Redistribution of Seats Act 1885

Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ^[a]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for the Redistribution of Seats at Parliamentary Elections, and for other Purposes.
Citation	48 & 49 Vict. c. 23
Introduced by	William Gladstone (Commons)
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent	25 June 1885
Commencement	25 June 1885 [b]
Repealed	30 July 1948
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Norwich Voters Disfranchisement Act 1870 Dublin Voters Disfranchisement Act 1870 Norwich Voters Disfranchisement Act 1871
Amended by	Representation of the People Act 1918
Repealed by	Representation of the People Act 1948
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 23) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (sometimes called the "Reform Act of 1885"). ^{[1] [2]} It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, a concept in the broader global context termed equal apportionment, in an attempt to equalise representation across the UK. ^[3] It mandated the abolition of constituencies below a certain population threshold. ^[4] It was associated with, but not part of, the Representation of the People Act 1884.

Background

The first major reform of seats in the House of Commons took place under the Reform Act 1832. The second major reform of Commons' seats occurred in three territory-specific Acts in 1867–68:

• the Reform Act 1867 applied to English and Welsh constituencies
• the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 applied to Scottish constituencies and gave Scotland an additional quota of seats
• the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868 applied to Irish constituencies.

The latter United Kingdom set of Acts had fallen short of the Chartist aim to enfranchise and to equalise the electorates. Electoral quotas diverged and the gap by 1885 widened; most starkly in the retention of boroughs of dubious size and a limited attempt at creation of new urban boroughs. In reductions these previous reforms had rather merged into their surroundings those boroughs (historic towns) having fewer than 10,000 inhabitants as at the 1861 census. ^[5]

In a de-radicalising move (a policy of maintaining representation of the minority business interests or the minority party) Limited voting was adopted in a few of the largest cities. They were given three MPs but "no person shall vote for more than two candidates". ^[6] As a result, the net partisan impact of these cities tended to be counterbalanced: for example, a borough formerly represented by two Liberals was now usually represented by two Liberals and one Conservative. In a Commons vote on party lines, the Conservative neutralised one of the Liberals, so that the borough counted for one party-based vote albeit having greater and slightly more equalised non-partisan local issue representation.

By contrast the mid-size boroughs with two members such as the new creations – wherever they so happened to have two MPs of the same party – produced twice the voting power in the House as such cities. ^[3]

By the 1880s, continued industrial growth and resulting population movements had resulted in an increased imbalance between the constituencies in terms of the numbers of MPs and the population.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Third Reform Bill

William Ewart Gladstone, leading a Liberal government, introduced a Representation of the People Bill in 1884, which sought to greatly extend the franchise but not to alter the boundaries of constituencies. The Liberals had a large majority in the House of Commons, and the measure passed through the House easily. The House of Lords, on the other hand, was dominated by the Conservative Party. The Conservative leader, Lord Salisbury, was opposed to the bill. ^[7] The majority of the Conservative party's MPs were elected by the counties, with the Liberals being electorally strong in the boroughs. He realised that the bill's extension of household suffrage into the counties would enfranchise many rural voters such as coalminers and agricultural labourers who were likely to vote for the Liberals. This, he claimed, would lead to "the absolute effacement of the Conservative Party". Salisbury hoped to use the Conservative majority in the Lords to block the bill and force Gladstone to seek a dissolution of Parliament before the reforms could be enacted. The Lords duly rejected the bill and returned it to the Commons, provoking outrage among the Radical wing of the Liberals. A campaign organised around the slogan "The Peers Against the People" called for reform or abolition of the Lords if they rejected the bill a second time. ^[8]

The Arlington Street Compact

During October 1884 Queen Victoria intervened in what was rapidly becoming a constitutional crisis, urging the party leaders to meet and break the deadlock. Negotiations duly started at Salisbury's London home in Arlington Street, Westminster, between the Conservative leader and Sir Charles Dilke, a member of Gladstone's cabinet. Lord Salisbury agreed to allow the reform bill to pass on condition that a bill to redistribute parliamentary seats was also enacted; the two parties reached an agreement, the "Arlington Street Compact", whereby the bulk of MPs would be elected in single-member constituencies. He calculated that this would minimise the adverse effect on the Conservatives of the extension of the vote: dividing the counties would allow Liberal-voting and Conservative-voting districts to be separated. The division of boroughs would allow the suburban areas of towns to be represented separately from the inner cities, allowing the growth of "Villa Toryism". ^{[8] [9]} Dilke, a member of the Radical (socially progressive) wing of the Liberal Party, also favoured the division of boroughs to weaken the influence of the Whig faction in the party. Before 1885 many existing two-member boroughs one Whig and one Radical were nominated by agreement, often leading to uncontested elections. ^{[8] [9]}

The boundary commissions

Three boundary commissions were appointed in late 1884, one for England and Wales, one for Scotland and one for Ireland. ^[10] Each commission was given similar instructions.^{[ citation needed ]}

In dividing the counties they were to use Ordnance Survey maps and other documents in order to determine the boundaries of divisions. In doing so they were to ensure that each division of a county was to have an equal population "so far as practicable". In addition they were instructed "in all those cases where there are populous localities of an urban character to include them in one and the same division, unless this cannot be done without grave inconvenience, and involving boundaries of a very irregular and objectionable character". Subject to these rules, the divisions were to be as compact as possible and should be based on "well known local areas" such as petty sessional divisions or other aggregations of parishes. If necessary, an individual parish or parishes could be added to existing areas in order to equalise population, but under no circumstances was a parish to be divided. The county divisions were to be named after an "important town or place" within it, "preference being given to any merged borough or boroughs, or when it consists mainly of a well-known area, from that area". When the commissioners had devised a scheme of divisions for a county the details were to be advertised in the local press. A date would then be announced when one of the commissioners would attend at "a principal town" in the county to hear objections or proposed alterations. ^[10]

The procedure for boroughs (or burghs in Scotland) was similar. Firstly the commissioners were to determine whether the present boundaries, or the boundaries proposed in the bill, embraced "the whole of the population which ought to be included within the borough". They could decide if an area formed a "community of interest" with the town and should be included within the borough boundaries. Where suburban areas had a sufficiently large population and distinct identity they might form a county division rather than be included in the borough. If boroughs were extended, existing "well-established" boundaries were to be used if possible. Where boroughs were to be divided, the population of each division was to be approximately equal, and "special regard" was to be had to the "pursuits of the population". ^[10] This was clearly understood as meaning that working class and middle class parts of towns were to be separated where possible. ^{[8] [9]}

Passage through Parliament

The Bill was introduced to the House of Commons by the Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone on 1 December 1884. ^[11] The Bill was seen as a compromise measure, and did not include proportional representation. This led to unrest among the Liberals. Leonard Courteney, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, felt forced to resign his post and the party whip. ^[11] Gladstone had held a meeting with Liberal MPs earlier in the day at the Foreign Office, where he defended the bill. He stated that far from being a compromise it was very much a government bill, and that the discussions with the opposition had been conducted with "no party bias". ^[12] The bill received its second reading on 4 December 1884, and was then sent forward to the committee stage, which was to commence on 19 February 1885. The delay was to allow the boundary commissions to complete their work, with the boundaries and names of the new constituencies to be included as the schedules of the final Act. ^[13]

In committee few changes were made to the boundaries recommended by the commissioners. However the committee felt that the proposed names for many of the divisions were unfamiliar, and preferred to use what they termed "geographical" names incorporating a compass point. A compromise was made where both were incorporated in the names of many of the constituencies: thus the seat officially called the "Northern or Biggleswade Division of Bedfordshire" was informally referred to as "Biggleswade", the "Biggleswade Division", "Northern Bedfordshire" or "North Bedfordshire". ^[14]

The act received Royal Assent on 25 June, and the provisions of both the redistribution and representation acts first came into use at the 1885 general election.^{[ citation needed ]}

Provisions

The committee's work coupled with the Arlington Street Compact resulted a major redistribution under the act as follows:

• Parliamentary boroughs (later known as borough constituencies):
  • All these units with a population of 15,000 or less ceased to have separate representation and were merged into a wider division (constituency) of their county – namely 79 constituencies were disenfranchised.
  • Six other boroughs were also merged into the county divisions: four that included large extents of countryside (Aylesbury, Cricklade, East Retford, Shoreham) and two that had been disenfranchised for corruption (Macclesfield and Sandwich). ^[11]
  • Those with populations between 15,000 and 50,000 were to have their representation reduced from two MPs to one, namely 76 constituencies.
  • Those with populations of more than 50,000 (23 in all) continued to be a set of two-member constituencies
  • The City of London would have its representation reduced to two MPs and remain undivided
  • The Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin would each return two MPs. ^[3]
• Two low-population English counties lost an MP: Rutland was reduced to one MP and Herefordshire to two MPs.
• The number of seats in the Commons was increased from 652 to 670, inclusive of Ireland. ^[c]

Apart from boundary changes, approximately 160 seats were new (or "liberated" as Gladstone described it) in England and Wales. The number of seats in Scotland was increased by 12, and the representation of Ireland in Parliament remained at 103 members, even though its population had declined relative to the rest of the United Kingdom, due to emigration which had continued since the famine. This arrangement was described by The Times as "...obviously dictated by a somewhat pusillanimous [weak-hearted] calculation that it was better to avoid a struggle with the Parnellite party." ^[11]

1. Section 1.
2. The Acts of Parliament (Commencement) Act 1793.
3. The number of seats had been fixed at 658 in the 1832 and 1867–8 legislation, but two two-member boroughs (Beverley and Bridgwater) and two single-member boroughs (Cashel and Sligo) had been disenfranchised for corruption.^{[ citation needed ]}

Consequences

Cessation of dual-MP constituency pacts and majority-minority appeal

The reduction in the number of two-member constituencies (elected by the bloc vote system) ended cross-party cooperation: before the act, in many counties and boroughs the two main parties had agreed to nominate one candidate each, and no election was held. Contested elections became the norm after the act: 657 of 670 seats were contested at the 1885 general election. ^[15]

Recognition of the middle and working classes

See also: Parliament Act 1911

The division of former two-member constituencies had a direct, clear consequence: it hastened the decline of the domination of Parliament by the aristocracy (formed of those who had won Royal and often military favour and their heirs, many of whom were accurately referred to as the landed gentry). After 1885, for the first time, MPs connected to industry and commerce outnumbered those closely related to the gentry. ^[15] The Lords immediately stood out therefore as non-representative of the electorate; the "household suffrage" of 1885 gave the majority of men the vote; and by the end of 1918 all those aged over 21 could vote and most women.

Nonetheless, the Lords and their sons, grandsons and nephews in the Commons continued to form the greater part of the Cabinet until the Asquith ministry – further, the Lords legally bore equal strength, save for their inability to initiate bills spending public funds since 1407, ^[16] until Asquith's constitutional Parliament Act 1911. ^[17] The House of Lords could veto or amend bills sent to them by the Commons.

Electoral results and impact on strategy and attitudes

When the Redistribution of Seats Bill was being considered in 1884–85, the limited vote had little support. The redistribution eliminated the three and four member districts and the use of the Limited voting system disappeared.

Immediate expansion of the working class electorate caused the number of Lib/Lab MPs to rise from 2 in 1874 to 13 in 1885. The act's new seats saw a 1% single-party swing to the Conservatives and so a gain of only 10 seats and a similar gain of 11 seats by Independent Liberals, the latter often slightly more radical (redistributive) than both mainstream parties.^{[ citation needed ]}

The sudden balance of power of the seats held or won by Irish Parliamentary Party candidates galvanised those opposed to Home Rule. This third party power of veto coupled with the end of local electoral pacts in a foreseeable way; Disraeli and Gladstone needed central control of their members to pursue narrower narratives and promote differing values. The IPP were often labelled particularly by the media and Conservatives as 'Parnellites'. ^[11] Their power saw Gladstone make Home Rule his touchstone but, in so doing, distance his party from most peers who, until the House of Lords was flooded with Liberal peers in 1911, preferred conservative policies and guarded their near-equal power. Peers of the Whig persuasion flocked to a conservative line given immediate loss of family ties (hence leverage) in the Commons and tide of reformist policies engulfing the Liberal party caused by the act's generous franchise and loss of their coveted and often sponsored Whig-Radical and Whig-Conservative dual-member seats in the Commons. In short most peers felt change had gone far and fast enough. The opening words of free thought of the Lords, in its reply to the Queen's Speech came from the Duke of Abercorn who said:-

"My Lords, I rise to propose that an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty in reply to the Gracious Speech from the Throne, and in doing this I have to crave that indulgence from your Lordships which is always accorded to one who addresses your Lordships for the first time... Questions of vital moment and importance affecting the safety of the Empire will have to be discussed, and the country will carefully scrutinize them; and the manner in which they are treated by a Parliament elected for the first time under household suffrage will be earnestly watched. [emphasis added]

— Hansard HL Deb 21 January 1886 vol. 302 column 36

Liberal MPs opposing Home Rule rapidly formed a new party to stand at the next election in 1886, the Liberal Unionists who were willing to govern with Conservatives.

Liberals were unable to rely on any Lords' majorities (ratification) on their Bills from 1885 until the Parliament Act 1911. The 1911 Act ended the equal power of the House of Lords forever, constitutionally. ^{[3] [9]}

132 small areas ("parliamentary boroughs") were merged with part or all of their surrounding county constituency, all of which had previously returned two members. Courted for decades with the promise of for social change, religious freedom and free trade by Liberals, often served by a Radical-leaning alongside and a Whig-leaning MP, these boroughs had few Conservative MPs at most elections. Their substitute single-member seats where gaining suburban and wealthy rural parts particularly assisted the Conservative party, which took a position of national "strength and unity" in opposing Chamberlain's "radicalism" preferring instead education reform and opposing Gladstone's Home Rule "crusade" in favour of budgetary concessions and support for unionist Irish businesses. ^{[8] [9]} The ensuing Queens Speech showed the Queen was "...resolutely opposed [to Irish Home Rule] ...convinced that I shall be heartily supported by my Parliament and my people." ^[18]

The Conservative party thinkers and leaders in both houses had now enfranchised the majority of men trusting them to break the deadlock in their favour; in return they had espoused religious freedom and almost completely free trade. ^{[8] [9]} The Liberal Party may have won the 1885 General Election however the new Lords heavy antipathy and the Irish question tore the party apart.^{[ citation needed ]}

The majority of multi-member seats saw cooperation before 1885 whereas under the new one-MP-per-constituency norm, cooperation as patron and protégé or to attract opposing voters was futile. Whig and the most progressive Radical candidates could now be branded "weak", "divided" or "distanced" from the line of Gladstone and his successors which proved a flaw in the broad congregation of the Liberal Party until the formation of the final splinter group of 1931. Conservatives depicted Gladstone's dogged advancement of Home Rule, notably his failed first and second Irish Home Rule bills in 1886 and 1893, an open dissent from Her Majesty, as the root cause of Liberal Party disintegration. This unorthodoxy combined with heavy defeats on other Commons bills in the House of Lords which began to hemorrhage more Whigs led to electoral landslide victories for the Conservative party in 1886 and 1895 to break the deadlock.^{[ citation needed ]}

Redistributed seats: England

Bedfordshire Representation decreased from 4 to 3 MPs
Boroughs [19]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Bedford (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP [20]	Bedford (1 MP)
County Divisions [19]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Bedfordshire (2 MPs)	Split into two divisions [21]	Northern or Biggleswade Division (1 MP)
		Southern or Luton Division (1 MP)
Berkshire Representation decreased from 8 to 5 MPs ‡ The Borough of Abingdon was partly in Oxfordshire
Boroughs [22]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Abingdon‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [14]
Reading (2 MPs)	Boundaries widened, [24] representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Reading (1 MP)
Wallingford (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Windsor (1 MP)	No change	Windsor (1 MP)
County Divisions [22]
Before 1885	change	After 1885
Berkshire (3 MPs)	Split into three divisions. [21] The abolished boroughs of Abingdon and Wallingford were included in the Abingdon Division.	Northern or Abingdon Division (1 MP)
		Southern or Newbury Division (1 MP)
		Eastern or Wokingham Division (1 MP)
Buckinghamshire Representation decreased from 8 to 3 MPs ‡ The Borough of Great Marlow was partly in Berkshire
Boroughs [25]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Aylesbury (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division.
Buckingham (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division.
Chipping Wycombe (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name ("Wycombe") to a county division.
Great Marlow‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [25]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Buckinghamshire (3 MPs)	Split into three divisions. [21] The Aylesbury Division absorbed the abolished boroughs of Aylesbury and Great Marlow. The Buckingham Division absorbed Buckingham and the Wycombe Division absorbed Chipping Wycombe.	Mid or Aylesbury Division (1 MP)
		Northern or Buckingham Division (1 MP)
		Southern or Wycombe Division (1 MP)
Cambridgeshire Representation decreased from 5 to 4 MPs
Boroughs [26]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Cambridge (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP [20]	Cambridge (1 MP)
County Divisions [26]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Cambridgeshire (3 MPs)	Split into three divisions. [21]	Western or Chesterton Division (1 MP)
		Eastern or Newmarket Division (1 MP)
		Northern or Wisbech Division (1 MP)
Cheshire Representation decreased from 14 to 13 MPs ‡ The Boroughs of Stalybridge and Stockport were partly in Lancashire
Boroughs [27]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Birkenhead (1 MP)	No change	Birkenhead (1 MP)
Chester (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP [20]	Chester (1 MP)
Macclesfield (2 MPs)	Disenfranchised for corruption [23] Gave name to county division. [21]
Stalybridge‡ (1 MP)	Boundaries extended [24]	Stalybridge (1 MP)
Stockport‡ (2 MPs)	No change	Stockport (2 MPs)
County Divisions [27]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
East Division (2 MPs)	Divided into 8 divisions: The East Division formed the basis of the new Macclesfield Division The Mid Division was divided into the new Altrincham, Hyde and Knutsford Divisions (with parts going to the Crewe, Macclesfield and Northwich Divisions) The South Division was divided into the new Eddisbury and Wirral Divisions (with parts going to the Crewe Division and the Northwich Division). [27]	Altrincham Division (1 MP)
		Crewe Division (1 MP)
Mid Division (2 MPs)		Eddisbury Division (1 MP)
		Hyde Division (1 MP)
		Knutsford Division (1 MP)
West Division (2 MPs)		Macclesfield Division (1 MP)
		Northwich Division (1 MP)
		Wirral Division (1 MP)
Cornwall Representation decreased from 13 to 7 MPs
Boroughs [28]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Bodmin (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division.
Helston (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Launceston (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division.
Liskeard (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Penryn and Falmouth (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP [20]	Penryn and Falmouth (1 MP)
St Ives (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division.
Truro (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division.
County Divisions [28]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Eastern Division (2 MPs)	Divided into 6 Divisions. The Eastern Division was divided into the new North-Eastern and South-Eastern Divisions (with part going to the Mid Division) The Western Division was divided into the new North-Western, Truro and Western Divisions (with part going to the Mid Division)	Mid or St Austell Division (1 MP)
		North-Eastern or Launceston Division (1 MP)
		North-Western or Camborne Division (1 MP)
Western Division (2 MPs)		South-Eastern or Bodmin Division (1 MP)
		Truro Division (1 MP)
		Western or St Ives Division (1 MP)
Cumberland Representation decreased from 8 to 6 MPs
Boroughs [29]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Carlisle (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Carlisle (1 MP)
Cockermouth (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Whitehaven (1 MP)	No change	Whitehaven (1 MP)
County Divisions [29]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Eastern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into four divisions, absorbed abolished Borough of Cockermouth. [21]	Cockermouth Division (1 MP)
		Egremont (or Western) Division (1 MP)
Western Division (2 MPs)		Eskdale (or Northern) Division (1 MP)
		Penrith (or Mid) Division (1 MP)
Derbyshire Representation increased from 8 to 9 MPs
Boroughs [30]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Derby (2 MPs)	Boundaries extended. [24]	Derby (2 MPs)
County Divisions [30]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
East Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into seven divisions. [21]	Chesterfield Division (1 MP)
		Mid Division (1 MP)
North Division (2 MPs)		North-Eastern Division (1 MP)
		Southern Division (1 MP)
South Division (2 MPs)		Western Division (1 MP)
		High Peak Division (1 MP)
		Ilkeston Division (1 MP)
Devon Representation decreased from 17 to 13 MPs
Boroughs [31]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Barnstaple (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Devonport (2 MPs)	No change	Devonport (2 MPs)
Exeter (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Exeter (1 MP)
Plymouth (2 MPs)	No change	Plymouth (2 MPs)
Tavistock (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Tiverton (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
County Divisions [31]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
East Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into eight divisions, absorbed abolished boroughs of Barnstaple, Tavistock and Tiverton. [21]	Eastern or Honiton Division (1 MP)
		Mid or Ashburton Division (1 MP)
		Northern or South Molton Division (1 MP)
North Division (2 MPs)		North-Eastern or Tiverton Division (1 MP)
		North-Western or Barnstaple Division (1 MP)
South Division (2 MPs)		Torquay Division (1 MP)
		Southern or Totnes Division (1 MP)
Western or Tavistock Division (1 MP)
Dorset Representation decreased from 10 to 4 MPs ‡ The Borough of Shaftesbury was partly in Wiltshire
Boroughs [32]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Bridport (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Dorchester (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Poole (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Shaftesbury‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Wareham (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [32]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Dorset (3 MPs)	Split into four divisions, absorbing the six abolished boroughs. [21]	Eastern Division (1 MP)
		Northern Division (1 MP)
		Southern Division (1 MP)
		Western Division (1 MP)
Durham Representation increased from 13 to 16 MPs
Boroughs [33]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Darlington (1 MP)	Boundaries widened. [24]	Darlington (1 MP)
Durham City (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Durham City (1 MP)
Gateshead (1 MP)	No change	Gateshead (1 MP)
Hartlepool (1 MP)	No change	Hartlepool (1 MP)
South Shields (1 MP)	No change	South Shields (1 MP)
Stockton (1 MP)	No change	Stockton (1 MP)
Sunderland (2 MPs)	No change	Sunderland (2 MPs)
County Divisions [33]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Northern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into eight divisions [33]	Barnard Castle Division (1 MP)
		Bishop Auckland Division (1 MP)
		Chester Le Street Division (1 MP)
		Houghton Le Spring Division (1 MP)
Southern Division (2 MPs)		Jarrow Division (1 MP)
		Mid Division (1 MP)
		North-Western Division (1 MP)
		South-Eastern Division (1 MP)
Essex Representation increased from 10 to 11 MPs
Boroughs [34]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Colchester (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Colchester (1 MP)
Harwich (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Maldon (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Formed part of South Division of county	New parliamentary borough of West Ham, divided into two single-member divisions [35]	West Ham, North Division [36] (1 MP)
		West Ham, South Division [36] (1 MP)
County Divisions [34]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
East Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into eight divisions. Part of former South Division constituted as parliamentary borough of West Ham. [34]	Eastern or Maldon Division (1 MP)
		Mid or Chelmsford Division (1 MP)
South Division (2 MPs)		Northern or Saffron Walden Division (1 MP)
		North-Eastern or Harwich Division (1 MP)
		Southern or Romford Division (1 MP)
West Division (2 MPs)		South-Eastern Division (1 MP)
		South-Western or Walthamstow Division (1 MP)
		Western or Epping Division (1 MP)
Gloucestershire Representation decreased from 13 to 11 MPs ‡ The Borough of Bristol was partly in Somerset
Boroughs [37]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Bristol‡ (2 MPs)	Boundaries of parliamentary borough extended to include St George, Horfield, and Stapleton, and part of Bedminster. [24] Divided into four single-member divisions. [36]	Bristol, East Division (1 MP)
		Bristol, North Division (1 MP)
		Bristol, South Division (1 MP)
		Bristol, West Division (1 MP)
Cheltenham (1 MP)	Boundaries extended to include Charlton Kings [24]	Cheltenham (1 MP)
Cirencester (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Gloucester (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Gloucester (1 MP)
Stroud (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Tewkesbury (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
County Divisions [37]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Eastern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into five divisions, absorbing boroughs of Stroud and Tewkesbury. Part of former Western Division included in parliamentary borough of Bristol. [37]	Eastern or Cirencester Division (1 MP)
		Forest of Dean Division (1 MP)
		Mid or Stroud Division (1 MP)
Western Division (2 MPs)		Northern or Tewkesbury Division (1 MP)
		Southern or Thornbury Division (1 MP)
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Representation decreased from 16 to 12 MPs
Boroughs [38]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Andover (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Christchurch (1 MP)	No change	Christchurch (1 MP)
Lymington (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Newport (Isle of Wight) (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Area included in Isle of Wight division. [21]
Petersfield (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Portsmouth (2 MPs)	No change	Portsmouth (2 MPs)
Southampton (2 MPs)	Boundaries widened to include Millbrook, Bitterne and St. Mary Extra areas [24]	Southampton (2 MPs)
Winchester (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Winchester (1 MP)
County Divisions [38]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Northern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into five single-member divisions, absorbing parliamentary boroughs of Andover, Lymington and Petersfield. [21]	Eastern or Petersfield Division (1 MP)
		New Forest Division (1 MP)
		Northern or Basingstoke Division (1 MP)
Southern Division (2 MPs)		Southern or Fareham Division (1 MP)
		Western or Andover Division (1 MP)
Isle of Wight Division (1 MP)	Absorbed the parliamentary borough of Newport. [23]	Isle of Wight Division (1 MP)
Herefordshire Representation decreased from 6 to 3 MPs
Boroughs [39]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Hereford (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Hereford (1 MP)
Leominster (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
County Divisions [39]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Herefordshire (3 MPs)	Split into two divisions, absorbed parliamentary borough of Leominster. [21]	Leominster or Northern Division (1 MP)
		Ross or Southern Division (1 MP)
Hertfordshire Representation remained at 4 MPs
Boroughs [40]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Hertford (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
County Divisions [40]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Hertfordshire (3 MPs)	Split into four divisions, absorbed parliamentary borough of Hertford. [21]	Eastern or Hertford Division
		Mid or St Albans Division
		Northern or Hitchin Division
		Western or Watford Division
Huntingdonshire Representation decreased from 3 to 2 MPs
Boroughs [41]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Huntingdon (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
County Divisions [41]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Huntingdonshire (2 MPs)	Split into two divisions, absorbed parliamentary borough of Huntingdon. [21]	Northern or Ramsey Division
		Southern or Huntingdon Division
Kent Representation decreased from 21 to 19 MPs † Formed part of "The Metropolis" of London
Boroughs [42]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Canterbury (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Canterbury (1 MP)
Chatham (1 MP)	No change	Chatham (1 MP)
Dover (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Dover (1 MP)
Gravesend (1 MP)	No change	Gravesend (1 MP)
Greenwich (2 MPs)†	Boundaries altered, with areas transferred to create new boroughs of Deptford and Woolwich, each represented by one MP. [35]	Greenwich (1 MP)†
		Deptford (1 MP)†
		Woolwich (1 MP)†
Hythe (1 MP)	No change	Hythe (1 MP)
Formed part of West Division of county	New parliamentary borough [35]	Lewisham (1 MP)†
Maidstone (2 MPs)	Boundaries altered. [24] Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Maidstone (1 MP)
Rochester (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Rochester (1 MP)
Sandwich (2 MPs)	Disenfranchised for corruption [23]
County Divisions [42]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Eastern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into eight single-member divisions, absorbing parliamentary borough of Sandwich [21]	Southern or Ashford Division (1 MP)
		North-Western or Dartford Division (1 MP)
		North-Eastern or Faversham Division (1 MP)
Mid Kent (2 MPs)		Isle of Thanet Division (1 MP)
		Mid or Medway Division (1 MP)
		Eastern or St Augustine's Division (1 MP)
Kent West (2 MPs)		Western or Sevenoaks Division (1 MP)
		South Western or Tunbridge Division (1 MP)
Lancashire Representation increased from 32 to 57 MPs ‡ The Borough of Warrington was partly in Cheshire
Boroughs [43]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Ashton-under-Lyne (1 MP)	Boundaries extended to include the local government district of Hurst. [24]	Ashton-under-Lyne (1 MP)
Formed from part of North Division of county	New parliamentary borough [35]	Barrow-in-Furness (1 MP)
Blackburn (2 MPs)	Boundaries extended to include entire municipal borough. [24]	Blackburn (2 MPs)
Bolton (2 MPs)	Boundaries extended to include entire municipal borough. [24]	Bolton (2 MPs)
Burnley (1 MP)	No change	Burnley (1 MP)
Bury (1 MP)	Boundaries extended to include entire municipal borough. [24]	Bury (1 MP)
Clitheroe (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Liverpool (3 MPs)	Boundaries of parliamentary borough extended to include entirety of Toxteth Park and parts of Walton-on-the-Hill, Wavertree, and West Derby. [24] Divided into nine single-member divisions. [36]	Abercromby Division (1 MP)
		East Toxteth Division (1 MP)
		Everton Division (1 MP)
		Exchange Division (1 MP)
		Kirkdale Division (1 MP)
		Scotland Division (1 MP)
		Walton Division (1 MP)
		West Derby Division (1 MP)
		West Toxteth Division (1 MP)
Manchester (3 MPs)	Boundaries of parliamentary borough extended to include the local government districts of Moss Side and Rusholme and a detached part of the parish of Gorton. [24] Divided into six single-member divisions. [36]	East Division (1 MP)
		North Division (1 MP)
		North East Division (1 MP)
		North West Division (1 MP)
		South Division (1 MP)
		South West (1 MP)
Oldham (2 MPs)	Boundaries extended to include entire municipal borough. [24]	Oldham (2 MPs)
Preston (2 MPs)	Boundaries changed to comprise entire municipal borough of Preston, (with extended boundaries due to come into effect on 1 June 1889), and the local government district of Fulwood. [24]	Preston (2 MPs)
Rochdale (1 MP)	No change	Rochdale (1 MP)
Formed from part of South West Division of county	New parliamentary borough [35]	St Helens (1 MP)
Salford (2 MPs)	Divided into three single-member divisions. [36]	North Division (1 MP)
		South Division (1 MP)
		West Division (1 MP)
Warrington‡ (1 MP)	No change	Warrington‡ (1 MP)
Wigan (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Wigan (1 MP)
County Divisions [43]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
North Division (2 MPs)	Divided into four single-member divisions, part constituted as new parliamentary borough of Barrow-in-Furness. [21]	Blackpool Division (1 MP)
		Chorley Division (1 MP)
		Lancaster Division (1 MP)
		North Lonsdale Division (1 MP)
North-East Division (2 MPs)	Absorbed former parliamentary borough of Clitheroe, divided into four single-member divisions. [21] [23]	Accrington Division (1 MP)
		Clitheroe Division (1 MP)
		Darwen Division (1 MP)
		Rossendale Division (1 MP)
South-East Division (2 MPs)	Divided into eight single-member divisions. [21]	Eccles Division (1 MP)
		Gorton Division (1 MP)
		Heywood Division (1 MP)
		Middleton Division (1 MP)
		Prestwich Division (1 MP)
		Radcliffe cum Farnworth Division (1 MP)
		Stretford Division (1 MP)
		Westhoughton Division (1 MP)
South-West Division (2 MPs)	Divided into seven single-member divisions, part constituted as new parliamentary borough of St Helens. [21]	Bootle Division (1 MP)
		Ince Division (1 MP)
		Leigh Division (1 MP)
		Newton Division (1 MP)
		Ormskirk Division (1 MP)
		Southport Division (1 MP)
		Widnes Division (1 MP)
Leicestershire Representation remained at 6 MPs
Boroughs [44]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Leicester (2 MPs)	No change	Leicester (2 MPs)
County Divisions [44]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Northern Division (2 MPs)	Divided into four single-member divisions. [21]	Eastern (or Melton) Division (1 MP)
		Mid (or Loughborough) Division (1 MP)
Southern Division (2 MPs)		Southern (or Harborough) Division (1 MP)
		Western (or Bosworth) Division (1 MP)
Lincolnshire Representation decreased from 14 to 11 MPs ‡ The Borough of Stamford was partly in Northamptonshire
Boroughs [45]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Boston (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20] Boundaries simplified. [24]	Boston (1 MP)
Grantham (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Grantham (1 MP)
Great Grimsby (1 MP)	No change	Great Grimsby (1 MP)
Lincoln (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20] Boundaries extended to include Bracebridge. [24]	Lincoln (1 MP)
Stamford‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
County Divisions [45]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Lincolnshire Mid (2 MPs)	Divided into seven single-member divisions. [21]	North Lindsey (or Brigg) Division (1 MP)
		West Lindsey (or Gainsborough) Division (1 MP)
Lincolnshire North (2 MPs)		South Lindsey (or Horncastle) Division) (1 MP)
		East Lindsey (or Louth) Division (1 MP)
Lincolnshire South (2 MPs)		North Kesteven (or Sleaford) Division (1 MP)
		Holland (or Spalding) Division (1 MP)
		South Kesteven (or Stamford) Division (1 MP)
Middlesex Representation increased from 18 to 47 MPs † Formed part of "The Metropolis" of London
Boroughs [46]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Chelsea (2 MPs)†	Divided into four parliamentary boroughs, three of which returned 1 MP each, and one (Kensington) was itself divided into two single-member divisions. [36]	Chelsea (1 MP)†
		Fulham (1 MP)†
		Hammersmith (1 MP)†
		Kensington, North Division (1 MP)†
		Kensington, South Division (1 MP)†
City of London (4 MPs)†	Representation reduced to two MPs [47]	City of London (2 MPs)†
Finsbury (2 MPs)†	Divided into two parliamentary boroughs: Finsbury, consisting of 3 single-member divisions; and Islington divided into 4 single-member divisions. [36]	Finsbury, Central Division (1 MP)†
		Finsbury, East Division (1 MP)†
		Finsbury, Holborn Division (1 MP)†
		Islington, East Division (1 MP)†
		Islington, North Division (1 MP)†
		Islington, South Division (1 MP)†
		Islington, West Division (1 MP)†
Hackney (2 MPs)†	Divided into three parliamentary boroughs: Bethnal Green (divided into 2 one-member divisions), Hackney (divided into 3 one-member divisions) and Shoreditch (divided into 2 one-member divisions) [36]	Bethnal Green, North East Division (1 MP)†
		Bethnal Green, South West Division (1 MP)†
		Hackney, Central Division (1 MP)†
		Hackney, North Division (1 MP)†
		Hackney, South Division (1 MP)†
		Shoreditch, Haggerston Division (1 MP)†
		Shoreditch, Hoxton Division (1 MP)†
Created from part of parliamentary county	New parliamentary borough of Hampstead [35]	Hampstead (1 MP)†
Marylebone (2 MPs)†	Divided into three parliamentary boroughs: Marylebone (divided into 2 divisions), Paddington (2 divisions) and St Pancras (4 divisions). [36]	Marylebone, East Division (1 MP)†
		Marylebone, West Division (1 MP)†
		Paddington, North Division (1 MP)†
		Paddington, South Division (1 MP)†
		St Pancras, East Division (1 MP)†
		St Pancras, North Division (1 MP)†
		St Pancras, South Division (1 MP)†
		St Pancras, West Division (1 MP)†
Tower Hamlets (2 MPs)†	Divided into 7 single-member divisions. [36]	Bow and Bromley (1 MP)†
		Limehouse Division (1 MP)†
		Mile End Division (1 MP)†
		Poplar Division (1 MP)†
		St George Division (1 MP)†
		Stepney Division (1 MP)†
		Whitechapel Division (1 MP)†
Westminster (2 MPs)†	Divided into three parliamentary boroughs, each returning one MP. [35] [36]	Westminster (1 MP)†
		St George, Hanover Square (1 MP)†
		Strand (1 MP)†
County Divisions [46]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Middlesex (2 MPs)	Divided into seven single-member divisions, part constituted as new parliamentary borough of Hampstead. [35]	Brentford Division (1 MP)
		Ealing Division (1 MP)
		Enfield Division (1 MP)
		Harrow Division (1 MP)
		Hornsey Division (1 MP)
		Tottenham Division (1 MP)
		Uxbridge Division (1 MP)
Norfolk Representation unchanged (10 MPs) ‡ The Borough of Great Yarmouth was partly in Suffolk
Boroughs [48]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
King's Lynn (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20] Boundaries extended to include entire municipal borough. [24]	King's Lynn (1 MP)
Norwich (2 MPs)	No change	Norwich (2 MPs)
Formed from part of North Division of the county	New parliamentary borough of Great Yarmouth [35]	Great Yarmouth‡ (1 MP)
County Divisions [48]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
North Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into six single-member divisions, part constituted as new parliamentary borough of Great Yarmouth. [21] [35]	Eastern Division (1 MP)
		Mid Division (1 MP)
South Division (2 MPs)		North Division (1 MP)
		North West Division (1 MP)
West Division (2 MPs)		South Division (1 MP)
		South West Division (1 MP)
Northamptonshire Representation decreased from 8 to 7 MPs
Boroughs [49]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Peterborough (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Peterborough (1 MP)
Northampton (2 MPs)	No change	Northampton (2 MPs)
County Divisions [49]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Northern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into four single-member divisions. [21]	Eastern Division (1 MP)
		Mid Division (1 MP)
Southern Division (2 MPs)		Northern Division (1 MP)
		Southern Division (1 MP)
Northumberland Representation decreased from 10 to 8 MPs
Boroughs [50]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Berwick-upon-Tweed (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Morpeth (1 MP)	No change	Morpeth (1 MP)
Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 MPs)	No change	Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 MPs)
Tynemouth and North Shields (1 MP)	Renamed	Tynemouth (1 MP)
County Divisions [50]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Northern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into four single-member divisions. [21]	Berwick-upon-Tweed Division (1 MP)
		Hexham Division (1 MP)
Southern Division (2 MPs)		Tyneside Division (1 MP)
		Wansbeck Division (1 MP)
Nottinghamshire Representation decreased from 10 to 7 MPs ‡ The Borough of East Retford was partly in the West Riding of Yorkshire
Boroughs [51]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
East Retford‡ (2 MPs)	Abolished [23]
Newark (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Nottingham (2 MPs)	Boundaries extended to include entire municipal borough. [24] Divided into three single-member divisions. [36]	East Division (1 MP)
		South Division (1 MP)
		West Division (1 MP)
County Divisions [51]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Northern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into four single-member divisions, absorbed parliamentary boroughs of East Retford and Newark. [21]	Bassetlaw Division (1 MP)
		Mansfield Division (1 MP)
Southern Division (2 MPs)		Newark Division (1 MP)
		Rushcliffe Division (1 MP)
Oxfordshire Representation decreased from 7 to 4 MPs ‡ The Borough of Banbury was partly in Northamptonshire
Boroughs [52]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Banbury‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Oxford (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Oxford (1 MP)
Woodstock (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
County Divisions [52]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Oxfordshire (3 MPs)	Divided into three single-member divisions, absorbing parliamentary boroughs of Banbury and Woodstock. [21]	Northern or Banbury Division (1 MP)
		Mid or Woodstock Division (1 MP)
		Southern or Henley Division (1 MP)
Rutland Representation reduced from 2 MPs to 1
Parliamentary County [53]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Rutland (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP [21]	Rutland (1 MP)
Shropshire Representation decreased from 10 to 5 MPs
Boroughs [54]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Bridgnorth (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Ludlow (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Shrewsbury (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP [20]	Shrewsbury (1 MP)
Wenlock (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [54]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Northern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised as four single-member divisions, absorbing abolished parliamentary boroughs of Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Wenlock. [21]	Mid or Wellington Division (1 MP)
		Northern or Newport Division (1 MP)
Southern Division (2 MPs)		Southern or Ludlow Division (1 MP)
		Western or Oswestry Division (1 MP)
Somerset Representation decreased from 11 to 10 MPs
Boroughs [55]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Bath (2 MPs)	No change	Bath (2 MPs)
Frome (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Taunton (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Taunton (1 MP)
County Divisions [55]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
East Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised as seven single-member divisions. [21]	Bridgwater Division (1 MP)
		Eastern Division (1 MP)
Mid Division (2 MPs)		Frome Division (1 MP)
		Northern Division (1 MP)
Western Division (2 MPs)		Southern Division (1 MP)
		Wells Division (1 MP)
		Western or Wellington Division (1 MP)
Staffordshire Representation decreased from 19 to 17 MPs ‡ The Borough of Tamworth was partly in Warwickshire
Boroughs [56]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Lichfield (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Newcastle-under-Lyme (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20] Boundaries extended to include entire municipal borough, Tunstall local government district and part of the parish of Wolstanton. [24]	Newcastle-under-Lyme (1 MP)
Stafford (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20] Boundaries extended to include entire municipal borough. [24]	Stafford (1 MP)
Stoke-upon-Trent (2 MPs)	Divided into two new parliamentary boroughs. [35]	Stoke upon Trent (1 MP)
		Hanley (1 MP)
Tamworth‡ (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division of Warwickshire. [21]
Walsall (1 MP)	No change	Walsall (1 MP)
Wednesbury (1 MP)	Divided into two new parliamentary boroughs. [35]	Wednesbury (1 MP)
		West Bromwich (1 MP)
Wolverhampton (2 MPs)	Divided into three single-member divisions. [36]	East Division (1 MP)
		South Division (1 MP)
		West Division (1 MP)
County Divisions [56]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
East Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into seven single-member divisions. [21]	Burton Division (1 MP)
		Handsworth Division (1 MP)
North Division (2 MPs)		Kingswinford Division (1 MP)
		Leek Division (1 MP)
West Division (2 MPs)		Lichfield Division (1 MP)
		North-Western Division (1 MP)
		Western Division (1 MP)
Suffolk Representation decreased from 9 to 8 MPs
Boroughs [57]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Bury St Edmunds (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Bury St Edmunds (1 MP)
Eye (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Ipswich (2 MPs)	No change	Ipswich (2 MPs)
County Divisions [57]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Eastern Division of Suffolk (2 MPs)	Reorganised into five single-member divisions, absorbing parliamentary borough of Eye. [21]	Northern or Lowestoft Division (1 MP)
		North-Eastern or Eye Division (1 MP)
		North-Western or Stowmarket Division (1 MP)
Western Division of Suffolk (2 MPs)		South or Sudbury Division (1 MP)
		South-Eastern or Woodbridge Division (1 MP)
Surrey Representation increased from 11 to 22 MPs † Formed part of "The Metropolis" of London
Boroughs [58]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Created from parts of the Eastern and Mid Divisions of parliamentary county	New parliamentary borough of Battersea and Clapham formed from the parish of Battersea from Mid Division and the parish of Clapham from Eastern Division. [35] Divided into two single-member divisions. [36]	Battersea and Clapham, Battersea Division (1 MP)†
		Battersea and Clapham, Clapham Division (1 MP)†
Created from part of Eastern Division of parliamentary county	New parliamentary borough of Croydon [35]	Croydon (1 MP)
Guildford (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Lambeth (2 MPs)†	Reconstituted as three new parliamentary boroughs: Camberwell (incorporating Dulwich from the Eastern Division of county), Lambeth and Newington. The three boroughs were divided into nine single-member divisions. [36]	Camberwell, Dulwich Division (1 MP)†
		Camberwell, North Division (1 MP)†
		Camberwell, Peckham Division (1 MP)†
		Lambeth, Brixton Division (1 MP)†
		Lambeth, Kennington Division (1 MP)†
		Lambeth, North Division (1 MP)†
		Lambeth, Norwood Division (1 MP)†
		Newington, Walworth Division (1 MP)†
		Newington, West Division (1 MP)†
Southwark (2 MPs)†	Representation increased to three members; divided into three single-member divisions. [36]	Southwark, Bermondsey Division (1 MP)†
		Southwark, Rotherhithe Division (1 MP)†
		Southwark, West Division (1 MP)†
Created from parts of the Eastern and Mid Divisions of parliamentary county	New parliamentary borough of Wandsworth [35]	Wandsworth (1 MP)†
County Divisions [58]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Eastern Division (2 MPs), Mid Division (2 MPs) and Western Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into six single-member divisions. [21]	Kingston Division (1 MP)
		Mid or Epsom Division (1 MP)
		North-Eastern or Wimbledon Division (1 MP)
		North-Western or Chertsey Division (1 MP)
		South-Eastern or Reigate Division (1 MP)
		South-Western or Guildford Division (1 MP)
Sussex Representation decreased from 15 to 9 MPs
Boroughs [59]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Brighton (2 MPs)	No change	Brighton (2 MPs)
Chichester (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Hastings (2 MPs)	Boundaries altered. [24] Representation reduced to 1 MP. [20]	Hastings (1 MP)
Horsham (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Lewes (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Midhurst (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
New Shoreham (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23]
Rye (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
County Divisions [59]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Eastern Division (2 MPs)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary boroughs of Chichester, Horsham, Lewes, Midhurst, New Shoreham and Rye. Reorganised into six single-member divisions. [21]	Eastern or Rye Division (1 MP)
		Mid or Lewes Division (1 MP)
		Northern or East Grinstead Division (1 MP)
Western Division (2 MPs)		North-Western or Horsham Division (1 MP)
		Southern or Eastbourne Division (1 MP)
		South-Western or Chichester Division (1 MP)
Warwickshire Representation increased from 11 to 14 MPs
Boroughs [60]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Created from part of Northern Division of parliamentary county	New parliamentary borough of Aston Manor [35]	Aston Manor (1 MP)
Birmingham (3 MPs)	Boundaries of parliamentary borough extended to include local government districts of Balsall Heath, Harborne, and Saltley, and the hamlet of Little Bromwich. [24] Representation increased to seven MPs, divided into seven single-member divisions. [36]	Birmingham, Bordesley Division (1 MP)
		Birmingham, Central Division (1 MP)
		Birmingham, East Division (1 MP)
		Birmingham, Edgbaston Division (1 MP)
		Birmingham, North Division (1 MP)
		Birmingham, South Division (1 MP)
		Birmingham, West Division (1 MP)
Coventry (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Coventry (1 MP)
Warwick (2 MPs)	Parliamentary Borough of Warwick extended to include the municipal borough of Royal Leamington Spa and the local government districts of Milverton and Lillington. [24] Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Warwick and Leamington (1 MP)
County Divisions [60]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Northern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised into four single-member divisions. [21]	Northern or Tamworth Division (1 MP)
		North-Eastern or Nuneaton Division (1 MP)
Southern Division (2 MPs)		South-Eastern or Rugby Division (1 MP)
		South Western or Stratford on Avon Division (1 MP)
Westmorland Representation decreased from 3 to 2 MPs
Boroughs [61]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Kendal (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
County Divisions [61]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Westmorland (2 MPs)	Reorganised into two single-member divisions, absorbing abolished parliamentary borough of Kendal. [21]	Northern or Appleby Division (1 MP)
		Southern or Kendal Division (1 MP)
Wiltshire Representation decreased from 15 to 6 MPs ‡ The Borough of Cricklade was partly in Gloucestershire
Boroughs [62]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Calne (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Chippenham (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Cricklade‡ (2 MPs)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Devizes (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Malmesbury (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Marlborough (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Salisbury (2 MPs)	Boundaries extended to include entire parish of Fisherton Anger, part of the parish of Milford. [24] Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Salisbury (1 MP)
Westbury (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Wilton (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
County Divisions [62]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Northern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised as five single-member divisions, absorbing the abolished parliamentary boroughs of Calne, Chippenham, Cricklade, Devizes, Malmesbury, Marlborough, Westbury and Wilton. [21]	Eastern or Devizes Division (1 MP)
		Northern or Cricklade Division (1 MP)
		North-Western or Chippenham Division (1 MP)
Southern Division (2 MPs)		Southern or Wilton Division (1 MP)
		Western or Westbury Division (1 MP)
Worcestershire Representation decreased from 11 to 8 MPs
Boroughs [63]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Bewdley (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Droitwich (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Dudley (1 MP)	No change	Dudley (1 MP)
Evesham (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Kidderminster (1 MP)	No change	Kidderminster (1 MP)
Worcester (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Worcester (1 MP)
County Divisions [63]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Eastern Division (2 MPs)	Reorganised as five single-member divisions, absorbing the abolished parliamentary boroughs of Bewdley, Droitwich and Evesham. [21]	Eastern Division (1 MP)
		Mid or Droitwich Division (1 MP)
		Northern Division (one MP
Western Division (2 MPs)		Southern or Evesham Division (1 MP)
		Western or Bewdley Division (1 MP)
Yorkshire Representation increased from 38 to 52 MPs
Boroughs [64]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Bradford (2 MPs)	Boundaries widened to include entire municipal borough. [24] Representation increased to three MPs, divided into three single-member divisions. [36]	Bradford, Central Division (1 MP)
		Bradford, East Division (1 MP)
		Bradford, West Division (1 MP)
Dewsbury (1 MP)	No change	Dewsbury (1 MP)
Halifax (2 MPs)	No change	Halifax (2 MPs)
Huddersfield (1 MP)	No change	Huddersfield (1 MP)
Kingston upon Hull (2 MPs)	Boundaries extended to include entire municipal borough. [24] Representation increased to three MPs, divided into three single-member divisions. [36]	Kingston upon Hull Central Division (1 MP)
		Kingston upon Hull East Division (1 MP)
		Kingston upon Hull West Division (1 MP)
Knaresborough (1 MP)	Abolished [23]
Leeds (3 MPs)	Representation increased to five MPs, divided into five single-member divisions. [36]	Leeds, Central Division (1 MP)
		Leeds, East Division (1 MP)
		Leeds, North Division (1 MP)
		Leeds, South Division (1 MP)
		Leeds, West Division (1 MP)
Malton (1 MP)	Abolished [23] Gave its name (with Thirsk) to a county division. [21]
Middlesbrough (1 MP)	Boundaries extended to include entire municipal borough. [24]	Middlesbrough (1 MP)
Northallerton (1 MP)	Abolished [23]
Pontefract (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one member. [20]	Pontefract (1 MP)
Richmond (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Ripon (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
Scarborough (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one member. [20]	Scarborough (1 MP)
Sheffield (2 MPs)	Representation increased to five MPs. Divided into five single-member divisions. [36]	Sheffield, Attercliffe Division (1 MP)
		Sheffield, Brightside Division (1 MP)
		Sheffield, Central Division (1 MP)
		Sheffield, Ecclesall Division (1 MP)
		Sheffield, Hallam Division (1 MP)
Thirsk (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name (with Malton) to a county division. [21]
Wakefield (1 MP)	Boundaries extended to include the Belle Vue area of the parish of Sandal Magna. [24]	Wakefield (1 MP)
Whitby (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] Gave its name to a county division. [21]
York (2 MPs)	Boundaries extended to include entire municipal borough. [24]	York (2 MPs)
County Divisions [64]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
East Riding Division (2 MPs)	Divided into three single-member divisions. [21]	Buckrose Division (1 MP)
		Holderness Division (1 MP)
		Howdenshire Division (1 MP)
North Riding Division (2 MPs)	Divided into four single-member divisions, absorbing abolished parliamentary boroughs of Malton, Northallerton, Richmond, Thirsk and Whitby. [21]	Cleveland Division (1 MP)
		Richmond Division (1 MP)
		Thirsk and Malton Division (1 MP)
		Whitby Division (1 MP)
Eastern Division of the West Riding (2 MPs)	Divided into six single-member divisions, absorbing the abolished parliamentary boroughs of Knaresborough and Ripon. [21]	Barkston Ash Division (1 MP)
		Osgoldcross Division (1 MP)
		Otley Division (1 MP)
		Pudsey Division (1 MP)
		Ripon Division (1 MP)
		Spen Valley Division (1 MP)
Northern Division of the West Riding (2 MPs)	Divided into five single-member divisions. [21]	Elland Division (1 MP)
		Keighley Division (1 MP)
		Shipley Division (1 MP)
		Skipton Division (1 MP)
		Sowerby Division (1 MP)
Southern Division of the West Riding (2 MPs)	Divided into eight single-member divisions. [21]	Barnsley Division (1 MP)
		Colne Valley Division (1 MP)
		Doncaster Division (1 MP)
		Hallamshire Division (1 MP)
		Holmfirth Division (1 MP)
		Morley Division (1 MP)
		Normanton Division (1 MP)
		Rotherham Division (1 MP)
Universities University representation was not altered by the act. [65]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Cambridge University (2 MPs)	No change	Cambridge University (2 MPs)
London University (1 MP)	No change	London University (1 MP)
Oxford University (2 MPs)	No change	Oxford University (2 MPs)

Redistributed seats: Wales

Anglesey Representation decreased from 2 to 1 MPs
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Beaumaris district of Boroughs (Amlwch, Beaumaris, Holyhead and Llangefni)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Anglesey (1 MP)	Absorbed Beaumaris District of Boroughs	Anglesey (1 MP)
Breconshire Representation decreased from 2 to 1 MPs
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Brecon (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Breconshire (1 MP)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary borough of Brecon. [23]	Breconshire (1 MP)
Cardiganshire Representation decreased from 2 to 1 MPs ‡ The Borough of Cardigan was partly in Pembrokeshire, the Boroughs of Adpar and Lampeter were partly in Carmarthenshire
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Cardigan District of Boroughs‡ (1 MP) (Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Lampeter and Adpar)	Abolished [23]
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Cardiganshire (1 MP)	Absorbed abolished Cardigan District of Boroughs.	Cardiganshire (1 MP)
Carmarthenshire Representation unchanged (3 MPs)
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Carmarthen Boroughs (1 MP) (Carmarthen and Llanelly)	No change	Carmarthen Boroughs (1 MP) (Carmarthen and Llanelly)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Carmarthenshire (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	Eastern Division (1 MP)
		Western Division (1 MP)
Carnarvonshire Representation increased from 2 to 3 MPs
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Carnarvon District of Boroughs (1 MP) (Carnarvon, Bangor, Conway, Criccieth, Nevin, and Pwllheli)	No change	Carnarvon District of Boroughs (1 MP) (Carnarvon, Bangor, Conway, Criccieth, Nevin, and Pwllheli)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Carnarvonshire (1 MP)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	The Northern or Arfon Division (1 MP)
		The Southern or Eifion Division (1 MP)
Denbighshire Representation unchanged (3 MPs)
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Denbigh Boroughs (1 MP) (Denbigh, Holt, Ruthin, and Wrexham)	No change	Denbigh Boroughs (1 MP) (Denbigh, Holt, Ruthin, and Wrexham)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Denbighshire (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	Eastern Division (1 MP)
		Western Division (1 MP)
Flintshire Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Flint Boroughs (1 MP) (Caergwrle, Caerwys, Flint, Holywell, Mold, Overton, Rhuddlan and St Asaph)	No change	Flint Boroughs (1 MP) (Caergwrle, Caerwys, Flint, Holywell, Mold, Overton, Rhuddlan and St Asaph)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Flintshire (1 MP)	No change	Flintshire (1 MP)
Glamorganshire Representation increased from 6 to 10 MPs
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Cardiff District of Boroughs (1 MP) (Cardiff, Cowbridge and Llantrisant)	Parliamentary Borough of Cardiff extended to include entire municipal borough. [24]	Cardiff District of Boroughs (1 MP) (Cardiff, Cowbridge and Llantrisant)
Merthyr Tydfil (2 MPs)	No change	Merthyr Tydfil (2 MPs)
Swansea District of Boroughs (1 MP) (Aberavon, Kenfig, Loughor, Neath and Swansea)	Reconstituted as Parliamentary Borough of Swansea without alteration of boundaries. Representation increased to two MPs. Divided into two single-member divisions. [36]	Swansea, District (1 MP) (Aberavon, Kenfig, Loughor, Neath and suburban areas of Swansea)
		Swansea, Town (1 MP)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Glamorganshire (2 MPs)	Divided into five single-member divisions. [21]	Eastern Division (1 MP)
		Mid Division (1 MP)
		Rhondda Division (1 MP)
		Southern Division (1 MP)
		Western or Gower District (1 MP)
Merionethshire Representation unchanged (1 MP)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Merionethshire (1 MP)	No change	Merionethshire (1 MP)
Monmouthshire Representation increased from 3 to 4 MPs
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Monmouth Boroughs (1 MP) (Monmouth, Newport and Usk)	Parliamentary Borough of Newport extended to include entire municipal borough. [24]	Monmouth Boroughs (1 MP) (Monmouth, Newport and Usk)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Monmouthshire (2 MPs)	Divided into three single-member divisions. [21]	Northern Division (1 MP)
		Southern Division (1 MP)
		Western Division (1 MP)
Montgomeryshire Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Montgomery District of Boroughs (1 MP) (Llanfyllin, Llanidloes, Machynlleth, Montgomery, Newtown, and Welshpool)	No change	Montgomery District of Boroughs (1 MP) (Llanfyllin, Llanidloes, Machynlleth, Montgomery, Newtown, and Welshpool)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Montgomeryshire (1 MP)	No change	Montgomeryshire (1 MP)
Pembrokeshire Representation decreased from 3 to 2 MPs
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Pembroke District of Boroughs (1 MP) (Pembroke, Milford, Tenby and Wiston)	Districts of parliamentary boroughs of Pembroke and Haverfordwest merged. [23]	Pembroke and Haverfordwest District of Boroughs (1 MP) (Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Pembroke, Milford, Narberth, St David's, Tenby and Wiston)
Haverfordwest District of Boroughs (1 MP) (Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Narberth and St David's)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Pembrokeshire	No change	Pembrokeshire
Radnorshire Representation decreased from 2 to 1 MPs
Boroughs
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Radnor District of Boroughs (1 MP) (Cefnllys, Knighton, Knucklas, New Radnor, Presteigne and Rhayader)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Radnorshire (1 MP)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary boroughs.	Radnorshire (1 MP)

Redistributed seats: Scotland

Burghs and Districts
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Aberdeen (1 MP)	Representation of parliamentary burgh increased to two seats. Divided into two single-member divisions. [36]	Aberdeen, North Division (1 MP)
		Aberdeen, South Division (1 MP)
Ayr District of Burghs (1 MP)	No change. Comprised five parliamentary burghs: Ayr and Irvine in Ayrshire, and Campbeltown, Inverary and Oban in Argyllshire. [66]	Ayr District of Burghs (1 MP)
Dundee (2 MPs)	No change.	Dundee (2 MPs)
Dumfries District of Burghs (1 MP)	No change. Comprised five parliamentary burghs: Annan Lochmaben and Sanquhar in Dumfriesshire, Dumfries in Dumfriesshire and Kirkcudbrightshire, Kirkcudbright in Kirkcudbrightshire. [66]	Dumfries District of Burghs (1 MP)
Edinburgh (2 MPs)	Boundaries widened to include entire municipal burgh. [24] Representation of parliamentary burgh increased to four seats. Divided into four single-member divisions. [36]	Edinburgh, Central Division (1 MP)
		Edinburgh, East Division (1 MP)
		Edinburgh, South Division (1 MP)
		Edinburgh, West Division (1 MP)
Elgin District of Burghs (1 MP)	No change. Comprised five parliamentary burghs: Inverurie, Kintore and Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Banff and Cullen in Banffshire, and Elgin in Elginshire. [66]	Elgin District of Burghs (1 MP)
Falkirk District of Burghs (1 MP)	Comprised five parliamentary burghs: Airdrie, Hamilton and Lanark in Lanarkshire, Linlithgow in Linlithgowshire and Falkirk in Stirlingshire. [66] Boundaries widened to include entire municipal burgh of Hamilton. [24]	Falkirk District of Burghs (1 MP)
Glasgow (3 MPs)	Boundaries widened to include entire municipal burgh. [24] Representation of parliamentary burgh increased to seven seats. Divided into seven single-member divisions. [36]	Glasgow, Blackfriars and Hutchesontown Division (1 MP)
		Glasgow, Bridgeton Division (1 MP)
		Glasgow, Camlachie Division (1 MP)
		Glasgow, Central Division (1 MP)
		Glasgow, College Division (1 MP)
		Glasgow, St. Rollox Division (1 MP)
		Glasgow, Tradeston Division (1 MP)
Greenock (1 MP)	Boundaries extended to include entire municipal burgh. [24]	Greenock (1 MP)
Haddington District of Burghs (1 MP)	Abolished. [23] The five parliamentary burghs that comprised the district were each merged into their respective parliamentary counties: Lauder into Berwickshire; Dunbar, Haddington, and North Berwick into Haddingtonshire; and Jedburgh into Roxburghshire.
Hawick District of Burghs (1 MP)	Comprised three parliamentary burghs: Hawick in Roxburghshire and Galashiels and Selkirk in Selkirkshire. [66] Boundaries extended to include entire municipal burgh of Hawick. [24]	Hawick District of Burghs (1 MP)
Inverness District of Burghs (1 MP)	No change Comprised four parliamentary burghs: Forres in Elginshire, Inverness in Inverness-shire, Nairn in Nairnshire and Fortrose in Ross and Cromarty. [66]	Inverness District of Burghs (1 MP)
Kilmarnock District of Burghs (1 MP)	Comprised five burghs: Kilmarnock in Ayrshire; Dumbarton in Dumbartonshire; Rutherglen in Lanarkshire and Renfrew and Port Glasgow in Renfrewshire. [66] Boundaries of parliamentary burghs of Kilmarnock, Port Glasgow and Renfrew extended to include entire municipal burghs. [24]	Kilmarnock District of Burghs (1 MP)
Kirkcaldy District of Burghs (1 MP)	Comprised four burghs in Fife: Kirkcaldy, Burntisland, Dysart, Kinghorn [66] Extended to include entire municipal burgh of Kirkcaldy. [24]	Kirkcaldy District of Burghs (1 MP)
Leith District of Burghs (1 MP)	No change Comprised three burghs in the County of Edinburgh: Leith, Musselburgh and Portobello. [66]	Leith District of Burghs (1 MP)
Montrose District of Burghs (1 MP)	No change Comprised five burghs: Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Montrose in Forfarshire and Inverbervie in Kincardineshire. [66]	Montrose District of Burghs (1 MP)
Paisley (1 MP)	Boundaries widened to include entire municipal burgh. [24]	Paisley (1 MP)
Perth City (1 MP)	Boundaries widened to include entire municipal burgh. [24]	Perth City (1 MP)
St Andrews District of Burghs (1 MP)	No change Comprised seven burghs in Fife: Anstruther Easter, Anstruther Wester, Crail, Cupar, Kilrenny, Pittenweem and St Andrews. [66]	St Andrews District of Burghs (1 MP)
Stirling District of Burghs (1 MP)	No change Comprised five burghs: Dunfermline and Inverkeithing in Fife; Queensferry in Linlithgowshire; Culross in Perthshire and Stirling in Stirlingshire. [66]	Stirling District of Burghs (1 MP)
Wick District of Burghs (1 MP)	No change Comprised six burghs: Wick in Caithness; Kirkwall in Orkney; Cromarty, Dingwall and Tain in Ross and Cromarty; Dornoch in Sutherland. [66]	Wick District of Burghs (1 MP)
Wigtown District of Burghs (1 MP)	Abolished [23] The four constituent burghs were merged into the parliamentary counties of Kirkcudbrightshire (New Galloway) and Wigtownshire (Stranraer, Whithorn and Wigtown).
Aberdeenshire Representation unchanged (2 MPs) See also the parliamentary burgh of Aberdeen and the Elgin District of Burghs which included Peterhead.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Eastern Division (1 MP)	No change.	Eastern Division (1 MP)
Western Division (1 MP)	No change.	Western Division (1 MP)
Argyllshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burghs in the county formed part of the Ayr District.
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Argyllshire (1 MP)	No change.	Argyllshire (1 MP)
Ayrshire Representation unchanged (2 MPs) The parliamentary burghs in the county formed parts of Ayr and Kilmarnock Districts.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Northern Division (1 MP)	No change	Northern Division (1 MP)
Southern Division (1 MP)	No change	Southern Division (1 MP)
Banffshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burghs in the county formed part of the Elgin District.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Banffshire (1 MP)	No change	Banffshire (1 MP)
Berwickshire Representation unchanged (1 MP)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Berwickshire (1 MP)	Absorbed the abolished parliamentary burgh of Lauder, previously part of the Haddington District of Burghs. [23]	Berwickshire (1 MP)
Buteshire Representation unchanged (1 MP)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Buteshire (1 MP)	No change	Buteshire (1 MP)
Caithness Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burgh in the county formed part of the Wick District
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Caithness (1 MP)	No change	Caithness (1 MP)
Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire Representation unchanged (1 MP)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (1 MP)	No change The constituency consisted of the combined parliamentary counties of Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire, and also included the parishes of Tulliallan, Culross and Muckhart in Perthshire, the Perthshire portions of the parishes of Logie and Fossaway, and the Stirlingshire part of the parish of Alva. [67]	Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (1 MP)
Dumfriesshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burghs in the county formed part of the Dumfries District
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Dumfriesshire (1 MP)	No change	Dumfriesshire (1 MP)
Dumbartonshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burgh of Dumbarton formed part of Kilmarnock District
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Dumbartonshire (1 MP)	No change	Dumbartonshire (1 MP)
County of Edinburgh Representation unchanged (1 MP) See also the parliamentary burgh of Edinburgh and the Leith District of Burghs.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County of Edinburgh (1 MP)	No change	County of Edinburgh (1 MP)
Elginshire and Nairnshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burgh of Elgin formed part of Elgin District; the burghs of Forres and Nairn were part of Inverness District.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Elginshire and Nairnshire (1 MP)	No change. The constituency consisted of the combined parliamentary counties of Elginshire and Nairnshire. [67]	Elginshire and Nairnshire (1 MP)
Fife Representation increased from 1 to 2 MPs The 13 parliamentary burghs in the county formed the Kirkcaldy District, the St Andrews District and part of the Stirling District.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Fife (1 MP)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	Fife, Eastern Division (1 MP)
		Fife, Western Division (1 MP)
Forfarshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) See also the parliamentary burgh of Dundee and the Montrose District of Burghs.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Forfarshire (1 MP)	No Change	Forfarshire (1 MP)
Haddingtonshire Representation unchanged (1 MP)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Haddingtonshire (1 MP)	Absorbed the abolished parliamentary burghs of Haddington, Dunbar, and North Berwick formerly part of the Haddington District of Burghs	Haddingtonshire (1 MP)
Inverness-shire Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burgh of Inverness formed part of the Inverness District of Burghs.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Inverness-shire (1 MP)	No change	Inverness-shire (1 MP)
Kincardineshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burgh of Montrose formed part of the Montrose District of Burghs.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Kincardineshire (1 MP)	No change	Kincardineshire (1 MP)
Kirkcudbrightshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burgh of Kirkcudbright and the burgh of Dumfries (partly in the county) formed part of Dumfries District.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Kirkcudbrightshire (1 MP)	No change.	Kirkcudbrightshire (1 MP)
Lanarkshire Representation increased from 2 to 6 MPs See also the parliamentary burgh of Glasgow, the Falkirk District of Burghs which included three Lanarkshire burghs and the Kilmarnock District of Burghs which included the burgh of Rutherglen.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Northern Division (1 MP)	Reorganised as six single-member divisions. [21]	Govan Division (1 MP)
		Mid Division (1 MP)
		North Eastern Division (1 MP)
Southern Division (1 MP)		North Western Division (1 MP)
		Partick Division (1 MP)
		Southern Division (1 MP)
Linlithgowshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burgh of Linlithgow formed part of Fakirk District and the burgh of Queensferry formed part of Stirling District.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Linlithgowshire (1 MP)	No change	Linlithgowshire (1 MP)
Orkney and Shetland Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burgh of Kirkwall formed part of Wick District.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Orkney and Shetland (1 MP)	No change	Orkney and Shetland (1 MP)
Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burghs of Galashiels and Selkirk formed part of the Hawick District
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire (1 MP)	No change. The constituency consisted of the combined parliamentary counties of Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire. [68]	Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire (1 MP)
Perthshire Representation increased from 1 to 2 MPs See also the parliamentary burghs of Perth City and Culross (part of Stirling District). Detached parts of the county formed part of the Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire constituency.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Perthshire (1 MP)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	Perthshire, Eastern Division (1 MP)
		Perthshire, Western Division (1 MP)
Renfrewshire Representation increased from 1 to 2 MPs See also the parliamentary burghs of Greenock and Paisley; and two burghs in the Kilmarnock District: Port Glasgow and Renfrew. Part of the parliamentary burgh of Glasgow was in Renfrewshire.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Renfrewshire (1 MP)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	Renfrewshire, Eastern Division (1 MP)
		Renfrewshire, Western Division (1 MP)
Ross and Cromarty Representation unchanged (1 MP) Parliamentary burghs of Cromarty, Dingwall and Tain formed part of the Dingwall District; the burgh of Fortrose was part of the Inverness District.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Ross and Cromarty (1 MP)	Comprised the combined counties of Ross-shire and Cromarty. [67]	Ross and Cromarty (1 MP)
Roxburghshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) Parliamentary burgh of Hawick formed part of the Hawick District.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Roxburghshire (1 MP)	Absorbed the abolished parliamentary burgh of Jedburgh, previously part of the Haddington District of Burghs. [23]	Roxburghshire (1 MP)
Stirlingshire Representation unchanged (1 MP) Parliamentary burgh of Falkirk formed part of the Falkirk District; burgh of Stirling was part of Stirling District. The Stirlingshire portion of the parish of Alva formed of the Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire constituency.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Stirlingshire (1 MP)	No change	Stirlingshire (1 MP)
Sutherland Representation unchanged (1 MP) The parliamentary burgh of Dornoch formed part of the Wick District.
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Sutherland (1 MP)	No change	Sutherland (1 MP)
Wigtownshire Representation unchanged (1 MP)
County Divisions
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Wigtownshire (1 MP)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary burghs of Stranraer, Whithorn and Wigtown, previously part of Wigtown District of Burghs. [23]	Wigtownshire (1 MP)
Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities (1 MP)	No change. [65] [69]	Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities (1 MP)
Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities (1 MP)	No change	Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities (1 MP)

Redistributed seats: Ireland

Antrim Representation increased from 6 to 8 MPs ‡ The parliamentary boroughs of Belfast and Lisburn were partly in County Down
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Carrickfergus (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Belfast‡ (2 MPs)	Enlarged to include parts of the parishes of Holywood and Newtownbreda in County Down; and part of the parish of Shankill in County Antrim. Representation increased to four members, divided into four single-member divisions. [36]	East Belfast (1 MP)
		North Belfast (1 MP)
		South Belfast (1 MP)
		West Belfast (1 MP)
Lisburn‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Antrim (2 MPs)	Divided into four single-member divisions, absorbing abolished parliamentary borough of Lisburn. [21]	East Antrim (1 MP)
		Mid Antrim (1 MP)
		North Antrim (1 MP)
		South Antrim (1 MP)
Armagh Representation unchanged (3 MPs)
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Armagh (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Armagh (2 MPs)	Divided into three single-member divisions, absorbing abolished parliamentary borough of Armagh. [21]	Mid Armagh (1 MP)
		North Armagh (1 MP)
		South Armagh (1 MP)
Carlow Representation decreased from 3 MPs to 1. ‡ Part of the borough of Carlow was in Queen's County
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Carlow‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Carlow (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one member, absorbed abolished parliamentary borough of Carlow. [21]	County Carlow (1 MP)
Cavan Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Cavan (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	East Cavan (1 MP)
		West Cavan (1 MP)
Clare Representation decreased from 3 to 2 MPs
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Ennis‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Clare (2 MPs)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary borough of Ennis. [23] Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	East Clare (1 MP)
		West Clare (1 MP)
Cork Representation increased from 8 to 9 MPs
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Bandon (1 MP)	Abolished [23]
Cork (2 MPs)	No change	Cork (2 MPs)
Kinsale (1 MP)	Abolished [23]
Mallow (1 MP)	Abolished [23]
Youghal (1 MP)	Abolished [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Cork (2 MPs)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary boroughs of Bandon, Kinsale, Mallow and Youghal. [23] Divided into seven single-member divisions. [21]	East Cork (1 MP)
		Mid Cork (1 MP)
		North Cork (1 MP)
		North East Cork (1 MP)
		South Cork (1 MP)
		South East Cork (1 MP)
		West Cork (1 MP)
Donegal Representation increased from 2 to 4 MPs
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Donegal (2 MPs)	Divided into four single-member divisions. [21]	East Donegal (1 MP)
		North Donegal (1 MP)
		South Donegal (1 MP)
		West Donegal (1 MP)
Down Representation increased from 4 to 5 MPs ‡ The Borough of Newry was partly in County Armagh.
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Downpatrick (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Newry‡ (1 MP)	No change	Newry‡ (1 MP)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Down (2 MPs)	Absorbed parliamentary borough of Downpatrick. [23] Divided into for single-member divisions. [21]	East Down (1 MP)
		North Down (1 MP)
		South Down (1 MP)
		West Down (1 MP)
Dublin Representation increased from 4 to 6 MPs
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Dublin (2 MPs)	Representation increased to four members. Divided into four single-member divisions. [36]	College Green (1 MP)
		Dublin Harbour (1 MP)
		St Patrick's (1 MP)
		St Stephen's Green (1 MP)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Dublin (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Dublin (1 MP)
		South Dublin (1 MP)
Fermanagh Representation reduced from 3 to 2 MPs
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Enniskillen (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Fermanagh (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Fermanagh (1 MP)
		South Fermanagh (1 MP)
Galway Representation increased from 4 to 5 MPs
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Galway (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one MP. [20]	Galway (1 MP)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Galway (2 MPs)	Divided into four single-member divisions. [21]	Connemara (1 MP)
		East Galway (1 MP)
		North Galway (1 MP)
		South Galway (1 MP)
Kerry Representation increased from 3 to 4 MPs
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Tralee (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Kerry (2 MPs)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary borough of Tralee. [23] Divided into four single-member divisions. [21]	East Kerry (1 MP)
		North Kerry (1 MP)
		South Kerry (1 MP)
		West Kerry (1 MP)
Kildare Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Kildare (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Kildare (1 MP)
		South Kildare (1 MP)
Kilkenny Representation unchanged (3 MPs)
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Kilkenny City (1 MP)	No change	Kilkenny City (1 MP)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Kilkenny (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Kilkenny (1 MP)
		South Kilkenny (1 MP)
King's County Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
King's County (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	Tullamore (1 MP)
		Birr (1 MP)
Leitrim Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Leitrim (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Leitrim (1 MP)
		South Leitrim (1 MP)
Limerick Representation reduced from 4 to 3 MPs
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Limerick City (2 MPs)	Representation reduce to one MP. [20]	Limerick City (1 MP)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Limerick (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	East Limerick (1 MP)
		West Limerick (1 MP)
Londonderry Representation reduced from 4 to 3 MPs
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Coleraine (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Londonderry City (1 MP)	No change	Londonderry City (1 MP)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Londonderry (2 MPs)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary borough of Coleraine. [23] Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Derry (1 MP)
		South Derry (1 MP)
Longford Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Longford (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Longford (1 MP)
		South Longford (1 MP)
Louth Representation reduced from 4 to 2 MPs ‡ The parliamentary borough of Drogheda lay partly in County Meath.
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Drogheda‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Dundalk (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Louth (2 MPs)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary boroughs of Drogheda and Dundalk. [23] Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Louth (1 MP)
		South Louth (1 MP)
Mayo Representation increased from 2 to 4 MPs
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Mayo (2 MPs)	Divided into four single-member divisions. [21]	East Mayo (1 MP)
		North Mayo (1 MP)
		South Mayo (1 MP)
		West Mayo (1 MP)
Meath Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Meath (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Meath (1 MP)
		South Meath (1 MP)
Monaghan Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Monaghan (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Monaghan (1 MP)
		South Monaghann (1 MP)
Queen's County Representation reduced from 3 MPs to 2. ‡ The parliamentary borough of Portarlington was partly in King's County
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Portarlington (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Queen's County (2 MPs)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary borough of Portarlington. [23] Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	Leix (1 MP)
		Ossory (1 MP)
Roscommon Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Roscommon (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Roscommon (1 MP)
		South Roscommon (1 MP)
Sligo Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Sligo (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Sligo (1 MP)
		South Sligo (1 MP)
Tipperary Representation increased from 3 MPs to 4. ‡ The parliamentary borough of Clonmel was partly in County Waterford
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Clonmel ‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Tipperary (2 MPs)	Divided into four single-member divisions. [21]	East Tipperary (1 MP)
		Mid Tipperary (1 MP)
		North Tipperary (1 MP)
		South Tipperary (1 MP)
Tyrone Representation increased from 3 MPs to 4.
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Dungannon (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Tyrone (2 MPs)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary borough of Dungannon. [23] Divided into four single-member divisions. [21]	East Tyrone (1 MP)
		Mid Tyrone (1 MP)
		North Tyrone (1 MP)
		South Tyrone (1 MP)
Waterford Representation reduced from 5 to 3 MPs
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Dungarvan (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Waterford City (2 MPs)	Representation reduced to one member. [20]	Waterford City (1 MP)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Waterford (2 MPs)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary borough of Dungarvan. [23] Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	East Waterford (1 MP)
		West Waterford (1 MP)
Westmeath Representation reduced from 3 to 2 MPs ‡ The parliamentary borough of Athlone was partly in County Roscommon.
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
Athlone‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Westmeath (2 MPs)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary borough of Athlone. [23] Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Westmeath (1 MP)
		South Westmeath (1 MP)
Wexford Representation reduced from 4 to 2 MPs ‡ The parliamentary borough of New Ross was partly in County Kilkenny.
Boroughs [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
New Ross‡ (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
Wexford (1 MP)	Abolished. [23]
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Wexford (2 MPs)	Absorbed abolished parliamentary boroughs of New Ross and Wexford. [23] Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	North Wexford (1 MP)
		South Wexford (1 MP)
Wicklow Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
County Divisions [70]
Before 1885	Change	After 1885
County Wicklow (2 MPs)	Divided into two single-member divisions. [21]	East Wicklow (1 MP)
		West Wicklow (1 MP)
University of Dublin Representation unchanged (2 MPs)
Dublin University (2 MPs)	No change.	Dublin University (2 MPs)

Legacy

As respects England and Scotland, the whole act as far as unrepealed, the whole act so far as unrepealed, and as respects Ireland, subsections (3) and (4) of section eight, sections ten to twelve, subsections (3), (4), and (5) of section thirteen, sections fourteen, fifteen, eighteen, and twenty, and in section twenty-six the words from " with the following " to the end of the section, was repealed by section 47 of, and the eighth schedule to, the Representation of the People Act 1918 (7 & 8 Geo. 5. c. 64).

The whole act was repealed by section 80 of, and the thirteenth schedule to, the Representation of the People Act 1948 (11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 65).

See also

• Apportionment Act of 1911
• Reform Acts
• Representation of the People Act
• Parliamentary franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918
• Uniform Congressional District Act

Sources

• Youngs, Frederic A Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-901050-67-9.
• Youngs, Frederic A Jr. (1991). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.2: Northern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-86193-127-0.

Citations

1. Wright, D. G. (30 July 2014). Democracy and Reform 1815 - 1885. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-317-88325-8.
2. Reid, Andrew (1887). We must fight it out!-And why?. pp. 16–17.
3. Lowell, A Lawrence (1912). The Government of England. Vol. 1. London: Macmillan. p. 199.
4. Coppenolle, Brenda Van (2024). "Unbreakable Legacies? Redistricting, Political Capital and Political Dynasties" . Journal of Historical Political Economy. 4 (3): 333–359. doi:10.1561/115.00000077. ISSN   2693-9290.
5. Reform Act 1867, s.17
6. Reform Act 1867, s.9
7. Little, Tony. "Gladstone's second government". Liberal Democrat History Group. Archived from the original on 1 October 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
8. Adelman, Paul. "House of Lords: The Peers Versus the People". History Today. 35 (2).
9. McLean, Iain (2001). Rational choice and British politics: an analysis of rhetoric and manipulation from Peel to Blair. Oxford University Press. p. 82. ISBN   978-0-19-829529-7.
10. "The Boundary Commission". The Times . 3 December 1884. p. 12.
11. "Editorial". The Times . 2 December 1884. p. 9.
12. "Liberal Meeting at the Foreign Office". The Times . 2 December 1884. p. 10.
13. "Second Reading". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 4 December 1884. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
14. "House of Commons Debates vol 296 cc1500-69". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 13 April 1885. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
15. Searle, G R (2005). A new England?: peace and war, 1886-1918. The new Oxford history of England. Oxford University Press. p. 138. ISBN   978-0-19-928440-5.
16. "Lawmakers". www.parliament.uk.
17. "The Parliament Acts". www.parliament.uk.
18. "THE QUEEN'S SPEECH". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 21 January 1886.
19. Youngs (1979) p. 711
20. Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Schedule 2: Boroughs to lose one member
21. Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Schedule 7: Counties at Large. Number of Members and Names and Contents of Divisions.
22. Youngs (1979) pp. 712-713
23. Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Schedule 1, Part 1. Boroughs to cease as such.
24. Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Schedule 5. Contents and Boundaries of Boroughs with altered Boundaries
25. Youngs (1979) pp. 714-715
26. Youngs (1979) p. 716
27. Youngs (1991) pp. 801-804
28. Youngs (1979) pp. 717-718
29. Youngs (1991) pp. 805-806
30. Youngs (1991) pp. 807-809
31. Youngs (1979) pp. 720-722
32. Youngs (1979) pp. 723-724
33. Youngs (1991) pp. 810-812
34. Youngs (1979) pp. 725-728
35. Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Schedule 4, New Boroughs
36. Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Schedule 6, Divisions of Boroughs
37. Youngs (1979) pp. 729-731
38. Youngs (1979) pp. 732-734
39. Youngs (1991) pp. 813-814
40. Youngs (1979) pp. 735-736
41. Youngs (1979) p. 737
42. Youngs (1979) pp. 738-741
43. Youngs (1991) pp. 815-821
44. Youngs (1991) pp. 822-823
45. Youngs (1991) pp. 824-827
46. Youngs (1979) pp. 748-750
47. Representation of the People Act 1885, section 4
48. Youngs (1979) pp. 751-754
49. Youngs (1991) pp. 828-829
50. Youngs (1991) pp. 830-832
51. Youngs (1991) pp. 833-834
52. Youngs (1979) pp. 755-756
53. Youngs (1991) p. 835
54. Youngs (1991) pp. 836-837
55. Youngs (1979) pp. 757-760
56. Youngs (1991) pp. 838-840
57. Youngs (1979) pp. 761-763
58. Youngs (1979) pp. 764-766
59. Youngs (1979) pp. 767-769
60. Youngs (1991) pp. 841-843
61. Youngs (1991) p. 844
62. Youngs (1979) pp. 770-772
63. Youngs (1991) pp. 845–847
64. Youngs (1991) pp. 848–857
65. "Redistribution (HC Deb vol 295 cc639-751)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 10 March 1885. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
66. "Table V. The parliamentary districts of burghs and of counties". Census 1891. Population report, Scotland. Vol. I. Edinburgh: HMSO. 1891. pp. 171–177. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
67. Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832 c.65 sch.B. Combined Counties
68. Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 c.48 s.10
69. Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 c.48 s.9
70. Robert Henry Mair, ed. (1886). Debrett's House of Commons and The Judicial Bench. London: Dean & Son. pp. 165–244.