Huntingdon (UK Parliament constituency)


Huntingdon is a constituency west of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire and including its namesake town of Huntingdon. It has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Ben Obese-Jecty of the Conservative Party.
Before 2024, Huntingdon was considered a safe Conservative seat and was the seat of John Major, the Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997.
First established around the time of the Model Parliament in 1295, Huntingdon was the seat of Oliver Cromwell in 1628–1629 and 1640–1642.

History

The constituency of Huntingdon has existed in three separate forms: as a parliamentary borough from 1295, represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885; as a division of a parliamentary county from 1885 to 1918; and as a county constituency from 1983 until the present day.
Representatives for the seat, the standard two burgesses per parliamentary borough, were summoned to form the first fully assembled parliament, the Model Parliament in 1295 and at all parliaments assembled from then until 1868, in which year the constituency was reduced to a single-member borough in accordance with the Reform Act 1867. In the mid-17th century, this was Oliver Cromwell's constituency.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the parliamentary borough was abolished altogether and the two-member parliamentary county of Huntingdonshire was replaced by the two-single member seats formally known as the Northern or Ramsey Division and the Southern or Huntingdon Division. It was abolished under the Representation of the People Act 1918 when it was re-combined with Ramsey and Huntingdonshire was re-established as a single member constituency.
As a result of the Local Government Act 1972, the two counties of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely, and Huntingdon and Peterborough were merged to form the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire, with effect from 1 April 1974. However, the next redistribution did not come into effect until the 1983 general election, when the Huntingdonshire constituency was abolished once again, with the majority comprising the re-established county constituency of Huntingdon which also included rural areas to the west of Peterborough.
There were significant boundary changes at the 1997 general election, when the neighbouring seat of North West Cambridgeshire was created from areas previously in the seats of Huntingdon and Peterborough.
The former Conservative Prime Minister John Major represented the seat from its re-creation in 1983 until his retirement in 2001. His majority in 1992 was the largest majority for any member of parliament post-1832 until 2017, in which George Howarth won a 42,214 vote majority in Knowsley.

Boundaries and boundary changes

The constituency consists of the towns of Huntingdon, St Ives, Godmanchester and a number of smaller settlements in Western Cambridgeshire.

1832–1885

1885–1918

  • The Sessional Divisions of Leightonstone and Toseland.
''The new county division incorporated the towns of Huntingdon, Godmanchester, and St Neots.''

1983–1997

  • The District of Huntingdon wards of Brampton, Bury, Earith, Ellington, Elton, Farcet, Fenstanton, Godmanchester, Hemingford Abbots and Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Houghton and Wyton, Huntingdon North, Huntingdon West, Kimbolton, Needingworth, Ramsey, Sawtry, Somersham, Stilton, St Ives North, St Ives South, The Stukeleys, Upwood and The Raveleys, Warboys, and Yaxley; and
  • The City of Peterborough wards of Barnack, Glinton, Northborough, Werrington, and Wittering.

1997–2010

  • The District of Huntingdonshire wards of Brampton, Buckden, Eaton Ford, Eaton Socon, Ellington, Eynesbury, Fenstanton, Godmanchester, Gransden, Hemingford Abbots and Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Houghton and Wyton, Huntingdon North, Huntingdon West, Kimbolton, Needingworth, Paxton, Priory Park, St Ives North, St Ives South, Staughton, The Offords, and The Stukeleys.

2010–2024

  • The District of Huntingdonshire wards of Alconbury and The Stukeleys, Brampton, Buckden, Fenstanton, Godmanchester, Gransden and The Offords, Huntingdon East, Huntingdon North, Huntingdon West, Kimbolton and Staughton, Little Paxton, St Ives East, St Ives South, St Ives West, St Neots Eaton Ford, St Neots Eaton Socon, St Neots Eynesbury, St Neots Priory Park, and The Hemingfords.

2024–present

Following the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following electoral wards:
  • The District of Huntingdonshire wards of Alconbury, Brampton, Buckden, Godmanchester & Hemingford Abbots, Great Staughton, Hemingford Grey & Houghton, Holywell-cum-Needingworth, Huntingdon East, Huntingdon North, Kimbolton, St Ives East, St Ives South, St Ives West, Sawtry, Somersham, The Stukeleys, and Warboys.

Members of Parliament

MPs c1290–1660

ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1361William Wightman-
1365William Wightman-
1366William Wightman-
1369William Wightman-
1371William Wightman-
1372William Wightman-
1373William Wightman-
1376William Wightman-
1377 William Wightman-
1377 William Wightman-
1378William Wightman-
1380 William Wightman-
1381William Wightman-
1382 William Wightman-
1382 William Wightman-
1383 William Wightman-
1384 William Wightman-
1384 William Wightman-
1386William LutonThomas Daniel
1388 William WightmanThomas Daniel
1388 William WightmanThomas Daniel
1390 William WightmanThomas Daniel
1390 -
1391William WightmanWilliam Luton
1393William AlbonJohn Pabenham
1394Henry ProudeJohn Dunhead I
1395John CutlerJohn Dunhead II
1397 Walter WillardbyJohn Dunhead I
1397 John HawkinJohn Dunhead II
1399John HawkinRichard Prentice
1401John SabrisforthJohn Rous
1402Walter DevenhamAmbrose Newton
1404 -
1404 -
1406John HawkinRichard Prentice
1407Richard PrenticeJohn Navet
1410-
1411Robert PeckThomas Freeman
1413 -
1413 Robert PeckJohn Denton
1414 Robert PeckJohn Denton
1414 Roger ChamberlainJohn Foxton
1415Robert PeckJohn Bickley
1416 Robert PeckJohn Denton
1416 -
1417John FetteRichard Freeman
1419Richard SpicerHugh Parson
1420John AbbotsleyJohn Foxton
1421 Robert Peck IIJohn Colles
1421 Robert Peck IIGeorge Gidding
1510–1523No names knownNo names known
1529Thomas HallWilliam Webbe
1536?-
1539?-
1542?-
1545?-
1547John ArscottJohn Millicent
1553 William TyrwhittThomas Maria Wingfield
1553 Thomas Maria WingfieldJohn Purvey
1554 Thomas Maria WingfieldSimon Throckmorton
1554 Philip ClampeWilliam Horwood
1555Robert BrockbankThomas Worlich
1558Robert BrockbankJohn Brigandine
1559 Richard PatrickWilliam Symcots
1562–3Richard GooderickGeorge Blyth
1571Tristram TyrwhittRalph Rokeby
1572 Thomas SladeJohn Turpin
1584 Francis FlowerWilliam Cervington
1586Francis FlowerWilliam Cervington
1588 Francis FlowerWilliam Cervington
1593Robert LeeRobert Cromwell
1597 Richard CromwellRobert Cooke
1601William BeecherThomas Chichley
1604Henry CromwellThomas Harley
1614Sir Christopher HattonSir Miles Fleetwood
1621–1622Sir Henry St JohnSir Miles Sandys, 1st Baronet
1624Sir Arthur MainwaringSir Henry St John
1625Sir Arthur MainwaringSir Henry St John
1626Sir Arthur MainwaringJohn Goldsborough
1628Oliver CromwellJames Montagu
1629–1640No Parliaments summonedNo Parliaments summoned
Apr 1640Robert BernardWilliam Montagu
Nov 1640George MontaguEdward Montagu, ennobled in 1644
and replaced by Abraham Burrell
1653Not represented in Barebones ParliamentNot represented in Barebones Parliament
1654John Bernard-
1656John Bernard-
1659John ThurloeSir John Bernard
1659Abraham Burrell-

Elections

Elections in the 1990s


The constituency underwent boundary changes prior to the 1997 election and the changes are not based on the 1992 result.



Elections in the 1980s





Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1870s

Elections in the 1860s

Seat reduced to one member

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1830s

Wells and Sweeting were put forward as candidates, and received "a show of hands of ten to one" against Calvert and Stuart, who had received seven and five respectively. However, the mayor declared Stuart and Calvert as having the majority of legal votes and the seat was not put to a poll.