# Surrey (UK Parliament constituency)

Surrey 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. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832.
The constituency was split into two two-member divisions, for Parliamentary purposes, in 1832. The county was then represented by the East Surrey and West Surrey constituencies.

## Boundaries

Surrey is one of the historic counties of England, located south of the River Thames, in south east England. The constituency comprised the whole county but had six towns which were boroughs for some of when it was a constituency: Bletchingley, Gatton, Guildford, Haslemere, Reigate and Southwark - each of which elected two MPs in their own right, these were not excluded from the county constituency, and owning property within the boroughs could confer a vote at the county election.)

## Members of Parliament
### 1290-1640

| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1290 | Roland of Oxted | |
| 1360 | Nicholas Carew | |
| 1377 (Oct) | Nicholas Carew | |
| 1378 | John Hathersham I |
| 1379 | John Legh | |
| 1380 (Nov) | William Weston I | |
| 1381 | John Hathersham I | |
| 1382 (May) | John Hathersham I | |
| 1383 (Oct) | John Hathersham I | |
| 1386 | Sir James Berners | John Newdigate |
| 1388 (Feb) | John Hathersham I | Hugh Quecche |
| 1388 (Sep) | John Thorpe | Thomas Kynnersley |
| 1390 (Jan) | John Thorpe | John Hathersham I |
| 1390 (Nov) | William Weston I | John Bentley |
| 1391 | Sir Thomas Brewes | Ralph Cuddington |
| 1393 | Sir Thomas Brewes | William Weston I |
| 1394 | Nicholas Carew | William Weston I |
| 1395 | Nicholas Carew | Robert Loxley |
| 1397 (Jan) | Nicholas Carew | William Weston I |
| 1397 (Sep) | Nicholas Carew | Thomas Wintershall |
| 1399 | John Hathersham II | Ralph Cuddington |
| 1401 | William Weston I | John Wintershall |
| 1402 | John Waterton | Ralph Cuddington |
| 1404 (Jan) | Sir William Brantingham | John Wintershall |
| 1404 (Oct) | Sir William Brantingham | William Croyser |
| 1406 | John Wintershall | John Gravesend |
| 1407 | Ralph Cuddington | Robert Bussebridge |
| 1410 | |
| 1411 | |
| 1413 (Feb) | |
| 1413 (May) | John Burgh II | William Yerde |
| 1414 (Apr) | John Bonet | John Clipsham |
| 1414 (Nov) | John Burgh II | John Wintershall |
| 1415 | John Burgh II | William Weston I |
| 1416 (Mar) | John Burgh II | William Yerde |
| 1416 (Oct) | |
| 1417 | Nicholas Carew | John Clipsham |
| 1419 | William Weston I | William Yerde |
| 1420 | Robert Skerne | William Ottworth |
| 1421 (May) | John Clipsham | John Bonet |
| 1421 (Dec) | John Clipsham | William Ottworth |
| 1422 | Robert Skerne | |
| 1423 | John Clipsham | |
| 1425 | John Wintershall | |
| 1426 | John Clipsham | |
| 1427 | John Clipsham | |
| 1433 | John Wintershall | |
| 1441 | Anthony Brocas | |
| 1459 | Ralph Legh | |
| 1460 | John Wood | |
| 1478 | John Wood | |
| 1510–1523 | No names known |
| 1529 | Sir William Fitzwilliam | Sir Nicholas Carew |
| 1536 | ?Sir William Fitzwilliam | ? |
| 1539 | Sir Anthony Browne | Sir Christopher More |
| 1542 | Sir Anthony Browne | Robert Southwell |
| 1545 | Sir Anthony Browne | Sir Edmund Walsingham |
| 1547 | Sir Anthony Browne, died 1548 and repl. Jan 1552 by Sir Thomas Cawarden | Sir Christopher More, died 1549 and repl. Feb 1552 by John Vaughan |
| 1553 (Mar) | Sir Thomas Cawarden | Sir Thomas Saunders |
| 1553 (Oct) | Sir Edward Bray | William Saunders |
| 1554 (Apr) | Sir Anthony Browne | Sir Edward Bray |
| 1554 (Nov) | Sir Thomas Cawarden | William Saunders |
| 1555 | William Saunders | John Skinner |
| 1558 | Sir Thomas Saunders | John Skinner |
| Parliament of 1559 | Sir Thomas Cawarden | Thomas Browne |
| Parliament of 1563-1567 | Hon. Charles Howard | William More |
| Parliament of 1571 | Sir Henry Weston | William More |
| Parliament of 1572-1583 | Hon. (Sir) Charles Howard, ennobled 1573 | Thomas Lyfield |
| By-election 1574 | Sir Francis Walsingham | Thomas Lyfield |
| Parliament of 1584-1585 | Sir Francis Walsingham | Sir William More |
| Parliament of 1586-1587 | Sir Francis Walsingham | Sir William More |
| Parliament of 1588-1589 | Sir Francis Walsingham | William Howard |
| Parliament of 1593 | Sir John Wolley | Sir William More |
| Parliament of 1597-1598 | Lord Howard of Effingham (1597) Hon. Charles Howard (1597-8) | (Sir) George More |
| Parliament of 1601 | Lord Howard of Effingham | (Sir) George More |
| Parliament of 1604-1611 | Sir Edmund Bowyer | Sir Robert More |
| Addled Parliament (1614) | Sir Edmund Bowyer | Sir George More |
| Parliament of 1621-1622 | Sir Nicholas Carew | Sir George More |
| Happy Parliament (1624-1625) | Sir Robert More | Sir Thomas Grimes |
| Useless Parliament (1625) | Sir Francis Leigh | Sir George More |
| Parliament of 1625-1626 | Sir Francis Vincent | Sir George More |
| Parliament of 1628-1629 | Sir Ambrose Browne | Sir Richard Onslow |
| No Parliament summoned 1629-1640 |||

### MPs 1640–1832

| Year | First member | First member | First party | Second member | Second member | Second party |
| April 1640 | | Sir Ambrose Browne | Parliamentarian | | Sir Richard Onslow | Parliamentarian |
| November 1640 | | Sir Ambrose Browne | Parliamentarian | | Sir Richard Onslow | Parliamentarian |
| December 1648 | Browne and Onslow excluded in Pride's Purge - both seats vacant | Browne and Onslow excluded in Pride's Purge - both seats vacant | Browne and Onslow excluded in Pride's Purge - both seats vacant | Browne and Onslow excluded in Pride's Purge - both seats vacant | Browne and Onslow excluded in Pride's Purge - both seats vacant | Browne and Onslow excluded in Pride's Purge - both seats vacant |
| 1653 | | Samuel Highland | | | Lawrence March | |
| Surrey's representation was increased to six members in the First and Second parliaments of the Protectorate |||||||
| 1654 | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Major-General John Lambert, Robert Holman, Colonel Robert Wood | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Major-General John Lambert, Robert Holman, Colonel Robert Wood | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Major-General John Lambert, Robert Holman, Colonel Robert Wood | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Major-General John Lambert, Robert Holman, Colonel Robert Wood | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Major-General John Lambert, Robert Holman, Colonel Robert Wood | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Major-General John Lambert, Robert Holman, Colonel Robert Wood |
| 1656 | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Lewis Audley, George Duncombe, John Blackwell | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Lewis Audley, George Duncombe, John Blackwell | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Lewis Audley, George Duncombe, John Blackwell | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Lewis Audley, George Duncombe, John Blackwell | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Lewis Audley, George Duncombe, John Blackwell | Sir Richard Onslow, Arthur Onslow, Francis Drake, Lewis Audley, George Duncombe, John Blackwell |
| Representation reverted to two members in the Third Protectorate Parliament |||||||
| January 1659 | | Arthur Onslow | | | Francis Drake | |
| May 1659 | Not represented in the restored Rump | Not represented in the restored Rump | Not represented in the restored Rump | Not represented in the restored Rump | Not represented in the restored Rump | Not represented in the restored Rump |
| April 1660 | | The Lord Aungier | | | Daniel Harvey | |
| 1661 | | (Sir) Adam Browne | | | Sir Edmund Bowyer | |
| 1679 | | Arthur Onslow | | | George Evelyn | |
| 1685 | | Sir Adam Browne | | | Sir Edward Evelyn | |
| 1689 | | Sir Richard Onslow | Whig | | George Evelyn | |
| 1690 | | Sir Richard Onslow | Whig | | Sir Francis Vincent | |
| 1695 | | Sir Richard Onslow | Whig | | Denzil Onslow | Whig |
| 1698 | | Sir Richard Onslow | Whig | | John Weston | |
| 1702 | | Sir Richard Onslow | Whig | | Leonard Wessell | |
| 1705 | | Sir Richard Onslow | Whig | | Sir William Scawen | |
| 1710 | | Hon. Heneage Finch | | | Sir Francis Vincent | |
| 1713 | | Hon. Heneage Finch | | | Sir Richard Onslow | Whig |
| 1715 by-election | | Hon. Heneage Finch | | | Thomas Onslow | Whig |
| 1717 by-election | | Hon. Heneage Finch | | | Denzil Onslow | Whig |
| 1719 by-election | | John Walter | | | Denzil Onslow | Whig |
| 1721 by-election | | John Walter | | | Sir William Scawen | |
| 1722 | | John Walter | | | Sir Nicholas Carew | |
| April 1727 by-election | | John Walter | | | Thomas Scawen | |
| August 1727 | | Arthur Onslow | | | Thomas Scawen | |
| 1741 | | Arthur Onslow | | | The Lord Baltimore | |
| 1751 by-election | | Arthur Onslow | | | Thomas Budgen | |
| 1761 | | George Onslow | | | Sir Francis Vincent | |
| 1774 | | James Scawen | | | Sir Francis Vincent | |
| 1775 by-election | | James Scawen | | | Sir Joseph Mawbey, Bt | Radical |
| 1780 | | Admiral the Hon. Augustus Keppel | | | Sir Joseph Mawbey, Bt | Radical |
| 1782 by-election | | Viscount Althorp | | | Sir Joseph Mawbey, Bt | Radical |
| 1783 by-election | | Sir Robert Clayton | | | Sir Joseph Mawbey, Bt | Radical |
| 1784 | | Hon. William Norton | | | Sir Joseph Mawbey, Bt | Radical |
| 1789 by-election | | Lord William Russell | Whig | | Sir Joseph Mawbey, Bt | Radical |
| 1790 | | Lord William Russell | Whig | | Captain the Hon. William Finch | |
| 1794 by-election | | Lord William Russell | Whig | | Sir John Frederick | Tory |
| 1807 | | Samuel Thornton | Tory | | George Holme Sumner | Tory |
| 1812 | | Sir Thomas Sutton | Tory | | George Holme Sumner | Tory |
| 1813 by-election | | Samuel Thornton | Tory | | George Holme Sumner | Tory |
| 1818 | | William Joseph Denison | Whig | | George Holme Sumner | Tory |
| 1826 | | William Joseph Denison | Whig | | Charles Nicholas Pallmer | Whig |
| 1830 | | William Joseph Denison | Whig | | John Ivatt Briscoe | Whig |
| 1832 | constituency divided | constituency divided | constituency divided | constituency divided | constituency divided | constituency divided |
Notes
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "History of Parliament". Retrieved 17 September 2011.
* 1 2 Satchell, Max (2004). "Wood, Sir John, speaker of the House of commons". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29875. Retrieved 1 December 2011. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "History of Parliament". Retrieved 17 September 2011.
* ↑ Sir William Howard was elected in 1597 but before Parliament met his father was elevated to an Earldom and he thus acquired the courtesy title Lord Howard of Effingham. It seems to have been mistakenly supposed that this disqualified him from sitting in the House of Commons, and his younger brother was nominated to replace him. See Neale, op. cit., p 47
* ↑ Lambert was also elected for the West Riding of Yorkshire
* ↑ Succeeded to a baronetcy, August 1661
* ↑ Styled Lord Guernsey from 1714
* ↑ Rear Admiral from 1794

## Elections

The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each voter had as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which took place in the county town of Guildford. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of voters, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.
The expense, to candidates, of contested elections encouraged the leading families of the county to agree on the candidates to be returned unopposed whenever possible. Contested county elections were therefore unusual.
Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote.

### Parliament of the United Kingdom 1801-1832

General election 1802: Surrey (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Lord William Russell | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Tory | Sir John Frederick, Bt | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
* Seat vacated on appointment of Russell as a Lord of the Admiralty 10 February 1806
By-election 22 February 1806: Surrey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Lord William Russell | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
* Note (1806 by-election): (Source: The Times edition of 24 February 1806)
General election 1806: Surrey (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Lord William Russell | 315 | 43.45 | N/A |
| | Tory | Samuel Thornton | 246 | 33.93 | N/A |
| | Tory | Sir John Frederick, Bt | 164 | 22.62 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 69 | 9.52 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 725 | | N/A |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | | |
* Note (1806): Poll 2 days. "Although Mr. Thornton had lost his election for Hull, he resigned on the second day in favour of Sir J. Frederick, who was last on the poll". (Source: Stooks Smith)
General election 1807: Surrey (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | Samuel Thornton | 1,471 | 52.48 | +18.55 |
| | Tory | George Holme Sumner | 994 | 35.46 | +35.46 |
| | Whig | Lord William Russell | 338 | 12.06 | −31.39 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 956 | 23.40 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,803 | | |
| | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Swing | | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | | |
General election 1812: Surrey (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | George Holme Sumner | 1,924 | 40.66 | +5.20 |
| | Tory | Thomas Sutton (MP) | 1,791 | 37.85 | +37.85 |
| | Tory | Sir Thomas Turton, 1st Baronet | 1,017 | 21.49 | +21.49 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 774 | 16.36 | −6.96 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,732 | | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | | |
* Note (1807): Poll 9 days; 3,296 freeholders cast 4,732 votes. (Source: Stooks Smith)
* Death of Sutton
By-election November 1813: Surrey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | Samuel Thornton | 1,133 | 69.04 | N/A |
| | Tory | Sir Thomas Turton, 1st Baronet | 508 | 30.96 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 625 | 38.08 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,641 | | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Note (1813 by-election): Poll 4 days; 1,641 freeholders voted. (Source: Stooks Smith)
General election 1818: Surrey (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | George Holme Sumner | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Whig | William Joseph Denison | Unopposed | N/A | New |
General election 1820: Surrey (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | George Holme Sumner | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Whig | William Joseph Denison | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
General election 1826: Surrey (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | William Joseph Denison | 2,309 | 40.23 | N/A |
| | Whig | Charles Nicholas Pallmer | 2,056 | 35.82 | N/A |
| | Tory | George Holme Sumner | 1,375 | 23.95 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 681 | 12.87 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,740 | | N/A |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Swing | | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | | |
* Note (1826): Poll 5 days; 3,743 freeholders cast 5,740 votes. (Source: Stooks Smith)
General election 1830: Surrey (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | William Joseph Denison | 2,159 | 44.08 | +3.85 |
| | Whig | John Ivatt Briscoe | 1,487 | 30.36 | +30.36 |
| | Tory | Hylton Jolliffe | 1,252 | 25.56 | +1.61 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 235 | 4.80 | −8.07 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,898 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | | |
* Note (1830): Poll 3 days; 2,977 freeholders cast 4,898 votes. (Source: Stooks Smith)
General election 1831: Surrey (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | William Joseph Denison | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Whig | John Ivatt Briscoe | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
* Constituency abolished - county split into two divisions (1832)