Parliamentary representation from Isle of Wight

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The Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England, was part of the historic county of Hampshire (originally Southamptonshire), and was linked with it for parliamentary purposes until 1832, when it became a county constituency in its own right as it had also been during the Protectorate (1654–1659). Hampshire (including the Isle of Wight), located in the 21st century region of South East England, was represented in Parliament from the 13th century. This article provides a list of constituencies constituting the Parliamentary representation from Isle of Wight.

Isle of Wight County and island of England

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest and second-most populous island in England. It is in the English Channel, between 2 and 5 miles off the coast of Hampshire, separated by the Solent. The island has resorts that have been holiday destinations since Victorian times, and is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and verdant landscape of fields, downland and chines.

Historic counties of England Geographical designations for areas of England, based on historical traditions

The historic counties of England are areas that were established for administration by the Normans, in many cases based on earlier kingdoms and shires created by the Anglo-Saxons and others. They are alternatively known as ancient counties, traditional counties, former counties or simply as counties. In the centuries that followed their establishment, as well as their administrative function, the counties also helped define local culture and identity. This role continued even after the counties ceased to be used for administration after the creation of administrative counties in 1889, which were themselves amended by further local government reforms in the years following.

Hampshire County of England

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England. The county town is the city of Winchester. Its two largest cities, Southampton and Portsmouth, are administered separately as unitary authorities; the rest of the county is governed by Hampshire County Council.

Contents

In 1890 the Isle of Wight became an administrative county. In 1974 it became a new non-metropolitan county and in 1995 a ceremonial county and unitary authority (with unchanged boundaries).

The first part of this article covers the constituencies wholly within the area of the Isle of Wight. The second part refers to the constituency of Hampshire, which included some territory from the Isle of Wight 1290–1654 and 1659–1832. The summaries section only refers to the constituencies included in the first section of the constituency list.

List of constituencies

Article names are followed by (UK Parliament constituency). The constituencies which existed in 1707 were those previously represented in the Parliament of England.

Parliament of England historic legislature of the Kingdom of England

The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England, existing from the early 13th century until 1707, when it merged with the Parliament of Scotland to become the Parliament of Great Britain after the political union of England and Scotland created the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Key to abbreviations:-

Constituencies wholly in the Isle of Wight

ConstituencyTypeFromToMPsNotes
Isle of Wight CC 1654 1659 2 H, IW1, IW2
1832 * 1
Newport BC 1295 1298 2 H, IW1: Unrepresented 1654–1659
1584 1885 2 (1584–1868)
1 (1868–1885)
Newtown BC 1584 1832 2 H: Unrepresented 1654–1659
Yarmouth BC 1584 1832 2 H: Unrepresented 1654–1659

Mostly mainland constituency including the Isle of Wight

ConstituencyTypeFromToMPsNotes
Hampshire CC 1290 1654 2 H: Did not include Isle of Wight 1654–1659.
1659 1832

Periods constituencies represented

 1290–12951295–12981298–15841584–16541654–16591659–18321832–18681868–18851885–*
Hampshire 1290–1654  1659–1832 
Isle of Wight   1654–1659  1832–*
Newport   1295–1298  1584–1654  1659–1885 
Newtown   1584–1654  1659–1832 
Yarmouth   1584–1654  1659–1832 

Summaries

Summary of Constituencies by Type and Period

Type129012951298158416541659183218681885
Borough 1 3 3 1 1
County 1 1 1 1
Total 1 3 1 3 2 2 1

Summary of members of parliament by Type and Period

Type129012951298158416541659183218681885
Borough 2 6 6 2 1
County 2 1 1 1
Total 2 6 2 6 3 2 1

See also

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.

First Protectorate Parliament

The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House.

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References

Lewis Namier British historian

Sir Lewis Bernstein Namier was a British historian of Polish-Jewish background. His best-known works were The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (1929), England in the Age of the American Revolution (1930) and the History of Parliament series he edited later in his life with John Brooke.