The constituency covers the town of Windsor and various portions of the surrounding area, in Berkshire. It should be noted that from 1974 the local government county boundary changed to add to Berkshire part of the territory north of the Thames. The Eton and Slough areas thus became eligible to be joined with Windsor in a Berkshire county constituency. Before 1868: The parliamentary borough of Windsor (sometimes known as New Windsor to distinguish it from the nearby settlement of Old Windsor) was based upon a town in the eastern part of the county of Berkshire in South East England, which grew up around Windsor Castle. 1868-1918: The boundaries of the parliamentary borough were extended by the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict., c. 46). The north boundary of the constituency was on the River Thames, which was then the border between Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. In 1868-1885 the constituency was surrounded to the north by the Buckinghamshire seat. The rest of the borough was adjacent to the Berkshire county constituency. Between 1885-1918 the seat to the north of the Thames was the Wycombe division of Buckinghamshire and the other neighbouring constituency was the Wokingham division of Berkshire. 1918-1950: The parliamentary borough was abolished and replaced by a county division named after Windsor. The local government areas (as they existed in 1918) which comprised the constituency were the Municipal Boroughs of New Windsor, and Maidenhead, with the Rural Districts of Cookham, Easthampstead, Windsor and a part of Wokingham. 1950-1974: The constituency was reduced in size by the Representation of the People Act 1948, so it comprised the Municipal Boroughs of New Windsor and Maidenhead, with the Rural Districts of Cookham and Windsor. In 1974 much the same area (by then about to become part of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead established that year), was included in a new constituency named Windsor and Maidenhead. 1997 to the next general election: When the Windsor constituency was re-created it no longer linked the town of the same name with Maidenhead to the west, for parliamentary purposes. Instead the town of Windsor was joined with Eton and part of Slough north of the Thames. The Parliamentary Constituemcies (England) Order 1995 (SI 1995/1626) defined the constituency. It included, from the Borough of Bracknell Forest, the wards of Ascot, Cranbourne and St Mary's. The Borough of Slough contributed Foxborough ward. The remainder of the seat, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, comprised the wards of Bray, Castle, Clewer North, Clewer South, Datchet, Eton North and South, Eton West, Horton and Wraysbury, Old Windsor, Park, Sunningdale and South Ascot, Sunninghill and Trinity. In 1998 there was a small re-alignment of county boundaries in the north east corner of Berkshire. This transferred to Berks one polling district from Surrey (being a part of that local government county located in the historic county of Middlesex) and another from Buckinghamshire. Some constituency boundaries were re-defined by The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) (Miscellaneous Changes) Order 1998 (SI 1998/3152). The new Slough ward of Colnbrook and Poyle (since re-named Colnbrook with Poyle) was added to Windsor constituency. This change probably involved less than a thousand electors (as the third polling district in the new ward was taken from Foxborough ward, which was already in the constituency). From the next general election: Under The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007 (SI 2007/1681), the constituency will comprise:- From the Borough of Bracknell Forest: Ascot, Binfield with Warfield, Warfield Harvest Rise, and Winkfield and Cranbourne wards. From the Borough of Slough: Colnbrook with Poyle ward. From the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead: Ascot and Cheapside, Castle Without, Clewer East, Clewer North, Clewer South, Datchet, Eton and Castle, Eton Wick, Horton and Wraysbury, Old Windsor, Park, Sunningdale, Sunninghill and South Ascot wards.
History
Windsor has had parliamentary representation for centuries, first sending a member in 1301, and continuously from 1424. It elected two Members of Parliament until 1868, when the constituency was reformed and its representation reduced to one MP. In 1974, the constituency was abolished and a similar one, Windsor and Maidenhead was created. However, in 1997 the constituency was recreated. The pre-1832 franchise of the borough was held by inhabitants paying scot and lot (a local tax). Namier and Brooke estimated that, in 1754-1790, there were about 300 electors. In 1832 a new property based franchise replaced the scot and lot qualification. Under the new system, there were 507 registered electors in 1832. The early political history of the area was strongly influenced by the monarch and members of his or her family. Windsor Castle has been an important royal residence throughout the history of the constituency. During part of the eighteenth century the Duke of Cumberland (son of King George II) and the Beauclerk family (descended from King Charles II) had political interests in the borough. King George III became personally involved in the hotly contested 1780 general election. George encouraged local landowner Peniston Portlock Powney to stand by paying him £2,500 from the King's personal account. The King wished to defeat Admiral Keppel, one of the incumbent members. The monarch went so far as to canvass tradesmen who dealt with the royal household. After this royal interference in the election, Keppel only lost by 16 votes. Namier and Brooke suggest the Windsor electorate had an independent streak and were difficult to manage. The borough representatives before the Reform Act 1832 included soldiers and people connected with the Royal Household, such as Sir Richard Hussey Vivian (MP 1826-1831) and Sir Herbert Taylor (MP 1820-1823). The constituency also returned politicians prominent in national politics, like the Duke of Wellington's elder brother the Earl of Mornington in the 1780s and 1790s or the future Prime Minister Edward Stanley (subsequently the Earl of Derby) in the early 1830s). The Ramsbottom family filled one seat from 1806 until 1845. The borough had been loyal to the King's Pittite/Tory ministers in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, but became more favourable to the Whig interest after John Ramsbottom (MP 1810-1845) was elected. By the 1860s the monarch had ceased to interfere in local affairs. The borough fell under the patronage of Colonel R. Richardson-Gardner. Richardson-Gardner was a local landowner, who caused some animosity when following the 1868 general election he evicted tenants who did not support him at the polls. This was the last Parliamentary election the Conservatives lost in Windsor. Despite (or perhaps because of) his methods, Richardson-Gardner was elected to Parliament in 1874. Successive Conservative MPs, before the First World War, had considerable influence in the constituency; especially when they subscribed generously to local institutions such as a hospital. The county division created in 1918 combined the town of Windsor, with territory to its west, south and east which had formerly been in the Wokingham division. The incumbent MP for Wokingham up to 1918, Ernest Gardner, was the first representative of the expanded Windsor constituency. The Conservative Party retained the seat continuously, until 1974 when a Windsor constituency temporarily disappeared from the House of Commons. The re-created constituency, from 1997, has remained reliably Conservative. Despite some Liberal Democrat strength in local elections, particularly in the town of Windsor itself, affluent villages and small towns such as Ascot, Sunninghill and Sunningdale have continued to contribute to Conservative majorities.
Members of Parliament
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As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments held in this period, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given. Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or (in the sixteenth century) is not recorded in a surviving document, the entry unknown is entered in the table. The Roman numerals after some names are those used in The House of Commons 1509-1558 and The House of Commons 1558-1603 to distinguish a member from another politician of the same name.
b Date when Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament by force.
c Date when the members of the nominated or Barebones Parliament were selected. The parliamentary borough of Windsor was not represented in this body.
d Date when the members of the First Protectorate Parliament were elected. The parliamentary borough of Windsor was not represented in this body. Windsor formed part of the county constituency of Berkshire for this Parliament.
e Date when the members of the Second Protectorate Parliament were elected. The parliamentary borough of Windsor was not represented in this body. Windsor formed part of the county constituency of Berkshire for this Parliament.
f The Rump Parliament was recalled and subsequently Pride's Purge was reversed, allowing the full Long Parliament to meet until it agreed to dissolve itself.
g The MPs of the last Parliament of England and 45 members co-opted from the former Parliament of Scotland, became the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain which assembled on 23 October1707 (see below for the members in that Parliament).
The bloc vote electoral system was used in two seat elections and first past the post for single member by-elections and general elections from 1868. Each voter had up to as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings (until the secret ballot was introduced in 1872). Note on percentage change calculations: Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party percentage 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. Note on sources: The information for the election results given below is taken from Sedgwick 1715-1754, Namier and Brooke 1754-1790, Stooks Smith 1790-1832 and from Craig thereafter. Where Stooks Smith gives additional information or differs from the other sources this is indicated in a note after the result. When a candidate is described as Non Partisan for an election this means that the sources used do not give a party label. This does not necessarily mean that the candidate did not regard himself as a member of a party or acted as such in Parliament. Craig's party labels have been varied to take account of the development of parties. Tory candidates are classified as Conservative from the United Kingdom general election, 1835. Whig and Radical candidates are classified separately until the formal establishment of the Liberal Party shortly after the United Kingdom general election, 1859.
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A double return was made. The House of Commons decided the correct result was Beauclerk 240 (60.00%) and Oldfield 160 (40.00%); a majority of 80 (20.00%). Beauclerk was declared duly elected on 27 March1738.
Note (1832): Stooks Smith classified Ramsbottom as a Radical candidate from this election. However as Stenton, editing a book composed of Parliamentary biographies published by a contemporary after the Reform Act 1832, described Ramsbottom as being 'of Whig principles' he continues to be classified as a Whig in this article.
Note (1841): Later in his career Richard Neville became known as Richard Neville Grenville. A petition was presented challenging this election, but it was withdrawn before a decision was obtained.
Note (1857): As the number of electors who voted is unascertained, the minimum turnout is calculated by dividing the number of votes by two. To the extent that voters did not use both their votes the turnout figure will be an underestimate.
Note (1859): Turnout estimated as in 1857 above. A petition was presented after this election, but it was withdrawn before a formal decision was made upon it.
Constituency reduced to one seat and electorate expanded by the Reform Act 1867 with the constituency boundaries changed by the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1868, to take effect from the next general election.
The electorate was expanded, with the parliamentary borough being abolished and its territory becoming part of a county division, with effect from the United Kingdom general election, 1918.
A Chronological Register of Both Houses of the British Parliament. Robert Beatson, 1807.
Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press, revised edition 1977)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 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)
Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910. by Henry Pelling (Macmillan 1967)
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))
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919-1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV 1945-1979, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1981)
