THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "S"
Last updated 13/06/2017 (3 Aug 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.
SUDBURY (SUFFOLK)
3 Apr 1660 John Gurdon 3 Jul 1595 9 Sep 1679 84
Joseph Brand c 1605 9 Oct 1674
Robert Cordell, later [Jun 1660] 1st baronet c 1616 3 Jan 1680
Double return. Gurdon and Brand seated 3 May 1660
22 Apr 1661 Thomas Waldegrave (to 1677) c 1608 17 Apr 1677
Isaac Appleton 8 Jan 1606 Dec 1661 55
Sir Robert Cordell, 1st baronet c 1616 3 Jan 1680
Thomas Barnardiston, later [1663] 1st baronet c 1618 4 Oct 1669
Double return. Waldegrave and Appleton seated 17 May 1661
24 Mar 1662 Sir Robert Cordell, 1st baronet (to Sep 1679) c 1616 3 Jan 1680
28 May 1677 Sir Gervase Elwes, 1st baronet 21 Aug 1628 11 Apr 1706 77
24 Feb 1679 Gervase Elwes (to 1685) c 1657 c 1687
6 Sep 1679 Sir Gervase Elwes, 1st baronet [at the general election in 1681, he was also returned for Preston, but the Parliament was dissolved before he chose which seat to represent] 21 Aug 1628 11 Apr 1706 77
15 Apr 1685 Sir John Cordell, 2nd baronet 10 Nov 1646 9 Sep 1690 43
Sir George Wenyeve c 1627 26 May 1706
Jan 1689 Sir John Poley 11 Jan 1637 13 Sep 1705 68
Philip Gurdon (to Oct 1690) c 1630 23 Jun 1690
27 Feb 1690 John Robinson (to 1698) c 1655 19 Dec 1704
14 Oct 1690 Sir Thomas Barnardiston, 2nd baronet (to 1699) c 1646 7 Oct 1698
25 Jul 1698 Samuel Kekewich (to 1700) 31 Mar 1657 25 Jan 1700 42
6 Feb 1699 John Gurdon (to Jan 1701) c 1672 2 Dec 1758
16 Feb 1700 Sir Gervase Elwes, 1st baronet (to 1706) 21 Aug 1628 11 Apr 1706 77
8 Jan 1701 Sir John Cordell, 3rd baronet 11 Nov 1677 8 May 1704 26
1 Dec 1701 Joseph Haskin Stiles [after being re-elected at the general election in Jul 1702, his election was declared void 19 Jan 1703. At the subsequent by-election held on 8 Feb 1703, he was again returned, but he was unseated on petition in favour of George Dashwood 6 Dec 1703] 28 Dec 1714
6 Dec 1703 George Dashwood 25 Nov 1669 Sep 1706 36
10 May 1705 Philip Skippon (to 1710) 12 Jul 1675 10 Sep 1716 41
16 Dec 1706 Sir Hervey Elwes, 2nd baronet Jul 1683 22 Oct 1763 80
11 Oct 1710 John Mead c 1662 5 Dec 1727
Robert Echlin (to 1715) c 1657 by 1724
4 Sep 1713 Sir Hervey Elwes, 2nd baronet (to 1722) Jul 1683 22 Oct 1763 80
2 Feb 1715 Thomas Western c 1693 7 Apr 1733
21 Mar 1722 John Knight (to Jan 1734) c 1686 2 Oct 1733
William Windham c 1674 22 Apr 1730
16 Aug 1727 Carteret Leathes (to Apr 1734) Jul 1698 1780 81
31 Jan 1734 Richard Jackson 1688 11 Jan 1768 79
27 Apr 1734 Richard Price after 1741
Edward Stephenson 8 Oct 1691 7 Sep 1768 76
4 May 1741 Carteret Leathes Jul 1698 1780 81
Thomas Fonnereau (to 1768) 27 Oct 1699 20 Mar 1779 79
1 Jul 1747 Richard Rigby Feb 1722 8 Apr 1788 66
16 Apr 1754 Thomas Walpole 25 Oct 1727 21 Mar 1803 75
25 Mar 1761 John Henniker, later [1781] 2nd baronet and [1800] 1st Baron Henniker [I] 15 Jun 1724 18 Apr 1803 78
17 Mar 1768 Sir Patrick Blake, 1st baronet c 1742 1 Jul 1784
Walden Hanmer, later [1774] 1st baronet 19 Mar 1717 20 Oct 1783 66
12 Oct 1774 Thomas Fonnereau 27 Oct 1699 20 Mar 1779 79
Philip Champion Crespigny after 1731 1 Jan 1803
[Both members were unseated on petition in favour of Sir Patrick Blake and Sir Walden Hanmer 22 Mar 1775]
22 Mar 1775 Sir Patrick Blake, 1st baronet (to 1784) c 1742 1 Jul 1784
Sir Walden Hanmer, 1st baronet 19 Mar 1717 20 Oct 1783 66
15 Sep 1780 Philip Champion Crespigny [he was unseated on petition in favour of Sir James Marriott 26 Apr 1781] after 1731 1 Jan 1803
26 Apr 1781 Sir James Marriott c 1730 21 Mar 1803
2 Apr 1784 John Langston 11 Feb 1812
William Smith 22 Sep 1756 31 May 1835 78
19 Jun 1790 Thomas Champion Crespigny c 1762 2 Aug 1799
John Coxe Hippisley, later [1796] 1st baronet c 1747 3 May 1825
25 May 1796 William Smith 22 Sep 1756 31 May 1835 78
Sir James Marriott c 1730 21 Mar 1803
5 Jul 1802 Sir John Coxe Hippisley, 1st baronet (to 1818) c 1747 3 May 1825
John Pytches 1774 15 May 1829 54
5 May 1807 Emanuel Felix Agar [kt 1812] c 1781 28 Aug 1866
6 Oct 1812 Charles Wyatt c 1759 13 Mar 1819
19 Jun 1818 William Heygate, later [1831] 1st baronet (to 1826) 24 Jun 1782 28 Aug 1844 62
John Broadhurst c 1778 15 Sep 1861
7 Mar 1820 Charles Augustus Tulk 2 Jun 1786 16 Jan 1849 62
13 Jun 1826 John Wilks c 1793 17 Jan 1846
Bethell Walrond (to 1831) 1801 Jun 1876 74
9 Apr 1828 John Norman Macleod 3 Aug 1788 25 Mar 1835 46
30 Jul 1830 Sir John Benn Walsh, 2nd baronet, later [1868] 1st Baron Ormathwaite (to 1835) 9 Dec 1798 3 Feb 1881 82
30 Apr 1831 Digby Cayley Wrangham 16 Jun 1805 1863 58
11 Dec 1832 Michael Angelo Taylor 13 Jul 1757 16 Jul 1834 77
25 Jul 1834 Sir Edward Barnes 1776 19 Mar 1838 61
6 Jan 1835 John Bagshaw 1784 20 Dec 1861 77
Benjamin Smith 12 Apr 1860
25 Jul 1837 Sir Edward Barnes (to 1838) 1776 19 Mar 1838 61
Sir James John Hamilton 1 Mar 1802 12 Jan 1876 73
12 Dec 1837 Joseph Bailey (to 1841) 1812 Aug 1850 38
27 Mar 1838 Sir John Benn Walsh, 2nd baronet, later [1868] 1st Baron Ormathwaite 9 Dec 1798 3 Feb 1881 82
5 Jul 1840 George Tomline 6 Mar 1813 29 Aug 1889 76
29 Jun 1841 Frederick Villiers 24 Mar 1801 27 May 1872 71
David Ochterlony Dyce Sombre [Election declared void 14 Apr 1842. No writ was issued to replace him, and the seat was disenfranchised by an Act which received Royal Assent 28 Jul 1844]
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 18 Dec 1808 1 Jul 1851 42
CONSTITUENCY DISENFRANCHISED 1844, BUT REVIVED 1885
2 Dec 1885 William Cuthbert Quilter, later [1897] 1st baronet 29 Jan 1841 18 Nov 1911 70
18 Jan 1906 William Charles Heaton‑Armstrong 1 Sep 1853 20 Jul 1917 63
19 Jan 1910 William Eley Cuthbert Quilter, later [1911] 2nd baronet 17 Jul 1873 18 Sep 1952 79
14 Dec 1918 Stephen Goodwin Howard 1867 13 Nov 1944 77
15 Nov 1922 Herbert Mercer 7 Jan 1862 8 Feb 1944 82
6 Dec 1923 John Frederick Loverseed 22 Dec 1881 14 Aug 1928 46
29 Oct 1924 Henry Walter Burton Dec 1876 23 Nov 1947 70
26 Jul 1945 Roland Hamilton 23 Nov 1886 10 Feb 1953 66
NAME ALTERED TO "SUDBURY AND WOODBRIDGE" 1950
SUDBURY AND WOODBRIDGE
23 Feb 1950 John Hugh Hare, later [1963] 1st Viscount Blakenham 22 Jan 1911 7 Mar 1982 71
5 Dec 1963 Keith Monin Stainton 8 Nov 1921 3 Nov 2001 79
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
SUFFOLK
9 Apr 1660 Sir Henry Felton, 2nd baronet (to 1679) 27 Jul 1619 20 Oct 1690 71
Sir Henry North, 1st baronet c 1609 29 Aug 1671
24 Feb 1673 Sir Samuel Barnardiston, 1st baronet (to 1685) 23 Jun 1620 8 Nov 1707 87
Lionel Tollemache, styled Lord Huntingtower, later [1698] 3rd Earl of Dysart [S] 30 Jan 1649 23 Feb 1727 78
Double return. Barnardiston declared elected 19 Feb 1674
17 Feb 1679 Sir Gervase Elwes, 1st baronet 21 Aug 1628 11 Apr 1706 77
1 Sep 1679 Sir William Spring, 2nd baronet May 1642 30 Apr 1684 41
6 Apr 1685 Sir Robert Broke, 1st baronet 23 Nov 1622 25 Feb 1694 71
Sir Henry North, 2nd baronet c 1635 5 Jul 1695
14 Jan 1689 Sir John Cordell, 2nd baronet 10 Nov 1646 9 Sep 1690 43
Sir John Rous, 2nd baronet c 1656 8 Apr 1730
3 Mar 1690 Sir Gervase Elwes, 1st baronet 21 Aug 1628 11 Apr 1706 77
Sir Samuel Barnardiston, 1st baronet (to 1702) 23 Jun 1620 8 Nov 1707 87
10 Aug 1698 Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart [S] (to 1707) 30 Jan 1649 23 Feb 1727 78
5 Aug 1702 Sir Dudley Cullum, 3rd baronet 17 Sep 1657 16 Sep 1720 62
9 May 1705 Sir Robert Davers, 2nd baronet (to 1722) c 1653 1 Oct 1722
3 Dec 1707 Leicester Martin c 1662 11 Oct 1732
5 May 1708 Sir Thomas Hanmer, 4th baronet (to 1727) 24 Sep 1677 7 May 1746 68
31 Oct 1722 Sir William Barker, 5th baronet (to 1732) c 1685 23 Jul 1731
30 Aug 1727 Sir Jermyn Davers, 4th baronet (to 1743) c 1686 20 Feb 1743
9 Feb 1732 Sir Robert Kemp, 3rd baronet 25 Jun 1667 18 Dec 1734 67
5 Mar 1735 Sir Cordell Firebrace, 3rd baronet (to 1759) 20 Feb 1712 28 Mar 1759 47
23 Mar 1743 John Affleck (to 1761) 12 Feb 1710 17 Feb 1776 66
20 Apr 1759 Rowland Holt (to 1768) c 1723 12 Jul 1786
8 Apr 1761 Sir Thomas Charles Bunbury, 6th baronet (to 1784) May 1740 31 Mar 1821 80
30 Mar 1768 Sir John Rous, 5th baronet c 1728 31 Oct 1771
18 Dec 1771 Rowland Holt c 1723 12 Jul 1786
27 Sep 1780 Sir John Rous, 6th baronet, later [1796] 1st Baron Rous and [1821] 1st Earl of Stradbroke (to 1796) 30 May 1750 27 Aug 1827 77
7 Apr 1784 Joshua Grigby c 1731 26 Dec 1798
29 Jun 1790 Sir Thomas Charles Bunbury, 6th baronet (to 1812) May 1740 31 Mar 1821 80
3 Jun 1796 Charles Cornwallis, styled Viscount Brome, later [1805] 2nd Marquess Cornwallis 19 Oct 1774 9 Aug 1823 48
20 Feb 1806 Thomas Sherlock Gooch, later [1826] 5th baronet (to 1830) 2 Nov 1767 18 Dec 1851 84
13 Oct 1812 Sir William Rowley, 2nd baronet 10 Feb 1761 20 Oct 1832 71
11 Aug 1830 Sir Henry Edward Bunbury, 7th baronet 4 May 1778 13 Apr 1860 81
Charles Tyrell 1776 2 Jan 1872 95
COUNTY SPLIT INTO "EAST" AND "WEST" DIVISIONS 1832
SUFFOLK CENTRAL
9 Jun 1983 Michael Nicholson Lord [kt 2001], later [2010] Baron Framlingham [L] 17 Oct 1938
NAME ALTERED TO "SUFFOLK CENTRAL AND IPSWICH NORTH" 1997
SUFFOLK CENTRAL AND IPSWICH NORTH
1 May 1997 Michael Nicholson Lord [kt 2001], later [2010] Baron Framlingham [L] 17 Oct 1938
6 May 2010 Daniel Leonard James Poulter 30 Oct 1978
4 Jul 2024 Patrick Spencer
SUFFOLK COASTAL
9 Jun 1983 John Selwyn Gummer, later [2010] Baron Deben [L] 26 Nov 1939
6 May 2010 Thérèse Anne Coffey 18 Nov 1971
4 Jul 2024 Jennifer Barbara Riddell-Carpenter
SUFFOLK EAST
20 Dec 1832 John Henniker, 4th Baron Henniker [I] (to 1846) 3 Feb 1801 16 Apr 1870 69
Robert Newton Shawe 21 Oct 1855
16 Jan 1835 Sir Charles Broke Vere 21 Feb 1779 1 Apr 1843 64
18 Apr 1843 William Thellusson, 4th Baron Rendlesham [I] (to 1852) 6 Jan 1798 6 Apr 1852 54
19 Feb 1846 Sir Edward Sherlock Gooch, 6th baronet (to 1856) 6 Jun 1802 9 Nov 1856 54
1 May 1852 Sir Fitzroy Kelly (to 1866) 1 Oct 1796 18 Sep 1880 83
26 Dec 1856 John Henniker, 4th Baron Henniker [I] 3 Feb 1801 16 Apr 1870 69
25 Jul 1866 John Major Henniker, later [1870] 5th Baron Henniker [I] (to 1870) 7 Nov 1842 27 Jun 1902 59
Sir Edward Clarence Kerrison, 2nd baronet 2 Jan 1821 12 Jul 1886 65
20 Feb 1867 Frederick Snowdon Corrance (to 1874) 1822 31 Oct 1906 84
1 Jun 1870 Arthur Philip Stanhope, styled Viscount Mahon, later [1875] 6th Earl Stanhope (to 1876) 13 Sep 1838 19 Apr 1905 66
12 Feb 1874 Frederick William Brook Thellusson, 5th Baron Rendlesham [I] (to 1885) 9 Feb 1840 9 Nov 1911 71
24 Feb 1876 Frederick St. John Newdigate Barne 5 Sep 1842 25 Jan 1898 55
SPLIT INTO VARIOUS DIVISIONS 1885, SEE "EYE", "LOWESTOFT", "STOWMARKET", "SUDBURY" AND "WOODBRIDGE"
SUFFOLK SOUTH
9 Jun 1983 Timothy Stephen Kenneth Yeo 20 Mar 1945
7 May 2015 James Roger Cartlidge 30 Apr 1974
SUFFOLK WEST
24 Dec 1832 Charles Tyrell c 1776 2 Jan 1872
Sir Hyde Parker, 8th baronet 1785 21 Mar 1856 70
22 Jan 1835 Henry Wilson 27 Aug 1797 8 Jun 1866 68
Robert Rushbrooke (to 1845) 1779 c Jun 1845 65
7 Aug 1837 Robert Hart Logan c 1771 13 Apr 1838
7 May 1838 Harry Spencer Waddington (to 1859) c 1780 26 Feb 1864
7 Jul 1845 Philip Bennet 1795 17 Aug 1866 71
2 May 1859 Frederick William John Hervey, styled Earl Jermyn, later [1864] 3rd Marquess of Bristol 28 Jun 1834 7 Aug 1907 73
William Parker (to 1880) 1802 Feb 1892 89
8 Dec 1864 Lord Augustus Henry Charles Hervey 2 Aug 1837 28 May 1875 37
17 Jun 1875 Fuller Maitland Wilson 1825 4 Sep 1875 50
4 Oct 1875 Thomas Thornhill, later [1885] 1st baronet (to 1885) 26 Mar 1837 2 Apr 1900 63
1 Apr 1880 William Biddell 8 Aug 1825 25 Oct 1900 75
SPLIT INTO VARIOUS DIVISIONS 1885, SEE "EYE", "LOWESTOFT", "STOWMARKET", "SUDBURY" AND "WOODBRIDGE". CONSTITUENCY RE-UNITED 1997
1 May 1997 Richard John Grenville Spring, later [2010] Baron Risby [L] 24 Sep 1946
6 May 2010 Matthew John David Hancock 2 Oct 1978
4 Jul 2024 Nicholas James Timothy
SUNDERLAND (DURHAM)
14 Dec 1832 Sir William Chaytor, 1st baronet (to 1835) 29 Apr 1771 28 Jan 1847 75
George Barrington 20 Nov 1794 2 Jan 1835 40
4 Apr 1833 William Thompson (to Sep 1841) 23 Jan 1792 10 Mar 1854 62
8 Jan 1835 David Barclay 1784 1 Jul 1861 77
27 Jul 1837 Andrew White 22 Jan 1792 3 Oct 1856 64
30 Jun 1841 David Barclay (to 1847) 1784 1 Jul 1861 77
17 Sep 1841 Henry George Grey, styled Viscount Howick, later [1845] 3rd Earl Grey 28 Dec 1802 9 Oct 1894 91
15 Aug 1845 George Hudson (to 1859)
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 6 Mar 1800 14 Dec 1871 71
22 Dec 1847 Sir Hedworth Williamson, 7th baronet 1 Nov 1797 24 Apr 1861 63
8 Jul 1852 William Digby Seymour 1822 16 Mar 1895 72
2 Dec 1855 Henry Fenwick (to 1866) 1820 16 Apr 1868 47
30 Apr 1859 William Shaw Lindsay 1816 28 Aug 1877 61
12 Jul 1865 James Hartley (to 1868) 1811 24 May 1886 74
28 Feb 1866 John Candlish (to 1874) c Apr 1816 17 Mar 1874 57
18 Nov 1868 Edward Temperley Gourley [kt 1895] (to 1900) 8 Jun 1826 15 Apr 1902 75
7 Jul 1874 Sir Henry Marshman Havelock (Havelock‑Allan from 1880), 1st baronet
For further information of this MP and VC winner, see the note at the foot of the page containing his baronetcy entry		 6 Aug 1830 30 Dec 1897 67
11 Apr 1881 Samuel Storey 13 Jan 1840 18 Jan 1925 85
16 Jul 1895 William Theodore Doxford [kt 1900] (to 1906) 1 Feb 1841 1 Oct 1916 75
4 Oct 1900 John Stapylton Grey Pemberton 23 Dec 1860 22 Feb 1940 79
27 Jan 1906 James Stuart Jan 1843 12 Oct 1913 70
Thomas Summerbell 1861 10 Feb 1910 48
17 Jan 1910 Samuel Storey 13 Jan 1840 18 Jan 1925 85
James Knott, later [1917] 1st baronet 31 Jan 1855 8 Jun 1934 79
Dec 1910 Hamar Greenwood, later [1915] 1st baronet, [1929] 1st Baron Greenwood and [1937] 1st Viscount Greenwood (to 1922) 7 Feb 1870 10 Sep 1948 78
Frank Walter Goldstone [kt 1931] 7 Dec 1870 25 Dec 1955 85
14 Dec 1918 Ralph Milbanke Hudson 1849 5 Mar 1938 88
15 Nov 1922 Luke Thompson [kt 1934]
For information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 13 Jul 1867 15 Jan 1941 73
Walter Raine [kt 1927] May 1874 19 Dec 1938 64
30 May 1929 Marion Phillips (to Oct 1931) 29 Oct 1881 23 Jan 1932 50
Alfred Smith 1860 12 Feb 1931 70
26 Mar 1931 Luke Thompson [kt 1934] (to 1935)
For information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 13 Jul 1867 15 Jan 1941 73
27 Oct 1931 Samuel Storey, later [1960] 1st baronet and [1966] Baron Buckton [L] (to 1945) 18 Jan 1896 17 Jan 1978 81
14 Nov 1935 Stephen Noel Furness 18 Dec 1902 14 Apr 1974 71
26 Jul 1945 Richard Ewart 15 Sep 1904 8 Mar 1953 48
Frederick Thomas Willey 13 Nov 1910 13 Dec 1987 77
CONSTITUENCY SPLIT INTO "NORTH" AND "SOUTH" DIVISIONS 1950
SUNDERLAND CENTRAL
6 May 2010 Julie Elliott 29 Jul 1963
4 Jul 2024 Lewis Malcolm Atkinson
SUNDERLAND NORTH
23 Feb 1950 Frederick Thomas Willey 13 Nov 1910 13 Dec 1987 77
9 Jun 1983 Robert Alan Clay 2 Oct 1946
9 Apr 1992 William Etherington 17 Jul 1941
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2010
SUNDERLAND SOUTH
23 Feb 1950 Richard Ewart 15 Sep 1904 8 Mar 1953 48
13 May 1953 Paul Glyn Williams 14 Nov 1922 10 Sep 2008 85
15 Oct 1964 Gordon Alexander Thomas Bagier 7 Jul 1924 8 Apr 2012 87
11 Jun 1987 Christopher John Mullin 12 Dec 1947
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2010
SURBITON
26 May 1955 Nigel Thomas Loveridge Fisher [kt 1974] 14 Jul 1913 9 Oct 1996 83
9 Jun 1983 Richard Patrick Tracey 8 Feb 1943 19 Mar 2020 77
NAME CHANGED TO "KINGSTON AND SURBITON" 1997
SURREY
5 Apr 1660 Francis Aungier, 3rd Baron Aungier [I], later [1677] 1st Earl of Longford [I] c 1632 23 Dec 1700
Daniel Harvey 10 Nov 1631 Aug 1672 40
3 Apr 1661 Sir Adam Browne, 2nd baronet c 1626 3 Nov 1690
Sir Edmund Bowyer 28 Oct 1613 27 Jan 1681 67
28 Feb 1679 Sir Arthur Onslow, 1st baronet 23 Apr 1622 21 Jul 1688 66
George Evelyn 18 Jun 1617 4 Oct 1699 82
8 Apr 1685 Sir Adam Browne, 2nd baronet c 1626 3 Nov 1690
Sir Edward Evelyn, 1st baronet 25 Jan 1626 3 May 1692 66
14 Jan 1689 Sir Richard Onslow, 2nd baronet, later [1716] 1st Baron Onslow (to 1710) 23 Jun 1654 5 Dec 1717 63
George Evelyn 18 Jun 1617 4 Oct 1699 82
11 Mar 1690 Sir Francis Vincent, 5th baronet 12 Apr 1646 10 Feb 1736 89
6 Nov 1695 Denzil Onslow c 1642 27 Jun 1721
3 Aug 1698 John Weston 16 Jun 1651 after 1714
29 Jul 1702 Leonard Wessell after 1660 1708
30 May 1705 Sir William Scawen c 1644 18 Oct 1722
11 Oct 1710 Heneage Finch, styled Baron Guernsey, later [1719] 2nd Earl of Aylesford (to 1719) 27 Aug 1683 29 Jun 1757 73
Sir Francis Vincent, 5th baronet 12 Apr 1646 10 Feb 1736 89
9 Sep 1713 Sir Richard Onslow, later [1716] 1st Baron Onslow 23 Jun 1654 5 Dec 1717 63
30 Nov 1715 Thomas Onslow, later [1717] 2nd Baron Onslow 27 Nov 1679 5 Jun 1740 60
25 Dec 1717 Denzil Onslow (to Jul 1721) c 1642 27 Jun 1721
15 Dec 1719 John Walter (to Aug 1727) 12 May 1736
24 Jul 1721 Sir William Scawen c 1647 18 Oct 1722
2 Apr 1722 Sir Nicholas Carew, 1st baronet 26 Dec 1686 18 Mar 1727 40
12 Apr 1727 Thomas Scawen (to 1741) 11 Feb 1774
30 Aug 1727 Arthur Onslow (to 1761) 3 Sep 1691 17 Feb 1768 76
20 May 1741 Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore [I] 29 Sep 1699 24 Apr 1751 51
8 May 1751 Thomas Budgen 3 Mar 1772
8 Apr 1761 George Onslow, later [1776] 4th Baron Onslow and [1801] 1st Earl of Onslow 13 Sep 1731 17 May 1814 82
Sir Francis Vincent, 7th baronet (to 1775) c 1717 22 May 1775
20 Oct 1774 James Scawen (to 1780) 1734 7 Jan 1801 66
14 Jun 1775 Sir Joseph Mawbey, 1st baronet (to 1790) 2 Dec 1730 16 Jun 1798 67
27 Sep 1780 Augustus Keppel, later [1782] 1st Viscount Keppel 25 Apr 1725 2 Oct 1786 61
10 Apr 1782 George John Spencer, styled Viscount Althorp, later [1783] 2nd Earl Spencer 1 Sep 1758 10 Nov 1834 76
19 Nov 1783 Sir Robert Clayton, 3rd baronet c 1740 10 May 1799
7 Apr 1784 William Norton, later [1789] 2nd Baron Grantley 19 Feb 1742 12 Nov 1822 80
19 Jan 1789 Lord William Russell (to 1807)
For further information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of the page containing details of the members for Tavistock		 20 Aug 1767 6 May 1840 72
28 Jun 1790 William Clement Finch 27 May 1753 30 Sep 1794 41
7 Nov 1794 Sir John Frederick, 5th baronet 18 Mar 1750 16 Jan 1825 74
13 May 1807 Samuel Thornton 6 Nov 1754 3 Jul 1838 83
George Holme-Sumner (to 1826) 10 Nov 1760 26 Jun 1838 77
12 Oct 1812 Sir Thomas Sutton c 1755 6 Nov 1813
22 Nov 1813 Samuel Thornton 6 Nov 1754 3 Jul 1838 83
23 Jun 1818 William Joseph Denison (to 1832) May 1770 2 Aug 1849 79
13 Jun 1826 Charles Nicholas Pallmer 11 Jun 1772 30 Sep 1848 76
5 Aug 1830 John Ivatt Briscoe 12 Oct 1791 16 Aug 1870 78
COUNTY SPLIT INTO "EAST" AND "WEST" DIVISIONS 1832
SURREY EAST
15 Dec 1832 John Ivatt Briscoe 12 Oct 1791 16 Aug 1870 78
Aubrey William Beauclerk (to 1837) 20 Feb 1801 1 Feb 1854 52
14 Jan 1835 Richard Alsager (to 1841) Jan 1841
3 Aug 1837 Henry Kemble (to 1847) 1787 18 May 1857 69
8 Feb 1841 Edmund Antrobus, later [1870] 3rd baronet 3 Sep 1818 1 Apr 1899 80
11 Aug 1847 Peter John Locke King (to 1874) 25 Jan 1811 12 Nov 1885 74
Thomas Alcock 1801 22 Aug 1866 65
20 Jul 1865 Charles Buxton
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 18 Nov 1823 10 Aug 1871 47
26 Aug 1871 James Watney (to 1885) 19 May 1832 2 Nov 1886 54
9 Feb 1874 William Grantham [kt 1886] 23 Oct 1835 30 Nov 1911 76
SPLIT INTO VARIOUS DIVISIONS 1885, SEE "CHERTSEY", "EPSOM", "GUILDFORD", "KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES", "REIGATE" AND "WIMBLEDON". CONSTITUENCY RE-UNITED 1918
14 Dec 1918 Sir Stuart Auchincloss Coats, 2nd baronet 20 Mar 1868 15 Jul 1959 91
15 Nov 1922 James Francis Wallace Galbraith 1872 29 Jan 1945 72
14 Nov 1935 Charles Ernest George Campbell Emmott 12 Nov 1898 14 Apr 1953 54
26 Jul 1945 Michael Langhorne Astor 10 Apr 1916 28 Feb 1980 63
25 Oct 1951 Charles John Addison Doughty 21 Sep 1902 10 Jul 1973 70
18 Jun 1970 William Gibson Haig Clark [kt 1980], later [1992] Baron Clark of Kempston [L] 18 Oct 1917 6 Oct 2004 86
28 Feb 1974 Sir Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe, later [1992] Baron Howe of Aberavon [L] 20 Dec 1926 9 Oct 2015 88
9 Apr 1992 Peter Michael Ainsworth 16 Nov 1956 7 Apr 2021 64
6 May 2010 Samuel Phillip Gyimah 10 Aug 1976
12 Dec 2019 Claire Coryl Julia Coutinho 6 Jul 1985
SURREY HEATH
1 May 1997 Nicholas John Hawkins 27 Mar 1957
5 May 2005 Michael Andrew Gove 26 Aug 1967
4 Jul 2024 Alasdair Douglas Pinkerton
SURREY MID
26 Nov 1868 Henry William Peek, later [1874] 1st baronet (to 1884) 26 Feb 1825 26 Aug 1898 73
William Brodrick, later [1870] 8th Viscount Midleton [I] 6 Jan 1830 18 Apr 1907 77
17 Oct 1870 Sir Richard Baggallay 13 May 1816 13 Nov 1888 72
24 Nov 1875 Sir James John Trevor Lawrence, 2nd baronet (to 1885) 30 Dec 1831 22 Dec 1913 81
20 Jun 1884 Sir John Whittaker Ellis, 1st baronet 25 Jan 1829 20 Sep 1912 83
SPLIT INTO VARIOUS DIVISIONS 1885, SEE "CHERTSEY", "EPSOM", "GUILDFORD", "KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES", "REIGATE" AND "WIMBLEDON"
SURREY NORTH WEST
28 Feb 1974 (William) Michael John Grylls [kt 1992] 21 Feb 1934 7 Feb 2001 66
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1997
SURREY SOUTH WEST
9 Jun 1983 Maurice Victor Macmillan, from Feb 1984 styled Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden 27 Jan 1921 10 Mar 1984 63
3 May 1984 Virginia Hilda Brunette Maxwell Bottomley, later [2005] Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone [L] 12 Mar 1948
5 May 2005 Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt 1 Nov 1966
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2024
SURREY WEST
14 Dec 1832 William Joseph Denison (to 1849) May 1770 2 Aug 1849 79
John Leach
12 Jan 1835 Charles Barclay 26 Dec 1780 5 Dec 1855 74
4 Aug 1837 George James Perceval, later [1840] 3rd Baron Arden and [1841] 6th Earl of Egmont [I] 14 Mar 1794 2 Aug 1874 80
31 Jul 1840 John Trotter
6 Aug 1847 Henry Drummond (to 1860) 5 Dec 1786 20 Feb 1860 73
22 Sep 1849 William John Evelyn 27 Jul 1822 26 Jul 1908 85
6 Apr 1857 John Ivatt Briscoe (to 1870) 1791 16 Aug 1870 79
10 Mar 1860 George Cubitt, later [1892] 1st Baron Ashcombe (to 1885) 4 Jun 1828 26 Feb 1917 88
8 Sep 1870 Lee Steere 1803 9 Oct 1890 87
3 Apr 1880 William St. John Fremantle Brodrick, later [1909] 9th Viscount Midleton and [1920] 1st Earl of Midleton 14 Dec 1856 13 Feb 1942 85
SPLIT INTO VARIOUS DIVISIONS 1885, SEE "CHERTSEY", "EPSOM", "GUILDFORD", "KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES", "REIGATE" AND "WIMBLEDON"
SUSSEX
19 Apr 1660 Sir John Pelham, 3rd baronet (to 1681) c 1623 20 Jan 1703
Henry Goring, later [1680] 2nd baronet 1 May 1622 3 Apr 1702 79
Apr 1661 John Ashburnham c 1603 15 Jun 1671
19 Dec 1667 Sir William Morley 21 Mar 1639 30 May 1701 62
6 Feb 1679 John Lewknor 24 Apr 1658 19 Feb 1707 48
21 Aug 1679 Sir Nicholas Pelham c 1650 8 Nov 1739
3 Mar 1681 Sir William Thomas, 1st baronet 29 Jul 1641 18 Nov 1706 65
Sir John Fagg, 1st baronet [he was also returned for Steyning, but the Parliament was dissolved before he chose which seat to represent] 4 Oct 1627 18 Jan 1701 73
26 Mar 1685 Sir Henry Goring, 2nd baronet 1 May 1622 3 Apr 1702 79
Sir Thomas Dyke, 1st baronet c 1650 31 Oct 1706
17 Jan 1689 Sir John Pelham, 3rd baronet c 1623 20 Jan 1703
Sir William Thomas, 1st baronet (to Jan 1701) 29 Jul 1641 18 Nov 1706 65
28 Aug 1698 Robert Orme c 1669 Apr 1711
9 Jan 1701 Henry Lumley c 1658 18 Oct 1722
John Miller, later [1705] 2nd baronet 21 Nov 1665 29 Nov 1721 56
11 Dec 1701 Sir William Thomas, 1st baronet 29 Jul 1641 18 Nov 1706
Sir Henry Peachey, later [1736] 1st baronet c 1671 23 Aug 1737
23 Jul 1702 Thomas Pelham, later [1703] 4th baronet and [1706] 1st Baron Pelham of Laughton c 1653 23 Feb 1712
Henry Lumley c 1658 18 Oct 1722
24 May 1705 John Morley Trevor 31 Aug 1681 7 Apr 1719 37
Sir George Parker, 2nd baronet c 1673 14 May 1727
20 May 1708 Sir Henry Peachey, later [1736] 1st baronet c 1671 23 Aug 1737
Peter Gott 22 May 1653 16 Apr 1712 58
5 Oct 1710 Charles Eversfield c 1682 17 Jun 1749
Sir George Parker, 2nd baronet c 1673 14 May 1727
3 Sep 1713 Henry Campion c 1680 17 Apr 1761
John Fuller 28 Jul 1680 4 Aug 1745 65
17 Feb 1715 James Butler c 1680 17 May 1741
Spencer Compton, later [1730] [1728] 1st Baron Wilmington and [1730] 1st Earl of Wilmington (to 1728) c 1674 2 Jul 1743
5 Apr 1722 Henry Pelham (to 1754) c Jan 1695 6 Mar 1754 59
22 Feb 1728 James Butler c 1680 17 May 1741
14 Jan 1742 Charles Sackville, styled Earl of Middlesex, later [1765] 2nd Duke of Dorset 6 Feb 1711 6 Jan 1769 57
6 Jul 1747 John Butler (to 1767) 19 Mar 1707 29 Dec 1766 59
2 May 1754 Thomas Pelham, later [1768] 2nd Baron Pelham of Stanmer and [1801] 1st Earl of Chichester (to 1768) 28 Feb 1728 8 Jan 1805 76
3 Feb 1767 Lord George Henry Lennox (to 1790) 29 Nov 1737 22 Mar 1805 67
9 Dec 1768 Richard Harcourt c 1714 2 May 1777
20 Oct 1774 Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson, 6th baronet 25 Jan 1727 29 Aug 1798 71
14 Sep 1780 Thomas Pelham, later [1805] 2nd Earl of Chichester (to 1801) 28 Apr 1756 4 Jul 1826 70
25 Jun 1790 Charles Lennox, later [1806] 4th Duke of Richmond (to 1807) 9 Sep 1764 28 Aug 1819 54
16 Jul 1801 John Fuller (to 1812)
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 20 Feb 1757 11 Apr 1834 77
29 Jan 1807 Charles William Wyndham 8 Oct 1760 1 Jul 1828 67
14 Oct 1812 Sir Godfrey Vassal Webster, 5th baronet 6 Oct 1789 17 Jul 1836 46
Walter Burrell (to 1831) 15 Apr 1777 7 Apr 1831 53
13 Mar 1820 Edward Jeremiah Curteis 6 Jul 1762 18 Mar 1835 72
11 Aug 1830 Herbert Barrett Curteis (to 1832) 19 Jun 1793 13 Dec 1847 54
6 May 1831 Lord John George Lennox 3 Oct 1793 10 Nov 1873 80
COUNTY SPLIT INTO "EAST" AND "WEST" DIVISIONS 1832
SUSSEX EAST
18 Dec 1832 Charles Compton Cavendish, later [1858] 1st Baron Chesham (to 1841) 28 Aug 1793 10 Nov 1863 70
Herbert Barrett Curteis 19 Jun 1793 13 Dec 1847 54
1 Aug 1837 George Darby (to 1846) 16 Nov 1872
12 Jul 1841 Augustus Eliott Fuller (to Apr 1857) 7 May 1777 5 Aug 1857 80
3 Feb 1846 Charles Hay Frewen (formerly Turner) 25 May 1813 1 Sep 1878 65
7 Mar 1857 Henry North Holroyd, styled Viscount Pevensey, later [1876] 3rd Earl of Sheffield (to 1865) 18 Jan 1832 21 Apr 1909 77
4 Apr 1857 John George Dodson, later [1884] 1st Baron Monk Bretton (to 1874) 18 Oct 1825 25 May 1897 71
19 Jul 1865 Lord Edward Cavendish 28 Jan 1838 18 May 1891 53
26 Nov 1868 George Burrow Gregory (to 1885) 29 Jan 1813 5 Mar 1893 80
11 Feb 1874 Montagu David Scott 15 Mar 1818 15 Jan 1900 81
SPLIT INTO VARIOUS DIVISIONS 1885, SEE "CHICHESTER", "EASTBOURNE", "EAST GRINSTEAD", "HORSHAM", "LEWES" AND "RYE"
SUSSEX MID
28 Feb 1974 Ronald Timothy Renton, later [1997] Baron Renton of Mount Harry [L] 28 May 1932 25 Aug 2020 88
1 May 1997 Arthur Nicholas Winston Soames [kt 2014], later [2022] Baron Soames of Fletching [L] 12 Feb 1948
12 Dec 2019 Miriam Jane Alice ["Mims"] Davies 2 Jun 1975
4 Jul 2024 Alison Elizabeth Bennett
SUSSEX WEALD
4 Jul 2024 Nusrat Munir Ul-Ghani 1 Sep 1972
SUSSEX WEST
17 Dec 1832 Lord John George Lennox 3 Oct 1793 10 Nov 1873 80
Henry Charles Fitzalan‑Howard, styled Earl of Surrey, later [1842] 13th Duke of Norfolk 12 Aug 1791 18 Feb 1856 64
5 Jul 1841 Charles Henry Gordon‑Lennox, styled Earl of March, later [1860] 6th Duke of Richmond (to 1860) 27 Feb 1818 27 Sep 1903 85
Charles Wyndham 1796 16 Feb 1866 69
2 Feb 1847 Richard Prime 1 Apr 1784 7 Nov 1866 82
13 Feb 1854 Henry Wyndham, later [1869] 2nd Baron Leconfield (to 1869) 31 Jul 1830 6 Jan 1901 70
27 Dec 1860 Walter Barttelot Barttelot, later [1875] 1st baronet (to 1885) 10 Oct 1820 2 Feb 1893 72
17 Apr 1869 Charles Henry Gordon‑Lennox, styled Earl of March, later [1903] 7th Duke of Richmond 27 Dec 1845 18 Jan 1928 82
SPLIT INTO VARIOUS DIVISIONS 1885, SEE "CHICHESTER", "EASTBOURNE", "EAST GRINSTEAD", "HORSHAM", "LEWES" AND "RYE"
SUTHERLAND
9 Jun 1708 Sir William Gordon, 1st baronet 9 Jun 1742
27 Oct 1713 William Morison [he was also returned for Peebleshire, for which he chose to sit] 19 Apr 1663 1739 76
7 May 1714 Sir William Gordon, 1st baronet 9 Jun 1742
31 Aug 1727 William Sutherland, styled Lord Strathnaver, later [1733] 17th Earl of Sutherland [S] 2 Oct 1708 7 Dec 1750 42
15 Feb 1734 Sir James Fergusson, 2nd baronet c 1687 20 Jan 1759
6 May 1736 James St. Clair 1688 30 Nov 1762 74
30 Jul 1747 George Mackay c 1715 25 Jun 1782
23 Apr 1761 Alexander Mackay 1717 31 May 1789 71
14 Apr 1768 James Wemyss 23 Feb 1726 10 May 1786 60
26 Apr 1784 William Wemyss 9 Apr 1760 4 Feb 1822 61
1 Aug 1787 James Grant 1720 13 Apr 1806 85
31 Jul 1802 William Dundas 1762 14 Nov 1845 83
2 May 1808 John Randoll Mackenzie c 1763 28 Jul 1809
29 Sep 1809 George Macpherson-Grant, later [1838] 1st baronet 25 Feb 1781 Nov 1846 65
28 Oct 1812 James Macdonald, later [1826] 2nd baronet 14 Feb 1784 29 Jun 1832 48
6 Mar 1816 George Macpherson-Grant, later [1838] 1st baronet 25 Feb 1781 Nov 1846 65
26 Jun 1826 Lord Francis Leveson‑Gower, later [1846] 1st Earl of Ellesmere 1 Jan 1800 18 Feb 1857 57
27 May 1831 Sir Hugh Innes, 1st baronet c 1764 16 Aug 1831
14 Sep 1831 Roderick Macleod 24 Nov 1786 13 Mar 1853 66
31 Jul 1837 William Howard 25 Dec 1781 25 Jan 1843 61
8 Apr 1840 Sir David Dundas 1799 30 Mar 1877 77
16 Jul 1852 George Granville William Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, styled Marquess of Stafford, later [1861] 3rd Duke of Sutherland 19 Dec 1828 22 Sep 1892 63
27 Mar 1861 Sir David Dundas 1799 30 Mar 1877 77
27 May 1867 Lord Ronald Charles Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 2 Aug 1845 9 Mar 1916 70
2 Feb 1874 Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, styled Marquess of Stafford, later [1892] 4th Duke of Sutherland 20 Jul 1851 27 Jun 1913 61
10 Jul 1886 Angus Sutherland 1848 16 Jan 1922 73
26 Oct 1894 John MacLeod 1863
10 Oct 1900 Frederick Neville Sutherland Leveson‑Gower 31 May 1874 9 Apr 1959 84
23 Jan 1906 Alpheus Cleophas Morton [kt 1918] 1840 26 Apr 1923 82
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1918
SUTTON (PLYMOUTH)
14 Dec 1918 Waldorf Astor, later [1919] 2nd Viscount Astor 19 May 1879 30 Sep 1952 73
15 Nov 1919 Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 19 May 1879 2 May 1964 84
26 Jul 1945 Lucy Annie Middleton 9 May 1894 20 Nov 1983 89
25 Oct 1951 John Jacob Astor 29 Aug 1918 10 Sep 2000 82
8 Oct 1959 Ian Montagu Fraser 14 Oct 1916 8 Nov 1987 71
31 Mar 1966 David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, later [1992] Baron Owen [L] 2 Jul 1938
28 Feb 1974 Alan Kenneth McKenzie Clark
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 13 Apr 1928 5 Sep 1999 71
9 Apr 1992 Gary Nicholas Streeter 2 Oct 1955
1 May 1997 Linda Gilroy 19 Jul 1949
NAME ALTERED TO "SUTTON AND DEVONPORT" 2010
SUTTON COLDFIELD
26 Jul 1945 Sir John Serocold Paget Mellor, 2nd baronet 6 Jul 1893 15 Jul 1986 93
26 May 1955 Geoffrey William Lloyd, later [1974] Baron Geoffrey‑Lloyd [L] 17 Jan 1902 12 Sep 1984 82
28 Feb 1974 (Peter) Norman Fowler [kt 1990], later [2001] Baron Fowler [L] 2 Feb 1938
7 Jun 2001 Andrew John Bower Mitchell 23 Mar 1956
SUTTON AND CHEAM
26 Jul 1945 Sidney Horatio Marshall [kt 1952] 17 Jul 1882 28 Mar 1973 90
4 Nov 1954 Richard Christopher Sharples [kt 1972] 6 Aug 1916 10 Mar 1973 56
7 Dec 1972 Graham Norman Tope, later [1994] Baron Tope [L] 30 Nov 1943
28 Feb 1974 David Neil Macfarlane [kt 1988] 7 May 1936
9 Apr 1992 Lady (Helen) Olga Maitland 23 May 1944
1 May 1997 Paul Kenneth Burstow 13 May 1962
7 May 2015 Paul Stuart Scully 29 Apr 1968
4 Jul 2024 Luke Alexander Taylor
SUTTON AND DEVONPORT (PLYMOUTH)
6 May 2010 Oliver Newton Colville 26 Aug 1959
8 Jun 2017 Luke Pollard 10 Apr 1980
SWANSEA
27 Nov 1885 Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn 19 May 1814 19 Jun 1892 78
Jul 1892 Robert John Dickson Burnie 1842 6 Mar 1908 65
17 Jul 1895 Sir John Talbot Dillwyn‑Llewellyn, 1st baronet 26 May 1836 6 Jul 1927 91
2 Oct 1900 Sir George Newnes, 1st baronet 13 Mar 1851 9 Jun 1910 59
17 Jan 1910 Sir Alfred Moritz Mond, later [Jul 1910] 1st baronet and [1928] 1st Baron Melchett 23 Oct 1868 27 Dec 1930 62
CONSTITUENCY SPLIT INTO "EAST" AND "WEST" DIVISIONS 1918
SWANSEA DISTRICT
11 Dec 1832 John Henry Vivian 1785 10 Feb 1855 69
27 Feb 1855 Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn 19 May 1814 19 Jun 1892 78
24 Nov 1885 Sir Henry Hussey Vivian, 1st baronet, later [1893] 1st Baron Swansea 6 Jul 1821 28 Nov 1894 73
19 Jun 1893 William Williams 1840 21 Apr 1904 63
17 Jul 1895 David Brynmor Jones [kt 1906] 1852 6 Aug 1921 69
6 Feb 1915 Thomas Jeremiah Williams 1872 12 Jun 1919 46
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1918
SWANSEA EAST
14 Dec 1918 Thomas Jeremiah Williams 1872 12 Jun 1919 46
10 Jul 1919 David Matthews 1868 26 Feb 1960 91
15 Nov 1922 David Williams 8 Sep 1865 22 Jan 1941 75
5 Feb 1940 David Llewellyn Mort 25 Mar 1888 1 Jan 1963 74
28 Mar 1963 Neil McBride 13 Apr 1910 9 Sep 1974 64
10 Oct 1974 Donald Anderson, later [2005] Baron Anderson of Swansea [L] 17 Jun 1939
5 May 2005 Siân Catherine James 24 Jun 1959
7 May 2015 Carolyn Harris 18 Sep 1960
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2024
SWANSEA WEST
14 Dec 1918 Sir Alfred Moritz Mond, 1st baronet, later [1928] 1st Baron Melchett 23 Oct 1868 27 Dec 1930 62
6 Dec 1923 Howel Walter Samuel 1881 5 Apr 1953 71
29 Oct 1924 Walter Runciman, later [1933] 2nd Baron Runciman and [1937] 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford 19 Nov 1870 14 Nov 1949 78
30 May 1929 Howel Walter Samuel 1881 5 Apr 1953 71
27 Oct 1931 Lewis Jones [kt 1944] 13 Feb 1884 10 Dec 1968 84
26 Jul 1945 Percy Morris 6 Oct 1893 7 Mar 1967 73
8 Oct 1959 John Edward Hugh Rees 8 Jan 1928 1 Dec 2003 75
15 Oct 1964 Alan John Williams 14 Oct 1930 21 Dec 2014 84
6 May 2010 Geraint Richard Davies 3 May 1960
4 Jul 2024 Torsten Henricson-Bell Sep 1982
SWINDON (WILTSHIRE)
14 Dec 1918 Sir Frederick William Young 5 Jan 1876 26 Aug 1948 72
15 Nov 1922 Reginald Mitchell Banks [kt 1928] 1880 9 Jul 1940 60
30 May 1929 Christopher Addison, later [1945] 1st Viscount Addison 19 Jun 1869 11 Dec 1951 82
27 Oct 1931 Sir Reginald Mitchell Banks 1880 9 Jul 1940 60
25 Oct 1934 Christopher Addison, later [1945] 1st Viscount Addison 19 Jun 1869 11 Dec 1951 82
14 Nov 1935 William Wavell Wakefield [kt 1944], later [1963] 1st Baron Wakefield of Kendal 10 Mar 1898 12 Aug 1983 85
26 Jul 1945 Thomas Reid 26 Dec 1881 28 Jan 1963 81
26 May 1955 Francis Edward Noel‑Baker 7 Jan 1920 25 Sep 2009 89
30 Oct 1969 Christopher John Ferguson Ward 26 Dec 1942
18 Jun 1970 David Leonard Stoddart, later [1983] Baron Stoddart of Swindon [L] 4 May 1926 14 Nov 2020 94
9 Jun 1983 Simon Christopher Coombs 21 Feb 1947
SPLIT INTO "SWINDON NORTH" AND "SWINDON SOUTH" 1997
SWINDON NORTH (WILTSHIRE)
1 May 1997 Michael David Wills, later [2010] Baron Wills [L] 20 May 1952
6 May 2010 Justin Paul Tomlinson 5 Nov 1976
4 Jul 2024 Will Stone
SWINDON SOUTH (WILTSHIRE)
1 May 1997 Julia Kate Drown 23 Aug 1962
5 May 2005 Anne Christine Snelgrove 7 Aug 1957
6 May 2010 Robert James Buckland [kt 2022] 22 Sep 1968
4 Jul 2024 Heidi Alexander 17 Apr 1975
 

John Fuller
MP for Southampton 1780‑1784 and Sussex 1801‑1812
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)
'Mad Jack', or 'Honest Jack', as he liked to be called, was MP from 1801 to 1812 for Rose Hill (now Brightling) [sic - there has never been a constituency named Rose Hill - Fuller was MP for the county of Sussex]. His political nature was fiery to say the least. He more than once caused an uproar in the House and had to be ejected forcibly when he referred to the Speaker as 'the insignificant little fellow in the wig'. He was a large man (twenty-two stone and nicknamed 'Hippo') with a bluff manner, a sense of humour and no pretensions. Declining Pitt's offer of a peerage, he said "I was born Jack Fuller and Jack Fuller I'll die". He loved Rose Hill and commissioned Turner to paint five pictures of the area. When unemployment was high Fuller built walls on his property just as a means of providing jobs for the local people.
His memory endures, however, chiefly through his love of follies. He erected a domed rotunda and a 'hermit's tower' on his estate, not to mention the Brightling Needle, a 65 foot high obelisk which to this day remains a Sussex landmark. The Sugar Loaf Folly at Dallington was built as the result of a bet Fuller made with a neighbour that he could see the distinctive conical spire of Dallington Church from his window at Rose Hill. When he found on returning home that he could do no such thing, Fuller, in a joking attempt to maintain his credit, built a forty-foot replica of the spire on a nearby hill to give the illusion of a half visible church.
His masterpiece is undoubtedly the pyramidal mausoleum he had built for himself in Brightling Churchyard from the designs of Sir Robert Smirke, the architect of the British Museum. The reason Fuller gave for declining to be buried conventionally was his fear of being eaten by his relatives. "The worms", he explained, "would eat me, the ducks would eat the worms and my relatives would eat the ducks". Inside, it is said, Fuller sits in an armchair wearing a top hat and holding a bottle of claret. Around him broken glass is scattered so that "when the devil comes to claim his own he might at least cut his feet".
Alan Kenneth McKenzie Clark
MP for Plymouth Sutton 1974‑1992 and Kensington and Chelsea 1997‑1999
Alan Clark was the son of the distinguished art historian, Kenneth, Baron Clark (1903-1983). He was proud to be labelled politically incorrect and whenever he was so labelled, he took it as a compliment. He frequently expressed admiration for Hitler, and he was very indignant at being called a fascist. "I am not a fascist", he insisted. "Fascists are shopkeepers, I am a Nazi." He liked to refer to Africa as 'Bongo Bongo land' and he kept an attack dog named Eva, after Hitler's mistress.
Clark was admired in some quarters as a military historian. His first book, The Donkey, was a revisionist history of World War I which greatly upset the Army establishment and has since been condemned for being too one-sided in its treatment of WWI generals. The book later formed the basis for the pacifist musical Oh What a Lovely War.
When he was at the Ministry of Defence, he advised Matrix Churchill, a British machine tools manufacturer, on how to circumvent sales embargoes to Iraq. He later admitted that, at the trial of three of Matrix Churchill's directors, he had committed perjury - or, as he put it in his characteristic way "I was economic with the actualitie".
Clark is best known for his Diaries, published in 1994 and 2000, which were dramatised by the BBC in 2004, starring John Hurt as Clark. The diaries include accounts of his various sexual adventures, including affairs with the wife of a South African judge and her two daughters, a trio he called 'the coven'.
To date he is the only Member of Parliament to have been accused of being drunk at the dispatch box. In 1983, while a minister in the Department of Employment, he was making a reading of a Bill in the Commons after a wine-tasting dinner. The complexities of the Bill were too unclear for him to answer questions, and the opposition MP, Clare Short, stood up and, after acknowledging that MPs cannot formally accuse each other of being drunk in the House of Commons, accused him of being 'incapable', a euphemism which every member understood. In his diaries, Clark later admitted that he had been affected by the wine-tasting. He died from a brain tumour in 1999.
George Hudson
MP for Sunderland 1845‑1859
George Hudson was a director of railway and shipping companies, coal, iron and glassmaking concerns, real estate, banking and newspapers. In addition, he was a thorough crook. His specialty was ripping off money by the hundreds of thousands from phony railway deals. In partnership with a gang of cronies, Hudson formed a series of nominal companies which did no more than raise huge sums for railway systems that were never built. Eventually, Hudson's companies collapsed, leaving thousands of investors penniless as the bottom fell out of railway shares.
At the age of 15, Hudson was forced to flee his home village in disgrace after fathering a child. He moved to York, where he was apprenticed to a firm of drapers and was soon stepping out with Elizabeth, the daughter of James Nicholson, one of the two owners of the drapery. George and Elizabeth were married, and not long after, Elizabeth's father died, leaving George as half-owner of the business. The subsequent death of the other owner gave him the drapery business lock, stock and barrel.
Hudson might have remained a successful middle-class business had he not, out of the blue, inherited the then huge sum of £30,000 from a wealthy uncle. Hudson had already entered local politics and had been elected Mayor of York on three occasions (1837, 1838 and 1846). Looking around for somewhere to invest his windfall, Hudson was attracted to railways. He believed they would eventually replace canal barges and to that end he set up the North Midland Railway Company. In 1837, work began on the construction of the line south from York.
On 29 May 1839, the line was officially opened and practically overnight the value of the company's shares increased substantially. Hudson was still not satisfied, and he invested heavily in the Great North of England Railway Company which was building its line north from York to Newcastle-on-Tyne. This, too, proved successful and the profits fired Hudson's determination to push a line right through to Edinburgh. He subscribed five times as much capital as any other director in the new company and guaranteed shareholders a 6% dividend.
With such successes behind him, it was inevitable that Hudson's ambition should lead him to acquiring opposition railway lines. He masterminded the amalgamation of three competing lines converging on Derby and named the result the Midland Railway Company. In order to get rid of the remaining competition, Hudson began undercutting their fares and freight charges. He spent half a million pounds buying a 12,000 acre estate to stop the extension of a rival line.
To suck every penny out of his railway complex, Hudson employed boys to do men's work and worked his engine-drivers 13 hours a day, 7 days a week for five shillings. Eventually the drivers demanded more pay and shorter hours. The result was that on Christmas Eve the lot were sacked and replaced by unemployed and half-starved men who were not concerned about scabbing as long as they could eat. But on 12 January 1843, a man working on a line at Cudworth was killed by a train under the control of a driver who had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion. Following the coroner's inquiry, drivers were granted one day off per week and those who were obviously incompetent were replaced.
By 1845 Hudson controlled 1000 miles of track and had been elected to the House of Commons. He was now a man of consequence, the owner of a London mansion, a friend of Prince Albert and constantly surrounded by businessmen hoping for stock exchange tips. Even the Duke of Wellington sought his advice when one of Wellington's female relatives was in financial trouble because some rail stock she had purchased had collapsed. Hudson came to the rescue - he used money supplied by Wellington's relative to buy shares in a hopeless company. Then he let the word spread that he was investing heavily in that concern. Overnight, share values shot sky-high and Hudson unloaded his shares.
In 1848 Hudson's companies owned 1435 miles of track which included all the major systems between London and Bristol in the south, and London and Berwick in the north. The capital value of his companies was around £30 million. Then, slowly, the huge profits the companies were making began to shrink after the impact of the European revolutions of 1848 and the consequent trade recession. Dividends plummeted from 9% to 2%, and when share values fell well below par, shareholders demanded an inquiry into railway company management, and now the proverbial hit the fan.
For years Hudson had been manipulating accounts, misappropriating shares and falsifying balance sheets. One example of his bare-faced dishonesty was shown in his purchase by the York and North Midland Company of a much smaller rival rail system. To get his hands on this system, Hudson paid £35,000, but he charged the York and North Midland Company quite a few thousand pounds more and pocketed the difference. It is estimated that Hudson made £75,000 from deals of this nature.
In a transaction concerning the York, Newcastle and Berwick Company, the inquiry found that a price well above the market rate was paid for the acquisition of 3,790 shares in another company. Co-incidentally, Hudson owned 2,800 of these shares. Then there was the entry in the Western Counties Company's ledgers marked 'expenses' - a bottomless financial well used by Hudson to extract thousands of pounds a year.
Another matter that came to light concerned the amalgamation of two companies. Hudson had increased the authorised issue of shares from 42,000 to 56,000, but did not show this in the company's accounts. Hudson, it was revealed, had owned 9,956 out of the 14,000 increase, netting him a profit of £145,000. There seemed to be no limit to Hudson's scheming. He even used his knowledge of proposed rail routes to feather his nest. For instance, when he learned, by virtue of being a director of a company, where the company intended running its next rail system, he would buy up the land and re-sell it via dummy companies to his own company at huge profit. Of Hudson, it was said that 'he believed in feeding the donkey with bits of its own tail, a policy that served him well so long as any tail was left'.
When, in August 1848, banks had demanded repayment of £400,000 lent to one of his companies, he simply paid the money from capital just raised from a new and separate company flotation.
As a result of these disclosures, railway shareholders demanded a special meeting at which Hudson was thrown off the boards of the Eastern Counties, the Midland, York and North Midland and the York, Newcastle and Berwick companies. The good voters of Sunderland, however, recognised that Hudson had brought prosperity to their town and kept returning him to Parliament. This was greatly to Hudson's advantage, since as long as he remained in Parliament he was immune from arrest for debt - but only while the House was in session. To solve the problem of holding off creditors while the House was in recess, he made a habit of leaving for Paris the day before the House rose.
In 1859 he lost his seat and fled at once to France where, according to one biographer, 'he wandered to and fro between Paris and the Channel Ports living in cheap hotels and steadily growing shabbier and poorer.' When the 1865 elections were called, he returned to Sunderland to try his luck once more, but was arrested for debt 48 hours before the poll, thus making him ineligible for election. After three months' in prison, he declared himself bankrupt, thus finally getting rid of his creditors. During his last years, he survived on a small annuity paid out of a trust that some friends had established for him, until his death in late 1871.
David Ochterlony Dyce Sombre
MP for Sudbury 1841‑1842
As far as I am aware, Sombre was the first member of a racial minority in England to be elected to the House of Commons. He was born in Sardhana in 1808, at a time when Sardhana was a semi-autonomous state near Meerut, about 55 miles north-east of New Delhi.
His father was of mixed Scottish and Indian ancestry, while his mother was of mixed French and Indian ancestry. Sombre's name at birth was David Ochterlony Dyce, the additional name of Sombre being added in 1835.
The ruler of Sardhana at the time was his maternal great-grandfather's second wife, Begum Sombre. She was the only Catholic ruler in India and therefore raised him in that religion. David was entrusted with the management of the state and was granted large amounts of cash and estates. When the Begum died at the age of 90 in 1836, the East India Company seized Sardhana and confiscated all the accoutrements of its army.
Sombre left Sardhana later in 1836 and eventually reached England in June 1838. Through his friendship with Stapleton Cotton, Viscount Combermere, he soon entered society, where his wealth made him a very eligible bachelor. In 1840, he married Mary Anne Jervis, daughter of the 2nd Viscount St. Vincent.
At the general election in 1841, Sombre contributed £3,000 towards the Radical-Liberal campaign in the seat of Sudbury and succeeded in being elected, together with Frederick Villiers. In April 1842, however, following a commission of inquiry, the election was declared to be void due to 'gross, systematic and extensive bribery'. In 1844, Sudbury became the first seat following the Reform Act of 1832 to be disenfranchised because of its electoral malpractices.
Around this time, and perhaps because of his electoral misadventure, Sombre's behaviour became increasingly erratic; he made frequent challenges to duels, none of which was ever accepted, and also accused his wife of adultery with her friends and servants and of incest with her father. Eventually, in August 1843, he was found by a special jury to be of unsound mind. He was allowed to remain at large, accompanied by a doctor, but in September 1843, he fled to Paris, where a panel of French doctors declared him to be of perfectly sound mind. As a result, he successfully resisted English efforts to extradite him back to London. He began a series of legal appeals to overturn the lunacy judgment and to regain control over his fortune, which had been seized by the Lord Chancellor. He was allowed to return to England several times during the 1840s to undergo mental examination in an attempt to prove himself sane, but on each occasion the court-appointed doctors confirmed the original verdict of lunacy.
Sombre later published Refutation of the charge of lunacy, brought against him in the Court of Chancery [Paris 1849] which runs to nearly 600 pages. In 1851, while engaged in yet another attempt to prove his sanity, he died. In his will, he left most of his estate to establish a school for Indians in Sardhana, but in January 1856, his widow successfully challenged the will on the grounds of his declared insanity and was granted the administration of the estate.
After the East India Company had seized Sardhana and its army's accoutrements in 1836, Sombre had commenced a series of law suits to recover the confiscated items. This case dragged on and on until May 1872, when it was finally decided by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The following [edited] report on the judgment of the Judicial Committee appeared in The Leeds Mercury of 13 May 1872:-
The Dyce-Sombre Case: General Forester M.P. v The Government of India [Sombre's widow had remarried in 1862 George Cecil Weld-Forester, later 3rd Baron Forester - he was claiming on behalf of his wife]
There were two appeals in this case - one called the "Badshapore Suit", relating to property in India [i.e. the seizure of Sardhana] … and another called the "Arms Suit", to recover from the Government of India the value of arms and military stores which they had seized … [i.e. the accoutrements of the Sardhana army].
The result of the appeals is that in the Badshapore suit the title of the appellants was not held to have been established, and the valuable property will remain in possession of the Government; while, as to the "Arms suit", the value of the stores etc, with twelve per cent interest, is to be paid to the appellant on an agreed sum … [the agreed sum was around £60,000.]
Sir Luke Thompson
MP for Sunderland 1922‑1929 and 1931‑1935
Sir Luke died in January 1941 when, while operating an electric winch, he became caught in the machinery and was killed instantly.
Charles Buxton
MP for Surrey East 1865‑1871
Buxton was the victim of an attack on his life made by a servant in April 1870. The following report appeared in Jackson's Oxford Journal on 7 May 1870:-
A desperate attempt to assassinate Mr. Charles Buxton, M.P. for West Surrey [sic], was made on Friday morning the 29th ult., at his residence in Grosvenor-crescent, Hyde Park. Mr. Buxton for some years has had in his service as secretary a young man named Arthur White, in whom he placed the most implicit confidence. Latterly, however, White neglected his duties so much that Mr. Buxton felt constrained to give him three months' notice to leave, and subsequently he had occasion to reduce this time to one month. On Tuesday White attended in Grosvenor-crescent as usual, but Mr. Buxton was called away, and White was desired to await his return. He did not do so, however, and on Wednesday Mr. Buxton requested him to meet him yesterday morning at 9.30 as usual. Mr. Buxton reproved him slightly for not waiting his return on Tuesday, and said that at any rate he might have sent him the papers by post, and to this White made no reply.
Mr. Buxton then requested him to procure the Army List from another apartment, and the man for some time remained apparently sullen, but ultimately he made an impertinent observation, and in consequence was told to leave the house. He then said, "You want the Army List, do you?" and Mr. Buxton replied, "Yes, go and get it". He then fetched the book, and as he went towards Mr. Buxton the latter said, "Mr. White, why do you treat me so insolently? I have done all that I could to get you another situation, and really I can hardly recommend any one to employ you." White answered, "I don't believe a word of it", and, leaning on the table, he scowled at Mr. Buxton.
Thinking that the man merely intended to assault him, Mr. Buxton remained seated, and said. "Why, you know I asked a gentleman to employ you, and have been looking out in other directions," and White then returned to his seat at a table. The conversation was continued for a minute or so, and then Mr. Buxton desired him to leave, as he could not tolerate his conduct any longer. Mr. Buxton went towards the door, and instantly he heard the report of a pistol. Starting round he saw the man standing before him and pointing a revolver at his head. Believing that a second shot was intended, the Hon. Gentleman threw himself down behind a table, upon which his would-be assassin observed, "Are you wounded, sir?" Mr. Buxton rushed at the man for the purpose of disturbing his aim, the revolver being still pointed towards him, when White rushed to the door and ran into the hall, followed by his master. Before Mr. Buxton could secure him, however, he had opened the street door, had entered a hansom cab, and had got clear away. On searching the study, a bullet mark was found embedded in the wall, immediately over the place where Mr. Buxton stood when he was fired at, and the bullet itself was found lying in the middle of the room.
It is believed that White, who is a young man of eccentric habits and suffering from a pulmonary complaint, is labouring under a fit of insanity. He has since been apprehended at the Maison Doré, in Paris, by an English detective.
White was subsequently charged with "feloniously and maliciously shooting at Charles Buxton, with intent to murder him". At his trial in June 1870, the jury found that White was insane, and he was ordered to be detained "during the Queen's pleasure".
Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor
MP for Plymouth Sutton 1919‑1945
The following biography of Viscountess Astor appeared in the Australian monthly magazine Parade in its issue for August 1966:-
In 1919 American-born Lady Nancy Astor [sic - the correct styling would be Nancy, Viscountess Astor] shocked the conservatives of Britain by winning a seat in the House of Commons. She was the first woman to enter that august chamber, which did nothing to hide its antagonism. [She was the first woman to take her seat in the Commons, but not the first woman to be elected. That honour belongs to Constance, Countess Markievicz (qv), who, being elected as a Sinn Fein member, in common with all other members of that party, never took her seat - this is acknowledged later in the article.]
Winston Churchill was one who had no welcome for the tart-tongued newcomer. A woman's intrusion into the Commons, he said, "is as embarrassing as if she burst into my bathroom when I had nothing to defend myself with but a sponge". The lady was noted for her pungent wit. She replied sweetly: "I can assure the Honourable Member that he is not handsome enough to have worries of that kind".
The attitude of the House's male members had no effect on those who had voted Nancy Astor into Parliament. They put her back seven times and she was an MP for 25 years. She became almost an English political institution and some said that between the wars her influence was such that she was the most important woman in England next to the Queen.
She was born Nancy Langhorne in Virginia in 1879. Her father, a Southern planter, made a a fortune after the Civil War by building railroads. Among his assets were five daughters known as "the beautiful Langhornes". One of them, Irene, married the noted artist Charles Dana Gibson, who then used the sisters as models for his famous studies of American-type beauties called the Gibson Girls.
Nancy was a small, vivacious Southern belle who was taught how to ride, run a large house and be charming. She had little formal education. At 18 she married a handsome, cultivated Bostonian, Robert Gould Shaw, to whom she bore a son. Shaw proved an alcoholic and when they were divorced after six years Nancy became a vehement and lifelong campaigner for temperance. On a trip to England in 1905 she met Waldorf Astor, son of an American multi-millionaire who had settled in England and become a British subject. A year later, when Mrs. Shaw became Mrs. Waldorf Astor, the couple received the 300-acre Cliveden estate from Astor senior as a wedding present. Before long Astor and his bride, who were to have four sons and one daughter, were entertaining at Cliveden such notables as the politicians Lord Curzon and Prime Minister Asquith and literary figures like Rudyard Kipling and James Barrie. King Edward VII stayed with them. Nancy Astor's gift for repartee was well known. When the king asked her to play cards, she said she did not indulge and chided him: "I don't even know the difference between a king and a knave".
In 1910 she threw herself into a hectic election campaign with her husband when he stood as Conservative candidate for a slum-ridden constituency in Plymouth. Many said it was Mrs. Astor's breezy propaganda, as she canvassed tirelessly from door to door, that more than anything won the seat for her husband. At a street meeting an interjector wanted to know whether the Astors (whose fortune was founded in the fur trade) were as high as the Vanderbilts in America's millionaire hierarchy. "Let me tell you", snapped Mrs. Astor, "that the Astors were skinning skunks 100 years before the Vanderbilts started working their ferries."
Astor held the Plymouth seat until the death in 1919 of his father, who had been created a viscount two years earlier. As the new Lord Astor he had to leave the Commons. This gave Lady Nancy Astor the idea of a political career for herself. As a Conservative candidate she contested the by-election for the Plymouth seat and gave as good as she got from outraged male voters who heckled her unmercifully at street meetings. When a male interjector swore at her she retaliated by turning to a group of women and saying; "I want every woman in this street to see that this man doesn't vote for me. I don't want the vote of any man who curses a woman when he is sober."
As she gained confidence she disdained hecklers and actually incited the audience to ask awkward questions. "Come along now", she would challenge. "Who'll take me on? I'm ready for you." Another of her tricks was to pick on the fiercest woman interjector present, have a yelling match with her, then go off to the woman's house for tea. The trim 40-year-old viscountess would come out of the house rubbing her hands and saying: "That's another supporter I've won". She was ready for everyone and everything - as at the time a heckler tried to upset her with a raucous shout: "Say, missus, how many toes are there on a pig's foot?" "Take off your boot, man, and count them yourself", she shot back. With such electioneering Lady Astor won the contest easily and was never defeated. She held the seat until she retired in 1945.
On December 2, 1919, introduced by the Prime Minister Lloyd George and [former Prime Minister] A. J. Balfour, the new MP - dressed in what became her parliamentary uniform of a sober black dress or suit - became the first woman in the Commons. She was not the first woman elected to the British Parliament. The first was the Irish Countess Markievicz, who never took her seat because she was gaoled for Sinn Fein activities before Parliament assembled.
Despite her undertaking to be dignified in the House, Lady Astor's natural exuberance often got the better of her and she interrupted proceedings with raucous shouts of "Boo!" "Rubbish!" or "Rats!" She was a hard worker, took her duties seriously and battled for many social reforms. She fought for years - often against her own Tory political colleagues - for issues like state nursery schools to help working mothers, a higher school leaving age, shorter hours for women shop assistants and independence for India. All her life both in and out of Parliament she was a bitter and dangerous enemy of the liquor trade. The first bill she had passed prohibited drinking in hotels by those under 18.
She was a friend of the socialist-minded George Bernard Shaw. She led campaigns for the more humane slaughter of animals, the abolition of capital punishment and the banning of young boys from working in mines. Her human sympathies were so obvious that voters at a Plymouth election meeting roared approval when she cried mockingly after being attacked for her wealth: "And now, my dears, I'm going back to one of my beautiful palaces to sit down in my tiara and do nothing, and when I roll out in my car I will splash you all with mud and look the other way".
Members not only respected Lady Astor. They also feared her tongue. When she was attacking the official rum issue in the Royal Navy, a member interjected testily that she should confine herself to such questions as milk for babies and leave the navy alone. She replied that if the interjector was to drink more milk and less whisky he would be more polite to the only woman in the House. Her hatred of alcohol was so obsessive that when she visited Russia and was received by Stalin she spent the whole time with him lecturing him about the country's excessive vodka consumption.
In Parliament nothing pleased her more than a verbal duel, although she was bested in one such battle by Winston Churchill. It was Churchill and Lady Astor who were responsible for a now-famous exchange that has been attributed to many others. "If you were my husband I'd poison your coffee." Lady Astor snapped. "And if you were my wife I'd drink it", replied Churchill. She came off better when a Labour member, J. H. Thomas, who was a frequent guest of the Astors, declared that when his party came to power Cliveden would probably be nationalised. "In that case, Mr. Thomas", Lady Astor replied, "you'll have to pay board - a thing you've never done in the past". Another time a colleague with whom she had been feuding went up to her in the lobby as she was speaking to a group of Labour members. "I've just been defending you", she said. "These men say you are not fit to feed with pigs. I say you are."
When the Astor group, known as the Cliveden Set, was being attacked as pro-Nazi in the 1930s, Lady Astor indignantly denied it and claimed she and her friends were interested only in peace. George Bernard Shaw defended her and pointed out that socialists such as himself, the anti-British Mahatma Gandhi and Labour politicians could also be called members of the Cliveden Set. "If I wanted to use the same bad logic as the Astor's enemies," said Shaw, "I could prove that Cliveden is a nest of Bolshevism or indeed any other sort of bee in the world's bonnet".
The fact remained, however, that at this time some English people were not wholly opposed to Nazism, or Fascist concepts such as expressed by Sir Oswald Mosley, and the Cliveden Set was bitterly criticised. Some of this criticism was ugly. However, Lady Astor was one of the first Conservatives to revolt against the bumbling Neville Chamberlain and support her old enemy Churchill as British leader in the war with Nazi Germany.
During the war she spent much of her time with her husband in bomb-shattered Plymouth and toiling in kitchens at Cliveden, which had been turned into a military hospital. In 1945, because of her husband's ill health, she did not contest her seat. The result was a sweeping victory for the Labour Party. Some said she had seen the writing on the wall and retired rather than be defeated.
She was certainly a shrewd political forecaster. In 1951 she bet her tiara to £5 that Churchill would win that year's election. She kept her tiara, won her £5 and used her electioneering skill to help two of her sons win seats as Conservatives. After her husband died in 1952 Lady Astor lived quietly out of the limelight until her death in May 1964. Earl Attlee, former British Prime Minister, said of her: "She made things hum".
 

 
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