# Hertfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Hertfordshire was a county constituency covering the county of Hertfordshire in England. It returned two Knights of the Shire to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1832. The Reform Act 1832 gave the county a third seat with effect from the 1832 general election.
Elections were held using the bloc vote system, when contested. However, even after the 1832 reforms, contested elections were the exception: of the 17 elections from 1832 to 1880, 9 were uncontested, including the 1880 general election. In such cases all the nominated candidates were returned without a vote.

## History

The constituency consisted of the historic county of Hertfordshire. (Although Hertfordshire contained two boroughs, Hertford and St Albans, each of which elected two MPs in its own right, these were not excluded from the county constituency, and owning property within the borough could confer a vote at the county election.)
As in other county constituencies the franchise between 1430 and 1832 was defined by the Forty Shilling Freeholder Act, which gave the right to vote to every man who possessed freehold property within the county valued at £2 or more per year for the purposes of land tax; it was not necessary for the freeholder to occupy his land, nor even in later years to be resident in the county at all.
Except during the period of the Commonwealth, Hertfordshire has two MPs elected by the bloc vote method, under which each voter had two votes. In the nominated Barebones Parliament, two members represented Hertfordshire. In the First and Second Parliaments of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate, however, there was a general redistribution of seats and Hertfordshire elected five members, while each of the boroughs had their representation reduced to a single MP. The traditional arrangements were restored from 1659.

### General character of the constituency before the Reform Act

At the time of the Great Reform Act in 1832, Hertfordshire had a population of approximately 143,000, and was entirely agricultural in character, although there was a limited urban vote: at the election of 1805, when 2628 votes were cast, four towns (St Albans, Bishops Stortford, Ware and Hitchin) provided more than 100 votes each though none provided more than 160.
Elections were held at a single polling place, Hertford, and voters from the rest of the county had to travel to the county town to exercise their franchise; but in a physically small county like Hertfordshire, with good roads, this was less prohibitively expensive than in some others. (It was normal for voters to expect the candidates for whom they voted to meet their expenses in travelling to the poll, making the cost of a contested election substantial in many counties. Even in Hertfordshire, it was reported that accommodation and entertainment for the voters at the county meeting in September 1774 cost the candidates £4,000; and that was merely a meeting to discuss the candidates and see if consensus could be reached without the need for a contest – the cost of the poll the following month, that in the end could not be averted, was on top of this.)
Contested elections were relatively frequent (there were contests at 13 of the 28 general elections between 1701 and 1831), and were often vigorously fought – the voters valued their independence, and at least from the middle of the 18th century no landed interests had much influence over them, although fifty years earlier the local gentry reckoned to return one of the two MPs without opposition.

### The by-election of 1805

Peter Jupp includes in his collection of documents relating to elections round the turn of the 19th century a contemporary account of the Hertfordshire by-election, written by one of the candidates, William Baker, which gives a vivid picture of electioneering in the county at this period. The election was a straight fight between Baker and Hon. Thomas Brand to fill the vacancy left by the death of Hon. Peniston Lamb; Baker had been the county's MP until three years previously, and was backed by Pitt and his government, while Brand had particular support among the religious dissenters.
Baker's campaign took the form of a personal canvass of the voters, by visiting every town and village of any size in the county, if possible on market day: Hertford on the 26th; Ware on the 28th; then Watton; Stevenage; Hitchin and Baldock on the same day; and so through the whole of Hertfordshire in two weeks, over snow-bound roads with even the high road between St Albans and Berkhamsted barely passable in places. He travelled mostly on horseback, his carriage "attending me as it could at intervals by the great roads, and meeting me at the places where I was to sleep". In most of the county he had already pledges of solid support (he records that at Stevenage he had "nothing to do but go round... and thank the voters for their promises already made in my favour to their Rector"), and where possible in each place he was met by the local magnates who joined him in his canvassing to demonstrate their support.
The informality of the election itself seems strange today. After the candidates had made their final speeches at Hertford, the Sheriff took a show of hands and could have ended the proceedings there and then, had the candidates been content; but, Brand demanding the poll that was his right everybody proceeded to the hustings. Voting thus began around one in the afternoon. The poll was continued on the second day, the arrangement being that voting would be from eight o'clock until three, but ended as soon as Brand admitted defeat, some half-an-hour before the agreed deadline. By this time Baker had 1,556 votes and Brand only 1,076, and plainly he felt he had too few supporters unpolled to have any hope of making up the deficit.
The election ended in typically rumbustious fashion. Baker having been declared the victor, his supporters celebrated by chairing their candidate round the town, but
    "Wilshere's coachman... had the insolence to drive his master's carriage full speed through the crowd at the time of chairing, to the risk of the lives of hundreds. Providentially, however, no person was materially injured. Brand made an apology to me afterwards by letter for the outrage, and Wilshere, though not at my desire, has since turned the servant away..." - Letter of William Baker to his son, 22 February 1805, in Hertfordshire County Records Office, quoted by Jupp, op cit

### After the Reform Act

In 1832, the Great Reform Act increased the county's representation from two to three MPs (a change that had not been in the original Reform Bill of 1830 but was adopted the following year), as well as making minor boundary changes. (One parish, Coleshill, was transferred to Buckinghamshire.) The extension of the franchise to tenants-at-will, copyholders and leaseholders increased the electorate a little, but the 4,245 electors registered in 1832 was not much higher than the 4,000 qualified voters who have been estimated for 1754. However, the electorate grew by almost half over the next thirty years, and the extension of the franchise in 1868 increased the electorate still further, to more than 9,000.

### Abolition

The borough of St Albans was disenfranchised for corruption in 1852 and the borough of Hertford was reduced to single-member representation by the 1867 Reform Act. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the borough of Hertford ceased to exist, and the county of Hertfordshire was divided into four new single-member constituencies: the Mid or St Albans division of Hertfordshire, the Eastern or Hertford division, the Northern or Hitchin division and the Western or Watford division.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1290–1640

| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1294 | Roger Bryan |
| 1296 | Roger Bryan |
| 1306 | Ranulph de Monte Canisto |
| 1312, 1337, 1349 | Sir Phillip de Peletot | |
| 1377 (Jan) | Sir Walter Lee | |
| 1379 | Sir Walter Lee | |
| 1380 (Jan) | Sir Walter Lee | |
| 1380 (Nov) | Sir Walter Lee | |
| 1381 | Sir Walter Lee | |
| 1384 | Sir Edward Benstede | |
| 1385 | Sir Walter Lee | |
| 1386 | Sir Walter Lee | Thomas Lee |
| 1388 (February) | Sir Walter Lee | Sir Robert Turk |
| 1388 (September) | Sir Walter Lee | Sir Robert Turk |
| 1390 (January) | Sir Walter Lee | Sir John Thornbury |
| 1390 (November) | Sir Walter Lee | John Ruggewyn |
| 1391 | John Norbury | Sir John Thornbury |
| 1393 | Sir Robert Turk | John Ruggewyn |
| 1394 | Richard de la Pantry | John Ruggewyn |
| 1395 | Sir Thomas Morewell | John Ruggewyn |
| 1397 (January) | Sir Edward Benstede | John Ruggewyn |
| 1397 (September) | Sir Edward Benstede | John Ruggewyn |
| 1399 | Sir Edward Benstede | John Ludwick |
| 1401 | Sir Thomas de la Barre | Robert Newport |
| 1402 | Sir Edward Benstede | Sir Robert Corbet |
| 1404 (January) | Sir John Poultney | Sir Robert Corbet |
| 1404 (October) | Sir John Poultney | William Parker |
| 1406 | Sir John Poultney | John Goldington |
| 1407 | William Parker | Sir Thomas de la Barre |
| 1410 | |
| 1411 | Sir Thomas de la Barre | Robert Newport |
| 1413 (February) | |
| 1413 (May) | John Hotoft | John Leventhorpe |
| 1414 (April) | John Hotoft | William Flete{ |
| 1414 (November) | John Hotoft | William Flete |
| 1415 | |
| 1416 (March) | John Hotoft | John Leventhorpe |
| 1416 (October) | |
| 1417 | Sir Philip Thornbury | John Hotoft |
| 1419 | John Fray | John Hotoft |
| 1420 | John Fray | John Barley |
| 1421 (May) | Robert Louthe | William Rokesburgh |
| 1421 (December) | Sir Philip Thornbury | John Kirby |
| 1422 | John Leventhorpe | John Hotoft |
| 1427 | Sir John Tyrell |
| 1435 | Thomas Broket |
| 1439 | Sir John Cressy |
| 1447 | John Troutbeck |
| 1449 | Sir Robert Wingfield |
| October 1450 | Sir William Oldhall | |
| March 1453 | John Say | Bartholemew Halley |
| April 1453 | John Say | Bartholemew Halley |
| February 1454 | John Say | Bartholemew Halley |
| 1463 | Sir John Say |
| 1467 | Sir John Say |
| 1472 | Sir John Say |
| January 1478 | Sir John Say | John Sturgeon |
| 1491 | Sir William Say | |
| 1495 | Sir William Say | |
| 1510–1523 | No names known | No names known |
| 1529 | Henry Barley | Philip Butler |
| 1536 | |
| 1539 | Sir Henry Parker | Sir Philip Butler |
| 1542 | Sir Ralph Sadler | Edward Brocket or John Brocket, snr |
| 1545 | Sir Richard Lee | John Cock |
| 1547 | Sir Anthony Denny, died and repl. October 1549 by Sir Henry Parker, died and repl. January 1552 by John Cock | Sir Ralph Rowlett |
| 1553 (Mar) | Sir Ralph Sadler | John Cock |
| 1553 (Oct) | Sir John Butler | Sir John Brocket, snr |
| 1554 (Apr) | John Cock | Francis Southwell |
| 1554 (Nov) | John Cock | Edward Brocket |
| 1555 | Sir John Brocket, snr | John Cock |
| 1558 | John Foster | John Purvey |
| 1559 (Jan) | Sir Thomas Parry | Sir Ralph Sadler |
| 1562–3 | Sir Ralph Sadler | Henry Capell |
| 1571 | Sir Ralph Sadler | Sir George Carey |
| 1572 (Apr) | Sir Ralph Sadler | Sir John Brocket, jnr |
| 1584 (Nov) | Sir Ralph Sadler | Sir Henry Cocke |
| 1586 (Oct) | Sir Ralph Sadler | Sir Henry Cocke |
| 1588 (Oct) | Robert Cecil | Sir Philip Butler |
| 1593 | Sir Robert Cecil | Sir Henry Cocke |
| 1597 (Sep) | Sir Robert Cecil | Rowland Lytton |
| 1601 (Oct) | Sir Robert Cecil | Sir Henry Cary |
| 1604 | Sir Henry Cary | Rowland Lytton |
| 1614 | Sir Henry Carey | Ralph Coningsby |
| 1621 | Sir Henry Cary | Sir Charles Morrison, 1st Baronet |
| 1624 | Sir Charles Morrison, 1st Baronet | Sir William Lytton |
| 1625 | John Boteler | Sir John Boteler |
| 1626 | John Boteler | Sir Thomas Dacres |
| 1628 | Sir William Lytton | Sir Thomas Dacres |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliament summoned | No Parliament summoned |

### MPs 1640–1653

| Year | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party |
| April 1640 | | Arthur Capel | Royalist | | Sir William Lytton | |
| November 1640 | | Arthur Capel | Royalist | | Sir William Lytton | Parliamentarian |
| August 1641 | | Sir Thomas Dacres | Parliamentarian | | Sir William Lytton | Parliamentarian |
| December 1648 | Dacres and Lytton excluded in Pride's Purge – both seats vacant | Dacres and Lytton excluded in Pride's Purge – both seats vacant | Dacres and Lytton excluded in Pride's Purge – both seats vacant | Dacres and Lytton excluded in Pride's Purge – both seats vacant | Dacres and Lytton excluded in Pride's Purge – both seats vacant | Dacres and Lytton excluded in Pride's Purge – both seats vacant |
| 1653 | | Henry Lawrence | | | William Reeve | |

### MPs 1654–1658

First Protectorate Parliament: representation increased to 5 members :
| Year | First member | Second member | Third member | Fourth member | Fifth member |
| 1654 | Henry Lawrence | Sir Richard Lucy, Bt | John Wittewrong | The Earl of Salisbury | Thomas Nicholl |
| 1656 | Sir John Gore | Sir Richard Lucy, Bt | John Wittewrong | The Earl of Salisbury | Rowland Lytton |

### MPs 1659–1832

Third Protectorate Parliament: representation reverted to 2 members :
| Year | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party |
| January 1659 | | Richard Galston | | | Rowland Lytton | |
| 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 | | Henry Caesar | | | Rowland Lytton | |
| 1661 | | Sir Richard Franklin | | | Sir Thomas Fanshawe | |
| 1666 | | Sir Richard Franklin | | | Sir Henry Caesar | |
| 1668 | | Sir Richard Franklin | | | Viscount Cranborne | |
| 1669 | | Sir Richard Franklin | | | William Hale | |
| February 1679 | | Silius Titus | | | William Hale | |
| August 1679 | | Sir Jonathan Keate | | | Sir Charles Caesar | |
| 1681 | | William Hale | | | Sir Charles Caesar | |
| 1685 | | Ralph Freman | | | Thomas Halsey | |
| 1689 | | Sir Thomas Blount | | | Sir Charles Caesar | |
| 1690 | | Sir Thomas Blount | | | Ralph Freman | |
| 1695 | | Sir Thomas Blount | | | Thomas Halsey | |
| 1697 | | Ralph Freman, junior | | | Thomas Halsey | |
| 1705 | | Ralph Freman, junior | | | Sir John Spencer, Bt | |
| 1708 | | Ralph Freman, junior | | | Thomas Halsey | |
| 1715 | | Ralph Freman, junior | | | Sir Thomas Sebright, Bt | |
| 1727 | | Charles Caesar | Tory | | Sir Thomas Sebright, Bt | |
| 1734 | | William Plumer | Whig | | Sir Thomas Sebright, Bt | |
| 1736 | | William Plumer | Whig | | Charles Caesar | Tory |
| 1741 | | Jacob Houblon | Tory | | Charles Gore | Tory |
| 1747 | | Paggen Hale | | | Charles Gore | Tory |
| 1755 | | William Plumer | Whig | | Charles Gore | Tory |
| 1761 | | Thomas Plumer Byde | | | Jacob Houblon | Tory |
| 1768 | | William Plumer | | | Thomas Halsey | |
| 1784 | | William Plumer | | | The Viscount Grimston | |
| 1790 | | William Plumer | Whig | | William Baker | Whig |
| 1802 | | William Plumer | Whig | | Hon. Peniston Lamb | Whig |
| 1805 | | William Plumer | Whig | | William Baker | Tory |
| 1807 | | Hon. Thomas Brand | Whig | | Sir John Sebright, Bt | Whig |
| 1819 | | Hon. William Lamb | Whig | | Sir John Sebright, Bt | Whig |
| 1826 | | Nicolson Calvert | Whig | | Sir John Sebright, Bt | Whig |
| 1832 | Representation increased to three members | Representation increased to three members | Representation increased to three members | Representation increased to three members | Representation increased to three members | Representation increased to three members |

### MPs 1832–1885

| Election | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party | | Third member | Third party |
| 1832 | | Sir John Sebright, Bt | Whig | | Nicolson Calvert | Whig | | Viscount Grimston | Tory |
| 1834 | | Sir John Sebright, Bt | Whig | | Nicolson Calvert | Whig | | Viscount Grimston | Conservative |
| 1835 | | Abel Smith, senior | Conservative | | Rowland Alston | Whig | | Viscount Grimston | Conservative |
| 1841 | | Abel Smith, senior | Conservative | | Hon. Granville Ryder | Conservative | | Viscount Grimston | Conservative |
| 1846 by-election | | Abel Smith, senior | Conservative | | Hon. Granville Ryder | Conservative | | Thomas Plumer Halsey | Conservative |
| 1847 | | Sir Henry Meux, Bt | Conservative | | Thomas Brand | Whig | | Thomas Plumer Halsey | Conservative |
| 1852 | | Sir Henry Meux, Bt | Conservative | | Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Bt | Conservative | | Thomas Plumer Halsey | Conservative |
| 1854 by-election | | Sir Henry Meux, Bt | Conservative | | Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Bt | Conservative | | Abel Smith, junior | Conservative |
| 1857 | | Sir Henry Meux, Bt | Conservative | | Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Bt | Conservative | | Christopher William Puller | Whig |
| 1859 | | Abel Smith, junior | Conservative | | Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Bt | Conservative | | Christopher William Puller | Liberal |
| 1864 by-election | | Abel Smith, junior | Conservative | | Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Bt | Conservative | | Henry Surtees | Conservative |
| 1865 | | Hon. Henry Cowper | Liberal | | Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Bt | Conservative | | Henry Surtees | Conservative |
| 1866 by-election | | Hon. Henry Cowper | Liberal | | Abel Smith, junior | Conservative | | Henry Surtees | Conservative |
| 1868 | | Hon. Henry Cowper | Liberal | | Abel Smith, junior | Conservative | | Henry Brand | Liberal |
| 1874 | | Hon. Henry Cowper | Liberal | | Abel Smith, junior | Conservative | | Frederick Halsey | Conservative |
| 1885 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Hertfordshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | John Sebright | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig | Nicolson Calvert | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 4,000 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1831: Hertfordshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | John Sebright | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig | Nicolson Calvert | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 4,000 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1832: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | John Sebright | 2,154 | 25.7 |
| | Whig | Nicolson Calvert | 2,141 | 25.6 |
| | Tory | James Grimston | 2,074 | 24.8 |
| | Whig | Rowland Alston | 2,007 | 24.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,845 | 90.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,245 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 67 | 0.8 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 67 | 0.8 |
| | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) |
General election 1835: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Rowland Alston | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | James Grimston | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Abel Smith, Sr. | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,520 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |
General election 1837: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Rowland Alston | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | James Grimston | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Abel Smith, Sr. | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,137 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Grimston | 2,585 | 27.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Granville Ryder | 2,552 | 27.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Abel Smith, Sr. | 2,525 | 26.9 | N/A |
| | Whig | Rowland Alston | 1,732 | 18.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 793 | 8.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,845 | 71.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,409 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |
Grimston succeeded to the peerage, becoming 2nd Earl of Verulam and causing a by-election.
By-election, 8 January 1846: Hertfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Plumer Halsey | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1847: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Plumer Halsey | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Henry Meux | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig | Thomas Brand | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,591 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Plumer Halsey | 2,225 | 17.9 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Henry Meux | 2,219 | 17.8 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Edward Bulwer-Lytton | 2,190 | 17.6 | N/A |
| | Whig | Thomas Trevor | 2,043 | 16.4 | N/A |
| | Whig | Christopher William Puller | 1,890 | 15.2 | N/A |
| | Whig | George Jacob Bosanquet | 1,868 | 15.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 147 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,145 (est) | 71.7 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,779 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |
Halsey's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 24 May 1854: Hertfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Abel Smith jnr. | 2,205 | 50.6 | −2.7 |
| | Whig | Christopher William Puller | 2,151 | 49.4 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 54 | 1.2 | 0.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,356 | 75.7 | +4.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,752 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −2.8 | |
General election 1857: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Meux | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Edward Bulwer-Lytton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig | Christopher William Puller | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,061 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative |
Bulwer-Lytton was appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 8 June 1858: Hertfordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Bulwer-Lytton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1859: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Abel Smith jnr. | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Edward Bulwer-Lytton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal | Christopher William Giles-Puller | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,190 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

Puller's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 14 March 1864: Hertfordshire (1 seat) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Surtees | 2,274 | 52.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Henry Cowper | 2,026 | 47.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 248 | 5.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,300 | 74.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,742 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1865: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Cowper | 2,537 | 25.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Edward Bulwer-Lytton | 2,485 | 25.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Henry Surtees | 2,478 | 24.9 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Abel Smith | 2,447 | 24.6 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 52 | 0.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,007 (est) | 80.4 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,228 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
Bulwer-Lytton was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord Lytton and causing a by-election.
By-election, 23 July 1866: Hertfordshire (1 seat) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Abel Smith | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1868: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Cowper | 3,693 | 26.2 | +13.4 |
| | Liberal | Henry Brand | 3,625 | 25.8 | +13.0 |
| | Conservative | Abel Smith | 3,396 | 24.1 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | Henry Surtees | 3,356 | 23.9 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 269 | 1.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,035 (est) | 74.7 (est) | −5.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,423 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.6 | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.5 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −6.9 | |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Frederick Halsey | 4,499 | 30.1 | +6.2 |
| | Conservative | Abel Smith | 4,498 | 30.1 | +6.0 |
| | Liberal | Henry Cowper | 2,974 | 19.9 | −6.3 |
| | Liberal | Henry Brand | 2,964 | 19.8 | −6.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,534 | 10.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,468 (est) | 76.1 (est) | +1.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,809 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.1 | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.0 | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −6.2 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Hertfordshire (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Cowper | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Frederick Halsey | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Abel Smith | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,050 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |