THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "K"
Last updated 13/06/2017 (8 Jan 2025)
Date Name Born Died Age
Dates in italics in the first column denote that the election held on that date was a by-election or, in some instances, the date of a successful petition against a previous election result. Dates shown in normal type were general elections.
Dates in italics in the "Born" column indicate that the MP was baptised on that date; dates in italics in the "Died" column indicate that the MP was buried on that date.
KILKENNY
1801 William Talbot Mar 1776 19 May 1851 75
2 Mar 1801 Richard Archdall c 1746 8 Feb 1824
22 Jul 1802 Charles Harward Butler (Charles Harward Butler Clarke from 1820 and Charles Harward Butler Clarke Southwell Wandesford from 1830) 9 Nov 1780 7 Nov 1860 79
4 Feb 1809 Robert Williams 11 Feb 1767 10 Mar 1847 80
24 Oct 1812 Overington Blunden 14 Aug 1767 16 Dec 1837 70
27 May 1814 Charles Harward Butler (Charles Harward Butler Clarke from 1820 and Charles Harward Butler Clarke Southwell Wandesford from 1830) 9 Nov 1780 7 Nov 1860 79
27 Mar 1820 Denis Browne c 1760 14 Aug 1828
22 Jun 1826 John Doherty 1785 8 Sep 1850 65
11 Aug 1830 Nicholas Philpot Leader 19 Jan 1773 7 Feb 1836 63
13 Dec 1832 Richard Sullivan
17 May 1836 Daniel O'Connell 8 Aug 1775 15 May 1847 71
7 Aug 1837 Joseph Hume 22 Jan 1777 20 Feb 1855 78
3 Jul 1841 John O'Connell [at the general election in Aug 1847, he was also returned for Limerick, for which he chose to sit] 24 Dec 1810 24 May 1858 47
18 Dec 1847 Michael Sullivan 23 Dec 1878
13 Jul 1865 Sir John Gray 13 Jul 1815 9 Apr 1875 59
29 Apr 1875 Benjamin Whitworth 1816 24 Sep 1893 77
27 Feb 1880 John Francis Smithwick 1844 after 1912
2 Jul 1886 Thomas Quinn 1838 3 Nov 1897 59
Jul 1892 Thomas Bartholomew Curran 1870 Oct 1929 59
17 Jul 1895 Patrick O'Brien c 1847 12 Jul 1917
10 Aug 1917 William Thomas Cosgrave 6 Jun 1880 16 Nov 1965 85
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1918
KILKENNY COUNTY
1801 William Brabazon Ponsonby, later [1806] 1st Baron Ponsonby 15 Sep 1744 5 Nov 1806 62
James Wandesford Butler, later [1820] 12th Earl of Ormonde and [1825] 1st Marquess of Ormonde (to 1820) 15 Jul 1774 18 May 1838 63
12 Apr 1806 George Ponsonby c 1773 5 Jun 1863
21 Nov 1806 Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby (to 1826) 6 Jul 1783 11 Jan 1837 53
11 Sep 1820 Charles Harward Butler (Charles Harward Butler Clarke from 1820 and Charles Harward Butler Clarke Southwell Wandesford from 1830) (to 1830) 9 Nov 1780 7 Nov 1860 79
22 Jun 1826 John William Ponsonby, styled Viscount Duncannon, later [1844] 4th Earl of Bessborough [I] (to 1832) 31 Aug 1781 16 May 1847 65
12 Aug 1830 John Butler, styled Earl of Ossory, later [1838] 2nd Marquess of Ormonde 24 Aug 1808 25 Sep 1854 46
20 Dec 1832 Pierce Butler (to 1846) 1774 18 Aug 1864 90
William Francis Finn
12 Aug 1837 George Bryan c Nov 1843
1 Dec 1843 Pierce Somerset Butler (to 1852) 1801 28 Jul 1865 64
29 Jul 1846 Richard Smithwicke 1804 20 Nov 1860 56
18 Aug 1847 John Green (to 1865) 16 Jun 1883
26 Jul 1852 William Shee [kt 1864] 24 Jun 1804 19 Feb 1868 63
13 Apr 1857 Leopold George Frederick Agar‑Ellis, later [1895] 5th Viscount Clifden (to 1874) 13 May 1829 10 Sep 1899 70
24 Jul 1865 George Leopold Bryan (to 1880) 1828 29 Jun 1880 51
10 Feb 1874 Patrick Martin (to 1885) 1830 29 Oct 1895 65
15 Apr 1880 Edward Purcell Mulhallen Marum 1827 21 Sep 1890 63
COUNTY SPLIT INTO "NORTH" AND "SOUTH" DIVISIONS 1885
KILKENNY COUNTY NORTH
4 Dec 1885 Edward Purcell Mulhallen Marum 1827 21 Sep 1890 63
22 Dec 1890 Sir John Pope Hennessy 5 Apr 1834 7 Oct 1891 57
29 Oct 1891 Patrick McDermott 1859 Sep 1942 83
26 Feb 1902 Joseph Devlin [at the general election in Jan 1906, he was also returned for Belfast West, for which he chose to sit] 13 Feb 1871 18 Jan 1934 62
3 Mar 1906 Michael Meagher 27 Feb 1846 Dec 1927 81
14 Dec 1918 William Thomas Cosgrave 6 Jun 1880 16 Nov 1965 85
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1922
KILKENNY COUNTY SOUTH
5 Dec 1885 Patrick Alexander Chance 1857 after 1919
7 Sep 1894 Samuel Morris 1846 Aug 1920 74
6 Oct 1900 James O'Mara 6 Aug 1873 21 Nov 1948 75
28 Jul 1907 Nicholas Joseph Murphy 1880 27 Apr 1913 32
10 Aug 1909 Matthew Keating 23 May 1869 25 May 1937 68
14 Dec 1918 James O'Mara 6 Aug 1873 21 Nov 1948 75
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1922
KILMARNOCK
24 Dec 1832 John Dunlop 1806 c Apr 1839 32
17 Jan 1835 John Bowring [kt 1854] 17 Oct 1792 23 Nov 1872 80
29 Jul 1837 John Campbell Colquhoun 23 Jan 1803 17 Apr 1870 67
7 Jul 1841 Alexander Johnston 1790 9 May 1844 53
29 May 1844 Edward Pleydell Bouverie 26 Apr 1818 16 Dec 1889 71
6 Feb 1874 James Fortescue Harrison 1819 after 1893
9 Apr 1880 John Dick Peddie 1824 12 Mar 1891 66
1 Dec 1885 Peter Sturrock 1820 7 Mar 1904 83
7 Jul 1886 Stephen Williamson 28 Jun 1827 16 Jun 1903 75
23 Jul 1895 John McAusland Denny 29 Nov 1858 9 Dec 1922 64
23 Jan 1906 Adam Rolland Rainy 3 Apr 1862 26 Aug 1911 49
26 Sep 1911 William Glynne Charles Gladstone 14 Jul 1885 15 Apr 1915 29
28 May 1915 Alexander Shaw, later [1937] 2nd Baron Craigmyle 28 Feb 1883 29 Sep 1944 61
6 Dec 1923 Robert Climie 4 Jan 1868 3 Oct 1929 61
29 Oct 1924 Charles Glen MacAndrew [kt 1935], later [1959] 1st Baron MacAndrew 13 Jan 1888 11 Jan 1979 90
30 May 1929 Robert Climie 4 Jan 1868 3 Oct 1929 61
27 Nov 1929 Craigie Mason Aitchison 26 Jan 1882 2 May 1941 59
2 Nov 1933 Kenneth Martin Lindsay 16 Sep 1897 4 Mar 1991 93
26 Jul 1945 Clarice Marion McNab Shaw 22 Oct 1883 27 Oct 1946 63
5 Dec 1946 William Ross, later [1979] Baron Ross of Marnock [L] 7 Apr 1911 10 Jun 1988 77
3 May 1979 William McKelvey 8 Jun 1934 18 Oct 2016 82
NAME ALTERED TO "KILMARNOCK AND LOUDOUN" 1983
KILMARNOCK AND LOUDOUN
9 Jun 1983 William McKelvey 8 Jun 1934 18 Oct 2016 82
1 May 1997 Desmond Henry Browne, later [2010] Baron Browne of Ladyton [L] 22 Mar 1952
6 May 2010 Catherine Mary Jamieson 3 Nov 1956
7 May 2015 Alan Brown 12 Aug 1970
4 Jul 2024 Lillian Jones
KINCARDINESHIRE
4 Jun 1708 Sir David Ramsay, 4th baronet after 1673 1 Sep 1710
25 Oct 1710 Sir Alexander Ramsay, 5th baronet c 1679 27 Jan 1754
2 Oct 1713 James Scott c 1672 1747
28 May 1734 John Falconer 21 Oct 1674 21 Nov 1764 90
2 Jun 1741 Sir James Carnegie, 3rd baronet 1715 30 Apr 1765 49
7 Jun 1765 Sir Alexander Ramsay-Irvine, 6th baronet 1717 11 Feb 1806 88
9 Apr 1768 Robert Rickart Hepburn 1720 24 May 1804 83
27 Oct 1774 Lord Adam Gordon c 1726 13 Aug 1801
19 Jun 1788 Robert Barclay-Allardice 1732 8 Apr 1797 64
8 Jun 1797 John Wishart-Belsches (Stuart from Oct 1797), later [1807] 4th baronet c 1752 4 Dec 1821
29 Nov 1806 William Adam 2 Aug 1751 17 Feb 1839 87
26 Feb 1812 George Harley Drummond 23 Nov 1783 21 Mar 1855 71
3 Apr 1820 Sir Alexander Ramsay, 2nd baronet 14 Feb 1785 26 Apr 1852 67
30 Jun 1826 Hugh Arbuthnott [kt 1862] 1780 11 Jul 1868 88
17 Jul 1865 James Dyce Nicol 1805 16 Nov 1872 67
10 Dec 1872 Sir George Balfour 1809 12 Mar 1894 84
Jul 1892 John William Crombie 4 Mar 1858 22 Mar 1908 50
25 Apr 1908 Arthur Cecil Murray, later [1951] 3rd Viscount Elibank 27 Mar 1879 5 Dec 1962 83
NAME ALTERED TO "KINCARDINE AND WESTERN ABERDEENSHIRE" 1918
KINCARDINE AND DEESIDE
9 Jun 1983 Alick Laidlaw Buchanan‑Smith 8 Apr 1932 29 Aug 1991 59
7 Nov 1991 Nicol Ross Stephen, later [2011] Baron Stephen [L] 23 Mar 1960
9 Apr 1992 George Alexander Bryson Kynoch 7 Oct 1946
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1997
KINCARDINE AND WESTERN ABERDEENSHIRE
14 Dec 1918 Arthur Cecil Murray, later [1951] 3rd Viscount Elibank 27 Mar 1879 5 Dec 1962 83
6 Dec 1923 Charles Malcolm Barclay‑Harvey [kt 1936] 2 Mar 1890 17 Nov 1969 79
30 May 1929 James Scott 8 Mar 1876 30 Oct 1939 63
27 Oct 1931 Charles Malcolm Barclay‑Harvey [kt 1936] 2 Mar 1890 17 Nov 1969 79
30 Mar 1939 Colin Norman Thornton‑Kemsley [kt 1958] 2 Sep 1903 17 Jul 1977 73
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950
KING'S COUNTY
1801 Sir Lawrence Parsons, 5th baronet, later [1807] 2nd Earl of Rosse (to 1807) 21 May 1758 24 Feb 1841 82
Denis Bowes Daly 1745 17 Dec 1821 76
22 Jul 1802 Thomas Bernard (to 1832) c 1769 18 May 1834
22 May 1807 Hardress Lloyd c 1781 1860
30 Jun 1818 John Clere Parsons 29 Jan 1760 1 May 1826 66
30 Jul 1821 William Parsons, styled Baron Oxmantown, later [1841] 3rd Earl of Rosse (to 1835) 17 Jun 1800 31 Oct 1867 67
1 Jan 1833 Nicholas Fitzsimon [kt 1841] (to 1841) 31 Jul 1849
16 Jan 1835 John Craven Westenra (to 1852) 31 Mar 1798 5 Dec 1874 76
24 Feb 1841 Sir Andrew Armstrong, 1st baronet 19 Oct 1786 27 Jan 1863 76
26 Jul 1852 Patrick O'Brien, later [1862] 2nd baronet (to 1885) 1823 23 Apr 1895 71
Loftus Henry Bland 1805 21 Jan 1862 56
19 May 1859 John Pope Hennessy [kt 1880] 5 Apr 1834 7 Oct 1891 57
24 Jul 1865 John Gilbert King 1822 9 Jan 1901 78
23 Nov 1868 David Sherlock 1814 16 Apr 1884 69
13 Apr 1880 Bernard Charles Molloy 1842 26 Jun 1916 73
COUNTY SPLIT INTO 2 DIVISIONS 1885, SEE "BIRR" AND "TULLAMORE"
CONSTITUENCY RE-UNITED 1918
14 Dec 1918 Patrick McCartan 13 Mar 1878 28 Mar 1963 84
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1922
KING'S LYNN (NORFOLK)
formerly known as BISHOP'S LYNN
Apr 1660 Sir Ralph Hare, 1st baronet 24 Mar 1623 28 Feb 1672 48
Edward Walpole (to 1668) 9 Nov 1621 18 Mar 1668 46
29 Mar 1661 Sir William Hovell (to 1670) c 1637 4 Mar 1670
10 Apr 1668 Robert Wright (to 1679) c 1634 18 May 1689
10 Mar 1670 John Coke 8 Sep 1635 1 Aug 1671 35
27 Jan 1673 Sir Francis North, later [1683] 1st Baron Guilford 22 Oct 1637 5 Sep 1685 47
Election declared void 6 Feb 1673. At the subsequent by‑election held on 14 Feb 1673, North was again returned
21 Apr 1675 Robert Coke c 1651 19 Jan 1679
5 Feb 1679 John Turner [kt 1684] c 1631 14 Feb 1712
Sir Simon Taylor (to 1689) c 1633 25 Dec 1689
2 Feb 1681 Sir Henry Hobart, 4th baronet c 1658 21 Aug 1698
16 Mar 1685 Sir John Turner (to 1702) c 1631 14 Feb 1712
11 Jan 1689 Sigismund Trafford c 1643 11 Jul 1723
6 Mar 1690 Daniel Bedingfeld c 1636 13 Sep 1704
24 Oct 1695 Sir Charles Turner, later [1727] 1st baronet (to 1739) 11 Jun 1666 24 Nov 1738 72
23 Jul 1702 Sir Robert Walpole, later [1742] 1st Earl of Orford [expelled 12 Jan 1712. At the subsequent by-election held on 11 Feb 1712, Walpole was again returned, but he was declared incapable of being re‑elected] 26 Aug 1676 18 Mar 1745 68
7 Apr 1712 John Turner, later [1738] 2nd baronet 30 Dec 1668 6 Jan 1739 70
31 Aug 1713 Sir Robert Walpole, later [1742] 1st Earl of Orford (to 1742) 26 Aug 1676 18 Mar 1745 68
9 Feb 1739 Sir John Turner, 3rd baronet (to 1774) 19 Jun 1712 25 Jun 1780 68
25 Feb 1742 Edward Bacon c 1712 12 Mar 1786
29 Jun 1747 Horatio Walpole, later [1757] 2nd Baron Walpole of Wolterton, [1797] 4th Baron Walpole and [1806] 1st Earl of Orford 12 Jun 1723 24 Feb 1809 85
24 Feb 1757 Horatio Walpole, later [1791] 4th Earl of Orford 24 Sep 1717 2 Mar 1797 79
21 Mar 1768 Thomas Walpole (to 1784) 25 Oct 1727 21 Mar 1803 75
8 Oct 1774 Crisp Molineux (to 1790) 7 Sep 1730 4 Dec 1792 62
2 Apr 1784 Horatio Walpole, styled Baron Walpole from 1806, later [1809] 2nd Earl of Orford (to 1809) 13 Jun 1752 15 Jun 1822 70
18 Jun 1790 Sir Martin Browne Folkes, 1st baronet (to 1821) 21 May 1749 11 Dec 1821 72
9 Mar 1809 Horatio Walpole, styled Baron Walpole, later [1822] 3rd Earl of Orford (to 1822) 14 Jun 1783 29 Dec 1858 75
9 Jan 1822 William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, styled Marquess of Titchfield (to 1824) 21 Aug 1796 5 Mar 1824 27
29 Jun 1822 John Walpole (to 1831) 17 Nov 1787 10 Dec 1859 72
19 Mar 1824 William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, styled Marquess of Titchfield, later [1854] 5th Duke of Portland
For further information of this MP, see the note at the foot of the page which contains details of the Portland peerage		 18 Sep 1800 6 Dec 1879 79
10 Jun 1826 Lord William Henry Cavendish‑Bentinck 14 Sep 1774 17 Jun 1839 64
4 Feb 1828 Lord William George Frederick Cavendish‑Bentinck (to 1848) 27 Feb 1802 21 Sep 1848 46
2 May 1831 Lord William Pitt Lennox 20 Sep 1799 18 Feb 1881 81
8 Jan 1835 Sir Stratford Canning, later [1852] 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe 4 Nov 1786 14 Aug 1880 93
10 Feb 1842 Robert Jocelyn, styled Viscount Jocelyn (to 1854) 20 Feb 1816 12 Aug 1854 38
22 Dec 1848 Edward Henry Stanley, styled Baron Stanley, later [1869] 15th Earl of Derby (to 1869) 21 Jul 1826 21 Apr 1893 66
16 Sep 1854 John Henry Gurney 4 Jul 1819 20 Apr 1890 70
14 Jul 1865 Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 3rd baronet 26 Jan 1837 28 Oct 1915 78
19 Nov 1868 Robert Bourke, later [1887] 1st Baron Connemara (to 1886) 11 Jun 1827 3 Sep 1902 75
9 Dec 1869 Lord Claud John Hamilton 20 Feb 1843 26 Jan 1925 81
3 Apr 1880 Sir William Hovell Browne Ffolkes, 3rd baronet 21 Nov 1847 9 May 1912 64
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1885
25 Aug 1886 Alexander Weston Jarvis [kt 1931] 26 Dec 1855 31 Oct 1939 83
Jul 1892 Thomas Gibson Bowles
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 15 Jan 1841 12 Jan 1922 80
15 Jan 1906 Carlyon Wilfroy Bellairs 15 Mar 1871 22 Aug 1955 84
15 Jan 1910 Thomas Gibson Bowles
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 15 Jan 1841 12 Jan 1922 80
Dec 1910 Holcombe Ingleby 18 Mar 1854 6 Aug 1926 72
14 Dec 1918 Neville Paul Jodrell [kt 1922] 27 May 1858 20 May 1932 73
6 Dec 1923 George Graham Woodwark 1 Jul 1874 26 Dec 1938 64
29 Oct 1924 Edmund Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy [I] 15 May 1885 8 Jul 1955 70
14 Nov 1935 Somerset Arthur Maxwell 20 Jan 1905 30 Dec 1942 37
12 Feb 1943 Edmund Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy [I] 15 May 1885 8 Jul 1955 70
26 Jul 1945 Frederick John Wise, later [1951] 1st Baron Wise 10 Apr 1887 20 Nov 1968 81
25 Oct 1951 Ronald Scott-Miller 1 Nov 1904 10 Mar 1992 87
8 Oct 1959 Denys Gradwell Bullard 15 Aug 1912 2 Nov 1994 82
15 Oct 1964 John Derek Page, later [1978] Baron Whaddon [L] 14 Aug 1927 16 Aug 2005 78
18 Jun 1970 Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler 13 Jan 1934 29 May 2020 86
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED FEB 1974
KING'S NORTON (BIRMINGHAM)
14 Dec 1918 Sir Herbert Austin, later [1936] 1st Baron Austin 8 Nov 1866 23 May 1941 74
29 Oct 1924 Robert Dennison 14 Dec 1879 10 Nov 1951 71
30 May 1929 Lionel Beaumont Thomas 1 Aug 1893 7 Dec 1942 49
14 Nov 1935 John Ronald Hamilton Cartland 3 Jan 1907 May 1940 33
8 May 1941 Basil Arthur John Peto
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 13 Dec 1900 3 Feb 1954 53
26 Jul 1945 Albert Raymond Blackburn
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 11 Mar 1915 3 Nov 1991 76
23 Feb 1950 Geoffrey William Lloyd, later [1974] Baron Geoffrey‑Lloyd [L] 17 Jan 1902 12 Sep 1984 82
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1955
KINGSTON-UPON-HULL - See HULL
KINGSTON UPON THAMES (SURREY)
5 Dec 1885 Sir John Whittaker Ellis, 1st baronet 25 Jan 1829 20 Sep 1912 83
Jul 1892 Sir Richard Temple, 1st baronet 8 Mar 1826 15 Mar 1902 76
23 Jul 1895 Thomas Skewes-Cox [kt 1905] 1849 15 Nov 1912 63
22 Jan 1906 Sir George Cave, later [1918] 1st Viscount Cave 23 Feb 1856 29 Mar 1928 72
14 Dec 1918 John Gordon Drummond Campbell 15 Feb 1864 11 Jan 1935 70
15 Nov 1922 Frederick George Penny [kt 1929], later [1933] 1st baronet, [1937] 1st Baron Marchwood and [1945] 1st Viscount Marchwood 10 Mar 1876 1 Jan 1955 78
1 Jul 1937 Percy Molyneux Rawson Royds [kt 1938] 5 Apr 1874 25 Mar 1955 80
26 Jul 1945 John Archibald Boyd‑Carpenter, later [1972] Baron Boyd-Carpenter [L] 2 Jun 1908 11 Jul 1998 90
4 May 1972 Norman Stewart Hughson Lamont, later [1998] Baron Lamont of Lerwick [L] 8 May 1942
NAME CHANGED TO "KINGSTON AND SURBITON" 1997
KINGSTON AND SURBITON
1 May 1997 Edward Jonathan Davey [kt 2015] 25 Dec 1965
7 May 2015 Michael James Ellwood Berry 4 Aug 1983
8 Jun 2017 Sir Edward Jonathan Davey 25 Dec 1965
KINGSWINSFORD (STAFFORDSHIRE)
5 Dec 1885 Alexander Staveley Hill 21 May 1825 28 Jun 1905 80
1 Oct 1900 William George Webb c Dec 1842 14 Jun 1905 62
4 Jul 1905 Henry Staveley-Hill 22 May 1865 25 Mar 1946 80
14 Dec 1918 Charles Henry Sitch
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 4 May 1887 13 Jun 1960 73
27 Oct 1931 Alan Livesey Stuart Todd 3 Jun 1900 14 Aug 1976 76
14 Nov 1935 Arthur Henderson, later [1966] Baron Rowley [L] 27 Aug 1893 28 Aug 1968 75
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950
KINGSWINFORD AND STAFFORDSHIRE SOUTH
4 Jul 2024 Michael Jon Wood 17 Mar 1976
KINGSWOOD (AVON)
28 Feb 1974 Terence William Walker 26 Oct 1935
3 May 1979 John ["Jack"] Heywood Aspinwall 5 Feb 1933 19 May 2015 82
9 Jun 1983 Robert Antony Hayward, later [2015] Baron Hayward [L] 11 Mar 1949
9 Apr 1992 Roger Leslie Berry 4 Jul 1948
6 May 2010 Christopher James Skidmore 17 May 1981
15 Feb 2024 Damien James Egan 8 Jul 1983
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2024
KINROSS AND WESTERN PERTHSHIRE (PERTH AND KINROSS)
14 Dec 1918 James Gardiner 1860 31 Dec 1924 64
6 Dec 1923 Katherine Marjory Stewart Murray, Duchess of Atholl 6 Nov 1874 21 Oct 1960 85
21 Dec 1938 William McNair Snadden, later [1955] 1st baronet 15 Jan 1896 23 Nov 1959 63
26 May 1955 William Gilmour Leburn 30 Jul 1913 15 Aug 1963 50
7 Nov 1963 Sir Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, later [1974] Baron Home of the Hirsel [L] 2 Jul 1903 9 Oct 1995 92
10 Oct 1974 Nicholas Hardwick Fairbairn [kt 1988] 24 Dec 1933 19 Feb 1995 61
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
KINSALE (CORK)
1801 William Rowley c 1764 25 Feb 1812
13 Jul 1802 Samuel Campbell Rowley 19 Jan 1774 28 Jan 1846 72
29 Apr 1806 Henry Martin 21 Dec 1763 19 Jul 1839 75
27 Jun 1818 George Coussmaker c 1797 23 May 1821
3 Jul 1821 Sir Josias Rowley, 1st baronet c 1765 10 Jan 1842
15 Jun 1826 John Russell 10 Jul 1796 27 Apr 1835 38
18 Dec 1832 Samuel Stawell
15 Jan 1835 Henry Thomas
7 Aug 1837 Pierce Mahony [he was unseated on petition in favour of Henry Thomas 11 Apr 1838] 19 Dec 1792 18 Feb 1853 60
11 Apr 1838 Henry Thomas
9 Jul 1841 William Henry Watson 1796
6 Aug 1847 Richard Samuel Guinness [his election was declared void 27 Feb 1848] 1797 28 Aug 1857 60
11 Mar 1848 Benjamin Hawes [kt 1856] 1797 15 May 1862 64
12 Feb 1852 John Isaac Heard 1788 1 Sep 1862 74
7 May 1859 Sir John Arnott, later [1896] 1st baronet 26 Jul 1814 28 Mar 1898 83
8 Jun 1863 Sir George Conway Colthurst, 5th baronet 1824 24 Sep 1878 54
9 Feb 1874 Eugene Collins 1822 10 Mar 1895 72
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1885
KIRKCALDY
18 Dec 1832 Robert Ferguson Aug 1769 3 Dec 1840 71
14 Jan 1835 John Fergus 23 Jan 1865
26 Jul 1837 Robert Ferguson Aug 1769 3 Dec 1840 71
27 Jan 1841 Robert Ferguson 20 Aug 1802 28 Nov 1868 66
25 Jul 1862 Roger Sinclair Aytoun 18 Feb 1823 1 Jan 1904 80
11 Feb 1874 Robert Reid 1831 30 Mar 1875 43
23 Apr 1875 Sir George Campbell 1824 18 Feb 1892 67
11 Mar 1892 James Henry Dalziel, later [1918] 1st baronet and [1921] 1st Baron Dalziel of Kirkcaldy 24 Apr 1868 15 Jul 1935 67
4 Mar 1921 Thomas Kennedy 25 Dec 1876 3 Mar 1954 77
15 Nov 1922 Sir Robert Hutchison, later [1932] 1st Baron Hutchison of Montrose 5 Sep 1873 13 Jun 1950 76
6 Dec 1923 Thomas Kennedy 25 Dec 1876 3 Mar 1954 77
27 Oct 1931 Albert Russell 1884 12 May 1975 90
14 Nov 1935 Thomas Kennedy 25 Dec 1876 3 Mar 1954 77
17 Feb 1944 Thomas Frederick Hubbard Oct 1898 7 Jan 1961 62
8 Oct 1959 Harry Philp Heggie Gourlay 10 Jul 1916 20 Apr 1987 70
11 Jun 1987 Lewis George Moonie, later [2005] Baron Moonie [L] 25 Feb 1947
NAME ALTERED TO "KIRKCALDY AND COWDENBEATH" 2005
KIRKCALDY AND COWDENBEATH
5 May 2005 (James) Gordon Brown [later CH 2024] 20 Feb 1951
7 May 2015 William Arthur Roger Mullin 12 Mar 1948
8 Jun 2017 Lesley Laird 15 Nov 1958
12 Dec 2019 (James) Neale Hanvey Dec 1964
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2024
KIRKCUDBRIGHT
25 Jun 1708 John Stewart 9 Aug 1726
17 Feb 1715 Alexander Murray c 1680 1 May 1750
14 Sep 1727 Patrick Heron c 1672 22 Oct 1761
22 May 1741 Basil Hamilton 8 Sep 1696 14 Nov 1742 46
31 Dec 1742 John Maxwell c 1700 Feb 1754
30 Jul 1747 John Mackye (John Ross Mackye from 1755) 23 Apr 1707 Oct 1797 90
19 Apr 1768 James Murray 1727 30 Apr 1799 71
2 Nov 1774 William Stewart 1737 8 Oct 1797 60
9 Oct 1780 Peter Johnston 5 Aug 1749 3 Oct 1837 88
Election declared void 5 Mar 1781
6 Apr 1781 John Gordon, later [1824] 7th Viscount of Kenmure [he was unseated on petition in favour of Peter Johnston 6 Feb 1782] 1750 21 Sep 1840 90
6 Feb 1782 Peter Johnston 5 Aug 1749 3 Oct 1837 88
16 Aug 1786 Alexander Stewart c 1739 16 Dec 1794
23 Mar 1795 Patrick Heron [following the general election in Jul 1802, he was unseated on petition in favour of Montgomery Granville John Stewart 10 May 1803] c 1735 9 Jun 1803
10 May 1803 Montgomery Granville John Stewart 15 Apr 1780 10 Jan 1860 79
2 Nov 1812 James Dunlop 19 Jun 1759 30 Mar 1832 72
21 Jun 1826 Robert Cutlar Fergusson c 1770 16 Nov 1838
31 Dec 1838 Alexander Murray 1789 15 Jul 1845 56
20 Aug 1845 Thomas Maitland 1792 10 Jun 1851 58
20 Feb 1850 John Mackie 3 Jul 1858
3 Apr 1857 James Mackie 18 May 1821 28 Dec 1867 46
30 Jan 1868 Wellwood Herries Maxwell 1817 13 Aug 1900 83
10 Feb 1874 John Maitland 1841 Feb 1922 80
9 Apr 1880 John Maxwell Heron‑Maxwell 5 Sep 1836 26 Jan 1899 62
1 Dec 1885 Mark John McTaggart‑Stewart, later [1892] 1st baronet 12 Oct 1834 26 Sep 1923 88
18 Jan 1906 Gilbert McMicking 24 Mar 1862 15 Nov 1942 80
19 Jan 1910 Sir Mark John McTaggart‑Stewart, 1st baronet 12 Oct 1834 26 Sep 1923 88
Dec 1910 Gilbert McMicking 24 Mar 1862 15 Nov 1942 80
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1918
KIRKDALE (LIVERPOOL)
25 Nov 1885 George Smyth Baden‑Powell [kt 1888] 24 Dec 1847 20 Nov 1898 50
9 Dec 1898 David MacIver 24 Aug 1840 1 Sep 1907 67
26 Sep 1907 Charles McArthur May 1844 3 Jul 1910 66
20 Jul 1910 Gerald Kyffin-Taylor 9 Mar 1863 11 Dec 1949 86
15 Feb 1915 John de Fonblanque Pennefather, later [1924] 1st baronet 29 Mar 1856 8 Aug 1933 77
30 May 1929 Elijah Sandham 1875 7 May 1944 68
27 Oct 1931 Robert Rankin, later [1937] 1st baronet 18 Oct 1877 11 Oct 1960 82
26 Jul 1945 William Keenan 1889 15 Dec 1955 66
26 May 1955 Norman Alfred Pannell 17 Apr 1901 8 Mar 1976 74
15 Oct 1964 James Anthony Dunn 30 Jan 1926 Apr 1985 59
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
KNARESBOROUGH (YORKSHIRE)
2 Apr 1660 William Stockdale (to 1693) 3 Jan 1635 3 Mar 1693 58
Henry Bethell c 1606 27 Feb 1668
11 Apr 1661 Sir John Talbot 7 Jun 1630 13 Mar 1714 83
17 Feb 1679 Sir Thomas Slingsby, 2nd baronet 15 Jun 1636 1 Mar 1688 51
21 Mar 1685 Henry Slingsby, later [1688] 3rd baronet c 1660 15 Sep 1691
12 Jan 1689 Thomas Fawkes (to 1695) c 1640 7 Aug 1707
Edward Osborne, styled Viscount Latimer c 1655 Jan 1689
Double return. Fawkes declared elected 21 Mar 1689, Latimer having died in the meantime
24 Feb 1690 William Stockdale 3 Jan 1635 3 Mar 1693 58
Thomas Fawkes c 1640 7 Aug 1707
Sir Henry Slingsby, 3rd baronet c 1660 15 Sep 1691
Double return between Fawkes and Slingsby. Fawkes declared elected 17 May 1690
21 Apr 1693 Christopher Stockdale (to Mar 1714) c 1665 Oct 1713
31 Oct 1695 Robert Byerley (to May 1714) 27 Mar 1660 3 May 1714 54
15 Mar 1714 Francis Fawkes (to 1715) 18 Jun 1674 11 Nov 1747 73
17 May 1714 Henry Slingsby, later [1726] 5th baronet c 1693 18 Jan 1763
4 Feb 1715 Henry Coote, 5th Earl of Mountrath [I] 4 Jan 1684 27 Mar 1720 36
Robert Hitch (to 1722) c 1670 6 Nov 1723
16 Apr 1720 Richard Arundell (to 1758) c 1696 20 Jan 1758
26 Mar 1722 Henry Slingsby, later [1726] 5th baronet (to 1763) c 1693 18 Jan 1763
14 Feb 1758 Robert Boyle Walsingham Mar 1736 Oct 1780 44
30 Mar 1761 Lord John Cavendish (to 1768) 22 Oct 1732 18 Nov 1796 64
3 Feb 1763 Sir Anthony Thomas Abdy, 5th baronet (to 1775) c 1720 7 Apr 1775
18 Mar 1768 Robert Boyle Walsingham (to 1781) Mar 1736 Oct 1780 44
19 Apr 1775 Lord George Augustus Henry Cavendish, later [1831] 1st Earl of Burlington 21 Mar 1754 4 May 1834 80
11 Sep 1780 Frederick Ponsonby, styled Viscount Duncannon, later [1793] 3rd Earl of Bessborough (to 1793) 24 Jan 1758 3 Feb 1844 86
3 Jul 1781 James Hare (to 1804) 9 Apr 1747 17 Mar 1804 56
30 Mar 1793 Lord John Townshend (to 1818) 19 Jan 1757 25 Feb 1833 76
9 Apr 1804 William Cavendish
For information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 10 Jan 1783 14 Jan 1812 29
25 Mar 1805 John William Ponsonby, styled Viscount Duncannon, later [1844] 4th Earl of Bessborough [I] 31 Aug 1781 16 May 1847 65
4 Nov 1806 Charles Augustus Bennet, styled Baron Ossulston, later [1822] 5th Earl of Tankerville 28 Apr 1776 25 Jun 1859 83
19 Jun 1818 George Tierney 20 Mar 1761 25 Jan 1830 68
Sir James Mackintosh (to Jun 1832) 24 Oct 1765 30 May 1832 66
16 Feb 1830 Henry Peter Brougham, later [Nov 1830] 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux 19 Sep 1778 7 May 1868 89
2 Dec 1830 Henry Manners Cavendish, 3rd Baron Waterpark [I] (to Dec 1832) 8 Nov 1793 31 Mar 1863 69
28 Jun 1832 William Francis Spencer Ponsonby, later [1838] 1st Baron de Mauley 31 Jul 1787 16 May 1855 67
13 Dec 1832 John Richards (to 1837)
Benjamin Rotch 31 Oct 1854
8 Jan 1835 Andrew Lawson 28 Feb 1853
24 Jul 1837 Henry Rich, later [1863] 1st baronet 1797 5 Nov 1869 72
Charles Langdale 19 Sep 1787 1 Dec 1868 81
29 Jun 1841 Andrew Lawson 28 Feb 1853
William Ferrand 26 Apr 1809 31 Mar 1889 79
29 Aug 1847 William Saunders Sebright Lascelles 29 Oct 1798 2 Jul 1851 52
Joshua Proctor Brown Westhead (to 1852) 1807 25 Jul 1877 70
12 Jul 1851 Thomas Collins 1825 26 Nov 1884 59
8 Jul 1852 Basil Thomas Woodd (to 1868) 7 Jul 1815 4 Jun 1895 79
John Dent Dent 11 Jun 1826 22 Dec 1894 68
Joshua Proctor Brown Westhead 1807 25 Jul 1877 70
Treble return, Woodd, Dent and Westhead receiving an equal number of votes. On scrutiny, Westhead's votes were reduced by 1 with the result that he was declared unduly elected 25 Apr 1853
27 Mar 1857 Thomas Collins 1825 26 Nov 1884 59
13 Jul 1865 Isaac Holden, later [1893] 1st baronet 7 May 1807 13 Aug 1897 90
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1868
17 Nov 1868 Alfred Illingworth 25 Sep 1827 2 Jan 1907 79
5 Feb 1874 Basil Thomas Woodd 7 Jul 1815 4 Jun 1895 79
3 Apr 1880 Sir Henry Meysey Meysey-Thompson, 2nd baronet, later [1905] 1st Baron Knaresborough [His election was declared void 23 Jul 1880. Writ suspended until May 1881] 30 Aug 1845 3 Mar 1929 83
13 May 1881 Thomas Collins 1825 26 Nov 1884 59
10 Dec 1884 Robert Gunter, later [1901] 1st baronet 2 Nov 1831 17 Sep 1905 73
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1885
KNOWSLEY (MERSEYSIDE)
6 May 2010 George Edward Howarth 29 Jun 1949
4 Jul 2024 Anneliese Midgley
KNOWSLEY NORTH (MERSEYSIDE)
9 Jun 1983 Robert Michael Kilroy‑Silk 19 May 1942
13 Nov 1986 George Edward Howarth 29 Jun 1949
NAME CHANGED TO "KNOWSLEY NORTH AND SEFTON EAST" 1997
KNOWSLEY NORTH AND SEFTON EAST
1 May 1997 George Edward Howarth 29 Jun 1949
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2010
KNOWSLEY SOUTH (MERSEYSIDE)
9 Jun 1983 Sean Francis Hughes 8 May 1946 25 Jun 1990 44
27 Sep 1990 Edward O'Hara 1 Oct 1937 28 May 2016 78
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2010
KNUTSFORD (CHESHIRE)
4 Dec 1885 Alan de Tatton Egerton, later [1909] 3rd Baron Egerton of Tatton 19 Mar 1845 9 Sep 1920 75
Jan 1906 Alfred John King 14 Feb 1859 16 Mar 1910 51
21 Jan 1910 Alan John Sykes, later [1917] 1st baronet 11 Apr 1868 21 May 1950 82
15 Nov 1922 Ernest Makins [kt 1938] 14 Oct 1869 18 May 1959 89
26 Jul 1945 Walter Henry Bromley‑Davenport [kt 1961]
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 15 Sep 1903 26 Dec 1989 86
18 Jun 1970 John Emerson Harding Davies 8 Jan 1916 4 Jul 1979 63
1 Mar 1979 John Bruce-Gardyne, later [1983] Baron Bruce-Gardyne [L] 12 Apr 1930 15 Apr 1990 60
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
 

Thomas Gibson Bowles
MP for King's Lynn 1892‑1906
The following is extracted from The Emperor of the United States of America and Other Magnificent British Eccentrics by Catherine Caufield (Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1981)
When, in 1887, Thomas Gibson Bowles, the founder and publisher of The Lady and Vanity Fair, was left a widower with four children under the age of ten, he decided upon a severely practical approach to the new task of childrearing. Health, he decided, was the most important thing. Bowles had studied some statistics that suggested that Jewish children were less susceptible to epidemic diseases than others. From then on his children were fed according to strict Mosaic law.
The dressing of girl children seemed to him an unnecessarily complicated matter, so he decided to have his daughters outfitted by the naval tailor who made his sons' clothes. As a result Sydney and Dorothy Bowles wore thick blue serge naval uniforms and sailor's caps until the age of seventeen.
In her teens, Sydney, later Lady Redesdale and mother of the remarkable Mitford girls, had to endure a great deal of teasing from small boys who made fun of her odd clothes. At last her father was persuaded to allow her to dress in a manner more becoming a young woman. He consulted a friend, an actress who affected very dramatic costumes. With her help, a long low-necked black velvet gown with a red sash and a large befeathered Duchess of Devonshire hat was selected as the 17-year-old Sydney's morning walking costume.
Cap'en Tommy, as the cartoonists called him, had strict views on the correct way to take a bath. He dismissed the conventional method as merely 'sitting in dirty water'. Instead, he took steam baths at his London club. When the family went to Scotland on holiday, however, he had to improvise, using some dog kennels in front of the house as a temporary Turkish bath. Bowles would sit steaming inside the first kennel, which had been lined with hot bricks, before emerging into the run where the butler was waiting on the roof of the next kennel to shower him with bucketfuls of cold water. From his position on the roof, the butler could also announce the approach of any strangers whose sensibility might not be equal to the spectacle.
Bowles was MP for King's Lynn from 1892-1906 [and again between January and December 1910]. In 1899, he announced to his daughter, Dorothy, who was by now keeping house for him at their home in Lowndes Square, that he was fed up with politics and intended to move to China. Asked when he was thing of taking this dramatic step, he replied "On Thursday. You'd better close up the house and pack." Dorothy did as she was told; said goodbye to her house-guests, had the furniture covered in dust sheets, arranged for a caretaker to look after the house, and at eleven o'clock on Thursday morning was sitting in Lowndes Square in a four-wheeled carriage, with all her luggage, waiting for her father to join her on the first leg of their journey. As Bowles came down the front steps a few raindrops fell; he leant in at the window of the cab and said "My dear child, it's raining. We won't go."
Basil Arthur John Peto
MP for King's Norton 1941‑1945
From the Manchester Guardian of 4 February 1954:-
Major John Peto, former M.P. for the King's Norton division of Birmingham, was found shot dead yesterday at his home at Old Enton, Witley, Surrey. Godalming police said that the shooting appeared to be accidental.
After breakfast yesterday, Major Peto took a shotgun and went out into the grounds close to open country and the Enton golf course, saying that he would be in to lunch. Later his gardener, Mr. A. Fry, found the body near the house, with the gun lying close beside it. It as thought that Major Peto slipped on ice, catching his foot in some wire frozen hard to the ground. The police said that he had fired one barrel shortly before he fell and was carrying the gun loaded in the other barrel.
Albert Raymond Blackburn
MP for King's Norton 1945‑1950 and Northfield, Birmingham 1950‑1951
After a promising start, Blackburn's career spiralled rapidly downwards. The one-time Labour MP, whose maiden speech had been praised by Churchill, ended up as a public nuisance, scuffling in county courts and joining Lord Longford on anti-pornography campaigns. Had he been less independent - his speeches as a rule gave greater comfort to the opposition's front bench that to his own - and less drunk, he might have been more successful.
In 1947, two years after entering Parliament, he was charged with being incapable in Piccadilly, the first of many such incidents. By 1952, Blackburn was on a steep downward path, albeit one he negotiated with a bankrupt's customary panache. After lunch at his own bankruptcy proceedings, he was told by the registrar that he had been seen at an expensive restaurant smoking a large cigar. In 1956, he was charged with fraudulently inviting the public to lease plots on a caravan site. In spite of a seven-hour speech in his own defence, he was sentenced to two years in prison. On appeal, he rebuked Lord Chief Justice Goddard for a 'very wrong remark', adding that his lordship was clearly prejudiced, and had already decided to send him back to prison. Goddard angrily denied this accusation, and then he sent him back to prison.
After two failed marriages, his third attempt at matrimony brought him the stability that he needed. In the late 1960s he re-emerged as a moral vigilante. Although his campaign against gaming clubs was not a success, in 1975 he persuaded an Old Bailey jury that the film More About the Language of Love was grossly indecent. The following year, he prosecuted the film's predecessor The Language of Love but on this occasion failed. He had some harsh words for Judge Neil McKinnon, whose daughter, Gail, was a popular topless model.
Charles Henry Sitch
MP for Kingswinford 1918‑1931
Sitch was imprisoned for 9 months in June 1933 after he was found guilty of fraudulent conversion and falsification of accounts. The edited report below appeared in The Times of 24 March 1933:-
Charles H. Sitch, a former Labour M.P. for the Kingswinford Division and general secretary of the Chain Makers' and Strikers' Association, appeared at the Old Hill (Staffs) Police Court yesterday.
There were 44 charges against him, comprising 10 charges of fraudulent conversion of money of the society, involving a total sum of £4, 769, 26 charges of falsification of the accounts of the society, and other charges of forging and uttering forged bank pass-books.
Mr. Wylie [prosecuting] said that Mr. Sitch succeeded his father as paid secretary of the society in 1923. He had the assistance of two paid girl clerks, one being his sister, and they made probably most of the entries in the society's books. When he became secretary Mr. Sitch was an M.P., and he also became a magistrate. The members of the society, who had the greatest respect for his father, who founded the society, respected and honoured his son, the defendant, and had the greatest confidence in him. Under the rules of the society all moneys should be paid into the hands of the treasurer, but actually no money ever came into the hands of the treasurer at all.
Until 1928 everything was in proper order, and the balances at the various banks used by the Association were correct. In that year the Association ceased to pay unemployment benefit, and funds began to accumulate. It was in the half-yearly audit of December, 1928, that the first discrepancy occurred. The accounts showed that the balance of the various bank accounts was £2,072. The actual cash in the banks was only £1,722, and the prosecution alleged that Sitch had converted to his own use in the six months £250 [£350?]. They suggested that in the next six months he converted £350; in the subsequent six months £685; and between December, 1928 and December, 1932, they alleged that he had misappropriated funds of the Association to the extent of over £4,000.
That was a terrible calamity for those people. They put their faith in Sitch, and so great was heir trust that at the half-yearly audit when he met the auditors and trustees, instead of Sitch handing over the bank pass-books to the auditors so that they could see for themselves, defendant would say, "I have another appointment. I am in a hurry. I have the bank-book here. You had better take the amounts down in pencil." They retained the figures and presented them to the general meeting.
Suspicion was aroused about the time of the last annual general meeting in February of this year and the trustees went to the bank. They found that instead of having there some £4,800 on deposit their total balance was £7 1s. 9d.
William Cavendish
MP for Knaresborough Apr‑Jul 1804, Aylesbury Jul 1804‑1806 and Derby 1806‑1812
Cavendish's death notice in The Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser on 18 January 1812 reads as follows:-
On Wednesday last, William Cavendish, Esq., M.P. for the town of Derby, and eldest son of Lord G[eorge Augustus] H[enry] Cavendish, of Holker-Hall, near Cartmel in this county. He had been spending the holidays with his noble and worthy parents at the above place; and on the above morning was taking a short excursion from the hall, with his younger brother and another gentleman, in a shandray, or light cart, when the reins breaking, the horse took fright, Mr. C. leapt out, and by some means falling upon his head, he was unfortunately killed upon the spot. He has left a widow (now at Holker) and three children to lament his loss.
Sir Walter Henry Bromley-Davenport
MP for Knutsford 1945‑1970
Bromley-Davenport was one of the last 'knights of the shire' at Westminster, in the sense that he was an MP whose distinguishing feature was a county background and an innate sense of conservatism. Sir Walter (he was knighted in 1961) was a parliamentary character of the sort the British are reputed to admire. As such, he was happy throughout his years on the backbenches to support this perception by playing the buffoon.
Sir Walter was reputed to have the loudest voice (and yawn) in the House of Commons. He liked to startle new Labour MPs when they rose to make a speech by bellowing "Take your hands out of your pockets!" On one occasion, Brigadier Otho Prior‑Palmer, MP for Worthing 1945-1964, attempted to speak at the same time as Bromley-Davenport. "Sit down!" thundered Sir Walter, which the Brigadier immediately did. This then led to a debate as whether a Brigadier should obey an order by a officer with less seniority (Bromley-Davenport was merely a Lieutenant Colonel), but the Speaker ruled that, in the House, all men were considered equal.
He made good use of his booming voice outside the Commons as well. Boarding an over-crowded train at Crewe, he walked up and down the corridor, shouting "All change! All change!". This had the desired effect, since everyone got off and he was able to find a seat. When he was attacked in his home by a madman with an axe, he shouted "Don't let the NHS (National Health Service) get me!" so loudly that his attacker fled.
During the 1987 general election, Sir Walter was invited by Neil Hamilton (MP for Tatton 1983‑1997) to address a meeting. When Hamilton's attention was drawn to a pile of dog-eared notes, he asked Sir Walter when the speech had been written. Sir Walter replied that he had written it in 1945. He had delivered the same speech at every general election for 42 years and no-one had ever noticed.
Sir Walter never reached high office, his high-point being as a junior whip in 1949. He lost this position as a result of celebrated error on his part. During 1950-1951, the Labour government had only a very small majority. As a result, there was a good chance the government could be defeated. The Tories commenced a war of attrition, which included a number of all-night sittings. As a whip, it was Sir Walter's job to prevent Tory MPs from sneaking off home early. One night he was stationed at a door to a staircase leading down to the Members' Entrance when he spotted a man rushing across the lobby. He shouted at him to go back into the House but this had no effect. He then tried to intercept the man as he reached the door but was brushed aside. This rather annoyed Sir Walter, who delivered a well-aimed kick at the fugitive's backside, causing him to tumble head over heels down the stairs, landing in a bruised heap at the bottom. Unfortunately for Sir Walter's career ambitions, the groaning victim was not a Tory MP at all, but the Belgian Ambassador. The ensuing diplomatic incident ensured Sir Walter's swift return to the backbenches.
 

 
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