York (UK Parliament constituency)

York was a constituency represented in the Parliament of England from 1265 until 1707, Parliament of Great Britain until 1801 and the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 2010. It elected two Members of Parliament until 1918, and one thereafter under the first-past-the-post system of election. From 1997 to 2010 it was known as City of York.

Boundaries

This constituency area tracked the municipal government area of York. Each general revision of English constituencies from 1885 onwards would redefine the York constituency to include any changes to the city council area since the previous revision.

From	Legislation	Limits	Area	Notes
Medieval	Prescription	The ancient borough, or "city and liberty", of York.		A freeman borough in which freedom of the city could be acquired by patrimony, servitude or purchase. The "city" was the medieval walled city, but the boundary of the surrounding "liberty" was uncertain. The Minster Yard, an extra-parochial place around York Minster, was excluded from the ancient and parliamentary borough, as was York Castle. Although the Ainsty to the west of the city was annexed to the county of the city in 1449 by letters patent, it was not annexed to the borough; patrimony or servitude in the Ainsty did not make one eligible for citizenship, and Ainsty forty shilling freeholders voted for Yorkshire MPs rather than York MPs. Freeholdings within the borough gave no franchise.
1832	Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832	The ancient borough plus two extensions encompassing urbanised parts of the adjoining townships: one to the north, through Clifton and Heworth between the River Ouse and Tang Hall Beck; the other to the southeast through Fulford.		The Parliamentary Boundaries Act specified the complete boundary explicitly, to resolve uncertainty over the extent of the "liberty", especially at the Knavesmire, unresolved until the Ordnance Survey mapped the area in detail in 1852.
1885	Redistribution of Seats Act 1885	The previous parliamentary borough of York plus the current boundaries of the municipal borough of York.		The Representation of the People Act 1884 was a partial reform from a property-based franchise towards a residence-based one, with a grandfather clause protecting those who would otherwise have lost their vote. The broader municipal boundary defined the reformed franchise, while the older parliamentary boundary was for the grandfathered property owners.
1918	Representation of the People Act 1918	The current boundaries of the county borough and city of York, including York Castle.		The representation was also reduced from two members to one. As late as 1951 there was uncertainty over whether the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 had brought the castle within the municipal borough ; it was included explicitly by the 1918 act but implicitly by the 1948 act.
1950	Representation of the People Act 1948	The current boundaries of the county borough and city of York.		Consequent on the Initial Review of Westminster constituencies
1964	Parliamentary Constituencies Order, 1960	The current boundaries of the county borough and city of York.		Consequent on the 1959 report of the Boundary Commission for England
Feb. 1974	Parliamentary Constituencies Order 1970	The current boundaries of the county borough and city of York.		Consequent on the Second Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies
1983	Parliamentary Constituencies Order 1983	The current boundaries of the non-metropolitan district and city of York.		Consequent on the Third Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies
1997	Parliamentary Constituencies Order 1995	The current boundaries of the non-metropolitan district and city of York.		Consequent on the Fourth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies. The name of the constituency was also changed from "York" to "City of York". The non-metropolitan district of York was abolished in 1996 and subsumed into a new, larger, unitary authority named the City of York; however, this did not affect the parliamentary constituency boundary.

History

By virtue of its importance, York was regularly represented in Parliament from an early date: it had been required to send delegates to the assembly of 1265, but no actual returns survive until the end of the 13th century. The structure of the civic government of the city provided the basis by which it elected its Parliamentary representatives. In the years following the city's Royal Charter, granted in the 1150s, power was held by a Lord Mayor and associated bailiffs. Further expansion of governance saw the establishment of coroners, sheriffs and aldermen. The appointment of twelve aldermen in 1399 led to the establishment of the City Council. Subsequently, other tiers of governance, such as the probi homines and the communitas, would eventually provide the bodies for the election of MPs. Those who occupied such positions were all freemen of the city and frequently came from the mercantile classes rather than the nobility, and were considered the electorate of the city. In the beginnings of the constituency this electorate was about twenty four, but had risen to around seventy five by 1690. Early in the 18th century, the number of freemen being made had increased significantly and this further increased the electorate. By the election of 1830, there were about 3,800 registered voters.
There was a period between 1581 and 1597 where elections were a two-stage process. In the first stage, member of the common chamber of the council and 50 freeholders cast votes and the top four contenders would progress to a second ballot. This ballot was conducted by the Lord Mayor and the aldermen and the top two would be returned as MPs. In 1597 this process was reduced to a single ballot whereby all of those in both the commons and assembly of York would cast two votes. The two contenders with the most votes were returned as MP. From 1628 the process became fully open, as previously the process had an element of pre-approval by the Lord mayor and the aldermen.
A borough constituency consisting of the city of York has been represented in every Parliament since the Model Parliament of 1295. Until 1918, it returned two MPs; since then it has returned one. Until 1997, when its official name became City of York with no boundary changes, the constituency was usually simply called York.
Following their review of parliamentary representation in North Yorkshire, the Boundary Commission for England recommended the creation of two new seats for the City of York. Both the City of York and Vale of York seats were abolished in 2010 and replaced by two new constituencies, namely York Central and York Outer.

Members of Parliament

1265-1660

Parliament	First member	Second member
1294	Nicholas de Selby	Roger Basy
1297	John le Espicer	Nicholas Clarevaux
1297	John le Sezevaux	Gilbert de Arnald
1299	John de Askham	Andrew de Bolingbroke
1304	Thomas le Anguiler	John de Sezevaux
1305	John de Graham	Roger de Roston
1306	John de Askam	John de Sezevaux
1307	John de Askam	John de Ebor
1308	Thomas de Norfolk	Nicholas Grantbridge
1310	John de Graa	Thomas Aguiler
1311	Thomas de Alwerthorpe	John Segge
1312	Thomas de Redness	Nicholas Sezevaux
1313	Nicholas Sezevaux	John de Appelton
1314	John de Appelton	John de Ughtred
1318	John de Sexdecim Vallibus	Henry Calvert
1321	Henry Calvert	Thomas de Redness
1325	John de Askam	Simon de Kingston
1326	William de Redness	Henry de Bolton
1327	Thomas de Redness	Nicholas Sezevaux
1327	Richard Tannock	Thomas de Montefort
1328	William Fox	William de Baronia
1328	Thomas de Pontefract	John de Burton
1329	Thomas de Gargrave	John de Kyrkeby
1349	John de Womme	Richard de Saugerry
1340	Hamo Hassoy	Gilbert Picklinton
1341	Walter Keldsterne	Henry Golbeter
1341	Thomas fil Richard	John Ichon
1342	Henry Goldbeter	Walter Keldsterne
1344	Thomas de Redness	John de Heton
1346	John de Sherburne	Richard de Setterington
1347	William Graa	Walter Keldsterne
1348	William Graa	William Skipwith
1350	Roger Noringvill	Walter Kelletern
1352	Hugo de Miton	John de Creyke
1352	Hamo de Hessay
1353	William Graa	Hamo de Hessay
1355	Roger de Normanville	William Graa
1359	Thomas Auguber	John de Sexdecim Vallibus Roger de Henningham
1360	John de Gisburn
1360	William Graa
1362	John de Allerton	Roger de Selby
1364	William Graa	Robert Hawton
1365	William Graa	John de Acastre
1369	William Graa	John de Acastre
1371	William Graa
1372	William Graa	Robert Hawton
1373	John de Gisburn	John de Acastre
1376	Thomas Graa	John Eshton
1378	John de Acastre	Thomas Graa
1379	Thomas Graa	Roger de Moreton
1382	William Savage	William Selby
1383	Thomas Graa	William Selby
1384	Thomas Quixley	John Howden
1385	Thomas Graa	Thomas Howden
1386	Thomas Graa	Robert Savage
1388	Thomas Holme	John Howden
1388	John Ripon	John Howden
1390
1390
1391	William Selby	John Howden
1393	Thomas Graa	William Helmsley
1394	Thomas Graa	John __?
1395	Thomas Graa	William Selby
1397	Thomas Graa	William Selby
1397
1399	William Frost	John Bolton
1401
1402	Robert Talkan	Robert Ward
1404
1404
1406
1407	Robert Talkan	John Bolton
1410
1411
1413
1413	Thomas Santon	William Alne
1414
1414	Robert Holme	John Northby
1415	John Morton	Richard Russell
1416	William Bowes	William Alne
1416
1417	Thomas Santon	John Blackburn
1419	Thomas Gare	John Northby
1420	John Penrith	Henry Preston
1421	William Bowes	John Morton
1421	Thomas Gare
1422	William Bowes	Richard Russell
1425	Richard Russell
1426	William Ormshead
1431	William Ormshead	William Bowes
1492	Thomas Scotton
1504	William Nelson
1510	William Nelson	Brian Palmes
1512	William Nelson	Thomas Drawswerd
1515	William Nelson	William Wright
1523	Thomas Burton	John Norman
1529	Peter Jackson, died and replaced in January 1533 by George Gale	George Lawson
1536	George Gale	Sir George Lawson
1539	John Hogeson	William Tancred
1542	John Hogeson	George Gale
1545	John North	Robert Hall
1547	Thomas Gargrave	William Holme
1553	William Watson	William Holme
1553	John North	Robert Hall
1554	John Beane	Richard White
1554	William Holme	William Coupland
1555	William Holme	Reginald Beseley
1558	William Holme	Robert Paycock
1558–1559	William Watson	Richard Goldthorpe
1562	William Watson	Ralph Hall
1571	Ralph Hall	Hugh Graves
1572	Gregory Paycock, sick and replaced in February 1581 by Robert Askwith	Hugh Graves
1584	William Robinson	Robert Brooke
1586	William Hillard	Robert Brooke
1588	Robert Askwith	William Robinson
1593	Andrew Trewe	James Birkby
1597	James Birkby	Thomas Moseley
1601	Sir John Bennet	Henry Hall
1604	Robert Askwith	Christopher Brooke
1614	Robert Askwith	Christopher Brooke
1621	Sir Robert Askwith	Christopher Brooke
1624	Sir Arthur Ingram	Christopher Brooke
1625	Sir Arthur Ingram	Christopher Brooke
1626	Sir Arthur Ingram	Christopher Brooke
1628	Sir Arthur Ingram	Sir Thomas Savile replaced after petition by Thomas Hoyle
1629–1640	No Parliaments Summoned

Short Parliament

1640: Sir Edward Osborne
1640: Sir Roger Jaques

Long Parliament

1640-1653: Sir William Allanson
1640-1650: Thomas Hoyle - died January 1650

Barebones Parliament

1653: Thomas St. Nicholas

First Protectorate Parliament

1654-1655: Sir Thomas Widdrington
1654-1655: Thomas Dickenson

Second Protectorate Parliament

1656: Sir Thomas Widdrington '
1656-1658: John Geldart
1656-1658: Thomas Dickenson

Third Protectorate Parliament
1659: Christopher Topham
1659: Thomas Dickenson
Long Parliament '

1659-1660: Sir William Allanson; Thomas Hoyle, died, one seat vacant''