THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "R"
Last updated 25/07/2018 (30 Sep 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.
ROCHDALE (LANCASHIRE)
14 Dec 1832 John Fenton 3 Jul 1791 25 Jul 1863 72
9 Jan 1835 John Entwistle 16 Aug 1784 5 Apr 1837 52
19 Apr 1837 John Fenton 3 Jul 1791 25 Jul 1863 72
2 Jul 1841 William Sharman Crawford 3 Sep 1780 17 Oct 1861 80
10 Jul 1852 Edward Miall 8 May 1809 29 Apr 1881 71
30 Mar 1857 Sir Alexander Ramsay, 3rd baronet 26 May 1813 3 Mar 1875 61
29 Apr 1859 Richard Cobden 3 Jun 1804 2 Apr 1865 60
15 Apr 1865 Thomas Bayley Potter 29 Nov 1817 6 Nov 1898 80
15 Jul 1895 Clement Molyneux Royds [kt 1906] 3 Apr 1842 28 Jan 1916 73
13 Jan 1906 Alexander Gordon Cummins Harvey 31 Dec 1858 6 Nov 1922 63
14 Dec 1918 Alfred Joseph Law [kt 1927] 31 May 1860 18 Jul 1939 79
15 Nov 1922 Stanley Burgess 5 Dec 1889 2 Jun 1972 82
6 Dec 1923 John Ramsay Bryce Muir 30 Sep 1872 4 May 1941 70
29 Oct 1924 William Thomas Kelly 21 Jun 1874 13 Mar 1940 65
27 Oct 1931 Thomas Edward Jesson 28 Jul 1882 23 Jul 1958 76
14 Nov 1935 William Thomas Kelly 21 Jun 1874 13 Mar 1940 65
20 Jul 1940 Hyacinth Bernard Wenceslaus Morgan 11 Sep 1885 7 May 1956 70
23 Feb 1950 Joseph Hale 28 Oct 1913 7 Feb 1985 71
25 Oct 1951 Wentworth Schofield 17 Apr 1891 16 Dec 1957 66
12 Feb 1958 John McCann 4 Dec 1910 16 Jul 1972 61
26 Oct 1972 Cyril Smith [kt 1988] 28 Jun 1928 3 Sep 2010 82
9 Apr 1992 Elizabeth Lynne 22 Jan 1948
1 May 1997 Lorna Fitzsimons 6 Aug 1967
5 May 2005 Paul John Rowen 11 May 1955
6 May 2010 Simon Christopher Danczuk 24 Oct 1966
8 Jun 2017 Anthony Joseph Lloyd [kt 2021] 25 Feb 1950 17 Jan 2024 73
29 Feb 2024 George Galloway 16 Aug 1954
4 Jul 2024 Paul Waugh
ROCHESTER (KENT)
12 Apr 1660 Peter Pett 6 Aug 1610 c 1672
John Marsham, later [1663] 1st baronet 23 Aug 1602 25 May 1685 82
21 Mar 1661 Sir Francis Clerke (to Feb 1679) c 1624 25 Feb 1686
Sir William Batten c 1601 5 Oct 1667
2 Nov 1667 Richard Head, later [1676] 1st baronet (to Aug 1679) c 1609 18 Sep 1689
19 Feb 1679 Sir John Banks, 1st baronet (to 1690) 19 Aug 1627 19 Oct 1699 72
16 Aug 1679 Francis Barrell c 1627 10 Sep 1679
3 Feb 1681 Sir Francis Clerke c 1624 25 Feb 1686
8 Jan 1689 Sir Roger Twisden, 2nd baronet 12 Oct 1640 28 Feb 1703 62
18 Mar 1690 Sir Joseph Williamson (to 1701) 25 Jul 1633 3 Oct 1701 68
Francis Clerke c 1665 by Sep 1691
27 Oct 1691 Caleb Banks 18 Sep 1659 13 Sep 1696 36
23 Oct 1695 Sir Cloudesley Shovell
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 25 Nov 1650 22 Oct 1707 56
24 Nov 1701 Francis Barrell 26 Jan 1663 11 Jun 1724 61
William Bokenham 10 Nov 1702
16 Jul 1702 Edward Knatchbull, later [c 1712] 4th baronet c 1674 3 Apr 1730
William Cage 28 Mar 1666 21 Jan 1738 71
8 May 1705 Sir Cloudesley Shovell
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 25 Nov 1650 22 Oct 1707 56
Sir Stafford Fairborne (to 1710) 1666 11 Nov 1742 76
3 Jan 1708 Sir John Leake (to 1715) 4 Jul 1656 21 Aug 1720 64
7 Oct 1710 William Cage 28 Mar 1666 21 Jan 1738 71
22 Jan 1715 Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th baronet 5 Jul 1682 8 Nov 1723 41
Sir John Jennings (to 1734) 1664 23 Dec 1743 79
16 Jan 1724 Sir Thomas Colby, 1st baronet c 1670 23 Sep 1729
16 Aug 1727 David Polhill (to 1741) 22 Apr 1674 15 Jan 1754 79
25 Apr 1734 Nicholas Haddock (to 1746) 1686 26 Sep 1746 60
6 May 1741 Edward Vernon [he was also returned for Ipswich, for which he chose to sit] 12 Nov 1684 30 Oct 1757 72
22 Feb 1743 David Polhill (to Jan 1754) 1674 15 Jan 1754 79
24 Nov 1746 Sir Chaloner Ogle c 1680 11 Apr 1750
23 Jan 1751 John Byng (to 1757)
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 29 Oct 1704 14 Mar 1757 52
26 Jan 1754 Nicholas Haddock (to 1761) 1723 19 Jul 1781 58
28 Mar 1757 Isaac Townsend (to 1765) c 1685 21 Nov 1765
25 Mar 1761 Thomas Parker, styled Viscount Parker, later [1764] 3rd Earl of Macclesfield 12 Oct 1723 9 Feb 1795 71
23 Mar 1764 Sir Charles Hardy (to 1768) c 1714 19 May 1780
23 Dec 1765 Grey Cooper c 1726 30 Jul 1801
16 Mar 1768 John Calcraft (to 1772) 4 Sep 1726 23 Aug 1772 45
William Gordon c 1735 29 Mar 1776
9 Mar 1771 Thomas Pye (to 1774) c 1713 26 Dec 1785
18 Sep 1772 George Finch-Hatton (to 1784) 30 Jun 1747 17 Feb 1823 75
7 Oct 1774 Robert Gregory c 1729 1 Sep 1810
1 Apr 1784 Sir Charles Middleton, 1st baronet, later [1805] 1st Baron Barham 14 Oct 1726 17 Jun 1813 86
Nathaniel Smith 1730 6 May 1794 63
19 Jun 1790 George Best (to 1796) 10 Nov 1759 8 Sep 1818 58
Sir Richard Bickerton, 1st baronet 23 Jun 1727 25 Feb 1792 64
7 Mar 1792 Nathaniel Smith 1730 6 May 1794 63
12 May 1794 Sir Richard King, 1st baronet (to 1802) 10 Aug 1730 27 Nov 1806 76
27 May 1796 Henry Tufton, later [1832] 11th Earl of Thanet 2 Jan 1775 12 Jun 1849 74
5 Jul 1802 Sir William Sidney Smith 21 Jun 1764 26 May 1840 75
James Hulkes 1770 29 Jan 1821 50
8 Nov 1806 John Calcraft (to 1818)
For further information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of the page containing details of the members for Wareham		 16 Oct 1765 11 Sep 1831 65
James Barnett c 1760 1 Oct 1836
8 May 1807 Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson (to 1816) 28 Feb 1766 3 Mar 1828 62
27 Jun 1816 James Barnett (to 1820) [His election was declared void 26 Feb 1817. At the subsequent by‑election held on 6 Mar 1817, Barnett was again returned] c 1760 1 Oct 1836
20 Jun 1818 Thomas Hamilton, styled Lord Binning, later [1828] 9th Earl of Haddington (to 1826) 21 Jun 1780 1 Dec 1858 78
6 Mar 1820 Ralph Bernal (to 1841) 2 Oct 1783 26 Aug 1854 70
17 Jun 1826 Henry Dundas, later [1851] 3rd Viscount Melville 25 Feb 1801 1 Feb 1876 74
4 Aug 1830 George Augustus Frederick Child‑Villiers, styled Viscount Villiers, later [1859] 6th Earl of Jersey 4 Apr 1808 24 Oct 1859 51
30 Apr 1831 John Mills 11 Aug 1779 28 Feb 1871 91
10 Jan 1835 Thomas Twisden Hodges 12 Mar 1865
26 Jul 1837 Thomas Benjamin Hobhouse 19 Jun 1807 31 Dec 1876 69
30 Jun 1841 James Douglas Stoddart Douglas 1793 25 Feb 1875
William Henry Bodkin [kt 1867] 5 Aug 1791 26 Mar 1874 82
31 Jul 1847 Ralph Bernal 2 Oct 1783 26 Aug 1854 69
Thomas Twisden Hodges 12 Mar 1865
9 Jul 1852 Francis John Robert Villiers 11 Oct 1819 8 May 1862 42
Sir Thomas Herbert Maddock (to 1857) 18 May 1792 15 Jan 1870 77
8 Feb 1856 Philip Wykeham Martin (to 1878) 18 Jan 1829 31 May 1878 49
30 Mar 1857 John Alexander Kinglake 1805 9 Jul 1870 65
19 Jul 1870 Julian Goldsmid, later [1878] 3rd baronet (to 1880) 8 Oct 1838 7 Jan 1896 57
14 Jun 1878 Arthur John Otway, later [1881] 3rd baronet (to 1885) 8 Aug 1822 8 Jun 1912 89
1 Apr 1880 Roger Leigh 1840 29 Feb 1924 83
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1885
24 Nov 1885 Francis Charles Hughes‑Hallett
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 1838 1903 65
16 Apr 1889 Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen, later [1893] 2nd Baron Brabourne 5 Apr 1857 29 Dec 1909 52
Jul 1892 Horatio David Davies [kt 1898] [he was unseated on petition 10 Dec 1892] 1842 18 Sep 1912 70
8 Feb 1893 James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil, styled Viscount Cranborne, later [1903] 4th Marquess of Salisbury 23 Oct 1861 4 Apr 1947 85
23 Sep 1903 Charles Tuff 1855 27 Jan 1929 73
15 Jan 1906 Ernest Henry Lamb [kt 1914], later [1931] 1st Baron Rochester 4 Sep 1876 13 Jan 1955 78
15 Jan 1910 Samuel Forde Ridley 1864 17 Nov 1944 80
Dec 1910 Ernest Henry Lamb [kt 1914], later [1931] 1st Baron Rochester 4 Sep 1876 13 Jan 1955 78
SPLIT INTO 2 DIVISIONS 1918, SEE "CHATHAM" AND "GILLINGHAM"
ROCHESTER AND CHATHAM
23 Feb 1950 Arthur George Bottomley, later [1984] Baron Bottomley [L] 7 Feb 1907 3 Nov 1995 88
8 Oct 1959 Julian Michael Gordon Critchley [kt 1995] 8 Dec 1930 9 Sep 2000 69
15 Oct 1964 Anne Patricia Kerr 24 Mar 1925 29 Jul 1973 48
18 Jun 1970 Peggy Edith Fenner [Dame 1986] 22 Nov 1922 15 Sep 2014 91
10 Oct 1974 Robert Ernest Bean 5 Sep 1935 7 Dec 1987 52
3 May 1979 Peggy Edith Fenner [Dame 1986] 22 Nov 1921 15 Sep 2014 92
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
ROCHESTER AND STROOD
6 May 2010 Mark John Reckless [He was re-elected at a by‑election held on 20 Nov 2014 following his change of party allegiance] 6 Dec 1970
7 May 2015 Kelly Jane Tolhurst 23 Aug 1978
4 Jul 2024 Lauren Rae Edwards
ROCHFORD (ESSEX)
9 Jun 1983 Michael Clark 8 Aug 1935
NAME ALTERED TO "ROCHFORD AND SOUTHEND EAST" 1997
ROCHFORD AND SOUTHEND EAST (ESSEX)
1 May 1997 Sir Edward Macmillan Taylor 18 Apr 1937 20 Sep 2017 80
5 May 2005 James Philip Duddridge 26 Aug 1971
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2024
ROMFORD (ESSEX)
4 Dec 1885 John Westlake 4 Feb 1828 14 Apr 1913 85
10 Jul 1886 James Theobald
For further information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 1829 10 Mar 1894 64
2 Apr 1894 Alfred Money Wigram 1856 13 Oct 1899 43
1 Feb 1897 Louis Sinclair 1861 4 Jan 1928 66
20 Jan 1906 John Henry Bethell, later [1911] 1st baronet and [1922] 1st Baron Bethell 23 Sep 1861 27 May 1945 83
14 Dec 1918 Albert Edward Martin 1875 25 Jul 1936 61
6 Dec 1923 Charles Arthur Uryan Rhys, later [1956] 8th Baron Dynevor 21 Sep 1899 15 Dec 1962 63
30 May 1929 Henry Thomas Benjamin Muggeridge 26 Jun 1864 25 Mar 1942 77
27 Oct 1931 William Gordon Douglas Hurchison 26 Sep 1904 18 Jul 1975 70
14 Nov 1935 Herbert John Harvey Parker 15 Jul 1906 24 Nov 1987 81
26 Jul 1945 Thomas Macpherson, later [1951] 1st Baron Macpherson of Drumochter 9 Jul 1888 11 Jun 1965 76
23 Feb 1950 John Cutts Lockwood Dec 1890 18 Jan 1983 92
26 May 1955 Ronald Joseph Ledger 7 Nov 1920 11 Dec 2004 84
18 Jun 1970 Richard Lawrence Leonard 12 Dec 1930 24 Jun 2021 90
28 Feb 1974 Michael Jon Neubert [kt 1990] 3 Sep 1933 3 Jan 2014 80
1 May 1997 Eileen Gordon 22 Oct 1946
7 Jun 2001 Andrew Richard Rosindell 17 Mar 1966
ROMSEY (HAMPSHIRE)
1 May 1997 Michael Keith Beale Colvin
For further information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 27 Sep 1932 24 Feb 2000 67
4 May 2000 Sandra Julia Gidley 26 Mar 1957
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2010
ROMSEY AND SOUTHAMPTON NORTH (HAMPSHIRE)
6 May 2010 Caroline Fiona Ellen Nokes 26 Jun 1972
ROMSEY AND WATERSIDE (HAMPSHIRE)
9 Jun 1983 Michael Keith Beale Colvin 27 Sep 1932 24 Feb 2000 67
NAME ALTERED TO "ROMSEY" 1997
ROSCOMMON
1801 Arthur French (to 1821) 6 Apr 1765 24 Nov 1820 55
Thomas Mahon, later [1810] 2nd Baron Hartland [I] 2 Aug 1766 8 Dec 1835 69
22 Jul 1802 Edward King 9 Jun 1774 Nov 1807 33
17 Nov 1806 Stephen Mahon (to 1826) 6 Feb 1768 27 May 1828 60
16 Jan 1821 Arthur French, later [1839] 1st Baron de Freyne (to 1832) c May 1788 29 Sep 1856 68
19 Jun 1826 Robert King, later [1869] 6th Earl of Kingston 17 Jul 1804 16 Oct 1869 65
9 Aug 1830 Owen O'Conor 6 Mar 1763 12 Jun 1831 68
25 Jul 1831 Denis O'Conor (to 1847) May 1794 15 Jul 1847 53
7 Dec 1832 Fitzstephen French (to 1873) 7 Dec 1801 4 Jun 1873 71
9 Aug 1847 Oliver Dowell John Grace 1791 25 Jan 1871 79
16 May 1859 Thomas William Goff [his election was declared void 5 Mar 1860] c 1829 3 Jun 1876
26 Mar 1860 Charles Owen O'Conor (to 1880) 7 May 1838 30 Jun 1906 68
24 Jun 1873 Charles French 21 Oct 1851 27 Oct 1925 74
8 Apr 1880 Andrew Commins 1832 7 Jan 1916 83
James Joseph O'Kelly 1845 22 Dec 1916 71
COUNTY SPLIT INTO "NORTH" AND "SOUTH" DIVISIONS 1885
ROSCOMMON NORTH
Dec 1885 James Joseph O'Kelly 1845 22 Dec 1916 71
Jul 1892 Matthias McDonnell Bodkin 8 Oct 1850 7 Jun 1933 82
25 Jul 1895 James Joseph O'Kelly 1845 22 Dec 1916 71
3 Feb 1917 George Noble Plunkett
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 3 Dec 1851 12 Mar 1948 96
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1922
ROSCOMMON SOUTH
5 Dec 1885 Andrew Commins 1832 7 Jan 1916 83
Jul 1892 Luke Patrick Hayden 1850 23 Jun 1897 46
15 Jul 1897 John Patrick Hayden 25 Apr 1863 3 Jul 1954 91
14 Dec 1918 Henry James ["Harry"] Boland
For information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 27 Apr 1887 1 Aug 1922 35
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1922
ROSS (HEREFORDSHIRE)
28 Nov 1885 Michael Biddulph, later [1903] 1st Baron Biddulph 17 Feb 1834 6 Apr 1923 89
2 Oct 1900 Percy Archer Clive 1873 5 Apr 1918 44
22 Jan 1906 Alan Coulstoun Gardner 1846 25 Dec 1907 61
28 Jan 1908 Percy Archer Clive 1873 5 Apr 1918 44
4 May 1918 Charles Thornton Pulley [kt 1922] 24 Jul 1864 5 Apr 1947 82
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1918
ROSS-SHIRE
26 Jun 1708 Hugh Rose [he was also returned for Nairnshire at the general election in 1708 and appears to have been permitted to sit for both seats until his election for Ross-shire was declared void on 28 Jan 1710] 1684 May 1755 70
3 Mar 1710 Charles Rosse 8 Feb 1667 5 Aug 1732 65
28 Apr 1722 Alexander Urquhart 1727
13 Sep 1727 Charles Rosse 8 Feb 1667 5 Aug 1732 65
15 Feb 1733 John Munro c 1712 1749
30 May 1734 Hugh Rose 1684 May 1755 70
22 May 1741 Charles Ross 9 Feb 1721 30 Apr 1745 24
11 Dec 1746 Sir Harry Munro, 7th baronet c 1720 12 Jun 1781
27 Jul 1747 Kenneth Mackenzie, styled Lord Fortrose Nov 1717 18 Oct 1761 43
5 May 1761 James Stuart-Mackenzie c 1719 6 Apr 1800
12 Oct 1780 John Mackenzie 1727 2 Apr 1789 61
22 Apr 1784 Francis Humberston Mackenzie, later [1797] 1st Baron Seaforth 9 Jun 1754 11 Jan 1815 60
16 Jul 1790 William Adam 2 Aug 1751 17 Feb 1839 87
1 May 1794 Francis Humberston Mackenzie, later [1797] 1st Baron Seaforth 9 Jun 1754 11 Jan 1815 60
22 Jun 1796 Sir Charles Lockhart-Ross, 7th baronet 15 Aug 1763 8 Feb 1814 50
1 Dec 1806 Alexander Mackenzie Fraser c 1758 13 Sep 1809
28 Nov 1809 Hugh Innes, later [1819] 1st baronet c 1764 16 Aug 1831
3 Nov 1812 William Frederick Mackenzie 21 Jul 1791 25 Aug 1814 23
25 Oct 1814 Charles Mackenzie Fraser 9 Jun 1792 7 Mar 1871 78
7 Jul 1818 Thomas Mackenzie 28 May 1789 19 Oct 1822 33
20 Dec 1822 Sir James Wemyss Mackenzie, 5th baronet 10 Jun 1770 8 Mar 1843 72
25 May 1831 James Alexander Stewart‑Mackenzie 23 Sep 1784 24 Sep 1843 59
NAME ALTERED TO "ROSS AND CROMARTY" 1832
ROSS AND CROMARTY
31 Dec 1832 James Alexander Stewart‑Mackenzie 23 Sep 1784 24 Sep 1843 59
18 Apr 1837 Thomas Mackenzie 1793 9 Jun 1856 62
10 Aug 1847 James Matheson, later [1850] 1st baronet 17 Oct 1796 31 Dec 1878 82
21 Nov 1868 Alexander Matheson, later [1882] 1st baronet 16 Jan 1805 26 Jul 1886 81
20 Aug 1884 Ronald Crauford Munro‑Ferguson [kt 1914], later [1920] 1st Viscount Novar 6 Mar 1860 30 Mar 1934 74
2 Dec 1885 Roderick Macdonald 1840 9 Mar 1894 53
Jul 1892 James Galloway Weir 1839 18 Apr 1911 71
14 Jun 1911 James Ian Macpherson, later [1933] 1st baronet and [1936] 1st Baron Strathcarron 14 May 1880 14 Aug 1937 57
10 Feb 1936 Malcolm John Macdonald 17 Aug 1901 11 Jan 1981 79
26 Jul 1945 John MacLeod [kt 1963] 23 Feb 1913 3 Jun 1984 71
15 Oct 1964 Alasdair Roderick Mackenzie 3 Aug 1903 8 Nov 1970 67
18 Jun 1970 James Hector Northey Gray, later [1983] Baron Gray of Contin [L] 28 Jun 1927 14 Mar 2006 78
NAME ALTERED TO "ROSS, CROMARTY AND SKYE" 1983
ROSS, CROMARTY AND SKYE
9 Jun 1983 Charles Peter Kennedy 25 Nov 1959 1 Jun 2015 55
NAME ALTERED TO "ROSS, SKYE AND INVERNESS WEST" 1997
ROSS, SKYE AND INVERNESS WEST
1 May 1997 Charles Peter Kennedy 25 Nov 1959 1 Jun 2015 55
NAME ALTERED TO "ROSS, SKYE AND LOCHABER" 2005
ROSS, SKYE AND LOCHABER
5 May 2005 Charles Peter Kennedy 25 Nov 1959 1 Jun 2015 55
7 May 2015 Ian Blackford 14 May 1961
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2024
ROSSENDALE (LANCASHIRE)
27 Nov 1885 Spencer Compton Cavendish, styled Marquess of Hartington, later [1891] 8th Duke of Devonshire 23 Jul 1833 24 Mar 1908 74
23 Jan 1892 John Henry Maden [kt 1915] 11 Sep 1862 18 Feb 1920 57
13 Feb 1900 William Mather [kt 1902] 15 Jul 1838 18 Sep 1920 82
15 Mar 1904 Lewis Venables Vernon Harcourt, later [1917] 1st Viscount Harcourt 1 Feb 1863 24 Feb 1922 59
13 Feb 1917 Sir John Henry Maden 11 Sep 1862 18 Feb 1920 57
14 Dec 1918 Robert Waddington [kt 1937] 13 Dec 1868 25 Jun 1941 72
15 Nov 1922 David Halstead 16 Mar 1861 10 Jul 1937 76
6 Dec 1923 Robert Waddington [kt 1937] 13 Dec 1868 25 Jun 1941 72
30 May 1929 Arthur Law 4 Jan 1876 30 Jun 1933 57
27 Oct 1931 Ronald Hibbert Cross, later [1941] 1st baronet 9 May 1896 3 Jun 1968 72
26 Jul 1945 George Henry Walker 1874 24 Jan 1954 79
23 Feb 1950 Arthur William James Anthony Greenwood, later [1970] Baron Greenwood of Rossendale [L] 14 Sep 1911 12 Apr 1982 70
18 Jun 1970 Ronald William Thomas Bray 5 Jan 1922 22 Apr 1984 62
10 Oct 1974 Michael Alfred Noble 10 Mar 1935 12 Mar 1983 48
3 May 1979 David Austin Trippier [kt 1992] 15 May 1946
NAME ALTERED TO "ROSSENDALE AND DARWEN" 1983
ROSSENDALE AND DARWEN (LANCASHIRE)
9 Jun 1983 David Austin Trippier [kt 1992] 15 May 1946
9 Apr 1992 Janet Anderson 6 Dec 1949 6 Feb 2023 73
6 May 2010 James Jacob Gilchrist ["Jake"] Berry 29 Dec 1978
4 Jul 2024 Andrew Clive Mitchell MacNae
ROTHERHAM (YORKSHIRE)
2 Dec 1885 Arthur Herbert Dyke-Acland, later [1919] 13th baronet 13 Oct 1847 9 Oct 1926 78
23 Feb 1899 William Henry Holland [kt 1902], later [1907] 1st baronet and [1910] 1st Baron Rotherham 15 Dec 1849 26 Dec 1927 78
1 Mar 1910 Joseph Albert Pease, later [1917] 1st Baron Gainford 17 Jan 1860 15 Feb 1943 83
5 Feb 1917 Arthur Richardson 5 Feb 1860 27 Jun 1936 76
14 Dec 1918 Frederic Arthur Kelley [kt 1923] 6 May 1863 29 May 1926 63
6 Dec 1923 Fred William Lindley 6 May 1878
27 Oct 1931 George Herbert 23 Jan 1892 16 Jun 1982 90
27 Feb 1933 William Dobbie 28 Oct 1878 19 Jan 1950 71
23 Feb 1950 John Henry Jones 26 Oct 1894 31 Oct 1962 68
28 Mar 1963 Brian Kevin O'Malley 22 Jan 1930 6 Apr 1976 46
24 Jun 1976 Joseph Stanley Crowther 30 May 1925 10 Mar 2013 87
9 Apr 1992 James Boyce 6 Sep 1947 25 Jan 1994 46
5 May 1994 Denis MacShane 21 May 1948
29 Nov 2012 Sarah Deborah Champion 10 Jul 1969
ROTHERHITHE
26 Nov 1885 Charles Edward Hamilton, later [1892] 1st baronet 28 May 1845 15 Nov 1928 83
Jul 1892 John Cumming MacDona 1836 4 May 1907 70
17 Jan 1906 Hubert William Culling Carr‑Gomm 20 Jan 1877 21 Jan 1939 62
14 Dec 1918 John Rolleston Lort‑Williams [kt 1936] 14 Sep 1881 9 Jun 1966 84
6 Dec 1923 Benjamin Smith [kt 1945] 29 Jan 1878 5 May 1964 86
27 Oct 1931 Norah Cecil Runge 1884 6 Jun 1978 93
14 Nov 1935 Benjamin Smith [kt 1945] 29 Jan 1878 5 May 1964 86
19 Nov 1946 Robert Joseph Mellish, later [1985] Baron Mellish [L] 3 Mar 1913 9 May 1998 85
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950
ROTHER VALLEY (YORKSHIRE)
14 Dec 1918 Thomas Walter Grundy 1864 28 Jan 1942 77
14 Nov 1935 Edward Dunn 21 Dec 1880 8 Apr 1945 64
26 Jul 1945 David Griffiths 22 Mar 1896 13 Jan 1977 80
18 Jun 1970 Peter Hardy, later [1997] Baron Hardy of Wath [L] 16 Jul 1931 16 Dec 2003 72
9 Jun 1983 Kevin John Barron [kt 2014] 26 Oct 1946
12 Dec 2019 Alexander Paul Thomas Stafford 19 Jul 1987
4 Jul 2024 Jacob Ben Richards
ROTHWELL (YORKSHIRE)
14 Dec 1918 William Lunn 1 Nov 1872 17 May 1942 69
7 Aug 1942 Thomas Judson Brooks 7 Jul 1880 15 Feb 1958 77
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950
ROWLEY REGIS AND TIPTON
23 Feb 1950 Arthur Henderson, later [1966] Baron Rowley [L] 27 Aug 1893 28 Aug 1968 75
31 Mar 1966 Peter Kingsley Archer, later [1992] Baron Archer of Sandwell [L] 20 Nov 1926 14 Jun 2012 85
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED FEB 1974
ROXBURGH AND BERWICKSHIRE
9 Jun 1983 Archibald Johnstone Kirkwood [kt 2003], later [2005] Baron Kirkwood of Kirkhope [L] 22 Apr 1946
NAME ALTERED TO "BERWICKSHIRE, ROXBURGH AND SELKIRK" 2005
ROXBURGH AND SELKIRK
14 Dec 1918 Robert Munro, later [1934] 1st Baron Alness 28 May 1868 6 Oct 1955 87
15 Nov 1922 Sir Thomas Henderson 15 Jul 1874 3 May 1951 76
6 Dec 1923 Walter John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, styled Earl of Dalkeith, later [1935] 8th Duke of Buccleuch and 10th Duke of Queensberry 30 Dec 1894 4 Oct 1973 78
14 Nov 1935 Lord William Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott 17 Jan 1896 30 Jan 1958 62
23 Feb 1950 Archibald James Florence Macdonald 2 May 1904 20 Apr 1983 78
25 Oct 1951 Charles Edward McArthur Donaldson 15 Mar 1903 11 Dec 1964 61
NAME ALTERED TO "ROXBURGH, SELKIRK AND PEEBLES" 1955
ROXBURGH, SELKIRK AND PEEBLES
26 May 1955 Charles Edward McArthur Donaldson 15 Mar 1903 11 Dec 1964 61
24 Mar 1965 David Martin Scott Steel [kt 1990], later [1997] Baron Steel of Aikwood [L] 31 Mar 1938
NAME ALTERED TO "ROXBURGH AND BERWICKSHIRE" 1983
ROXBURGHSHIRE
28 May 1708 Sir Gilbert Eliott, 3rd baronet [of Stobs] c 1680 27 May 1764
4 Mar 1715 William Douglas c 1688 Jan 1748
18 Apr 1722 Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd baronet [of Minto] c 1693 16 Apr 1766
6 Jul 1726 Sir Gilbert Eliott, 3rd baronet [of Stobs] c 1680 27 May 1764
15 Sep 1727 William Douglas c 1688 Jan 1748
30 May 1734 John Rutherfurd 12 Jun 1712 8 Jul 1758 46
18 Feb 1742 William Douglas c 1688 Jan 1748
14 Jul 1747 Walter Scott 31 Dec 1724 25 Jan 1793 68
20 Jun 1765 Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd baronet [of Minto] Sep 1722 11 Feb 1777 54
27 Feb 1777 Sir Gilbert Elliot [Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound from 1797], 4th baronet, later [1813] 1st Earl of Minto 23 Apr 1751 21 Jun 1814 63
15 Apr 1784 George Douglas, later [1787] 2nd baronet 1 Mar 1754 4 Jun 1821 67
21 Nov 1806 John Rutherford c 1748 6 May 1834
2 Nov 1812 Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, styled Viscount Melgund from 1813, later [1814] 2nd Earl of Minto 16 Nov 1782 31 Jul 1859 76
25 Jul 1814 Sir Alexander Don, 6th baronet 5 May 1780 11 Mar 1826 45
8 May 1826 Henry Francis Hepburne‑Scott, later [1841] 7th Lord Polwarth 1 Jan 1800 16 Aug 1867 67
27 Dec 1832 George Elliot [kt 1862] 1 Aug 1784 24 Jun 1863 78
19 Jan 1835 Lord John Douglas-Montagu-Scott 13 Jul 1809 30 Jan 1860 50
7 Aug 1837 John Edmund Elliot 30 Mar 1788 4 Apr 1862 74
12 Jul 1841 Francis Scott 31 Jan 1806 9 Mar 1884 78
7 Aug 1847 John Edmund Elliot 30 Mar 1788 4 Apr 1862 74
4 May 1859 Sir William Scott, 6th baronet 26 Jul 1803 12 Oct 1871 68
2 Mar 1870 James Henry Robert Ker, styled Marquess of Bowmont, later [1879] 7th Duke of Roxburghe 5 Sep 1839 23 Oct 1892 53
16 Feb 1874 Sir George Henry Scott Douglas, 4th baronet 19 Jun 1825 26 Jun 1885 60
10 Apr 1880 Arthur Ralph Douglas Elliot 17 Dec 1846 12 Feb 1923 76
Jul 1892 Mark Francis Napier 21 Jan 1852 19 Aug 1919 67
19 Jul 1895 John Charles Montagu-Douglas-Scott, styled Earl of Dalkeith, later [1914] 7th Duke of Buccleuch and 9th Duke of Queensberry 30 Mar 1864 19 Oct 1935 71
19 Jan 1906 John Jardine, later [1916] 1st baronet 27 Sep 1844 26 Apr 1919 74
NAME ALTERED TO "ROXBURGH AND SELKIRK" 1918
ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS
28 Feb 1974 Patrick Barnabas Burke Mayhew [kt 1983], later [1997] Baron Mayhew of Twysden [L] 11 Sep 1929 25 Jun 2016 86
NAME ALTERED TO "TUNBRIDGE WELLS" 1983
ROYTON (LANCASHIRE)
14 Dec 1918 Wilfrid Hart Sugden [kt 1922] 1889 27 Apr 1960 70
6 Dec 1923 William Gorman [kt 1950] 15 Oct 1891 21 Dec 1964 73
29 Oct 1924 Arthur Vernon Davies 10 Jun 1872 4 Aug 1942 70
27 Oct 1931 Harold Sutcliffe [kt 1953] 11 Dec 1897 20 Jan 1958 60
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950
RUGBY (WARWICKSHIRE)
5 Dec 1885 Henry Peyton Cobb 19 Oct 1835 27 Jan 1910 74
25 Jul 1895 Richard Greville Verney, later [1902] 19th Lord Willoughby de Broke 29 Mar 1869 16 Dec 1923 54
11 Oct 1900 Corrie Brighton Grant 14 Nov 1850 Dec 1924 74
21 Jan 1910 John Lawrence Baird, later [1920] 2nd baronet, [1925] 1st Baron Stonehaven and [1938] 1st Viscount Stonehaven 27 Apr 1874 20 Aug 1941 67
15 Nov 1922 David Euan Wallace 20 Apr 1892 9 Feb 1941 48
6 Dec 1923 Alfred Ernest Brown 27 Aug 1881 16 Feb 1962 80
29 Oct 1924 Henry David Reginald Margesson, later [1942] 1st Viscount Margesson 26 Jul 1890 24 Dec 1965 75
29 Apr 1942 William John Brown 13 Sep 1894 3 Oct 1960 66
23 Feb 1950 James Johnson 16 Sep 1908 31 Jan 1995 86
8 Oct 1959 Alfred Roy Wise 1901 21 Aug 1974 73
31 Mar 1966 William George Price 15 Jun 1934 6 May 1999 64
3 May 1979 James Francis Pawsey 21 Aug 1933
NAME ALTERED TO "RUGBY AND KENILWORTH" 1983 BUT REVERTED 2010
6 May 2010 Mark Julian Francis Pawsey 16 Jan 1957
4 Jul 2024 John Anthony Slinger
RUGBY AND KENILWORTH (WARWICKSHIRE)
9 Jun 1983 James Francis Pawsey 21 Aug 1933
1 May 1997 Andrew King 14 Sep 1948
5 May 2005 Jeremy Paul Wright 24 Oct 1972
NAME ALTERED TO "RUGBY" 2010
RUISLIP-NORTHWOOD
23 Feb 1950 Frederick Petre Crowder 18 Jul 1919 16 Feb 1999 79
3 May 1979 John Arbuthnot Ducane Wilkinson 23 Sep 1940 1 Mar 2014 73
5 May 2005 Nicholas Richard Hurd 13 May 1962
NAME ALTERED TO "RUISLIP, NORTHWOOD AND PINNER" 2010
RUISLIP, NORTHWOOD AND PINNER
6 May 2010 Nicholas Richard Hurd 13 May 1962
12 Dec 2019 David Timothy Simmonds 22 Feb 1976
RUNCORN
23 Feb 1950 Dennis Forwood Vosper, later [1964] Baron Runcorn [L] 2 Jan 1916 20 Jan 1968 52
15 Oct 1964 Mark Carlisle, later [1987] Baron Carlisle of Bucklow [L] 7 Jul 1929 14 Jul 2005 76
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
RUNCORN AND HELSBY
4 Jul 2024 Michael Lee Amesbury 7 May 1969
RUNNYMEDE AND WEYBRIDGE (SURREY)
1 May 1997 Philip Hammond, later [2020] Baron Hammond of Runnymede [L] 4 Dec 1955
12 Dec 2019 Benjamin Walter Jack Spencer 11 Dec 1981
RUSHCLIFFE (NOTTINGHAMSHIRE)
30 Nov 1885 John Edward Ellis 1841 5 Dec 1910 69
Dec 1910 Leifchild Stratten Jones, later [1932] 1st Baron Rhayader 16 Jan 1862 26 Sep 1939 77
14 Dec 1918 Sir Henry Bucknall Betterton, later [1929] 1st baronet and [1935] 1st Baron Rushcliffe 15 Aug 1872 18 Nov 1949 77
26 Jul 1934 Ralph Assheton, later [1955] 1st Baron Clitheroe 24 Feb 1901 18 Sep 1984 83
26 Jul 1945 Florence Beatrice Paton 1 Jun 1891 12 Oct 1976 85
23 Feb 1950 Martin Redmayne, later [1964] 1st baronet and [1966] Baron Redmayne [L] 16 Nov 1910 28 Apr 1983 72
31 Mar 1966 Antony John Gardner 27 Dec 1927 16 Oct 2011 83
18 Jun 1970 Kenneth Harry Clarke [kt 2014], later [2020] Baron Clarke of Nottingham [L] 2 Jul 1940
12 Dec 2019 Ruth Rosamund Edwards 11 May 1984
4 Jul 2024 James William Naish
RUSHOLME (MANCHESTER)
14 Dec 1918 Robert Burdon Stoker 19 Jun 1859 4 Sep 1919 60
7 Oct 1919 John Henry Thorpe 7 Aug 1887 31 Oct 1944 57
6 Dec 1923 Charles Frederick Gurney Masterman 25 Oct 1874 17 Nov 1927 53
29 Oct 1924 Frank Boyd Merriman [kt 1928], later [1941] 1st Baron Merriman 28 Apr 1880 18 Jan 1962 81
21 Nov 1933 Edmund Ashworth Radford Feb 1881 27 May 1944 63
8 Jul 1944 Frederick William Cundiff 17 Nov 1895 7 Aug 1982 86
26 Jul 1945 Hugh Lester Hutchinson 13 Dec 1904 c Feb 1983 78
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950, BUT REVIVED 2024
4 Jul 2024 (Mohammed) Afzal Khan 5 Apr 1958
RUTHERGLEN (GLASGOW)
14 Dec 1918 Adam Keir Rodger 1855 17 Feb 1946 90
15 Nov 1922 William Wright 1862 9 Apr 1931 68
21 May 1931 David Hardie c 1860 8 Apr 1939
27 Oct 1931 Herbert James Moss 22 Feb 1883 18 Nov 1956 73
14 Nov 1935 Allan Chapman 1897 7 Jan 1966 68
26 Jul 1945 Gilbert McAllister 26 Mar 1906 27 May 1964 58
25 Oct 1951 Richard Charles Brooman‑White 16 Feb 1912 25 Jan 1964 51
14 May 1964 James Gregor Mackenzie 15 Nov 1927 4 May 1992 64
11 Jun 1987 Thomas McLaughlin McAvoy, later [2010] Baron McAvoy [L] 14 Dec 1943 8 Mar 2024 80
NAME ALTERED TO "RUTHERGLEN AND HAMILTON WEST" 2005, BUT REVIVED 2024
4 Jul 2024 Michael Graeme Shanks 4 Mar 1988
RUTHERGLEN AND HAMILTON WEST
5 May 2005 Thomas McLaughlin McAvoy, later [2010] Baron McAvoy [L] 14 Dec 1943 8 Mar 2024 80
6 May 2010 Thomas James Greatrex 30 Sep 1974
7 May 2015 Margaret Ferrier 10 Sep 1960
8 Jun 2017 Gerard ["Ged"] Killen 1 May 1986
12 Dec 2019 Margaret Ferrier [she was unseated as a result of a recall petition 1 Aug 2023] 10 Sep 1960
5 Oct 2023 Michael Graeme Shanks 4 Mar 1988
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2024
RUTLAND
29 Mar 1660 Philip Sherard (to 1685) 17 Nov 1623 4 Mar 1695 71
Samuel Browne c 1634 1691
28 Mar 1661 Edward Noel, later [1682] 1st Earl of Gainsborough 27 Jan 1641 8 Apr 1689 48
6 Feb 1679 Sir Thomas Mackworth, 3rd baronet 1 May 1624 28 Nov 1694 70
21 Aug 1679 Sir Abel Barker, 1st baronet c 1616 2 Sep 1679
11 Nov 1680 Sir Thomas Mackworth, 3rd baronet 1 May 1624 28 Nov 1694 70
3 Feb 1681 Edward Fawkener c 1628 4 Dec 1691
23 Mar 1685 Baptist Noel 2 Nov 1658 28 Jul 1690 31
Sir Thomas Mackworth, 3rd baronet (to 1694) 1 May 1624 28 Nov 1694 70
11 Jan 1689 Bennet Sherard (to 1698) 24 Aug 1649 30 Sep 1701 52
16 Dec 1694 Sir Thomas Mackworth, 4th baronet after 1666 Feb 1745
28 Oct 1695 John Cecil, styled Baron Burghley later [1700] 6th Earl of Exeter (to 1701) 15 May 1674 24 Dec 1721 47
10 Aug 1698 Richard Halford (to 1710) c 1662 28 Sep 1742
15 Jan 1701 Sir Thomas Mackworth, 4th baronet (to 1708) after 1666 Feb 1745
12 May 1708 Philip Sherard, later [1732] 2nd Earl of Harborough c 1680 20 Jul 1750
16 Oct 1710 Daniel Finch, styled Baron Finch, later [1730] 8th Earl of of Winchilsea and 3rd Earl of Nottingham (to 1730] 24 May 1689 2 Aug 1769 80
John Noel [he was unseated on petition in favour of Richard Halford 23 Jan 1711] 7 Nov 1659 26 Dec 1718 59
23 Jan 1711 Richard Halford c 1662 28 Sep 1742
9 Sep 1713 Bennet Sherard, 3rd Baron Sherard [I], later [1714] Baron Harborough, [1718] 1st Viscount Sherard and [1719] 1st Earl of Harborough 9 Oct 1677 16 Oct 1732 55
26 Jan 1715 John Noel 7 Nov 1659 26 Dec 1718 59
21 Jan 1719 John Manners, styled Marquess of Granby, later [1721] 3rd Duke of Rutland 21 Oct 1696 29 May 1779 82
5 Apr 1721 Sir Thomas Mackworth, 4th baronet after 1666 Feb 1745
30 Aug 1727 John Noel 15 Dec 1702 6 Jan 1728 25
4 Mar 1728 Thomas Noel (to 1741) c 1704 18 Jun 1788
18 Feb 1730 William Burton c 1695 30 Jan 1781
7 May 1734 James Noel (to 1752) 22 Jul 1711 17 Jun 1752 40
20 May 1741 John Finch c 1692 12 Feb 1763
8 Jul 1747 Brownlow Cecil, styled Baron Burghley, later [1754] 9th Earl of Exeter (to 1754) 21 Sep 1725 23 Dec 1793 68
31 Jan 1753 Thomas Noel (to 1788) c 1704 18 Jun 1788
18 Dec 1754 George Bridges Brudenell c 1725 1 Feb 1801
9 Apr 1761 Thomas Chambers Cecil 25 Jun 1728 14 Aug 1778 50
30 Mar 1768 George Bridges Brudenell (to 1790) c 1725 1 Feb 1801
15 Jul 1788 Gerard Edwardes (later Noel), later [1813] 2nd baronet (to 1808) 17 Jul 1759 25 Feb 1838 78
29 Jun 1790 John Heathcote c 1727 29 Jul 1795
26 Sep 1795 Philip Sherard, styled Viscount Sherard, later [1799] 5th Earl of Harborough 10 Oct 1767 10 Dec 1807 40
6 Jun 1796 Sir William Lowther, later [1807] 1st Earl of Lonsdale 29 Dec 1757 19 Mar 1844 86
13 Jul 1802 George Evans, 4th Baron Carbery [I] 18 Feb 1766 31 Dec 1804 38
31 Jan 1805 John Henniker-Major, 2nd Baron Henniker [I] (to 1812) 19 Apr 1752 4 Dec 1821 69
19 May 1808 Charles Noel Noel, later [1823] 3rd Baron Barham and [1841] 1st Earl of Gainsborough (to 1814) 2 Oct 1781 10 Jun 1866 84
17 Oct 1812 Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 4th baronet (to 1841) 6 Oct 1773 27 Mar 1851 77
9 May 1814 Sir Gerard Noel Noel, 2nd baronet 17 Jul 1759 25 Feb 1838 78
13 Mar 1838 William Middleton Noel 2 May 1789 20 Jan 1859 69
28 Jan 1840 Charles George Noel, later [1866] 2nd Earl of Gainsborough 5 Sep 1818 13 Aug 1881 62
12 Jul 1841 Gilbert John Heathcote, later [1851] 5th baronet and [1856] 1st Baron Aveland (to 1856) 16 Jan 1795 6 Sep 1867 72
William Henry Dawnay, later [1847] 7th Viscount Downe [I] 15 May 1812 26 Jan 1857 44
14 Feb 1846 George Finch 1794 29 Jun 1870 75
7 Aug 1847 Gerard James Noel (to 1883) 28 Aug 1823 19 May 1911 87
4 Mar 1856 Gilbert Henry Heathcote, later [1867] 2nd Baron Aveland and [1892] 1st Earl of Ancaster 1 Oct 1830 24 Dec 1910 80
23 Nov 1867 George Henry Finch (to 1907) 20 Feb 1835 22 May 1907 72
1 Sep 1883 James William Lowther, later [1921] 1st Viscount Ullswater 1 Apr 1855 27 Mar 1949 93
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1885
11 Jun 1907 John Gretton, later [1944] 1st Baron Gretton
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of the page containing details of members for Derbyshire South		 1 Sep 1867 2 Jun 1947 79
NAME ALTERED TO "RUTLAND AND STAMFORD" 1918
RUTLAND AND MELTON
9 Jun 1983 Michael Anthony Latham [kt 1993] 20 Nov 1942 2 Nov 2017 74
9 Apr 1992 Alan James Carter Duncan [kt 2014] 31 Mar 1957
12 Dec 2019 Alicia Alexandra Martha Kearns 11 Nov 1987
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2024
RUTLAND AND STAMFORD
14 Dec 1918 Claud Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby 15 Oct 1872 24 Feb 1950 77
15 Nov 1922 Charles Harvey Dixon 1862 22 Sep 1923 61
30 Oct 1923 Neville Woodford Smith‑Carington 1878 7 Oct 1933 55
21 Nov 1933 Gilbert James Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, styled Lord Willoughby de Eresby, later [1951] 3rd Earl of Ancaster 8 Dec 1907 29 Mar 1983 75
23 Feb 1950 Roger John Edward Conant, later [1954] 1st baronet 28 May 1899 30 Mar 1973 73
8 Oct 1959 Kenneth Lewis [kt 1983] 1 Jul 1916 2 Jul 1997 81
NAME ALTERED TO "RUTLAND AND MELTON" 1983, BUT REVIVED 2024
4 Jul 2024 Alicia Alexandra Martha Kearns 11 Nov 1987
RYE
1 Apr 1660 Herbert Morley (to 1667) 2 Apr 1616 29 Sep 1667 51
William Hay Dec 1594 26 Dec 1664 70
6 May 1661 Richard Spencer 21 Oct 1593 1 Nov 1661 68
23 Nov 1661 Sir John Robinson, 1st baronet (to Oct 1679) 10 Jan 1615 Feb 1680 65
24 Oct 1667 Sir John Austen, 2nd baronet 1 Apr 1641 5 Jan 1699 57
15 Feb 1679 Thomas Frewen (to Apr 1689) [following the general election in Jan 1689, Frewen was unseated on petition in favour of Sir John Austen 1 Apr 1689] 27 Sep 1630 8 Sep 1702 71
4 Oct 1679 Sir John Darell 20 Aug 1645 2 Feb 1694 48
3 Apr 1685 Sir Thomas Jenner c 1638 1 Jan 1707
15 Jan 1689 Sir John Darell (to 1694) 20 Aug 1645 2 Feb 1694 48
1 Apr 1689 Sir John Austen, 2nd baronet (to 1699) 1 Apr 1641 5 Jan 1699 57
9 Feb 1694 Thomas Frewen 27 Sep 1630 8 Sep 1702 71
22 Jul 1698 Joseph Offley (to 1702) [he was unseated on petition in favour of Edward Southwell 19 Dec 1702] 3 Jul 1721
23 Jan 1699 Sir Robert Austen, 3rd baronet 19 Mar 1664 5 Jul 1706 42
24 Nov 1701 Thomas Fagg 12 Apr 1665 19 Sep 1705 40
19 Dec 1702 Edward Southwell (to 1708) 4 Sep 1671 4 Dec 1730 59
14 May 1705 Philip Herbert c 1665 12 Mar 1716
2 Dec 1707 Phillips Gybbon (to 1762) 11 Oct 1678 11 Mar 1762 83
6 May 1708 Sir John Norris c 1670 13 May 1749
21 Mar 1722 Henry Aylmer, 2nd Baron Aylmer [I] c 1694 26 Jun 1754
16 Aug 1727 John Norris 31 Jul 1702 12 Nov 1767 65
23 Jan 1733 Matthew Norris 12 Jul 1705 27 Dec 1738 33
23 Apr 1734 Sir John Norris c 1670 13 May 1749
13 Dec 1749 Thomas Pelham, later [1768] 2nd Baron Pelham of Stanmer and [1801] 1st Earl of Chichester 28 Feb 1728 8 Jan 1805 76
13 Apr 1754 George Onslow, later [1776] 4th Baron Onslow and [1801] 1st Earl of Onslow 13 Sep 1731 17 May 1814 82
30 Mar 1761 John Albert Bentinck (to 1768) 29 Dec 1737 23 Sep 1775 37
20 Mar 1762 John Norris (to 1774) 1740 after 1806
16 Mar 1768 Rose Fuller (to 1777) c 1708 7 May 1777
10 Oct 1774 Middleton Onslow 29 Oct 1801
20 Apr 1775 Thomas Onslow, later [1814] 2nd Earl of Onslow (to 1784) 15 Mar 1754 22 Feb 1827 72
20 May 1777 William Dickinson (to 1790) 13 Jul 1745 26 May 1806 60
1 Apr 1784 Charles Wolfran Cornwall 15 Jun 1735 2 Jan 1789 53
13 Jan 1789 Charles Long, later [1826] 1st Baron Farnborough (to 1796) 29 Jan 1760 17 Jan 1838 77
18 Jun 1790 Robert Banks Jenkinson, styled Baron Hawkesbury, later [1808] 2nd Earl of Liverpool (to 1803) 7 Jun 1770 4 Dec 1828 58
26 May 1796 Robert Dundas (Saunders‑Dundas from 1796), later [1811] 2nd Viscount Melville 14 Mar 1771 10 Jun 1851 80
4 Mar 1801 John Blaquiere, 1st Baron de Blaquiere [I] 15 May 1732 27 Aug 1812 80
6 Jul 1802 Thomas Davis Lamb (to Apr 1806) 11 Aug 1775 13 May 1818 42
2 Dec 1803 Sir Charles Talbot, 2nd baronet (to Nov 1806) 8 Nov 1751 3 Nov 1812 60
1 Apr 1806 Sir Arthur Wellesley, later [1809] 1st Viscount Wellington, [1812] 1st Earl of Wellington, [1812] 1st Marquess of Wellington and [1814] 1st Duke of Wellington 1 May 1769 14 Sep 1852 83
4 Nov 1806 Patrick Crauford Bruce 24 Jan 1748 30 Mar 1820 72
Michael Angelo Taylor 13 Jul 1757 16 Jul 1834 77
7 May 1807 Sir John Nicholl [he was also returned for Great Bedwyn, for which he chose to sit] 16 May 1759 26 Aug 1838 79
Richard le Poer Trench, 2nd Earl of Clancarty [I] 18 May 1767 24 Nov 1837 70
21 Jul 1807 Sir William Elford, 1st baronet Aug 1749 30 Nov 1837 88
Stephen Rumbold Lushington (to 1812) 6 May 1776 5 Aug 1868 92
15 Jul 1808 William Jacob c 1762 17 Dec 1851
6 Oct 1812 Thomas Phillipps Lamb (to 1816) c 1752 26 Jun 1819
Sir Henry Sullivan [he was also returned for Lincoln, for which he chose to sit] 13 Mar 1785 14 Apr 1814 29
21 Dec 1812 Charles Wetherell [kt 1824] [he was also returned for Shaftesbury, for which he chose to sit] 1770 17 Aug 1846 76
29 Mar 1813 Richard Arkwright (to 1818) 30 Sep 1781 28 Mar 1832 50
10 May 1816 John Maberly c 1775 by Feb 1840
18 Jun 1818 Charles Arbuthnot [he was also returned for St. Germans, for which he chose to sit] 14 Mar 1767 18 Aug 1850 83
Peter Browne (to 1826) 1794 7 Apr 1872 77
26 Feb 1819 Thomas Phillipps Lamb c 1752 26 Jun 1819
12 Jul 1819 John Dodson 19 Jan 1780 27 Apr 1858 78
4 Mar 1823 Robert Knight 3 Mar 1768 5 Jan 1855 86
9 Jun 1826 Richard Arkwright (to Aug 1830) 30 Sep 1781 28 Mar 1832 50
Henry Bonham 31 Jul 1765 9 Apr 1830 64
1 Mar 1830 Philip Pusey [his name was erased from the return and that of George De Lacy Evans substituted 17 May 1830] 25 Jun 1799 9 Jul 1855 56
17 May 1830 George De Lacy Evans [kt 1838] 7 Oct 1787 9 Jan 1870 82
2 Aug 1830 Hugh Duncan Baillie 31 May 1777 21 Jun 1866 89
Francis Robert Bonham 6 Sep 1785 26 Apr 1863 77
30 Apr 1831 George De Lacy Evans [kt 1838] 7 Oct 1787 9 Jan 1870 82
Thomas Pemberton, later [1858] 1st Baron Kingsdown 11 Feb 1793 7 Oct 1867 74
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1832
14 Dec 1832 Edward Barrett Curteis 14 Dec 1879
26 Jul 1837 Thomas Gybbon Monypenny 7 Nov 1797 15 Mar 1854 56
1 Jul 1841 Herbert Barrett Curteis 19 Jun 1793 13 Dec 1847 54
23 Dec 1847 Herbert Mascall Curteis [his election was declared void 27 Mar 1848. At the subsequent by‑election held on 6 Apr 1848, Curteis was again returned] 8 Jan 1823 16 Jun 1895 72
9 Jul 1852 William Alexander Mackinnon [His election was declared void May 1853. At the subsequent by‑election held on 23 May 1853, he was again returned] 2 Aug 1784 30 Apr 1870 85
13 Jul 1865 Lauchlan Bellingham Mackinnon 21 Apr 1815 10 Jul 1877 62
18 Nov 1868 John Stewart Gathorne-Hardy, later [1906] 2nd Earl of Cranbrook 22 Mar 1839 13 Jul 1911 72
3 Apr 1880 Frederick Andrew Inderwick 1836 16 Aug 1904 68
3 Dec 1885 Arthur Montagu Brookfield 18 May 1853 3 Mar 1940 86
17 Mar 1903 Charles Frederick Hutchinson [kt 1906] 23 Jan 1850 15 Nov 1907 57
19 Jan 1906 George Lloyd Courthope, later [1925] 1st baronet and [1945] 1st Baron Courthope 12 Jun 1877 2 Sep 1955 78
26 Jul 1945 William Nicolson Cuthbert 24 Aug 1890 7 May 1960 69
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950, BUT REVIVED 1955
26 May 1955 Bryant Godman Irvine [kt 1986] 25 Jul 1909 3 May 1992 82
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
RYEDALE (NORTH YORKSHIRE)
9 Jun 1983 John Deane Spence 7 Dec 1920 4 Mar 1986 65
8 May 1986 Elizabeth Lois Shields 27 Feb 1928
11 Jun 1987 John Robert Greenway 15 Feb 1946
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2010
 

Sir Cloudesley Shovell
MP for Rochester 1695‑1701 and 1705‑1707
The following edited life of Sir Cloudesley Shovell is taken from The Britannic Magazine; or Entertaining Repository of Heroic Adventures published circa 1797:-
One of the most incontrovertible advantages derived from a free constitution is the opportunity it affords for talents and abilities of every kind to expand and display themselves. No obscurity of birth is a certain obstacle to the advancement of a man, who inherits the rich gifts of nature, which are frequently bestowed where fortune is least liberal. The brave man, of whom we are now to speak, derived no lustre from descent; his parents lived in the county of Suffolk; what was the employment of the father is not known, but it probably was not more respectable than that to which the son was destined, which is said to have been a shoe-maker. The name of Cloudesley was given him in compliment to a wealthy relation of that name; but it does appear that any benefits accrued from that quarter. It is not likely, that one who became so eminent a seaman, should ever be disposed to stick to his last as a shoe-maker; young Cloudesley therefore presently left his master, and went to sea with Sir Christopher Mynns [1625-1666] whom he served as cabin‑boy. Whilst he continued in this capacity, his natural disposition for nautical knowledge discovered itself, for he made such rapid advances in the science of navigation, that he soon became an able seaman. Such prompt abilities were to him instead of friends and recommendations. Sir John Narborough [1640‑1688], whose merit had raised him to the highest honours of his profession, became the patron of this uncommon youth. When the war with the republic of Holland terminated, by the peace of 1674, King Charles determined to chastise the Tripoline pirates, who had taken advantage of the condition of England during that war, and in violation of treaties plundered the English merchant-ships in the Mediterranean. Accordingly, Sir John Narborough was sent with a fleet to chastise these corsairs.
Mr. Shovell, who was now twenty-five years of age, was a lieutenant on board the admiral's ship. The fleet arrived before Tripoli in 1675, where their visit had been expected, and every precaution taken to render the place defensible. The appearance of the enemy's strength, joined to the nature of the admiral's instructions, which directed him to try negotiation rather than force, determined him to send a person in whom he could confide to the Dey of Tripoli, with proposals for an accommodation, in which no more was required than satisfaction for the losses which had been sustained by the English, and a security that their ships should be unmolested for the future. The admiral entrusted Mr. Shovell with this message, who accordingly went on shore, and delivered it with great spirit. But the Dey, despising his youth, treated him with much disrespect, and sent him back with an evasive answer; Mr. Shovell, on his return to the admiral, acquainted him with some remarks he had made ashore; Sir John sent him back with another message, and with proper rules for conducting his enquiries and observations. The Dey treated this second message with great contempt; but Mr. Shovell patiently bore his arrogance, and by persevering in the object of his embassy excused himself for staying some time longer on shore. When he returned, he assured the admiral that it was very practicable to burn the ships in the harbour, notwithstanding their lines and forts; accordingly, in the night of the 4th of March, Lieutenant Shovell, with all the boats in the fleet, filled with combustible matter, went boldly into the harbour, and destroyed the enemy's ships, with a degree of success scarcely to be conceived, of which Sir John Narborough gave so honourable an account in all his letters, that the next year Mr. Shovell had the command of the Sapphire given him, a fifth-rate, from whence he was soon after removed into the James galley, a fourth-rate, in which he continued to the death of King Charles II.
Shovell gained no advancement during the short reign of King James II; he was not in favour with that prince. From the James galley he was removed to the Dover, a ship of the same rate; and, when the Prince of Orange sailed from Helvoetsluys, this ship was with Sir Roger Strickland [1640‑1717]. As Captain Shovell's political principles were known not to accord with the favourite notions of King James, he became the more acceptable to his successor. The first action in which Captain Shovell was concerned after the revolution, was in that off Bantry Bay on the south-west coast of Ireland, which was fought on the 1st day of May, 1689. He had been already promoted to the Edgar, a third-rate, and in her he gave signal marks of his courage and conduct on this occasion. Soon after, when the king visited Portsmouth, he conferred the honour of knighthood on Capt. Shovell. In the year 1691, King William appointed him rear-admiral of the blue; and, to add to the honour which he bestowed, his majesty, with his own hands, delivered him his commission. Sir Cloudesley Shovell was this year chiefly employed in the Channel, and on the coast of Ireland.
On the 21st of July, he received orders to proceed with the ships under his command to for Kinsale, to intercept some French frigates, that were said to be on that coast. Arriving at Waterford-river, with intention to execute this commission, he received the agreeable news of General [Percy] Kirke's having made himself master of the town of Waterford; but was at that same time informed, that Duncannon castle, which by its situation commanded the river, still held out; and that the general, for want of cannon, was not likely to take it. Upon this, considering the importance of the place, and that no use could be made of the port of Waterford while the castle remained in the hands of the enemy, he sent the general word, on the 27th of July, that he was ready to assist him, by sending some frigates to the river, and landing all the men he could spare out of his squadron, under the protection of their guns.
Accordingly the next day he sent in the Experiment and the Greyhound, two small ships, to batter their castle, and under their fire landed between six and seven hundred men; all the boats of the fleet being employed in this service. The castle all this time thundered upon them, though to little purpose; but when once General Bourk, who commanded there, saw the men landed, he thought fit to capitulate, and marched out of the castle, with two hundred and fifty men, with their arms and baggage; leaving to the English the fortress, which was furnished with forty-two pieces of cannon, a noble reward for one day's hard duty.
The next year the king advanced him to the rank of rear-admiral of the red, and appointed him to command the squadron which was to convoy his majesty to Holland. This service performed, Sir Cloudesley Shovell joined the grand fleet under Admiral [Edward] Russell [later Earl of Orford], and had a considerable share in the glory acquired by the grand victory at La Hogue.
In the year 1693, Sir Cloudesley Shovell was named as one of the three admirals, to whom a commission was given for the joint command of the English fleet. The forming [of] this triumvirate shewed the king's disposition to govern without regarding party distinctions; for [Henry] Killigrew and [Sir Ralph] Delavall were declared Tories, and Shovell was a staunch Whig. It does not appear, however, that any disagreement among the commanders obstructed the operations or the fleet. The Dutch, however, upon this occasion, played off their wit in a picture, where the taking of the Srnyrna fleet was represented at a distance, and Sir Shovell on-board his own ship, with his hands tied behind him, one end of the cord being held by each of his colleagues; to insinuate, that he would have prevented this misfortune, if the Admirals Killigrew and Delavall had not hindered him. But, when the affair came to be enquired into in parliament, Sir Cloudesley Shovell, at the bar of the house, defended his [???] as well as himself, and gave so clear and plain an account of the matter, that it satisfied everybody who was disposed to be satisfied, by strong and convincing testimony, of the integrity of the commanders; and if any treachery was practised in this business, as was with too much reason suspected, it must have proceeded from some employed in the admiralty office, or in that of the Secretary of State. In this state of public affairs, when the losses sustained by the commercial part of the nation created a number of active malcontents; and when those, whose essential interests not being involved in the event, felt only for the national disgrace which was thereby incurred, and upon that principle became clamorous, the character of Sir Cloudesley Shovell remained quite unimpeached by either party.
The next year [1694] he commanded as vice-admiral of the red, under Lord Berkeley, admiral of the blue, in the famous expedition to Camaret Bay [on the north coast of Brittany in France], as well as the unsuccessful attempt upon Dunkirk which followed it. In this latter expedition Sir Cloudesley Shovell commanded in chief, and tho' the design miscarried, he was in no respect blamed, the imputation being thrown on M. Meesters, the inventor of those dreadful machines called infernals [fire‑ships]. Indeed, the admiral took care to demonstrate from his conduct that there was no fault lay in him; for he went with a boat within the enemy's works, and so became an eye-witness of the impossibility of doing what his orders directed; and, therefore on his coming home, he was perfectly well received, and continued to be employed, as a man who would command success where it was possible, and omit nothing in his power where it was not so. He had his share in the remaining part of the war; and, after the peace of Ryswick, was always consulted by the king when maritime affairs were under consideration.
Before the death of King William, Shovell was advanced to be admiral of the white; but when the crown devolved to Queen Anne, he was too much a whig to be well received at court; so that he remained unemployed until he was sent to Vigo [in north-west Spain] after Sir George Rooke [1650‑1709, MP for Portsmouth 1698‑1708] had taken the place, to bring home the spoils of the Spanish and French fleets, in the latter end of the year 1702; which he fully performed, and with surprising expedition.
From henceforth he began to be employed in a manner suitable to his rank, and the unfavourable prepossessions concerning him presently wore away. In the year 1703 he commanded the grand fleet in the Mediterranean, where although his force was comparatively inconsiderable, and his strength less than from the number of his ships might be expected, (for they were weakly manned, and worse victualled,) yet he performed essential services, though not brilliant exploits. Bishop Burnet [in his "History of My Own Time"] says, of this expedition, that everything was so ill-contrived by the ministry at home, that it seemed as if nothing was intended to have been done by it. When Shovell saw his instructions, he represented to the ministry, that it was in vain to expect anything from such a plan of operations; however, he was ordered to go, and he obeyed.
The next year Sir George Rooke commanded in the Mediterranean, and Sir Cloudesley Shovell was sent, with a powerful squadron, to reinforce him, with which he joined the grand fleet on the 16th day of June. In the action off Malaga he commanded the van, and greatly distinguished himself by his forwardness to engage the enemy; much mischief he actually did them, and much more he endeavoured to do, but could not; which he mentions in his letter to the admiralty, with a modesty that does him great honour. The Whigs and Tories alike endeavoured to confer all the merit of this action on that admiral which stood high in the favour of their party: with the one, Shovell had been the sole means of discomforting the French; with the other, Rooke had done every thing. But these popular prejudices do not seem to have had any influence on the conduct of the two commanders towards each other, so as to occasion disgust and jealousy. Rooke indeed, justly displeased at the ungenerous requital which his services met with, threw up his employments; and Sir Cloudesley Shovell, on his return, was presented to the queen by Prince George, as lord high-admiral of England, and was the next year employed as commander-in-chief, in conjunction with the Earl of Peterborough. Sir Cloudesley Shovell had no concern in the arts made use of to lessen the reputation of Sir George Rooke, in order to pave the way for laying him aside; but after this was done, and it became necessary to send both a fleet and army to Spain, no imputation could light on Sir Cloudesley for accepting the command jointly with the Earl of Peterborough.
In the year 1706 Sir Cloudesley again commanded the fleet; but it sailed very late, so as not to reach the river of Lisbon till the month of November; and even when it arrived there, the disputes which arose amongst the lords of King Charles's council, and his generals, with the delays of the Portuguese, who were far from being hearty in his cause, disappointed all the great designs of the maritime powers, and the effects that might have been reasonably expected from the powerful reinforcement of troops which were embarked on-board the grand fleet.
The last year in which our admiral bore the command was not like that of his competitor for fame, Sir George Rooke, crowned with glorious success. He had wintered at Lisbon with the fleet, and was preparing to succour Alicant early in the spring, when he was stopped by orders from England. Afterwards the project was resumed, and the English and Dutch fleet sailed from Lisbon, with the land-forces on-board, on the 7th day of January [1707], and arrived at Alicant on the 18th. The admiral quitted Alicant with his fleet on the 17th day of February, and returned to Lisbon to repair the ships. He next proceeded on the important expedition against Toulon, which, had it proved successful, would have given the maritime powers a perpetual ascendancy over France. On the 10th day of May he again sailed for Alicant, where having joined Sir George Byng, he proceeded to the coast of Italy, and in the latter end of the month of June came to an anchor between Nice and Antibes, where he awaited the arrival of the Duke of Savoy and Prince Eugene. Here the admiral had the honour of entertaining these two illustrious princes, together with most of the general officers, as well as the English and Dutch ministers, on-board his own ship, the Association; and, though politeness was not his characteristic excellence, yet, on this occasion, he displayed a magnificent spirit. The duke, when he came on-board, found a guard of halberdiers, in new liveries, at the great cabin door. At the upper end of the table was set an arm-chair, with a crimson velvet canopy. The repast consisted of sixty covers; and every thing was so well arranged, that his royal highness said to the admiral at dinner, "If your excellency had paid me a visit at Turin, I could scarcely have treated you so well".
It ought to be acknowledged, that whatever there was of zeal and spirit in the prosecution of the design upon Toulon, it was imparted by Sir Cloudesley Shovell. He it was who proposed forcing the passage of the Var; he prevailed on the Prince of Savoy to prosecute his march immediately thereupon; and, as soon as the resolution was taken, the admiral sailed, with his fleet, for the isles of Hyeres, leaving ten or twelve frigates to interrupt the enemy's correspondence with Italy. On the 16th day of August, the fleet began to cannonade the town, and throw bombs in the night, which was continued until the siege was raised. These obliged the French to sink their capital ships, and thereby greatly to weaken their marine. As the Duke of Savoy never would have attempted this enterprise without the help of the fleet, so he did nothing when before the town but by the aid of the fleet, from whence he received all his military stores. The safety of his retreat was likewise owing to the fleet, which returned to the Var. There some new disputes happened, in which Sir Cloudesley had little or no concern. Her Britannic majesty's minister laboured to persuade Prince Eugene to take upon him the command of the troops in Spain, in which the Duke of Savoy likewise concurred; and Sir Cloudesley offered to transport his royal highness, with a body of troops under his command, to Spain; but, this proposition being rejected, our admiral bore away for the Straits, and soon after resolved to return home, which was the last act of his life.
Having touched at Gibraltar, he proceeded for England, and arrived at the mouth of the channel. He found himself in soundings on the 23rd day of October, having a very brisk gale at south-south-west, but hazy weather. About eight o'clock at night his own ship, the Association, struck upon the rocks of Scilly, called the Bishop and his Clerks. Sir Geo. Byng was then less than half a mile to windward of him; he saw the signals of danger that were made from the admiral's ship, which in two minutes time disappeared, and every person on board perished. The same fate befell the Eagle, Captain Robert Hancock, of seventy guns, and the Romney, Captain William Cony, of fifty guns. The Firebrand fire-ship was likewise lost; but Captain Piercy, who commanded her, and twenty-four men, saved themselves in the boat. The Phoenix fire-ship, commanded by Captain Sansom, was driven ashore, but fortunately got off again. The Royal Anne, in which Sir Geo. Byng bore his flag, was saved by the presence of mind of the officers and men, who set her top-sails, when she was within a ship's length of the rocks. Sir John Norris and the Lord Dursley with very great difficulty disentangled themselves from the threatening fate; besides whom several others ran no small hazard among these dangerous little islands. Thus perished the great English Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, with all his officers, and about nine hundred sailors.
How that fatal accident arose which deprived Great Britain of so eminent a naval commander is hard to determine. Shameful negligence it certainly was, in those who navigated the fleet, but the cause of that negligence cannot be traced. Sir Cloudesley's body was thrown ashore the next day on the island of Scilly, where some fishermen took him up, and, having taken a valuable emerald ring from his finger, stripped and buried him. This ring brought the secret transaction to light; for, being shewn about with great eagerness, a sea-officer, who happened to on the island, knew it, and declared the ring to have been Sir Cloudesley Shovell's; he there fore compelled the men who were in possession of it to discover where they had disposed of the body. He thereupon took it up, and carried it on board his own ship, the Arundel, which brought it to Portsmouth; from thence it was conveyed by land to London, and buried from his house in Soho-square, in Westminster Abbey, with great funeral solemnity; where a monument of white marble was afterwards erected, by the queen's direction, to his memory.
John Byng
MP for Rochester 1751‑1757
John Byng has the dubious distinction of being the only English admiral to be executed on the quarterdeck of his own ship. His crime was not cowardice or treachery, but 'over-caution', and a fatal disposition to denounce too strongly the bungling of his superiors.
Byng was the fourth son of George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, who had received his title for naval services. John joined the Navy in 1718 and steadily rose through the ranks until, in 1755, he was promoted to Admiral of the Blue.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, the island of Minorca in the Mediterranean had been captured by the English in 1708. When, nearly fifty years later, the Seven Years' War broke out, the French laid siege to the island. Byng was ordered to proceed to Minorca and lift the siege. He was given 10 very poorly-maintained ships and the authorities refused to give him skilled seamen. Instead, he had to rake together crews made up of victims of the press-gangs, gaolbirds and foreign mercenaries. At the last moment the Admiralty ordered ashore all his marines, replacing them with a group of officers absent on leave from Minorca and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, under the command of Lord Robert Bertie, to reinforce the Minorca garrison. Without marines, he would be at a grave disadvantage if he was forced in a naval engagement after landing these troops. So, it was with a rankling grievance that Byng set sail with his decrepit squadron on 6 April 1756.
Arriving at Gibraltar on 2 May, he learned that while the Admiralty had dithered, Minorca had been over-run by 16,000 Frenchmen, who had the English garrison cooped up under constant bombardment. In the absence of the Governor, Lord Tyrawley, who preferred to govern the colony from England, the garrison was commanded by 85-year-old, gout-ridden Sir William Blakeney (later Baron Blakeney). Most of the garrison's officers were on board Byng's ships. The Governor of Gibraltar, Thomas Fowke, regarded Minorca as a lost cause and refused to release the troops he had been ordered to transfer to Byng - an act which later cost him his job.
Byng then committed his first indiscretion. He enraged his enemies at the Admiralty by writing bitterly that they had sent him too little, too late, accusing them of negligence in that Gibraltar had no magazines to supply to his ships, and pointing out that the careening slips were so decayed that he could not clean his ships and that the wharves and store-houses were rotting and useless. He collected three more ships and sailed for Minorca.
Byng arrived off Minorca on 19 May and began to manoeuvre to position himself to the windward of the strong French fleet. Byng had 13 ships; the French fleet, commanded by Admiral Vicomte de la Galissonniere, had 12, but the French ships were new and clean, with greater firepower.
Next morning, Byng brought his ships into action. His second-in-command, Rear-Admiral Temple West (MP for Buckingham 1753-1754) swept down on the French ships and broke their line. Victory was in sight when a French broadside disabled one of West's ships, causing it to swing into the wind, thereby throwing the rest of ships sailing in line behind it into confusion. The Admiralty's 'Fighting Instructions' demanded that a line of battle be maintained and Byng clung tenaciously to the 'by the book' strategy. In this he was probably encouraged by the fate of Admiral Thomas Mathews, who had been dismissed for failing to maintain his ships in line at the Battle of Toulon in February 1744.
Byng held up the rear of his fleet until they sorted themselves into the correct order, by which time the whole French fleet had swept past West's ships, shattering them with broad-sides and then sailing off before Byng's fleet could catch them. The British lost 42 dead and 165 wounded, with French casualties slightly lower. As a result of a council of war held by Byng and his officers, it was decided that little could be done to aid the garrison, and that it would be better to sail back to Gibraltar to refit and reinforce.
When news of the encounter reached London, popular feeling ran extremely high against the government, who immediately seized upon Byng as a scapegoat for their negligence and delay. When Byng's report (which can be found at http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Admiral_John_Byng%27s_account_of_the_Battle_of_Minorca_%281756%29) was received by the Admiralty, it was kept secret for 10 days while public passions rose, and when it was finally released it was edited to remove any comments that could be viewed as favourable to Byng.
In the meantime, Byng was still at Gibraltar. The first he heard of the events in London was when Admiral Hawke (later Baron Hawke) arrived to replace him. When Byng was arrested a few days later, he was so disgusted that he threw his uniform overboard. When he arrived back at Portsmouth, he needed a military guard to safeguard him from the mob. His brother, Colonel Edward Byng, was so shocked by the uproar that he fell into convulsions and died the next day.
Byng's trial began on 27 December 1756 and lasted for a month. His officers supported his actions and Byng himself pleaded that his fleet was too late, too small and in no condition to encounter the newly-commissioned French fleet. Even if he had risked battle, he could have done nothing to relieve the garrison, surrounded as it was by 16,000 soldiers. Nevertheless, the court found that he had not done his utmost to relieve the garrison and, under the Naval Articles of War, and in particular Article 12, the court sentenced him to death. Article 12 read as follows: 'Every person in the fleet, who through cowardice, negligence, or disaffection, shall in time of action withdraw or keep back, or not come into the fight or engagement, or who shall not do his utmost to take or destroy every ship which it shall be his duty to engage, and to assist and relieve all and every of His Majesty's ships, or those of his allies, which it shall be his duty to assist and relieve, every such person so offending, and being convicted thereof by the sentence of a court-martial, shall suffer death'. To be fair to the court-martial, it had no alternative but to pass such a sentence.
One of his judges, Admiral (later Viscount) Keppel succeeded in passing a bill in the Commons to enable the production of new evidence in Byng's favour, but the Lords threw the bill out. Two petitions to King George II also failed. Even Byng's opponent at Minorca sent a written plea for clemency.
It was all to no avail - Byng was executed by firing squad on the quarterdeck of The Monarch on 14 March 1757. Readers familiar with the works of Voltaire will recall the passage in Candide where Candide witnesses the execution of an officer by firing squad and is told 'in this country, it is wise to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others'.
Byng's epitaph at the family vault reads 'To the perpetual disgrace of publick justice the Honble. John Byng, Esqr, Admiral of the Blue, fell a martyr to political persecution March 14th in the year 1757 when bravery and loyalty were insufficient securities for the life and honour of a naval officer'. In 2007, on the 250th anniversary of Byng's execution, his descendants were unsuccessful in their petition to the British government for a posthumous pardon. The Ministry of Defence stated that they could not agree to a pardon, since there was no-one still alive who knew him (as opposed to the 306 British soldiers who had been executed for cowardice during WWI and who had been pardoned in August 2006).
Francis Charles Hughes-Hallett
MP for Rochester 1885‑1889
Hughes-Hallett found himself embroiled in scandal in 1887. The following article appeared in The Pall Mall Gazette of 20 September 1887:-
A most extraordinary and painful scandal has for some days been current in all political and social circles about a member of the House of Commons. The scandal was well authenticated; but the circumstances were so revolting and so distressing that every one trusted the story would be authoritatively contradicted. The member in question is Colonel Hughes-Hallett, who sits for Rochester, and we regret to have to state that the rumours have proved correct.
The "honourable gentleman" - or whatever he should be called - married in the year 1871 the widow of the late Lord Justice Selwyn. Lady Selwyn had a daughter, and also a son - Captain C. W. Selwyn, who is now member for the Wisbech Division of Cambridgeshire. On the death of his first wife, Lady Selwyn, Colonel Hughes-Hallett married, in 1882, an American lady - a daughter of Colonel von Schaumburg, of Philadelphia, United States. He still, however, remained on friendly terms with the family of his late wife, whose daughter (that is, his step-daughter) he has now ruined. The intrigue was discovered by a third party when they were staying together at a country house. This young lady is about twenty two years old; she is pretty and accomplished, and has a fortune of some £40,000. She is expected some six months hence to become the mother of her step-father's child.
Revolting as these circumstances are, we regret to have to add that Colonel Hughes-Hallett obtained possession of a large sum of money of the young lady's. Directly the intelligence came to the ears of her brother he placed the matter in the hands of his solicitor, Mr. George Lewis, whose absence abroad has caused the delay in taking steps in the affair. During this delay, however, the money has been repaid to Miss Selwyn's account at her bankers.
Unfortunately, the Pall Mall Gazette got the relationship between Hughes-Hallett and Miss Selwyn wrong. Lord Justice Selwyn had married twice - Miss Selwyn was the daughter of the first Lady Selwyn, whereas Hughes-Hallett had married the second Lady Selwyn after the death of the Lord Justice. As a result, Miss Selwyn was the step-daughter of the first Lady Selwyn and was not the step-daughter of Hughes-Hallett.
Hughes-Hallett defended himself vigorously. He pointed out that Miss Selwyn was in no way related to him. As to the charge that he obtained control of her fortune, he responded that "some time ago Miss Selwyn asked me to try to get her better interest for the sum of £5,000 than she was getting at the time. She covenanted, by a deed now in my possession, to lend the money for five years; but some weeks ago her solicitors suddenly called this money in, and in less than 24 hours the principal, with interest to date, was handed to my solicitors for transference to hers."
The intrigue was apparently discovered when Hughes-Hallett and Miss Selwyn were staying in the house of a Mr. Henry Smith. His account was published in The Pall Mall Gazette of 27 September 1887:-
My suspicions were awakened. I went to call my housekeeper, who is an old family servant, and who was the first to arouse my suspicions, and she called Miss Selwyn's own maid. No other servants were summoned. The coachman - who is the housekeeper's husband - got up, but did not, of course, go upstairs. The two women went to Miss Selwyn's door, and, finding it partially bolted, easily pushed it open. As soon as Colonel Hughes-Hallett was discovered, they called for me. I went in, and, as far as I can remember, the only words which I uttered were these. They were strong words, no doubt, but I record the fact:- "You damned blackguard, I have long suspected this: you shall leave this room and my house instantly." I then went downstairs to the landing on which his room was. He came up to me and asked me how long I could give him, and whether he could have a cart to convey him to the station. I told him that I could give him half an hour, and that my cart would then be ready for him. I then went to my library, and from that hour to this I have not set eyes on Colonel Hughes-Hallett.
The Tory party in the Colonel's seat of Rochester declined to take any action in the matter, for which they were roundly condemned by the press. Hughes-Hallett offered to give Miss Selwyn's brother satisfaction (i.e. fight a duel) but Captain Selwyn declined the offer. This provoked the anger of the editor of The Society Herald who accused Captain Selwyn of cowardice - Selwyn sued and the editor was fined £50.
Although Hughes-Hallett continued to sit in the House of Commons, his reputation had been severely damaged. In July 1888, he was invited to a garden party given by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth, but before he could attend, the Archbishop ordered that his invitation be withdrawn. Eventually, the pressure became too much for Hughes-Hallett, and while he was in Azores, supposedly for his health, he resigned his seat in March 1889.
When Hughes-Hallett had first been elected for Rochester in 1885, his opponent in that election was a man named John Passmore Edwards, who had later become the proprietor of a newspaper called The Weekly Times and Echo. On 29 May 1892, this newspaper had published, under the heading of Powder and Shot, the following paragraph:-
It is reported that Colonel Hughes-Hallett, the former M.P. for Rochester, is going to honour the new Parliament with his presence. If he can get returned, he should stand with Sir Charles Dilke [qv] for some double-barrelled constituency [i.e. a seat which returned two members] where the electors are not particular, and then we should have a suitable champion of purity on each side of the House in view of eventualities - Hallett and Dilke. Sodom and Gomorrah might have been proud of such a distinguished pair of representatives.
Passmore admitted the libel and paid £2 into Court as sufficient damages, but the Colonel sued for a greater amount. When the case was heard, in April and May 1893, the previous allegations against Hughes-Hallett were again raked over in detail. In his defence, Edwards pleaded justification - his defence barrister asked what damage had been done to the Colonel's reputation by the publication of the paragraph, the inference being that Hughes-Hallett's reputation was so damaged that nothing could make it worse. At the end of the trial, the jury found in favour of the defendants.
James Theobald
MP for Romford 1886‑1894
Theobald died from injuries he received while attempting to board a train. According to Jackson's Oxford Journal of 17 March 1894:-
Mr. James Theobald, Member for the Romford Division of Essex, met with a serious accident whilst attempting to enter a train at the Romford Station of the Great Eastern Railway on Friday afternoon [9 March]. He arrived at the station late, and reached a first-class compartment just as the train was leaving the platform. Missing his footing, he fell between the platform and the carriages, and he was severely crushed. One of his thighs and the lower part of his body were lacerated in a terrible manner, and he sustained serious scalp wounds. Two local surgeons were promptly on the spot, and after his injuries had been temporarily attended to he was placed on an ambulance and conveyed in a cab to the Golden Lion Hotel where he died the following day from the terrible injuries he received.
At an inquest subsequently held at the Court House, Romford, the jury returned a verdict of accidental death and added a rider that they considered the platform of the Romford Station should be made higher.
Michael Keith Beale Colvin
MP for Romsey 1997‑2000
Colvin and his wife died when their house was destroyed by fire in the morning of 24 February 2000. The following report of the inquest into their deaths appeared in The Guardian of 6 July of that year:-
A discarded match thrown into a waste paper basket was the most likely cause of a fire that destroyed the country mansion of the Conservative MP Michael Colvin and his wife Nichola, killing them both, an inquest heard yesterday.
Mr Colvin, 67, the MP for Romsey, Hampshire, and his wife, 62, died when the blaze swept through Tangley House, near Andover, Hampshire, early on February 24.
The mid-Hampshire coroner, Grahame Short, recorded an open verdict after concluding that the devastation caused by the fire meant it was impossible to establish the cause of death.
The hearing in Winchester was told that fumes and flames would have spread upstairs through an open door to the bedrooms in which the couple were sleeping.
Nichola Woolnough, the Colvin's housekeeper since 1990, told the inquest how she and her husband, Peter, who lived in a nearby cottage, were woken by the smell of smoke about 3am.
With the couple's butler, Alvaro Perreira, who also lived on the Tangley estate, they tried to rescue the couple before calling the fire brigade.
"We saw a glow in the sky. At first we thought it was the summerhouse but as we got round there we realised there was a glow coming from the main house", Mrs Woolnough said.
She said her husband and Mr Perreira had tried to enter the house but were beaten back by thick black smoke.
Firefighters, who arrived shortly after 4am, tried to enter through the bedroom windows but were beaten back by the intense heat.
The couple were identified by Mr Colvin's artificial hip joint and his wife's jewellery.
George Noble Plunkett
MP for Roscommon North 1917‑1922
George Noble Plunkett was generally referred to as Count Plunkett, a title granted to him in 1877 by Pope Leo XIII. Between 1907 and 1916 he was the curator of the National Museum in Dublin.
Following the Easter Rising in 1916, Plunkett's son, Joseph Mary Plunkett, was executed by firing squad and two other sons, George and John Plunkett, were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment.
In 1917, Plunkett was returned for the seat of Roscommon North, the first member of Sinn Féin to win a seat in the House of Commons. However, he declined to take his seat, which gave rise to the following article which appeared in The Times of 19 February 1917:-
Count Plunkett, recently elected for North Roscommon as a supporter of the policy of Sinn Féin, appears to be the only member of Parliament who has ever declined to take the oath and his seat in the House of Commons. Therefore in order to deal with him, if the House chooses to do so, a new ruling or precedent will have to be made.
There is a constitutional obligation on every member to attend the sittings of the House of Commons. Up till quite recently a member who contemplated a long absence had to obtain the leave of the House before he was free to go. Motions for "leave of absence" have appeared on the Order Paper within the memory of the older members of the House. Failure to attend did not, however, vacate a seat. According to Sir Erskine May, the causes of vacancy are the death of members, their elevation to the peerage, the acceptance of office under the Crown, bankruptcy, lunacy, and the determination of Election Judges that elections or returns are void. There is one other cause - expulsion by resolution of the House in the case of members convicted of felony. But none of these instances apply to Count Plunkett. In fact, he cannot resign his seat, even if he desired to do so. A member once elected can only cease automatically to represent his constituents by reason of his death or the dissolution of Parliament. There are several instances in the text-books where the House has refused to set a member free even on account of physical incapacity or a personal unwillingness to attend. The only means of escape from his obligation which a member has is his appointment to the Chiltern Hundreds, and that can be withheld by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
There exists a procedure known as "a call of the House" for compelling members to attend. It has been put into operation when a matter of importance and urgency arose which was thought to need the consideration of all the representatives of the people. The roll of members was called over, name by name, on the day appointed for the debate, of which due notice had been given. Those who were absent without reasonable excuse were fined. This means of enforcing the duty of attendance has not been put into operation since 1836, when the urgent matter was that of alleged corruption in the granting of pensions.
But all the old expedients for compelling attendance have fallen into disuse. The member has to reckon with his constituents, and that is now thought sufficient for the purpose. Besides such expedients, even if they were now in force, would apply only to members who had actually taken the oath and their seats. Count Plunkett is in an entirely different category. Still the House is supreme, an can, if it so desires, deal with him. In the first place, it may be assumed that Count Plunkett forfeits the £400 a year paid as salary to a member of Parliament. It might be held that Count Plunkett is technically guilty of a contempt of the House by refusing to take his seat. A resolution could be passed calling upon him to attend. If he declined to comply within a fixed period the Speaker's Warrant could be issued for his arrest or his seat could be declared vacant.
Notwithstanding the comment that "Plunkett … appears to be the only member who has ever declined to take the oath and his seat in the House of Commons" there have been instances when a member has been returned to Parliament without his knowledge or agreement. Two cases which spring to mind are those of Sir Bryan O'Loghlen in County Clare in 1877 and the poet and historian Robert Southey in Downton in 1826. Interested readers are referred to notes under the respective constituencies.
The question of how to deal with a member who refused to take his seat became somewhat meaningless after the December 1918 General Election when, in January 1919, the Sinn Féin MPs refused to recognize the UK Parliament and instead formed their own assembly called the Dáil Éireann. Of the 105 members for Irish constituencies elected in December 1918, 74 were members representing Sinn Féin and none of these members ever took their seats in the House of Commons. The table below shows those members elected for Irish constituencies in 1918, colour-coded as follows:-
Unionist/Labour Unionist
Nationalist
Sinn Féin
Independent
Name of member Constituency Took seat?
Robert Chaine Alexander McCalmont Antrim East ✔
Robert William Hugh O'Neill, later Baron Rathcavan Antrim Mid ✔
Peter Kerr-Smiley Antrim North ✔
Charles Curtis Craig Antrim South ✔
James Rolston Lonsdale Armagh Mid ✔
William James Allen Armagh North ✔
Patrick Donnelly Armagh South ✔
William Arthur Lindsay Belfast Cromac ✔
Sir Edward Henry Carson, later Baron Carson Belfast Duncairn ✔
Joseph Devlin Belfast Falls ✔
Thomas Moles Belfast Ormeau ✔
Herbert Dixon, later [1939] 1st Baron Glentoran Belfast Pottinger ✔
Samuel McGuffin Belfast Shankill ✔
Thomas Henry Burn Belfast St. Anne's ✔
Thompson Donald Belfast Victoria ✔
Robert John Lynn Belfast Woodvale ✔
James Lennon Carlow X
Arthur Griffith Cavan East X
Peter Paul Galligan Cavan West X
Edward George ("Eamonn") de Valera Clare East X
Brian O'Higgins Clare West X
Padraic O'Maille Connemara X
James Joseph Walsh Cork City X
Liam de Roiste Cork City X
David Rice Kent Cork co. East X
Terence Joseph McSwiney Cork co. Mid X
Patrick O'Keeffe Cork co. North X
Thomas Cornelius Hunter Cork co. North East X
Michael Collins Cork co. South X
Diarmid Lynch Cork co. South East X
John Hayes Cork co. West X
Edward Joseph Kelly Donegal East ✔
Joseph O'Doherty Donegal North X
Peter Joseph Ward Donegal South X
Joseph Aloysius Sweeney Donegal West X
David Douglas Reid Down East ✔
Sir James Craig, 1st baronet, later Viscount Craigavon Down Mid ✔
Thomas Watters Brown Down North ✔
Jeremiah MacVeagh Down South ✔
Daniel Martin Wilson Down West ✔
Richard James Mulcahy Dublin Clontarf X
Francis Lawless Dublin co. North X
George Gavan Duffy Dublin co. South X
Sean Thomas O'Kelly Dublin College Green X
Philip Shanahan Dublin Harbour X
Joseph McGrath Dublin St. James's X
Michael Staines Dublin St. Michan's X
Constance Georgine Markievicz Dublin St. Patrick's X
Thomas Kelly Dublin St. Stephen's Green X
Arthur Warren Samuels Dublin University ✔
Sir Robert Henry Woods Dublin University ✔
Edward Mervyn Archdale Fermanagh North ✔
Sean O'Mahoney Fermanagh South X
William Joseph (Liam) Mellowes Galway East X
Bryan Cusack Galway North X
Francis Patrick Fahy Galway South X
Pierce Beasley Kerry East X
James Crowley Kerry North X
Finian Lynch Kerry South X
Austin Stack Kerry West X
Donald Richard Buckley Kildare North X
Arthur John O'Connor Kildare South X
William Thomas Cosgrave Kilkenny North X
James O'Mara Kilkenny South X
Patrick McCartan King's County X
James Nicholas Dolan Leitrim X
Michael Patrick Colivet Limerick City X
Richard Francis Hayes Limerick East X
Cornelius Collins Limerick West X
John MacNeill Londonderry X
Hugh Alfred Anderson Londonderry co. North ✔
Denis Stanislaus Henry Londonderry co. South ✔
Joseph McGuinness Longford X
John Joseph O'Kelly Louth X
Edward George ("Eamonn") de Valera Mayo East X
John Crowley Mayo North X
William Sears Mayo South X
Joseph Michael McBride Mayo West X
William James ["Liam"] Mellowes Meath North X
Edmund John Duggan Meath South X
Ernest Blythe Monaghan North X
John Francis McEntee Monaghan South X
John MacNeill National University of Ireland X
Thomas Desmond Fitzgerald Pembroke X
Kevin Christopher O'Higgins Queen's County X
Sir William Whitla Queen's University, Belfast ✔
Sir Maurice Edward Dockrell Rathmines ✔
George Noble Plunkett Roscommon North X
Henry James ("Harry") Boland Roscommon South X
John Joseph Clancy Sligo North X
Alexander McCabe Sligo South X
Pierce McCann Tipperary East X
James Aloysius Burke Tipperary Mid X
Joseph McDonagh Tipperary North X
Patrick James Maloney Tipperary South X
Thomas James Stanislaus Harbison Tyrone North East ✔
Arthur Griffith Tyrone North West X
William Coote Tyrone South ✔
William Archer Redmond Waterford City ✔
Charles William St. John Burgess Waterford County X
Laurence Ginnell Westmeath X
Roger Mary Sweetman Wexford North X
James Ryan Wexford South X
John Redmond Etchingham Wicklow East X
Robert Childers Barton Wicklow West X
Henry James ("Harry") Boland
MP for Roscommon South 1918‑1922
Boland was shot while resisting arrest during the Irish Civil War. The following report appeared in The Times of 1 August 1922:-
Mr Harry Boland, a member of Dail Eireann and Mr de Valera's private secretary and Press agent, was shot this morning in a hotel at Skerries, a favourite seaside resort sixteen miles from Dublin, on the Great Northern Railway. For some years Mr Boland represented Dail Eireann at Washington, and when he returned to Ireland last year to take part in the debates on the Treaty in the Dail, he associated himself with Mr de Valera. Since that time he has been one of the most active of his lieutenants. Yesterday he drove to Skerries, and, with a companion, put up at an hotel there. They retired between 1 and 2 o'clock this morning, and soon afterwards National Forces arrived and surrounded thet hotel. They made their way to Mr Boland's bedroom with the object of arresting him. He is said to have resisted, and during a struggle a shot was fired, which struck Mr Boland in the stomach. He was taken to hospital, where an operation was
 

 
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