| Tavistock | |
| Type: | County |
| Parliament: | uk |
| Year: | 1885 |
| Abolished: | February 1974 |
| Elects Howmany: | one |
| Next: | West Devon |
| Type2: | Borough |
| Year2: | 1330 |
| Abolished2: | 1885 |
| Elects Howmany2: | two (1330–1868), one (1868–1885) |
Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its representation was reduced to one member. From 1885, the name was transferred to a single-member county constituency covering a much larger area. (Between 1885 and 1918, the constituency had the alternative name of West Devon.)
The constituency was abolished for the February 1974 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new West Devon constituency.
1885–1918: The Municipal Boroughs of Devonport and Plymouth, and the Sessional Divisions of Hatherleigh, Holsworthy, Lifton, Midland Roborough, and Tavistock.
1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Holsworthy, Ivybridge, and Tavistock, the Rural Districts of Broadwoodwidger, Plympton St Mary, and Tavistock, and part of the Rural District of Holsworthy.
1950–1951: The Urban Districts of Holsworthy and Tavistock, the Rural Districts of Broadwoodwidger, Holsworthy, and Tavistock, and the Rural District of Plympton St Mary except the parishes of Bickleigh and Tamerton Foliot.[1]
1951–1974: The Urban Districts of Holsworthy and Tavistock, the Rural Districts of Broadwoodwidger, Holsworthy, and Tavistock, and the Rural District of Plympton St Mary less the parts of the parishes of Bickleigh and Tamerton Foliot added to the county borough of Plymouth by the Plymouth Extension Act 1950.[2]
In 1965 Tavistock was one of the largest seats in England, in terms of land area. It included the towns of Plympton and Plymstock (effectively eastern suburbs of Plymouth). It also included a great deal of rural land, including two-thirds of Dartmoor.[3]
| Parliament | First member | Second member | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1335 | Richard Crocker[4] | ||
| Oct. 1377 | Thomas Raymond[5] | ||
| 1381 | Peter Hadley[6] | ||
| 1384 | Thomas Raymond | ||
| 1386 | John Wyndout | John Tryll[7] | |
| 1388 (Feb) | Ranulph Hunt | John atte Pole | |
| 1388 (Sep) | John Ford | William Walreddon | |
| 1390 (Jan) | Walter Milemead | John Bithewater | |
| 1390 (Nov) | |||
| 1391 | Ranulph Hunt | John Whitham | |
| 1393 | Ranulph Hunt | Matthew Row | |
| 1394 | Ranulph Hunt | John Crocker | |
| 1395 | Ranulph Hunt | Walter Dimmock | |
| 1397 (Jan) | William Whitham | John Plenty | |
| 1397 (Sep) | |||
| 1399 | |||
| 1401 | |||
| 1402 | Ranulph Hunt | John Kene | |
| 1404 (Jan) | |||
| 1404 (Oct) | |||
| 1406 | John Plenty | Roger Baker | |
| 1407 | John Godfrey | William Brit | |
| 1410 | |||
| 1411 | John Lopynford | Richard Secheville | |
| 1413 (Feb) | |||
| 1413 (May) | William May | John Julkin | |
| 1414 (Apr) | |||
| 1414 (Nov) | William May | John Julkin | |
| 1415 | |||
| 1416 (Mar) | |||
| 1416 (Oct) | |||
| 1417 | |||
| 1419 | Richard Secheville | ? | |
| 1420 | Richard Secheville | William Bentley | |
| 1421 (May) | John Fortescue | William May | |
| 1421 (Dec) | John Fortescue | Nicholas Fitzherbert | |
| 1467–1468 | Richard Edgcumbe | ||
| 1472 | John Say | ||
| 1485 | Richard Edgcumbe | ||
| 1510-1512 | No names known[8] | ||
| 1515 | Richard Lybbe | John Amadas | |
| 1523 | ? | ||
| 1529 | William Honychurch | John Dynham | |
| 1536 | ? | ||
| 1539 | ? | ||
| 1542 | ? | ||
| 1545 | Sir Peter Carew | Richard Fortescue | |
| 1547 | Sir Edward Rogers | John Gale | |
| 1553 (Mar) | Edward Underhill | Anthony Lyte | |
| 1553 (Nov) | Richard Wilbraham | Thomas Smyth | |
| Parliament of 1554 | Richard Mayo | John Fitz, junior | |
| Parliament of 1554-1555 | John Onebyche | ||
| Parliament of 1555 | Richard Mayo | Thomas Southcote | |
| Parliament of 1558 | Thomas Browne | George Southcote | |
| Parliament of 1559 | Unknown: the return has been lost | ||
| Parliament of 1563-1567 | Sir Nicholas Throckmorton | Richard Cooke | |
| Parliament of 1571 | Nathaniel Bacon | Robert Ferrers died after 1572 In his place Charles Morison | |
| Parliament of 1572-1581 | |||
| Parliament of 1584-1585 | Edward Bacon | Valentine Knightley | |
| Parliament of 1586-1587 | John Glanville | ||
| Parliament of 1588-1589 | Michael Heneage | Anthony Ashley | |
| Parliament of 1593 | Hugh Vaughan | Richard Codrington | |
| Parliament of 1597-1598 | Edward Montagu | Valentine Knightley | |
| Parliament of 1601 | Henry Grey | Walter Wentworth | |
| Parliament of 1604-1611 | Sir George Fleetwood | Edward Duncombe | |
| Addled Parliament (1614) | (Sir) Francis Glanville | ||
| Parliament of 1621-1622 | Sir Baptist Hicks, Bt | ||
| Happy Parliament (1624–1625) | Sampson Hele | John Pym | |
| Sir Francis Glanville | |||
| Parliament of 1625-1626 | Sir John Ratcliffe | ||
| Parliament of 1628-1629 | Sir Francis Glanville | ||
| No Parliament summoned 1629-1640 | |||
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Russell[35] | Liberal | ||
| Liberal | |||
| Liberal Unionist | |||
| Liberal | |||
| Liberal Unionist | |||
| Liberal | |||
| Liberal Unionist | |||
| Conservative | |||
| Liberal | |||
| Unionist | |||
| Conservative | |||
| Conservative | |||
| Conservative | |||
| Conservative | |||
| Feb 1974 | constituency abolished: see West Devon | ||
Fortescue chose to sit for where he had also been elected, causing a by-election.
John Russell was also elected for and opted to sit there, causing a by-election.
William Russell resigned, causing a by-election.
Rundle resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Trelawny resigned to seek re-election after voting against the disestablishment of the Church of England when he had promised his constituents he would vote for it.[36]
On petition, Carter was unseated in 1853 and Phillimore was declared elected in his place.
Byng resigned in order to contest a by-election in Middlesex, causing a by-election.[37]
Seat reduced to one member
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;
General Election 1939–40:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;