History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Northumberland

Last updated

The county of Northumberland has returned four MPs to the UK Parliament since 1983. Under the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, coming into effect for the 2024 general election, the boundary commission proposed that two of the four constituencies be shared with the county of Tyne and Wear.

Contents

Under the Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect on 1 April 1974, the boundaries of the historic/administrative county were significantly altered with the south-east of the county, comprising more than half the electorate, being transferred to the new metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. These changes were reflected in the following redistribution of parliamentary seats which did not come into effect until the 1983 general election, resulting in a reduction in the county's representation from 10 to 4 MPs.

Number of seats

The table below shows the number of MPs representing Northumberland at each major redistribution of seats affecting the county.

YearCounty

seats1

Borough

seats1

Total
Historic County
Prior to 1832268
1832-18854610
1885-1918448
1918-19503710
1950-19743710
Current County
1974-19832314
1983–2024314
2024–present344

1Prior to 1950, seats were classified as County Divisions or Parliamentary Boroughs. Since 1950, they have been classified as County or Borough Constituencies.

2Approximate equivalent number of constituencies. Prior to the redistribution coming into effect for the 1983 general election, two constituencies were split between Northumberland and Tyne and Wear and two were wholly within the reconfigured county.

3Includes two cross-county border constituencies shared with Tyne and Wear.

Constituencies timeline

  County seat  Borough seat

ConstituencyPrior to 18321832-18851885-19181918-19501950-19741974-19831983–20242024–present
Northumberland 1290-1832 (2 MPs)
North Northumberland 1832-1885 (2 MPs)2024–present
Berwick-upon-Tweed 1512-1885 (2 MPs)1885–2024
Morpeth 1553-1832 (2 MPs)1832-19501950-1983
South Northumberland 1832-1885 (2 MPs)
Wansbeck 1885-19501983–2024
Blyth and Ashington 2024–present
Blyth Valley 1983–2024
Blyth 1950-1983
Cramlington and Killingworth (part)2024–present
Hexham (part from 2024)1885–present
Tynemouth and North Shields 1832-1885Part of Tyne and Wear from 1974
Tynemouth 1885→
Tyneside 1885-1918
Wallsend 1918→
Newcastle upon Tyne 1283-1918 (2 MPs)
Newcastle upon Tyne East 1918→
Newcastle upon Tyne North 1918→
Newcastle upon Tyne West 1918→
Newcastle upon Tyne Central 1918→

Boundary reviews

Prior to 1832

Since 1290, the parliamentary county of Northumberland, along with all other English counties regardless of size or population, had elected two MPs (knights of the shire) to the House of Commons.

The county also included three parliamentary boroughs, namely Berwick-upon-Tweed, Morpeth and Newcastle upon Tyne, all returning two MPs (burgesses) each.

1832

The Reform Act 1832 radically changed the representation of the House of Commons, with the county being divided into the Northern and Southern Divisions, [1] both returning two MPs. [2] The representation of Morpeth, which included the parish of Bedlington, was reduced to one MP. [3] [4] Tynemouth was established as a single-member Borough [5] - named Tynemouth and North Shields under the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832. [6] [7]

1868

Under the Boundary Act 1868, the boundaries of Morpeth were further extended to include the townships of Cowpen and Newsham (which incorporprated the town of Blyth). [8] [9] There were no other changes.

1885

Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the two two-member county divisions were replaced by four single-member constituencies, namely Berwick-upon-Tweed, Wansbeck, Hexham and Tyneside. [10] The Parliamentary Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed was abolished. [11] Tynemouth and North Shields became known as Tynemouth, [12] with no changes to its boundaries.

1918

Under the Representation of the People Act 1918, the number of constituencies in Northumberland was increased back up to 10 as the two-member borough of Newcastle upon Tyne was replaced by four Divisions – Central, East, North and West. [13]

The County Division of Tyneside was abolished and its contents distributed as follows:

Elsewhere, Berwick-upon-Tweed gained Amble from Wansbeck and Rothbury from Hexham, and Ashington was transferred from Wansbeck to Morpeth. [15]

1950

As a result of the redistribution enacted by the Representation of the People Act 1948, Northumberland's representation remained at 10 MPs. [16]

A new borough constituency named Blyth was established, which included the towns of Blyth and Bedlington, previously part of Morpeth. Wansbeck was abolished with its contents distributed as follows:

1955

There was only one change resulting from the First Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies – the transfer of Benwell ward from Newcastle upon Tyne West to Newcastle upon Tyne Central. [17]

1974 (Feb)

There were no changes resulting from the Second Periodic Review, which came into effect for the February 1974 election. [18]

1974 (Apr)

Shortly after the Second Periodic Review came into effect, the county was subject to a major reconfiguration under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972. As a result, with effect from 1 April 1974, the four Newcastle upon Tyne constituencies and those of Wallsend and Tynemouth, [a] together with small areas of Hexham and Blyth, became part of the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear.

1983

The next change to parliamentary constituency boundaries, following the recommendations of the Third Periodic Review, reflected the change in county boundaries and reorganisation of local government authorities in 1974. [19] This review did not come into effect for a further nine years, at the 1983 general election, and resulted in the following changes:

1997

There were no changes under the Fourth Review. [20]

2010

At the Fifth Review there were only minor changes due to the revision of local authority ward boundaries. [21] [22]

2024

For the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, which redrew the constituency map ahead of the 2024 general election, the Boundary Commission for England opted to combine Northumberland with the Tyne and Wear boroughs of Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside as a sub-region of the North East Region, with the creation of two cross-county boundary constituencies, resulting in the abolition of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Blyth Valley and Wansbeck. [23] [24]

Detailed changes were as follows:

Maps

Communities timeline

The table below shows which constituencies represented major communities within the current county from 1885 onwards.

Town1885-19181918-19501950-19831983-20242024-present
Alnwick Berwick-upon-Tweed North Northumberland
Amble Wansbeck Berwick-upon-TweedNorth Northumberland
Ashington WansbeckMorpethWansbeck Blyth and Ashington
Bedlington Morpeth WansbeckBlyth and Ashington
Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-TweedNorth Northumberland
Blyth Morpeth Blyth Blyth Valley Blyth and Ashington
Cramlington WansbeckBlythBlyth Valley Cramlington and Killingworth
Hexham Hexham
Morpeth MorpethWansbeck North Northumberland
Newbiggin-by-the-Sea WansbeckMorpethWansbeckBlyth and Ashington
Ponteland WansbeckHexham
Prudhoe Hexham
Rothbury HexhamBerwick-upon-TweedNorth Northumberland
Seaton Delaval WansbeckBlythBlyth ValleyCramlington and Killingworth

See also

Notes

  1. Apart from the small community of Seaton Sluice.

References

  1. Great Britain; Rickards, George K. (George Kettilby) (1807). The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [1807-1868/69]. unknown library. London, His Majesty's statute and law printers. p. 335.
  2. "HMSO Boundary Commission Report 1832 Northumberland".
  3. "HMSO Boundary Commission Report 1832 Morpeth".
  4. "Representation of the People Act 1832 S.II". vLex. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  5. "Representation of the People Act 1832 S.IV". vLex. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  6. Great Britain; Rickards, George K. (George Kettilby) (1807). The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [1807-1868/69]. unknown library. London, His Majesty's statute and law printers. p. 353.
  7. "HMSO Boundary Commission 1832 North Shields".
  8. Great Britain (1807). The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [1807-1868/69]. unknown library. London, His Majesty's statute and law printers. p. 138.
  9. "HMSO Boundary Commission Report Morpeth".
  10. Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884. p. 170.
  11. Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884. p. 124.
  12. "Leigh Rayment's historical list of MPs - Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 2)". Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  13. Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell. pp. 447–448.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  14. Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell. p. 460.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  15. 1 2 Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell. p. 517.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  16. "Representation of the People Act 1948". pp. 110–111.
  17. Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. p. 82. ISBN   0-900178-09-4. OCLC   539011.
  18. Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. pp. 139–140. ISBN   0-900178-09-4. OCLC   539011.
  19. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" (PDF). pp. 62–63.
  20. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". County of Northumberland.
  21. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". In Northumberland.
  22. "Boundary Commission for England Fifth Periodical Report" (PDF). pp. 396–398.
  23. "Political boundaries across the North East could change - here's what it could mean for you". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  24. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. paras 643-662. Retrieved 2023-07-09.