Oxfordshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. It was represented by two Members of Parliament. In 1832 this was increased to three Members of Parliament. The constituency was abolished in 1885, being split into three single member divisions.
The bitterly contested Oxfordshire election of 1754 was the main inspiration for Hogarth's famous series of paintings and engravings, The Election.
Boundaries The constituency comprised the whole of the historic county of Oxfordshire, in the northern part of South East England. (Although Oxfordshire contained three parliamentary boroughs for part of this period – Oxford (from 1295), Woodstock (or New Woodstock) (1302–1555 and from 1571) and Banbury (from 1554) – each of which elected MPs in their own right, these were not excluded from the county constituency, and owning property within the borough could confer a vote at the county election. The Oxford University constituency was also often listed as an Oxfordshire constituency, but was non-territorial and had no effect on the right to vote in the county.)
There were minor boundary changes at the time of the Great Reform Act in 1832, when five parishes or parts of parishes were transferred to other counties while six parishes or parts of parishes were added.
In 1885 the representation of the county was changed from one three member constituency to three single member divisions. Banbury and Woodstock ceased to be parliamentary boroughs but the same names were used for two county divisions. The three new county constituencies were Banbury (or the North division); Woodstock (or the Mid division) and Henley (or the South division).
Members of Parliament
MPs 1290–1640
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1316 Richard de la Bere 1325 Richard de la Bere 1372 Sir Gilbert Wace 1373 Sir Richard Abberbury 1377–1378 Robert Simeon 1377 (Jan) Sir Gilbert Wace 1380 John Harrowden 1381 Sir Thomas Blount 1382 (Oct) Sir Gilbert Wace 1383 (Feb) Sir Gilbert WaceJohn Harrowden 1383 (Oct) Sir Gilbert WaceJohn Harrowden 1384 (Apr) Sir Gilbert Wace 1384 (Nov) Sir Gilbert Wace 1385 Sir Gilbert Wace 1386 Sir Richard Abberbury Sir Gilbert Wace 1388 (Feb) William Wilcotes Thomas Barantyn 1388 (Sep) Sir Thomas de la Poyle John Rede 1390 (Jan) William Wilcotes Thomas Barantyn 1390 (Nov) Sir Thomas de la Poyle 1391 William Wilcotes John Rede 1393 Sir Thomas Paynell Thomas Barantyn 1394 William Wilcotes John Abberbury 1395 William Bruley 1397 (Jan) John Abberbury Thomas Barantyn 1397 (Sep) William Wilcotes John Golafre 1399 John Wilcotes Thomas Barantyn 1401 Thomas Chaucer 1402 Thomas Wykeham 1404 (Jan) Sir Peter Bessels William Mackney 1404 (Oct) Sir John Drayton John Wilcotes 1406 Thomas Chaucer 1407 1410 William Wilcotes 1411 return lost 1413 (Feb) returns lost 1413 (May) Thomas Chaucer John Wilcotes 1414 (Apr) Sir William Lisle John Wilcotes 1414 (Nov) Thomas Chaucer John Wilcotes 1415 returns lost 1416 (Mar) Thomas Stonor Sir Thomas Wykeham 1416 (Oct) returns lost 1417 Sir William Lisle John Wilcotes 1419 Thomas Stonor John Wilcotes 1420 John Danvers Richard Greville 1421 (May) Thomas Chaucer John Wilcotes 1421 (Dec) John Danvers Peter Fettiplace 1422 Sir Thomas Wykeham Thomas Chaucer 1423 John DanversPeter Fettiplace 1425 Thomas Stonor 1426 Thomas Chaucer 1427 Thomas Stonor Thomas Chaucer 1429 Thomas Stonor Thomas Chaucer 1431 Thomas Stonor Thomas Chaucer 1432 Richard Quatremain 1433 Richard Quatremain 1435 Peter Fettiplace John DanversHoP biog 1510–1523 No names known 1529 Sir John Dauntesey Sir William Barentyne 1536 1539 William Fermor John Welsborne 1542 Sir John Williams Edward __? 1545 1547 Sir John Williams Richard Fiennes 1553 (Mar) Sir Andrew Dudley Sir John Williams 1553 (Oct) Sir John Williams John Pollard 1554 (Apr) Sir Leonard Chamberlain John Pollard 1554 (Nov) Sir Leonard Chamberlain John Pollard 1555 Sir Thomas Wenman Edmund Powell 1558 George Owen Thomas Denton 1559 (Jan) Thomas Brydges Edmund Ashfield 1562 (Dec) Sir Francis Knollys Sir Richard Blount, died and replaced 1566 by Edward Unton 1571 Sir Francis Knollys Henry Norris 1572 (Apr) Sir Francis Knollys Henry Knollys 1584 (Nov) Sir Francis Knollys William Knollys 1586 (Oct) Sir Francis Knollys Richard Fiennes 1588 Sir Francis Knollys Sir John Norreys 1593 Sir Francis Knollys Sir William Knollys 1597 (Sep) Sir William Knollys Sir Richard Wenman 1601 (Sep) Sir William Knollys Ralph Warcoppe 1604 Lawrence Tanfield John Doyley 1614 Sir Anthony Cope, 1st Baronet Sir John Croke 1621 Sir Richard Wenman Sir William Cope 1624 Sir William Cope Sir Henry Poole 1625 Edward Wray Sir Richard Wenman 1626 Hon. James Fiennes Sir Thomas Wenman 1628 Hon. James Fiennes Sir Francis Wenman 1629–1640No Parliament
MPs 1640–1832
YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyApril 1640Hon. James Fiennes Parliamentarian Sir Francis WenmanNovember 1640 The Viscount WenmanParliamentarianDecember 1648Fiennes and Wenman excluded in Pride's Purge – both seats vacantOxfordshire had 3 representatives in the nominated Barebones Parliament1653Sir Charles Wolseley, William Draper, Dr Jonathan GoddardOxfordshire had 5 MPs in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate1654Robert Jenkinson, Charles Fleetwood, Colonel James Whitelocke, Nathaniel Fiennes, William Lenthall1656Robert Jenkinson, Lord Deputy Charles Fleetwood, William Lenthall, Miles Fleetwood, Sir Francis NorreysRepresentation reverted to two MPs in the Third Protectorate ParliamentJanuary 1659Robert JenkinsonThe Viscount FalklandMay 1659Not represented in the restored RumpApril 1660 The Viscount Wenman Hon. James Fiennes 1661 The Viscount Falkland Sir Anthony Cope 1663 William Knollys 1664 Sir Francis Wenman 1675 Sir Edward Norreys ToryFebruary 1679 Sir John Cope WhigAugust 1679 Thomas Horde 1681 Sir Philip Harcourt 1685 The Viscount Falkland Thomas Tipping 1689 Sir Robert Jenkinson Sir John Cope Whig 1690 Lord Norreys 1699 Sir Robert Dashwood 1701 Sir Edward Norreys Tory 1708 Viscount Rialton February 1710 Sir Robert Jenkinson October 1710 Francis Clerke 1715 James Herbert 1717 Sir Banks Jenkinson 1721 Henry Perrot 1727 Sir William Stapleton January 1740 Sir James Dashwood February 1740 Viscount Quarendon 1743 Norreys Bertie 1754 Viscount Parker Whig Sir Edward Turner Whig 1761 Lord Charles Spencer Whig Sir James Dashwood Tory 1768 The Viscount Wenman 1790Marquess of BlandfordWhig 1796Lord Charles SpencerWhig John Fane I Tory 1801 Lord Francis Spencer Tory 1815 William Henry Ashhurst Tory 1824 by-election John Fane II Tory 1830 Lord Norreys Tory 1831 George Harcourt Whig Richard Weyland Whig1832 Representation increased to three members
MPs 1832–1885
ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyThird memberThird party 1832 Montagu BertieTory George Harcourt Whig Richard Weyland Whig 1834 Conservative 1835 Conservative 1837 Thomas Parker Conservative 1841 J. W. Henley Conservative 1852 John North Conservative 1857 Peelite1859 Liberal 1862 by-election John Fane III Conservative 1868 William Cornwallis Cartwright Liberal 1878 by-election Edward Vernon Harcourt Conservative1885 Constituency abolished, replaced by Banbury, Woodstock, and Henley
Elections The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the adult male owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. The bloc vote electoral system was used in two seat elections and first past the post for single member by-elections. Each elector had as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which took place in Oxford. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of electors, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.
The expense, to candidates and their supporters, of contested elections encouraged the leading families of the county to agree on the candidates to be returned unopposed whenever possible. Contested county elections were therefore unusual. The Tory Dukes of Marlborough, dominated the county from their seat at Blenheim Palace. One seat was usually held by a Spencer, the other by a local family acceptable to the Duke. Between 1700 and 1826 there was only one contest.
Election results Note on percentage change calculations: Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party percentage vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote.
Note on sources: The information for the election results given below is taken from Stooks Smith 1715–1754, Namier and Brooke 1754–1790 and Stooks Smith 1790–1832. From 1832 the principal source was Craig, with additional or different information from Stooks Smith included.
Election results 1715–1800
1710s – 1720s – 1730s – 1740s – 1750s – 1760s – 1770s – 1780s – 1790s
Elections in the 1710s
Death of Clerke
Death of Jenkinson
Elections in the 1720s Death of Herbert
Elections in the 1730s
Death of Stapleton
Death of Perrot
Elections in the 1740s
Succession of Quarendon to the peerage as The 3rd Earl of Lichfield
Elections in the 1750s
Wenman was a Peer of Ireland. There was a double return (of all four candidates) after the most hotly contested county election of the century. The disputed election was decided by the House of Commons on petition, with Parker and Turner being declared duly elected on 23 April 1755.
Elections in the 1760s
Seat vacated on Spencer being appointed Ranger of Windsor Forest.
Seat vacated on Spencer being appointed Comptroller of the Household.
Note (April 1763): By-election in Stooks Smith, but not in Namier and Brooke.
Wenman was a peer of Ireland
Elections in the 1770s
Seat vacated on the appointment of Spencer as Treasurer of the Chamber
Elections in the 1780s
Seat vacated on the appointment of Spencer as a Vice Treasurer of Ireland
Elections in the 1790s
Election results 1801–1885
1800s – 1810s – 1820s – 1830s – 1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s
Elections in the 1800s Seat vacated on the appointment of Spencer as Postmaster General
Elections in the 1810s
Creation of Spencer as 1st Baron Churchill
Elections in the 1820s
Death of Fane
Note (1826): Stooks Smith records that the polls were open for three days
Elections in the 1830s
Note (1831): Stooks Smith records that the polls were open for three days Representation increased to three seats under the Reform Act 1832
Note (1835): For this election Stooks Smith records the number of registered electors as 5,164 instead of the number given by Craig used above.
Elections in the 1840s
Note (1841): Stooks Smith records the number of registered electors as 5,721 instead of the number given by Craig used above.
Elections in the 1850s Seat vacated on the appointment of Henley as President of the Board of Trade
Note (1852): The minimum possible turnout is estimated by dividing the number of votes cast by three. To the extent that electors did not use all their three possible votes the figure given will be an underestimate of the true turnout
Seat vacated on the appointment of Henley as President of the Board of Trade
Elections in the 1860s Death of Harcourt
The Reform Act 1867 expanded the electorate and introduced the limited vote for three seat constituencies (reducing the maximum number of votes per elector from three to two).
Elections in the 1870s
Seat vacated on the resignation of Henley
Elections in the 1880s