Kingston upon Hull (UK Parliament constituency)

Kingston upon Hull, often simply referred to as Hull, was a parliamentary constituency in Yorkshire, electing two members of parliament to the Parliaments of England, Great Britain and House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1305 until 1885. Its MPs included the anti-slavery campaigner, William Wilberforce, and the poet Andrew Marvell.

Kingston upon Hull
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons
County	Yorkshire
Major settlements	Kingston upon Hull
1305–1885
Seats	Two
Replaced by	Hull Central, Hull East and Hull West

History

Kingston upon Hull was a borough constituency in the town (later city) of Hull. Until the Great Reform Act 1832, it consisted only of the parish of St Mary's, Hull and part of Holy Trinity, Hull, entirely to the west of the River Hull. This excluded parts of the urban area which had not been originally part of the town, but some of these – the rest of Holy Trinity parish, Sculcoates, Drypool, Garrisonside and part of Sutton-on-Hull – were brought into the constituency by boundary changes in 1832. This increased the population of the borough from around 16,000 to almost 50,000.

The borough sent its first two known Members to the parliament of 1305 and thereafter with fair regularity from 1334. Until the Reform Act 1832, the right to vote in Hull was vested in the freemen of the city, which made the constituency one of the larger and more competitive ones. At the general election of 1831, 2,174 voters went to the polls.

The Hull constituency was abolished for the 1885 general election, the city being divided into three single-member constituencies, Kingston upon Hull Central, Kingston upon Hull East and Kingston upon Hull West.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1305–1640

Parliament	First member	Second member
1332 (Mar)	William de la Pole
1332 (Sep)	?
1332/3	?
1334 (Feb)	?
1334 (Sep)	?
1335	William de la Pole
1336	William de la Pole
1337	?
1338	William de la Pole
1386	Adam Tutbury	John Hedon[1]
1388 (Feb)	Simon Grimsby	William Pound[1]
1388 (Sep)	Thomas Waltham	John Spalding[1]
1390 (Jan)
1390 (Nov)
1391	William Bubwith	Thomas Kirkby[1]
1393	Thomas Fountenay	Thomas Kirkby[1]
1394	Simon Grimsby	Thomas Kirkby[1]
1395	Robert Snainton	Thomas Kirkby[1]
1397 (Jan)	William Terry	Thomas Kirkby[1]
1397 (Sep)
1399	William Terry	William Pound[1]
1401
1402	John Birken	Thomas Kirkby[1]
1404 (Jan)
1404 (Oct)
1406	John Fitling	Thomas Kirkby[1]
1407	John Fitling	John Leversegge[1]
1410
1411	John Fitling	Thomas Kirkby[1]
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	John Fitling	Hugh Clitheroe[1]
1414 (Apr)
1414 (Nov)	John Aldwick	Walter Grimsby[1]
1415	Robert Hornsea	Richard Swan[1]
1416 (Mar)	John Saunderson	Walter Grimsby[1]
1416 (Oct)
1417
1419	John Bedford	John Fitling[1]
1420	John Bedford	Robert Kirkton[1]
1421 (May)	John Bedford	John Fitling[1]
1421 (Dec)	Thomas Marshall	Robert Holme[1]
1426	John Aldwick
1495	Robert Chapman[2]
1510	Roger Bushell	John Eland[3]
1512	Edward Baron	Thomas Wilkinson[3]
1515	Thomas Wilkinson	Robert Harrison[3]
1523	?
1529	George Matheson	Edward Madison[3]
1536	Sir Edward Madison	George Matheson[3]
1539	George Matheson	Robert Kemsey[3]
1542	?
1545	Edward Rogers	Robert Googe or Goche[3]
1547	John Thacker	Walter Jobson[3]
1553 (Mar)	Alexander Stockdale	William Johnson[3]
1553 (Oct)	John Thacker	William Johnson[3]
1554 (Apr)	Alexander Stockdale	John Thacker[3]
1554 (Nov)	Walter Jobson	John Thornton[3]
1555	Walter Jobson	Thomas Dalton[3]
1558	Walter Jobson	Thomas Aldred[3]
1558/9	Walter Jobson	John Oversall[4]
1562/3	Christopher Estofte, died and replaced in 1566 by Henry Fanshawe	John Thornton[4]
1571	John Thornton	James Clerkson[4]
1572	Thomas Dalton	James Clerkson
1581	Dalton and Clerkson dismissed as idle and impotent and replaced in January 1581 by Thomas Fleming and John Fawether or Fairweather[4]
1584	John Thornton	John Aldred[4]
1586	Edward Wakefield	John Aldred[4]
1588	Leonard Willan	William Gee[4]
1593	Leonard Willan	Peter Proby[4]
1597	Leonard Willan	Anthony Cole[4]
1601	John Lister	John Graves[4]
1604–1611	Anthony Cole	John Edmonds
1614	Sir John Bourchier	Richard Burgis
1621	John Lister	Maurice Abbot
1624	John Lister	Sir John Suckling, sat for Middlesex and was replaced by Maurice Abbot
1625	John Lister	Maurice Abbot
1626	John Lister	Lancelot Roper
1628	John Lister	James Watkinson
1629–1640	No Parliaments convened

MPs 1640–1885

Year			First member	First party	Second member	Second party
		April 1640	Sir Henry Vane, junior	Parliamentarian	Sir John Lister	Parliamentarian
		November 1640	Sir Henry Vane, junior	Parliamentarian	Sir John Lister (died December 1640)	Parliamentarian
		1641			Peregrine Pelham	Parliamentarian
		1650			Pelham died 1650, seat vacant thereafter
		1653	Hull was unrepresented in Barebone's Parliament
		1654	William Lister		Hull had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
		1656	William Lister
		January 1659	John Ramsden		Andrew Marvell
		May 1659	Sir Henry Vane, junior		One seat vacant
		April 1660	John Ramsden		Andrew Marvell
		1661	Anthony Gilby
		1678			William Ramsden
		February 1679	Lemuel Kingdon
		September 1679	Sir Michael Warton		William Gee
		1685	John Ramsden		Sir Willoughby Hickman
		1689			William Gee
		1690			Charles Osborne
		1695	Sir William St Quintin	Tory
		1701			William Maister	Tory
		1717			Nathaniel Rogers
		1724	George Crowle
		1727			Joseph Micklethwaite
		February 1734 by-election			Henry Maister
		1741			William Carter
		1744 by-election			Harry Pulteney
		1747	Lord Robert Manners	Tory[5]	Thomas Carter
		1754 by-election			Richard Crowle
		1757 by-election			Sir George Metham
		1766 by-election			William Weddell
		1774			David Hartley	Rockingham Whig
		1780			William Wilberforce[n 1]	Tory[5]
		1782 by-election	David Hartley	Rockingham Whig
		March 1784	Samuel Thornton	Tory[5]
		June 1784 by-election			Walter Spencer-Stanhope	Tory[5]
		1790			Aubrey Beauclerk
		1796			Sir Charles Turner
		1802			John Staniforth	Tory[5]
		1806	William Joseph Denison	Whig[5]
		1807	Philip Stanhope	Whig[5]
		1812	George Denys[n 2]	Tory[5]
		1818	John Mitchell	Tory[5]	James Graham	Whig[5]
		1820			Daniel Sykes	Whig[5]
		1826	John O'Neill	Tory[5]
		1830	George Schonswar	Tory[5]	William Battie-Wrightson	Whig[5]
		1831		Whig[5]
		1832	Matthew Davenport Hill	Whig[5]	William Hutt	Radical[6][7][8][9]
		January 1835	David Carruthers	Conservative[5]
		June 1835 by-election	Thomas Perronet Thompson	Radical[5]
		1837	Sir Walter James	Conservative[5]	William Wilberforce[n 3]	Conservative[5]
		1838[n 3]			William Hutt	Radical[6][7][8][9]
		1841			Sir John Hanmer	Conservative[5]
		1847	Matthew Talbot Baines	Whig[10][11][12][13]	James Clay	Radical[10][11][14][12][15]
		1852[n 4]	George Robinson	Whig[16][17][18][19]
		1853[n 4]	Writ suspended
		1854 by-election	William Digby Seymour	Radical[20][21][22]	William Henry Watson	Whig[22][23]
		February 1857 by-election			James Clay	Radical[10][11][14][12][15]
		March 1857	Anthony Ashley-Cooper	Peelite[24][25][26][27]
		April 1859	Joseph Hoare[n 5]	Conservative		Liberal
		August 1859 by-election[n 5]	Joseph Somes	Conservative
		1865	Charles Morgan Norwood	Liberal
		1873 by-election			Joseph Walker Pease	Conservative
		1874			Charles Wilson	Liberal
1885			constituency divided: see Kingston upon Hull Central, Kingston upon Hull East and Kingston upon Hull West

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Kingston upon Hull^[5][28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	George Schonswar	1,564	42.9
	Whig	William Battie-Wrightson	1,213	33.3
	Whig	Thomas Gisborne Burke	869	23.8
Majority			351	9.6
Turnout			2,174	c. 79.1
Registered electors			c. 2,750
	Tory hold		Swing
	Whig hold		Swing

General election 1831: Kingston upon Hull^[5][28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	William Battie-Wrightson	Unopposed
	Whig	George Schonswar	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 2,750
	Whig hold
	Whig gain from Tory

General election 1832: Kingston upon Hull^[5][29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Matthew Davenport Hill	1,674	32.5
	Radical	William Hutt	1,610	31.3
	Tory	David Carruthers (MP)	1,429	27.8
	Radical	James Acland	433	8.4
Turnout			3,305	85.6
Registered electors			3,863
Majority			64	1.2
	Whig hold
Majority			181	3.5
	Radical gain from Whig

General election 1835: Kingston upon Hull^[5][29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Carruthers (MP)	1,836	38.7	+10.9
	Radical	William Hutt	1,536	32.4	−7.3
	Whig	Matthew Davenport Hill	1,371	28.9	−3.6
Turnout			3,108	73.2	−12.4
Registered electors			4,244
Majority			465	9.8	N/A
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	+6.4
Majority			165	3.5	±0.0
	Radical hold		Swing	−6.4

Carruthers' death caused a by-election.

By-election, 20 June 1835: Kingston upon Hull^[5][29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	Thomas Perronet Thompson	1,428	50.1	+17.7
	Conservative	Henry St John-Mildmay	1,423	49.9	+11.2
Majority			5	0.2	N/A
Turnout			2,851	67.2	−6.0
Registered electors			4,244
	Radical gain from Conservative		Swing	+3.3

General election 1837: Kingston upon Hull^[5][29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Wilberforce	1,514	25.5	+6.2
	Conservative	Walter James	1,505	25.3	+6.0
	Radical	William Hutt	1,497	25.2	−7.2
	Whig	Benjamin Wood	1,430	24.0	−4.9
Majority			8	0.1	−9.7
Turnout			2,990	70.8	−2.4
Registered electors			4,222
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.9
	Conservative gain from Radical		Swing	+4.8

• On petition, Wilberforce's election was declared void and Hutt was declared elected in 1838.

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Kingston upon Hull^[29][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hanmer	1,843	26.0	+0.5
	Conservative	Walter James	1,830	25.9	+0.6
	Radical	James Clay	1,761	24.9	+12.3
	Radical	Thomas Perronet Thompson	1,645	23.2	+10.6
Majority			69	1.0	+0.9
Turnout			3,583	73.7	+2.9
Registered electors			4,862
	Conservative hold		Swing	−5.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	−5.4

General election 1847: Kingston upon Hull^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew Talbot Baines	2,168	36.1	N/A
	Radical	James Clay	2,135	35.5	−12.6
	Whig	James Brown	1,705	28.4	N/A
Turnout			3,004 (est)	65.0 (est)	−8.7
Registered electors			4,618
Majority			33	0.6	N/A
	Whig gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A
Majority			430	7.1	N/A
	Radical gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A

Baines was appointed President of the Poor Law Board, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 7 February 1849: Kingston upon Hull^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew Talbot Baines	Unopposed
	Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Kingston upon Hull^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	James Clay	2,246	28.3	−7.2
	Whig	George Robinson	2,242	28.3	−36.2
	Conservative	John Bramley-Moore	1,815	22.9	New
	Conservative	Charles Lennox Butler[30]	1,626	20.5	New
Turnout			3,965 (est)	75.9 (est)	+10.9
Registered electors			5,221
Majority			4	0.0	−7.1
	Radical hold		Swing	+5.5
Majority			427	5.4	+4.8
	Whig hold		Swing	−5.5

After an election petition committee found evidence of bribery and treating, both members were unseated and the writ was suspended in March 1853.^[31] A by-election was then held in August 1854.

By-election, 18 August 1854: Kingston upon Hull^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	William Digby Seymour	1,820	34.8	+6.5
	Whig	William Henry Watson	1,806	34.6	+6.3
	Conservative	Samuel Auchmuty Dickson[32]	1,600	30.6	−12.8
Turnout			3,413 (est)	74.7 (est)	−1.2
Registered electors			4,572
Majority			14	0.2	+0.2
	Radical hold		Swing	+6.5
Majority			206	4.0	−1.4
	Whig hold		Swing	+6.4

Watson resigned after being appointed a Baron of the Exchequer, causing a by-election.

By-election, 11 February 1857: Kingston upon Hull^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	James Clay	Unopposed
	Radical gain from Whig

General election 1857: Kingston upon Hull^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	James Clay	2,365	36.4	+6.1
	Peelite	Anthony Ashley-Cooper	2,303	35.5	N/A
	Radical	William Compton[33][34]	1,392	21.4	N/A
	Radical	William Digby Seymour[34]	434	6.7	N/A
Turnout			3,247 (est)	59.1 (est)	−16.8
Registered electors			5,494
Majority			62	0.9	+0.9
	Radical hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			911	14.1	N/A
	Peelite gain from Whig		Swing	N/A

General election 1859: Kingston upon Hull^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Clay	2,445	36.6	+0.2
	Conservative	Joseph Hoare	2,269	34.0	−1.5
	Liberal	Harvey Lewis	1,959	29.4	N/A
Turnout			3,337 (est)	60.4 (est)	+1.3
Registered electors			5,526
Majority			176	2.6	+1.7
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.5
Majority			310	4.6	N/A
	Conservative gain from Peelite		Swing	−0.5

Hoare was unseated after an election petition committee found evidence of corruption, causing a by-election.^[35]

By-election, 20 August 1859: Kingston upon Hull^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Joseph Somes	2,068	56.7	+22.7
	Liberal	Harvey Lewis	1,579	43.3	−22.7
Majority			489	13.4	+8.8
Turnout			3,647	66.0	+5.6
Registered electors			5,526
	Conservative hold		Swing	+22.7

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Kingston upon Hull^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Clay	2,583	30.7	−5.9
	Liberal	Charles Morgan Norwood	2,547	30.3	+0.9
	Conservative	John Somes	1,910	22.8	+5.8
	Conservative	Joseph Hoare	1,374	16.3	−0.7
Majority			637	7.5	+4.9
Turnout			4,207 (est)	75.6 (est)	+15.2
Registered electors			5,566
	Liberal hold		Swing	−4.2
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	−0.8

General election 1868: Kingston upon Hull^[29][36]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Morgan Norwood	7,282	28.0	−2.3
	Liberal	James Clay	6,874	26.5	−4.2
	Conservative	Henry Atkinson	6,383	24.6	+1.8
	Conservative	Robert Baxter	5,444	21.0	+4.7
Majority			491	1.9	−5.6
Turnout			12,992 (est)	75.8 (est)	+0.2
Registered electors			17,146
	Liberal hold		Swing	−2.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	−4.5

Elections in the 1870s

Clay's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 24 Oct 1873: Kingston upon Hull^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Joseph Walker Pease	6,873	51.0	+5.4
	Liberal	Edward Reed	6,594	49.0	−5.5
Majority			279	2.0	N/A
Turnout			13,467	64.3	−11.5
Registered electors			20,947
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+5.5

General election 1874: Kingston upon Hull^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Wilson	8,886	35.3	+8.8
	Liberal	Charles Morgan Norwood	8,549	34.0	+6.0
	Conservative	Joseph Walker Pease	7,706	30.7	−14.9
Majority			843	3.3	+1.4
Turnout			16,424 (est)	74.6 (est)	−1.2
Registered electors			22,026
	Liberal hold		Swing	+8.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	+6.7

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Kingston upon Hull^[29][37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Morgan Norwood	12,071	32.9	−1.1
	Liberal	Charles Wilson	11,837	32.2	−3.1
	Conservative	John Buckingham Pope	6,767	18.4	+3.0
	Conservative	Henry Atkinson	6,067	16.5	+1.2
Majority			5,070	13.8	+10.5
Turnout			18,371 (est)	70.1 (est)	−4.5
Registered electors			26,193
	Liberal hold		Swing	−2.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	−2.2

Notes

1. Wilberforce was re-elected at the general election of 1784, but was also elected for Yorkshire, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Hull in this parliament
2. George William Denys was created a baronet as Sir George Denys in 1813
3. A petition was lodged after the 1837 election, and Wilberforce's qualification as a candidate was declared defective and his election voided. After scrutiny of the votes, Hutt (who had originally been placed third) was declared elected in his stead 7 May 1838
4. The 1852 election was declared void on petition. Hull's right to representation was suspended and a Royal Commission appointed to investigate. Once it had reported, a new election was held, which none of the four original candidates contested.
5. After the 1859 election, the election of Hoare was declared void on petition, and a by-election held in August 1859