Reading (UK Parliament constituency) 1978074 169951171 2007-11-07T21:03:24Z Histmag 2985818 pl {| class="toccolours vcard" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="font-size:90%; width: 300px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; float: right;" |- ! colspan="2" bgcolor="efefef" |<big class="fn org">'''Reading'''</big><br>[[Parliamentary borough]] (to 1885)<br>[[Borough constituency]] (from 1885) |- class="note" |Created:|| [[1295]], [[1955]] |- class="note" style="vertical-align: top;" |Abolished:|| [[1950]], [[1974]] |- class="note" style="vertical-align: top;" |[[United Kingdom constituencies|Type]]:|| [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] |} '''Reading''' was a [[parliamentary borough]], and later a [[borough constituency]], represented in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. It comprised the town of [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] in the county of [[Berkshire]]. From [[1295]], as a parliamentary borough, Reading elected two [[Member of Parliament|Members of Parliament]] (MPs). When the parliamentary borough was replaced by a borough constituency in [[1885]], this representation was reduced to a single MP. The constituency was abolished in [[1950]], re-created in [[1955]], and finally abolished in [[1974]]. ==History== Reading was one of the boroughs summoned to send members to the [[Model Parliament]]. The boundaries (encompassing the whole of one parish and parts of two others) were effectively unchanged from 1295 to 1918. In 1831, the population of the borough was 15,935, and contained 3,307 houses. The right to vote was exercised by all inhabitants paying [[scot and lot]], a relatively wide franchise for the period, and almost 2,000 votes were cast at the [[UK general election, 1826|general election of 1826]]. Despite this high electorate, the corporation of the town was generally considered in practice to control elections to a large extent. In the second half of the 18th century, Reading was notoriously one of the most corrupt constituencies in England, bribery being both routine and expensive: Namier quotes the accounts kept for [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne|Prime Minister Newcastle]] of the 1754 election, which note that [[John Dodd (Reading MP)|John Dodd]], the government's candidate there, had already received £1000 and was promised £500 or £600 more to help him win the seat. (Dodd lost by one vote, but had the result overturned on petition by a partisan vote in the House of Commons, and Newcastle's accounts show a continuing trickle of funds to him to nurse the constituency over the next few years.) A few years later, the nomination to one of Reading's seats was advertised for sale in a London newspaper, though Reading was not mentioned by name and no price was specified; the newspaper's printers were charged by the Commons with a breach of [[Parliamentary Privilege|privilege]], but the sale of seats remained legal if frowned-upon until [[1809]]. The [[Great Reform Act]] left Reading's representation and boundaries unchanged, and the reformed franchise far from increasing its electorate seems to have reduced it: it was estimated that there were 1,250 voters in 1831, but only 1,001 were registered for the first post-Reform election, that of [[UK general election, 1832|1832]]. The [[Representation of the People Act 1884]], coming into effect at the [[UK general election, 1885|the 1885 general election]], caused the parliamentary borough to be replaced by a borough constituency, and reduced Reading's representation to a single MP. The single-member Reading constituency continued to exist until it was split in [[1950]] into the separate constituencies of [[Reading North (UK Parliament constituency)|Reading North]] and [[Reading South (UK Parliament constituency)|Reading South]]. These two constituencies were merged back into a single Reading constituency in [[1955]], but again split apart in [[1974]]. Today the area formerly covered by the Reading constituency is within the constituencies of [[Reading East (UK Parliament constituency)|Reading East]] and [[Reading West (UK Parliament constituency)|Reading West]]. ==Members of Parliament == ===1295-1660=== *[[Daniel Blagrave]] (several periods between [[1640]] and [[1660]]) {{incomplete-list}} ===1660-1885=== {| class="wikitable" |- !Year!!!!First member!!First party!!!!Second member!!Second party |- | [[1660]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Sir Thomas Rich, 1st Baronet|Thomas Rich]] | <!-- party --> | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[John Blagrave (1630-1704)|John Blagrave]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1661]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Thomas Dolman|Sir Thomas Dolman]] | <!-- party --> | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Richard Aldworth]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1679]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Nathan Knight]] | <!-- party --> | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[John Blagrave (1630-1704)|John Blagrave]] | <!-- party --> |- |March [[1685]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Thomas Coates]] |rowspan="2"| <!-- party --> | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[John Breedon]] | <!-- party --> |- |November [[1685]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[William Aldworth]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1689]] | style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" | | [[Sir Henry Fane]] | [[British Whig Party|Whig]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Sir William Rich, 2nd Baronet|Sir William Rich]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1698]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Owen Buckingham|Sir Owen Buckingham]] |rowspan="2"| <!-- party --> | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[John Dalby (MP)|John Dalby]] | <!-- party --> |- |January [[1701]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Francis Knollys (1673-1701)|Francis Knollys]] | <!-- party --> |- |November [[1701]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Anthony Blagrave]] | <!-- party --> |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Tanfield Vachell]] |rowspan="2"| <!-- party --> |- | [[1702]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Owen Buckingham|Sir Owen Buckingham]] |rowspan="2"| <!-- party --> |- | [[1705]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Sir William Rich, 2nd Baronet|Sir William Rich]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1708]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Owen Buckingham (1674-1720)|Owen Buckingham]] |rowspan="2"| <!-- party --> | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Anthony Blagrave]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1710]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[John Dalby (MP)|John Dalby]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1713]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Robert Clarges]] | <!-- party --> | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Felix Calvert]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1716]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Charles Cadogan, 2nd Baron Cadogan|Charles Cadogan]] |rowspan="2"| <!-- party --> | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Owen Buckingham (1674-1720)|Owen Buckingham]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1720]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Richard Thompson (MP for Reading)|Richard Thompson]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1722]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Anthony Blagrave]] | <!-- party --> | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Clement Kent]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1727]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Richard Potenger]] |rowspan="2"| <!-- party --> | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Richard Thompson (MP for Reading)|Richard Thompson]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1734]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Henry Grey (MP)|Henry Grey]] |rowspan="2"| <!-- party --> |- | [[1739]] |rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="4"| [[John Blagrave (1713-1787)|John Blagrave]] |rowspan="4"| <!-- party --> |- | [[1740]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[William Strode (d. 1755)|William Strode]] | <!-- party --> |- |February [[1741]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[John Dodd (Reading MP)|John Dodd]] | <!-- party --> |- |May [[1741]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[William Strode (d. 1755)|William Strode]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1747]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[John Conyers (1717-1775)|John Conyers]] | <!-- party --> | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Richard Neville Aldworth]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1754]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[William Strode (d. 1755)|William Strode]] | <!-- party --> |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Charles Fane, 2nd Viscount Fane|The Viscount Fane]] |rowspan="2"| [[British Whig Party|Opposition Whig]] |- | [[1755]] |rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="4"| [[John Dodd (Reading MP)|John Dodd]] |rowspan="4"| [[British Whig Party|Government Whig]] |- | [[1761]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Sir Francis Knollys, 1st Baronet|Sir Francis Knollys]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1768]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Henry Vansittart]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1774]] |rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="4"| [[Francis Annesley]] |rowspan="4"| <!-- party --> |- | [[1782]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[Richard Griffin, 2nd Baron Braybrooke|Richard Aldworth-Neville]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1797]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[John Simeon]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1802]] |rowspan="3" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="3"| [[Charles Shaw Lefevre]] |rowspan="3"| <!-- party --> |- | [[1806]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[John Simeon]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1818]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Charles Fyshe Palmer]] |rowspan="2"| <!-- party --> |- | [[1820]] |rowspan="3" style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="3"| [[John Berkeley Monck]] |rowspan="3"| <!-- party --> |- | [[1826]] | style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | | [[George Spence]] | <!-- party --> |- | [[1827]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Charles Fyshe Palmer]] |rowspan="2"| [[British Whig Party|Whig]] |- | [[1830]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Charles Russell (1786-1856)|Charles Russell]] |rowspan="2"| [[British Tory Party|Tory]] |- | [[1835]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[Thomas Noon Talfourd]] |rowspan="2"| [[British Whig Party|Whig]] |- | [[1837]] | style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" | | [[Charles Fyshe Palmer]] | [[British Whig Party|Whig]] |- | [[1841]] | style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Charles Russell (1786-1856)|Charles Russell]] | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] | style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Henry Charles Cadogan, 4th Earl Cadogan|Viscount Chelsea]] | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |- | [[1847]] |rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="4"| [[Francis Piggott]] |rowspan="4"| [[British Whig Party|Whig]] | style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" | | [[Thomas Noon Talfourd]] | [[British Whig Party|Whig]] |- | [[1849]] | style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[John Frederick Stanford]] | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |- | [[1852]] | style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Henry Singer Keating|Sir Henry Singer Keating]] | [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] |- |January [[1860]] |rowspan="3" style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="3"| [[Francis Henry Goldsmid|Sir Francis Goldsmid]] |rowspan="3"| [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] |- |November [[1860]] | style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Gillery Piggott]] | [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] |- | [[1863]] |rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | |rowspan="2"| [[George John Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Baron Eversley|George Shaw-Lefevre]] |rowspan="2"| [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] |- | [[1878]] | style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[George Palmer (businessman)|George Palmer]] | [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] |- |[[United Kingdom general election, 1885|1885]] |colspan="6"| ''Representation reduced to one member'' |} ===1885-1950=== {| class="wikitable" |- !Year!!!!Member!!Party |- | [[1885]] | style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Charles Townshend Murdoch]] | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |- | [[1892]] | style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[George William Palmer (England)|George William Palmer]] | [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] |- | [[1895]] | style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Charles Townshend Murdoch]] | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |- | [[1898]] | style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[George William Palmer (England)|George William Palmer]] | [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] |- | [[1904]] | style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading|Rufus Isaacs]] | [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] |- | [[1913]] | style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Leslie Orme Wilson]] | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |- | [[1922]] | style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Edward Cecil George Cadogan]] | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |- | [[1923]] | style="background-color: {{Labour Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Somerville Hastings]] | [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] |- | [[1924]] | style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Herbert Williams]] | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |- | [[1929]] | style="background-color: {{Labour Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Somerville Hastings]] | [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] |- | [[1931]] | style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Alfred Bakewell Howitt]] | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |- | [[1945]] | style="background-color: {{Labour Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Ian Mikardo]] | [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] |- |[[United Kingdom general election, 1950|1950]] |colspan="3"| ''Constituency divided into [[Reading North (UK Parliament constituency)|Reading North]] and [[Reading South (UK Parliament constituency)|Reading South]]'' |} ===1955-1974=== {| class="wikitable" |- !Year!!!!Member!!Party |- |[[United Kingdom general election, 1955|1955]] |colspan="3"| ''Constituency recreated'' |- | [[1955]] | style="background-color: {{Labour Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Ian Mikardo]] | [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] |- | [[1959]] | style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Peter Emery]] | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |- | [[1966]] | style="background-color: {{Labour Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[John Michael Hubert Lee|John Lee]] | [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] |- | [[1970]] | style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" | | [[Gerard Folliott Vaughan|Gerard Vaughan]] | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] |- |[[United Kingdom general election, February 1974|1974]] |colspan="3"| ''Constituency redivided into [[Reading North (UK Parliament constituency)|Reading North]] and [[Reading South (UK Parliament constituency)|Reading South]]'' |} == References == {{citation style}} * Lewis Namier, ''The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III'' (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1961) * J Holladay Philbin, ''Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965) * Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt, ''The Unreformed House of Commons'' (Cambridge University Press, 1903) * {{Rayment}} == See also== * [[List of Parliamentary constituencies in Berkshire]] [[Category:Parliamentary constituencies in Berkshire (historic)]] [[Category:Reading, Berkshire]] [[Category:United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies established in 1295]] [[Category:United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies disestablished in 1950]] [[Category:United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies established in 1955]] [[Category:United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies disestablished in 1974]] [[pl:Okręg wyborczy Reading]]