| Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|
| Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
| 1290–1832 | |
| Seats | two |
The county constituency of Northamptonshire, in the East Midlands of England 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 and was represented in Parliament by two MPs, traditionally known as Knights of the Shire.
After 1832 the county was split into two new constituencies, North Northamptonshire and South Northamptonshire.
The constituency consisted of the historic county of Northamptonshire. Although the county contained a number of parliamentary boroughs, each of which elected one or two MPs in its own right for parts of the period when Northamptonshire 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. (After 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.)
Constituency created (1290)
| Parliament | First member | Second member |
|---|---|---|
| 1305 (Feb) | Oliver la Zouch[1] | John de Seyton[1] |
| 1319 | John de Longeville[1] | William Trussell[1] |
| 1324 | Henry de Trailly | |
| 1330 (Nov) | Robert de Daventry[1] | Edmund Trussell[1] |
| 1337 | John de Seyton | |
| 1343 | Sir William Brabazon[1] | |
| 1351 | Sir Peter Mallore | |
| 1369 | John de Verdon | William de Quenton |
| 1380 (Jan) | John Tyndale | |
| 1382 (Oct) | John Wydeville | John Tyndale |
| 1383 (Feb) | John Wydeville | John Tyndale |
| 1383 (Oct) | John Wydeville | |
| 1384 (Apr) | Roger de la Chamber | John Tyndale |
| 1384 (Nov) | Roger de la Chamber | John Tyndale |
| 1385 | Sir Giles Mallore | |
| 1386 | Roger de la Chamber | John Tyndale[2] |
| 1388 (Feb) | Sir Giles Mallore | John Wydeville[2] |
| 1388 (Sep) | John Harrowden | John Mulsho[2] |
| 1390 (Jan) | Roger de la Chamber | John Mulsho[2] |
| 1390 (Nov) | John Wydeville | John Mulsho[2] |
| 1391 | Roger de la Chamber | Sir Nicholas Lilling[2] |
| 1393 | Sir Giles Mallore | John Tyndale[2] |
| 1394 | Sir Henry Green | Sir Giles Mallor4[2] |
| 1395 | Roger de la Chamber | Robert Chiselden[2] |
| 1397 (Jan) | Sir Henry Green | John Cope[2] |
| 1397 (Sep) | Hugh Northborough | John Mulsho[2] |
| 1399 | John Cope | Robert Chiselden[2] |
| 1401 | Sir Giles Mallore | John Warwick[2] |
| 1402 | Sir Giles Mallore | John Cope[2] |
| 1404 (Jan) | Sir John Trussell | Ralph Parles[2] |
| 1404 (Oct) | Ralph Green | John Cope[2] |
| 1406 | Ralph Parles / John Cope | John Warwick[2] |
| 1407 | John Tyndale | Thomas Wake[2] |
| 1410 | Sir John St. John | Ralph Green[2] |
| 1411 | Sir John St. John | William Huddlestone [2] |
| 1413 (Feb) | ||
| 1413 (May) | Nicholas Merbury | Thomas Wake[2] |
| 1414 (Apr) | Thomas Wydeville | Nicholas Merbury[2] |
| 1414 (Nov) | Sir John Trussell | John Mortimer[2] |
| 1415 | ||
| 1416 (Mar) | Sir John St. John | William Huddlestone[2] |
| 1416 (Oct) | ||
| 1417 | Thomas Mulsho | Thomas Wake[2] |
| 1419 | Thomas Strange | John Boseno[2] |
| 1420 | Sir John Beaufo | Richard Knightley[2] |
| 1421 (May) | Sir John St. John | Thomas Strange [2] |
| 1421 (Dec) | Sir John Knyvet | Simon Kynnesman[2] |
| 1423 | William Tresham | Richard Knightley |
| 1425 | John Catesby | |
| 1427 | William Tresham | |
| 1429 | William Tresham | John Catesby |
| 1431 | ? | |
| 1432 | William Tresham | |
| 1433 | William Tresham | |
| 1435 | William Tresham | |
| 1437 | ? | |
| 1439 | William Tresham | Richard Knightley |
| 1442 | William Tresham | |
| 1445 | William Tresham | |
| 1447 | William Tresham | Henry Green |
| 1449 (Feb) | William Tresham | William Catesby |
| 1449 (Oct) | William Tresham | Thomas Thorpe |
| 1450 (Nov) | Thomas Mulsho | |
| 1453 | Sir Thomas Tresham | William Catesby |
| 1459 | Sir Thomas Tresham | |
| 1484 | William Catesby | |
| 1486 | Sir Thomas Lovell | |
| 1491 | Richard Empson | Davy Philip |
| 1510–1512 | No names known[3] | |
| 1515 | ?Sir Nicholas Vaux | ? [3] |
| 1523 | ||
| 1529 | Sir William Parr | Richard Knightley[3] |
| 1536 | ||
| 1539 | Sir William Parr | Sir Thomas Tresham[3] |
| 1542 | Sir Thomas Tresham | Sir William Newenham[3] |
| 1545 | ||
| 1547 | Henry Williams | Sir John Cope[3] |
| 1553 (Mar) | Sir Nicholas Throckmorton | Robert Lane[3] |
| 1553 (Oct) | Sir John Fermor | William Chauncy[3] |
| 1554 (Apr) | Sir Thomas Tresham | Sir John Spencer[3] |
| 1554 (Nov) | Sir Thomas Tresham | William Chauncy[3] |
| 1555 | Sir John Fermor | William Chauncy[3] |
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.
| Elected | Assembled | Dissolved | First Member | Second Member |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1558 | 20 January 1558 | 17 November 1558 | Sir Walter Mildmay | Sir John Spencer |
| 1559 | 23 January 1559 | 8 May 1559 | Edward Montagu | |
| 1563 | 11 January 1563 | 2 January 1567 | Sir William Cecil | |
| 1571 | 2 April 1571 | 29 May 1571 | Sir Robert Lane | |
| 1572 | 8 May 1572 | 19 April 1583 | (Sir) Christopher Hatton | |
| 1584 | 23 November 1584 | 14 September 1585 | ||
| 1586 | 15 October 1586 | 23 March 1587 | ||
| 1588 | 4 February 1589 | 29 March 1589 | Sir Richard Knightley | |
| 1593 | 18 February 1593 | 10 April 1593 | Sir Thomas Cecil | Christopher Yelverton |
| 1597 | 24 October 1597 | 9 February 1598 | Sir Richard Knightley | |
| 1601 | 27 October 1601 | 19 December 1601 | Sir John Stanhope | Sir William Lane |
| 1604 | 19 March 1604 | 9 February 1611 | Sir Valentine Knightley | Sir Edward Montagu |
| 1614 | 5 April 1614 | 7 June 1614 | Sir William Tate[4] | |
| 1620 | 16 January 1621 | 8 February 1622 | Sir William Spencer | |
| (1621) | Richard Knightley[5] | |||
| 1624 | 12 February 1624 | 27 March 1625 | ||
| 1625 | 17 May 1625 | 12 August 1625 | ||
| 1626 | 6 February 1626 | 15 June 1626 | Sir John Pickering | |
| 1628 | 17 March 1628 | 10 March 1629 | Francis Nicolls | Richard Knightley |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments convened |
Notes