Gloucestershire (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1801–1832

Gloucestershire

Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
1290–1832
Seats| two

The constituency of Gloucestershire was a UK Parliamentary constituency. After it was abolished under the 1832 Electoral Reform Act, two new constituencies, West Gloucestershire and East Gloucestershire, were created.

Gloucestershire was a 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 1832. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire.

## Boundaries

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The constituency consisted of the historic county of Gloucestershire, excluding the part of the city of Bristol in the geographical county. Bristol had the status of a county of itself after 1373. Although Gloucestershire contained a number of other parliamentary boroughs, each of which elected two MPs in its own right for part of the period when Gloucestershire was a constituency, these were not excluded from the county constituency. Owning property within such boroughs could confer a vote at the county election. This was not the case, though, for Bristol.[citation needed]

## Members of Parliament

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Roman numerals are used to differentiate MPs with the same name, who are not holders of a title with different succession numbers. It is not suggested that the people involved would have used Roman numerals in this way.

## 1290–1339

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Richard de Croupes shield[1]

Constituency created (1290)

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

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* 1290: Richard de la More and Giles de Berkeley[2]
* 1295: Walter de Helyon and Robert de Berkeley [2]
* 1296: Sir John de Sancto Laudo and Sir Richard de Croupes[2]
* 1298: Robert de Berkeley and John de Langley[2]
* 1301: John de Acton and Sir Richard de Croupes[2]
* 1302: Peter Crok and William de Wauton[2]
* 1305: Thomas de Botiler (or Botteley) and John Bisshop[2]
* 1306: Nicholas de Kyngeston and John de Bradenstok[2]
* 1307: (Jan) Sir William Mansel and Nicholas de Bathonia
* 1309: Sir John Bisshop and Sir John de Vivonia[2]
* 1313: (Mar) Nicholas de Sancto Mauro (or Seymour) and William Tracy.
* 1313: (Sep) Sir John Bisshop and William Mansel[2]
* 1311: (Aug and Nov) John de Langley and Sir William Mansel[2]
* 1314: (Sep) Richard de la Riviere and William Mansel[2]
* 1315: Sir Nicholas de Kyngeston and Sir John de Rous[2]
* 1316: (Jan) (One Member only) Roger Gacelyn[2]
* 1316: (Apr) Stephen de la More and John de Langley [2]
* 1316: (Jul) (One Member) Stephen de la More[2]
* 1318: Sir William Corbet and Sir Walter Gacelyn[2]
* 1319: Sir John de Sancto Laudo and Sir William Corbet[2]
* 1320: William Corbet (MP fl.1318) and Henry de Preyers[2]
* 1321: William Mansel and John de Selers[2]
* 1322: (May) Sir Richard de la Riviere and Sir William Tracy[2]
* 1322: (Nov) John de Sancto Laudo and Fulk de Penebrugg[2]
* 1324: (Jan) John le Botiler and William de Bradewell[2]
* 1324: (Oct) Henry de Brockworth and Walter de Ocle[2]
* 1325: Walter de Cirencester and William de Cheltenham[2]
* 1326: Sir Richard de la Riviere and William de Arches[2]
* 1327: William de Whitenton and Andrew de Pendok[2]
* 1328: (Feb) John de Sevenhampton and Robert Dastyn[2]
* 1328: (Apr) William de Cheltenham and Robert Dastyn[2]
* 1328: (Jul) John de Gyse and John de Berkeley[2]
* 1330: (Mar) John de Cromhale and William de Tyderinton[2]
* 1330: (Nov) Henry de Brockworth and Robert Dapetot[2]
* 1331: William de Cheltenham and William de Bradewell[2]
* 1332: (Mar) John le Botiller and William de Bradewell[2]
* 1332: (Sep) William de Cheltenham and Henry de Brockworth[2]
* 1332: (Dec) William de Cheltenham and William de Bradewell[2]
* 1334: (Feb) William de Cheltenham and Richard de la Hale[2]
* 1334: (Sep) William de Cheltenham and Henry de Brockworth[2]
* 1335: William de Cheltenham and John de Cromhale[2]
* 1336: (Mar) Henry de Brockworth and John de Chadderley[2]
* 1336: (Sep) Walter de Combe and William de Cheltenham[2]
* 1337: (Jan) Thomas de Seymour and John Golafre[2]
* 1338: (Feb) Henry de Clifford and Richard Fraunceys[2]
* 1338: (Jul) William de Cheltenham and Henry de Clifford[2]
* 1339: (Jan) John de Cheltenham and Henry de Corsham[2]
* 1339: (Oct) William de Insula and John le Botiller[2]

## 1340–1385

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* 1340: (Jan) Sir John de Suydle and Sir Philip Joce[2]
* 1340: (Mar) Thomas le Botiller and John de Berkeley, of Dursley [2]
* 1341: John FitzNichol de Hulle and Edmund Blount[2]
* 1343: Henry de Clifford and William de Westhale[2]
* 1344: Michael de Assh' and William de Westhale[2]
* 1346: Elias de Fylton and John de Clopton[2]
* 1348: (Jan) Simon Basset and John de Weston[2]
* 1348: (Mar) Sir William Whittington and Thomas de la Mare[2]
* 1351: Robert Palet and John Serjaunt[2]
* 1352: (Jan) John de Weston and Nicholas Crykkelade[2]
* 1352: (Aug) (One Member). Edward de Cardiff[2]
* 1353: (One Member). Thomas le Botiller[2]
* 1354: Thomas le Botiller and Thomas de la Mare[2]
* 1355: William Mansel and Peter Crook[2]
* 1357: Robert de Shareshull and Richard de Hildesley[2]
* 1358: Thomas de Berkeley and Sir John Tracy, chevalier [2]
* 1360: Sir Adam de Shareshull, chevalier and Maurice de Cheltenham[2]
* 1361: Sir Simon Basset, miles and Sir Thomas Moigne, miles [2]
* 1362: Simon Basset and Thomas Moigne[2]
* 1363: John Tracy and Nicholas Berkeley[2]
* 1365: John de Bromwich and John Slaughter[2]
* 1366: John Tracy and John Slaughter[2]
* 1368: John Tracy and John Pointz[2]
* 1369: (Apr) John Pointz and John Tracy[2]
* 1371: {Feb} John Pointz and Robert Palet[2]
* 1371: {Jun} (One Member) John Pointz[2]
* 1372: John Clifford and John Lucy [2]
* 1373: John Giffard and Thomas Hathewy[2]
* 1376: Sir John Thorp, chevalier and Sir John Giffard, chevalier [2]
* 1377: {Jan} Peter de Veel and Edmund de Bradeston[2]
* 1377: (Oct) John Thorp and William Whitenton[2]
* 1378: {Oct} Peter le Veel and Edmund de Bradeston[2]
* 1379: Edmund de Bradeston and John Giffard[2]
* 1380: {Jan} Maurice Wythe and John Thorp[2]
* 1380: {Nov} Thomas Berkeley and William Heyberer[2]
* 1381: John Thorp and Peter Veel[2]
* 1382: (May) John Thorp and Peter Veel[2]
* 1382: (Oct) Thomas FitzNicol and Laurence Sebrok[2]
* 1383: (Feb) Thomas FitzNichol and Ralph Waleys [2]
* 1383: (Oct) Thomas FitzNichol and Ralph Waleys [2]
* 1384: {Apr} Edmund de Bradeston and William Heyberer[2]
* 1384: {Nov} Robert de Whittington and William Heyberer[2]
* 1385: Sir Thomas FitzNichol and William Heyberer[2]

## 1386–1421

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(Source: Roskell, 1992)[3]

Election | First Member | Second Member

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1386 | Sir Thomas FitzNichol | William Hervy
1388 (Feb) | Sir John Berkeley | William Heyberer
1388 (Sept) | Sir John Berkeley | Sir Laurence Sebrooke
1390 (Jan) | Sir John Cheyne | Sir Laurence Sebrooke
1390 (Nov) | Sir Gilbert Denys | Thomas Berkeley
1391 | Sir Maurice Berkeley | Robert Whittington
1393 | Sir John Cheyne | Sir Thomas FitzNichol
1394 | Sir John Cheyne | Sir Henry de la River
1395 | Sir Thomas FitzNichol | Sir Gilbert Denys
1397 (Jan) | Sir Thomas Butler | Sir John Berkeley
1397 (Sept) | Hugh Mortimer | John Browning
1399 | Sir John Cheyne | Sir Thomas FitzNichol
1401 | John Browning | Sir Thomas FitzNichol
1402 | Sir Maurice Russell | Sir Thomas FitzNichol
1404 (Jan) | Sir Maurice Russell | Robert Whittington
1404 (Oct) | Richard Mawarden | James Clifford
1406 | Sir Thomas FitzNichol | Robert Whittington
1407 | Sir Thomas FitzNichol | Thomas Mille
1410 | Sir John Drayton | unknown
1411 | Thomas Mille | Robert Whittington
1413 (Feb) | unknown | unknown
1413 (May) | Sir Thomas FitzNichol | Sir John Pauncefoot
1414 (April) | Robert Whittington | John Greville
1414 (Nov) | Sir Thomas FitzNichol | John Browning
1415 | Sir Thomas FitzNichol | Robert Poyntz
1416 (Mar) | unknown | unknown
1416 (Oct) | unknown | unknown
1417 | Robert Poyntz | Robert Greyndore
1419 | John Greville | William Tracy
1420 | Robert Greyndore | Guy Whittington
1421 (May) | John Greville | Guy Whittington
1421 (Dec) | (Sir) John Blaket | Sir John Pauncefoot

## 1422–1508

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Parliament | First Member | Second Member

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1422 (Oct) | John Grevell | Robert Stranshawe[2]
1423 (Oct) | John Grevell | Robert Stranshawe[2]
1425 (Apr) | Sir Maurice Berkeley[4] | John Grevell[2]
1426 (Jan) | Robert Stranshawe | Robert Greyndore[2]
1427 (Sep) | John Grevell | Guy Whittington[2]
1429 (July) | John Langley | Sir Maurice Berkeley[5]
1430 (Dec) | Nicholas Poyntz | Giles Brugges or Bridges[2]
1432 (Apr) | John Langley | Guy Whittington[2]
1433 (Jun) | Robert Greyndore | Robert Stranshawe[2]
1435 (Jul) | John Langley | Thomas Mill[2]
1436 (Dec) | John Langley | John Cassy[2]
1442 (Jan) | William Tracy | John Langley[2]
1447 (Jan) | Thomas Pauncefoot | John Cassy[2]
1449 (Jan) | Thomas Mill | Thomas Pauncefoot[2]
1449 (Oct) | William Gyfford | Thomas Derehurst[2]
1450 (Oct) | John Barre | John Kemmyse[2]
1455 (Jun) | Giles Brugges or Bridges | William Whittington[2]
1460 (Sep) | Thomas Yonge | Thomas Bridges[2]
1467 (May) | Maurice Berkeley | Thomas Herbert senior[2]
1472 (Aug) | Sir Richard Beauchamp | Thomas Lymryk[2]
1476 | John Twynyho[6]
1478 (Jan) | Thomas Cokesey | John Twynyho[2]
1491 (Sep) | Sir Edmond Montfort | Thomas Morton[2]

## 1509–1558

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(Source: Bindoff (1982))[7]

Parliament of 1510–23  | No names known  | No names known

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Parliament of 1529  | Sir William Kingston | Sir John Brydges
Parliament of 1536  | Not known  | Not known
Parliament of 1539  | Sir William Kingston | Anthony Kingston
Parliament of 1542  | ?Sir Anthony Kingston | Not known
Parliament of 1545  | Sir Anthony Kingston | Nicholas Arnold
Parliament of 1547  | Sir Anthony Kingston | Sir Nicholas Poyntz
Parliament of 1553 (Mar)  | Sir Anthony Kingston | Sir Nicholas Arnold
Parliament of 1553 (Oct)  | Sir Edmund Brydges | Sir Anthony Hungerford
Parliament of 1554 (Apr)  | Sir Giles Poole | Nicholas Wykes
Parliament of 1554 (Nov)  | Arthur Porter | William Rede
Parliament of 1555  | Sir Anthony Kingston | Sir Nicholas Arnold
Parliament of 1558  | Sir Henry Jerningham | Sir Walter Denys

## 1559–1639

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Parliament | First Member | Second Member

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1563 (Jan) | Nicholas Walshe | Richard Denys[2]
1571 (Apr) | Sir Giles Poole | Sir Nicholas Poyntz[2]
1572 (Apr) | Hon. Giles Bridges | Sir Nicholas Arnold[2]
1576 | Thomas Chester
1581 | Sir Thomas Porter
1584 (Nov) | Sir John Darcy | Hon. William Bruges or Bridges[2]
1586 (Oct) | Hon. William Bridges | Sir William Wynter[2]
1588 (Dec) | Sir Thomas Throckmorton | Edward Wynter[2]
1593 (Jan) | Sir Henry Poole | Sir John Pointz[2]
1597 (Sep) | Sir John Tracy | Sir John Hungerford[2]
1601 (Sep) | Sir Edward Wynter | John Throckmorton[2]
1604 (Mar) | Hon. Sir Thomas Berkeley | Sir Richard Berkeley, died in office
and replaced 30 May 1604 by John Throckmorton[2]
1614 (Mar) | Sir William Cooke | Richard Berkeley [2]
1620 (Dec) | Sir Robert Tracy | Maurice Berkeley [2]
1624 (Feb) | Sir Thomas Estcourt, died in office
and replaced 20 Oct 1624 by Sir Maurice Berkeley | John Dutton[2]
1625 (May) | Sir Maurice Berkeley | John Dutton[2]
1626 (Jan) | Sir Robert Tracy | Sir Robert Pointz[2]
1628 (Mar) | Sir Robert Pointz | Nathaniel Stephens[2]
1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned

## 1640–1832

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Election | First member | First party | Second member | Second party

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|  | 1640, April | Sir Robert Tracy | Royalist | Sir Robert Cooke | Parliamentarian
|  | 1640, November | Nathaniel Stephens | Parliamentarian | John Dutton 1 | Royalist
| c. 1644  | Sir John Seymour 2 | Parliamentarian
Gloucestershire's representation was increased to 3 nominated MPs in Barebones Parliament
|  | 1653  | John Crofts; William Neast; Robert Holmes
Gloucestershire's representation was increased to 5 elected MPs in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
|  | 1654 | George Berkeley; Matthew Hale; John Howe; Christopher Guise; Sylvanus Wood
| 1656 | George Berkeley; John Howe; John Crofts; Baynham Throckmorton; William Neast
Gloucestershire's representation was decreased to 2 MPs in the Third Parliament of the Protectorate and thereafter
|  | 1659, January | John Grobham Howe I |  | John Stephens |
|  | 1659, May | unknown |  | unknown |
|  | 1660, April 18 | Edward Stephens |  | Matthew Hale |
|  | 17 April 1661  | John Grobham Howe I |  | Sir Baynham Throckmorton, 2nd Bt 3 |
| 21 December 1664  | Sir Baynham Throckmorton, 3rd Bt |
|  | 26 February 1679  | Sir John Guise, 2nd Bt |  | Sir Ralph Dutton, Bt |
|  | 18 March 1685  | Marquess of Worcester |  | Sir Robert Atkyns |
|  | 18 January 1689  | Sir John Guise, 2nd Bt | Whig | Sir Ralph Dutton, Bt | Whig
| 11 December 1695  | Thomas Stephens I | Whig
|  | 3 August 1698  | John Grobham Howe II | Tory | Sir Richard Cocks, Bt | Whig
| 3 December 1701  | Maynard Colchester | Whig
| 6 August 1702  | John Grobham Howe II | Tory
| 16 May 1705  | Sir John Guise, 3rd Bt | Whig
| 12 May 1708  | Matthew Moreton | Whig
| 25 October 1710  | John Symes Berkeley | Tory
| 23 September 1713  | Thomas Stephens II | Whig
| 9 February 1715  | Matthew Moreton | Whig
| 30 March 1720  | Hon. Henry Berkeley |
| 22 June 1720  | Edmund Bray |
| 28 March 1722  | Kinard de la Bere |
| 6 September 1727  | Sir John Dutton, Bt |
|  | 8 May 1734  | Thomas Chester | Tory  | Benjamin Bathurst | Tory
| 12 May 1741  | Norborne Berkeley |
| 27 April 1763  | Thomas Tracy |
| 23 November 1763  | Edward Southwell |
| 6 August 1770  | Sir William Guise, Bt |
| 6 May 1776  | William Bromley-Chester | Tory 4
| 24 January 1781  | James Dutton |
| 28 April 1783  | Hon. George Cranfield Berkeley | Whig 5
| 12 April 1784  | Thomas Master | Tory 5
| 2 June 1796  | Marquess of Worcester | Tory
| 14 November 1803 | Lord Edward Somerset | Tory
| 18 May 1810 | Viscount Dursley |
| 7 February 1811 | Sir Berkeley Guise, Bt | Whig
| 10 May 1831 | Hon. Henry Reynolds-Moreton | Whig
Constituency abolished (1832)

Notes:-

* 1 Dutton was disabled from sitting for adhering to the King and joining the King's Oxford Parliament, c. 1644.
* 2 Seymour was excluded from Parliament by the Army, c. 1648.
* 3 Father of the Baynham Throckmorton elected in 1656 and 1664.
* 4 Stooks Smith classifies Bromley-Chester as Tory in the 1776 by-election, but gives no label in subsequent elections.
* 5 Stooks Smith classifies Berkeley as Whig in the 1776 by-election (which he lost), but gives no label in subsequent elections before the general election of 1790. Both Berkeley and Master are classified by party from 1790.

## Elections

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Gloucestershire by-election, May 1776 (1 seat) [8] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

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| Tory | William Bromley-Chester | 2,919  | 50.4  | n/a
| Whig | George Cranfield Berkeley  | 2,873  | 49.6  | n/a
Majority | 46  | 0.8  | n/a
Turnout | 5,792  |  | n/a
Registered electors |  |  |

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

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## See also

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* List of former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies
* Unreformed House of Commons

## Sources

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* Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [2]
* 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))
* Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "G" (part 1)
* Roskell, J.S. (ed.), The History of Parliament; The House of Commons 1386-1421, 4 vols., Stroud, 1992. Vol.1, p. 398
* Williams, W.R., Parliamentary History of the County of Gloucester, Hereford, 1898

## References

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1. ^ Foster, Joseph (1902). Some feudal coats of arms. p. 59. Retrieved 6 February 2023 - via Wikisource.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv "The parliamentary history of the county of Gloucester". Internet Archive. 1898. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
3. ^ Roskell, J.S. (ed.), The History of Parliament; The House of Commons 1386-1421, 4 vols., Stroud, 1992. Vol.1, p.398
4. ^ Sir Maurice Berkeley (9 Feb 1401-1464) of Stoke Gifford, MP for Gloucestershire in 1425 and 1429. Born posthumously. "He was made a ward of one of the ‘King’s knights’, Sir Francis Court, and was destined to be even wealthier than his father, for in 1407, when his father's first cousin Joyce, Lady Burnell (wife of Hugh Burnell, Baron Burnell and daughter of John de Botetourt (dvp.1369), son and heir apparent of the 2nd Baron) suo jure Baroness Botetourt, died childless, he inherited a third part of the abeyant barony of Botetourt. On proving his age in 1423 he took possession of both the Berkeley and his share of the Botetourt estates, and as Sir Maurice Berkeley he was returned for Gloucestershire to the Parliaments of 1425 and 1429". (History of Parliament biog of his father Sir Maurice Berkeley (1358-1400), of Uley and Stoke Gifford, MP for Gloucestershire in 1391 [1]). He married Ellen Montfort dau of William Montfort
5. ^ Sir Maurice Berkeley (9 Feb 1401-1464) of Stoke Gifford, MP for Gloucestershire in 1425 and 1429
6. ^ Holt, Anne D., & Wedgwood, Josiah Clement, History of Parliament: Biographies of the Members of the Commons House, 1439–1509, Vol. 1, London: HMSO, 1936-1938, p.886-7, biography of John Twynyho
7. ^ Bindoff S.T. (ed.) The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1509-1558, London, 1982, pp. 91–92
8. ^ Poll book