members to parliament: the present electoral limits are co-extensive with those of the county of the town, comprising 5730 acres; the old boundaries, which were abrogated in 1832, included 2700 acres only.
When the House of Commons debated the boundaries to be used from 1832, the Tory Party suggested including Gateshead (to the south) and South Shields (to the east) within the Newcastle-upon-Tyne constituency. The Whigs resisted this idea, so these two neighbouring settlements were not incorporated into this seat.[4]
The Town and County of the Town of Newcastle and the several Townships of Byker, Heaton, Jesmond, Westgate, and Elswick.[5][6]
The boundaries remained unchanged from 1832 until the area was divided into single member constituencies in 1918.[7] These were not necessarily identical to the boundaries used for local government purposes.
In the period after 1885, the constituency was surrounded by Wansbeck to the west and north, Tyneside to the north east and east, Jarrow to the south east, Gateshead to the south, and Chester-le-Street to the south west.[8]
Members of Parliamentedit
Party affiliations are derived from Stook Smith and Craig (see reference section below). Tory is used prior to the 1835 general election and Conservative from that time. Liberal candidates (as listed by Craig) before the formal creation of the party, shortly after the 1859 general election, are listed as Whig or Radical if the information is available in the work by Stooks Smith.
MPs, who were known by the same name, are distinguished in the table below and the election results by a number in brackets after the name. It is not suggested that such numbers were used by contemporaries of the individuals so numbered.
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)
The bloc vote electoral system was used in elections to fill two seats and first past the post for single member by-elections. Each voter had up to as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings (until the secret ballot was introduced in 1872).
Note on percentage change calculations: Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party percentage vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote (if applicable).
The reference to some candidates as Non Partisan does not, necessarily, mean that they did not have a party allegiance. It means that the sources consulted did not specify a party allegiance.
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;
^"Newcastle-upon-Tyne | History of Parliament Online". www.histparl.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
^Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell. pp. 447–448.
^'Newbottle - Newcastle-upon-Tyne', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 379-389. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51171 Date accessed: 15 December 2008.
^Britain, Great (1832). The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Passed in the ... [1807-69]. His Majesty's statute and law Printers. p. 353.
^"HMSO Boundary Commission Report 1832, Newcastle upon Tyne".
^Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. p. 162. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
^Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. Map on p 188. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
^"ACTON, Laurence (d.1410), of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumb. | History of Parliament Online". www.histparl.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^ ab"BISHOPDALE, William (d.1398), of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumb". History of Parliament. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
^ abcdefghijk"History of Parliament". Retrieved 5 October 2011.
^ abcdefghij"History of Parliament". Retrieved 5 October 2011.
^The 1727 election was disputed. As a result of an election petition, the House of Commons decided to seat Carr vice Blackett (who had died in 1728) in 1729.
^ abcdefghijklmnoStooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 245–246. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
^ abChurton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. pp. 133, 151. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^Rapp, Dean (Spring 1982). "The Left-Wing Whigs: Whitbread, the Mountain and Reform, 1809-1815". The Journal of British Studies. 21 (2): 35–66. doi:10.1086/385789. JSTOR 175533.
^Richardson, M. A. (1843). The Local Historian's Table Book, of Remarkable Occurrences, Historical Facts, Traditions, Legendary and Descriptive Ballads, Connected with the Counties of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland and Durham. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: M. A. Richardson. p. 373. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^Escott, Margaret (2009). "ORD, William (1781–1855), of Whitfield Hall, Northumb and 17 Berkeley Square, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^"The Northumberland Wig Shop 1826". The British Museum. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^"A truly Noble brew on a journey back home". The Journal. 13 April 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^"Close of the Poll". Leeds Intelligencer. 31 July 1847. p. 5. Retrieved 9 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Newcastle-on-Tyne". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 7 July 1852. p. 5. Retrieved 9 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^Purdue, A. W. (2012). Newcastle: The Biography. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. p. 174. ISBN 9781445609348. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^"Bury and Norwich Post". 13 February 1856. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 9 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ abEscott, Margaret. "Newcastle-upon-Tyne". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrCraig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
^"Newcastle Election". Newcastle Journal. 29 July 1837. p. 4. Retrieved 19 April 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^Escott, Margaret. "HODGSON, John (1806-1869), of Elswick House, Northumb". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
^"Election Intelligence". Essex Standard. 25 August 1854. p. 4. Retrieved 14 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Election Intelligence". Hertford Mercury and Reformer. 26 August 1854. p. 2. Retrieved 14 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^Walford, Edward, ed. (1857). Hardwicke's Annual biography. London: Robert Hardwicke. p. 59. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^"Electioneering Warfare". Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury. 28 March 1857. p. 5. Retrieved 9 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Notice to the Freemen of Newcastle-on-Tyne". Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury. 25 June 1859. p. 1. Retrieved 9 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"The Newcastle Election". Kendal Mercury. 10 November 1860. p. 5. Retrieved 6 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Political Intelligence". Maidstone Journal and Kentish Advertiser. 8 December 1860. p. 4. Retrieved 6 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Ecclesiastical Intelligence". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 22 February 1883. p. 8. Retrieved 5 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 14 Sep 1914
Referencesedit
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)
Electoral Reform in England and Wales, by Charles Seymour (David & Charles Reprints 1970)
The House of Commons 1754-1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke (HMSO 1964)
The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F. W. S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
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)
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 1)