Parliamentary representation from Cumberland

The historic county of Cumberland in north west England was represented in Parliament from the 13th century. This article provides a list of constituencies constituting the Parliamentary representation from Cumberland.

In 1889 Cumberland became an administrative county. In 1974 Cumberland was combined with Westmorland and northern Lancashire to form a new shire county of Cumbria.

The first part of this article covers the constituencies wholly or predominantly within the area of the historic county of Cumberland, both before and after the administrative changes of 1974. The second part refers to constituencies mostly in another historic county, which included some territory from the historic county of Cumberland. The summaries section only refers to the constituencies included in the first section of the constituency list.

List of constituencies

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Article names are followed by (UK Parliament constituency). The constituencies which existed in 1707 were those previously represented in the Parliament of England.

Key to abbreviations:-

  • (Type) BC Borough constituency, CC County constituency.
  • (Administrative County in Notes) C1 historic/administrative county of Cumberland (to 1974), C2 shire county of Cumbria (from 1974).

Constituencies wholly or predominantly in the historic county

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Constituency Type From To MPs Notes
Carlisle BC 1295 * 2 (1295-1885) C1, C2
1 (1654–1659)
2 (1659–1885)
1 (1885-*)
Cockermouth BC (1295–96, 1640–1885) 1295 1296 2 (1295–96, 1640–1868) C1: Unrepresented 1654-1659
CC (1885–1918) 1640 1918 1 (1868–1918)
Copeland CC 1983 * 1 C2
Cumberland CC 1290 1832 2 C1
East Cumberland CC 1832 1885 2 C1
North Cumberland CC 1918 1950 1 C1
West Cumberland CC 1832 1885 2 C1
Egremont BC (1295–96) 1295 1296 2 (1295–96) C1
CC (1885–1918) 1885 1918 1 (1885–1918)
Eskdale CC 1885 1918 1 C1
Penrith CC 1885 1918 1 C1
Penrith and Cockermouth CC 1918 1950 1 C1
Penrith and The Border CC 1950 * 1 C1, C2: From 1983 inc. part of Westmorland
Whitehaven BC (1832–1918) 1832 1983 1 C1, C2
CC (1918–1983)
Workington CC 1918 * 1 C1, C2

Constituencies mostly in another historic county

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Constituency Type From To MPs Notes

Periods constituencies represented

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  1290–1295 1295–1296 1296–1640 1640–1654 1654–1659 1659–1832 1832–1868 1868–1885 1885–1918
Carlisle   1295–*
Cockermouth   1295–1296   1640–1654   1659–1918
Cumberland 1290–1832  
East Cumberland   1832–1885  
West Cumberland   1832–1885  
Egremont   1295–1296   1885–1918
Eskdale   1885–1918
Penrith   1885–1918
Whitehaven   1832–1983
  1918–1950 1950–1983 1983–*
Carlisle 1295–*
Copeland   1983–*
North Cumberland 1918–1950  
Penrith and Cockermouth 1918–1950  
Penrith and The Border   1950–*
Whitehaven 1832–1983  
Workington 1918–*

Summaries

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Note: Dates for representation before 1509 are provisional.

Summary of Constituencies by Type and Period

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Type 1290 1295 1296 1640 1654 1659 1832 1868 1885 1918 1950
Borough - 3 1 2 1 2 3 3 2 1 1
County 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 4 4 3
Total 1 4 2 3 2 3 5 5 6 5 4

Summary of Members of Parliament by Type and Period

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Type 1290 1295 1296 1640 1654 1659 1832 1868 1885 1918 1950
Borough - 6 2 4 1 4 5 4 2 1 1
County 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 3
Total 2 8 4 6 3 6 9 8 6 5 4

See also

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References

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  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • British Parliamentary Constituencies: A Statistical Compendium, by Ivor Crewe and Anthony Fox (Faber and Faber 1984)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press 1977)
  • The House of Commons 1509-1558, by S.T. Bindoff (Secker & Warburg 1982)
  • The House of Commons 1558-1603, by P.W. Hasler (HMSO 1981)
  • The House of Commons 1660-1690, by Basil Duke Henning (Secker & Warburg 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)
  • The House of Commons 1790-1820, by R.G. Thorne (Secker & Warburg 1986)
  • 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) out of copyright