In May 2023, the incumbent Chippenham MP, Michelle Donelan, announced she would be standing for the new Melksham and Devizes constituency.[3] In July 2023, the local Conservative Association announced that their candidate for the new Chippenham constituency would be a local unitary councillor, Nic Puntis.[4]
History
A parliamentary borough of Chippenham was enfranchised in 1295. It sent two burgesses to Parliament until 1868 and one thereafter until the borough constituency was abolished in 1885. There was a county division constituency named after the town of Chippenham from 1885 to 1983, when the name of that constituency was changed to North Wiltshire.
Following the 2003–2005 review into parliamentary representation in Wiltshire, the Boundary Commission created a new county constituency, reviving the name of Chippenham as a seat. It is formed from parts of the previously existing Devizes, North Wiltshire and Westbury constituencies.
Boundaries
Historical boundaries
Chippenham is the largest town in rural North Wiltshire and in the new constituency.
1295–1832: The parliamentary borough of Chippenham in the unreformed Parliament consisted of only part of the parish of Chippenham in Wiltshire. However, as Chippenham was a burgage borough, in which the right to vote was confined to the resident occupiers of specific properties, the boundary had no practical function. The borough had a population of 1,620 in 1831, for 283 houses.
1832–1885: The Boundary Act which accompanied the Great Reform Act extended the boundaries of the parliamentary borough, to include the whole of Chippenham parish, the adjoining parishes of Hardenhuish and Langley Burrell, as well as the extra-parochial district of Pewsham. This more than trebled the borough's population, to 5,270 by the 1831 figures, for 883 houses.
1885–1918: During this period, Wiltshire was split into five county divisions and one borough, of which The North-Western (or Chippenham) Division of Wiltshire was one; it was often colloquially referred to simply as either Chippenham or as North-West Wiltshire. It was bordered by the Cricklade division to the east, Westbury to the south and Devizes to the southeast. Over the county boundary were the Thornbury division of Gloucestershire to the west, the Cirencester division of Gloucestershire to the north and the Frome division of Somerset to the southwest.
The Chippenham division included the towns of Calne and Malmesbury as well as Chippenham, both of which had also been parliamentary boroughs in their own right before 1885. By the outbreak of World War I, the population of the constituency was about 45,000.
1950–1983: In the redistribution which took effect at the 1950 general election, Wiltshire was divided into one borough and four county constituencies. Chippenham County Constituency consisted of the same Municipal Boroughs as in 1918 and the Rural Districts of Calne and Chippenham, Cricklade and Wootton Bassett and Malmesbury.
2010–present
Map of boundaries 2010–2024
2010–2024: The North Wiltshire wards of Cepen Park, Chippenham Allington, Chippenham Audley, Chippenham Avon, Chippenham Hill Rise, Chippenham London Road, Chippenham Monkton Park, Chippenham Park, Chippenham Pewsham, Chippenham Redland, Chippenham Westcroft/Queens, Corsham, Lacock with Neston and Gastard, and Pickwick, and the West Wiltshire wards of Atworth and Whitley, Bradford-on-Avon North, Bradford-on-Avon South, Holt, Manor Vale, Melksham North, Melksham Spa, Melksham Without, Melksham Woodrow, Paxcroft.
2024–present: Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, effective from the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following Wiltshire electoral divisions (as they existed on 4 May 2021):
Calne Central, Calne Chilvester & Abberd, Calne North, Calne Rural, Chippenham Cepen Park & Derriads, Chippenham Cepen Park & Hunters Moon, Chippenham Hardenhuish, Chippenham Hardens & Central, Chippenham Lowden & Rowden, Chippenham Monkton, Chippenham Pewsham, Chippenham Sheldon, Corsham Ladbrook, Corsham Pickwick,; Corsham Without, Lyneham, Royal Wootton Bassett East, Royal Wootton Bassett North, and Royal Wootton Bassett South & West.[5]
The Chippenham name was revived in 2010 for the new constituency that includes Bradford on Avon, Chippenham, Corsham and Melksham.
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
A general election was expected to take place in 1914/15. The following were to be candidates;
George Terrell (Unionist)
Harold Gorst (Liberal)
A petition was lodged in relation to the December 1910 election, but this was later withdrawn after a recount, resulting in the above numbers. The original count had placed the Conservatives with 4,139 votes and the Liberals with 4,113 votes.
^"Chippenham: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
^"The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
^Baker, John (15 May 2023). "Wiltshire MP decides which seat to stand for after '50/50 split'". Wiltshire Times. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
^"Tories reveal who will fight Wiltshire seat at next general election". Swindon Advertiser. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 7 South West region.
^"New Seat Details - Chippenham". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
^ a b c d e f"History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
^ a b c d e f g h i"History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Archived from the original on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
^ a b c d e f g h i j"History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
^ a b c dLeigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 4)
^Died October 1648
^Unseated in 1691 and again in 1692 after being re-elected, as a result of election petitions
^On petition, Ashe was found not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Popham, was declared elected in his place
^Succeeded to baronetcy, May 1716
^Created a baronet, July 1762
^Knighted, September 1755; created a baronet, November 1759
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x yStooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 108–110. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via Google Books.
^Brooke was initially declared elected in 1802, but on petition he was found not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Maitland, was declared elected in his place
^"Chippenham 1660-1983". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
^Foster, Bernard John (1966). "ISLINGTON, Sir John Poynder Dickson-Poynder". In McLintock, A. H. (ed.). Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
^"Chippenham results". BBC News. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
^"Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
^"Chippenham parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
^"Chippenham (Constituency) 2017 results - General election results - UK Parliament". Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
^"Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Chippenham | Parliamentary on Thursday 7 May 2015 | Wiltshire Council". elections.wiltshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
^ a b"UK ELECTION RESULTS". electionresults.blogspot.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 February 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
^"New store plan divides candidates". BBC News. 11 April 2015. Archived from the original on 25 July 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
^"Socialist Unity". Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
^"Press release: Green Party announces new candidates for Chippenham and Devizes constituencies". Kennet and North Wiltshire Green Party. 8 February 2015. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
^"Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"BBC – Election 2010 – Chippenham". BBC News. 1 January 1970. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
^UK General Election results 1970 Archived 2011-08-11 at the Wayback Machine Political Science Resources
^UK General Election results March 1966 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Political Science Resources
^ a b c dBritish parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F. W. S.
^ a b c d e f g hCraig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m nCraig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
^"The New Parliament". Leicester Chronicle. 7 February 1874. p. 5. Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ a bFarrell, Stephen. "Chippenham". The History of Parliament. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
Sources
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)
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)
Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) Archived 19 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine
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)
J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
Frederic A Youngs Jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)
External links
nomis Constituency Profile for Chippenham — presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics.
