Scarborough was the name of a constituency in Yorkshire, electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, at two periods. From 1295 until 1918 it was a parliamentary borough consisting only of the town of Scarborough, electing two MPs until 1885 and one from 1885 until 1918. In 1974 the name was revived for a county constituency, covering a much wider area; this constituency was abolished in 1997.

History

Scarborough was first represented in a Parliament held at Shrewsbury in 1282, and was one of the boroughs sending 2 MPs to the Model Parliament of 1295 which is now generally considered to be the first parliament in the modern sense.

Until the Great Reform Act of 1832 Scarborough was a corporation borough, the right of election resting solely with the 44-member corporation or "common council". At an earlier period, it seems to have been a matter of some dispute whether the freemen of the borough could also vote, but at an election in 1736 the corporation and the (much more numerous) freemen backed different candidates. The candidate of the freemen was returned to Parliament, but on petition from his defeated opponent the House of Commons decided that only the corporation votes should stand, and overturned the result. In later days the Corporation was entirely under the influence of the Duke of Rutland and Earl of Mulgrave, who each nominated one of the Members of Parliament; by 1832, Scarborough had continuously been represented by junior members of their respective families for more than half a century. The restriction on the franchise was challenged in 1791, and Parliament declared in favour of "the ancient right of inhabitant householders" in the borough to vote, but the decision seems to have been a dead-letter for at the election of 1802, the last to be contested before the Reform Act, only 33 voters cast their votes.

At the time of the Reform Act, the borough had a population of about 8,760 in just over 2,000 houses, and the Act left its boundaries and two members intact, though widening the franchise. (There were 431 electors registered at the 1832 election.) The constituency remained broadly unchanged until 1918, though from 1885 its representation was reduced from two MPs to one.

After abolition in 1918, the constituency was absorbed into the new Scarborough and Whitby county constituency. However, the boundary changes which came into effect at the February 1974 general election created a new constituency named Scarborough. This was a county constituency including, in addition to Scarborough itself and its suburb Scalby, the town of Pickering and the Scarborough and Pickering rural districts.

There were further boundary changes at the 1983 general election, which brought in Whitby and its surrounding area in place of the Pickering district. The constituency was abolished once more for the 1997 general election, when it was again largely replaced by a new Scarborough and Whitby constituency.

Members of Parliament

• Constituency created (1295)

1295-1540

• 1298: John Rofton, Robert Pau
• 1301: John Pickford, John Hammond
• 1307: Amaury Gegg, Robert Wawayn
• 1308: Radus Godge, John Gegg
• 1310: Roger Oughtred, John de Cropton
• 1313: Roger Oughtred, John de Cropton
• 1314: Roger Oughtred, Thomas de Cropton
• 1315: Roger Oughtred, John Huterburgh
• 1319: Evericus Godge, William de St Thomas
• 1321: Adam de Seamer, Henry de Roston
• 1327: Henry de Roston, Robert de Hubthorpe
• 1327: Henry de Newcastle, John de Bergh
• 1328: Robert the Coroner, John le Skyron
• 1328: Henry de Newcastle, William de Hedon
• 1329: Henry de Newcastle, William de Hedon
• 1330: Philip Humbury, John le Serjeant
• 1332: Henry the Coroner, Henry de Roston
• 1333: Henry the Coroner, Henry de Roston
• 1334: Robert de Helperthorpe, Henry the Coroner
• 1335: Henry de Newcastle, William de Bedale
• 1335: Richard de Willsthorpe, John de Mounte Pesselers
• 1336: Thomas le Blound, Henry de Newcastle
• 1337: Henry de Newcastle, Thomas the Coroner
• 1338: Henry de Roston, Henry de Newcastle
• 1339: Henry de Roston, Henry de Newcastle
• 1340: Henry de Roston, Robert the Coroner
• 1346: William de Kilham, John de Ireland
• 1347: Robert Scardeburgh, William Cutt
• 1348: Robert Scardeburgh, William son of Roger
• 1351: John Beaucola, Henry de Roston
• 1354: Henry de Roston, Richard de Newcastle
• 1356: John Burniston, William Barton
• 1358: Robert the Coroner, John Hammund
• 1359: Henry Roston, Peter Percy
• 1360: Richard de Newcastle, Peter Percy
• 1361: Peter Percy, John del Aumery
• 1362: Edward Thwailes, ?
• 1365: Richard del Kichen, Richard Chelman
• 1368: Stephen Carter, Henry de Roston
• 1369: Robert Aclom, John de Barton
• 1373: William Cobberiham, John Aclom
• 1376: John de Stolwich, Henry de Roston
• 1378: William de Seamer, John de Moresham, junior
• 1379: Henry de Roston, Thomas de Brune
• 1382: Henry de Roston, John Aclom
• 1383: John Stockwich, Richard Chelman
• 1384: John Aclom, Henry de Roston
• 1385: Robert Martyn, John de Moresham
• 1386: William de Seamer, John Carter
• 1388: William Sage, John Aclom
• 1392: John Carter, John Martyn
• 1393: Robert de Alnwick, John de Moresham, junior
• 1394: Henry de Harrow, Robert Shillbottle
• 1397: John Carter, William Percy
• 1400: John Aclom, William Harum
• 1401: John Mosdale, Robert Aclom
• 1402: Thomas Carethorp, William Harum
• 1405: John Mosdale, Robert Aclom
• 1411: John Mosdale, William Sage
• 1413: Thomas Carethorp, John Mosdale
• 1414: John Mosdale, William Sage
• 1415: Thomas Carethorp, Roger de Stapelton
• 1419: John Carter, Thomas Copeland
• 1420: John Aclom, William Forester
• 1421: John Aclom, William Forester
• 1422: Hugo Raysyn, William Forester
• 1423: William Forester, John Daniel
• 1425: Robert Bambergh, William Forester
• 1428: John Danyell, William Forester
• 1429: John Danyell, William Forester
• 1432: William Forester, John Danyell
• 1442: William Forester, Robert Carethorp
• 1447: William Helperby, John Aclom
• 1449: Henry Eyre, William Paulin
• 1450: John Aclom, Robert Benton
• 1451: George Topcliff, Thomas Benton
• 1455: John Daniel, Robert Hoggson
• 1460: John Sherrifle, Thomas Hoggson
• 1467: John Paulin, John Robinson

1542-1629

Parliament	First Member	Second Member
Parliament of 1542-1544	Sir Ralph Eure	Sir Nicholas Fairfax
Parliament of 1545-1547	?	?
Parliament of 1547-1552	Richard Whaley	Reginald Beseley
First Parliament of 1553	Thomas Eyns	General Dakins
Second Parliament of 1553	John Tregonwell	Leonard Chamberlain
Parliament of 1554	Anthony Brann	Robert Massye
Parliament of 1554-1555	Reginald Beseley	Tristram Cook
Parliament of 1555	William Hasye	Francis Ashley
Parliament of 1558	Richard Jones	Edward Beseley
Parliament of 1559	William Strickland	Sir Henry Gate
Parliament of 1563-1567
Parliament of 1571		Edward Gate
Parliament of 1572-1583	Sir Henry Gate	Edward Carey
Parliament of 1584-1585	William Strickland	John Hotham
Parliament of 1586-1587	Ralph Bourchier	Edward Hutchinson
Parliament of 1588-1589	Edward Gate	William Fish
Parliament of 1593		Roger Dalton
Parliament of 1597-1598	Sir Thomas Posthumous Hoby	Walter Pye
Parliament of 1601	Edward Stanhope	William Eure
Parliament of 1604-1611	Sir Thomas Posthumous Hoby	Francis Eure
Addled Parliament		William Conyers
Parliament of 1621-1622	Sir Richard Cholmeley
Happy Parliament	Hugh Cholmeley
Useless Parliament		William Thompson
Parliament of 1625-1626		Stephen Hutchinson
Parliament of 1628-1629	Sir William Constable	John Harrison
No Parliament summoned 1629-1640

1640-1885

Year			First member	First party	Second member	Second party
		April 1640	John Hotham the younger	Royalist	Sir Hugh Cholmeley
		November 1640
		April 1642			Cholmley disabled to sit - seat vacant
		September 1643	Hotham disabled to sit - seat vacant
		1645	Luke Robinson		Sir Matthew Boynton, Bt. (d. March 1647)
		1647			John Anlaby
		1653	Scarborough was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
		1654	John Wildman		Scarborough had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
		1656	Colonel Edward Salmon
		January 1659			Thomas Chaloner
		May 1659	Luke Robinson		One seat vacant
		April 1660			John Legard
		June 1660			William Thompson
		July 1660	John Legard
		1661	Sir Jordan Crosland
		1670	Sir Philip Monckton
		1679	Francis Thompson
		1685	Sir Thomas Slingsby, Bt		William Osbaldeston
		1689	William Thompson		Francis Thompson
		1692	John Hungerford
		1693			The Viscount of Irvine
		1695	Sir Charles Hotham, Bt	Court Whig
		1701			William Thompson
		1702	John Hungerford	Tory
		1705	Robert Squire
		1707	John Hungerford	Tory
		1722			Sir William Strickland, Bt	Whig
		1730	William Thompson
		January 1736			Viscount Dupplin
		April 1736			William Osbaldeston
		1744	Edwin Lascelles
		1747			Roger Handasyde
		1754	Sir Ralph Milbanke, Bt		William Osbaldeston
		1761	John Major
		1766			Fountayne Wentworth Osbaldeston
		1768	George Manners
		1770			Sir James Pennyman, Bt
		1772	The Earl of Tyrconnel	Tory
		1774			Sir Hugh Palliser, Bt
		1779			Charles Phipps
		1784			George Osbaldeston
		1790			Hon Henry Phipps	Tory
		1794			Edmund Phipps	Tory
		1796	Lord Charles Somerset	Tory
		1802	Lord Robert Manners	Tory
		1806	Charles Manners Sutton	Tory
		1818			Viscount Normanby	Whig
		1820			Edmund Phipps	Tory
		1832	Sir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, Bt	Whig	Sir George Cayley, Bt	Whig
		1835			Sir Frederick Trench	Conservative
		1837	Sir Thomas Style, Bt	Whig
		1841	Sir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, Bt	Conservative
		1847			Earl of Mulgrave	Whig
		1851			George Frederick Young	Conservative
		1852			Earl of Mulgrave	Whig
		1857		Liberal		Liberal
		1857			John Dent	Liberal
		1859			William Denison	Liberal
		1860			John Dent	Liberal
		1869	Sir Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, Bt	Liberal
		1874			Sir Charles Legard, Bt	Conservative
		1880			William Sproston Caine	Liberal
		1880	John George Dodson	Liberal
		1884	Richard Fell Steble	Liberal

• Representation reduced to one member (1885)

Notes

1885-1997

Year		Member	Party
1885		Representation reduced to one member
	1885	Sir George Reresby Sitwell	Conservative
	1886	Joshua Rowntree	Gladstonian Liberal
	1892	Sir George Reresby Sitwell	Conservative
	1895	Joseph Compton-Rickett	Liberal
	1906	Walter Russell Rea	Liberal
1918		constituency abolished: see Scarborough and Whitby
Feb 1974		constituency recreated
	Feb 1974	Sir Michael Shaw	Conservative
	1992	John Sykes	Conservative
1997		constituency abolished: see Scarborough and Whitby

Election results

References

• D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
• Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [355786]
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• Thomas Hinderwell, The history and antiquities of Scarborough and the vicinity (2nd edition, York: Thomas Wilson & Son, 1811) [355787]
• J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
• Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt, The Unreformed House of Commons (Cambridge University Press, 1903)
• Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
• Robert Walcott, English Politics in the Early Eighteenth Century (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1956)