South Northamptonshire (UK Parliament constituency)

This is a rural seat around Towcester and Brackley. There is a significant motorsport sector including Silverstone.^[3] Incomes and house prices are above average for the UK.^[4]

Before 2010, the constituency existed from 1832 to 1918, and from 1950 to 1974, however on different boundaries during each period. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) by the bloc vote system of election from 1832, until the representation was reduced in 1885 to one member elected by the first past the post system.

Prominent members

Three names feature prominently among the area's Commons members, the 3rd and 5th Earl Spencer (during their tenures as MP having a courtesy title only, Viscount Althorp – Althorp is a major country house in the seat, well known as the childhood home of Diana, Princess of Wales); Edward Fitzroy (son of Lord Southampton), Speaker of the House of Commons from 1928 until his death in 1943; and lastly, Reginald Manningham-Buller, 1st Viscount Dilhorne who on accomplishment of a peerage sat for the final two years of his life as the historic equivalent of the President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom with additional functions, the Lord Chancellor.

In the 19th century history of the seat the Cartwright family (with three members) lived in the stately home Aynhoe Park near Banbury.

History of boundaries

The seat was abolished in 1918 to form the new constituency of Daventry, then recreated in 1950 caused by a relatively short-lived abolition of Daventry. In 1974 the constituency was almost wholly swallowed up by a reborn Daventry, which on wide boundaries saw substantial population growth.

This called for recreation in 2010 whereby most of the electoral wards were taken from the former version of the Daventry seat.

Present bordering constituencies

The constituency is bordered by Daventry and Northampton South to the north, Wellingborough to the north east, Milton Keynes North and Milton Keynes South to the south east, Buckingham to the south, Banbury to the south west and Kenilworth and Southam to the west.

1832–1885: The Hundreds of Kings Sutton, Chipping Warden, Greens Norton, Cleley, Towcester, Fawsley, Wymersley, Spelhoe, Nobottle Grove, and Guilsborough.^[5]

1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Brackley and Towcester, and part of the Sessional Division of Daventry. (The part of the Sessional Division of Daventry included in South Northamptonshire excluded the parishes of Ashby St. Ledgers, Barby, Claycoton Crick, Elkington, Kilsby, Lilboume, Long Buckley, Stanford, Watford, West Haddon, Winwick, and Yelvertoft, which were assigned to Mid Northamptonshire). ^[6]

1950–1974: The Boroughs of Daventry and Brackley, and the Rural Districts of Brackley, Daventry, Northampton, and Towcester.

2010–2021: The District of South Northamptonshire wards of Astwell, Blakesley, Blisworth, Brackley East, Brackley South, Brackley West, Chase, Cogenhoe, Collingtree, Cosgrove, Courteenhall, Deanshanger, Grafton, Kings Sutton, Kingthorn, Little Brook, Middleton Cheney, Salcey, Silverstone, Steane, Tove, Towcester Brook, Towcester Mill, Wardoun, Washington, Whittlewood, and Yardley, and the Borough of Northampton wards of East Hunsbury, Nene Valley, and West Hunsbury.

2021–2024: With effect from 1 April 2021, the Borough of Northampton and the District of South Northamptonshire were abolished and absorbed into the new unitary authority of West Northamptonshire.^[7] From that date, the constituency comprised the District of West Northamptonshire wards of Brackley, Bugbrooke (part), Deanshanger, Duston West and St. Crispin (part), East Hunsbury and Shelfleys, Hackleton and Grange Park, Middleton Cheney, Nene Valley, Silverstone, Sixfields (part), and Towcester and Roade.

Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the composition of the constituency is as follows (as they existed on 1 April 2021):

• The District of North Northamptonshire ward of Irchester (polling districts WAA, WAB, WPA, WPB and WPC)

• The District of West Northamptonshire wards of Brackley; Bugbrooke; Deanshanger; Hackleton and Grange Park; Middleton Cheney; Silverstone (polling districts SAA, SAB, SAN, SAT, SBP, SBX, SCV, SDG, SDW, SDZ, SEF, SEW, SFE, SFF, SFN, SFO, SFR, SFW, SGD, SGF and SGK); Towcester and Roade.^[8]

The parts in the former Borough of Northampton were transferred to Northampton South. The constituency gained the part of the Irchester ward from Wellingborough and the remainder of the Bugbrooke ward from Daventry. A small part of Silverstone ward was transferred to Daventry.

Northamptonshire prior to 1832

Daventry and Kettering prior to 1950

Daventry prior to 2010

Cartwright's death caused a by-election.

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 July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: Edward FitzRoy
• Liberal: Arthur Augustus Thomas^[31]

Cartwright resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

Spencer succeeded to the peerage, becoming 5th Earl Spencer and causing a by-election.

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Northamptonshire

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