Parliamentary representation from Berkshire

The historic county of Berkshire, in the 21st century region of South East England, was represented in Parliament from the 13th century. This article provides a list of constituencies constituting the Parliamentary representation from Berkshire.

In 1889 Berkshire became an administrative county. In 1974 a new shire county of Berkshire lost the Abingdon area to Oxfordshire, while the Slough district was transferred from Buckinghamshire. In 1997 the ceremonial county of Berkshire was divided between several unitary authorities.

The first part of this article covers the constituencies wholly or predominantly within the area of the historic county of Berkshire, both before and after the administrative changes of 1889, 1974 and 1997. The second part refers to constituencies mostly in another historic county, which included some territory from the historic county of Berkshire. The summaries section only refers to the constituencies included in the first section of the constituency list.

List of constituencies

Article names are followed by (UK Parliament constituency). The constituencies which existed in 1707 were those previously represented in the Parliament of England.

Key to abbreviations:-

  • (Type) BC Borough constituency, CC County constituency.
  • (County in Notes) B1 historic county of Berkshire (to 1889), B2 administrative county of Berkshire (1889–1974), B3 shire/ceremonial county of Berkshire (from 1974), O shire county of Oxfordshire.

Constituencies wholly or predominantly in the historic county

Constituency Type From To MPs Notes
Abingdon BC (1558–1885) 1558 1983 1 B1, B2, O
CC (1885–1983)
Berkshire CC 1290 1885 2 (1290–1654) B1
5 (1654–1659)
2 (1659–1832)
3 (1832–1885)
East Berkshire CC 1983 1997 1 B3
Bracknell CC 1997 * 1 B3
Maidenhead CC 1997 * 1 B
Newbury CC 1885 * 1 B1, B2, B3
Reading BC 1295 1950 2 (1295–1654) B1, B2: Includes Parliamentary Borough of Reading
article for pre-1885.
1 (1654–1659)
2 (1659–1885)
1 (1885–1950)
BC 1955 1974 1
Reading East CC (1983–1997) 1983 * 1 B3
BC (1997–*)
Reading North BC 1950 1955 1 B2, B3
1974 1983
Reading South BC 1950 1955 1 B2, B3
CC 1974 1983
Reading West CC 1983 * 1 B3
Wallingford BC 1295 1885 2 (1295–1832) B1: Unrepresented 1654–1659
1 (1832–1885)
Windsor BC 1302 By 1377 2 B1, B2, B3: Including New Windsor. Unrepresented
1654–1659. Includes part of the historic
counties of Buckinghamshire and Middlesex from 1997.
BC (1424–1918) 1424 1974 2 (1424–1868)
CC (1918–1974) 1 (1868–1974)
CC 1997 * 1
Windsor and Maidenhead CC 1974 1997 1 B3: Includes part of historic county of Buckinghamshire
from 1983.
Wokingham CC 1885 1918 1 B1, B2, B3
1950 *

Constituencies mostly in another historic county

Constituency Type From To MPs Notes
Oxford West and Abingdon CC 1983 * 1 O: Includes the Abingdon area.
Wantage CC 1983 * 1 O: Includes the Wallingford area.

Periods constituencies represented

  1290–1295 1295–1302 1302–<1377 <1377–1424 1424–1558 1558–1654 1654–1659 1659–1832
Abingdon   1558–1983
Berkshire 1290–1885
Reading   1295–1950
Wallingford   1295–1654   1659–1885
Windsor   1302–<1377   1424–1654   1659–1974
  1832–1885 1885–1918 1918–1950 1950–1955 1955–1974 1974–1983 1983–1997 1997–*
Abingdon 1558–1983  
Berkshire 1290–1885  
East Berkshire   1983–1997  
Bracknell   1997–*
Maidenhead   1997–*
Newbury   1885–*
Oxford West and Abingdon   1983–*
Reading 1295–1950   1955–1974  
Reading East   1983–*
Reading North   1950–1955   1974–1983  
Reading South   1950–1955   1974–1983  
Reading West   1983–*
Wallingford 1659–1885  
Wantage   1983–*
Windsor 1659–1974   1997–*
Windsor and Maidenhead   1974–1997  
Wokingham   1885–1918   1950–*

Summaries

Summary of Constituencies by Type and Period

Type 1290 1295 1302 <1377 1424 1558 1654 1659 1832 1868 1885 1918 1950 1955 1974 1983 1997
Borough – 2 3 2 3 4 2 4 4 4 2 1 2 1 1 – 1
County 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 4 4 5 6 6
Total 1 3 4 3 4 5 3 5 5 5 5 4 6 5 6 6 7

Summary of members of parliament by Type and Period

Type 1290 1295 1302 <1377 1424 1558 1654 1659 1832 1868 1885 1918 1950 1955 1974 1983 1997
Borough – 4 6 4 6 7 2 7 6 5 2 1 2 1 1 – 1
County 2 2 2 2 2 2 5 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 6 6
Total 2 6 8 6 8 9 7 9 9 8 5 4 6 5 6 6 7

See also

References

  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • British Parliamentary Constituencies: A Statistical Compendium, by Ivor Crewe and Anthony Fox (Faber and Faber 1984)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press 1977)
  • The House of Commons 1509–1558, by S.T. Bindoff (Secker & Warburg 1982)
  • The House of Commons 1558–1603, by P.W. Hasler (HMSO 1981)
  • The House of Commons 1660–1690, by Basil Duke Henning (Secker & Warburg 1983)
  • The House of Commons 1715–1754, by Romney Sedgwick (HMSO 1970)
  • The House of Commons 1754–1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke (HMSO 1964)
  • The House of Commons 1790–1820, by R.G. Thorne (Secker & Warburg 1986)
  • 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) out of copyright