The county constituency of Herefordshire, in the West Midlands of England bordering on Wales, was abolished when the county was divided for parliamentary purposes in 1885. It was a

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advise ...

, then of the

Parliament of Great Britain The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a new unified Kingdo ...

from 1707 to 1800 and of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

from 1801 to 1885. The undivided county was represented from 1290 by two Knights of the Shire until 1832 and three thereafter. After the county was split two new county constituencies were created, the North division or

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster i ...

and the South division or Ross.

Boundaries

The constituency consisted of the historic county of

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouths ...

. Although Herefordshire contained a number of

parliamentary borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

s, each of which elected one or two MPs in its own right for parts of the period when Herefordshire was a constituency, these areas were not excluded from the county constituency. Owning freehold property of the required value, within such boroughs, could confer a vote at the county election. From 1832 only non-resident owners of forty-shilling freeholds, situated in borough seats, could qualify for a county vote on the basis of that property.

Members of Parliament

1290–1604

''Constituency created'' (1290)

1604–1832

As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given for those up to 1640. Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or is not recorded in a surviving document, the entry ''unknown'' is entered in the table.

1832–1885

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1850s

Bailey's death caused a by-election. Booker-Blakemore's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1860s

Elections in the 1870s

Elections in the 1880s

References

Notes {{Reflist *''Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803'' (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808

* ''The House of Commons 1690–1715'', by Eveline Cruickshanks, Stuart Handley and D.W. Hayton (Cambridge University Press 2002) * ''The Parliaments of England'' by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)) *Calendar of Close Rolls, Richard II, Volume 1, by H.C. Maxwell Lyte (editor). (London: 1914). British History Onlin

16 November 1378, 27 May 1379, 25 Feb 1382, 22 May 1382, and 26 November 1383. *Calendar of Fine Rolls, Henry VI, Volume 16, 1430–1437. (London:1936). Page 281, 3 January 1436 (membrane 11) *Calendar of Fine Rolls, Henry VI, Volume 17, 1437–1445. (London: 1936). Page 148, 24 April 1440 (membrane 12) Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1290 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1885 Parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire (historic)