THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "K"
Last updated 13/06/2017 (16 Feb 2024)
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
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
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
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	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
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
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.

	Copyright © 2003-2017 Leigh Rayment
	Copyright © 2020-2024 Helen Belcher OBE