Knight of the shire

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Knight of the shire (Latin : milites comitatus) [1] was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ended the practice of each county (or shire ) forming a single constituency. The corresponding titles for other MPs were burgess in a borough constituency (or citizen if the borough had city status) and baron for a Cinque Ports constituency. Knights of the shire had more prestige than burgesses, and sitting burgesses often stood for election for the shire in the hope of increasing their standing in Parliament.

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The name "knight of the shire" originally implied that the representative had to be a knight, and the writ of election referred to a belted knight until the 19th century; [1] but by the 14th century men who were not knights were commonly elected. [2] An act of Henry VI (23 Hen. 6. c. 14) stipulated that those eligible for election were knights and "such notable esquires and gentlemen as have estates sufficient to be knights, and by no means of the degree of yeoman". [3]

So that the Knights of the Shires for the Parliament hereafter to be chosen, shall be notable Knights of the same Counties for the which they shall [so] be chosen, or otherwise such notable Esquires, Gentlemen [of birth] of the same Counties, as shall be able to be Knights; and no Man to be such Knight which standeth in the Degree of a Yeoman and under.
— Parliamentary Elections Act 1444 (23 Hen. 6. c. 14)

From Simon de Montfort's Parliament in 1265, each shire sent two knights, and the number was standard until 1826 when Yorkshire gained two additional knights after the disfranchisement of Grampound borough. Under the Representation of the People Act 1832 counties with larger populations sent more knights than smaller ones. The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 split each multiple-seat shire into multiple single-seat divisions. This change, together with the concomitant standardisation of the franchise, means that county and borough constituencies now differ only slightly, as to election expenses and their type of returning officer.

The term "knight of the shire" has been used more recently in a tongue-in-cheek manner for senior Conservative Party backbenchers representing rural constituencies in England and Wales. [4]

Middle Ages

The precursor to the English parliamentary system was a Magnum Concilium or great council, an advice chamber to the king consisting of peers, ecclesiastics, and knights of the shire (with the king summoning two of these from each county). In 1264, this council evolved to include representatives from the boroughs (burgesses), requiring that all members be elected (Montfort's Parliament). The parliament gained legislative powers in 1295 (the Model Parliament). In the following century, in 1341, Edward III split Parliament into its current bicameral structure, which includes the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It opted in 1376 to appoint Sir Peter de la Mare to convey to the Lords complaints about heavy taxes, demands for an accounting of the royal expenditures, and criticism of the king's management of the military. Although de la Mare was imprisoned for his actions, many recognised the value of a single representative voice for the Commons. Accordingly, an office of Speaker of the House of Commons was created. [5] [6] Mare was soon released after the death of Edward III and became the Speaker of the House again in 1377.

Before 1430, the franchise (electorate) for elections of knights of the shire was not restricted to forty-shilling freeholders. [7] Discussing the original county franchise, historian Charles Seymour suggested, "It is probable that all free inhabitant householders voted and that the parliamentary qualification was, like that which compelled attendance in the county court, merely a 'resiance' or residence qualification." He goes on to explain why Parliament decided to legislate about the county franchise. "The Act of 1430," he said, "after declaring that elections had been crowded by many persons of low estate, and that confusion had thereby resulted, accordingly enacted that the suffrage should be limited to persons qualified by a freehold of 40s". [8]

The Parliament of England legislated the new uniform county franchise, in the Electors of Knights of the Shires Act 1429 (8 Hen. 6. c. 7). It was included as a recital in the Electors of Knights of the Shire Act 1432 (10 Hen. 6. c. 2), which amended and re-enacted the 1430 law to make clear that the resident of a county had to have a forty-shilling freehold in that county in order to be a voter there.

Over the course of time, authorities began to consider a great number of different types of property as forty-shilling freeholds. Subsequently, the residence requirement disappeared.

Reform

Until the Representation of the People Act 1832, each county continued to send two knights (apart from Yorkshire, which had its number of knights increased to four in 1826). How these knights were chosen varied from one county to the next and evolved over time. The 1832 Act increased the number of knights sent by some populous counties to as many as six.

Modern usage

The term became obsolete due to the final destruction of counties mentioned by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 and widened structure of electorate in the Reform Act of 1884 (the Third Great Reform Act), and in the Representation of the People Act 1918. The term rapidly died out during the 20th century in reference to Members of Parliament who represent county constituencies; for they no longer represented a whole county.

The term occasionally features as journalese to describe elderly Members of Parliament, usually any Conservative backbenchers with long service who possess a knighthood. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

Forty-shilling freeholders were those who had the parliamentary franchise to vote by virtue of possessing freehold property, or lands held directly of the king, of an annual rent of at least forty shillings, clear of all charges.

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Yorkshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament, traditionally known as Knights of the Shire, until 1826, when the county benefited from the disfranchisement of Grampound by taking an additional two members.

Worcestershire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented until 1832 by two Members of Parliament traditionally referred to as Knights of the Shire. It was split then into two two-member divisions, for Parliamentary purposes, Worcestershire Eastern and Worcestershire Western constituencies.

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Derbyshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire.

Berkshire was a parliamentary constituency in England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. The county returned two knights of the shire until 1832 and three between 1832 and 1885.

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Newton was a parliamentary borough in the county of Lancashire, in England. It was represented by two Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1559 to 1706 then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until its abolition in 1832.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Riding of Yorkshire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1832–1865

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Warwickshire was a parliamentary constituency in Warwickshire in England. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs), traditionally known as knights of the shire, to the House of Commons of England, Great Britain and House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

The Parliamentary representation by historic counties is summarised in this article, with links to the articles about the representation of each of the historic counties in the House of Commons of the Parliaments of England, Great Britain (1707-1800) and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1801–1885

Oxfordshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. It was represented by two Members of Parliament. In 1832 this was increased to three Members of Parliament. The constituency was abolished in 1885, being split into three single member divisions.

Lincolnshire was a county constituency of the Parliaments of England before 1707 and Great Britain before 1800 and the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which returned two Members of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons from 1290 until 1832.

Kent was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Kent in southeast England. It returned two "knights of the shire" to the House of Commons by the bloc vote system from the year 1290. Members were returned to the Parliament of England until the Union with Scotland created the Parliament of Great Britain in 1708, and to the Parliament of the United Kingdom after the union with Ireland in 1801 until the county was divided by the Reform Act 1832.

Staffordshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832.

Hertfordshire was a county constituency covering the county of Hertfordshire in England. It returned two Knights of the Shire to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1832. The Reform Act 1832 gave the county a third seat with effect from the 1832 general election.

Suffolk was a County constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290 to 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801, which returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons until 1832, when it was split into two divisions.

Until the Reform Act 1832, there were eight constituencies in the Parliament of England and its successors related to the Cinque Ports. The cinque port constituencies were slightly different from parliamentary boroughs. The 1832 Act abolished most such distinctions, and disfranchised some of the cinque ports as rotten.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Tomlins, Thomas Edlyne; Granger, Thomas Colpitts (1835). "Knights of the Shire". The Law-dictionary, Explaining the Rise Progress and Present State of the British Law. Vol. II (4th ed.). London: Clarke. p. 10. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  2. ↑ Roskell, J. S. (1993). "1386-1421; VI. Electoral Practice". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  3. ↑ Blackstone, William (1765). Commentaries on the Laws of England. Vol. 2. p. 68. Retrieved 7 April 2017.; citing 23 Hen.6 c.15 [recte 14] "that the Knights of the Shires for the Parliament hereafter to be chosen, shall be notable Knights of the same Counties for the which they shall [so] be chosen, or otherwise such notable Esquires, Gentlemen [of birth] of the same Counties, as shall be able to be Knights; and no Man to be such Knight which standeth in the Degree of a Yeoman and under."
  4. 1 2 Engel, Matthew (30 April 2010). "Last of the old knights of the shires". The Financial Times. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ↑ Given-Wilson, Chris (2004). Chronicles: the writing of history in medieval England. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 175. ISBN   978-1-85285-358-7. OCLC   59259407.
  6. ↑ Davies, R.G.; Denton, J.H.; Roskell, J.S. (1981). The English Parliament in the Middle Ages. Manchester University Press. p. 39. ISBN   978-0-7190-0833-7. OCLC   7681359.
  7. ↑ Schama, Simon (2003). A History of Britain 1: 3000 BC-AD 1603 At the Edge of the World? (Paperback 2003 ed.). London: BBC Worldwide. p. 158. ISBN   978-0-563-48714-2.
  8. ↑ Seymour, Charles (1915). Electoral reform in England and Wales; the development and operation of the parliamentary franchise, 1832–1885. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 11.

Sources

  • The text of the 1832 Reform Act
  • Chronological Table of the Statutes: Part 1 1235-1962 (The Stationery Office Ltd 1999)
  • Electoral Reform in England and Wales, by Charles Seymour (David & Charles Reprints 1970)
  • The Statutes: Revised Edition, Vol. I Henry III to James II (printed by authority in 1876)
  • The Statutes: Second Revised Edition, Vol. XVI 1884-1886 (printed by authority in 1900)
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