Ludlow was a constituency in Shropshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.
Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency was abolished. Subject to minor boundary changes, it was reformed as South Shropshire, first contested in the 2024 general election.
History From its 1473 creation until 1885, Ludlow was a parliamentary borough. It was represented by two burgesses until 1868, when it was reduced to one member.
The seat saw a big reduction in voters between 1727 when 710 people voted to the next contested election in 1812 when the electorate was below 100. The Reform Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 45) raised the electorate to 300-400.Page 244,Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
The parliamentary borough was abolished in 1885, and the name transferred to the new county "division" (with lower electoral candidates' expenses and a different returning officer) whose boundaries were expanded greatly to become similar to (and a replacement to) the Southern division of Shropshire.
The seat was long considered safe for the Conservatives with the party winning by large majorities from the 1920s until 1997 when the majority was reduced to under 6,000. When the sitting Conservative MP stood down in 2001 it was won by a Liberal Democrat. Ludlow was regained by a Conservative in the 2005 general election, held with a greatly increased majority five years later which was almost doubled in 2015.
In the 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union, Shropshire, which the constituency entirely forms a part of, voted to leave the European Union by 56.9%.
Boundaries and profile
1885–1918: Parts of the Boroughs of Ludlow, Bridgnorth, and Wenlock, the Sessional Divisions of Bishop's Castle, Brinstree South and Stottesden Chelmarsh, Burford, Clun and Purslow, Munslow Lower and Upper, and Stottesden Cleobury, and parts of the Sessional Divisions of Ovens and Stottesden.
1918–1950: The Boroughs of Ludlow, Bridgnorth, and Bishop's Castle, the Urban District of Church Stretton, and the Rural Districts of Bridgnorth, Burford, Church Stretton, Cleobury Mortimer, Clun, Ludlow, and Teme.
1950–1974: The Boroughs of Ludlow, Bridgnorth, Bishop's Castle, and Wenlock, the Urban District of Church Stretton, and the Rural Districts of Bridgnorth, Clun, and Ludlow.
1974–1983: The Rural Districts of Bridgnorth, Clun and Bishop's Castle, and Ludlow.
1983–1997: The District of South Shropshire, and the District of Bridgnorth.
1997–2010: The District of South Shropshire, and the District of Bridgnorth wards of Alveley, Bridgnorth Castle, Bridgnorth East, Bridgnorth Morfe, Bridgnorth West, Broseley, Claverley, Ditton Priors, Glazeley, Harrington, Highley, Kinlet, Much Wenlock, Morville, Stottesdon, and Worfield.
2010–2024: The District of South Shropshire, and the District of Bridgnorth wards of Alveley, Bridgnorth Castle, Bridgnorth East, Bridgnorth Morfe, Bridgnorth West, Broseley East, Broseley West, Claverley, Ditton Priors, Glazeley, Harrington, Highley, Much Wenlock, Morville, Stottesdon, and Worfield.
nb. in April 2009 the districts of South Shropshire and Bridgnorth (together with their wards) were abolished; the constituency's extent was still constituted by reference to them.
The Ludlow constituency was situated entirely within the county of Shropshire in England.
It covered a large, rural area dotted with market towns, the largest of which are Ludlow and Bridgnorth (which was a borough constituency until 1885), each having a population of just over 10,000. The other towns — all with a population of under 5,000 — are Broseley, Clun, Bishop's Castle (a 'rotten borough' constituency until 1832), Cleobury Mortimer, Much Wenlock (former seat of the borough constituency of Wenlock until 1885 and notable for its part in the history of the modern Olympic Games movement), Craven Arms and Church Stretton.
On its northeast border (just beyond Broseley) is the Ironbridge Gorge (notable for its part in the Industrial Revolution), just to the south of the large new town of Telford. The Guardian encapsulates the seat in a nutshell as "Big, rural, hills and small towns, increasingly middle class." Other than the Telford borough constituency, Ludlow borders onto similarly rural county constituencies, including Montgomery on the other side of the border with Wales.
The constituency covered most of the south area of Shropshire Council (without Shifnal and Albrighton).
The most recent boundary changes took place at the 1997 general election, when a part of the Bridgnorth district was removed to The Wrekin constituency.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1473–1660
Constituency created (1473)
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1510–1515No names known 1523 ?William Foxe ?John Cother 1529 William Foxe John Cother 1536 ?John Cother 1539 Charles Foxe Thomas Wheeler 1542 Edmund Foxe 1545 John Bradshaw Thomas Wheeler 1547 Robert Blount Charles Foxe 1553 (Mar) Thomas Wheeler 1553 (Oct) John Passey 1554 (Apr) Sir John Price Thomas Blashefield 1554 (Nov) James Warnecombe John Allsop 1555 William Heath Thomas Croft 1558 Richard Prince Robert Mason 1559 William Poughmill Robert Mason I 1562–3 Richard Langford William Poughmill 1571 William Poughmill Robert Mason I 1572 Robert Mason II, died and replaced Jan 1581 by Philip Sidney who sat for Shrewsbury and was replaced by Robert Berry 1584 Robert Berry Richard Farr 1586 Thomas Canland 1588 1593 1597 Hugh Sanford, election declared void and replaced 1597 by Robert Berry 1601 Thomas Canland Robert Berry 1604 Robert Berry Richard Benson 1614 Sir Henry Townshend Robert Berry unseated on petition- replaced by Robert Lloyd 1621 Henry Spencer, Lord Compton Richard Tomlins 1624 Richard Tomlins Ralph Goodwin 1625 1626 1628 1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned 1640 (Apr) Charles Baldwin Ralph Goodwin 1640 (Nov) 1645 Thomas Mackworth Thomas Moor 1648 1653Ludlow not represented in Barebones Parliament 1654 John Aston (one seat only) 1656 1659 Job Charlton Samuel Baldwyn
MPs 1660–1868 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party 1660Timothy Littleton Job Charlton 1670Somerset Fox Febr. 1679Francis CharltonSept. 1679Thomas Walcot 1681Charles Baldwyn Apr. 1685Sir Edward Herbert William Charlton Jn. 1685Sir Josiah Child Nov. 1685Sir Edward Lutwyche 1689Francis Herbert Charles Baldwyn 1690Thomas Hanmer William Gower 1691Silius Titus Francis Lloyd 1695Thomas Newport Charles Baldwyn 1698Francis Herbert William Gower 1699Thomas Newport Jan. 1701Sir Thomas Powys William Gower Dec. 1701Francis Herbert 1705Acton Baldwyn 1713Humphrey Walcot 1715Francis Herbert 1719Sir Robert Raymond 1722Abel Ketelby Acton Baldwyn Febr. 1727Richard Herbert Sept. 1727Henry Herbert 1741Sir William Corbet, Bt 1743Richard Herbert 1748Henry Bridgeman 1754Edward Herbert 1768William Fellowes 1770Thomas Herbert 1774George Mason-Villiers ToryEdward Clive Tory1780Frederick Cornewall 1783Somerset Davies 1784Richard Payne Knight Whig1794Robert Clive Tory1806Edward Herbert Tory1807Henry Clive 1818Robert Clive 1832Edward Romilly Whig1834Conservative1835Edmund Lechmere Charlton Conservative1837Henry Salwey Whig1839Thomas Alcock Whig1840Beriah Botfield Conservative1841James Ackers Conservative 1847Henry Bayley Clive ConservativeHenry Salwey Whig 1852Hon. Robert Windsor-Clive Lord William Powlett Conservative1854Percy Egerton Herbert 1857Beriah Botfield 1860George Windsor-Clive 1863Sir William Fraser 1865John Edmund Severne
MPs 1868–1885 Constituency reduced to one Member (1868) 1868–1885 George Windsor-Clive, Constituency reorganized (1885)
MPs since 1885 YearMemberWhip1885 Jasper More Liberal 1886 Liberal Unionist1903 Rowland Hunt 1917 National Party1918 Unionist1918 Sir Beville Stanier 1922 Ivor Windsor-Clive 1923 George Windsor-Clive 1945 Uvedale Corbett Conservative1951 Christopher Holland-Martin 1960 Jasper More 1979 Eric Cockeram 1987 Christopher Gill 2001 Matthew Green Liberal Democrat2005 Philip Dunne Conservative 2024 Constituency abolished
Election results 1918–2024
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
General election 1939–40: Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected; Conservative: George Windsor-Clive Liberal: Labour:
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 2010s
Election results 1868–1918
Elections in the 1860s
Elections in the 1870s
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1910s
General election 1914–15:
Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected; Unionist: Rowland Hunt Liberal:
Election results 1832–1868
Elections in the 1830s
Clive succeeded to the peerage, becoming 2nd Earl of Powis and causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s Alcock's election was declared void on petition, due to treating, on 12 May 1840, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s
Clive resigned to contest the 1854 by-election in South Shropshire, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s Herbert resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Botfield's death caused a by-election.
Elections before 1832
See also Parliamentary constituencies in Shropshire
Notes
References
Sources UK Polling Report Ludlow constituency The Guardian Ludlow constituency profile and election results
External links Ludlow UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK Ludlow UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK