Richmond (Yorks) (UK Parliament constituency)

See also: Richmond Park (UK Parliament constituency) and Richmond (Surrey) (UK Parliament constituency)

Richmond (Yorks)
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Boundary of Richmond (Yorks) in North Yorkshire.
Location of North Yorkshire within England.
County	1585–1974 North Riding of Yorkshire 1974– North Yorkshire
Electorate	78,902 (December 2010)
Major settlements	Catterick, Catterick Garrison, Hawes, Leyburn, Middleham, Northallerton, Richmond
Current constituency
Created	1885 (1885)
Member of Parliament	William Hague (Conservative)
Number of members	One
1585 (1585)–1885 (1885)
Number of members	1585–1868: Two 1868–1885: One
Type of constituency	Borough constituency
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	Yorkshire and the Humber

Richmond (Yorks) is a constituency in North Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1989 by William Hague, a Conservative.

Constituency profile

The constituency presents itself as a safe seat for the Conservative Party, having held it continuously since 1910 (if including the 11 years by the allied Unionist Party from 1918), and in the 2010 general rlection, Richmond produced the largest numerical and percentage majority for a Conservative, 62.8% of the vote. The current MP William Hague, has held the seat since a by-election in 1989 and has held the posts of Leader of the Opposition (1997–2001) and Foreign Secretary (2010–).

The constituency consists of in the west the entire Richmondshire district and in the east the northern part of Hambleton District. A mostly rural seat, the population is almost wholly self-supportive and in national terms affluent. Leyburn has a monthly farmers' market, the touristic traditional Wensleydale Railway and is the scene for the 1960s-set long-running drama Heartbeat.

History

Richmond was one of the parliamentary boroughs in the Unreformed House of Commons that dates to the middle of its long existence, first being represented in 1585. In modern times it has been an ultra-safe seat for the Conservative Party.

From 1983, the seat was represented by the cabinet minister Leon Brittan, after boundary changes saw his Cleveland and Whitby seat abolished; however he resigned from the Commons in December 1988 in order to take up the position of Vice-President of the European Commission.

1987 by-election

The ensuing by-election, held in February 1989, was won by William Hague, this was the last by-election won by a Conservative candidate during the Conservative Government 1979-1997. Before this, remnants of the Social Democratic Party and their majority breakaway faction who formed the newly-merged Social and Liberal Democrats decided to contest the seat which led to vote splitting and from the perspective of both a spoiler effect. The SDP candidate, local farmer Mike Potter, came second, and Hague's majority of 2,634 was considerably smaller than the number of votes for the Social and Liberal Democrat candidate Barbara Peace which arguably could have been combined in one candidate instead (11,589 votes in third place). Hague has retained the seat at every general election since then and significantly built up the Conservative majority to 23,336.

1992 Change in main opposition candidate

In 1992 the Labour candidate until a few weeks before the election, David Abrahams was deselected after a series of rows within the local party over his personal life and business interests. It emerged in 2007 that he used the name "David Martin" when dealing with tenants in his various rental properties in the Newcastle area; and that he had claimed that he lived with his wife and son, though he had never been married. Divorcee Anthea Bailey later told a local newspaper she and her 11-year old son had posed as Mr Abrahams' family as part of a business arrangement so that Abrahams could create "the right impression". The bestselling tabloid other than The Sun, the Daily Mail, posited this was because the constituency in North Yorkshire would be averse to "a confirmed bachelor who enjoys musical theatre".

Since 2001

At the 2001 general election, Richmond became the Conservatives' safest seat in the UK, both in terms of the actual numerical majority and by percentage. Although the numerical majority was surpassed by Buckingham at the 2005 election, Richmond has a smaller electorate and had a greater proportion of Conservative voters so retained the second largest percentage majority. Again from 2010, Richmond is the safest Conservative seat in the country, in terms of numerical and percentage majority.

Boundaries

The Richmond constituency covers the Richmondshire district and the northern part of the Hambleton district. It is an affluent rural area with a significant commuter population, covering parts of the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, including Wensleydale and Swaledale. It contains the market towns of Northallerton, Richmond, Stokesley and Great Ayton as well as surrounding villages. It also includes the large army base, Catterick Garrison.

Boundary review

Following their review of parliamentary representation in York and North Yorkshire, the Boundary Commission for England recommended minor changes to the Richmond constituency, which come into effect at the 2010 general election.

The revised constituency comprises the following:

• the entire district of Richmondshire;
• the Hambleton wards of Bedale, Brompton, Broughton and Greenhow, Cowtons, Crakehall, Great Ayton, Leeming, Leeming Bar, Morton on Swale, Northallerton Broomfield, Northallerton Central, Northallerton North, Osmotherley, Romanby, Rudby, Stokesley, Swainby, and Tanfield.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1585-1640

Parliament	First member	Second member
1584	John Pepper	Marmaduke Wyvill
1586	Robert Bowes	Samuel Coxe
1588	James Dale	John Smythe
1593	Talbot Bowes	John Pepper
1597	Marmaduke Wyvill	Cuthbert Pepper
1601	Cuthbert Pepper	Talbot Bowes
1604	Sir John Savile	Richard Percevall
1614	Sir Talbot Bowes	Sir William Richardson
1621	Sir Talbot Bowes	William Bowes
1624	Thomas Wandesford	Christopher Pepper
1625	Christopher Wandesford	Sir Talbot Bowes
1626	Christopher Wandesford	Matthew Hutton
1628	Sir Talbot Bowes	James Howell
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned

MPs 1640-1868

Year			First member	First party	Second member	Second party
		April 1640	Sir William Pennyman, Bt.	Royalist	Maulger Norton
		November 1640			Sir Thomas Danby	Royalist
		August 1642	Pennyman disabled to sit - seat vacant (Pennyman died August 1643)
		September 1642			Danby disabled to sit - seat vacant
		1645	Thomas Chaloner		Francis Thorpe
		1653	Richmond was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
		1654	John Wastal		Richmond had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
		1656	John Bathurst
		January 1659	Sir Christopher Wyvill, Bt.		John Bathurst
		May 1659	Thomas Chaloner		Francis Thorpe
		April 1660	James Darcy		Sir Christopher Wyvill, Bt.
		1661	Sir John Yorke		Joseph Cradock
		1662			John Wandesford
		1664	Sir William Killigrew
		1665			Marmaduke Darcy
		1679	Humphrey Wharton		Thomas Cradock
		1681			John Darcy, Lord Conyers
		1685	Thomas Cradock
		January 1689	Thomas Yorke
		February 1689			Philip Darcy
		1690	Sir Mark Milbanke, Bt		Theodore Bathurst
		1695	Thomas Yorke		Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, Bt.
		1698			James Darcy
		1701			John Hutton
		1702			James Darcy
		May 1705			Wharton Dunch
		December 1705			William Walsh
		1708			Harry Mordaunt
		1710	John Yorke
		1713	Thomas Yorke
		1717	John Yorke
		1720			Richard Abell
		1722			Conyers Darcy
		1727	Charles Bathurst		Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, Bt.
		1728	John Yorke		Sir Conyers Darcy
		1747			Earl of Ancram
		1757	Thomas Yorke
		1761	Sir Ralph Milbanke
		1763			Thomas Dundas
		March 1768	Alexander Wedderburn		Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt
		November 1768			William Norton
		1769	Charles John Crowle
		1774	Thomas Dundas		Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt
		January 1775			Charles Dundas
		December 1775	William Norton
		1780	Marquess of Graham		Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt
		1781			George Fitzwilliam
		1784	The Earl of Inchiquin		Charles Dundas
		1786			Sir Grey Cooper
		1790			Lawrence Dundas	Whig
		1796	Charles George Beauclerk
		1798	Arthur Shakespeare	Whig
		1802			George Heneage Lawrence Dundas	Whig
		1806			Charles Lawrence Dundas	Whig
		1808	Lawrence Dundas	Whig
		1810			Robert Chaloner	Whig
		January 1812	George Heneage Lawrence Dundas	Whig
		October 1812	Dudley Long North	Whig
		1818	Thomas Dundas	Whig	Viscount Maitland	Whig
		1820			Samuel Barrett Moulton Barrett	Whig
		1828			Hon. Sir Robert Dundas	Whig
		1830	Hon. John Dundas	Whig
		1835	Alexander Speirs	Whig	Hon. Thomas Dundas	Whig
		1839			Hon. Sir Robert Dundas	Whig
		February 1841	Hon. George Wentworth-FitzWilliam	Whig
		June 1841	Hon. John Dundas	Whig	Hon. William Colborne	Whig
		1846			Henry Rich	Whig, later Liberal
		1847	Marmaduke Wyvill	Whig, later Liberal
		1861			Sir Roundell Palmer	Liberal
		1865	Hon. John Dundas	Liberal
		1866	Marmaduke Wyvill	Liberal

MPs 1868-present

Richmond, 1918-1948

The seat has been represented since a by-election in 1989 by William Hague, former Leader of the Opposition and current Foreign Secretary.

Election		Member	Party
	1868	Sir Roundell Palmer	Liberal
	1872	Lawrence Dundas	Liberal
	1873	Hon. John Dundas	Liberal
	1885	Sir Frederick Milbank, Bt	Liberal
	1886	George Elliot	Conservative
	1895	John Hutton	Conservative
	1906	Francis Dyke Acland	Liberal
	Jan 1910	Hon. William Orde-Powlett	Conservative
	1918	Sir Murrough John Wilson	Unionist
	1929	Thomas Dugdale	Conservative
	1959	Timothy Kitson	Conservative
	1983	Leon Brittan	Conservative
	1989 by-election	Rt Hon William Hague	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2010: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	33,541	62.8	+3.5
	Liberal Democrat	Lawrence Meredith	10,205	19.1	+2.2
	Labour	Eileen Driver	8,150	15.3	−5.3
	Green	Leslie Rowe	1,516	2.8	−0.3
Majority			23,336	43.7	+4.1
Turnout			53,412	67.2	+2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.4

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	26,722	59.1	+0.2
	Labour	Neil Foster	8,915	19.7	−2.2
	Liberal Democrat	Jacquie Bell	7,982	17.7	−0.2
	Green	Leslie Rowe	1,581	3.5	N/A
Majority			17,807	39.4	+2.4
Turnout			45,200	65.0	−2.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.2

General Election 2001: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	25,951	58.9	+10.1
	Labour Co-op	Fay Tinnion	9,632	21.9	−5.9
	Liberal Democrat	Edward Forth	7,890	17.9	−0.5
	Monster Raving Loony	Boney Maronie Steniforth	561	1.3	N/A
Majority			16,319	37.0	+15.9
Turnout			44,034	67.4	−6.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+8.0

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	23,326	48.9	−13.0
	Labour Co-op	Steven Merritt	13,275	27.8	+16.2
	Liberal Democrat	Jane Harvey	8,773	18.4	-7.3
	Referendum Party	Alex Bentley	2,367	5.0	N/A
Majority			10,051	21.1	−15.1
Turnout			47,741	73.4	−5.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	−13.9

General Election 1992: Richmond (Yorkshire)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	40,202	61.9	+0.6
	Liberal Democrat	George Irwin	16,698	25.7	−1.3
	Labour	Ross Cranston	7,523	11.6	−0.2
	Independent	A. Michael Barr	570	0.9	N/A
Majority			23,504	36.2	+1.9
Turnout			64,993	78.4	+6.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.0

Elections in the 1980s

Richmond by-election, 1989
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	19,543	37.2	-24.0
	Social Democrat	Mike Potter	16,909	32.2
	Social and Liberal Democrats	Barbara Pearce	11,589	22.1	-4.9
	Labour	Frank Robson	2,591	4.9	-6.9
	Green	Dr. Robert Upshall	1,473	2.8
	Monster Raving Loony	Screaming Lord Sutch	167	0.3
	Independent	Anthony Millns1	113	0.2
	Corrective Party	Lindi St. Claire	106	0.2
	Liberal	Nicholas Watkins	70	0.1
Majority			2,634	5.0
Turnout			52,561	64.4
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1987: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Leon Brittan	34,995	61.23
	Liberal	D. Lloyd-Williams	15,419	26.98
	Labour	F. Robson	6,737	11.79
Majority			19,576	34.25
Turnout				72.09
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1983: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Leon Brittan	32,373	62.64
	Liberal	D. Raw	14,307	27.69
	Labour	B. Hawkins	4,997	9.67
Majority			18,066	34.96
Turnout				68.72
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	28,958	61.49
	Liberal	G. Hodgson	9,964	21.16
	Labour	K.R. Bratton	8,173	17.35
Majority			18,994	40.33
Turnout				72.10
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election October 1974: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	23,156	56.88
	Liberal	P. Waudby	9,528	23.41
	Labour	I.A. Wilkie	8,025	19.71
Majority			13,628	33.48
Turnout				65.66
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election February 1974: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	26,994	58.20
	Liberal	B. Graham	11,727	25.28
	Labour	E.R. Pearce	7,659	16.51
Majority			15,267	32.92
Turnout				75.48
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1970: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	30,471	62.79
	Labour	M.J. Aldrich	12,702	26.18
	Liberal	J.R. Smithson	5,354	11.03
Majority			17,769	36.62
Turnout				68.44
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	23,541	56.62
	Labour	W.P. Lisle	10,210	24.56
	Liberal	C.K.W. Schellenberg	7,824	18.82
Majority			13,331	32.06
Turnout				71.29
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1964: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	25,345	58.89
	Labour	G.A. Knott	8,908	20.70
	Liberal	C.K.W. Schellenberg	8,787	20.42
Majority			16,437	38.19
Turnout				75.61
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	28,270	75.44
	Labour	M. McMillan	9,203	24.56
Majority			19,067	50.88
Turnout				71.49
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1955: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	24,979	73.57
	Labour	R. Hoyle	8,974	26.43
Majority			16,005	47.14
Turnout				67.25
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1951: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	26,231	70.62
	Labour	R. Hoyle	10,915	29.38
Majority			15,316	41.23
Turnout				74.36
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1950: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	22,999	59.20
	Labour	F.W. Beaton	8,694	22.38
	Liberal	Douglas Eugene Moore	7,157	18.42
Majority			14,305	36.82
Turnout				74.36
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	18,332	52.87
	Liberal	M.W. Darwin	9,427	27.19
	Labour	G.H. Metcalfe	6,104	17.60
	Common Wealth	R.N. Chesterton	813	2.34
Majority			8,905	25.68
Turnout				68.38
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1935: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	25,088	77.03
	Labour	A.J. Best	7,369	22.70
Majority			17,719	54.59
Turnout				68.10
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1931: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale
	Labour
Majority
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1900s

1906 General Election: Richmond (Yorks)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Francis Dyke Acland	4,470	50.58	+10.05
	Conservative	Lord Ronaldshay	4,368	49.42	-10.05
Majority			102	1.16
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	5.02
Turnout

See also

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in North Yorkshire

Notes and references

Notes

References

Sources

• D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
• Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [1]
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
• Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
• The Constitutional Yearbook for 1913 (London: National Unionist Association, 1913)

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Huntingdon	Constituency represented by the Leader of the Opposition 1997–2001	Succeeded by Chingford and Woodford Green