The seat was created for the Model Parliament and sent members until at least 1331 until a new (possibly confirmatory) grant of two members to Westminster followed. From 1529 extending unusually beyond the 19th century until the 1950 general election the seat had two-member representation. Party divisions tended to run stronger after 1931 before which two different parties' candidates frequently came first and second at elections under the bloc vote system.
In 1929, a recently elected Liberal, Sir William Jowitt decided to join the Labour Party and called for a by-election (which implies a single vacancy) to support this change of party, which he won, to take up for two years the position of Attorney General of England and Wales as part of the Government. He became the highest judge during the Attlee Ministry, the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain and Speaker of the House of Lords under a then hereditary-dominated House leading to a Conservative majority. Consequently, he was selected to be elevated to a peerage as 1st Earl Jowitt. With no sons, he was to be the last Earl and wrote the Dictionary of English Law.
Since the seat's revival after being split for 33 years into the larger North and South seats, all representatives have been members of the Labour Party.
The member from 1987 to 2000 was Audrey Wise, a member of the Socialist Campaign Group and reformer of maternity healthcare in opposition on the Select Committee.
Boundaries
Map of current boundaries
1832–1868: The old borough of Preston, and the township of Fishwick.[2]
1868–1885: The existing parliamentary borough, excluding such part (if any) as lies on the south side of the River Ribble.[3]
1885–1918: The existing parliamentary borough, so much of the municipal borough of Preston as was not already included in the parliamentary borough, so much of the parish of Lea, Ashton, Ingol, and Cottam, and of the parish of Penwortham, as were added to the municipal borough of Preston on 1 June 1889 by the Ribble Navigation and Preston Dock Act 1883, and the local government district of Fulwood.[4]
1983–1997: The Borough of Preston wards of Ashton, Avenham, Brookfield, Central, Deepdale, Fishwick, Ingol, Larches, Moorbrook, Park, Ribbleton, St John's, St Matthew's, and Tulketh.
1997–2010: The Borough of Preston wards of Ashton, Avenham, Brookfield, Central, Deepdale, Fishwick, Larches, Moor Park, Ribbleton, Riversway, St Matthew's, and Tulketh, and the Borough of South Ribble wards of Bamber Bridge Central, Bamber Bridge South, and Walton-le-Dale.
2010–2024: The City of Preston wards of Ashton, Brookfield, Deepdale, Fishwick, Ingol, Larches, Moor Park, Ribbleton, Riversway, St George's, St Matthew's, Town Centre, Tulketh, and University.
2024 onwards: The City of Preston wards of Ashton, Brookfield, Cadley, City Centre, Deepdale, Fishwick & Frenchwood, Garrison, Ingol & Cottam, Lea & Larches, Plungington, Ribbleton, and St Matthew's.
History
In the late 19th Century the boundaries of the two-member Preston constituency were described as comprising:[5]
...[T]he old Borough of Preston, the township of Fishwick, so much of the Municipal Borough as is not included in the Parliamentary Borough, the Local Government District of Fulwood, and so much of the parishes of Lea, Ashton, Ingol, and Cotham {sic}, and Penwortham, as will be added to the Municipal Borough of Preston on June 1st, 1889
County borough of Preston and urban district of Fulwood:[6]
The single seat of Preston formed from 1918 until 1949 was created by the County Borough of Preston and Urban District of Fulwood. From the general election of 1950 to the 1983 Preston was divided into the constituencies of Preston North and Preston South. In time for the 1983 general election, the boundaries on which the current seat is drawn were confirmed. The northern, Fulwood area, was divided between Fylde and Ribble Valley.
Changes for 2010
The ward of Lea is within the constituency of Fylde.
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England modified Preston City Council's ward boundaries in 2018, which in some minor cases altered which wards crossed the Parliamentary boundary of Preston. Due to the changes, the constituency of Preston, as of 2018, is made from:
In full: Ashton, Brookfield, City Centre, Deepdale, Fishwick and Frenchwood, Plungington, Ribbleton, St Matthews.
In part: Cadley (shared with Wyre and Preston North), Ingol and Cottam (shared with Fylde), Lea and Larches (shared with Fylde).
Ashton; Brookfield; Cadley; City Centre; Deepdale; Fishwick & Frenchwood; Garrison; Ingol & Cottam; Lea & Larches; Plungington; Ribbleton; St. Matthew’s.[8]
The constituency will be expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range by transferring in the part wards currently in the Fylde constituency. together with the remainder of the Cadley ward and the Garrison ward from Wyre and Preston North (to be abolished).
Members of Parliament
MPs 1295–1640
MPs 1640–1950
MPs since 1983
Overview
Representatives have sat in Parliament for Preston for nearly 800 years, the first recorded names being Willielmus fil' Pauli and Adam Russel. Prior to being reformed as "Preston" in 1983, the former Preston North and Preston South seats were amongst the most marginal in the country - in 1979, Conservative Robert Atkins won Preston North by 29 votes.
With the suburban, middle class former Fulwood Urban District area within Ribble Valley (and from 2010 Wyre and Preston North), the southern portion has awarded MPs with much healthier and secure majorities. Almost all of Preston's representatives from 1915 to 1950, and since its recreation as a single constituency in 1983, have been Labour candidates.
Between 1918 and 1949, the two-seat constituency of Preston was formed by the County Borough of Preston and the Urban District of Fulwood. In 1997, Audrey Wise secured a majority of over 18,000. The collapse of the Conservative vote - 10 percentage points down from 1992 - was firmly with the pattern of the Tory fortunes in that year.
Less than a year later, the 2001 general election returned Mark Hendrick with a much healthier 12,200 majority, up against South Ribble councillor Graham O'Hare for the Conservatives and the then local Liberal Democrat leader Bill Chadwick. In real terms, all three main parties lost support from 1997 - Labour down by over 8,000 votes, Conservatives reduced by over 2,200 and Lib Dems 2,300 lower. One notable candidate in 2001 was David Braid, also a candidate in a number of other seats that year, who had been the "Battle for Britain" candidate in the previous year's by-election.
The 2005 general election was notable for the changes in share of the vote of the minor parties. The first ever Respect candidate, local councillor Michael Lavalette, firmly saved his deposit with nearly 7% of the vote. The Liberal Democrats had chosen former Conservative County Councillor William Parkinson, and had their best result since 1997. Fiona Bryce for the Conservatives, remained in second place seeing her share of the vote remain stable despite the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) polling over 1,000 votes. Mark Hendrick secured another term as MP, although his vote total was 3,000 less than 2001 and 12,000 less than Audrey Wise in 1997.
Labour continued to represent Preston at the elections of 2010, 2015, and 2017. Whilst Mark Hendrick secured less than 50% of the votes cast in 2010, the first time this has occurred at a Preston election since 1983, subsequent results had much stronger Labour majorities. Second place went back to the Conservative Party, regaining from the Liberal Democrats who took second place for the first time in 2010.
For all General Elections from 1906 to 1929 the Liberal and Labour parties ran only one candidate each, and these candidates ran in harness.
Stanley
General Election 1914/15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
^"The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – North West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
^"The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV: An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 300–383.
^"A Collection of the Public General Statutes: 1867/68. Cap. XLVI. An Act to settle and describe the Limits of certain Boroughs and the Divisions of certain Counties in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1868. pp. 119–166.
^"Chap. 23. Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885". The Public General Acts of the United Kingdom passed in the forty-eighth and forty-ninth years of the reign of Queen Victoria. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1885. pp. 111–198.
^Debretts House of Commons 1886 Debretts House of Commons 1886, Page 222, "Counties, Divisions, Boroughs, etc
^RotPA 1918 Archive.org
^"Boundary Commission for England, fifth periodic review, p195" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
^ a b c d e f g h i"History of Parliament". Retrieved 25 September 2011.
^ a b c d e f g h i j"History of Parliament". Retrieved 25 September 2011.
^ a b cLeigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "P" (part 2)
^Chicheley was also elected for Cambridge, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Preston
^On petition, Leicester and Standish were adjudged not to have been duly elected and their opponents, Burgoyne and Hoghton, were declared to have been duly elected in their place
^Major-General from 1772, Lieutenant-General from 1777
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v wStooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 185–187. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
^ a bChurton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. pp. 92–93, 216–217. Retrieved 29 November 2018 – via Google Books.
^ a bMosse, Richard Bartholomew (1838). The Parliamentary Guide: a concise history of the Members of both Houses, etc. pp. 164–165, 220. Retrieved 29 November 2018 – via Google Books.
^Casey, Martin (2009). "STRICKLAND, George (1782–1874), of Hildenley and Boyton, Yorks. and Parliament Street, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
^ a bTaylor, H. A. (15 September 1955). "Politics in Famine-Stricken Preston: An Examination of Liberal Party Management, 1861–65" (PDF). The Historic Society of Lancashire & Cheshire. p. 121. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
^ a bAspinall, A.; Smith, E. Anthony, eds. (1996) [1959]. English Historical Documents 1783–1832 (eBook). London: Routledge. p. 34. ISBN 0-203-19915-4. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
^ a bRothbard, Murray N. (2006) [1995]. Economic Thought Before Adam Smith: An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought, Volume I. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 223. ISBN 0-945466-48-X. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
^Later adopted the surname Fermor-Hesketh
^Created a baronet, 1902
^"Parliamentary (General) election results - 4 July 2024". Preston City Council. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
^Ashley Dalton [@AshleyDalton_MP] (2 June 2022). "I worked to help @MpHendrick get reselected for Preston and I'm pleased to say he was overwhelmingly reselected by @prestonlabour to continue being the City's Labour MP" (Tweet) – via Twitter.{{Cite tweet}}: |date= / |number= mismatch (help)
^"2024 General Election candidates". Co-operative Party. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
^Walker, Ed. "Former Preston councillor to stand as pro-Palestinian candidate in general election". Blog Preston. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
^"Preston Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
^"Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
^"Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 1997-2002 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
^"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
^ a b c d e f g h i jBritish Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
^ a bDebrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
^ a b c d e f gThe Liberal Year Book, 1907
^ a b cDebrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
^Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q rCraig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
^"Mr. Clifton's Candidature". Preston Chronicle. 23 April 1859. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 30 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"The Elections". Preston Chronicle. 10 July 1852. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 30 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"The Election". Preston Chronicle. 15 December 1832. p. 2. Retrieved 21 April 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ a b cEscott, Margaret. "Preston". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
Sources
Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [1]
D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [2]
The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)
F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949 (Glasgow: Political Reference Publications, 1969)
Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988)
J E Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949)
J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
External links
Preston UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
Preston UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK