Bury St Edmunds (UK Parliament constituency)

Constituency profile

The constituency covered Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and smaller settlements on the A14 corridor. Residents' wealth was around average for the UK.

History

The constituency was created as a Parliamentary Borough in 1614, returning two MPs to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and from 1800 to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. By the mid eighteenth century the seat was seen as heavily influenced by the Earl of Bristol and the Duke of Grafton. Its representation was reduced to one seat under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Under the Representation of the People Act 1918, it was abolished as a borough and reconstituted as a division of the Parliamentary County of West Suffolk. As well as the abolished borough, the expanded seat comprised most of the abolished Stowmarket Division, except for the town of Stowmarket itself. From 1950, it has been classified as a county constituency in terms of election expenses and type of returning officer.

The electorate has elected Conservative Party candidates at the general elections and two by-elections since a Liberal victory in 1880. The closest contest since that year was in 1997 when the Labour Party candidate fell 368 votes, less than 1%, short of winning the seat in 1997 during Tony Blair's first landslide result.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1918–1950

• The Borough of Bury St Edmunds;
• The Urban District of Newmarket;
• The Rural Districts of Brandon, Mildenhall, and Thedwastre; and
• Parts of the Rural Districts of Moulton and Thingoe.

1950–1983

• The Borough of Bury St Edmunds:
• The Urban Districts of Haverhill and Newmarket; and
• The Rural Districts of Clare, Mildenhall, Thedwastre, and Thingoe.

Extended to the south-west, gaining western and northern parts of the abolished Sudbury Division of West Suffolk, including Haverhill.

1983–1997

• The Borough of St Edmundsbury wards of Abbeygate, Barningham, Barrow, Chevington, Eastgate, Fornham, Great Barton, Honington, Horringer, Ixworth, Northgate, Pakenham, Risby, Risbygate, Rougham, St Olave's, Sextons, Southgate, Stanton, Westgate, and Whelnetham; and
• The District of Forest Heath.

Southern areas, including Haverhill, were transferred to the new constituency of South Suffolk. The easternmost area, equivalent to the former Rural District of Thedwastre, was transferred to the new constituency of Central Suffolk.

1997–2010

• The Borough of St Edmundsbury wards of Abbeygate, Eastgate, Fornham, Great Barton, Horringer Court, Northgate, Pakenham, Risbygate, Rougham, St Olave's, Sextons, Southgate, Westgate, and Whelnetham; and
• The District of Mid Suffolk wards of Badwell Ash, Elmswell, Gislingham, Haughley and Wetherden, Needham Market, Norton, Onehouse, Rattlesden, Rickinghall, Ringshall, Stowmarket Central, Stowmarket North, Stowmarket South, Stowupland, Thurston, Walsham-le-Willows, and Woolpit.

Major reconfiguration, with the majority of the constituency, including Newmarket, forming the basis of the new County Constituency of West Suffolk. Extended eastwards, gaining western half of Central Suffolk, including Stowmarket.

2010–2024

• The Borough of St Edmundsbury wards of Abbeygate, Eastgate, Fornham, Great Barton, Horringer and Whelnetham, Minden, Moreton Hall, Northgate, Pakenham, Risbygate, Rougham, St Olave's, Southgate, and Westgate; and
• The District of Mid Suffolk wards of Bacton and Old Newton, Badwell Ash, Elmswell and Norton, Gislingham, Haughley and Wetherden, Needham Market, Onehouse, Rattlesden, Rickinghall and Walsham, Ringshall, Stowmarket Central, Stowmarket North, Stowmarket South, Stowupland, Thurston and Hessett, and Woolpit.

Marginal changes due to revision of local authority wards.

The constituency contained the towns of Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and Needham Market. Its boundaries did not match those of the former borough of St Edmundsbury, which included Haverhill (part of West Suffolk constituency), and excludes Stowmarket and Needham Market.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1621–1660

MPs 1660–1885

Two Members

MPs since 1885

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

|reg. electors = 89,644

|reg. electors = 86,071 Note: Independent politician St Edmundsbury Borough Councillor and Bury St Edmunds Town Councillor Paul Hopfensperger submitted a valid nomination but this was subsequently withdrawn. Because of the timing of the withdrawal, his name appears in the Statement of Persons Nominated for this election.

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

Following the death of Frank Heilgers on 16 January 1944 a by-election was held on 29 February 1944.

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

|reg. electors = 38,938 On Guinness's nomination as Minister of Agriculture a by-election in 1925 was required under the electoral law of the time, which he won. |reg. electors = 31,648 |reg. electors = 31,138

Elections in the 1910s

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: Walter Guinness
• Liberal:

Elections in the 1900s

|reg. electors = 2,740 |reg. electors = 2,788

Elections in the 1890s

|reg. electors = 2,515

Elections in the 1880s

|reg. electors = 2,292 |reg. electors = 2,292

|reg. electors = 2,122

Elections in the 1870s

|reg. electors = 1,919

Elections in the 1860s

|reg. electors = 1,505

|reg. electors = 676

Elections in the 1850s

|reg. electors = 695

• Caused by Hervey's succession to the peerage, becoming 2nd Marquess of Bristol

|reg. electors = 702

|reg. electors = 713

• Caused by Stuart's resignation after being appointed a Vice-Chancellor of the Court of Chancery.

|reg. electors = 741

Elections in the 1840s

|reg. electors = 751

• Caused by Hervey's appointment as Treasurer of the Household

|reg. electors = 713

Elections in the 1830s

|reg. electors = 641

• Caused by FitzRoy's appointment as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household

|reg. electors = 620

|reg. electors = 590

|reg. electors = 37

Notes

References

Sources

• {{cite book |author-link= F. W. S. Craig |orig-year=1977
• {{cite book |author-link= F. W. S. Craig |orig-year=1974
• {{cite book |author-link= F. W. S. Craig |orig-year=1969

References

1. "Bury St Edmunds: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Office for National Statistics.
2. "Eastern {{!}} Boundary Commission for England".
3. Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.py?seat=Bury+St+Edmunds
4. Pages 144 and 145, [[Lewis Namier]], ''[[The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III]]'' (2nd edition – London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
5. S., Craig, Fred W.. (1972). "Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885–1972;". Political Reference Publications.
6. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983".
7. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995".
8. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007".
9. (12 October 2017). "General Index to the Twenty-three Volumes of The Parliamentary Or Constitutional History of England". Printed; and sold by Thomas Osborne, ... and William Sandby.
10. Hervey, Arthur Charles. (1858). "A Paper Read Before the Archaeological Institute of Suffolk, at Their Meeting Held at Ickworth, October 2nd, 1856". S. Tymms.
11. {{Rayment-hc. b. 6. (March 2012)
12. A double return was made, [[Thomas Chaplin (MP for Bury St Edmunds). Thomas Chaplin]] and [[John Clarke (died 1681). John Clarke]] were subsequently declared not duly elected.
13. At the general election in May 1705, Davers was also returned for [[Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency). Suffolk]], for which he chose to sit.
14. [[Augustus John Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol. Hon. Augustus John Hervey]] was also declared elected in April 1754, he and his uncle Felton having an equal number of votes. This election was declared void. At the subsequent by-election held on 9 December 1754, Felton Hervey was returned.
15. (1845). "The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive". Simpkin, Marshall, & Co..
16. (1838). "The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838".
17. (1841). "Ollivier's parliamentary and political director".
18. (10 July 1847). "Political". Norfolk News.
19. "Reference: D/B 5 Pb1/1".
20. (7 August 1847). "Neighbouring Counties". Norfolk News.
21. (1847). "Gardeners Chronicle & New Horticulturist, Volume 7". Haymarket Publishing.
22. (13 April 1859). "Bury St Edmunds". Beacon and Christian Times.
23. (2013). "Politics in the Age of Peel: A Study in the Technique of Parliamentary Representation, 1830–1850". Faber & Faber.
24. (13 July 2013). "207 Lord Alfred Hervey".
25. https://archive.org/stream/publicgeneralac01walegoog#page/n131/mode/2up Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Second Schedule; Statutes of the Realm, Eyre & Spottiswoode (1884, London) at p. 123
26. "Bury St Edmunds 1660-".
27. "Bury St Edmunds Parliamentary constituency". BBC.
28. Geater, Paul. (30 May 2017). "Election 2017: Find out who is standing in the general election in Suffolk and north Essex". East Anglian Times.
29. (12 October 2017). "Councillor details – St Edmundsbury Borough Councillor Paul Hopfensperger".
30. (12 October 2017). "Councillor details – Bury St Edmunds Town Councillor Paul Hopfensperger".
31. "Cllr Paul Hopfensperger | St Olaves Ward | Bury St Edmunds |".
32. "Statement of Persons Nominated".
33. "Election Data 2015". [[Electoral Calculus]].
34. (8 May 2015). "Bury St Edmunds". BBC News.
35. (5 November 2014). "Jo Churchill selected as Bury St Edmunds candidate for next election". [[ITN]].
36. "Labour's Candidates | the Labour Party".
37. (4 November 2014). "Director selected as Tory candidate". BBC.
38. "UK > England > Eastern > Bury St Edmunds". BBC News.
39. (9 April 1992). "UK General Election results April 1992". Politics Resources.
40. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
41. Cooper, Andrew Fenton. (1989). "British agricultural policy, 1912–36 : a study in Conservative politics". Manchester University Press.
42. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949, Craig, F. W. S.
43. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
44. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
45. (31 August 1907). "The Bury St Edmunds Election". Grantham Journal.
46. (1974). "British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885–1918". Macmillan Press.
47. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
48. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
49. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
50. (1977). "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885". Macmillan Press.
51. (4 June 1875). "Bury St. Edmunds". [[Diss Express]].
52. (14 July 1865). "Bury St. Edmunds". Evening Mail.
53. (5 June 1841). "Hertford Mercury and Reformer".
54. (2009). "Bury St. Edmunds".