# Brackley (UK Parliament constituency)

Brackley was a parliamentary borough in Northamptonshire, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1547 until 1832, when the constituency was abolished by the Great Reform Act.

## History

The borough consisted of the town of Brackley, a market town where the main economic interests were making lace and footwear. In 1831, the population of the borough was 2,107, and the town contained 378 houses. While this by no means put it among the smallest of the rotten boroughs, it was barely the half the size which was eventually required to retain representation after 1832.
Brackley was a corporation borough, the right to vote having been restricted to the Mayor, 6 aldermen and 26 "burgesses" (the remaining members of the corporation), a total electorate of 33, in the reign of James II. The Mayor was appointed by the Lord of the Manor, and the major local landowners or "patrons" had total control over the election of MPs. In the mid 18th century the Duke of Bridgewater was able to nominate both MPs; by the time of the Reform Act, the Earl of Bridgewater nominated to one seat and the Marquess of Stafford to the other.
Brackley lost both its MPs under the provisions of the Reform Act.

## Members of Parliament
### 1547–1640

| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1547 | Henry Sidney | Francis Saunders |
| 1553 (Mar) | Robert Saunders | ?Francis Saunders |
| 1553 (Oct) | Thomas Fermor | Robert Saunders |
| 1554 (Apr) | Thomas Onley | Richard Ardern |
| 1554 (Nov) | George Ferrers | Thomas Onley |
| 1555 | George Ferrers | Thomas Boughton |
| 1558 | Robert Saunders | Drew Saunders |
| 1558–9 | Sir Thomas Knyvet | Robert Saunders |
| 1562–3 | Christopher Yelverton | Richard Lucy, died and replaced 1566 by Edward Onley |
| 1571 | Thomas Catesby | Matthew Mantell |
| 1572 | Matthew Mantell | Thomas Onley |
| 1584 (Oct) | James Croft | George Whitton |
| 1586 (Oct) | James Croft | George Whitton |
| 1588 (Oct) | Humphrey Davenport | Jerome Fermor |
| 1593 | Richard Bowle | Sidney Montagu |
| 1597 (Sep) | Robert Spencer | Ranulph Crewe |
| 1601 (Oct) | Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton | John Donne |
| 1604 | Sir Richard Spencer | William Lisle |
| 1614 | Sir William Spencer | Arthur Terringham |
| 1621 | Sir Thomas Wenman | Edward Spencer |
| 1624 | Sir Thomas Wenman | Edward Spencer |
| 1625 | Sir Thomas Wenman | Edward Spencer |
| 1626 | Sir John Hobart | John Crew |
| 1628 | Sir Thomas Wenman | John Curzon |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | No Parliaments summoned |

### 1640–1832

| Year | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party |
| November 1640 | | John Crew | Parliamentarian | | Sir Martin Lister | Parliamentarian |
| December 1648 | Both members excluded in Pride's Purge – seats vacant | Both members excluded in Pride's Purge – seats vacant | Both members excluded in Pride's Purge – seats vacant | Both members excluded in Pride's Purge – seats vacant | Both members excluded in Pride's Purge – seats vacant | Both members excluded in Pride's Purge – seats vacant |
| 1653 | Brackley was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Brackley was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Brackley was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Brackley was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Brackley was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Brackley was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate |
| January 1659 | | Thomas Crew | | | William Lisle | |
| May 1659 | Unrepresented in the restored Rump | Unrepresented in the restored Rump | Unrepresented in the restored Rump | Unrepresented in the restored Rump | Unrepresented in the restored Rump | Unrepresented in the restored Rump |
| April 1660 | | Sir Thomas Crew | | | William Lisle | |
| 1661 | | Sir Thomas Crew | | | Robert Spencer | |
| February 1679 | | Sir Thomas Crew | | | William Lisle | |
| August 1679 | | Hon. Richard Wenman | | | Sir William Egerton | |
| 1681 | | Hon. Richard Wenman | | | William Lisle | |
| 1685 | | Hon. Richard Wenman | | | James Griffin | |
| 1689 | | Hon. Richard Wenman | | | John Parkhurst | |
| 1690 | | Sir William Egerton | | | John Blencowe | |
| 1692 | | Harry Mordaunt | | | John Blencowe | |
| 1695 | | Harry Mordaunt | | | Charles Egerton | |
| 1698 | | Sir John Aubrey | | | Charles Egerton | |
| 1701 | | Harry Mordaunt | | | Charles Egerton | |
| 1702 | | John James | | | Charles Egerton | |
| May 1705 | | John Sidney | | | Charles Egerton | |
| November 1705 | | Harry Mordaunt | | | Charles Egerton | |
| 1708 | | William Egerton | | | Charles Egerton | |
| 1711 | | William Egerton | | | John Burgh | |
| 1713 | | William Egerton | | | Paul Methuen | |
| 1714 | | John Burgh | | | Henry Watkins | |
| 1715 | | William Egerton | | | Sir Paul Methuen | |
| 1733 | | Dr George Lee | | | Sir Paul Methuen | |
| 1742 | | Sewallis Shirley | | | Sir Paul Methuen | |
| 1747 | | Sewallis Shirley | | | Richard Lyttelton | |
| 1754 | | Marshe Dickinson | | | Thomas Humberston | |
| 1755 | | Marshe Dickinson | | | Sir William Moreton | |
| 1761 | | Marshe Dickinson | | | Robert Wood | |
| 1765 | | Viscount Hinchingbrooke | Tory | | Robert Wood | |
| 1768 | | William Egerton | | | Robert Wood | |
| 1771 | | William Egerton | | | Timothy Caswall | |
| 1780 | | John Egerton | Tory | | Timothy Caswall | |
| 1789 | | John Egerton | Tory | | Samuel Haynes | |
| 1802 | | John Egerton | Tory | | Robert Haldane Bradshaw | Tory |
| 1803 | | Anthony Henderson | Tory | | Robert Haldane Bradshaw | Tory |
| 1810 | | Henry Wrottesley | Tory | | Robert Haldane Bradshaw | Tory |
| 1825 | | James Bradshaw | Tory | | Robert Haldane Bradshaw | Tory |
| 1832 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |