# Aldborough (UK Parliament constituency)

Aldborough was a parliamentary borough located in the West Riding of Yorkshire, abolished in the Great Reform Act 1832.

## Boundaries

Aldborough was a small borough (not even including the whole parish of Aldborough, since Boroughbridge, also within the boundaries, was also a borough with its own two MPs). By the time of the Reform Act 1832 it had a population only just over 500 and an electorate of less than 100. This made it a pocket borough and easy for the local landowner to dominate.

## History

Aldborough returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1558 until 1832.
It was a "scot and lot" borough, meaning that any man paying the poor rate was eligible to vote.
In the 18th century, Aldborough was controlled by the Duke of Newcastle. In April 1754 Newcastle, who had just become Prime Minister, selected his junior colleague and future Prime Minister, William Pitt (Pitt the Elder), to sit as its MP. Pitt represented Aldborough for two-and-a-half years, but having fallen out with Newcastle and been dismissed from his ministry, he was forced to find a new constituency when he next needed to be re-elected to the Commons in 1756.

## Members of Parliament

* Constituency created (1558)

### MPs 1558–1640

| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1558 | John Gascoigne II | John Browne II |
| 1559 | Richard Onslow | Richard Assheton |
| 1563 | William Lambarde | Anthony Tailboyes |
| 1571 | Thomas Eynns | Barnaby Googe |
| 1572 | Richard Bunny II | Richard Tempest |
| 1584 | William Waad | David Waterhouse |
| 1586 | George Horsey | Ralph Hurleston |
| 1588 | Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron | David Waterhouse |
| 1593 | Andrew Fisher | Edward Hancock |
| 1597 | Henry Bellasis | Richard Gargrave> |
| 1601 | Sir Edward Cecil | Richard Theakston |
| 1604–1611 | Sir Henry Savile | Sir Edmund Sheffield |
| 1614 | Sir Henry Savile | George Wetherid |
| 1621 | Christopher Wandesford | John Carvile |
| 1624 | Christopher Wandesford | John Carvile |
| 1625 | Richard Aldborough | John Carvile |
| 1626 | Richard Aldborough | John Carvile |
| 1628 | Henry Darley | Robert Stapleton |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | No Parliaments summoned |

### MPs 1640–1832

| Year | First member | First party | Second member | Second party |
| April 1640 | Richard Aldeburgh | Royalist | Brian Palmes | Royalist |
| November 1640 | Richard Aldeburgh | Royalist | Robert Strickland | Royalist |
| September 1642 | Richard Aldeburgh | Royalist | Strickland disabled to sit – seat vacant | Strickland disabled to sit – seat vacant |
| January 1643 | Aldeburgh disabled to sit – seat vacant | Aldeburgh disabled to sit – seat vacant | | Strickland disabled to sit – seat vacant | Strickland disabled to sit – seat vacant |
| 1645 | Thomas Scott (died January 1648) | | Brian Stapylton | |
| March (?) 1648 | James Chaloner | | Brian Stapylton | |
| December 1648 | James Chaloner | | Stapylton not recorded as having sat after Pride's Purge | Stapylton not recorded as having sat after Pride's Purge |
| 1653 | Aldborough was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Aldborough was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Aldborough was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Aldborough was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate |
| January 1659 | Francis Goodricke | | John Lambert | |
| May 1659 | No representatives in the restored Rump | No representatives in the restored Rump | No representatives in the restored Rump | No representatives in the restored Rump |
| 1660 | Sir Solomon Swale, Bt | | Francis Goodricke | |
| 1673 | Sir Solomon Swale, Bt | | Sir John Reresby, Bt | |
| 1678 | Ruisshe Wentworth | | Sir John Reresby, Bt | |
| February 1679 | Henry Arthington | | Sir John Reresby, Bt | |
| May 1679 | Henry Arthington | | Sir Godfrey Copley, Bt | |
| August 1679 | Sir Brian Stapylton, Bt | | Sir Godfrey Copley, Bt | |
| 1681 | Sir John Reresby, Bt | | Sir Godfrey Copley, Bt | |
| 1685 | Sir Michael Wentworth | | Sir Roger Strickland | |
| 1689 | Sir Michael Wentworth | | Christopher Tancred | |
| 1696 | Henry Fairfax | | Christopher Tancred | |
| January 1698 | William Wentworth | | Christopher Tancred | |
| July 1698 | Sir George Cooke | | Sir Abstrupus Danby | |
| 1701 | Robert Monckton | Whig | Cyril Arthington | |
| 1702 | Robert Monckton | Whig | William Jessop | Whig |
| 1713 | John Dawnay | | Paul Foley | |
| February 1715 | James Stanhope | Whig | William Jessop | Whig |
| April 1715 by-election | William Monson | | William Jessop | Whig |
| 1722 | Charles Stanhope | | William Jessop | Whig |
| 1734 | Henry Pelham | Whig | William Jessop | Whig |
| 1735 by-election | John Jewkes | Whig | Andrew Wilkinson | Whig |
| 1743 by-election | Nathaniel Newnham | | Andrew Wilkinson | Whig |
| 1754 | William Pitt | Whig | Andrew Wilkinson | Whig |
| 1756 by-election | Nathaniel Cholmley | | Andrew Wilkinson | Whig |
| 1765 by-election | Nathaniel Cholmley | | Viscount Villiers | |
| 1768 | Hon. Aubrey Beauclerk | | Andrew Wilkinson | Whig |
| 1772 by-election | Hon. Aubrey Beauclerk | | Earl of Lincoln | Tory |
| 1774 | Charles Wilkinson | | Abel Smith | Tory |
| 1777 by-election | William Baker | | Abel Smith | Tory |
| 1778 by-election | William Baker | | Hon. William Hanger | |
| September 1780 | Sir Richard Sutton, Bt | | Charles Mellish | |
| November 1780 by-election | Edward Onslow | | Charles Mellish | |
| 1781 by-election | Sir Samuel Fludyer, Bt | | Charles Mellish | |
| January 1784 by-election | Sir Samuel Fludyer, Bt | | John Gally Knight | |
| March 1784 | Richard Arden | Whig | John Gally Knight | |
| 1790 | Trench Chiswell | | John Gally Knight | |
| 1796 | Trench Chiswell | | Charles Duncombe | |
| 1797 by-election | John Blackburn | | Charles Duncombe | |
| 1802 | John Sullivan | | Charles Duncombe | |
| 1806 | Henry Fynes | Tory | Gilbert Jones | Tory |
| 1812 | Henry Fynes | Tory | Henry Dawkins | Tory |
| 1814 by-election | Henry Fynes | Tory | Henry Gally Knight | Tory |
| 1815 by-election | Henry Fynes | Tory | Granville Harcourt-Vernon | Tory |
| 1820 | Henry Fynes | Tory | Gibbs Antrobus | Tory |
| 1826 | Clinton James Fynes Clinton | Tory | Sir Alexander Grant, Bt | Tory |
| 1830 | Clinton James Fynes Clinton | Tory | Viscount Stormont | Ultra-Tory |
| 1831 | Clinton James Fynes Clinton | Tory | Michael Thomas Sadler | Tory |
| 1832 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

#### Notes

* ↑ Lambert was also elected for Pontefract, which he chose to represent. The vacancy was unfilled when the Parliament ended
* ↑ At the by-election in November 1673, the Returning Officer made a double return of Reresby and Robert Benson; the dispute was decided in Reresby's favour, and he took his seat, in April 1675.
* ↑ Sir John Reresby was declared re-elected at the general election in February 1679 but unseated on petition, Copley being elected in his place.
* ↑ Fairfax's election was voided by a resolution of the House of Commons (21 December 1696) for breaking the law in his spending on the election; the writ to hold a new election was not issued until December 1697
* ↑ A petition was raised against Dawnay's election that had not been resolved by the time the Parliament was dissolved. Dawnay had also been elected for Pontefract and, not being required to choose which constituency he would represent while there was an outstanding petition against one of the elections, sat for both boroughs throughout the Parliament
* ↑ Stanhope was also elected for Cockermouth, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Aldborough
* ↑ Pelham was also elected for Sussex, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Aldborough
* ↑ Sutton was also elected for Sandwich, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Aldborough
* ↑ Sir Richard Arden from 1788

## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1831: Aldborough :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | Clinton James Fynes Clinton | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Tory | Michael Thomas Sadler | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 80 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election 1830: Aldborough :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Tory | Clinton James Fynes Clinton | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Ultra-Tory | William Murray | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
| Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |